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At the 2017 graduation of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, in Kuru, Jos, on Saturday, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo reeled out the various achievements of the Buhari administration, despite scarce financial resources, made more difficult by the squandermania of the Jonathan era. He noted among other things, that despite the fall of revenue  by 60 per cent, the Buhari administration  started a series of bailouts for the States, to enable them pay salaries and pensions. The government was also  able to provide about N1.3trillion for capital expenditure, the largest amount for capital in our nation’s history. “For the first time in five years we saved $500million, and invested another $500million in the Sovereign Wealth Fund. Today our external reserves stands at $35billion the highest in the past four years,”he said. Without necessarily mentioning names, Osinbajo dealt a crushing blow to  government critics and politicians who have never...

The Katsina Police Command says it has arrested a 28-year-old housewife for allegedly killing her 40-day-old step son. The suspect resides in Majoji Village in Mai’adua Local Government Area of Katsina State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bensen Gwana, paraded the suspect before newsmen on Friday in Katsina. “The suspect allegedly poisoned the baby through giving him drinking water. “The mother of the baby suspected foul-play and took the baby to the Mai’adua Hospital and later Daura General Hospital where it was confirmed that the boy was poisoned. “The baby died at the Daura General Hospital when medical experts failed to stop the continuous watery stooling and vomiting,” the police boss said. Reacting to the allegation, the suspect denied that she intentionally killed the baby, saying that she only used her hand to give the baby the drinking water. She said she had used her hand to spread rat poison but ...

A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, on Saturday in Lagos dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Obanikoro’s defection at his Lagos Island constituency ended months of speculations about the status of his political allegiance. There were earlier reports that he had settled his differences with the national leader of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a step to joining the ruling party. Though Mr. Obanikoro acknowledged reconciling with Mr. Tinubu, he neither denied nor confirmed plans to join the APC. He, however, finally gave the hint of his defection during a television interview on Thursday. NAN reports that Mr. Obanikoro defected to the APC along with other PDP bigwigs in the state, including a former aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Modupe Sasore. Others are a national officer of the PDP, Jide Damazio, and another PDP chieftain, Kola Balog...

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who on Friday dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC, has arrived Yola to a tumultous welcome by a mammoth crowd of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, supporters. Mr. Abubakar, who has not disclosed the party he would pursue his thinly-veiled presidential ambition is believed to be considering the PDP, his former party. Mr. Abubakar, who arrived the Yola International Airport and was welcomed by PDP supporters led by the state and local government executives, later went to pay condolence to the family of one of his close friends, late Adamu Yaro before retiring to his residence. Speaking on the development, the Adamawa chairman of PDP, Tahir Shehu, said the party was happy with the development and hoped Mr. Abubakar would formally declare for PDP. “He is one of the founders of the party and we have been looking for him to return to the party; we have been discussing with him for month before this development,” he said. “PDP is now ...

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said on Saturday that the force would deploy five mobile police units to Adamawa to prevent future clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state. Idris made this known in Yola when he paid a courtesy call on Gov. Mohammed Bindow to commiserate with him and the people of the state.  About 20 people were feared killed and several others injured following a clash between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The attack occurred on Monday night following the killing of a farmer by suspected Fulani herdsmen resulting in a reprisal attack by the farming communities of Shaforon, Kodomti and Kikan all in Numan local government area of the state. The IG said that the five units would reinvigorate security operations to prevent further bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state. He also promised to deploy tracking units of the force for the investigation of previous incident...

The federal government has concluded plans to re-introduce tolls on roads across the country, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said. He said this at an interactive session with the Senate committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, on Thursday. Mr. Fashola said the new toll regime will be an improved adaptation of the past toll points as the ministry will adopt similar toll regime throughout the country. “Tolls will come,” Mr. Fashola said. “We have looked at the previous tolling regime, the inefficiencies raised we have tried to review. One of the things we have done is to try and standardise the toll designs for the entire country. We have finished with that. So that we’ll expand its width according to the size of the road but they will be built with the same kind of materials that we can control.” Mr. Fashola said that the toll points will be managed by private organisations as part of the federal government’s job creation scheme. ...

The federal government has inaugurated a national burial committee headed by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) for the burial of late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme. Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the National Economic Council, NEC. The meeting was presided by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Mr. Akande said Mr. Mustapha revealed this information to the members at the NEC meeting. According to the presidential aide, the committee is being chaired by Mr. Mustapha while the Anambra State government and the Ekwueme family will be fully involved in the burial activities. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Osinbajo together with all members of NEC signed the Ekwueme condolence register which was opened in the Presidential Villa this week. Mr. Akande also said that Governor Willie Obia...