YellowStone Media International

Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, on Tuesday swore in 39 commissioners with a charge on them to perform or ‘get fired’. At the event which was held at the state Executive Council Chamber at the governor's office in Calabar, Ayade explained that he reappointed virtually all the commissioners who served with him in his first term in keeping to his promise to return them after the elections. He also justified the expansion of his government. According to him, "The expansion of the government is anchored on my belief that everybody has something to offer in life. The moment you put down somebody, you have put down a great potential. If each commissioner executes a given mandate, then you have 39 projects accomplished." Ayade said every commissioner represents a community in the state. "Every commissioner represents a community and that community is represented in the government. The more people you bring to the table,

Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday, commended the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, for directing the immediate release of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowere, from custody. Ekweremadu described Malami’s action as “the best public relations job for the President Muhammadu Buhari government in 2019,” noting that the move would go a long way in rebuilding the confidence of Nigerians and the international community in the country’s democracy. “Although we should never have travelled this road in the first place, the intervention of the AGF and the directive for the immediate release of Dasuki and Sowore come as a big relief for Nigeria’s democracy, and will a long way to restore confidence in the sanctity of the judiciary and its place as the last hope of the common man,” he said. He also commended members of the me

Following last Monday's clash between pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) and some civil society organisations demanding   the release of the convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, other detainees, Agba Jalingo and Dadiyata, the ruling party has demanded a thorough investigation into the incident to ensure adequate actions are taken against anyone found to have overstepped his bounds Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had gathered at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) office in Maitama, Abuja, to present a letter to the chairman of the Commission when the miscreants allegedly invaded the venue and attacked the protesters. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in a statement issued on Tuesday condemned the attack, saying the party recognises the inalienable rights of people, groups, including political parties, to gather or carry out protest by themselves or through proxies within the ambit of the laws.

  Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has asked the federal government to release all other detainees that the law courts had granted bail. Abaribe, in his reaction to the release of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, by the federal government on Tuesday, said though the release was encouraging, the presidency must go the whole hog and release other detainees facing similar fate, including the Shi'ite cleric, Shiek El-Zakzaky. According to the lawmaker, "The presidency must seize the momentum and release the rest; they must not be seen to be selective or acting on impulse. Again the federal government must now respect and adhere to the rule of law at all times. "It is becoming obvious that the country may face certain isolation from the international community if the government continues to disregard valid court orders. We must respect all statutory

Nigerian Army on Tuesday revealed that combined air strikes and artillery bombardment have killed 40 fighters and top commander of terrorist group, Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) during a fire-fight in Damaturu, Yobe State capital; Biu and Gwoza in Borno State. This came as troops also ramped up attacks against insurgents in Biu and Gwoza Local Government Councils of Borno State. Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, urged the troops to remain resolute in order to win the war against insurgency. Giving details of the battle of Damaturu, the Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col Aminu IlIyasu, said the combined troops of Sector 2 and Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole dislodged the insurgents' advance with combined artillery bombardment and sustained airstrikes. He said a top ISWAP Commander, Abu Mukhtar, who coordinated several attacks on the fringes of Lake Chad, was among the over 30 terrorists decimated during the fierce

The Department of State Services (DSS) has released the convener of #RevolutionNow protests, Omoyele Sowore. Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), also ordered the release of ex National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, in obedience to court orders. He said he has directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to release the immediate-past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki; and #RevolutionNow protest convener, Omoyele Sowore, from custody. While Dasuki has been in the DSS custody since December 2015, Sowore was rearrested on December 6, barely 24 hours after he was released from custody that lasted over four months. Malami said in a statement on Tuesday declared that the Buhari regime had decided to obey the court orders granting bail to the two men but indicated that he would file an appeal against the court orders, he enjoined the two men to observe their bail conditions. The statement read,

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has rejected the offer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership to intervene in the conflict between him and the Bayelsa State Governor,   Seriake Dickson, over the Soku oil wells/fields returned to Rivers State by the Federal High Court. In an interview in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike said there is no premise for the intervention by the PDP leadership, since the Federal High Court has already determined the issue in question. He said: "I don't know why they are interceding. They have no power to resolve the issue of Oil Wells. Secondly, the matter has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. "Anybody who is not satisfied should go on Appeal.   Are they interceding on behalf of someone who betrayed the party? "They know that Governor Dickson betrayed and sold out   the party. They know that during the 2019 election in Rivers State, what happened   in the state. That Dickson worked wi

The Nigerian Government has ordered the release of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and the convener of #RevolutionNow protests, Mr Omoyele Sowore. The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, announced this in a statement on Tuesday. Malami said the decision to release them was in compliance with the bail granted the two by the court. The statement reads: “The office of the honourable Attorney General of the Federation has reviewed the pending criminal charges against the duo of Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) and Omoyele Sowore. “Whilst the Federal High Court has exercised its discretion in granting bail to the defendants in respect of the charges against them, I am also not unmindful of the right of the complainant/prosecution to appeal or further challenge the grant of bail by the court having regards to extant legal provisions, particularly Section 169 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. “How

Ex-military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has bee appointed to chair the committee convened to intervene in the ongoing crisis in Kano state between Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, and Muhammad Sanusi II Emir of Kano. Governors of Ekiti and Katsina States, Kayode Fayemi and Bello Masari  respectively, are also members of the committee. In a statement on Sunday, Adamu Fika, the committee’s secretary, said the reconciliation was necessary to prevent the spread of the crisis to neighbouring states. He said the committee is working with the cooperation of the federal government and in agreement with Ganduje and Sanusi. “Against the background of the crisis in Kano, a matter that has since degenerated into serious tension with the state, with likely consequence on peace and security, and with the possibility of such spilling into neighbouring states, a group of elders, under the chairmanship of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, GCFR has been formed to intervene and

No fewer than 19 people have been confirmed dead in a fatal motor accident on Mararaban-maska road in Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State. The accident was said to have occurred last Sunday at about 8:p.m when an 18-seater bus collided with a truck, leaving seven other passengers with varying degree of injuries. It was gathered that the bus driver had brake failure and rammed into the truck, killing 19 persons instantly, leaving seven others with injuries. However, an eyewitness who pleaded anonymity told journalists yesterday that: "A tanker fell on a Sharon bus while two other vehicles which were following the tanker also collided it.   "19 people died instantly while many others who sustained injuries were taken to General Hospital in Funtua by men of the Nigeria Police Force and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC)." When contacted, the Katsina State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Ali Tanimu, said he was

It is billed as an easy and secure way to chat by video or text message with friends and family, even in a country that has restricted popular messaging services like WhatsApp and Skype. But the service, ToTok, is actually a spying tool, according to U.S. officials familiar with a classified intelligence assessment and a New York Times investigation into the app and its developers. It is used by the government of the United Arab Emirates to try to track every conversation, movement, relationship, appointment, sound and image of those who install it on their phones. ToTok, introduced only months ago, was downloaded millions of times from the Apple and Google app stores by users throughout the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. While the majority of its users are in the Emirates, ToTok surged to become one of the most downloaded social apps in the U.S. last week, according to app rankings and App Annie, a research firm. ToTok amounts to the latest escalati

Over six months after sacking elected council chairmen in all the 33 local government areas and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs),   the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday   inaugurated 68 caretaker chairmen to oversee the local government areas and   the LCDAs of the state, declaring that the councils must be centres of development. Makinde, who was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony held inside the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, in Agodi, Ibadan, said the caretaker chairmen must contribute meaningfully to the development of the state, urging them to serve as the eyes, ears and mouths of the government in its effort to deliver good governance to the people. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted Makinde as saying that the inauguration of the local government chairmen was taking place in order to avoid a vacuum in governance at the grassroots level.   He said the intention of hi

Counsel to former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang, in the case of alleged fraud instituted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr. Edward Pwajok (SAN), has insisted that Jang has no reason to be asked to defend himself since there is no evidence of crime established against him by the Commission. He also urged the judge to discountenance the cases of the federal government against Jolly Nyame and Joshua Dariye since they are distinguishable and have no relevance in the current case. He added that “there is no (Jang) confessional statement by the first defendant nor an eye witness account that the first defendant committed any crime. So there is no reason to ask him to defend himself because there is no link whatsoever. “They have not been able to establish by evidence that he used the money in question to his personal benefit, and that is a key ingredient in criminal misappropriation, breach of trust, and in conferri

  Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday inaugurated 31 roads of 20.216km in Ojokoro area in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of the state. Speaking at the inauguration of the roads yesterday, Sanwo-Olu said: "Good road network facilitates effective management of traffic and transport, thereby boosting the socio-economic activities of the state; it reduces traffic induced health challenges and travel time to access health facilities as well as educational institutions.” According to him, the provision of road infrastructure is central to the delivery of the THEMES agenda of his administration, adding that "it is common knowledge that tourism and entertainment are better appreciated and attract more people when access to the venue is relatively stress-free.” The governor said Ojokoro LCDA is a strategic settlement with a fast growing population and huge need for infrastructural renewal, and that the 31 networks of roads i

·          Dickson's Outburst due to self-inflicted frustration Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Soku Oil Wells belong to the government and people of Rivers State as affirmed by the Federal High Court and based on the admission by the National Boundary Commission (NBC). He noted that NBC had admitted that it erroneously shifted the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa States from River Santa Barbara to River Saint Batholomew in the 11th Edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria. Wike stated this on Monday in Port Harcourt while addressing journalists in reaction to allegations by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, that the Rivers State Governor was hyping the judgment over the disputed oil wells to cause division among the Ijaw nation. Dickson had during a media chat at the Government House in Yenagoa, alleged that Wike was merely using the disputed oil wells between the two sister states to create disunity and to cove