Featured

Ciroma: ACF, Makarfi, Tinubu, PDP Extol Qualities

Published

8 years ago

July 6, 2018

Eric

The pan-Northern organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, and a former governor Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, said they learnt with grief the death of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma.

This was just as a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, described the late Ciroma as an illustrious leader and a politician of note.

Ciroma, an elder statesman, died at the age of 84 and was buried in accordance with Islamic rites.

The ACF described him as a quintessential civil servant and politician who served Nigeria in various capacities in the First and Second Republics as well as the military regimes and the Fourth Republic.

The northern body, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim-Biu, said, “The late elder statesman would be remembered for his political doggedness, commitment to national unity and selfless service to his fatherland.

“Nigeria has lost one of its finest elder statesmen, a bridge builder and a leader who lived a simple and humble life. He needs no tombstone to remind us of his legacies. Yet the best remembrance is for those he has left behind to live up to what he stood for.

“ACF extends its condolences to the Ciroma family, the government and the good people of Yobe and Borno states and all Nigerians over the demise of the Madakin Fika, Mallam Adamu Ciroma.

“May Allah (SWT) grant his gentle soul perfect rest in Aljannah Firdaus and grant for all of us the fortitude to bear this great loss.”

On his part, Makarfi, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, described Ciroma as a patriot, noting that he was one of the founding fathers of the PDP.

Makarfi said, “No doubt, Mallam Adamu, an epitome of simplicity and excellence, has bequeathed a legacy of humility, honesty and courage in the face of daunting odds, as well as dedication and commitment to what he believed in, top of which was his abiding faith in this country and a desire to ensure the prevalence of justice and equity.”

Also, the PDP described Ciroma’s death as a huge national loss.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, described the deceased as a foremost democrat, nationalist and a statesman, adding that with his death, Nigeria had lost one of its “finest and incontrovertible patriots.”

According to the PDP, Ciroma spent his life making inestimable sacrifices for the unity and development of the country.

“He is an astute administrator and a highly disciplined politician, who discharged all responsibilities vested in him with unequalled forthrightness and loyalty to the nation,” the PDP said.

Tinubu, in a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, said, “He (Ciroma) was a fine man who played politics with a commitment to serve the people and change the society.”

The Punch

Featured

Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

4 minutes ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

5 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

7 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.