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Saraki Leads NASS Delegation on Parliamentary Visit to US

Published

8 years ago

July 8, 2018

Eric

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, will on Monday, lead a National Assembly Delegation to Washington D.C., United States of America, on a Parliamentary visit.

This is contained in a press statement released and signed by the Senate President’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Bamikole Omishore.

Members of the delegation include Leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda, Chairman, Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Baba Kaka Garbai, Chairman, Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations and Diaspora, Senator Rose Oko and Chairman, House Committee on Telecommunications, Hon. Fijabi Saheed Akinade, Chairman, House Committee On Justice, Hon. Rasak Atunwa and Hon. Hassan Saleh, Chairman House Committee on Local Contents.

Also on the trip are the Chairman, House Committee on Women in Parliament, Hon. Evelyn Oboro Omavowan, Chairman, House Committee on Freedom of Information, Hon. Gabriel Okoye Onyenwife, Hon. Sunday Marshal Katung and the Director General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Ladi Hamalai.

The visit, among others, is meant to strengthen parliamentary and diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and the United States.

During the trip, Saraki is expected to deliver a speech on Nigeria /US Relations and opportunities at the Council On Foriegn Relations while the delegation is expected to meet with the U.S. State Department and USAID Officials to discuss Energy Development, Health, Education, Gender Development Initiatives and Agriculture.

Other highlights of the trip include meetings with select Members of the U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee led by Sen. Ed Royce, Ranking Member Eliot Engel, Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee Chairman, Chris Smith and Ranking Member Karen Bass to discuss issues of mutual interest to Nigeria and the U.S.A.

The delegation will also hold meetings with select members and staff of the Committee on House Administration, including, Chairman Gregg Harper, Ranking Member Bob Brady and Chairman, Cedric Redmond, as well as Members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In addition, the team will hold talks with the U.S. Congress Leadership, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, President Pro Tempore, Senator Orrin Hatch as well as with members of Foreign Relations, Committee on Africa and Global Health.

The delegation will also partake in a Policy Forum on “Doing Business and Investing in Nigeria” hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where Saraki will make a presentation.

Featured

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

Published

3 hours 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.”

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

Published

8 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.

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DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

10 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.