Headline

Coup: FG Shuts Nigeria-Niger Border

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2023

Eric

The Federal Government has closed the country’s border with the Republic of Niger following the recent military takeover in the West African country.

This was as President Bola Tinubu on Friday wrote to the Senate seeking its support for military intervention against the junta in the Niger Republic.

The Nigeria Customs Service acting Comptroller, Bashir Adewale, had on Friday in Magamar-Jibia, Nigeria’s` border with the Niger Republic, officially announced the closure of all Nigeria’s land borders with the neighbouring country as a result of the current political development there.

The NCS boss said the closure of land borders order was issued by President Tinubu in line with the decision arrived at by ECOWAS.

Recall that Tinubu, Nigeria’s President and the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, had on Sunday met with some fellow ECOWAS leaders to discuss appropriate ways to restore democracy in Niger.

The leaders of the West African regional bloc met to discuss sanctions to be placed against the military personnel who toppled Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023.

The leader of the junta, General Abdourahmane Tchiani-led was said to be considering recalling the Nigerien Ambassador to Nigeria after failing to come to terms with ECOWAS and Nigerian delegations on the need to return democracy to Niger.

Speaking on the closure of the Nigerian border with Niger, Adewale declared that there would be no movement of goods from Nigeria to Niger and vice versa until further notice.

The Custom’s boss said, “My being in Magamar-Jibia, Nigeria border with the Niger Republic this afternoon is to announce the total blockade of movements of goods to the Niger Republic through all Nigeria land borders.

“The NCS, workings in synergy with other sister agencies will enforce the blockade order as given by President Bola Tinubu who is also the current Chairman of ECOWAS.

“The ECOWAS leaders collectively took the decision against the Niger Republic to kick against the military putsch in the Niger Republic.”

Adewale also met some of the stakeholders at Magamar-Jibia and pleaded for their understanding and cooperation with the NCS to see to the full implementation of the blockade order.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu, in his letter to the Senate, sought the backing of the legislature on the cutting off of electricity to the country.

The President’s letter read, “Following the unfortunate political situation in Niger Republic culminating in the overthrow of its President, ECOWAS under my leadership condemned the coup in its entirety and resolved to seek the return of the democratically elected govt in a bid to restore peace, ECOWAS convened a meeting and came out with a communiqué.”

The President further sought support for, “military build-up and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant.

“Closure and monitoring of all land borders with the Niger Republic and reactivating of the border drilling exercise, cutting off electricity supply to the Niger Republic, mobilising international support for the implementation of the provisions of the ECOWAS communique.”

The letter further read, “Preventing the operation of commercial and special flights into and from Niger Republic; blockade of goods in transit to Niger especially from Lagos and eastern seaports.”

Tinubu also told the Senate that the country was embarking on the sensitisation of Nigerians and Nigeriens to the imperative of these actions, particularly via social media.

Headline

Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement

Published

20 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.

In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).

The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.

The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.

The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.

Headline

Supreme Court Upholds Election of Monday Okpebholo As Edo Governor

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.

In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.

Headline

‘Overthrow’ Comment: Tinubu’ll Be Removed by Votes, Not Bullets, ADC Replies Presidency

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, said President Bola Tinubu will be removed through the ballot and not bullets.It dismissed insinuations that the coalition is interested in truncating democracy in Nigeria.

ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused Tinubu of laying the foundation for a clampdown on opposition leaders.

He made the remark in response to a tweet by Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who alleged that the opposition was planning to overthrow the President.

Onanuga had said the coalition had ganged up to overthrow Tinubu’s administration.Rubbishing Onanuga’s comment, Abdullahi described his remark as reckless and unsubstantiated.

In a statement he signed, Abdullahi said Onanuga’s comment shows that Tinubu’s administration is out to intimidate and repress opposition political leaders in Nigeria.

He noted that ADC would explore Democratic means to ensure Tinubu’s removal from office and not by overthrowing him.

The statement read partly: “ADC condemned the tweet made by an aide of President Bola Tinubu, Onanuga, which alleges that the opposition is planning to overthrow the Tinubu government before 2027.

“If anything, it potentially lays the grounds for systematic clampdown on opposition leaders.

“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy, we are solely committed to saving the nation from the irredeemable incompetence of this government. We are not soldiers, we are politicians.

“We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots. When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice.”