Connect with us

Featured

Confab: No Justification to Refund N300m, NBA Tells Rivers Govt

Published

on

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has debunked claims that the Rivers State Government paid for the rights to host the 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC), stating categorically that no such arrangement existed within the NBA’s planning framework.

In a statement issued by the Chairman of the 2025 AGC Planning Committee, Emeka Obegolu (SAN), the NBA clarified that the decision to hold the conference in Port Harcourt was made as far back as August 2024, and was not influenced by any bidding process or financial inducement.

“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Administrator of Rivers State suggesting that the government paid hosting rights for the 2025 NBA AGC,” Obegolu stated.

“We wish to make it clear that the host city does not pay for any such rights. There was no representation by the NBA that hosting the conference was tied to financial commitments.”

According to the NBA, “while the Conference Planning Committee routinely seeks support from state governments, corporate bodies, and other organisations due to the enormous costs involved in staging the AGC, such support is purely voluntary and not linked to any hosting privileges.”

Obegolu noted that previous editions of the NBA AGC had also benefited from the support of public and private institutions as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

“Support is often received as gifts, sponsorships, or partnerships – not as payment for hosting rights,” he said.

He said that Rivers State’s financial contribution fell squarely under this category.

“We remain focused on delivering a world-class conference for our members and will not be distracted by unnecessary controversies,” Obegolu stated.

The NBA’s AGC is one of the largest gatherings of legal professionals in Africa, and the 2025 edition is expected to draw thousands of participants from across Nigeria and beyond.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured

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

Published

on

By

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.”

Continue Reading

Featured

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

Published

on

By

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.

Continue Reading

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

on

By

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.

Continue Reading

Trending