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Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves rose 3.12 per cent month-on-month to $32.74 billion by Oct 3, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had said, indicating a significant growth in the country’s dollar savings. The external reserves were at $31.75 billion a month earlier.  Nigeria’s dollar reserves peaked at the highest in more than two year due to stable global oil price and increase crude production output. The forex reserves were up 34.23 per cent from $24.39 billion a year ago. Nigeria, Africa’s top economy had suffered currency crisis two years ago in the wake of global fall in prices of oil, pushing the local currency down by more than 30 per cent.

Aisha Buhari, wife of the president, says Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), gained grounds while her husband was receiving medical attention in London. During the 103 days which Buhari spent treating an undisclosed ailment in the UK, Kanu addressed thousands of his supporters, vowing to ensure the realisation of Biafra. According to TheCable, Buhari’s wife stated this while speaking at the presidential villa in Abuja on Monday. She said the absence of the president created a setback. “As a result of the president spending several months outside Nigeria, a 40-year-old man who was still living in his father’s house created a state out of a state and that is a major set back for the country and the health sector did not benefit,” she said.

An autopsy report by a medical examiner has found that the death of Tagbo Umeike was caused by excessive alcohol consumption and drug overdose as earlier speculated. The 35-year-old was a mutual friend of singer Davido and actress Caroline Danjuma. Danjuma had accused Davido of being complicit in his death. The ‘IF’ singer had denied any involvement in the incident, saying only “God knows the truth“. The toxicology test detected that Umeike had 75.5 percent of Barcardi 151 in his system, placing his blood-alcohol concentration at 0.112, a number higher than 0.08, the legal limit for a human being. The result also showed that Umeike took a combination of alcohol and drugs. The drug found in his system, topiramate, is a medication for epilepsy and/or migraines. The coroner’s office said the drug can cause one to slip into early stages of hypothermia and eventual death and that the amount found in Umeike’s system was in the “therapeutic range”. According to a statement by the coroner’s ...

Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi west senatorial district on Monday shared pictures on his fleet of cars on Instagram page. The embattled senator, who is facing recall process in his constituent caption the photos as: 'My Classics', 'My toys, My passion Noni' See photos: Attached Files: mel.JPG File size: 40.4 KB

Controversial musician Burna Boy today shared some tweets expressing his disdain for pastors and preachers alike.  He encouraged his followers to seek the truth so as to be free See tweets below Attached Files: burnaboy.jpg File size: 60.1 KB

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met three Northern governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, separately. They are Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa state. Governor Gaidam of Yobe while addressing State House correspondents, said he visited the President to felicitate with him on his recovery. Gaidam disclosed that he requested refund of N13 billion the state spent on security issues during the last administration. He also solicited assistance from the Federal Government for the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. On Governor Aminu Tambuwal: Tambuwal said he discussed security situation in the country with Buhari. He added that they also spoke on exploration of oil at the Sokoto belt to increase the economic base of the country. Governor Abubakar Badaru's mission: Governor Badaru said he discussed efforts of the committee he is heading on how to diversify non oil products.

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has listed its demands to the All Progressives Congress (APC) restructuring committee. MURIC 6-point demand is contained in a statement on Monday by Professor Ishaq Akintola, its president. It reads: “One: Nigerians enjoy a total of eight (8) public holidays in a year. These are Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Id al-Kabir, Id al-Fitr and Maulud an-Nabiyy. Five (5) of the eight holidays belong to Christians (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 1st January, i.e, New Year Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday). Only three (3) holidays belong to Muslims, viz, Id al-Kabir, Id al-Fitr and Maulud an-Nabiyy. ”Restructuring should give Muslims 1st Muharram. This will bring the total number of Muslim holidays to four while Christian holidays remain five. ”Two: Christian marriages contracted inside churches or registries are held sacrosanct everywhere in Nigeria whereas Muslim marriages (nikah) are not recognized for any official purpose. M...

The Imo State Police Command, Umeneke Division has arrested an Assemblies of God pastor, Esom Jehovah, for allegedly stabbing a trainee nurse to death. The victim identified as Callista, approached the pastor over a missing phone battery and charger she was given to charge. An eye-witness told Sun that a boy in the compound gave the deceased a phone battery and charger to assist him recharge but Pastor Esom Jehovah’s first daughter stole the items which were later found in her custody five days after. ”The Pastor reacted angrily to the allegation against his daughter and beat up the deceased before his daughter went and picked a kitchen knife and stuck it deep into her back while her father held her down.” It was gathered that the 21-year-old daughter is currently on the run, while the Pastor who almost fled after stabbing the deceased with the knife was arrested by the police. The corpse has been deposited at the Holy Rosary Hospital morgue in the state Attached Files: mu...

No fewer than 2,000 Police personnel attached to the Kaduna State Command are currently protesting over the non-payment of their August and September salaries. The aggrieved police personnel which cut across the rank and file of the Command, are assembled in front of the Salaries Office inside the Command headquarters in Kaduna Town. Addressing the aggrieved personnel, the State Commissioner of Police, Cyril Abeh, explained that the delay was from the Finance Ministry’s IPPS office and not the fault of the police. “They are police officers operating under the law, if they misbehave, we will deal with them according to the law. This is mutiny. “I am in the field attending to a very important security matter, but will be on my way back to headquarters to address them now,” Abeh said. Attached Files: police.jpg File size: 38.6 KB

The Kaduna State Command are currently protesting over the non-payment of their August and September salaries. No fewer than 2,000 Police personnel which cut across the rank and file of the Command, are assembled in front of the Salaries Office inside the Command headquarters in Kaduna Town, according to reports. Addressing the aggrieved personnel, the State Commissioner of Police, Cyril Abeh, explained that the delay was from the Finance Ministry’s IPPS office and not the fault of the police. “They are police officers operating under the law, if they misbehave, we will deal with them according to the law. This is mutiny. “I am in the field attending to a very important security matter, but will be on my way back to headquarters to address them now,” Abeh said.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it duly informed the Minister of state for Petroleum, Dr, Ibe Kachikwu in the award of crude oil contracts. Kachikwu had accused Maikanti Baru, group managing director GMD) of the oil firm, of sidelining the NNPC board while taking some key decisions in leaked memo addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, . But in a statement by Ndu Ughamadu, the corporation dismissed Kachikwu’s claims, saying it decided to respond based on a directive from the president. See what Nigerians are saying about the NNPC's response to Kachikwu's leaked memo on Baru: Attached Files: baruKac.jpg File size: 34.2 KB

FIFA and Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) have launched an investigation into the behavior of the Copper Bullets fans during Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Zambia on Saturday evening. FIFA is reacting to photographs showing the Zambia fans displaying a banner,’H.E. E.C. LUNGU GOD BLESS YOU’ in the stands at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, in support of ‘unpopular’ Zambian president Edgar Chagwa Lungu. The organization does not allow political messages during games, which means that Zambia could be fined by football’s governing body as a result at the end of the inquiry. However, keeping in mind that the rules need to be applied in a neutral and fair manner across FIFA's 211 member associations, the display, among others, of any political or religious symbol is strictly prohibited. ''In the stadium and on the pitch, there is only room for sport, nothing else'' Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Claudio Sulser was quoted as saying by Zambian Observer. ...

The wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, has criticised the management of Aso Rock Clinic over their inability to provide basic drugs at the facility. Aisha's statement is coming days after daughter, Zahra, lambasted the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Jalal Arabi, for his inability to provide even Paracetamol tablets to the clinic despite a budget of N3 billion for the provision of drugs to the hospital. Speaking Monday at a stakeholders meeting on Reproductive, Maternal, Nutrition, Child Advocacy and Health and Nutrition, RMNCAH+N, at the State House, Abuja, Mrs. Buhari said she recently fell ill and was advised to travel to London for treatment, but she refused. “I called the Aso Clinic to find out if they have an X-Ray machine, they said it’s not working “In the end I had to go to a hospital owned and operated by foreigners 100 per cent “There is a budget for the Hospital and if you go there now, you will see a number of constructions going on but they don’t hav...

Femi Falana, lawyer and rights activist, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to relinquish his position as the minister of petroleum resources. On his assumption of office, Buhari took up the portfolio while he appointed Ibe Kachikwu as the sector’s minister of state. Reacting to Kachikwu’s letter to Buhari in which he accused Maikanti Baru, group managing director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), of insubordination, Falana asked the president to reorganise the NNPC. He said the reorganisation will bring about transparency and credibility in the operations of the corporation. Falana also said issues raised in the letter and the presidency’s subsequent reaction show some of Buhari’s duties as minister of petroleum have been neglected. He said apart from giving room for an unhindered administration of the ministry, the president’s resignation will also reduce the “undue pressure” on his health. He said in order to conduct a thorough investigation into the g...

The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay, has said that the federal government has been “much too slow” and called for definitive action on the fate of the suspended Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Babachir Lawal, and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, This is coming as the report findings continued to generate debate and attract criticism for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. Prof Sagay said in an interview on Channels Television Politics Today on Sunday. Despite faulting the pace of the probe, Professor Sagay has no doubt about the commitment of the government in fighting corruption. “I have no doubt in my mind that the present government is actually fighting corruption in accordance with its mandate and promises. There is no question about that,” he said. “But on the specific issue of the suspended Secretary to the Federal Government and the Director of the NIA, I would agree that...

No fewer than ten people were killed, including a couple after Gunmen invaded residents of Mgbosimiri and AGIP axis in Port-Harcourt the Rivers State capital in the early hours of today The incident, according to Channels Television, happened at about 4:00 a.m, and caused panic in the community as residents scampered for safety. The state police public relations officer, Mr Nnamdi Omoni who confirmed the incident said the motive for the killings is not clear yet. He, however, assured that the police will do everything possible to get the perpetrators.

Nigerian Army on Saturday announced the deployment of troops for the commencement of Operation Crocodile Smile II in the six Niger Delta states. Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, said this on Saturday while addressing troops. He said: “Operation Crocodile Smile is not a show of force but a confidence-building patrol that seeks to reassure the people of Rivers state and the Niger Delta that the army is ready to work. “We are ready to work in close synergy and collaboration with other security services and agencies of government to ensure that there is peace and security for the people. “Our operation aims to reassure the public that we are ready to fight crimes like cultism, militancy, and kidnapping so that people can go about their business without fear,” he said. Udoh added that troops would carry out collaborative patrols with the Nigerian Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service and the Departm...