President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of members of the inaugural Governing Board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) to the Senate for confirmation.

According to a statement signed by media aide to the president, Bayo Onanuga, the step follows Tinubu’s signing of the NWDC bill into law on July 24, marking a crucial milestone in the commission’s establishment.

Onanuga said the nominees for the NWDC governing board include Chairman: Ambassador Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa State) and MD/CEO: Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji (Kano).

Nominated members include Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe (Sokoto), Hon. Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi), Sen. Tijani Yahaya Kaura (Zamfara), Hon. Abdulkadir S. Usman (Kaduna), Hon. Engr. Muhammad Ali Wudil (Kano), Shamsu Sule (Katsina) and Nasidi Ali (Jigawa).

“The nominated board members are expected to contribute their wealth of experience and expertise to the commission’s mandate of developing the North-West region,” Onanuga said.

“The commission will focus on catalysing significant growth, economic empowerment, and social development of the region.”

He added that President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to supporting the NWDC in its mission to bring sustainable development to the North West is steadfast.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arrested a former governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, over an alleged fraud of N27bn.

Ishaku was reportedly picked up at his Abuja residence in the early hours of Friday.

The former governor was said to still be in the anti-graft agency’s custody as of the time of filing this report.

According to Daily Trust, at least 15-count charges have been filed against Ishaku and he would be arraigned in court soon as evidence against him has been compiled.

“Yes, he’s in our custody right now. We have been investigating him covertly since he left as the State governor. There is a lot of financial malfeasance he perpetrated,” the source said.

The spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the development but declined further comments when contacted by the paper.

Ishaku’s arrest is coming on the heels of ongoing face-off between the commission and the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who was alleged to have stolen N80.2bn.

The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) has partnered with transporters in a bid to slash transport costs.

The Program Director/Chief Executive of PCNGi, Michael Oluwagbemi made the announcement in a statement on Friday.

“The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) commenced today a Transport Fare Drop Programme across the country, starting with Abuja, as it ramped up the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cleaner, more affordable alternative to fuel,” Oluwagbemi said.

“Representatives of the PCNGi signed an MOU with the National Union of Road Transport Workers covering the Abuja to Itakpe Station—Ajaokuta Train Station—Adavi route to convert fleet vehicles to CNG in return for a 30-40% fare reduction.

“This programme will encourage NURTW members in Abuja to convert their vehicles to CNG in exchange for a fare reduction.”

Oluwagbemi added that On Saturday, September 28, 2024, the PCNGi will continue its nationwide commercial incentive programme for commercial car open days, expanding to 38 centres in Kaduna, Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta and Edo states.

He explained that the PCNGi will sign an agreement with the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) on Monday, September 30, to operationalise the Nigerian Police CNG Conversion Programme and train cadets to manage the strategic conversion centres the NPTF is investing in.

According to the PCNGi’s Programme Director, Oluwagbemi, this initiative will help train the police cadets to manage strategic conversion centres established by the NPTF.

Similarly, to celebrate Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary on October 1st, 2024, the PCNGi will launch the CNG Tricycle Empowerment Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Youths.

This program aims to provide over 2000 young Nigerians with the opportunity to own and operate CNG-powered tricycles.

It will launch the Kogi State Conversion Incentive Programme on Wednesday, October 2 and hand over CNG buses to the state’s mass transit entity to ply interstate routes to Abuja.

Additionally, according to Oluwagbemi, the PCNGI will inaugurate three new CNG conversion sites in the state.

He added that to conclude the week’s activities, the initiative will launch in Ekiti State, where the handover of CNG buses to the state mass transit organisation and transporters to ply the route to Abuja will take place. It will also inaugurate four new CNG conversion sites in the state.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said contrary to claims made by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, Nigeria did not lose $49.8 billion during his administration.

The ex-President stated this in Abuja at the launch of a book titled “Public Policy and Agent Interests: Perspectives from The Emerging World”, which was edited by former Minister of Finance, Shamsuddeen Usman.

“The Financial Reporting Council queries the expenditure of CBN because it is the Financial Reporting Council that has the powers to audit the CBN, it is not the Auditor General of the Federation.

“There were serious infractions that need to be looked at, that was the reason. Somehow, the time was short. So before we finished, his tenure elapsed, probably he would have been called back,” Jonathan said.

Sanusi served as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor between 2009 and 2014, a period that coincided with Jonathan’s time as the President.

In 2014, the then-CBN governor alleged that Nigeria had lost $49.8bn under Jonathan’s administration.

The claim attracted wide criticism and the government later set up a committee to probe the allegation.

Sanusi was asked to proceed on an indefinite leave of absence, with Godwin Emefiele appointed in his place. He went on to become the Emir of Kano, dethroned in 2020 and was reinstated a few months ago.

The Federal Government (FG) is set to begin with the payment of the new minimum wage to civil servants.

The spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday.

“Employees under the Federal Government (FG) payroll can expect to receive notifications regarding their updated minimum wage salary payments from today,” Mokwa said.

”What I can tell you is that the minimum wage salary payment is today but I am not sure of the arrears,”

President Bola Tinubu approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 on July 18, 2024 after a series of meetings with the organised labour.

The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce tolls on major roads across the country following the completion of ongoing construction and renovation projects.

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, revealed this during an Inter-Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, part of activities marking Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary.

“We have the Lagos-Ibadan (Expressway), we are completing it and we are tolling it,” Umahi said.

Other key road projects such as the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road, and Makurdi-9th Mile, among others, will also be tolled, according to the minister.

The former governor of Ebonyi State said that the tolling system is expected to generate substantial revenue for the Federal Government.

According to Umahi, private sector investors have been engaged to provide funds for the construction of these roads, in collaboration with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Works, to ensure the effective management of the toll system.

Speaking about the Keffi-Makurdi Road, which has been completed, Umahi noted that the government is working on a paperless payment system in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.

He assured that road users will see significant improvements in safety and convenience, factors he believes will encourage public acceptance of tolls.

“For example, we are completing the Lagos-Ibadan, we are working on Makurdi to 9th Mile in Enugu State, we are working from Abuja to Lagos. These roads are going to be tolled. But we are not just tolling them, we are bringing confidence in the use of these roads.

“If people can travel at night because we are bringing security, where the response time will be 10 minutes on the entire corridor, where you have solar light permanently there and then reduce travel time, and through the tolling, the roads are maintained, then, there will be confidence because Nigerians will pay if the roads are good,” Umahi said.

The minister further explained that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is treating road development as an investment, unlike previous administrations. He revealed that the current government inherited 300 damaged roads and bridges, and assured that new road construction projects would commence in all six geopolitical zones starting from October 1, 2024.