General News
Buhari was never nominated As Boko Haram Mediator, Garba Shehu Tells Jonathan…
Asks ex-president to get another story for 2027 campaigns
By Saint Mugaga
Spokesman for the former President, Late Muhammadu Buhari, Malam Garba Shehu Friday cautioned former President Goodluck Jonathan against using his successors name for campaign denying that his boss was never nominated by the terrorists Islamic sect, Boko Haram as their mediator.
Jonathan had on Friday alleged that the insurgents nominated Buhari as their negotiator at the beginning of the insurgency under his administration.
He stated this in his remarks at the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, in Abuja.
But Shehu, in a counter statement on Friday said: “We are compelled to make a response to a terrible statement made on the late President Muhammadu Buhari by his predecessor in office, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to the effect that Boko Haram had nominated him to represent them in a dialogue with government.
“If this is a campaign statement towards his bid for the presidency in 2027, we want to say to him that “Mr. Jonathan, you are making a false start.”
“Muhammed Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau, the deceased leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist group, never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, and their ideologies were in direct opposition.
“In 2014, Muhammadu Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury.
Buhari’s campaigns focused on fighting Boko Haram and restoring security to Nigeria whenever he became president, putting him in direct opposition to the terrorist group’s leader.
“Contrary to the news making the rounds in those years that the radical Islamist extremist –Boko Haram had nominated General Muhammadu Buhari as the mediator between them and the Federal Government of Nigeria in the proposed peace talk, the retired Military General denied knowledge of his nomination.
“In a statement issued by the then National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr Buba Galadima, Buhari, the national leader of the CPC said he (was) not aware of the appointment: “As at 10pm yesterday (Thursday) when I spoke with him, he said he has not even heard about it,” Galadima said.
Continuing, the party secretary told reporters that “he (Buhari) said the whole thing to him, is just speculation. And since nobody has contacted him as a person for him to even know who is behind what, and what the motives of the whole exercise are, he would not speak to the press.” He revealed that Buhari, the 2011 presidential candidate of the CPC, further told him that as an elder statesman and a patriotic Nigerian, he will continue to pray until peace and tranquillity return to Nigeria.
“What led to the misleading information was that a faction of the terrorist group, possibly sponsored by Buhari’s opponents, staged a press
conference in Maiduguri, Borno State, through a certain Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who claimed to be the Boko Haram commander in charge of Southern and Northern Borno, saying that the sect would prefer the former military leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Yobe State governor and the then Senator, now late Bukar Abba Ibrahim, first Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Shettima Ali Monguno, also late, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Insecurity in the North-East, Ambassador Gaji Gatimari, and other prominent members of the Borno Emirate to mediate between them and the federal government.
“Abdulaziz was roundly condemned by the leaders of Boko Haram who claimed that he had “no mandate of their leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau.”
“Speaking on to the issue , the then CPC national publicity secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashekun, now late, lambasted President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for latching on Buhari’s alleged nomination for political reasons.
“Fashekun described Buhari’s purported nomination as “the latest gambit in the desire of this organic”.
General News
Tinubu Announces 26 New Appointments, Gisaor Replaces Byuan at Federal Housing Authority
By Felix Umande, Makurdi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved 26 new appointments into 10 Federal Government agencies and commissions, in a major shake-up aimed at strengthening governance and service delivery.
The appointments were announced on Sunday, 20 July, 2026 and take immediate effect.
Among the key appointments, Gisaor Vincent Iorja, an economist, legal scholar and academic, has been named Executive Director, Finance of the Federal Housing Authority. He replaces Mathias Terwase Byuan, who resigned to contest the governorship election in Benue State. Gisaor currently serves as Secretary of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, BSIEC.
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA.
He will head the board alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as members and non-executive directors. The incumbent Director-General of REA, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three previously appointed executive directors complete the board.
Major General Junaid Bindawa has been named Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. President Tinubu also made eight other appointments to the Commission.
Former House of Representatives member from Lagos, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, was appointed Secretary of the Commission. Commissioners appointed to represent states include Dr. Ogbole Ene Lilian, Benue; Oladele Olatubosun, Oyo; and Yakubu Umar Barde, Kaduna.
Other members of the Commission are Dr. Mai Adamu Yau, Borno; Ginika Florence Tor, Enugu; Engineer Lawrence Okoh, Edo; and Bello Morenike Iyabode, Kogi.
President Tinubu also appointed Dr. Abuh Mohammed as Director-General of the National Population Commission.
Dr. Akinola Odeyemi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, NBET.
Dr. Anthony Inalegwu Godwin as Chairman/CEO of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission.
Engineer Julius Oloro, a former council chairman, as CEO of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, NCAM, Kwara, replacing
Dr. A.R. Kamal who died in January.
Tosin Johnson Adeyanju, previously Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund, NLTF, has been redeployed as Secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission.
The President also constituted the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission with Dr. Abdullahi Maikano Saidu as Chairman. Members include Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Aliyu Makama, Dr. Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Idowu Onikola.
Shuni Muhammad Dahiru was named Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education. He replaces Professor Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, who was reassigned to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund, PTDF, in April.
According to the Presidency, the appointments are part of ongoing efforts to reposition institutions to deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda.
By Nick Ibe, Abuja
DSS is prepared to appeal to achieve death penalty for the two Ansaru terrorist group commanders given life sentences in Abuja were given by Emeka Nwite. The were sentenced on Monday after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge.
The convicts: Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, described as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (a.k.a Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff.
The judge handed down the sentence after the convicts changed their plea from not guilty to guilty and, through their lawyer, appealed for leniency.
A senior DSS official, speaking after the judgement, said the agency considers the punishment inadequate given the gravity of the offences.
According to the official, the two men had initially indicated they would plead guilty but later changed their position around the period pupils and teachers were abducted in Oriire LGA of Oyo state by suspected members of the same group.
“For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed,” the official said.
“One of the top conditions the abductors gave was the unconditional release of these same Ansaru commanders in exchange for the Oriire kidnap victims.”
The DSS official said the defendants, who had earlier pleaded not guilty, later told the court they were undecided on the plea they intended to enter.
“Justice Nwite even had to hand them an ultimatum to make up their minds on or before Monday’s sitting.
“After the Oriire rescue, they came to court to plead guilty to all the charges.
“Allowing the two terror commanders walk away with life sentences will not serve the cause of justice for the two Oriire teachers beheaded by their abductors.
“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teacher’s was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders.
“It, therefore, wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families are made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book.”
By Nick Ibe, Abuja
The Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, (Retd) has denied as malicious and an entirely fabricated rumour circulating across various online and social media platforms alleging that he has expressed an intention to step down from his position.
Debunking this as fake news, a statement signed by Leah Katung-Babatunde
SA (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Defence stated unequivocally, and in the strongest possible terms that:
“These rumours are absolute falsehood borne out of complete mischief.
General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd) remains fully focused on his national security mandate, deeply committed to his duties, and completely dedicated to piloting the nation’s defence strategy with results already being seen.
The release further called the public to disregard the fake news. It also strongly called on the media to desist from spreading unverified information falsehood from the internet and social media platforms but to verify from it before going public.
“The general public is hereby urged to completely disregard this fake news. We strongly advise media outlets and internet users to desist from spreading unverified information and seek clarifications from the office.”
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