News

Four LP lawmakers defect to APC

Published

1 year ago

December 5, 2024

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Four members of the Labour Party Caucus in the House of Representatives have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers are Chinedu Okere (Owerri municipal/owerri north/Owerri west constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura federal constituency of Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar municipal/Odukpani constituency), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo federal constituency of Edo).

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced the defections on Thursday after reading letters from the lawmakers.

The Labour Party became Nigeria’s third largest party last year following its impressive performance in the general elections.

The party also won dozens of seats in the federal legislature and many seats in state assemblies. It also won the governorship election in Abia State.

The party’s performance was largely driven by the popularity of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who came third in the presidential election but won in as many states as the eventual winner, President Bola Tinubu.

Details later…

News

FG approves 6-month maternity leave for female lecturers without pay

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the presentation of the renegotiated agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU.

Published

6 hours ago

January 16, 2026

OCHEFA

14 Views

Photo: Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa (right), and Minister of State for Education

The Federal Government has announced that qualified female academic staff shall be entitled to a maternity Leave of six months as provided in the subsisting Public Service Rules,” Section 3.4(vii) reads.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the presentation of the renegotiated agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU.

He clarified that the Section 3.4 of the agreement, which focuses on ‘Non-salary conditions of service’, makes provision for six-month maternity leave as a fringe benefit.

Alausa described the agreement as a historic turning point that symbolises renewed trust, restored confidence and a firm commitment to uninterrupted academic calendars in Nigerian universities.

Alausa emphasised that the agreement reflects the resolve of President Bola Tinubu to prioritise education as the foundation of national development, noting that it marked the first time a sitting president took full ownership of the long-standing challenges confronting the university system.

News

Insurgency: Trump allocates N587bn to US Africa Command for military operations in Nigeria, others

The allocation is contained in the US National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2026. The funds were approved under Title XLIII – Operation and Maintenance.

Published

6 hours ago

January 16, 2026

OCHEFA

14 Views

The United States plans to spend N587 billion ($413.046 million) on counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria and other African countries in 2026 amid worsening security conditions across West Africa.

The allocation is contained in the US National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2026. The funds were approved under Title XLIII – Operation and Maintenance.

The security budget for the US Africa Command comes against the backdrop of the Christmas Day attacks on terrorists’ hideouts in Sokoto State by the Donald Trump administration.

On Tuesday, AFRICOM delivered a consignment of military equipment to Nigerian security agencies as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen security operations across the country.