Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on a wave of hope that he could defeat Boko Haram Islamists and turn around a country blighted by decades of corruption and poor governance. But while he will go down in history as Nigeria’s first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent, …
Read More »Nigeria files graft charges against Buhari’s former aides
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has filed corruption charges against two former senior government officials and close aides of President Muhammadu Buhari who were sacked for alleged graft, the country’s anti-corruption agency said on Thursday. The appointments of top civil servant Babachir Lawal and Ayo Oke, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, were terminated …
Read More »Top judge’s suspension not linked to election: Nigeria
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s government has denied suggestions that the suspension of the country’s top judge on corruption charges was linked to the upcoming election. President Muhammadu Buhari replaced Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen on Friday, sparking claims he had breached the constitution and was trying to manipulate the judiciary. …
Read More »‘Dictatorship’ row in Nigeria after top judge suspended
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday suspended the country’s top judge just weeks from elections, triggering condemnation from opposition parties who accused him of “an act of dictatorship” and mounting “a judicial coup”. The former military ruler, 76, is seeking re-election at polls on February …
Read More »National security under scrutiny at Nigeria vote
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | In Nigeria, where religious and ethnic identity often determines support for a candidate, Mudi Bawa might well have been expected to vote for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Both are northern Muslims. But the fisherman had another reason to choose Buhari: the hope he could help him return to the home …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari says confident of re-election victory
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said he was confident of winning a second term of office at polls next month. The 76-year-old former military ruler, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, is one of 73 candidates on the ballot at the February 16 poll. His main challenger is …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari proposes record spending for 2018
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday presented a record 8.6 trillion naira ($24 billion, 20.8 billion euros) budget to the National Assembly to support the country’s economic recovery. Buhari, addressing a joint session of lawmakers in Abuja, said the spending was a 16 percent increase over …
Read More »Nigeria president leads first cabinet meeting in 5 months
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday led his first cabinet meeting for five months after a long stay in London where he received treatment for an undisclosed condition. The 74-year-old retired general, who flew back to Nigeria on August 19 after more than 100 days in …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari heads to London for ear infection treatment
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will take the next 10 days off work to undergo treatment for an ear infection in London, an official statement from his office said Sunday. Speculation over the president’s health has been swirling for weeks after he cancelled three official engagements. “President Buhari will take 10 …
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