Fire engulfs presidential villa

Published

3 days ago

April 13, 2025

ADMIN

Fire broke out inside Sierra Leone’s presidential building in central Freetown Saturday, witnesses and the government said, but President Julius Maada Bio was not present.

The fire broke out on the third and fourth floors of State House, and the president’s office on the second floor was untouched, said an information ministry statement.

“Emergency teams are working diligently to ensure it remains protected,” the statement added.

The cause of the fire, which started at around 4:00 pm (1600 GMT) is not yet known, said the ministry statement.

Videos posted on social media showed flames at the upstairs windows of the large white building, and thick black smoke.

Local resident Mohamed Kamara told AFP: “We saw smoke and fire billowing from the windows and the top floor of the building this evening.”

Police cordoned off streets around the building and security personnel and soldiers were deployed.

President Bio is currently in Turkey attending a conference.

AFP

Reps Set to Deepen Nigeria-Bulgaria Ties Across Board

Published

10 minutes ago

April 16, 2025

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has pledged to reinforce and expand Nigeria’s existing ties with Bulgaria, particularly in areas of diplomacy, business, and inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Chairman of the Committee on Nigeria-Bulgaria Parliamentary Group, Rep. Munachim Ikechi Alozie gave the

assurance during a farewell visit by the outgoing Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Yanko Yordanov at the National Assembly complex on Wednesday.

He said: “It is my pleasure to welcome you to the first ever Partnership Exchange — a special side event of the send-forth of His Excellency, Ambassador Yanko Yordanov, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, in his four years of service here in Nigeria he has been able to visit 22 out of the 36 States of our country; And he has this to say about Nigeria: “Nigeria is not only the The Giant of Africa but also as a country with many giants, in terms of culture, heritage and opportunities.”

“And so, we have not come to bade him farewell but to celebrate one who by his intentional association, inclination and interaction have become one of us (Nigerian), who enjoys our meals specially.

“So, this gathering today is an innovative feature of the Nigeria/Bulgaria Parliamentary Friendship Group to build on the past years’ experience with Ambassador Yanko in Strengthening Bilateral Business ties between Bulgaria and Nigeria.

“I want to in a special way, formally recognize again the presence of Ambassador Yanko Yordanov (the Bulgarian Ambassador) and his delegation, knowing that the Partnerships between both our countries will continue, in Trade and Economic Cooperation, Education and human capital development, Agriculture and food Security, Health, Energy sector, Tourism etc. And we hope to continue in exchanging more initiative and ideas towards strengthening the cooperation between us.

“Our aspiration is to become a beacon and a point of reference in initiating, fostering and promoting sustainable partnerships and development, that are respectful, visible, measurable, responsible and mutually beneficial for both our countries.

“As part of our program we will be conducting a Trade Missions to both Bulgaria and Nigeria; And we already have one coming up soon. And | want to take this opportunity to invite you all to participate in the Investment, Tourism and Trade Mission to identify and explore partnership opportunities in Bulgaria from July 14th – 20th, 2025”.

Speaking to journalists after the event Ambassador Yordanov commended the strong ties between the two countries.

He said, Nigeria and Bulgaria have a mutually beneficial relationship spanning many decades and has led to cooperation in various fields of development which he said would be maintained and improved upon for the benefit of the two nations.

He said, “This is due mostly to our cooperation in the area of agriculture,in the area of business ties, leading to partnerships in the transportation and the infrastructure project.So we are very much looking forward to build upon what we have achieved.

“But of course, enlarging it, and I must say that we have a very good cooperation in the IT and high-tech technologies and the high-tech, so I’m sure that we will easily can identify new areas to build further on the progress that we have achieved already.

“The new emotion that I am feeling is, let’s say, the enthusiasm and satisfaction I see from the results.But I am very much looking forward to further cooperation between our two nations.You will see Bulgaria is also a very hospitable country and I am sure that both nations can easily find a way to continue”.

News

El-Rufai labels Tinubu’s government ‘worst in Nigeria’s history’

Published

55 minutes ago

April 16, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as the “worst, most corrupt, and most intolerant” federal government since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.

Speaking to journalists in Katsina on Monday night, el-Rufai accused the government of widespread dishonesty and failure to address the country’s worsening insecurity.

“This is the worst federal government in Nigerian history, and all the indices have shown it,” he said.

He charged the Tinubu administration with spreading propaganda, particularly on the security situation in the country.

“They lied that security has improved in Nigeria. They read out numbers of bandits killed except the ones we know are the leading bandits… Dogo Gide is still around, Mallam Abba… Bello Turji is still around,” he claimed.

Issues of insecurity in northern Nigeria
El-Rufai questioned how many local government areas remain under bandit control in states like Katsina, Zamfara, and parts of Sokoto, accusing the federal government of ignoring the root causes of insecurity.

He also hinted at a political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections, predicting that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

El-Rufai was in Katsina to offer condolences to Governor Dikko Radda over his mother’s passing.

Days earlier, he had joined former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other political figures on a unity visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna.

He later described the visit as a symbol of “unity and brotherhood.”