Welcome to Francis Ndimkoha's Blog.

EXCLUSIVE: Joda Committee to Buhari: Sack Jonathan’s last-minutes appointees, review contracts of last 18 month The Ahmed Joda transition committee has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately terminate all dubious appointments made by former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last nine months, and review all contracts awarded by the administration in the last 18 months. The committee said this is to help the new government sidestep ineptitude and waste, and scale up its revenue base. The recommendations are part of a portfolio of swift steps Mr. Buhari must take within three months of assumption of power if he must save cost and “enhance liquidity”, the committee said in its 800-page report to the president. PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained volumes of the report, which contain extensive analyses of Nigeria’s key challenges, with suggested responses for the economy and finance, governance and social welfare. The report details a list of prompt, medium and l...

  Facebook has opened its first office in Africa to further the company’s commitment to help businesses connect with people and grow locally and regionally Based in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, the company’s  newest business office will be headed by Ogilvy veteran, Nunu Ntshingila, the company’s new Head of Africa. The office according to a statement by the company on Monday will support the significant growth in businesses and people using Facebook — Facebook’s active user population in Africa has grown 20% to 120 million in June 2015 from 100 million in September 2014.  More than 80% of these people access Facebook from their mobile phones.   “We are inspired by the incredible ways people and businesses in Africa use Facebook to connect. This momentum in Africa comes on top of strong advertiser partnerships and excellent adoption of our products across all regions. In Q1 2015, 52% of our total ad revenue came from outside the US and C...

Exclusive: Texas Governor Signs Pastor Protection Bill Into Law Austin, TX, June 11, 2015 – Today, pastors from across the state watched Governor Greg Abbott sign the Pastor Protection Bill, SB 2065, into state law, a bill that received bipartisan support in the Texas House and Senate. SB 2065 protects Texas pastors, churches, and religious organizations from being forced to perform a marriage that violates their religious beliefs and from being forced to provide services, accommodations, facilities, goods, or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization, formation, or celebration of any marriage if the action would cause the organization or individual to violate a sincerely held religious belief. Despite strong opposition from some Democrats and from LGBT advocacy groups throughout the legislative process, including the ACLU, Equality Texas, and Texas Freedom Network, the bill passed with overwhelming majorities in the Texas House and Senate without any of th...

The crisis in the two chambers of the National Assembly has again brought to the fore the power struggle within the All Progressives Congress, APC. Since the merger of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and a splinter group from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been calling the shots in the APC. Tinubu unilaterally handpicked Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as the National Chairman of the party and most of the members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC. Tinubu, who is referred to as the national leader of the party despite the fact that there is no such position in the party’s constitution, had his way in the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the party. He also had the rare privilege of nominating Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate. Prior to the formation of APC, Tinubu w...