The increment in Passport Processing by the Federal Government has generated anger among Nigerians
The Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, had announced increment in obtaining a New Passport, as Nigerians will now pay significantly more than the previous fee after the Federal Government approved an upward review of processing fees to N100,000 and N200,000 depending on the category the citizen requested for.
The move, according to the Federal Government, is necessary to sustain the quality and security of the country’s travel document.
But not a few Nigerians are lamenting that this development has put more financial burden on the citizens who are complaining about the pathetic economic situation of the nation.
The FG is saying that the move come as part of efforts to align the Nigerian passport system with international standards while preparing for the rollout of an upgraded e-passport.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, had stated that the new rates will take effect from September 1, 2025, and will only apply to applications processed within Nigeria.
According to the revised fee structure, a 32-page passport with a five-year validity will now cost N100,000, while a 64-page passport valid for 10 years has been pegged at N200,000.
NIS spokesman, A.S. Akinlabi, explained that the increase was necessary to maintain the integrity of the document and guarantee Nigerians a secure and reliable travel identity.
“This review was carried out to strengthen service delivery and uphold the standard of the Nigerian passport as we prepare to launch the new version,” he stated.
However, the Immigration Service clarified that Nigerians living abroad would not be affected by the new policy.
Applicants in the diaspora will continue paying $150 for a 32-page passport with five years’ validity, and $230 for the 64-page passport valid for 10 years.
While acknowledging that the new rates may appear steep, the agency assured applicants that accessibility and efficiency in passport issuance remain its priority.
Deji Adeyanju, a political activist and Lawyer will appear before a Law Court to prove his many allegations against Peter Obi, a two-term Governor of Anambra State and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential Election, unless he acts fast and meets Obi’s demands.
Adeyanju, since 2022, has been a constant strong critic of Obi. He has painted Obi in many unflattering colours, and called him a number of names, including a scum. Obi endured all that for those number of times. But no longer.
Taking everything into consideration, especially, the damage Obi says Adeyanju’s characterisation of him has done to his image and character, Obi now says enough is enough.
He has, therefore, triggered a legal action against Adeyanju over “persistently spreading false and malicious and defamatory statements against him on the microblogging platform X, Facebook and other channels”.
In a letter of demand issued on Obi’s behalf by his Lawyer, Alex Ejesieme, SAN, Adeyanju was accused of persistently referring to the former LP Presidential candidate as corrupt, fraudulent, and a religious bigot. Some of the publications, the letter pointed out, date back to 2022. All of them, he said, were meant to injure Obi’s reputation among Nigerians and the international community.
The letter cited some of the posts where Adeyanju alleged that “Obi diverted Anambra State funds into family businesses, attempted to bribe him after a private meeting, and used religion to manipulate voters during the 2023 presidential campaign.”
Those allegations were described by Obi’s legal team as “false, malicious, and contrived”, with no truth whatsoever in them.
Adeyanju, the letter further pointed out, characterized Obi as “the leader of a mob” and called him “a scum.”
The lawyer said that the remarks were deliberately calculated to portray Obi as an “anarchist and a divisive figure.”
The legal team is, therefore, demanding an immediate delete, by Adeyanju, of all defamatory posts, an issue of a public apology across his social media platforms, and publishing of same in three national dailies.
It warned: failure to comply within seven days would compel Obi to institute a lawsuit seeking aggravated damages, a restraining injunction, and recovery of legal costs because, “The statements have been widely disseminated, causing untold damage to our client’s reputation and integrity.”
“ Opportunists are manipulators who take advantage of an opportunity to reach their goals without regard for ethics and morals.” ― Nadine Sadaka Boulos.
Former Ebonyi State Governor and Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, has recently adopted the title ‘The Authoritative Voice of Ndigbo.’ However, he may not fully grasp the responsibilities associated with such a designation. It might be more accurate to describe him as the authoritative voice for Tinubu in Igboland. Even that claim faces competition from recent Tinubu supporters like Governor Charles Soludo, who only reconnected his longtime friendship with Tinubu ahead of the November 8, 2025, gubernatorial election in his state despite previously in 2023 supporting Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of Tinubu who was also on the ballot for the All Progressives Congress (APC)
Umahi has also Governor Hope Uzodinma and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu to contend with as the duo have long clearly aligned themselves with Tinubu and the ruling APC in the South East, unlike Umahi who has likely only known Tinubu closely for the past five years.
Being the authoritative voice for Ndigbo is a significant responsibility; it is not a position meant for bootlickers or sycophants. This role requires an individual who can speak truth to power consistently and is prepared to face the consequences. Umahi lacks the necessary qualities to express the true feelings of the Igbo community regarding Tinubu and his administration. A partisan and overly ambitious individual cannot effectively fulfill this role. One cannot be an establishment figure while simultaneously claiming to represent a position that requires constant alignment with the marginalised and a relentless fight against injustice. Advocating for justice on behalf of a consistently marginalized group like the Ndigbo necessitates a character marked by selflessness, not egocentrism.
Why do we still yearn for the commendable tenure of Chief John Nnia Nwodo as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo? It’s because he was not just a leader; his voice was powerful and clear, instilling pride in every Igbo person during his time.
Our new Ohanaeze Ndigbo President, Senator Azuta Mbata, seems to still be finding his footing, and we hope to see a vibrant Mbata reminiscent of the Chuba Okadigbo senate era. Currently, the leadership vacuum is palpable, allowing someone like Engr. Umahi to step in where he is clearly unqualified.
Dave Umahi
If Ohanaeze were active and influential, they would have urged Umahi to stop misleadingly claiming that Tinubu’s administration is benefiting the Southeast. They would have presented empirical data showing that many federal roads he oversees as Minister of Works remain impassable in the Southeast. They would have provided him with detailed statistics regarding federal appointments and the low representation of Ndigbo in this regard.
As a seasoned politician, President Tinubu understands that individuals like Umahi, who claim to secure 90% of the votes in the Southeast, are not being truthful; however, he may find such fabrications useful in maintaining his image as a national leader and for the convenience of a likely rigging strategy. If Ohanaeze were active, they would have taken on Umahi on his call for Igbos to support other regions and reminded him that Igbos have consistently supported other regions since 1999, and it is now time for reciprocal support. In the elections of 1999 and 2003, the Southeast voted overwhelmingly for Olusegun Obasanjo from the Southwest, even when his own region rejected him. In 2007, they supported Umaru Yar’Adua from the North, and in 2011, Goodluck Jonathan from the South-South. It is evident that the Igbos have shown support for other regions.
Umahi is certainly living in denial by claiming that all Southeast governors support Tinubu, believing that their status guarantees him the region’s votes. His sycophantic position may blind him to the political changes observed in the 2023 elections, where the electoral relevance of governors is now closely tied to the sentiments of the people towards their leadership. The era in which governors could dictate voting patterns in their states has long passed.
While Ohanaeze and other opposition voices remain dormant, allowing Engr. Umahi to dominate the discourse, the true aspirations of the Ndigbo may continue to be overlooked as he propagate his falsehoods. However, the Umuada Igbo have openly challenged him and dismantled his arguments. Under the umbrella of the Igbo Women General Assembly, they confronted Umahi’s claims, questioning how someone who professes to be the authoritative voice for Ndigbo can remain silent in the face of the challenges Igbos face in Lagos at the hands of empowered Tinubu loyalists. This so-called authoritative voice for Ndigbo oversees significant projects in Lagos state for Tinubu, including destroying a multi-billion-naira landmark Resort belonging to an Igboman. Meanwhile, his region continues to struggle with impassable roads.
Additionally, the South East Mandate for Good Governance, led by Convener Bishop Prof. Emeka Nwankpa, has raised important issues with President Tinubu, highlighting what they describe as the “continued systematic marginalisation of the South East region” within Nigeria’s political and structural landscape. They have pointed out the consistent underrepresentation of the Southeast in federal appointments, infrastructure development, education, and state creation. According to Bishop Nwankpa, such concerns must be addressed for the betterment of the region that stands as one of Nigeria’s three major ethnic pillars, which has, over time, been reduced to the margins of power and influence in a manner that threatens national cohesion.
The petition paints a disturbing picture: from the lowest number of federal universities and states in the federation, to exclusion from top political offices, infrastructural decay, economic neglect, and railway/aviation disparities. It further decried the region’s worsening security situation, which the Federal Government has responded to with militarisation rather than addressing root causes like unemployment and underdevelopment. According to the group, the imbalance is a contradiction too glaring to be ignored. What the South East seeks is not privilege, but fairness. The petition urges the National Assembly to use its legislative powers to correct the injustices and restore equity to one of Nigeria’s founding regions.
Undoubtedly, Engr Umahi by all standards is doing well for himself and he is even free to say that his politics has been lucrative and rewarding. It’s immaterial how his political trajectories have been, but he has proven to be a good student of the famous Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, the Author of The Prince, who once said, “People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage, they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them, there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.” What Tinubu is doing to Igbos is designed to keep them further out of the equation permanently and has regrettably found the likes of Umahi a willing tool.
Everything you would want to know about Dave Umahi’s politics should be found in the yet-to-be-written memoirs of his former boss, Governor Martin Elechi, who later became his victim.
Tracing how Engr Umahi became the PDP Ebonyi state Chairman, how he became the Deputy Governor and how he dribbled his way to be Governor and from there dumbed the PDP for the ruling APC in search of President allegedly promised him by his then so called friend, late Muhammedu Buhari but ended up in the Senate and now Minister, his political journey has been laced with a lot of fascinating intrigues.
For him, the journey has been smooth, no treachery, all bravery and astuteness. But to several political watchers, Umahi represents one of the most ferocious and searing politicians of this era.
We recall how, along with Ike Ekweremadu and others, they nearly pulled down the PDP roof in 2018 when the PDP Presidential Candidate for the 2019 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, chose Peter Obi ahead of them as running mate. Till today, they have not forgiven Atiku and PDP for that choice, which they saw as a slap because Obi was then a new entrant into the party.
But not long after, the same Umahi who cried blue murder for choosing Obi, a neophyte in the party, over them, schemed for Buhari to pick him as the APC Presidential flagbearer, where he was also a newcomer. To most Nigerian politicians, when self is involved, justice and equity can wait or be given a new definition.
But till today, Atiku’s choice is still the best. Since his Vice Presidential days, Atiku has proven to be a wizard when it comes to picking good heads around him for national duties. History will continue to record him right in that area. Atiku knew why he avoided the likes of Ekweremadu and Umahi for an Obi who was just coming into the PDP at the time.
What actually drives Umahi is his ego; what concerns him most now is how to remain relevant before Tinubu, the man who pays the piper and who is successfully and viciously dictating the tune. To hell with Igbo interest if it contradicts with Umahi’s personal interest. For a long time, Igbos have been hearing about supporting other regions, coming mostly from stomach-directed Igbo politicians. People are no longer surprised at the betrayal nature of some Igbo politicians, especially when they find favour in the opposite camp because of what opportunism offers. No wonder we are told that when opportunists see the World going to the dogs they start selling dog food instead of trying to prevent it.
Some Igbo politicians don’t mind their people remaining in perpetual servitude so long as their personal aggrandisements are assured. They call themselves foresighted and smart politicians when in truth they are opportunists who live on expediency, who hide the truth and keep the options for the achievement of the purpose. May God save Igboland from such people.
Abonyi is an accomplished Journalist, Columnist and Media Consultant
When I wrote that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is an animal that eats its curator for lunch, it sounded like a stretch. But so far, the tenure of Bayo Ojulari as group chief executive officer is proving it. This might not be obvious if you look solely at Nigeria’s current crude oil sales.
The figure has climbed from about 1.6m bpd when Ojulari was appointed last April to about N1.9m bpd. That is good news for a cash-strapped country plagued by oil theft, weak infrastructure, divestments and thousands of barrels in swap deals.
The bad news is that Ojulari’s preemptory comment about the fate of Nigeria’s moribund refineries could endanger his early success. He is in enough trouble already, from internal rebellion to diminished investor confidence, and a siege on the company’s Abuja headquarters on Wednesday by protesters from the Niger Delta demanding quota over competence.
All that is minus ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Senate Public Accounts Committee into matters that mostly predate his tenure, but the fallouts of which may affect him.
Flip-flop
Now, his misery would be compounded by his statement on August 20 at a summit by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), that the government will fix Nigeria’s moribund refineries over our dead bodies.
I pinched myself to be sure. Hetold Bloomberg in a July interview that the refineries were facing significant challenges, despite heavy investments and the introduction of new technologies. Many of the technologies implemented, he said, have not worked as expected and revamping the old refineries abandoned for years has proven to be more complicated than anticipated. He added that a full review was ongoing, and the outcome was expected at the end of 2025.
One month later, he promises that “the refineries will work.” Perhaps he said this to make his hosts, the union leaders, happy, and, as expected, they welcomed his announcement with rapturous applause. Yet, when the applause fades and the fawning crowd disperses, Ojulari and his hosts know that promising the refineries will work is foolish. In any case, that decision is not even in his hands.
2025 ending early
He didn’t have to preempt the report of the “full review.” After the review is complete, the right thing is for him to share the report with the board and the President, who would decide what to do in consultation with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum Incorporated, and with the advice of the National Economic Council. The refinery is not Ojulari’s private company. He cannot decide its fate, one way or the other, to please the unions or any vested interests.
The unions are part of the problem. In 2007, when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua reversed the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries after Blue Star, the Dangote-led consortium had paid $670 million for it, the ill-advised reversal was at the behest of the unions and special political interests, swooning over the loss of a so-called national patrimony. But it was nothing of the sort. They just wanted business as usual.
Back to The Matter
After swallowing over $86 billion in turnaround maintenance, Nigeria’s state-run refineries are the country’s biggest crime scene. Under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, Nigeria paid $1.5 billion to fix the Port Harcourt Refinery alone.
The money was not paid to Chiyoda, the manufacturer of the refinery, nor were they even requested to have a look. Instead, it was paid to Maire Tecnimont, an Italian consultancy, which may have spent more time managing sub-contractors referred by NNPCL to keep everyone happy than fixing the refinery.
The repair was not dead on arrival. It died at conception, and the undertakers at NNPCL only needed a consultant for the funeral. When Femi Falana, SAN, requested details of work done and progress on the repairs, Tecnimont asked him to look elsewhere. We’re looking; all we can find is a refinery not working, and money wasted.
It’s funny that whenever the name of Chiyoda (builders of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries) has come up, NNPCL top brass has responded that they couldn’t be reached to fix the refinery because of a Japanese government advisory against citizens working in the Niger Delta. Yet, Chiyoda is part of the Saipem consortium on the LNG Train 7 in Bonny, the heart of the Niger Delta. How did the NLNG management reach them?
A Bottomless Pit
In the end, after a series of false starts, missed deadlines, and deliberate misinformation under former NNPCL GCEO, Mele Kyari, by the time the so-called rehabilitation finished, the Port HarcourtRefinery was producing less than 36,000 bpd (60 percent of its installed capacity), a shade better than you might expect from the litany of artisanal refineries in the Niger Delta creeks.
Amongbeneficiaries of the squalid mess – who would also be pleased by another futile round of multi-billion dollar rehabilitation – is acontractor responsible for importing “blend” from Malta,from which the Port Harcourt Refinery produces something like petrol and diesel.
This is the trap Ojulari is walking into as he contemplates keeping the refineries. He should publish the “full review,” which would be nothing short of a technological miracle if it exists and is viable.
Whose interest would another repair – or keeping the refineries – serve? In a timely warning published in April, one of Nigeria’s most experienced and knowledgeable energy experts, Dan D. Kunle, warned that Ojulari must do things differently because of significant challenges from a trust deficit to poor choices over the years that have caused investment to dry up “across the board.” The warning may have been brushed aside.
Apples and Oranges
Ojulari could argue that Nigeria needs the government refineries back to head off a possible Dangote monopoly. That would make sense if the refineries were competing with Dangote. They’re not – and cannot.The combined capacity of the four refineries, even in their heyday, was200,000 bpd,far less than Dangote’s 650,000 bpd, never mind in the present circumstances, when they have, for years, been a sinkhole.
Whose interest does a potential repair serve? Perhaps that of contractors who have made billions of dollars from fake turnaround maintenance. Or politicians with inexhaustible lists of cronies to recommend for jobs. Or maybe those of workers in the refineries, who, according to a BusinessDayreport, received N69 billion in salaries, wages and benefits in 2020 for doing nothing.
It’s fine if Ojulari fancies his task as raising the dead, but a long, distinguished list of his predecessors who tried were lunch for the beast.
Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book, Writing for Media and Monetising It.
The apex socio-cultural organization of Ndigbo, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, has strongly refuted claims suggesting that it has barred Igbo sons/daughters from contesting the 2027 Presidential Election.
The body stated that all politically active persons of Igbo extraction are free to exercise their civic obligations and rights as it has not placed any ban on anybody or groups from participating in the country’s democratic process.
The Ohaneze Ndigbo position is coming against the backdrop of the statement made by one Okechukwu Isiguzo and cohort, one Thompson Ohia, in Abakaliki Ebonyi State last week claiming that no Igbo person will vie for the presidency in 2027, as the people have endorsed the second term bid of President Bola Tinubu.
Instructively, Isiguzo,and his co-travellers have always been parroting a nebulous factional Ohaneze Ndigbo in the recent past to hoodwink,and mislead the unsuspecting public, as well as to massage their interests.
The non-existent Ohaneze Ndigbo faction, also, claimed that the decision to stop all Igbo persons from contesting the 2027 presidential polls was reached at Imeobi and Nzukoumuna meetings of the body, noting that Ohaneze Ndigbo resolved to field Presidential candidates only in 2035.
But in a statement on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, the President-General of the Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator Azuta Mbata, while dismissing the claims by Isiguzo and others as false, misleading and mischievous, urged any Igbo person, interested in contesting the 2027 presidential election to do so.
According to Mbata, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, being a socio-cultural organization does not have the power to stop anybody from aspiring to, and/or contesting for any elective office in the country.
“Any Igbo person who belongs to a political party and wants to contest any elections whatsoever in 2027 is free to do.
“Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide is a socio-cultural organization of Ndigbo and not a political party. As such, Ohaneze Ndigbo is not in a position to say, dictate, or even advise on who should, and shouldn’t contest elections in Nigeria in 2027, or at any time for that matter.
“Ndigbo are advised to continue their lawful political activities in the various political parties of their choice and membership.
“Any publications to the contrary did not originate from Ohaneze Ndigbo, and should be discountenanced by the entirety of Ndigbo”, Senator Mbata noted.
Association of Resident Doctors under the Edo State Government employment slams Governor for the gift, lament state of State-owned hospitals
Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Edo state has accused the state government for abandoning government owned hospitals and instead allocating ₦2.5 billion to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, (UBTH).
Governor Monday Okpebholo had announced the approval on Tuesday when the new Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Idia Ize-Iyamu, paid a courtesy visit to the Government House, Benin.
Ize-Iyamu had requested the state government’s assistance in constructing a world-class Paediatric Centre worth N2.5 billion which the governor approved.
The PDP, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare pointed out that the governor should have invested the money on state-owned hospitals instead of a federal institution.
The statement added, “This misadventure is not only reckless, but a glaring example of the 2027 election fixation and desperate eye-service politics that has defined Okpebholo’s almost one year in office.
“Edo people are being made to suffer, while their resources are squandered on federal facilities that are not the primary responsibility of the state.
“We align with the position of the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State government employment, who have openly decried this misplaced priority. Their statement exposes what Edo people already know, our hospitals are collapsing, yet the Governor prefers to chase cheap popularity.”
The PDP said that Stella Obasanjo Hospital, which was rebuilt with state funds, remained locked with less than a tenth in use, wondering why the ₦2.5 billion was not channelled there.
The statement added, “The Edo Specialist Hospital continues to cry for expansion and adequate support but has been ignored by a government obsessed with pleasing political benefactors and seeking headlines.
“The General Hospital in Abudu is no more than a mere patent medicine store, and yet, ‘₦2.5 billion that belongs to Odogwu is being given to Caesar.”
The PDP also noted that Edo doctors, who only recently suspended their strike, still have their legitimate demands unmet.
“Edo people obviously did not elect a Governor to act as a philanthropist to federal institutions. They elected a leader to fix our hospitals, build capacity, and ensure access to healthcare for all.
“By neglecting this sacred duty, Okpebholo has shown that he is unprepared, unserious, and out of touch with the realities of Edo citizens.
“We in the PDP demand that this decision be reversed and that urgent attention be given to Edo-owned hospitals which directly serve our people.
“Edo deserves working hospitals, not political monuments built with eyes on the 2027 elections.
“This is not leadership. This is a reckless waste. And Edo people will not forget,” the statement added.
Access Holdings Plc has appointed Innocent Ike as its substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, effective August 29, 2025, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Ike was a former Managing Director of Polaris Bank, where he served from 2020 to 2022
The announcement comes just hours after Roosevelt Ogbonna, resigned from the company’s board in line with new corporate governance rules issued by the CBN.
Ogbonna is the managing director of Access Bank Plc, the banking arm of Access Holdings.
In a notice filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX on Wednesday, the holding company explained that Ogbonna, who remains the chief executive of Access Bank Plc, stepped down from the Board in line with the CBN Corporate Governance Guidelines for Financial Holding Companies, FHC.
The guideline stipulates that the directors of Holding companies should not exceed nine at a time.
“Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) today announces the resignation of one of its Non-Executive Directors. Roosevelt Ogbonna from the Board after three and a half years of dedicated service. Ogbonna continues to serve as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, the Company’s flagship subsidiary.
“His resignation allows the Company to comply with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Corporate Governance Guidelines for Financial Holding Companies in Nigeria, 2023, which stipulates a maximum of nine (9) directors for the Board of a Financial Holding Company,” the company said in the notice. .
He is a walking miracle. The boy named Hope. He was given the name by a good Samaritan who rescued him.
In 2016, precisely on January 30, an anonymous two-year old was picked, as he roamed, stumbling, the streets in Akwa Ibom State. He was all bones. A walking skeleton. He could neither stand properly nor walk properly. He was a bundle of bones.
Branded a witch, and so, stigmatized, he was pushed out of what was his home by his cruel parents relations and an uncaring society to die unmourned, fed upon by vultures.
He had been branded a witch. And so unwanted. The poor innocent two-year old was branded a bundle of badluck; a bundle of everything bad, everything evil. So, he was pushed out to starve to death. For months, he roamed the streets.
But fate and destiny had something else in stock for him.
As he lay dehydrated, malnourished, and at the gate of death, the attention of a Danish Aid Worker, Anja Ringgren Loven, married to an Akwa Ibom man, David Emmanuel Umem, was drawn to him. She runs a Children’s Education and Development Foundation (ACAEDEF), aka, “Land of Hope”.
When her attention was drawn to the boy, she went with her team, which included her husband, and evacuated the two-year old from the streets to the Land of Hope. He was named Hope, a name derived from the alias of the Foundation.
Nobody could forget the haunting photograph taken of the boy on the day of his rescue as the Aide Worker gave her water from a bottle to drink – obviously, the only clean water he had since he was branded a witch and pushed to the streets to die.
But Hope was meant to live. Since that January 30, 2016, he gradually thrived as he was nursed back to good health. His rescuer picked his every bill, and put him in school as soon as he was of age. This last July, the handsome, healthy, bubbling but deaf (because of what he suffered) Hope graduated from Primary School and is headed to Secondary School in September.
Celebrating Hope on his Primary School Graduation Day, Ms. Loven wrote in a post on August 25:
“Hope survived. He graduated this year and starts Secondary school next month. His story is world famous. And everyday I look at him and feel so grateful for his incredible development.
“If you get to know Hope, you are lucky because he is so very unique. Hope is deaf, but despite that, he is able to communicate using sign language.
“Hope graduated Primary School with one of the highest grades. Not only is he intelligent, he is a very talented artist, an excellent dancer, he is very warm and caring, and on top of that, he has a great sense of humor.
“All the above makes me happy, but some days, it makes me think about the thousands of “Hopes” out there who we will never get to know because their lives are short. Once a child is accused of being a witch, it’s the end.
“But we will never give up. It’s an uphill battle, but with your support to Land of Hope, we will continue to save lives.”
The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA has declared an unflinching support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
The party’s National Chairman, Sly Ezeokenwa, made this known in Abuja, the nation’s capital while speaking to some journalists, saying the decision to back the incumbent is based on his performance since becoming the nation’s leader on May 29, 2023.
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state, the only APGA state governor in the country, is an ally of the president, and has declared his total support for him against other presidential aspirants, including Peter Obi, an indigene of the state, and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP.
According to Ezeokenwa, President Tinubu has supported APGA, and the party will return the favour by supporing him to come back to office.
Ezeokenwa: “We have no reason not to support President Bola Tinubu- for 2027- APGA is the foremost progressive party in Nigeria.
“We don’t owe any apology for supporting Mr. President’s economic reforms.
“Our goal has always been to advance progressive governance and ensure policies that leave no one behind.”
Governro Soludo had while declaring his total support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid, cited their long friendship for over two decades and Tinubu’s bold economic reforms.
He said: “President Tinubu is my friend; he has been my friend for 22 years now and counting, so you don’t deny your friend.
“I support him, and I’m impressed by the bold steps he has taken, particularly in the areas of the economy and structural reforms. We’re taking the right steps and we need to stay the course.”
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has directed all Point of Sale, PoS, terminals in the country be geo-tagged within 60 days. The order was in line with the apex bank’s concerted efforts to curb growing fraud through the POS operators, sectors’ analysts said.
Money launderers, Internet fraudsters, also known as ‘Yahoo Boys’ have lately being using the POS to perpetuate fraud.
Also, terrorists were also believed to be using POS terminals to move billions of illicit funds they use for their criminal activities in the country.
The directive, which affects licensed operators including Moniepoint, OPay, PalmPay, and commercial banks, requires that every PoS device currently in circulation be registered with its exact GPS coordinates. New PoS devices must also be geo-tagged before activation.
The Yemi Cardoso-led CBN warned in the circular that POS operators who failed to comply within the October 20 , 2025 deadline set by the apex bank will be deactivated from the nation’s financial system.
“The move is meant to curb fraud, stop the use of cloned or ‘ghost’ terminals, and make it easier to track transactions in real time,” the CBN said.
Checks by the magazine revealed that POS fraud cases and associated losses have largely increased in the country, with the total amount involved rising significantly in the first half of 2024 to billions of naira.
In Q2 2024, fraud cases, particularly mobile and POS-related, reached N56.3 billion in value, and N42.6 billion was lost. In Q3 2024, the total amount involved in fraud surged to N115.9 billion. This surge is partly a result of the expanding use of POS terminals, which are targeted by increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals, according to analysts who spoke on the issue.
According to checks from the CBN records, POS terminals handled transactions worth N223.27 trillion in 2024, representing a significant increase from the N110.35 trillion recorded in 2023.
The total number of POS transactions, according to figures from the apex bank also rose from 9.85 billion in 2023 to 13.08 billion in 2024, indicating a 32.7 per cent increase year-on-year.
