Jonathan Calls For Vibrant National Assembly

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May 22, 2025

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has emphasised the need for a vibrant national assembly.

According to him, the NASS should be able to override the president on issues bordering on national interest.

The former Nigerian leader spoke on Wednesday evening at the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards Dinner, organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Jonathan was honoured with the Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award.

His remark is coming on the heels of the criticism that has greeted the current NASS as a rubber-stamp of the executive arm of government.

Both the Godswill Akpabio led Senate and Tajudeen Abass-led House of Representatives have been accused of being passive in their function of holding the Presidency to account.

The NASS has denied the accusations saying all the arms of government need to work in harmony for the country to move forward.

Citing the NASS under his administration and that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan said they were above board and performed their duty of holding the executive accountable by using their veto power effectively.

For instance, Jonathan recalled his eagerness to sign the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Bill into law while he was in office.

He noted that the bill, sponsored by Senator Lee Maeba of Rivers State and others, was a product of a truly dynamic legislature.

“When I was acting President in 2010, and the National Assembly presented the bill, I promptly signed it and we quickly established a monitoring body. Someone like Lee Maeba, the bill’s originator, and his group also deserve recognition. That was a period when the National Assembly truly lived up to its name,” Jonathan said.

He further highlighted the Assembly’s assertiveness, recalling how it passed the Niger Delta Development Commission bill into law despite President Obasanjo’s reluctance to sign it.

“In 2000, the NDDC bill was also vetoed by the National Assembly. They overrode President Obasanjo’s refusal. Typically, in other countries, it is the President who vetoes bills.

“But in Nigeria, during the law-making process, it is the National Assembly that can exercise the veto. If the President does not assent to a bill within 30 days, the National Assembly can reconvene and, with a two-thirds majority calculated by headcount, not voice vote—enact the bill into law.

“That is how the NDDC Act came into being, thanks to a truly vibrant National Assembly,” he said.

“Wike Is Living On Borrowed Time” – Fmr. Gov. Sam Egwu

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Adesina Soyooye

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May 22, 2025

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By Adesina Soyooye

A former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu, has slammed the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, for what he described as the Minister’s reckless manner of speaking.

Egwu, a two-term Governor of Ebonyi State said this while replying to Wike’s response to the ultimatum given by the South-east PDP to the National Leadership of the Party in respect of the office of the National Secretary of the Party.

The South-east stakeholders of the PDP, including its only Governor in the Zone, Dr Peter Mba of Enugu State, and former Governors which included Egwu and Chief Achike Udenwa, a former two-term Governor of Imo State, had told the National Leadership of the Party to confirm its choice of National Secretary, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, in place of the incumbent Senator Samuel Anyanwu, popular as Samdaddy.

But the National body has been dragging its feet. The situation has escalated so much it has been in out of Court, including the Supreme Court. There seems no end to it.

But finally, majority of the stakeholders in the South-east, a few days ago, at a meeting at the Government House Enugu, issued an ultimatum to the National Body to accept Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary or the Zone would review its relationship with the PDP.

It is in response to the threat that Wike not only dismissed the threat as empty, but singled out, and descended on former Governors Egwu and Udenwa.

Speaking with the BBC Pidgin, Wike dismissed both men as literally without any clout. He said none of them was able to install his successor in office as Governor, and that none was even able install a National Assembly Member, or win more than three per cent votes for the party. Based on those, Wike asked on what grounds the two former Governors would threaten the Party.

But in a statement, Egwu expressed shock and embarrassment at Wike’s reaction. For a collective decision, Egwu wondered, why Wike would single out the two of them, (he and Udenwa) only to attack.

Egwu, after flaunting his achievements in office, including installing his successor, warned Wike that he was living on borrowed time.

He challenged Wike to try and install another Governor after Siminalayi Fubara, and promised him Fubara would be his last.

Part of Egwu’s statement reads: “My attention has been drawn to the unsavory remarks by the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike wherein he described the demand by South-east leaders on the PDP as empty.

“Particularly worrisome is Wike’s personalisation of what was supposed to be a collective position of PDP stalwarts in the South-east. It is in bad taste for Wike to have singled out Achike Udenwa and myself for vilification. This attack is not only embarrassing to me, it is unwarranted.

“As a political family, the PDP in the South-east Zone has the right to take a position on matters that affect it, one way or the other. That was simply what we did. It is not upto Wike or any other person for that matter to use that as a launchpad for personal attacks and launch-pad.”

Wike’s Rivers State is, no thanks to his soiled relationship with his estranged political godson, Fubara, PDP, is under an Emergency Rule headed by a retired Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas. And, for the records, Wike, PDP member he insists and emphasizes, is a high profile Minister in the APC Federal Government.

Obi Decries Relentless Scene Of Corruption In Nigeria System

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The Source

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May 21, 2025

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The Labour Party’s standard bearer in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has, for the umpteenth time, decried the relentless scene of corruption that Nigeria has become.

Reacting to the huge N7 trillion budget fraud uncovered by the BudgIT in the 2025 federal budget, Obi said Nigeria remains a relentless scene of corruption.

Writing in his X handle on Wednesday, Obi said,, “I have consistently maintained that for this country to make progress, Nigeria must cease to function as a crime scene and be repositioned for genuine development.

“This entrenched corruption – persistent and deeply rooted – must be nipped in the bud if there is to be any meaningful turnaround.

“How else can we explain the distressing revelations by BudgIT, which uncovered a staggering ₦7 trillion in questionable projects inserted into the 2025 national budget? I am convinced that this figure represents only a fraction of the actual amount misappropriated. These findings are deeply troubling and confirm my long-held position that we have turned our country into a crime scene. We must urgently and aggressively combat corruption, misappropriation, and fiscal recklessness to manage our resources effectively and efficiently, and invest in critical areas of development: health, education, and lifting our people out of poverty.

“The ₦7 trillion uncovered as fraudulently inserted into the 2025 budget is even greater than the combined allocations to the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the Ministry of Agriculture – ministries that are fundamental to national development.

“To be precise:

The Ministry of Education was allocated ₦3.52 trillion,
The Ministry of Health received ₦2.48 trillion,
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation was allocated ₦260 billion, and

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security received ₦636.08 billion.

“Combined, these four ministries were allocated ₦6.896 trillion—an already inflated amount—yet still less than the ₦7 trillion dubiously inserted into the budget.

“That ₦7 trillion figure is even more than the ₦6.1 trillion allocated to national security—at a time when Nigeria is among the most terrorised nations in the world.

“This brazen impunity by our leaders is precisely why the country cannot invest adequately in education, in the face of the existence of nearly 20 million out-of-school children. It is the same corruption that has crippled primary healthcare, resulting in alarming levels of malnourished children. We face widespread hunger, yet our leaders neglect agricultural investment due to persistent mismanagement and a lack of accountability. The same disregard affects our capacity to fund national security effectively, or to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which are vital to national growth.

“These glaring acts of corruption reinforce my position: Nigeria has been reduced to a crime scene.

“We must confront this corruption, misappropriation, and fiscal recklessness with unwavering resolve. Our national resources must be transparently managed and strategically invested in key sectors—health, education, and poverty alleviation—to secure a better future for our people. We must turn this nation around.

A new Nigeria is POssible.

“You Are Dishonouring Biafran Heroes, Heroines, Punishing Their Families”, Forum Tackles IPOB Over Lockdown

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Suleiman Anyalewechi

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May 21, 2025

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By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Njiko Igbo Forum NIF, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, knocked the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, over its call for a lockdown of the South East region on May 30, 2025.

The Source reports that the Biafran agitation group had, in a statement, issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, last week, declared May 30, as Biafran Remembrance Day ,to celebrate, honour and appreciate the sacrifices made by heroes and heroines of Igbo land during the Nigeria/Biafra fratricidal war of between 1967 and 1970.

According to IPOB, business activities, schools, offices, markets, and movements will be halted between the hours of 6.00 am and 6.00 pm, as a mark of respect for all those who lost their lives during the war.

However, reacting to the development, NIF, in a statement from its National President, Rev Dr Okechukwu Obioha, insisted that the IPOB lacks the power to make such proclamation. He noted that only the duly elected representatives of the people and the Government have the authority to do so.

While appreciating the laudable roles of IPOB in keeping alive the Biafran hope, the NIF however, distanced itself from the lockdown declaration.

“While we acknowledge IPOB as harmless, and unarmed support group of the South East’s and Igbo’s agitation for equity and fairness, we, however, distance ourself from the words and style chosen to honour and remember these our cherished heroes and heroines.

“The word lockdown sounds confrontational and declared imprisonment on the people of the South East ( Igbo) known as Biafra on that hallowed day of 30th May 2025.

“IPOB is not the Government to declare such a holiday or lockdown.

“Before the birth of IPOB, 30th of May, every year, in the past, had solemnly been observed as a significant/ remarkable date, and with very remarkable events in different ways voluntarily .

“Biafrans had observed this date by wearing black, putting black ribbons on their left chest breasts and black wrist bands.

“The most notable observation that people made was the three-minute silence that had always been observed by any Igbo in Nigeria by 12 noon on that day, no matter what you are doing, and whatever you are. It looked solemn, awesome and peaceful.

“Another major event that used to be held that day is the delivery of lectures in various cities in Nigeria.

“Activities, and particularly economic ones, are not barred, or disrupted. People go to work, market, schools, and any activities of human endeavour, and conduct their normal activities. However, they are always conscious of the date and its import, and religiously observe three-minute silence.

“The three-minute silence is symbolic of the traditional way of hailing through backhands before shaking proper.

“Lock down from 6.00am to 6.00 pm, and paralyzing economic activities to observe 30th May 2025 is not feasible, as Governments of the day will not allow that, and the children, and living families of heroes and heroines you are seeking to honour, and remember, will be tensed up, deprived freedom of Movement, and live in hunger”, Rev Dr Obioha stated.

To this end, the NIF called on IPOB and those entities and individuals that subscribe to the suffocation of the economy of the Igbo and the South East under the guise of observing Biafra Day to have a rethink.

According to the Forum, the declaration of lockdown, cannot, in all honesty, be an honourable way to pay tribute to those that were killed during the Biafran war.

“Politicians, Uniformed Officers Are Informants To Bandits” – Gov. Zulum

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Ayodele Oni

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May 21, 2025

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By Ayodele Oni

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has revealed another impediment blocking the defeat of banditry in the country, accusing some Nigerian politicians and members of the armed forces of acting as informants for Boko Haram insurgents.

Zulum spoke on Wednesday, during an interview on Breakfast Central, a programme on News Central Television.

“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them ruthlessly.”

The governor lauded the federal government’s initiative to establish forest guards, describing it as a potential game-changer.

He, however, noted that these guards should be recruited from local communities within the states.

“This is very important, establishing forest guards will be a game changer. But I want to give an early warning, that these forest guards should be recruited from the communities within the states.”

Zulum, who also spoke on repentant insurgents, noted that most of them have actually turned over a new leaf.

“I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but I want to assure you that over 99% are doing well and are not participating in the ongoing terrorism.”

The governor stressed the importance of both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in tackling insurgency.

“Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place.”

FG Offers N5 Million Reward For Information On Fleeing Inmates Of Osun Custodial Centre

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Ayodele Oni

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May 21, 2025

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By Ayodele Oni

Identities of fleeing inmates from Ilesa Correctional Centre in Osun state have been revealed just as the Federal Government placed a ₦5 million bounty on seven inmates that escaped on Tuesday .

Report stated that the seven inmates took advantage of defect on the prison wall caused by rainstorm and escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa.

Spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), DCC Abubakar Umar, made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

“To encourage public cooperation, the Nigerian Correctional Service is offering a ₦5 million reward for credible information that leads to the recapture of the escapees.”

He urged citizens to report any useful leads to the nearest security agency, assuring that all tips will be handled with strict confidentiality and anonymity.

The escape has sparked heightened concern, and security agencies are actively working to locate and apprehend the fugitives.

IGP Orders Investigation Into Ibadan Student’s Killing, Detains Policeman, Flays Attack On Personnel In Edo

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Ayodele Oni

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May 21, 2025

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By Ayodele Oni

The Policeman who mistakenly shot dead a student participating in the ongoing West African School Certificate Examination, (WASCE) in Oyo state has been detained on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Dr. Kayode Egbetokun.

The IGP also ordered a full-scale investigation into the tragic killing of the 14-year-old student, Kehinde Alade, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Kehinde was struck by a bullet fired by a Policeman attached to the Oyo State Police Command while on his way to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The incident, which sparked widespread outrage, also involved Oyo State Traffic Management Authority (OYTMA) operatives.

In another incident, the IGP has condemned the unprovoked attack launched on some police personnel on official duty in Edo State.

In a statement issued Wednesday by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, the IGP condemned the shooting of the Student, and assured the public that the Policeman involved has been taken into custody as part of ongoing investigations.

“The Inspector-General of Police condemned the incident and assured that the officer involved in the shooting has been taken into custody while a full-scale investigation is underway,” the statement said.

“He equally reiterated that the process will be transparent, and its findings will be made public to ensure justice is duly served as he expressed heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased young man.”

In a related development, the IGP also addressed an unprovoked attack on police personnel in Edo State. According to the Police statement, members of the Force Intelligence Department – Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) were ambushed by a mob in Okhuimwun Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, on Monday, May 20, 2025.

“The Nigeria Police Force strongly condemns the unprovoked attack on Police Operatives in the early hours of Monday, 20th May 2025, at Okhuimwun Community in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.”

The statement explained that the operatives were reportedly in transit from Lagos and encountered a roadblock after the University of Benin (UNIBEN) axis, where they were attacked with stones, sticks, and other dangerous objects. Two officers sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving medical attention.

“It is noteworthy that despite the provocation and threat to life, the officers exercised commendable restraint by not resorting to the use of force.

“The Police warned against continued aggression and lawlessness toward law enforcement agents and assured that investigations have begun, with legal action pending against identified culprits.

“The Nigeria Police Force reiterates its commitment to the protection of lives and property and urges citizens to remain law-abiding and to channel grievances through lawful and peaceful means.

“The Force has assured the public of justice in both cases, underlining its dedication to accountability and human rights.”

NELFund To Pay 6000 Poly Ibadan Students Tuition Fees In 14 Days

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James Orji

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May 21, 2025

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The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFund has assured 6004 students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan that it will disburse loans to the institution in 14 days.

NELfund also assured the students that they will also start receiving the N20, 000 monthly stipends immediately after the students loan is disbursed.

According to NELFund’s Team Lead and Director Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Aliyu Muhammad, who spoke during a sensitization programme in Ibadan, the state’s capital, The Polytechnic, Ibadan is one of the over 300 tertiary institutions that have benefited from the loan, adding that over three million students have applied for the loan.

Muhammad: “We saw the memo that the school management wrote regarding your school fees. We are assuring you that in the next two weeks, your tuition will be credited to your school account. It will be followed by the 20,000 monthly stipend for each student.’’

The Fund has recently been allegedly enmeshed in a N71 billion fraud, claims later debunked by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

Siege On Kogi Communities As Gunmen Abduct Retiree, Three Others

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Ayodele Oni

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May 21, 2025

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By Ayodele Oni

Some gunmen continued with their onslaught in Kogi State as another community was attacked leaving casualties of four persons that were abducted.

The latest incident, coming for the third time within seven days happened at Okoloke, an agrarian community in Yagba West Local Government Area of the State.

According to report monitored on Channels Television, the latest incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday when an unidentified number of armed men stormed the area.

Quoting a local source, the assailants forced their way into the residence of Ezekiel Durojaiye, a retiree and respected community leader in the village.

The attackers abducted Pa Durojaiye along with three others, whisking them away into the bush at gunpoint. The incident has further heightened fear and tension among residents.

Yagba West has recently become a hotspot for abductions. Last Thursday, gunmen kidnapped Oba James Dada Ogunyamda, the traditional ruler of the village.

Three days after the abduction of the monarch, two vigilante members and one other person were also abducted.

The latest attack brings the number of kidnapped individuals from the same community to eight in one week.

The kidnappers of the 90-year-old monarch reportedly demanded a ransom of N100 million, which was later negotiated down to N50 million.

His family has since appealed to the government, organisations, and the public for assistance in raising the funds.

Despite assurances from Yagba West Local Government Chairman, Tosin Olokun, and the Kogi State Police Command regarding ongoing rescue efforts, there have been no confirmed successes in securing the release of the abducted victims.

On Monday, the Kogi State Police Command said its operatives attached to the Obajana Division, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and Fulani vigilantes, rescued three kidnapped victims during a coordinated raid on Ankomi Forest of the state.

According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Kogi State Command, William Aya, the victims were rescued unhurt following a gun duel between the joint security team and the kidnappers.

He said the criminals, overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the operatives, abandoned their captives and fled into the bush with gunshot injuries.

Osun Police Command Awaits Report On Ilesa Jail Break

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Ayodele Oni

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May 21, 2025

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By Ayodele Oni

Osun State Police Command has given an update on the jail break at Ilesa Correctional Centre on Tuesday, despite that the command said details of the incident are yet to be made available.

The Command stated that it was yet to receive any official communication on the escape of seven inmates from the the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun.

The Police Spokesperson for the Command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, told the News Agency that the Police State Command had not been officially briefed or informed of the incident by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

“We heard also about the escape, but there is no official report made to the police by the NCoS. Our Intel revealed to us that actually, there was an escape.

“The cause of the escape is what we don’t know because our men have gone there. From the intelligence report we got, there is nothing we can lay hands on that made the inmates escape.

“The NCoS should inform us about what actually happened. The police is out to protect lives and property and any criminal we see, we will apprehend.”

It was reported that the NCoS declared seven inmates missing as a result of rain that damaged the security perimeter of the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa in the early hours of Tuesday.

The heavy rainfall around 2:00 a.m. caused a breach in the facility’s structure, allowing the inmates to escape.

Confirming the development, the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, in a statement signed by Umar Abubakar, Deputy Controller of Corrections, Public Relations Officer, on Tuesday, ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and assured the public that efforts were underway to return the escapees to custody.

“The service is working closely with sister security agencies as well as community leaders to recapture the escapees and bring them back to custody.

“However, the Service solicits the cooperation and support of the public in providing information that may lead to the recapture of the fleeing inmates.”

Authorities have since launched a manhunt to recapture the fugitives.