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Akume: “I’m Not Interested” In APC Chairmanship

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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George Akume

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, says he’s not in the race to become the National Chairman of the ruing All Progressives Congress, APC.

Akume spoke few days after one of the contestants, Tanko Al Makura, a former Governor of Nasarawa state said he was prepared to do whatever it takes, including ‘clean the table’ on President Tinubu’s instruction.

The federal government scribe has been mentioned among those gunning for the position following the sudden resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje, a former governor of Kano state from the position.

Ganduje, was said to have been forced out of the position by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who the magazine learned is planning to bring Rabiu Kwakwanso, a former Governor of Kano state into the party, to run with him in 2024.

Neither the president nor Kwakwanso, an arch rival of Ganduje has  spoken about the rumoured dalliance.

Apart from Akume, other APC stalwarts reported to be interested in the position include former governors Tanko Al Makura  and Yahaya Bello, of Nasarawa and Kwara states amongst others.

But Akume’s remark may have put paid to his rumoured ambition to lead the APC into the next election.

The SGF disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide Yomi Odunuga that his rumoured ambition to become APC chair is false, and should be disregarded.

He said, “The attention of Senator George Akume has been drawn to a publication claiming he is among those jostling for the APC national chairmanship.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is a fabrication meant to distract the SGF from his critical duties in the federal government.”

The SGF said he’s focused on his job to deliver the dividends of democracy under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that he’s poised not to destroy the trust reposed in him by the president.

“His main focus, he insists, is to ensure he does not in any way betray the trust that President Tinubu reposes in him.

Speaking directly on the matter, Akume said he is not seeking any internal party position.

“I am not in a race that I am not interested in,” Akume said.

Al Makura Ready To Clean ‘Table” For Tinubu To Become APC Chairman

Speaking recently on his bid for the APC chairmanship, Al-Makura, said he would do anything President Tinubu told him to do, including “cleaning the table” in the Presidential Villa, to gain the president’s support.

The former governor said he would do anything to prove his “loyalty” to the president.

He said, “If Mr President, as the leader of this country, tells me that ‘Al-Makura, I want you to come to my office and dust my table every Monday, that is what pleases me, that is what I feel will make the party and this country progress,’ I can assure you that I will make it a date that every Monday at that appointed time. I will come, dust the table, and go.

“I will be satisfied that I have done what the president wants. That is the level of my commitment and loyalty to a leader.”

US Visa: “Nigeria Punished By Trump For Refusing To Accommodate 300 Venezuelan Prisoners”  – FG

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Donald Trump and Bola Tinubu

By Adesina Soyooye

The Federal Government has explained why the United States of America reduced the Visa validity of Nigerians from five years multiple entry to a ridiculous three months single entry.

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said  that the new US Visa  policy which restricts  Nigerians to three-month visa validity stemmed ftom Nigeria’s refusal to accept 300 Venezuelan prisoners as demanded by US President Donald Trump.

Minister Tuggar explained this to Nigerians on Thursday when he spoke on Channels Television.

Nigeria’s seat of power, Aso Rock, had earlier, in a statement dismissed claims by the US that the visa decision was to reciprocate an earlier decision by Nigeria to impose a 90-day visa on American citizens.

The statement signed by main Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said: “Immediately after assuming office, President Tinubu’s administration issued a service-wide directive that Nigeria implement all bilateral agreements with other nations and adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.

“The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting U.S. citizens a five-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the U.S. has continued to grant the same to Nigerians.”

But Tuggar revealed on Channels TV that:  “The US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons. It will be difficult for Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners.”

He said the excuse given by the US to impose a 90-day visa on Nigerians is just giving a dog a bad name to hang it.

Tuga: “We introduced an online electronic visa to save time instead of arriving before processing the visa. The online makes it easier. Our visa is not saying that every American is given only 90 days. We give more than three-year visa.

“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept that.

“We have problems of our own, and we can’t accept Venezuela’s deportees for crying out loud. We already have 230 million people.

“These are some of the ongoing discussions, not just with Nigeria but with some other countries.

“We’re talking to the Americans and reminding them that we will also issue them the same way they issue five-year multiple-entry visas.

“What Nigeria has done that differs is simple. We used to have a visa at the point of entry that wasn’t running efficiently.

“We introduced online electronic visas that save time. With that, you don’t need to go through the challenge of time. On my laptop, I can apply for and get a Nigerian visa.

“First-time travellers, such as tourists, may find it easy, and they’ll want to come again.

“America is not correct to say their decision on the visa was based on reciprocity.

“Honestly, I don’t think Nigeria will be able to accept prisoners from Venezuela. And, I think it will be unfair to insist that Nigeria accept 300 deportees from Venezuela. This might just be the beginning.”

Onanuga in his statement emphasized  that Nigeria has continued to grant five-year non-immigrant visas to Americans in line with existing bilateral agreements and the principle of reciprocity.

His words: “Contrary to misinformation and fake news circulating online, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never stopped issuing five-year multiple-entry visas for U.S. citizens.

“Immediately after assuming office, President Tinubu’s administration issued a service-wide directive that Nigeria implement all bilateral agreements with other nations and adhere to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.

“The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting U.S. citizens a five-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the U.S. has continued to grant the same to Nigerians.

“A 90-day single-entry visa applies only to the newly introduced electronic visa (e-Visa), which is different from the traditional visa categories and is designed to streamline entry for tourists and short-term business travellers who prefer not to undergo standard embassy application process.

“The e-visa replaces the now obsolete visa-on-arrival, which was inefficient and often abused for extortion.

“The e-visa is a fast, online process that does not require the applicant to visit the embassy. Applicants receive the e-visa within 48 hours of submitting their application.

“The e-visa initiative is part of Abuja’s broader strategy to promote investment, tourism, and the ease of doing business in Nigeria while aligning with global best practices.

“Many countries around the world have adopted similar digital visa systems. While Nigeria currently offers an e-visa option to US citizens, the same gesture has not been reciprocated by the US for Nigerians.

“In the spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding, and partnership that have characterised the relationship between Nigeria and the United States over the decades, the Tinubu-led administration will continue to dialogue and engage with U.S. authorities to resolve any issues that have led to the recent developments.”

Shetima Secretly Visits Hospitalised Buhari, Abdulsalami In London

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Muhammadu Buhari and Abdulsalami Abubakar

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shetima has paid a visit to the country’s two former leaders, Muhammadu Buhari and Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd.) who are currently battling undisclosed health challenges in London.

According to Daily Trust newspaper, Shetima visited Buhari penultimate week, on the instruction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and later Gen Abdulsalami during the period. The hospitals where the two former leaders are receiving treatment remained undisclosed.

Buhari, who fell ill recently, and undergoing treatment in a London hospital, was reportedly placed in intensive care in the early days of his admission but is said to have come out of the critical condition and is now recuperating well.

A credible source privy to the development told Daily Trust that

Shettima flew to London penultimate Sunday night and checked up on the former president the Monday morning.

The source added that Shettima also visited former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar during the same trip.

When contacted about the visit and why it was not made public, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, said the Vice President did actually travel to London, but that it was a totally private visit.

On Monday night, there were apprehensions over the state of health of the former President with speculation rife that his health might have deteriorated.

Daily Trust made spirited efforts to speak with the  former President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, but he did not respond to our reporter’s inquiries.

However, in the early hours of Tuesday, Malam Garba replied to an sms sent to him and said: “The information available to me is that he (Buhari) is in a recovery mode.”

Since then, much has not been heard from the camp of the former President until news of the recent visit by Vice President Shettima.

While in office as President between 2015 and 2023, President Buhari then had a history of medical checkups mainly outside the country.

His health has also been a subject of intense debate owing to his status as the number one citizen at the time.

After assuming office in May 2015, Buhari spent over a hundred days outside the country in 2017, specifically in London due to an undisclosed ailment.

He also made further medical check-up trips to London in 2018 and 2021.

Following enquiries, a former media aide to the former president, Mallam Garba Shehu, ealier confirmed that Buhari was hospitalised in London.

He wrote: “Following your inquiry, I wish to state as follows: It is true that the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, is unwell. He has been receiving treatment in the UK,” Garba Shehu said.

“You would recall he made it known that he was going for his annual medical check-up. He became ill there, but I am happy to announce to you that he is doing well in his recovery while receiving treatment. We pray for his healthy recovery.”

IPOB To Gov Soludo: Your Reckless Comments Have Betrayed The Igbo

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
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Charles Soludo - Governor of Anambra State
Charles Soludo - Governor of Anambra State

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra IPOB, on Thursday, July 10, 2025 strongly rejected Governor  Chukwuma Soludo’s claim that  90.9 % of kidnappings, terrorists attacks and other criminal activities in the South East region are the handiwork of Igbo sons and not that of rogue Fulani herdsmen.

At a town hall meeting of Anambra state indigenes in Maryland, United States of America, last week,  Governor Soludo told his audience that statistics have shown that over 99.9 percent of kidnappers ,and other criminal elements in the state within his three years in office are by people of Igbo extraction.

This is as he vehemently condemned the widely held assumption that most of the killings , kidnappings, and other violent criminal activities are perpetrated by the Fulani herdsmen.

To buttress his position, the Anambra State Governor insisted that it would be practically untenable for criminal elements ,and the “so called liberators ” to successfully reside in and operate from the forests without the active connivance and collaboration of locals and or even the communities.

According to him, it amounts to begging the question and standing logic on the head to assume and propagate the idea that strangers could operate terrorists camps within the South East region successfully without the active support of the Indigenous People .

“Let us stop deceiving ourselves. Ask yourself how these so-called liberators survive in the forests without community backing.

“The acclaimed freedom fighters are in the real sense young Igbo men, mostly youth engaged in criminal activities for financial gains”, Soludo stated.

But the IPOB in a statement on Thursday signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, described the remarks credited to Governor Soludo as utterly and disgustingly reckless and ,unsupported by facts .

According to the group, the Governor’s statement is part of the wider sinister agenda of provoking unwarranted attacks and hounding of innocent youths in the region by the authorities and security forces.

The IPOB warned that such unsubstantiated claims by people like Governor Soludo are just what the Nigerian and security authorities need to engage in unjust and arbitrary arrests of and violence against innocent individuals in the South East region.

:Governor Soludo’s unguarded and thoughtless statement may embolden and ultimately promote military operations ,and Fulani-sponsored militias to further engage in acts of violence against the people”, the IPOB warned  .

The IPOB accused the  Governor of only pandering to some interests ,and oppressive outsiders  for political and pecuniary gains while ignoring the existential threats posed to the people of Anambra and other South East states by activities of herdsmen and other terrorists groups.

“This public utterance made without any iota of investigative backing has now become the green light for the Nigerian security agencies ,and Fulani-sponsored terror militias to commence another round of massacre and abductions of innocent youths across the South East”  IPOB warned .

However, the group said it’s not all that surprised at the latest anti-people stance of  the  Governor as it is in tandem with his well documented inconsistent position on the plight of its detained leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The group while acknowledging some occasions where the Governor had called for the release of Kanu,  however noted that his recent posture portray’s a serious contradiction of his past efforts.

2027: Shetima Clashes With Tinubu, Relationship Finally Breaks Down; VP’s Fate Hangs

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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VP Kashim Shettima
VP Kashim Shettima

Following Vice President Kashim Shetima veiled attack on  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for declaring emergency rule in Rivers state, close watchers of Aso Rock, Nigeria’s Presidency say the relationship between the president and his vice may have finally broken down.

On Thursday, during a book launch in Abuja, the nation’s capital Vice President Shetima took a jibe at the president for removing Governor Siminalye Fubara and other elected state officials from office, indirectly telling the president that his action was unconstitutional.

According to Shetima, the former President Goodluck Jonathan had in 2014 tried to remove him from office as the Governor of Borno state, but was advised against taking such action by the National Assembly and Bello Adoke, the Attorney General of the Federation and Mister of Justice at the time.

According to him, the former president would have removed him and some northern state governors from office because of the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging some parts of the region, if not for Adoke and Aminu Tambual, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives who told him point black that the president had no power to remove an elected governor

Shetima: “Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was floating the idea of removing this Borno governor (pointing at himself), and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, had the courage to tell the president: You don’t have the power to remove an elected councillor.

“The president was still unconvinced, he mooted the idea at the Federal Executive Council, Mr Mohammed Adoke told the president: You do not have the power to remove a sitting governor,” the vice-president said. “They sought the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who also said: I am of the candid opinion of my senior colleagues. That was how the matter was laid to rest.

“I want to thank you for the courage to forgive those who have offended you. In the last four years of the Jonathan government, I was the public enemy number one,” Shetima stated.

Meanwhile, Shetima’s remark , according to watchers of the Nigerian Presidency may have further exposed the deep-seated animosity between him and President Tinubu, who according to sources may have decided to dump Shetima as his running mate in 2027.

President Tinubu is set for re-election in two years time, but those close to Nigeria’s seat of power said he’s now disposed to picking another running mate to vie with him.

Even though the president has yet to publicly make his intention known, a recent meeting of the ruling All Progerssives Party, APC, in Yobe state where Shetima was not endorsed alongside President Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, by the party’s stakeholders, close watchers of politics in the country said spoke volume of the worsening animosity between the two former allies.

Speaking recently, the 2023 Labour Party  Vice Presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed hinted that President Tinubu may have decided to end his  relationship with his vice.

Baba-Ahmed said Tinubu had even tried enough putting up with shetima who he accused of been treacherous.

According to Baba-Ahmed, “On Shettima, I don’t blame Tinubu. Because whoever knows what Shettima did and does, will not allow him last this long,” Baba-Ahmed said.

“The airwaves cannot carry it. And I know I’m speaking on TV.

“I know Tinubu has tried for keeping Shettima this long. Even the consideration that he should be dropped, I think Tinubu has tried.

“It is a pregnant statement. I wish I could say more.

“What people do for power is unbelievable.”

On March 8, 2025 President Tinubu  in a controversial manner suspended Governor Fubara and all the members of the state House of Assembly from office, citing the rising insecurity in the oil bearing state.

Meanwhile, there’s hope that Governor Fubara and other elected officials may be reinstated following the ongoing fence mending between the suspended governor and Nyesom Wike, the two gladiators at the centre of the political crisis in the troubled state.

“Don’t  Whitewash Ogbonna, He Was An Armed Robber” –  Ogun State Government

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Ogbonna Igbojionu and Alex Otti and Dapo Abiodun

By Adesina Soyooye

Oluwasina Ogungbade, Ogun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, has put a lie to the story being circulated in respect of a just-released convict, Ogbonna Igbojionu.

Igbojionu, on the kind intervention and facilitation by the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, was released from jail after 26 years. His fate which triggered Otti’s intervention was made public by SEAKING, an Online influencer.

But on release, Igbojionu’s story has been that he was wrongfully convicted for a  stolen generator and sentenced to death. His story went viral, with not a few people slamming the Ogun State Government for using a sledge hammer to kill an ant.

This line of story which tended to put the Government in bad light prompted  Ogungbade to expose Igbojionu for what and who he, allegedly, really is.

According to the Attorney General, Igbojionu is a certified Armed brother who  participated in a violent robbery which resulted in the killing of a security man.

He slammed the ex-convict for spewing lies, instead of thanking God for his release, and quietly enjoy his unmerited freedom.

“My Office has observed recent viral publications regarding Ogbonna Ogbojionu, who was recently released from prison after many years. These reports allege that Ogbonna was wrongfully imprisoned for over two decades for merely buying a stolen generator and that the real thief – one Segun Ajibade – was pardoned in 2016, leaving Ogbonna to suffer for nine more years. This narrative is entirely false.

“Ogbonna was convicted on 14 January 2003 by the Ogun State High Court and sentenced to death.

“However, Ogbonna’s death sentence was converted to a life sentence in June 2021 by Governor Dapo Abiodun CON, in exercise of the prerogative of mercy. The prerogative of mercy is a constitutional power vested in the President and State Governors, based on advice from the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (ACPM). The Attorney-General of Ogun State is the Chairman of the Ogun State ACPM. Ogbonna was a beneficiary of the most recent prerogative of mercy exercised by the Governor to commemorate Democracy Day 2025.

“Ogbonna did not merely buy a stolen generator. Indeed, there is no evidence till date, that Ogbonna ever bought the generator in issue.

“The true facts are that around 10:00 pm on 3 October, 2000, a gang of armed robbers attacked ELF petrol station along Abeokuta-Lagos road and stole a 10 KVA Lister generator. The armed robbers overpowered and detained the two guards at the fuel station. They hit one guard – Yusuf Akanni – with an iron rod on his head and on his leg, breaking his femur. They hit the second guard – Moses Bankole – on the head with an iron rod as well, then they bound both guards.

“Moses Bankole died on the spot, while bound, while Ogbonna and the other armed robbers made away with the Lister generator. Yusuf Akanni, the surviving guard, was the first prosecution witness for Ogun State. Ogbonna was a generator technician so he was the robber who specifically loosened the generator from where it was secured in ELF filling station.

“At 2:30 am a few days later, around Toll Gate, Ota, the Police randomly stopped a vehicle which was loaded with firewood and pure water bags that had been used to conceal a big generator. That generator turned out to be the same generator stolen from ELF.

“Ogbonna was in the vehicle alongside the vehicle’s driver (Sunday Oloyede) and one Kolawole Oladeji. When confronted by the Police, none of them could produce a receipt for the generator, so the Police decided to impound the vehicle and arrest its occupants. As the Police were planning to move the vehicle to the station, the driver and Kolawole Oladeji zoomed off with the vehicle, leaving Ogbonna behind.

“Ogbonna was detained in one of the cells at Toll Gate but before morning, Ogbonna escaped by breaking the asbestos in the cell’s ceiling.

“However, by that time, the Police had already recorded the vehicle’s registration number. Investigations at the Alausa licensing office disclosed the owner of the vehicle who presented his four drivers to the Police. Sunday Oloyede turned out to be one of the truck owner’s drivers – and he was arrested. He led the Police to Kolawole Oladeji and Segun Ajibade. The three then led the police to Ogbonna who was arrested but by then had already sold the generator.

“Ogbonna led the Police to the person he sold the generator to, one Ali Rihan, who released the generator back to the Police and testified against Ogbonna and the others, as the eleventh prosecution witness.

“Based on these events, these defendants, including Ogbonna, confessed to how they had planned the whole robbery. Ogbonna made two confessional statements in two different Police stations – they were admitted as Exhibits K and B, without objection as to coercion. The prosecution called eleven witnesses in all, but Ogbonna and his co-defendants did not call any witnesses. Instead, they chose to rest their case on that of the prosecution.

” Under the law, this meant that they agreed with the facts narrated with the prosecution but did not believe it was enough to convict them. However, the court thought otherwise and convicted them.

“These facts completely dispel all the lies that Ogbonna and his packagers are currently circulating. Ogbonna participated in the armed robbery. Ogbonna participated in transporting the generator by cover of night, hidden under pure water bags and firewood – nobody carrying property they believe to be theirs will hide it in that manner. Ogbonna fled lawful detention. Ogbonna, also, after having seen the driver run away from the Police with the generator, still proceeded to reunite with that same driver and still sell the generator without regard to the driver’s suspicious conduct. Ogbonna was an integral part of the armed robbery.

“If Ogbonna truly owned the generator, he would have presented a receipt or any evidence of purchase to the Police at the checkpoint or at his trial. Ogbonna knew the value and status of a receipt, because he issued Ali Rihan a receipt after selling the generator to Ali. If Ogbonna was truly tortured in detention to confess, what is his explanation for not objecting to the confessional statement at trial? How does he explain his legal strategy of calling no witnesses? Why did he not bring any witnesses who knew that he owned the generator, who knew his lawful source of living, or who sold him the generator? The truth is that all these did not exist.

“Ogbonna rested his case on the prosecution’s case. He did not call any witness and he did not tender any evidence. All that he is saying today was available to be said at his trial and he voluntarily said nothing.

“As Justice Oputa said in the 1988 case of N M Ali & Amor. v. The State, “if the prosecution rests and refuses to put an accused person into the witness box to dispose to his own version of the events, then… The court will not be expected to speculate on what the accused might have said if he testified”. Ogbonna could have provided evidence to defend himself and he did not. Without that evidence, the Judge was right to convict him, and my Office was correct – even obligated – to prosecute him.

“The prerogative of mercy is not a right. Nobody is entitled to it. And it is not automatically extended to convicts merely because they have been in prison for long periods. The prerogative is granted entirely at the Governor’s discretion, considering the nature of the convict’s offence, the convict’s assessed tendency to reoffend, the convict’s ability to reintegrate into society, and the convict’s reformation demonstrated most importantly by his remorse and regret. If, as the viral reports now claim, Segun Ajibade has truly led a quiet life since his release, it likely suggests genuine remorse for his crimes and his gratitude for his freedom. This is the exact opposite of Ogbonna’s intransigence today and could explain why Ogbonna was not considered for release when Segun was.

“Ogbonna’s crime hobbled a business, terrorised Akanni Yusuf, and killed Moses Bankole. These victims or their relations remain today and attempts to sanitise Ogbonna’s conduct with falsehoods does fresh injustice to the victims. Those who, in a misguided quest for justice, are recreating Ogbonna as a victim will do well to remember Moses Bankole – the true and irredeemable victim of Ogbonna’s crime.

“If Ogbonna is truly reformed, he should silently and gratefully enjoy his freedom and pursue honest pursuits. Presently, his honesty is highly doubtful, and the world is hereby notified.”

SW Pensioners Flay Ondo, Ekiti Govs, Vow To Vote Out Unfriendly Leaders

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners( NUP) has resolved that the option left for members is to use their votes to elect or remove leaders that fail to put their plight and welfare into consideration.

The union vowed to mobilise its members against politicians that do not have good programmes towards the welfare and well-being of its members in elections ahead across the country.

The South-West Zonal Public Relations Officer ( PRO) of NUP, Dr. Olusegun Abatan, stated this in a communique after the South-West Zonal Council meeting of the union on Thursday in Akure and hosted by the Ondo State Council of the NUP.

Abatan pointed out that pensioners had suffered too long for being denied of their gratuities and pensions, hence the union had resolution to be firm in its decision to support only politicians that would cater for union’s betterment.

“The political firmament has been suffused by a lot of criss crossing and shenanigans all over the place. We want to appeal to pensioners to please keep calm and watch the events as they unfold.

“What we are going to do when it comes to elections, we will inform our members. We shall not vote into office whether it’s for second term or first term, those who will not cater for our members’ welfare and well-being.”

The NUP PRO, who described the current minimum wage in the country as a disaster, said that the Federal Government took the advantage of the naivety of the labour unions to ravage the Nigerian workers and by extension pensioners.

According to him, it is not too much if the nation’s minimum wage is pegged at N 1million as being proposed by some labour leaders considering the present economic realities.

He added that one of the NUP’s resolutions was to negotiate for at least 80 per cent of the minimum wage to be earned as minimum pension for pensioners when the minimum wage would be reviewed.

Abatan, therefore, condemned the non payment of backlog of gratuity arrears of retirees in Ondo State.

“Also, it is not gratified to inform you that Ondo State, where people are saying that: “Aiye ti datiwa”, we are having a different thing in Ondo State. As I speak to you, 2013 gratuities of retirees are the benchmark that are being paid by this government.

“ Pensioners that retired in 2013 are just getting their gratuities in Ondo State and I am talking of local government pensioners and for state pensioners, it is only 2016 pensioners that are just getting theirs.

“This is not fair enough for those that have served the state meritoriously and for those who have one ailment or the other, government apparatus does not know that pensioners should get their dues as at when due.

“We also appeal to the Ondo State Government led by Lucky Aiyedatiwa to look into this and before the end of this month, we want to hear good news.”

Abatan, however, expressed sadness towards the disposition of Gov. Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State towards pensioners’ welfare and wellbeing, decrying the payment

“It is, however, saddening that the Ekiti State governor has not been forthcoming in the payment of arrears of pension of our people. Ekiti State government has been a paltry of N100 million as gratuities of pensions and it is not regular.”

The NUP PRO said that the union felt disappointed at the registration of another union by the government for pensioners in Ekiti, describing such union as illegal and dead at arrival.

“It’s the only NUP that is recognized by law and any other organisation is an aberration. It saddens us that the Ekiti State Government has registered an amorphous and illegal association in Ekiti called Pensioners Association of Nigeria ( PAN).

“There is no other state that you can see this organization and it’s not backed by law and unfortunately this move has led to the state government not to pay NUP members their check up dues. These are dues paid by pensioners to their union.

“So, we appeal to Governor Oyebanji to release the check-up dues of NUP, Ekiti State Council and unwind illegal association that the government has put in place.”

He, however, appreciated Gov. Dayo Abiodun of Ogun State for releasing a sum of N8.8 billion as pensioners’ gratuity arrears.

“I want to seize this opportunity on behalf of the south-west pensioners to appreciate Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State for what he did for pensioners in the last two months.

“He paid N8.8 billion in the last two months as gratuity arrears to pensioners. And not only that, he also gave pilgrimage slots to some of pensioners,” he said.

Abatan also expressed appreciation to the Oyo State governor by paying over N2 billion to pensioners as their gratuity arrears and pension every month in the state.

The PRO enjoined pensioners that were using defunct Heritage Bank and as a result of that, they could not be paid their gratuities and pensions to exercise more patience, stating that the problem had been resolved and that they would be paid in the next few weeks.

Akpoti-Uduaghan Removed As Chairman, Senate Committee On Diaspora, NGOs

By
The Source
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Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

By Akinwale Kasali

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio,  has, officially, removed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non Governmental Organizations.

During Plenary on Thursday, the Senate President made the announced Akpoti-Uduaghan’s removal, and her replacement with Senator Aniekan Bassey of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He represents Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also of the PDP, Kogi Central Senatorial District, has been at loggerheads with the Senate over her suspension, just voided by the Court which reinstatied her.

This development marks a significant shift in the ongoing tension between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate.

The lawmaker, who had been at the centre of months-long controversies including her suspension from the Senate has now been stripped of her last remaining leadership position within the Senate.

The position of Chairperson of the Diaspora and NGO Committee had remained vacant for months, following her suspension in March 2025, leaving the committee largely inactive and without direction.

It would be recalled that in February 2025, the Senate undertook a mid-term reshuffling of its standing Committees.

As part of that shake-up, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was removed as Chair of the Committee on Local Content, a strategic portfolio critical to Nigeria’s oil and gas governance and reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, a move widely interpreted as a demotion at the time.

Unfortunately, her reassignment did not yield any operational outcome, as Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended shortly afterward, following what Senate President Akpabio described as “unparliamentarily conduct” linked to her public criticisms of the Senate ’s leadership and internal decisions.

The Diaspora and NGO Committee is responsible for interfacing with Nigerian communities abroad, overseeing diaspora-related policy interventions, and engaging with non-governmental and civil society organisations. The committee also plays an advisory role in matters relating to diaspora remittances and humanitarian affairs.

The implication of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s immediate removal means that upon the completion of her suspension period, she would return to the Senate as a floor member, without any Committee leadership role.

WAFCON 2024: Super Falcons Book Quarter Final Ticket

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Super Falcons of Nigeria

By Akinwale Kasali

The Super Falcons recorded a back to back victory following their slim triumph over Botswana in their Second Group B match.

A last gasp strike from Chinwendu Ihezuo was all the Nigerian Ladies needed to break the defense of the resilient Botswanan team.

From the beginning of the match, the Coach  Justin Maduagu team dominated the match, dictating play, but failed to record a shot on goal.

The Botswanan Ladies created two chances in the first half, forcing Goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie to make two brilliant saves.

That was the high point of the Botswana attack.

In the second half, the Super Falcons continue to dominate and dictate the pace but the Botswanan Goalkeeper, Sandra Botija, was equal to the task, denying Ashleigh Plumptre, Echegini, Halimatu Ayinde and Deborah Abiodun on several occasions.

It took an instinctive slide from Ihezuo to convert a wayward strike from Echegini into goal.

Coach Maduagu had maintained the line up that defeated Tunisia in their first match, but was forced to make Three Second Half changes.

Asisat Oshoala, Tony Payen and Rinsola Babajide were substituted for Ihezuo, Mercy Ucheibe and Echegini before the commencement of the  Second half, this however changed the dynamics of the game.

With the victory over Botswana, the Super Falcons have sealed a spot in the knockout phase as the Nigerian Ladies top Group B with Six Points, followed by Algeria in Second Place with Four Points, while Tunisia have One Point, with Botswana languishing in the last position with No Point.

The Super Falcons will face Algeria on Sunday for their last Group Match.

Senate Seeks Tinubu’s Support In Payment Of N200m To Family  Of Two-Year Old Gunned Down By NDLEA Operatives

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
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Two year old boy killed by NDLEA in Anambra

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Nigerian Senate on Thursday, July 10, 2025, unanimously backed the quest by the family of slain Two-year old  in Delta state  to be paid a compensatory package of N200 million by the, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

The position of is coming on the heels of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s call on the NDLEA to investigate the actual circumstances surrounding the death of the toddler as well as the life threatening injury to his brother.

The Source reports that two-year old Ivan Omhonrima was on July 13,2023 fatally shot by officers of the NDLEA while he was returning from school.

Stray bullets from the Operatives of the drug control agencies hit the toddler and his brother while the NDLEA personnel were in the  thick of an operation in Okpanam Oshimili North Local Council of  Delta State.

Since then, despite the wide outrage provoked by the incident, the family has been left in the lurch by the NDLEA.

But at plenary on Thursday, the Senate while considering the petition from the family of the deceased tendered by Senator Neda Imaseun, Chairman, Ethics committee, emphasized the urgent need for justice to be served.

The family, in the petition, appealed to the authorities to do justice to its late son ,who it said was gunned down by operatives of the agency during an operation.

According to the victim’s father ,the unfortunate incident happened at a time his son was set to graduate from the pre-nursery level in school.

The Senators who also  observed a minute silence in memory of the victim, condemned the incident.

According to them, such incidents underscore the imperativeness of accountability in the operational ethos of security agencies.

They also stressed the need for the matter to be adequately addressed by the NDLEA leadership.

The Senate in its resolution called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency and importance, assist the NDLEA in paying the bereaved family the compensation package it is demanding for.

To underscore its seriousness, the Senate mandated its Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor the implementation process of the resolution, and report back to the chamber within the next two months.

The Delta state Governor in a statement issued by his media aide Festus Ahon ,also urged the NDLEA to ensure the arrest and prosecution of all those involved in the incident to serve as a detergent to others.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA said it remains resolute in its determination to get to the root of the incident.

It reassured the victim’s family of its commitment and the general public of its commitment towards ensuring justice.

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