In his seminal work, ‘The Republic’, the renowned Greek philosopher, Plato, introduced the idea of the Philosopher King, which makes the indisputable argument that a leader needs to be endowed with wisdom and knowledge to make an extraordinary impact. Plato’s statement on the philosopher king is exemplified by Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo CFR, and his visionary and daring leadership, which is lifting the state into prosperity and livability in an unprecedented way.

The governor, Soludo, has proved that everything rises and falls on leadership, exactly why leadership is the single most critical factor responsible for the development and happiness of the people or lack of it.

Soludo’s Peoples Manifesto is Anambra reimagined and designed to transform the State into a Dubai-Taiwan in due course. The foundation has been fully laid, and building in most aspects commenced. Soludo has added to his vision of a new Anambra as Africa’s Silicon Valley, with IT and digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and manpower. The digital infrastructure is being laid, and the 1 million digital tribe to own and power the future Anambra as one smart mega city is being trained. The first batch of 25,000 has already graduated and is empowered to be useful at home and employable abroad.

Toxic leadership and extraordinary leadership are the two extremes on a continuum. While exceptional leadership is the best that leadership can offer, toxic leadership, the opposite, leaves the organisation or state/nation in a worse state than when it met it. The former is disruptive, and it is to it that a country or organisation owes its revolutionary reforms and significant advancements in development, like those that Governor Soludo is bringing about in Anambra State.

When Plato developed the concept of the philosopher king as the ideal leader, he certainly had Soludo in mind. Plato effectually said, “The society we have described can never grow into a reality or see the light of day… until philosophers become rulers in this world, or until those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.” Governor Soludo successfully combines political sagacity with philosophical sobriety, and he has ingrained the word “solution” into the political system.

He recognises that security is the first fulcrum of a stable society. Before he came into office, Anambra State was under the siege of daredevil criminals who had gained virtually entire control of eight local governments in Anambra State, namely Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North, and Orumba South.

The situation was serious and necessitated an unorthodox response. For the first time in the history of Anambra State, Governor Soludo founded the Ministry of Homeland Security and also appointed a Special Adviser on Security and much later, added a Special Adviser on Community Security. The task of confronting the raging criminals head-on fell to members of the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG), which is now retooled and rechristened Agunechemba by the new Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, which is pivotal in the new strike force, Operation Udo Ga-Achi, launched by Governor Soludo on January 18, 2025, when the Homeland Security Law was also signed into force.

The so-called “unknown gunmen,” initially thought to be Fulani herders, were found to be mostly Igbo, over 70% of whom are from outside Anambra, who have migrated to the rich state for kidnapping and robbery, as the insecurity war reveals. Full-blooded Igbo men and women are essentially responsible for the insecurity in the state. The Soludo government had to change gears to fully confront insecurity. There are now more boots on the ground (over 2000 men and over 200 trucks and SUVs to ensure statewide coverage), a Command Control Centre, a top-of-the-range tracking system, and a Call Centre for information on the criminals in an inventive way to address the nearly intractable security challenge. “If you see something, say something, earn something! Call 5111 and the call centre will process the Intel with the utmost confidentiality.” “Everything technology, technology everywhere” has become the mantra of the Soludo government.

Anambra is now too hot for robbers, fake and evil Ndi-Dibia, Ndi-Ezenwanyi, and the Okeite magic pot providers since Soludo launched Operation Udo-Ga-Achi and unleashed the Agunechemba on the criminals, resulting in calm returning to Anambra and Oso Soludo (scampering of criminals, including fake and native doctors and fake prophets). Receding insecurity has now revealed Soludo’s transformation of Anambra State with historic infrastructure improvements like the construction of stone-base roads, bridges, flyovers, and dual carriageways; the return of drinking tap water to the urban centres; the first-ever gift of a government house and lodge to the state; the creation of the state’s ultra-modern Solution Fun City; lighting up the state with streetlights everywhere; constructing general hospitals and schools; hiring thousands of teachers, doctors, and nurses; and more—all without borrowing one kobo.

Soludo is also developing three brand new cities, namely Awka 2.0, Onitsha 2.0, and Anambra Mixed Industrial City (AMIC). The railway infrastructure is also in the offing. With free education up to senior secondary school, which is breaking generational poverty transfer, and the 1Youth, 2Skills programme and digital and IT training by the Solution District (SID), the philosopher king, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, is not only physically constructing the new Anambra but also developing a digital and literate population that will live in the emerging new State.

All of Anambra State’s vital signs are under the philosopher king’s control. Soludo arrived prepared and started to work in Okpoko the next day after swearing in. Today, Okpoko, the largest slum east of the Niger, is now a new haven, a signature of Soludo’s urban regeneration. He is always grateful to Ndi Anambra for hiring him for the position. And the people are extremely grateful for the excellent work that the hard-working Mr. Governor has done. One happy citizen has nicknamed Soludo “Oluatuegwu”—He who never hesitates to take on any big project!

Soludo is probably the only governor, past and present, to reverse capital expenditure and concurrent spending parity in the state’s annual budget up to 70% in favour of capital. Anambra State’s 2025 budget is currently 77% capital and barely 23% recurrent. This explains why Soludo has accomplished so much without taking out loans in about three years he has been in office. He has won awards for having the highest fiscal discipline and transparency in the nation. He has also been awarded Governor of the Year and Man of the Year by major newspapers in a variety of categories, from tech to infrastructure to human capital development. In the recent primary health care national challenge, Anambra was ranked first in both Southeast Nigeria and Nigeria overall.

The antecedents of Soludo are indeed luminous. Let’s not forget that before he even became Governor of Anambra State, Soludo had saved the Nigerian economy from collapse through his 2004 banking consolidation project when he was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). ‘The Power of One Man: How the Soludo-Engineered Consolidation Transformed Nigerian Banks to Global Players’, written by Dr. Ray Echebiri, was presented at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday, July 6, 2024, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the revolutionary banking reforms that, under Soludo’s supervision, resulted in the emergence of 25 banks that beefed up their capital base to a minimum of N25 billion. Before Soludo’s banking consolidation, the combined size of all Nigerian banks could not equal one South African bank. The recapitalisation initiative ultimately created 25 large banks out of the 89 struggling banks that were previously in existence in the country.

In other words, Soludo is a philosopher king who has used his deep knowledge and affective commitment to govern Anambra State. His impressive credentials, which include the coveted First Class in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), are so obvious for everyone to see.

As Soludo has proven, the future becomes the present when a philosopher becomes king. Soludo has brought forward Anambra’s future with his master plan for the physical and human capital development of Anambra State. By cleansing traditional worship, ridding it of fake and evil native doctors, and refocusing Ndi Anambra on their traditional path—Uche, Uchu, and Egwu Chukwu (i.e. integrity, hard work, and fear of God), a renewed Ndi Anambra is emerging.

Indeed, Anambra, as one smart mega city and the Silicon Valley of Africa, is on the horizon, thanks to the philosopher king, Soludo, why Ndi Anambra say: Solution is here and call Soludo Mr Solution!

Law Mefor, PhD, is the Anambra state commissioner for information

If Nigerians genuinely seek economic growth and financial stability, we must recognize that taxation is not a choice. It is a necessity. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu introduced the Tax Reform Bills in October 2024, it signified another move toward creating a more efficient, transparent, and equal tax system (similar to removing fuel subsidies). As with every big reform or decision, there will always be people who see change as an opportunity and those who see it as a threat.

For many years, Nigeria’s tax structure was inefficient, with leakages, multiple taxes, and an overreliance on oil money. Things changed when Dr. Zacch Adedeji became the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), bringing transparency and efficiency.

The proposed bills, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service Bill, Joint Tax Board Bill, and Nigeria Tax Bill, seek to simplify tax collection, reduce tax evasion, and ensure revenue is directed toward national development. These measures will improve the ease of doing business, encourage investment, and establish a more equitable system in which big companies pay their fair share. With improved enforcement and fewer loopholes, the government can increase money without burdening citizens. However, instead of seeing the big picture, some opponents focus on minor issues, rejecting the reform rather than strengthening it.

The public hearing on these bills has been a battleground of ideas, where stakeholders have voiced their support, scepticism, and outright opposition. Over the past 5 days, lawmakers, tax professionals, industry leaders, and even religious organizations have all voiced their opinions, offering perspectives that range from practical concerns to strongly held beliefs. But amid the arguments, one thing is undeniable: Nigeria can not afford to maintain the status quo.

Some religious groups, like the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria and the Committee of FCT Imams Initiative, oppose the inheritance tax, claiming it violates religious rights. But inheritance tax is not a new idea. It exists globally to promote economic fairness. Nigeria is not religious-rule. Our laws balance secular and customary principles. If there are concerns, the bill can be adjusted to ensure fairness. However, rejecting it entirely distracts from the goal of building a tax system that benefits everyone.

The Trade Union Congress and others oppose raising VAT from 7.5% to 15 percent by 2030, fearing it will worsen the cost of living for everyday Nigerians. While their concerns are valid, the government needs revenue for infrastructure and social amenities. A gradual increase, with exemptions for basic goods, can ease the impact. Many countries fund public services this way, and Nigeria can consider this approach.

The Nigeria Customs Service also raised concerns that the new tax laws will interfere with its duties. But this is not about power. It is about making things work better. The reforms will help government agencies work together and fix long-standing problems in revenue collection.

Fighting change will only slow down progress. Now that the hearings are over, the next step is to improve the bill where needed, not abandon it. Those against it should ask themselves: Do we want a Nigeria where the rich avoid taxes while ordinary people struggle? Do we want to keep losing revenue due to loopholes? Or do we want a fair system where everyone contributes to national growth?

While the Senate and House of Representatives have promised to thoroughly review the bill, Nigerians have much to gain from its passage. This reform will enhance the economy, create a fairer tax system, and better livelihoods. If implemented effectively, it will ensure that the benefits of democracy reach everyone, not just a select few. The opportunity is here, we just need to seize it and make it work for everyone.

Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is the technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

President Bola Tinubu says his administration will avoid reckless borrowing and expand government revenues through reforms and enhanced earnings.

Speaking after signing the 2025 budget into law at the State House on Friday, Tinubu said the government would accelerate public-private partnerships and foreign investments to finance key projects.

The president signed the N54.99 trillion 2025 appropriation bill into law, marking a 99.96 percent increase from the 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion.

The national assembly approved the bill on February 13, after revisions to Tinubu’s initial budget proposal of N49.7 trillion.

The key breakdown of the 2025 budget includes a total expenditure of N54.99 trillion, statutory transfers of N3.65 trillion, and a recurrent (non-debt) expenditure of N13.64 trillion.

The president added that the government would also hold every agency accountable for prudent spending and value-for-money initiatives.

“Today, we take another bold step in our nation’s journey of economic recovery, stability, and growth,” he said.

“With the signing of the 2025 Budget of Restoration, we reaffirm our commitment to securing our future, rebuilding prosperity, and ensuring that every Nigerian shares in the dividends of governance.

“The past year tested our resolve. But through economic discipline and strategic reforms, we achieved what many deemed impossible.

“After the initial turbulent take-off, our people can see signs of progress and the promise of a better future. Our economy is turning the corner. Our national GDP growth rebounded to 3.86% in the last quarter, the fastest in three years.

“Revenue increased to N21.6 trillion from N12.37 trillion, reflecting our drive for fiscal efficiency; the deficit reduced significantly—from 6.2% in 2023 to 4.17% in 2025.

“Forex reforms restored investor confidence, stabilising our markets. The minimum wage was raised to N70,000, strengthening the purchasing power of workers.

“Infrastructure development advanced rapidly, with transformative projects such as the 750 km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068 km Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.”

Tinubu added that his administration has laid the foundation for the stability of the country’s economy, saying, “Now, we must build on it.”

“With an unprecedented N54.99 trillion budget, we are making the largest-ever investments in critical sectors: national security—N6.11 trillion, the highest defence allocation in Nigeria’s history to secure our nation from threats,” he said.

” Infrastructure—N5.99 trillion: major rail, road, and energy projects to connect our cities and drive economic expansion. Human capital development—N5.70 trillion: unprecedented funding for healthcare, education, and skills development.

“Agriculture and food security—N3.73 trillion: This will boost local food production and ensure no Nigerian goes hungry. Social welfare N723.68 billion: will support our youth, women, and vulnerable citizens.

“This budget is bold, ambitious, and necessary. However, let me be clear: We cannot spend what we do not have.”

Tinubu said the government has “significantly reduced the deficit,” adding that efforts would be made to ensure that every naira spent is backed with actual revenue.

“We will not burden future generations with reckless borrowing,” he said.

“To ensure smooth budget implementation, we will work with the national assembly to redefine corrigenda within the appropriations act.

“The redefinition will establish clear triggers for amendments, balancing executive needs with legislative oversight. A budget is not just numbers—it is a promise, and we must honour it with discipline.

“Fellow Nigerians, this budget is more than figures—it is a statement of purpose. It is a commitment to security, prosperity, and opportunity for all.

“With hard work, discipline, and faith, we will restore our economy, rebuild our nation, and secure a brighter future for every Nigerian.”

[TheCable]

The autobiography of former self-styled “President” Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has already been parsed for its self-serving mendacity, moral spinelessness, maddening insensitivity, self-glorification, and cowardly posthumous smears of dead colleagues.

 I won’t revisit those points here. As someone who has a scholarly interest in—and is actually working on a book on—the rhetoric of collective identity construction in Nigeria, I was drawn to IBB’s self-definition of his identity in his autobiography.

It was Gimba Kakanda, SA to the Vice President and former newspaper columnist, who first quickened my appetite about this in his February 19 Facebook update.

 Kakanda had read an advance copy of IBB’s autobiography and wrote this intriguing summation of it: “It’s a journey that begins with his origins, as the son of a Gbagyi woman, and leads up to the June 12 questions—the answers to which you’ll have to read to discover for yourself.”

In a February 15, 2020, column titled "True Ethnic Origins of Nigeria’s Past Presidents and Heads of State,” I had observed that “IBB’s ethnic identity is surprisingly a magnet for controversy and speculation. He has been called Gbagyi (whom Hausa people call Gwari), Nupe, and even Yoruba from Ogbomoso or Osogbo. But he told journalists and his biographers at different times that his immediate ancestors were Hausas from Kano who migrated to what is now Niger State.”

I was curious if IBB admitted that his maternal filiation was Gbagyi (or Gwari). He actually did. But while he is very specific about his maternal line of descent, he was vague about the ethnic identity of his paternal ancestry.

This is how he describes his paternal ancestry, beginning from his grandfather: “Snippets of details I heard suggested that earlier on, he was a bit of a wanderer, migrating from Sokoto to Kano and Kontagora and settling in Wushishi.”

Contrast this with the specificity with which he describes his maternal heritage: “Apparently, [my grandfather] met his future wife, a young Gwari girl called Halima, in Wushishi, and since his future parents-in-law would only allow him to marry daughter if he agreed to make his home in Wushishi, he readily complied with their condition before settling down in Wushishi and marrying his pretty wife, Halima.”

In yet another description of his Gwari maternal descent, he is informatively direct and specific: “But before he left, my father met and married a beautiful light-skinned Gwari girl, Inna Aishatu, who would become my mother.”

His paternal grandmother was a pretty Gwari woman, and his own mother was a “beautiful light-skinned Gwari girl.” Why did he have a need to call attention to their pulchritude and complexion?

Why did he withhold such details about his grandfather and his father? Sokoto, which he says is the apparent root of his paternal ancestry, was populated by both the Fulani and the Hausa in the “later part of the 19th century” when his grandfather left it for Kano and later Wushishi.

 Although interethnic marriage between the Hausa and the Fulani began to intensify at this time, people still identified their heritage through their fathers. Ethnic identities or labels weren’t hyphenated. Was his father Hausa or Fulani?

Did he, perhaps, obliquely answer that question by gratuitously calling attention to the light skin of his Gwari mother in order to let it be known that his own light complexion is inherited from his mother since the Fulani are stereotypically light-skinned?

Well, IBB told a biographer that his great grandfather hailed from the village of Kumuria [Kumurya?] in Kano State from where he went to Sokoto. But in his autobiography, he only mentions his grandfather migrating from Sokoto to Kano and later to Wushishi. Is this intentional, strategic paternal ancestral ambiguity?

We see evidence of identitarian anxieties in IBB’s life after he left his Niger cultural cocoon. Up until age 23 when he returned from India as a Second Lieutenant, his name was Ibrahim Badamasi, Badamasi being his father’s first name.

“However,” he writes, “before I settled down to work at the First Brigade, a particular incident led me to add ‘Babangida’ to my name. During official engagements that led to my deployment to Kaduna, officers who confused the Yoruba name, Gbadamosi, with my last name, ‘Badamasi,’ repeatedly asked me whether I was Yoruba. That question had come up a few times during my enlisting interview for the military. Since that question persisted (and since I knew I wasn’t Yoruba!), I decided to take on my father’s other name as my last name.”

Three things jumped out at me after reading this part of the book. First, I find it intriguing that he had no hesitation telling us about his mother’s and paternal grandmother’s ethnic identity and even disclaiming a Yoruba identity that he knew would constrain him but chose to conceal his paternal ethnic identity.

Second, IBB didn’t mention Babangida as his father’s other name when the reader first encounters him in the book. He identifies his father as Muhammad Badamasi, not Babangida Badamasi. Maybe this oversight is attributable to sloppy (ghost) writing.

Third, Gbadamosi is not, strictly speaking, a Yoruba name. It’s the Yoruba domestication of Badamasi, which is understood to be a Muslim name in Nigeria. Many people in northwest Nigeria, where he says his paternal roots sprouted from, bear the name.

When I wrote about unusual Muslim names in Nigeria that don’t seem to have any links with the rest of the Muslim world, among which is “Badamasi,” readers who are familiar with the etymology of Badamasi told me that the name (which was probably originally some variant of Badmasi) belongs to an Arabic poet whose book advanced students in traditional Arabic schools,  called makarantun soro in Hausa land, study.

The book, a Sufi poem, is used as a resource for Arabic vocabulary lessons. Over time, it became popularly known as Badamasi, named after its author.

I haven’t found any scholarly corroboration for the claim that Badamasi is the name of an Arab poet, but there is a late nineteenth-century Ilorin Muslim scholar and poet by the name of Badamasi whose poems are often utilized to enhance Arabic vocabulary and are a staple in the curriculum of traditional Islamic schools. But it’s not clear if he is the original bearer of the name.

Badamasi was Yorubized to Gbadamosi and later anglicized to Badmus in Yoruba land.

Curiously, Muslim names, which should transcend, even neutralize, ethnicity, at least on the surface, can become the carriers of the weight of ethnicity in Nigeria. There are notions of “Yoruba Muslim names” not just because of their peculiar Yoruba domestication but because of their higher than usual frequency among Yoruba Muslims.

For example, many northern Muslims and Yoruba Muslims have concluded, without a shred of evidence, that House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas is a Zaria man of Yoruba ancestry because “Tajudeen” occurs more frequently among Yoruba Muslims than it does among Hausa-speaking Muslims.

But Tajudeen Abbas is a Zaria prince. A Yoruba editor friend of mine pushed back when I said the Speaker was at least paternally Fulani by asking which Fulani or Hausa man I knew who bore the name Tajudeen.

 I mentioned Tajudeen Dantata. I then asked if he thought the Dantata family was Yoruba because they named one of their progenies Tajudeen. That ended the conversation.

Dr. Raji Bello, a Fulani man from Yola, also talks about how he is often mistaken for a Yoruba man because people assume that Raji is an exclusively Yoruba Muslim name even though it’s a Muslim name commonly born by South Asian and West African Muslims.

Dr. Bello resisted the type of urge that IBB succumbed to. He once said he was advised by an elder in Zaria to change his name to Rabiu. But he was named after one of his ancestors, a prominent nineteenth-century Muslim scholar in what is now Adamawa by the name of Modibbo Raji.

Finally, IBB described his father as a “messenger/interpreter” in the colonial district office but didn’t say what he interpreted. Since he had no Western education and didn’t speak English, did he translate Gbagyi, his mother’s language, to Hausa or vice versa?

Well, I am not done reading the book. 

Awards come in various shapes and hues in Nigeria. Some are rightly earned, some are bargained, while others are thrust on recipients as appreciative gestures. This Saturday, Lagos will thunder with applause as the SUN Publishing Limited crowns Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, “Governor of the Year”, a well-earned laurel carved from his meritorious performance. The SUN editors, sleuths with sharp eyes, scoured Anambra and found undeniable evidence: over 420 km of roads paved, flyovers like the one in Ekwulobia hugging the sky, 68 km of federal highways dualised, all without a borrowed penny. Awka’s Government House, a 34-year mirage, now becomes a reality; water gushes in Onitsha, Nnewi, and Awka, a lifeline reborn.

The SUN’s hawk eyes caught more: Okpoko, once Nigeria’s grimmest slum, now dubbed “New Haven” with 15 km of roads, lights, a hospital, is a gem rising from decadence. Urban regeneration electrifies Onitsha and Awka, while fiscal discipline, Anambra’s top-five BudgIT ranking, pairs with ambition.

Governor Soludo’s 50-Year Plan and the People's manifesto are beyond a whisper; it is a roar, turning lean resources into lavish triumphs. His refusal to borrow, despite a N100 billion green light, is a gauntlet thrown at waste. The editors saw a state reborn, and they nodded: this man deserves the crown.

But Governor Soludo is no stranger to recognition. As CBN Governor, he stacked $63 billion in reserves and earned triple “Best Central Bank Governor” titles from Financial Times and Euromoney. Six Nigerian papers sang “Man of the Year” in 2006; a CFR honour followed. With 152 awards trailing him, he is a comet of acclaim. Now, Anambra chants “The Solution Is Here,” and Saturday's award ceremony proves it: a tribute to a leader who has made infrastructure a war cry.

This weekend, as Lagos lifts Governor Soludo high in the limelight of rousing applause, Nigeria will see what Anambra already knows: the Solution mantra is a master sculptor’s tool chiseling Anambra into a masterpiece. The SUN garland is neither charity nor flattery; it is a merited recognition of good governance delivered excellently.

The wife of the Senate President of Nigeria, Mrs. Unoma Godswill Akpabio, has filed multiple lawsuits at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The suits allege a breach of fundamental rights and defamation stemming from statements made by the senator on the Senate floor and during a televised interview on Arise News.

In the fundamental rights suit (Suit No: CV/814/25), brought under Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 4 & 5 of The African Charter on Human And Peoples Rights (Ratification And Enforcement Act) Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, Mrs. Akpabio seeks:

1. A DECLARATIONthat the allegations made by the Respondent on the floor of the Senate on the 20th of February 2025 and subsequent scandalous and salacious allegations Arise News TV by the Respondent, constitute a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of the Applicant guaranteed under Section 34(1) (A) of The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), Article 4 & 5 of The African Charter on Human And Peoples Rights (Ratification And Enforcement Act) Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 14 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
2. AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTIONrestraining the Respondent from making further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements that have caused the Applicant and her children emotional and psychological abuse and living under constant threat and fear of their lives.
3. AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTIONrestraining the Respondent, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, or howsoever from further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements that have caused the Applicant and her children emotional and psychological abuse and living under constant threat and fear of their lives or in any other manner infringing on their fundamental rights.
4. AN ORDERawarding the sum of N250,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Billion Naira only) as exemplary, punitive, aggravated and general damages against the Respondent for her infringement of the fundamental rights of the Applicant alongside.
5. Such further or other Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.

Additionally, in a separate defamation lawsuit (Suit No: CV/816/25), Mrs. Akpabio seeks:

1. A DECLARATION that the Defendant’s act of claiming on national television, that the Claimant’s husband, who is the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made sexual advances at her, without any proof of same, has damaged the reputation of the Claimant and indeed her entire family, bringing them into disrepute and opprobrium.
2. AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURTmandating the Defendant to issue a formal written retraction of the defamatory words and tender an unconditional apology to the Claimant and her family, to be published in 2 (two) nationally-read newspapers to wit: The Guardian and This Day Newspapers.
3. AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT compelling the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the sum of ₦1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira only) as punitive and exemplary damages for the ruinous effect of the Defendant’s defamatory words on the Claimant’s family’s reputation.
4. AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendant from further uttering any defamatory words or causing to be uttered or spread, any defamatory words against the reputation of the Claimant’s family.
5. ANY FURTHER OR ANCILLARY ORDER or other Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.

The Katsina State Government under Governor Dikko Umar Radda has announced the closure of all schools in the state for the Ramadan fast.

Naija News reports that all primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the state were affected by the announcement.

In a statement, the Katsina Hisbah Board, on Thursday, warned private schools in the state against contravening the government’s order.

Hisbah’s Commander-General said that private lessons are not allowed to be held during the Ramadan fast.

“In accordance with Katsina State Government’s directive, all private schools are required to close for the Ramadan period to allow pupils to fully observe the holy month. The directives include extra lesson please.

“The Hisbah Board urges all school proprietors to strictly comply with this directive. Non-compliance will not be tolerated.

“May Allah accept our fast and grant us His blessings,” it read.

Naija News reported that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State also closed all schools in the state for the Ramadan fast.

According to the State’s Ministry of Education Information Officer, Jalaludeen Maina, the school closure was to allow students to focus on the Ramadan fast.

“Yes, we are closing all our schools and this is included in our 2024-2025 approved calendar for the academic session that our students are not going to do the Ramadan fasting while in school.

“The five-week holiday is for Ramadan fasting and immediately after the fasting, they will resume and continue with their academics.”

[NaijaNews]

Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani has described as unfortunate the issue between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Sani said it is unfortunate the issue has become about “bed”.

The statement comes after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.

The Kogi born senator made the allegation on Friday while fielding questions on Arise Television Morning Show programme.

Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio blocked her motions from being heard on the floor of the red chamber because she rejected his advances.

However, Akpabio denied the allegation through his media consultant, Kenny Okulogbo.

Reacting to the development, Sani, in a post on his X handle on Friday called for caution and restraint.

“It’s unfortunate that the Senate issue was simply about seat and now about bed. Need for caution and restraint,” Sani said.

[DailyPost]

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Olanipekun Olukoyede, disclosed that he turned down offers of about N500m from various individuals during his mother’s funeral in 2019.

Olukoyede spoke at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja on Thursday with the theme: Ethics, Integrity, Corruption Risk Assessments and Anti-Corruption at National and Sub-National levels: Sustaining the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

The programme was organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre, Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, ICPC, and EFCC with the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

Olukoyede explained that the substantial gifts, which included cheques and drafts, were sent to him by ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and other high-ranking officials.

At the time, Olukoyede was serving as the Secretary of the EFCC.

He recounted that upon his return to his family home in Ekiti State, where the funeral took place, he discovered numerous cheques in a carton.

After reviewing the cheques, which amounted to nearly N500m, he decided to return them.

The EFCC chairman narrated, “I lost my mother in the year 2019 (in Ekiti State). We went for the funeral. I was the secretary of the EFCC then. People came. So I went to my place a day before the funeral service. By the time I got to my small compound, which I built several years ago before I joined the EFCC, I saw about 17 cows in my compound, including pregnant ones.

“When I got home, my gate man presented a box (carton) to me and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, DGs of agencies, etc.

“And so, I went in and showed it to my wife. She said, ‘Praise God’. I said, ‘Praise God for what?’ By the time we put all the cheques together, it counted close to N500m.”

Reflecting on the situation, Olukoyede expressed concern about the potential consequences if he had deposited the cheques into his account, particularly given his role in investigating the individuals who had sent them.

He explained that had the cheques been found in his bank account, it could have been used against him during investigations and cast doubt on his integrity.

He emphasised the importance of maintaining ethical conduct and transparency, especially in his position at the EFCC.

“I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. Now, assuming all those cheques were paid into my account as traditional gifts and some of the MDAs that we were investigating in the EFCC, some of their directors and their DGs and their ministers sent cheques to me.

“Ordiarily, I mean for burial, some gave me one million, N20m and all of that. Even though that would not have influenced my decision if I was in a position to determine what would happen to their investigations, how would I have explained before a panel that they saw cheques paid into my account?

“So, assuming they found those cheques paid into my account, would it have been a good defence for me to say it was my mother’s burial when they were looking for me to roast? For me, that is what you call integrity. When you go beyond a level of expectation.”

Olukoyede also shared an example of rejecting bids from family members for auctioneering services during his tenure as EFCC Secretary.

He explained how both his brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, and his elder brother sought to participate in a government auction of forfeited assets. Despite the personal connections, Olukoyede insisted on adhering to conflict-of-interest rules, rejecting their applications.

He said, “My chairman then, we agreed that we should select a committee. So, we selected an assets forfeiture committee of about six directors, including myself as the chairman of the committee and a few other staff.

“We advertised for auctioneers. So, they applied. We were able to shortlist about 11 of them. My brother-in-law happens to be an international auctioneer. He applied. His application came to me. I saw it and I shredded it. So, my PA who knew him, called him and told him what I did, and for six months, he did not talk to me. So we did the auction.

“One of my elder brothers called me. ‘I heard you are doing an auction. I needed a truck for my business. I said, ‘Sir, go and read what we published.’ Conflict of interest. No staff of EFCC or immediate members of the family is allowed. He said no, they would use another name. I knew they could do that. I told him that I was not interested.

“After about eight months down the line, they set up a panel to investigate activities of the EFCC. My chairman and I were placed on suspension. They began to investigate what we did in the office. They investigated the particular auction I did in Port Harcourt. Now, assuming they found the name of my brother-in-law as one of the auctioneers. What would have been the result? Probably I may be in jail by now,” Olukoyede said.

[Punch]