The north-west zone of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has passed a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The endorsement was made after a stakeholders’ meeting held in Kaduna on Saturday, where Tinubu was also adopted as the sole candidate for the poll.

In a communique read by Uba Sani, Kaduna governor and APC north-west coordinating governor, the zone reaffirmed its loyalty to the APC and pledged ”full support for President Tinubu’s vision to deliver prosperity, equity, and lasting change for all Nigerians”.

”We thank and commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his purposeful leadership, bold reforms, and unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s progress, especially in the North West zone,” the communique reads.

”Under President Tinubu, security in the North West has significantly improved, enabling farmers to return to their fields and communities to regain peace and stability.

“Our zone enjoys unprecedented federal representation with 12 ministers, key national assembly positions, and top security appointments — a clear sign of inclusiveness and recognition.

“Major infrastructure projects are being completed or are underway across the North West, marking a new era of development in our region.”

The stakeholders comprised all governors in the region, Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives; Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president; and former governors from the zone.

Abdullahi Ganduje, national chairman of APC, chairmen of state chapters, state and federal legislators, ministers, heads of federal agencies, and senior political appointees, were also present

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory, says he will not contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin, the minister said no politician is capable of challenging Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

There have been discussions within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) about zoning its presidential ticket to the south in 2027 with the aim of presenting a stronger challenge against Tinubu.

Wike lost the 2022 PDP presidential primary election to Atiku Abubakar, who became the party’s candidate for the 2023 election.

“I will not contest again. I cannot contest against someone I am working with. Who will win except him?” he asked.

In a statement addressing the ongoing crisis within the PDP, Wike expressed his frustration with certain party members and criticised the opposition party’s policies.

“You are in the opposition; the opposition does not show impunity. The opposition does not show arrogance, it is the ruling party that shows impunity and arrogance because they are in power,” Wike said.

“Who is in the PDP? Achike Udenwa, former governor of Imo. He does not have one assembly member. He does not have one national assembly member. He did not give his party 3% of the vote, yet he is threatening.

“Saba Egu, former governor of Ebonyi, he does not have one assembly member. He does not have one national assembly member. You did not produce a governor. What are you threatening about? You are empty. What are you threatening?”

Favour Ofili set a new women’s world record following victory in the 150m event at the Adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday.

Ofili clocked 15.85 seconds to break a seven-year world record set by Shaunae Miller in 2018, smashing it by almost four seconds, to the admiration of spectators.

The Port Harcourt-born sprint star lived up to her star billing in a race that she won last year in record time, outdoing expectations by shattering the world record.

The 22-year-old had a good start and took the lead after 50m before powering away to victory, leaving a wide gap between herself and second-placed Tamari Davis, who posted her personal best.

Ofili also became the first woman ever to finish the race in sub-16 seconds

In an interview after the race, the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist revealed the feat was possible through hard work and trust.

“The Lord is good, and is marvellous in my sight. Honestly, I’m surprised with the time,” she said.

“But I know I put in the work, I trust my coach, I trust his program, and I know at the right time the Lord would do it.

“When asked how she was able to finish the race strongly, Ofili said she got advice to relax and treat the race “like it is 100[metres].”

Ofili previously set an African record of 22.36 seconds in the 200m event at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2023.

Abbas Tajudeen, speaker of the house of representatives, says more “high-profile” politicians in opposition parties will soon join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on Saturday at the APC north-west zonal stakeholders meeting in Kaduna, Abbas said the recent defections into the ruling party shows confidence in President Bola Tinubu.

Several politicians, including national assembly members, have joined the APC in recent months.

“Notably, at the gubernatorial level, Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, have decamped to our party, and we anticipate many more high-profile defections in the coming months, reflecting the growing confidence of Nigerians in our party and President Tinubu,” Abbas said.

“Furthermore, we celebrate the APC’s victory in the 2024 Edo state gubernatorial election, where senator Monday Okpebholo secured a decisive win for our party.

“Since the last national working committee meeting, our internal reforms have deepened democracy within the party, enhanced candidate selection processes, and strengthened grassroots structures.

“With these improvements, we have made significant strides regionally through targeted policy dialogues and development partnerships, revitalising our presence in Zamfara and Sokoto.

“Simultaneously, our accomplishments in the south-south have been reinforced by strategic realignments validated at the polls in Rivers and Bayelsa.”

Abbas urged party members in the north-west geopolitical zone to be united ahead of the 2027 elections.

Citing data from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abbas said the north-west has over 22 million registered voters, adding that the geopolitical zone is a “decisive force” in shaping electoral outcomes.

“This fact underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts and the need for continued engagement and collaboration across all regions,” he said.

Abbas asked party members in the zone to intensify grassroots mobilisation, especially youths and women, through empowerment programmes

A 16-year-old boy, Ifeanyi Okafor, has killed his sister, 10, with his father’s long-range single-barrel gun in Delta State.

The tragic situation occurred while his father, a hunter, Christian Okafor, 50, was at his farm.

Ifeanyi is said to be fond of tampering with his father’s gun, and he admitted to it in footage shared by the spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, on X (formerly Twitter), on Saturday.

“My dad is not aware I play with his gun,” he said, claiming to only tamper with his father’s gun in his absence and had no defined reason to do so.

Ifeanyi further revealed how the incident occurred. He said, “I was inside playing with the gun, and I was not aware that my sister was walking through the corridor of our house. It was while I was playing with it that a gun fired and hit my sister.”

The boy said he was sad over the outcome of his action.

However, Edafe said that the law does not acknowledge sentiment. “An investigation has to be carried out, and justice has to be served.”

Ifeanyi, who falls under the young person category (14-17 years old), is assumed fully responsible but is typically tried in juvenile courts.

The Nigerian juvenile laws are primarily governed by the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPL), aimed at protecting the welfare of young people and providing for their treatment as offenders.

The CYPL distinguishes between children (under 14) and young persons (14-17) for legal purposes.

A child under seven is presumed incapable of criminal responsibility, while those between 7 and 12 are generally not held responsible unless they can prove they understood the nature and consequences of their actions.

Children over 12 are regarded as fully responsible

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Metta, has been grappling with crippling energy costs, spending as much as N20m monthly on electricity despite receiving just three hours of public power daily.

Outgoing Medical Director, Dr Adedamola Dada, revealed this during a media briefing held to reflect on the hospital’s achievements and ongoing challenges. 

According to Dada, the hospital has had to rely heavily on diesel-powered generators, consuming up to 80,000 litres of diesel each month to ensure uninterrupted power.

This has been crucial to maintaining operations in a facility that now runs 95 per cent of its electricity independently.

“We are the only federal public hospital that receives a two-to-three-hour supply of public power, but we provide 24 hours of power because we are automated and can’t function without power,” Dada explained.

He added that transitioning to an automated system raised concerns due to Nigeria’s erratic electricity supply, but the hospital implemented a power solution that allowed it to generate 22 hours of electricity daily over the past seven years.

Although the cost has strained the hospital’s finances, Dada said it was a necessary investment to ensure quality healthcare delivery.

Despite the challenges, FMC Ebute Metta has received widespread recognition.

In 2022, the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency named it the most compliant and standard hospital in Lagos State.

More recently, the Bureau of Public Service Reform, under the Presidency, recognised the centre as a leader in ICT integration in the public health sector

The World Bank Monday thumbed up the federal government saying that sustained reforms by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has led to an improvement of Nigeria’s macroeconomic situation.

This was contained in the latest edition of the Nigeria Development Update (NDU) report released in Abuja.

The report, titled “Building Momentum for Inclusive Growth,” revealed that economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased to 4.6% (year-on-year), pushing growth for the full year 2024 to 3.4%, the highest since 2014 (excluding the 2021-2022 COVID-19 rebound). 

Recent reforms have also helped to strengthen the foreign exchange (FX) market and Nigeria’s external position. 

The consolidated fiscal position improved in 2024, driven by surging revenues.

The fiscal deficit shrank from 5.4% of GDP in 2023 to 3.0% of GDP in 2024, a major improvement which was driven by a sharp increase in revenues of the entire Federation, which rose from N16.8 trillion in 2023 (7.2% of GDP) to an estimated N31.9 trillion in 2024 (11.5% of GDP).

According to the Washington-based lender, inflation remained high and sticky; noting that it’s expected to fall to an annual average of 22.1% in 2025, as a sustained tight stance firmly establishes monetary policy credibility and dampens inflationary expectations. 

…Need to consolidate macroeconomic stability

“Now, the challenge is to consolidate macroeconomic stability and ignite inclusive growth through deeper, wider structural reforms. There is a need for the economy to generate more and better jobs at scale and reduce poverty,” the development finance institution said in the report. 

Commenting on the report, Acting World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Taimur Samad, said the country was gradually restoring macroeconomic stability that would eventually drive development. 

He said: “Nigeria has made impressive strides to restore macroeconomic stability. With the improvement in the fiscal situation, Nigeria now has a historic opportunity to improve the quantity and quality of development spending; investing more in human capital, social protection, and infrastructure.

“The allocation of public resources can begin to shift away from the past unsustainable pattern, and rather towards meeting Nigeria’s large development needs, including the government playing its essential role of providing basic public services and serving as an enabler of private sector–led growth.”

 …Meeting the $1 trillion economy

The NDU further highlighted that “for the economy to meet the government’s aspiration of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030 and deliver poverty reduction and shared prosperity, the pace of growth needs to accelerate further and its composition rebalanced towards those economic sectors and firms that are most productive, generate positive spillovers, and create jobs and opportunities at scale, especially for the poor and economically insecure.” 

The World Bank in the report noted that with their performance presently, the finance and ICT sectors will continue to be important drivers of growth “but are not sources of mass employment as many Nigerians do not yet have the skills and opportunities to participate in them.”

It added that a private sector-led, public sector-facilitated growth strategy can boost an inclusive growth. 

According to the report, the key strategies to achieving these include: Addressing major infrastructure gaps, such as in electricity and transportation; Fostering healthy competition, market openness, and improving the business environment to spur business dynamism; Improving access to finance for new and existing firms to grow and improve productivity; Improving policies in key sectors to help unleash the potential of these sectors. 

 …The public sector role

“International experience suggests that the public sector cannot sustainably generate growth and jobs by itself. Nigeria is no exception, particularly since public resources remain constrained. A useful strategy is to position the public sector to play a dual role as a provider of essential public services, especially to build human capital and infrastructure, and as an enabler for the private sector to invest, innovate, and grow the economy,” said Alex Sienaert, World Bank Lead Economist for Nigeria

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has named the three politicians he is fighting against in Rivers state.

Naija News reports that this comes amid the suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, alongside his deputy and other House of Assembly members, following the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin released on Saturday afternoon, Wike, who has been at war with his estranged political son, Fubara, named Celestine Omehia, Abiye Sekibo and Austin Okpara as those attempting to reap where they did not sow.

Wike further claimed that Omehia, Sekibo, and Okpara are responsible for Fubara’s issues with him, stressing that he will give them a final defeat.

He said, “I am fighting those who want to reap where they did not sow. People like Celestine Omehia, Abiye Sekibo and Austin Okpara.

“I have defeated them before and I will give them the final defeat.”

Meanwhile, Wike has vowed to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while working for President Bola Tinubu.

While speaking during an interview on BBC, Wike said he is not one to give in to fear, adding that he can’t build a house and be expected to vacate it.

He argued that he would not leave the party, adding that others would leave for him instead.

He said, “I can’t do that, I’m not afraid – how will I build a house and you now ask me to vacate the place.

“It’s you that will leave the house not me that built it. You want to spoil a house that I built, I won’t allow you. I won’t leave, I will remain there.

On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its first witness in the fraud trial involving Jude Chigozie Okoye and his company, Northside Music Ltd. The proceedings took place before Justice Rahman Oshodi at the State High Court in Ikeja, Lagos.

Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P and one half of the P-Square duo, testified as the first prosecution witness (PW1) against his elder brother Jude, who formerly managed the group. Jude and Northside Music Ltd. face a four-count charge related to alleged theft totaling $1 million and £34,537.

Led by EFCC counsel Mohammed Bashir, Peter testified that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, held 80% ownership in Northside Music Ltd., while Jude owned the remaining 20%. He explained, “I filed a petition with the EFCC through my lawyer on January 22, 2024. Initially, I named Northside Music as the respondent. However, investigations revealed that Ifeoma was the primary shareholder.”

Peter added that after filing the petition, he did not contact Jude or his twin brother, Paul, until April 2024 when the EFCC asked whether Paul was involved. “I said I didn’t know. But during their investigation, EFCC found that Jude operated over 47 bank accounts to receive royalties,” he stated.

He further revealed that although both Paul and Jude were later summoned by the EFCC, only Jude was detained. “Jude never denied committing the act,” Peter said. “Paul later told me that Jude owns 40% of P-Square, while the rest of us own 30% each.”

Peter claimed he was unaware of the registration of Northside Music, which he discovered had been established in 2015 and was operating before the group split. “Ifeoma had no involvement in our professional activities. I only learned about Northside Music during my findings,” he said.

The prosecution then presented the petition dated January 22, 2024, which was admitted into evidence without objection from Jude’s lead counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN.

Earlier in his testimony, Peter recounted how he and Paul began their music career in 1999. In 2005/2006, they co-founded Northside Entertainment Ltd., where all three brothers were directors and shareholders. Jude was the sole signatory to the company’s three accounts at Eco Bank, FCMB, and Zenith Bank.

“Both Naira and Dollar accounts were under his control. When we split in 2017 and later reconciled in 2021, I received no royalties during that time,” Peter testified. “Before the split, all royalties were paid into Northside Entertainment Ltd.”

He also referenced two digital music aggregators—i-rocking.com and FreeMe Digital—which generated revenue from streams. “Once people played our music, it produced income through these platforms,” he said.

After the group’s reunion, Peter went solo as Mr P and hired a new manager. He then discovered discrepancies in royalty payments, which led him to investigate Northside Music. “While touring in London, we were approached by buyers interested in our music catalog, but they needed backend access. After failed attempts to retrieve it from Jude, I realized he had altered the original backend. This caused at least seven potential buyers to walk away,” he revealed.

The trial was adjourned to May 23, 2025, for further proceedings

Former presidential candidate, Pat Utomi, has asserted that Nigeria will be worse than Somalia in the next few years, following the current issue of kidnappings, banditry, and terrorism.

Naija News reports that Utomi, in an interview with Punch, said the biggest challenge facing Nigeria’s political culture today is that many people find politics profitable.

He stated that people must find a way of making politics materially inconvenient and unprofitable because public resources can be abused.

He said, “The fundamental thing is that people find politics profitable. We must find a way of making politics materially inconvenient and unprofitable. If you get to power, you can abuse public resources as you like, whether you call it a security vote or giving contracts or whatever. Politics is attractive to all kinds of criminals. In societies where holding office means sacrifice, rich people look at politics and say, “I don’t want to go and waste my time there and lose my wealth.” But in Nigeria, they go into politics to make money, and because of that, they will do anything, including killing, to get there. Most of our politicians are richer than the businessmen. If we really want to stop all of this, we have to make public life materially unattractive.

“A professor of medicine should earn more than the President of Nigeria. But we all know that the personal assistant to a local government chairman earns more than a professor of Medicine in Nigeria today, which is why the system has collapsed. We have turned the incentive structure of Nigerian society upside down, and the country is not making progress because of it.

“Also, the biggest tragedy of Nigeria is that people don’t know how to speak truth to power anymore. They begin to believe their own lies. The incentive structures do not lead to progress. They only lead to a scramble for power and the sharing of the limited booty left through oil. The day that there isn’t even that small one, Nigeria will be worse than Somalia. That is my big fear. If we don’t do something dramatic now, Nigeria will be worse than Somalia in the next few years. You can see the indicators, all these kidnappings, banditry, and terrorism. I had predicted the cause of all this violence in Nigeria. It was easily predictable 15, 20 years ago. This country has gone through so many wrong things.”

Speaking on the recent gale of defection by the opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Utomi said politicians are stylishly covering the constitutional intent that says people lose their positions after defection.

He said, “Politicians have stylishly covered the constitutional intent, which says that people cannot cross-carpet. If you cross-carpet, you lose the position. The Governor of Delta State should have automatically stopped being the governor of the state the day he announced his defection to the APC. But they have papered over the constitution. When it comes to where they can play personal games, they won’t talk about the constitution. But where things don’t even concern the constitution, like citizens getting together to ask how the government is performing, they say it is against the constitution. Adams Oshiomhole had said, “Just join us in APC and all your sins are forgiven.” That is enough for them to defect.”