The family of Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has been hit by another tragedy as his eldest son, Abdulwahab Umar Namadi, has died in a fatal car accident.

The incident occurred barely 24 hours after the governor lost his mother, Hajiya Maryam Namadi.

According to Channels Television, Abdulwahab was returning from Kafin Hausa to Dutse with his friends when his vehicle lost control and somersaulted.

While his friends sustained various degrees of injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Dutse General Hospital, Abdulwahab was pronounced dead at the scene.

A close family source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “It is a double tragedy that has deeply shaken the family. The governor is still mourning the loss of his mother, and now this. It is a very difficult time for the family.”

Funeral prayers for the late Abdulwahab were held at the Kafin Hausa Central Mosque, attended by top government officials, traditional rulers, and community leaders.

Governor Namadi gave a brief address after the burial, expressing his grief but asking for prayers and patience.

He said, “It is Allah’s will, and we cannot question it. I urge everyone to remember us in their prayers during this challenging period.”

Dutse and Kafin Hausa residents have been trooping to the governor’s residence to offer their condolences.

A family friend, Musa Ibrahim, described Abdulwahab as a “humble and responsible young man with a promising future. He was well-loved by many and always showed respect to elders. This is a huge loss not just for the family but for the entire state.”

Jigawa State Information Commissioner, Malam Sagir Musa, expressed the government’s condolences in a statement.

“We mourn with His Excellency and his family. This is indeed a painful moment for all of us in Jigawa State. May Allah grant the deceased Aljannah Firdaus,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, hospital officials have confirmed that Abdulwahab’s friends are responding to treatment and remain in stable condition.

The opposition Labour Party; Peoples Democratic Party and others, on Thursday, lampooned the ruling All Progressives Congress over the country’s worsening poverty.

The condemnation by the opposition parties followed a viral video showing long queues of Nigerians seeking foodstuffs at President Bola Tinubu’s Bourdillon residence in Lagos on Christmas Eve.

Senator Ali Ndume, who shared the video on Wednesday via his official X account, said it highlighted the economic struggles facing the nation.

The video showed a mammoth crowd standing or sitting down in long queues at Bourdillon Raod in Ikoyi, Lagos, where Tinubu’s house is located.

 Ndume, a member of the ruling APC, remarked, “Queues for presidential handouts at Bourdillon on Christmas Eve highlight a sobering reality. Poverty knows no tribe, religion, politics, or region. It is a universal challenge that demands collective action and sustainable solutions.”

The development comes in the wake of tragic stampedes at food distribution events in Oyo, Anambra, and Abuja, where over 50 persons died.

Reacting to the development, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said it was sad that the ruling APC was turning more Nigerians into beggars by the day.

Ifoh challenged the APC to come out of its denial and “come to terms with the reality that there is too much poverty, hunger, and oppression in the system.”

“The statistics are out there for everybody to see. In fact, not too many people even understand that it is the season of Christmas.

So, don’t be surprised at the sight of people going to queue at Bourdillon. A time will come when even able-bodied men wearing suits and ties will also carry plates to beg at his residence.

“Imagine having to buy a bag of rice for Christmas at N100,000. What I am saying is that it is now clear to the blind and audible to the deaf that there is hunger in the land. Even the government itself has acknowledged it.

“The international community has also given out statistics to show that the poverty level in Nigeria is second to India, which has over a billion population. Nigeria has just 240 million people. But our poverty level is over 40 per cent, and there is over 70 per cent unemployment in Nigeria. So, it is no longer news.”

Also, LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, expressed concern about the deepening poverty in the country.

Obi, speaking through his media aide, Umar Ibrahim, said it was sad that President Bola Tinubu’s harsh economic policies were reducing more Nigerians to beggars.

“This reality is a stark contrast to what one would expect from a country with such potential and resources. The lack of effective governance is evident in the government’s failure to provide basic necessities, infrastructure, and opportunities for its citizens. It’s heartbreaking to see a nation with so much promise struggling to provide for its people,” he said.

Also, the  Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, accused President Tinubu’s administration of weaponizing poverty.

He warned that Nigerians might get to the point of desperation where they would turn against the political elite.

“I have always been of the opinion, and I seem to feel it, that this Presidency, as led by Bola Tinubu, has weaponised poverty and hunger to the point that Nigerians need to beg with a pleading hand to survive. And the man has reduced the dignity of the common man to the pauper state, where they lack basic dignity and self-sufficiency. So, people have to resort to begging.

“President Tinubu’s APC administration has weaponized poverty. They unleashed hunger and hardship on Nigerians with their failed economic policies. The man has weaponised poverty and hunger to the point that you need to come to Bourdillon in Lagos to be able to afford a square meal a day or to get handouts. Across the country, they have created fields of strongmen who hand out arms and food to beggars or Nigerians they have reduced to beggars.

“It is most despicable, it is inhuman, it is insensitive. And it borders on insensitivity for any sane government to encourage armed begging and the dehumanisation of human character and dignity in such a beautiful form as this government and this presidency have done,” Osadolor said.

He warned that a time may come “when people will stop begging for food, they will eat those who are giving it to them, or go after the political elites, especially members of the APC because they caused the hardship, and that is where Nigerians are heading, if we are not careful.”

Speaking in a similar vein, the  National Publicity Secretary of the Young People’s Party, Egbeola Martins, said Nigerians had never had it so bad.

“Things have never been this bad,” Martins said.

He called on the APC-led government to urgently review its economic policies before things got completely out of hand.

He said, “We are still very much insistent on the fact that there is a need to review some of the anti-masses policies that have actually impoverished Nigerians. We are particularly concerned about the subsidy removal policy, especially with the benefit of hindsight, even though it was once a major position of critical stakeholders in the past.

“The implementation has shown that it leaves a lot to be desired. The pain this has caused Nigerians is excruciating. In our opinion, there is nothing wrong with the government reviewing this policy, especially the subsidy removal.”

But the ruling APC dismissed the criticisms, accusing the opposition of trying to incite Nigerians against the President by mischaracterising his longstanding generosity.

Speaking to The PUNCH, the APC National Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, said, “Tinubu has been doing this thing for ages. This is not the first time he is doing it. But this time, because he is the President, it has become extremely conspicuous, and everybody is looking at it differently.

“If it was something he initiated just after he became the President, then it can be a story for discussion. But he has been doing this thing for long. Anybody who knows Tinubu knows that he is a person that is naturally generous. He likes extending help and support to people in need.

“In fact, I think he inherited it because his mother was also doing the same. Nobody is saying that there is no hardship in the land. But that is not a reason for people to make jest of those who intend to genuinely help, especially people who have been doing so for long.”

Ibrahim, who said Tinubu’s name is synonymous with generosity, sympathy, and help, accused the opposition of always seeking fault in the President.

 “The only difference between what he was doing then and now is that his current palliative is coming with a presidential tag. The Bourdillon we know now is not the same as yesterday. It is a Bourdillon that now houses the President of the country.

“There was a time he was accused of stationing a bullion van in front of his house and giving people money. Why wasn’t that painted in the same light as this? Now that he is doing it as a President, it has become a big story.

“The opposition and critics are just grandstanding. The truth is that if there were to be an announcement and he says he is also extending this hand to the opposition, they will queue up. Their own is to amass wealth to eat alone. But this is a man who feels for the ordinary man,” Ibrahim said.

Four drug kingpins involved in the historic seizure of 2,139.55 kilograms of cocaine at an Ikorodu residential estate in 2022 have been sentenced by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

The convicts —Soji Jubril Oke, 71; Wasiu Akinade, 55; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu, 67; and Kelvin Christopher Smith, 44, a Jamaican— were arrested by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency operatives in various locations across Lagos between Sunday night, September 18, and Monday morning, September 19, 2022.

The arrests followed a raid at No 6 Olukuola Crescent, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos, where over 2.1 tons of cocaine were seized. This recovery remains the largest single cocaine seizure in Nigeria’s history.

The convicts were charged with six counts under charge number FHC/L/607C/2022 in October and December 2022.

The trial of a fifth suspect, Oguntolure Sunday, who was arraigned alongside them, is still ongoing.

In a statement on Thursday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that Justice Yellim Bogoro sentenced the convicts to a combined 28 years of imprisonment with hard labour.

The statement partly read, “The trial judge handed the Jamaican, Kelvin Christopher Smith, four years imprisonment with hard labour; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu received a total of 16 years; Soji Jubril Oke was sentenced to five years with hard labour, and Wasiu Akinade got three years with hard labour.

“The trial judge, however, gave the convicts varying options of fines, except for one who must serve the full jail term without an option of fine. They were also ordered to forfeit a grey Toyota Tacoma SUV (registration number AAA-734HT) registered in the name of Emmanuel Chukwu, $50,000 belonging to Chukwu, ₦55,099,509.50 also belonging to Chukwu, ₦9,003,168.06 belonging to Wasiu Akinade, and ₦3,052,295.20 also belonging to Akinade.”

In another development, the NDLEA secured the final forfeiture of two properties linked to the drug cartel in a suit marked FHC/L/MISC/672/2024 and filed before Justice Bogoro on December 9, 2024.

Babafemi quoted the court as saying, “An order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria for Landed Property/House Number 6 Olokunola Street, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos State, used for the storage and concealment of 2,139.55kg of cocaine, an illicit substance.

“An order of final forfeiture and confiscation is also granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria for Landed Property/House Number J9, Road 3, Close 1, Victoria Garden City Estate, Lagos State, reasonably believed to have been purchased with proceeds from drug trafficking.

“An order is granted directing the sale or disposal of the forfeited properties by any lawful means, with the proceeds paid to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

Kiitan Bukola, the Nollywood actress, has revealed her fears about getting married, and what she hopes to find in a partner.

In a recent chat on Talk2B podcast, the film star revealed that she never lived with her parents, who had about 14 children.

The 34-year-old expressed her longing for the love and care of a father figure, which she never experienced in her childhood.

“I do not have a father who cared how I wanted it. Like that love of parent, father to mother together, I did not really enjoy it. So, it hurts me most of the time,” she said. 

“I never lived together with my parents. The funny thing is that there are some of my father’s children that I do not know. We are close to fourteen of his children.

“I have friends who have been through so much in marriages. And I have some that have enjoyed it. I want it because I want my children to have fatherly care. If I want to have children out of wedlock, I should have done that. But I do not wish to have a child outside wedlock. I have been trying to hold myself. But I want a good home.”

Bukola said despite wanting to get married and have children, she she is scared of marriage.

She said her fear stems from her desire to provide her children with a stable and loving home, which she never had.

She also expressed worries about finding a partner who will understand her profession and not be insecure about her.

Bukola described her ideal partner as someone who is understanding, prayerful, and secure.

“I love marriage, but at the same time, I am scared of marriage because I do not want my children to grow up and not have fatherly care. I do not want to grow up in a separate home. Most people do not want it, but I do not pray for it,” she said.

“My ideal man is very understanding and prayerful. I do not want stress. I want to let someone I can call my best friend. Someone that I host with. Someone I can tell something and will not use it against me. Someone who will not be insecure. Someone who will understand the difference between my job and my home.

“I have dated someone who would tell me to return money for a job on a day I am supposed to go to set.”

In November 2022, Bukola announced her engagement, but the relationship ended in January due to infidelity.

The National Bureau of Statistics has earmarked N35m in its 2025 budget proposal for “Capacity Building on Cybersecurity and Data Centre Management.”

This allocation comes at a critical time as the agency grapples with the aftermath of a cyberattack that compromised its website on December 18, 2024.

The breach, which was publicly disclosed via the bureau’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, led to a warning for the public to disregard any information on the platform until the situation is resolved.

This incident has raised significant concerns about the vulnerability of the bureau’s digital infrastructure, especially considering its crucial role as Nigeria’s primary source of statistical data.

In addition to the cybersecurity allocation, the NBS’s 2025 budget proposal includes several other projects aimed at improving its operational efficiency, modernising infrastructure, and enhancing service delivery.

For instance, the bureau has allocated N55m for the National Agricultural Sample Survey, N20m for the Compilation of Tourism, Education, Health, and Natural Resources Satellite Accounts, N50m for Tracking the Implementation of the 8-Point Agenda, and N50m for the System of Administrative Statistics Reports.

Other notable allocations include N60m for the National Integrated Survey of Establishment, N45m for Reform and Service Delivery Capacity Building, N35m for SDG Tracking, and N30m for the Revision of the Statistics Act.

Additional allocations of N25m each have been designated for Financial Management Capacity Building and Sustainable Procurement Methods Capacity Building, while N10m has been earmarked for developing capacity in creating infographics and statistical reports.

One of the most significant allocations in the budget is N500m for the Labour Force Survey.

The Compilation of Quarterly GDP by Production, Expenditure, and Income has been allocated N60m.

N15m has been allocated for the Waste Generated Statistics Report in Nigeria, while the NBS Annual Report and Quarterly Progress Reports have been allocated N10m.

Also, N80m has been set aside for the National Consultative Committee on Statistics, an initiative that facilitates collaboration among stakeholders in the national statistical system.

The Annual Abstract of Statistics has received N15m, while the Production of Demographic Statistics Bulletin has been allocated N9m.

N36m has been allocated for the Quarterly Production of Foreign Trade in Goods and Trade Intensity Index, while Producer Price Index Production, which measures changes in the prices of goods and services at the producer level, has been allocated N40m.

Similarly, the Consumer Price Index  Production, a critical measure of inflation, has been allocated N80m, reflecting its central role in economic analysis and policymaking.

The bureau’s total expenditure proposed amounts to N9.85bn, with personnel costs constituting the majority of the allocation.

A significant portion of the budget is directed towards personnel costs, which account for N6.65bn.

With the website hack lasting for about a week, this may lead to delay in the release of critical reports by the government agency.

The NBS, a critical government agency responsible for collecting and disseminating statistical data on Nigeria’s economy, governance, and development, plays a pivotal role in informing public policy and decision-making processes.

The cyberattack highlights the increasing vulnerability of government institutions to digital threats.

Earlier, The PUNCH reported that Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, is under siege from cybercriminals, with organisations facing an average of 3,759 cyberattacks weekly.

This was according to the latest 2024 African Perspectives on Cyber Security Report by Check Point Software Technologies.

The report paints a grim picture of the country’s vulnerability as it increasingly embraces digitalisation, with critical sectors such as finance, government, and education bearing the brunt of the attacks.

The report noted that government institutions are not spared, with public sector entities experiencing an average of 1,791 attacks weekly.

Ransomware and botnet activities dominate the threats to this sector, which plays a crucial role in managing the nation’s economy.

...faces backlash

Veteran Nigerian actor and filmmaker Kanayo O. Kanayo is under fire after making controversial remarks about unmarried women over the age of 30 during a recent interview.

Speaking on the SIL Show, the actor offered his take on why many women remain single in their 30s, sparking widespread criticism on social media.

According to Kanayo, many women who are unmarried past 30 refuse the advances of younger men in their 20s because they are attracted to wealthier, older, and married men.

He claimed that these women often receive lavish gifts such as cars and houses from wealthy men, which leads them to dismiss the more modest proposals from men their age.

Kanayo suggested that by the time these women reach their 30s, they find themselves less attractive to men their own age, eventually becoming “a prayer point.”

The actor’s statement quickly went viral, drawing backlash from many social media users who criticized him for generalizing and passing judgment on women’s personal choices.

Several people expressed their discontent, labeling his comments as outdated and insensitive.

Many pointed out that there are numerous reasons women may remain unmarried, which are far more complex than Kanayo’s oversimplified analysis.

Kanayo further stirred controversy by describing women in their early 30s as being in a “state of emergency,” implying that their chances of finding a partner were slim.

His remarks were met with a wave of rebukes, with many questioning his understanding of the challenges women face in relationships and marriage.

Award-winning Nollywood actress Funke Akindele and popular content creator Kamo State have ignited widespread reactions after a video of them sharing a kiss surfaced online.

The clip, taken on the set of Akindele’s latest project, Everybody Loves Jennifer, quickly went viral, sparking mixed reactions from fans and critics alike.

In the video, Funke Akindele, surrounded by cast and crew members, is seen sharing a surprising kiss with Kamo State.

Following the kiss, Kamo State humorously pretended to faint, drawing laughter from onlookers.

A fellow crew member joined the theatrics, playfully slapping him back to “consciousness.”

This humorous moment, however, has divided netizens.

While some criticized the pair for what they deemed inappropriate behavior, others dismissed the act as harmless fun between colleagues.

Interestingly, Kamo State recently tied the knot with his fiancée, with highlights from the wedding still trending online.

The timing of the video has further waves of discussion online with many sharing their opinions.

Crisis is brewing between Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and widow of his predecessor, Betty Akeredolu, over plans by t to organise a memorial lecture in honour of the deceased governor.

Former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu passed on December 28 last year, following a protracted illness.

Aiyedatiwa, his deputy, was immediately sworn in as governor in accordance with constitutional provisions.

To honour the legacy of the former governor, the state government plans to organise a memorial lecture on Friday, December 27.

However, Mrs Akeredolu, has chided  Aiyedatiwa for allegedly organising a memorial lecture for her late hisband without informing the family.

In a statement posted on her verified X account, the former First Lady said the lecture being organised was not for her late husband.

She said it was an “entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head.”

According to her, “Lucky can’t be serious! Which legacy? Mtcheew. Lecture, my foot!  This is not for Aketi because I and my family are not aware. Damn it!

“As the saying goes, you and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved. This is an insidious propaganda carried too far!

“Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway. Anybody close to Aketi and Arabinrin becomes your enemy. Your minions are scared to get close otherwise they lose their appointments.

“Now, you want to pretend by organising one yeye lecture for Aketi’s memorial as an entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head. You are on your own o! If this is not #yahoo #419 lecture, tell me what it is!”

However, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the planned lecture was an exclusive event of the state government.

He clarified that the organisers extended invitation to the late Akeredolu’s family.

The National Leader of Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has lost his wife, Mrs Julia Olubusola Akintoye.

She died yesterday. She was 88.

Spokesman for Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho), Mr Olayomi Koiki, confirmed the development to The Nation, saying the deceased passed on peacefully.

He said the family would announce the funeral arrangements later, adding that ‘’it respectfully requests time to grieve privately during this difficult period.’’

He added: “It is with sorrow but even greater gratitude to God for a life extremely well spent that we announce the passing away of our dearly beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and sister, Mrs Julia Olubusola Akintoye, wife of Prof. Banji Akintoye – National Leader of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement.

“She peacefully departed this life in the early hours of today (yesterday) at the age of 88.

“Funeral arrangements will be announced by the family at a later date.

“The family respectfully requests time to grieve privately during this difficult period.”

The mother of Queen Naomi, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has finally broken her silence, speaking out passionately about the unbearable situation her daughter now finds herself in.

Recall that Queen Naomi was among those arrested after the tragic stampede in Ibadan, which claimed the lives of several innocent victims, following her ortganization of a Christmas funfair meant to bring joy to children.

In the aftermath, as Queen Naomi and other organizers were detained and arraigned in court, her mother, devastated by the turn of events, took to her daughter’s official Instagram page to express her heartache and confusion.

She shared that, like any caring mother, Queen Naomi had always gone above and beyond to create joyous experiences for children during festive seasons, having successfully organized similar events in the past without a single casualty.

Through her tears, Queen Naomi’s mother passionately declared that her daughter never intended for any of this to happen, her heart broken by the unwarranted suffering that had befallen the families of the victims

She spoke of a dark and mysterious force, an order from above, which seemed to be standing in the way of her daughter’s release. Her words, heavy with confusion and frustration, reflected the emotional burden of a mother who could not comprehend why her daughter remained trapped in a situation so far beyond her control.

In a final desperate plea, the hearbroken mum called on the government, the police, to recognize her daughter’s good intentions and to temper justice with mercy.