First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Remi Tinubu, has reassured Nigerians that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was doing all it could to improve the country and make life better for the citizens.

She spoke at the Iftar (breaking of fast) with former First Ladies of Nigeria, female National Assembly Members, wives of National Assembly members, and others, at the State House in Abuja, on Thursday.

Senator (Mrs) Tinubu, in a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, admonished everyone to take one person at a time and lend a helping hand to such, as this will go a long way in ameliorating the hardship of others.

The First Lady, who noted that Ramadan and Lent season coincided this year, said it was something that God had ordained before time.

“It is the time of sober reflection for our Muslim brothers and sisters and even the Christian brothers and sisters, they are having the Lent. God had ordained it to be so even at this time in a nation,” she stated.

The First Lady urged the Muslim ummah to continue in the virtues, which they exhibited during the Ramadan, and they should always pray for God‘s mercy.

Earlier, the wife of the Vice President, in her welcome remarks, thanked the First Lady for the Iftar.

She urged everyone to remember President Bola Tinubu and indeed the nation in prayers at all times.

The vice chancellor of Azman University, Kano, Professor Fatima Mukhtar, gave the lecture on the spiritual significance and teachings of Ramadan.

Special prayers were also offered for the nation, the president and the entire citizens

Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, has opposed the move to immortalise Humphrey Nwosu, former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC).

Speaking on Thursday during a senate debate on a motion sponsored by Enyinnaya Abaribe, Abia south, Oshiomhole argued that Nwosu did not deserve such recognition.

Nwosu, who chaired NEC from 1989 to 1993, died in October 2024 at the age of 83. He is set to be buried on Saturday in his home state, Anambra.

Oshiomhole accused Nwosu and the then military head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, of deceiving Nigerians who turned out to vote in the June 12, 1993 presidential election, only for the process to be annulled.

“Professor Nwosu and President Babangida fooled the 18 million Nigerians who voted. If he was afraid of the gun because we were under a dictatorship, some people might say, ‘Well, there were Nigerians who protested under the gun without minding the consequences,’” Oshiomhole said.

“After the end of Babangida’s tenure, the death of Abiola, and the birth of the new democracy that produced President Obasanjo, I would have expected Nwosu to say — either on his birthday or on a special occasion — ‘I couldn’t declare these numbers then, but now, on my record, Abiola won this election. I just wasn’t able to announce it.’

“He died without confession; he cannot be rewarded.”

Oshiomhole also said some of the contents of the motion brought to the senate by Abaribe were “manipulative”.

The former governor of Edo state attributed the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election to Nwosu’s “failure” to officially declare the results, adding that the decision ultimately derailed the democratic process.

“We cannot distort history in this senate. If Professor Nwosu had the courage to announce the winner, and dare the consequences, it would have been different. When it matters most, his courage failed him,” Oshiomhole added.

The house of representatives is considering conferring citizenship rights on foreigners married to Nigerian women.

The bill, which is sponsored by Akin Alabi, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing Egbeda federal constituency of Oyo state, passed a second reading during plenary on Thursday.

The bill seeks to amend section 26 of the 1999 constitution, which addresses citizenship by registration.

Currently, section 26(1) states that a “person to whom the provisions of this section apply may be registered” as a citizen of Nigeria, if the president is satisfied that:

(a) they are of good character;

(b) they have demonstrated a clear intention to reside in Nigeria; and

(c) they have taken the oath of allegiance prescribed in the seventh schedule of the constitution.

Section 26 (2) (a) stipulates that the provisions of this section shall apply to any woman who is or has been married to a citizen of Nigeria.

Section 26(2)(b) extends eligibility to any person of full age and capacity born outside Nigeria, provided that at least one of their grandparents was a Nigerian citizen.

The proposed amendment seeks to replace the word “woman” in section 26(2)(a) with “person”, thereby making the provision gender-neutral.

SPECIFIC SEATS FOR WOMEN

A bill seeking to create “specific seats” for women in the national and state houses of assembly also passed second reading.

The bill is sponsored by Kafilat Ogbara, a lawmaker from Lagos state.

Similarly, a bill to ensure the inclusion of youths and persons living with disabilities (PWDs) in political appointments scaled second reading.

Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker from Imo, is the bill’s sponsor

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says Kano state is already secured for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

Akpabio spoke on Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit to Basheer Lado, the special adviser to the president on senate matters.

He said with Lado, Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, and Abdullahi Ganduje, national chairman of the APC, “Kano is firmly secured for the ruling party” ahead of the 2027 polls.

He said in the past eight months since Basheer Lado assumed office, there have been no leaks of presidential communications to the upper chamber.

The senate president described Lado’s performance as unprecedented, noting that he has significantly improved communication between the senate and Tinubu.

“Let me put on record that since Senator Lado’s assumption of office as special adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on national assembly (senate matters), we have not had a single leakage of private communication between the presidency and the senate,” Akpabio said.

“We have not had a single incidence of leakage. Because in government, that’s what we call the right to know. The right to know.

“And then, of course, where government business is done, on pages of newspapers and social media through leakages of information, it negatively rubs off on national security.

“So, I want to thank you for upholding the tenets of what the government should be, what separation of powers is all about.

“Your performance in office generally within the last eight months is unprecedented by transforming the office itself and making the synergy between the executive and legislature more robust and rewarding for the good of all.

“You are, no doubt, a man of colour, a man of excellence, a man of style who stepped into an office and transformed it for better result delivery.

“Ahead of 2027, with the deputy president of the senate, the national chairman of APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and your strategic self, Kano is already in the kitty of APC.”

Lado, in his welcome speech, said that in Akpabio, Tinubu has found not only a dependable ally but a statesman who understands the delicate art of governance and the importance of cooperation over confrontation.

“Mr. Senate President, your presence here is not only symbolic of the harmony between the executive and the legislature; it is a testament to the power of unity, the strength of shared vision, and the boundless possibilities when leadership is anchored on service,” he said.

“Your Excellency, permit me to especially commend your steadfast and visible support for our president, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

“In you, Mr. President has found not only a dependable ally but a statesman who understands the delicate art of governance and the importance of cooperation over confrontation.

“You have not merely walked alongside the president; you have championed his renewed hope agenda with conviction, defending it with clarity, articulating it with passion, and advancing it through legislative action.”