The Chairman of Canadian Senate Committee on Human Rights, Salma Ataullahjan, has demanded justice for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged sexual harassment.

Naija News reported that the Kogi Central Senator, on Tuesday, reported the Nigerian Senate and its President, Godswill Akpabio, to the United Nations’ Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Senator Natasha stated that the Senate suspended her for six months because she complained of alleged sexual harassment against Akpabio.

“I was suspended illegally because I submitted a petition of sexual harassment against the president of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

“I thought that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself and both of us will submit ourselves to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition for a fair and transparent investigation. Unfortunately, I was silenced and I was suspended,” she said.

Recall that the Senate explained that the Kogi Central Senator was suspended for violating Senate Standing Rule and misconduct.

On her ? handle on Wednesday, the Canadian Senate’s Chairman on Human Rights lauded Natasha for speaking out.

“Stay strong, Natasha Akpoti. Your bravery for speaking out against sexual harassment is a powerful reminder that we must all continue to fight for a safer, more respectful world for everyone,” she wrote.

A Federal Character Commissioner from Oyo State, Adeniyi Olowofela, has stated that the defection of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from the All Progressives Congress will not hinder President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Speaking during a telephone interview with Noble FM in Ibadan, Olwofela described El-Rufai’s defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as political suicide.

He argued that Tinubu holds the most powerful seat in Nigeria, and this, combined with the country’s political culture, will make it difficult to wrestle power from the president.

He said, “Bola Ige once said the most powerful person in Nigeria is the President. As a result, it is difficult to unseat Tinubu. His policies will yield positive results by the time the 2027 election approaches. What we are witnessing now is the natural interplay of demand and supply, which is beyond the government’s control.”

He dismissed claims of divisions within the APC, asserting that Tinubu has consolidated power within the party. “Contrary to what people are saying about APC being divided, it originated from the ACN and CPC. Tinubu has united all factions. The supposed divisions are mere political distractions,” he said.

Addressing speculation about the roles of former APC leaders such as Rauf Aregbesola and Kayode Fayemi, Olowofela maintained that they were merely Tinubu’s political foot soldiers. He also ruled out the possibility of opposition figures like Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar forming a successful alliance with El-Rufai, as they would not join a party where they cannot secure a presidential ticket.

“Tinubu’s second term is in the North’s best interest. Many assume Northerners act as a single political bloc, but this is a misconception. Atiku and Rabiu Kwankwaso, for instance, will not align with a party that doesn’t guarantee them a presidential ticket,” he explained, predicting that Tinubu will secure victory in over 18 states in 2027.

Olowofela also criticized El-Rufai’s leadership in Kaduna, labeling him a religious extremist who alienated Christians. He suggested that this may play a role in the rejection of El-Rufai’s ministerial nomination.

Veteran Journalist and Presenter, Reuben Abati said on Tuesday that leadership in Nigeria must evolve to address the complex challenges of the 21st century.

Speaking at Baze University’s Founders Day celebration in Abuja, Mr Abati noted that Nigeria’s governance challenges have changed with digital transformation and so must governance.

Mr Abati, the keynote speaker at the event, spoke on the topic: “Leadership in a Disruptive Era: Ethics, Accountability, and the Future of Governance in Nigeria”.

He noted that the digital transformation despite its pros has also introduced challenges such as misinformation, cyber-attacks and data breaches.

He explained that governance must also evolve with the transformations in the digital era.
“In a disruptive era, leadership transcends traditional authority and requires a proactive, visionary, and ethical approach,” he said.

“Navigating governance in a disruptive era demands leaders who are ethical, accountable, and forward-thinking.
“Given Nigeria’s history of political instability, economic volatility, and social unrest, adaptive leadership is essential for ensuring resilience in governance.”

He said leadership today requires leaders who can address political instability, economic fluctuations, security threats, and technological disruptions through ethical decision-making and strategic governance.
Mr Abati noted that a successful government must build public trust which he said can be done through accountability and ensuring sustainable national development.

“The future of governance depends on the ability of leaders to rise above personal interest and prioritise collective good,” he said.

Institutional reforms

Mr Abati explained that ethical lapses in governance like corruption, nepotism and abuse of power are undermining national development.

He said institutional reforms are essential to build strong institutions for sustainable governance.

He listed the reforms to include the strengthening of independence for anti-graft agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission.

“Weak institutions have historically hindered Nigeria’s development, allowing corruption and inefficiency to thrive,” he said.

He also said policy makers must embrace evidence-based decision-making and continuity of policies to ensure developmental programmes are not abandoned due to political transitions.

“Policy frameworks should be aligned with long-term national development goals, while legislative processes must incorporate public participation to ensure that governance reflects the needs of citizens,” he said.

Founder’s Day Significance

Earlier in her welcome address, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Jamila Shu’ara, a professor, said the event was to celebrate the vision of the founder of the institution, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.

Ms Shu’ara said “Founder’s Day is a time to reflect on our journey, which is firmly rooted in a commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and community service.”

She noted that the institution commenced operations in March 2011, with 17 students in three faculties —Business Studies, Computing and Information Technology and Law.

Today, she said the institution has nine faculties, 102 academic programmes approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC), over 6,000 students and 911 members of staff.

The faculties are Management and Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Computing and Information Technology, Allied and Health Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences, and Clinical Sciences.

Ms Shu’ara added that the university has produced 3,300 undergraduate students and 668 post graduate students.

“As we celebrate our robust growth, we are grateful to God, and we pay tribute to our Founder’s unwavering belief in the power of education to change lives and communities,” she said.

Speaking, the Founder and Chancellor of the university, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, emphasised the institution’s founding principles.

He said the university, which he founded 14 years ago, is based on the vision that “education is the most powerful tool for national transformation.”

“Today, we celebrate this institution’s remarkable journey, a journey marked by relentless dedication to knowledge, cutting-edge research, and character-driven leadership,” he said.

He said the university has consistently demonstrated a commitment to shaping minds, nurturing talents, and producing graduates ready to impact society.

[premiumtimesng]

The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, has said the government policies to revitalize the economy have been yielding positive returns.

Naija News reports that Edun stated this on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy visit to the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.

Edun, along with his team, visited the First Lady’s office to inform her about the forthcoming 32nd Annual General Meeting of the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM Bank), which will be held between June 23rd and 27th this year.

Mrs. Tinubu expressed readiness in hosting the spouses of Heads of Governments of African and other Countries who would be attending the meeting, noting that it would be another opportunity to showcase the best of Nigeria.

“This is one of the ways that God has just been blessing us in this administration with the quality of the people that are running the affairs of the country.

“Therefore, I thank the Minister for approaching us with the forthcoming AGM meeting of the AFRIMEX Bank. Meanwhile, ours is very easy being the wife of Mr President, I am supposed to be the Chief Hostess and to ensure that we take care of things,” she said.

The Minister, in his remarks, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to stabilising the nation’s economy with manufacturing and export becoming more competitive with others globally.

He emphasised Nigeria’s strong partnership with AFREXIM Bank and its commitment to fostering trade and economic growth for Africa and beyond.

“What we refer to was the competitiveness of the Nigerian economy, bold and courageous under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu over the last 20 months, the AFREXIM Bank has been reformed, it has been changed and it has been improved.

“We have a situation now where we have inflation stabilizing, food prices crashing down, petroleum prices coming down amongst other improvements in the economy.

“While we still have relatively high inflation, there is focus on helping people with their cost of living, and those reductions in major prices that affect the land, particularly encouraging and heartwarming for Mr President,” he stated.

Edun, who specifically talked about the reduction in inflation, added that this would be stabilised to the minimal level as time goes on with policies that would favour the indigenous manufacturers to be able to compete with others globally being put in place.

The 32nd AFREXIM Bank Annual General Meeting has as its theme, ‘Building the Future on Decades of Resilience’ and would be held in Abuja.