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Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal55, has said he would negotiate with bandits only if they stop killing people and surrender their arms.
Earlier, the governor had maintained a firm stance against reconciling with bandits.
In July 2024, Alhaji Faruk Ahmad, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Mobilisation, declared that no internal or external pressure would force the administration to negotiate with bandits.
Noting that the measures taken by the government were yielding positive results, Ahmad reaffirmed that the administration would not reconcile with any bandit leader but would continue to fight them.
“I am confident that, gradually, God Almighty will vindicate the present administration. I want to reaffirm our position: we will not reconcile with any bandit leader. We will continue fighting them. Those willing to surrender should do so, and those who are not will be fought.” he had said.
But speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa service, Governor Lawal said dialogue with bandits was not entirely off the government’s table.
He, however, emphasised that any talks must be anchored on truth and honesty.
He said, “A number of people have been harmed, others have lost their parents and wives. Therefore, it is important to take into account their plight and mull over how to come to their aid, considering the losses they recorded, rather than always solely focusing on the bandits.”
He disclosed that the government is recording success in the fight against the bandits.
“More than 50 terrorists have been killed on Friday in Tungar Fulani, a the my ylong Zurmi/Shinkafi axis.”
Other bandits’ kingpins loyal to Bello Turji have also been eliminated, including Sani Mainasara, Sani Black, Kachallah Auta, Audu Gajere, Kabiru Jangero, Dangajere, among the 65others I. They have all been killed.”
He maintained that the momentum would continue to be sustained until banditry is tamed, adding, “they should either lay down their weapons or we continue with our decisive action against them.”
[DailyTrust]
A Dubai court has slammed a Nigerian billionaire, owner of Rahmaniya Filling Station, Ultimate Oil and Gas, Abdulrahman Bashar, with a one-year jail term over financial crime, according to a report.
Premium Times reports that Bashar bagged the jail term due to financial crime involving his dealings with CI Energy Company.
According to documents, the UAE court gave the verdict on 30 January 2025.
The sentence document showed the UAE charged the businessman for issuing seven cheques with a combined value of 126.45 million dirhams, drawn on an Emirates Islamic Bank account with a mismatch in his signature.
The prosecution accused the Nigerian billionaire, Bashar, of issuing the checks by “deliberately signing and drafting them in a way that prevents their cashing,” consequently asking that Mr. Bashar be punished under extant laws.
The court, relying on evidence presented to it, including statements by Jamal Awad Nasser Hussein (the agent of CI Energy), duplicates of the cheques, and statements of account, noted that the cheques were returned unpaid on presentation at Emirates Islamic Bank because of disparity in Mr. Bashar’s signature.
“It is established that the crime of issuing a cheque is realised merely by giving the cheque to the beneficiary knowing that there is no balance available for withdrawal,” the court said during the proceeding led by Judge Hussein Hamdi.
Unfortunately, the Dubai sentence is the second time in five years Bashar has been punished for a crime abroad.
Recall that Justice Butcher of the England and Wales High Court, in a verdict issued in February 2020, sentenced Mr. Bashar to a jail term of ten months for flouting several orders of the court in a case initiated by Sahara Energy Resources.
The basis of the sentence was that Mr. Bashir had committed continuing breaches of the order of Mr. Justice Robin Knowles of 1 August 2019 and of the order of Mr. Justice Bryan of 6 September 2019,” Justice Butcher said.
Consequently, Rahmaniya was fined £500,000, while Adebowale Aderemi, the manager of the company, was asked to pay a penalty of £10,000.
Meanwhile, Bashar and his company have remained silent over the latest jail term.
[DailyPost]
A YouGov poll has revealed that a majority of Conservative voters are uncertain about Kemi Badenoch’s suitability as prime minister, casting doubt on her leadership prospects as she approaches 100 days as party leader.
According to the survey, while 48 percent of 2024 Conservative voters view Badenoch as a potential prime minister, only 26 percent believe she would perform well in the role. Among the general electorate, just 14 percent think she has what it takes to lead the country.
Badenoch, known for her tough stance on immigration, faces scepticism from opposition voters.
The poll found that 39 percent of respondents from Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Reform UK supporters view her as untrustworthy while only 19 percent consider her trustworthy.
Additionally, 39 percent described her as unlikeable, compared to 24 percent who view her favourably.
Despite these mixed perceptions, she retains some support among Conservative voters.
The poll indicated that 56 percent of the party’s base approve of her leadership, while 17 percent rate her performance negatively.
The survey results come amid growing challenges for the Conservative Party, with another poll placing it third behind Labour and Reform UK in voter preference.
Born in the UK to Nigerian parents, Badenoch has championed stricter immigration measures, recently proposing that immigrants must reside in the UK for at least 15 years before becoming eligible for a British passport.
“Britain is our home, it’s not a hotel,” Badenoch asserted. “It’s time to tell the truth on immigration and propose real plans. I want to reduce immigration and make living here actually mean something. I’m announcing that the Conservative Party is going to do things differently,” she stated.
[TheNation]
An appeal filed by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, challenging the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly has been dismissed by the Supreme Court in Abuja.
Fubara was also ordered to pay two million naira to the Assembly and Amaewhule by a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji on Monday.
The case was dismissed after Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali, withdrew the suit.
Details later…
[Punch]
Incumbent President, Daniel Noboa, on Monday clutched onto a razor-thin lead in violence-hit Ecuador’s election, after a stronger-than-expected leftist challenger looked set to force a second-round run-off.
With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted, Noboa had 44.3 percent and rival Luisa Gonzalez 43.8 percent, official results showed.
Gonzalez, a 47-year-old lawyer and single mother of two, told elated supporters in Quito that they had achieved a “great victory” by forcing what she called a “statistical tie”.
“We have won,” she said.
The telegenic lawmaker had trailed heavily in pre-election surveys.
Some exit polls had even predicted that Noboa would garner the 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a head-to-head contest in April.
But the election was seen by many as a referendum on the country’s stalled economy and on Noboa’s hardline security response in the face of record rates of murder, kidnapping and extortion.
In just a few years, cartels vying for control of Pacific ports and lucrative cocaine trading routes to Europe and Asia have transformed Ecuador from one of the safest countries in the world to one of the most dangerous.
During his 15 months in office Noboa has declared a state of emergency, deployed the army to the streets and gathered extraordinary executive powers to curb cartel violence.
He deployed heavily armed soldiers to polling stations across the country on election day, and the land borders with Colombia and Peru were closed.
Both Noboa and Gonzalez were shadowed at public events by a phalanx of special forces, hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2023 election, when a leading candidate was assassinated.
“We’re only human. Of course, you feel afraid,” candidate Gonzalez told AFP from her childhood home on the eve of the vote.
But this time round the only election-related incidents were about 20 people cited for breaking a strict three-day alcohol ban.
More than ten million votes have been counted so far, but it could be some hours before the full tally is known.
Still, Noboa’s supporters were in a jubilant mood, lighting fireworks in Quito and Guayaquil, the country’s two largest cities.
“We came to support the president, we want him to support us and change the country,” said 52-year-old secretary Myriam Medrano on the streets of the capital.
Gonzalez’s political mentor — polarizing exiled ex-president Rafael Correa — was also bullish about the prospects of victory.
“We are going to PASS Noboa,” he said in a social media post.
‘A bigger challenge’
At 37, Noboa is one of the world’s youngest leaders.
He has bet his political fortunes on a slick social media campaign that underscores his youth and vigour and a hardline approach to tackling crime.
On the eve of the vote, he posted a video of himself in a crisp white T-shirt and sneakers, strumming an acoustic guitar and crooning along in English — a striking contrast to his “mano dura,” or iron fist, security policies.
Human rights groups believe the aggressive use of the armed forces has led to abuses, including the murder of four boys whose charred bodies were recently found near an army base.
“Ecuador is in a very difficult moment, I think in the worst crisis since we returned to democracy,” said Leonardo Laso, a political analyst, referring to a period of deep crisis almost half a century ago.
‘Dark outlook’
The unrest has scared away tourists and investors alike, hitting an economy that likely entered a recession last year.
Noboa has been forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund to build a $4 billion fiscal war chest.
Easing fears that she may scrap that deal if elected, Gonzalez on Saturday told AFP that the IMF was “welcome” to help, so long as it does not insist on policies that hit working families.
Ecuador is also girding for the return of thousands of migrants who are expected to be deported by the administration of US President Donald Trump — meaning a drop in remittances, which total about $6 billion a year.
Gonzalez told AFP she wanted “appropriate” relations with Trump, while claiming Ecuador under Noboa “did not defend its citizens” against US mistreatment.
“I will always demand respect for our citizens. They cannot deport our brothers as if they were criminals, with chains on their legs and arms,” she said.
AFP
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is currently in a closed-door meeting with his former boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Atiku, who arrived Obasanjo’s residence, located on the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) at exactly 12: 37p.m., was accompanied by the former governors of Sokoto and Cross Rivers State, Senator Aminu Tambuwa and Senator Liyel Imoke among other eminent political stalwarts from the northern region.
Upon arrival, Atiku alongside members of his entourage were received at the Obasanjo’s residence by the elder statesman, Oyewole Fasawe, before they all went straight into a private meeting with Obasanjo who had been waiting for his visitors.
Details of the visit could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
Details later……
[Vanguard]
There are indications that the camp of the embattled ex-speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, is plotting to remove the incumbent Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, at any moment.
The indications emerged over the weekend when an inside source confided in Vanguard.
According to the source, after a series of failed attempts to remove Meranda since her emergence on January 13, 2025, there have been a series of permutations to relaunch embattled Obasa to power.
The latest plot is to elect a lawmaker from the West, preferably from Ikeja, after the Ifako-Ijaiye candidate declined the offer, along with others who have restated unalloyed loyalty to Meranda.
APC leaders, with a soft spot for Obasa, are currently plotting to see to the emergence of a proxy speaker from the Ikeja constituency and, after a few weeks, relinquish positions to pave the way for Obasa’s emergence. Obasa, in turn, is expected to resign for a popular candidate as speaker.
Meanwhile, members of the state House of Assembly have again, for the umpteenth time, expressed unalloyed support for Meranda, not minding whose ox is gored.
“Why’s no one focusing on the role of Abuja in trying to reinstate him, even with all the infractions and behaving like the elected members must get clearance from Abuja, especially at this stage of our democracy? The matter is being unnecessarily overflogged.
“They even tried to install a proxy to bring him back in a few months.
“Someone making deductions from the allowances of staff, even junior staff, and his colleagues. They behave like they benefit from his negative behavior,” an APC chieftain lamented under anonymity.
Also, a public critic, Benjamin Mokwunye, in his article “Time to move on,” released at the weekend, said, “There are indications that in one form or the other the Governance (or Governor’s) Advisory Council (GAC) was involved in the removal, perhaps even sanctioning it.
“The council may be an extra-constitutional body, but it has remained influential since it was set up under the Bola Tinubu governorship.
“Soon after Obasa was unseated, his successor, Mojisola Meranda, visited the GAC and received their blessing.
“Their assent, as well as the visit, should have been more nuanced, lest many analysts begin to squirm over the role of the council, even believing erroneously that it was behind the putsch.
“But since the mistake was made, the GAC and the Assembly have battled to sustain the action the state’s lawmakers took against Obasa.
“It has turned out that a few members of the GAC, perhaps three or four out of about 24 have balked at the former speaker’s removal, but regardless of the stridency of their voices and protests, they have been unable to give traction to their reservations.
“There are speculations about APC, hierarchs wanting to return Obasa to his seat, but no one is sure the rumours are not just amateur name-dropping or red herring.
“The procedure adopted by the lawmakers to remove Obasa was democratic.
“His removal over alleged financial misappropriation, misconduct, and high-handedness cannot be downplayed.
“Indeed, the lawmakers could even remove him if they happened to take a dislike to him at any time and any point.
“It is unclear what role the GAC played in the removal beyond merely asserting it.
“If the party and its hierarchs begin to nitpick over such removals, ignoring the sensibilities of the lawmakers and overplaying their hands, they risk alienating the rank and file.
“But public analysts and critics observed that the removal may upset the political permutations of the party, but they would be courting disfavor, if not disaster, to insist on reinstating him.
“If the removal blindsided them, they must find intelligent and democratic ways of closing ranks and regaining control of the party and the legislature.
“Obasa makes it hard for party leaders and members to defend or back him. Regardless of his misunderstanding with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his response to the governor’s budget presentation on November 21 exhibited poor judgement and a lack of grace and understanding.
“It is uncertain whether party leaders looked deeper than the surface of his leadership; but the near unanimity of opinion against him by most of his colleagues, past and present, speaks to the poor choice they made of him when they first elected him speaker nearly 10 years ago.
“The GAC and the party must now move beyond Obasa.
Their speakership choices have not always been flawless, as evidenced by their election and sustenance of the former speaker.
“It is disturbing that the GAC and the party have hemmed and hawed over a fairly straightforward matter. Mr Sanwo-Olu himself has kept discretely silent so as not to be accused of having a hand in the removal of his combative nemesis,” among others.
Lawmakers hail Tinubu
Recall that lawmakers hailed and listed some achievements of the Tinubu-led administration last Friday at a plenary, describing the President as a blessing to Nigeria.
Speaking during plenary, the lawmakers took time to eulogize the President, saying he came into office at a time when Nigerians were at a crossroads over the country’s socio-economic status before the 2023 elections.
Raising the motion, Tobun Abiodun (Epe I) told his colleagues that Tinubu’s policies had begun to yield positive results in less than two years in office.
Tobun noted that Tinubu’s economic expertise had boosted the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
According to him, “This is further reflecting in the current continuous strength of the Naira.
“Currently, the policies are yielding positive results and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased. The value of naira is gradually gaining strength.
“There is no more fuel scarcity anymore in the country. We need to encourage the federal government to continue on the good pedestrian it started two years ago,” Tobun said.
In his contribution, the Majority Leader of the House, Adewale Temitope (Ifako-Ijaiye I), said the President’s actions showed that he was prepared before he took the baton of leadership.
Temitope said the Federal Government under Tinubu continues to meet Nigerians’ yearnings, citing the refineries that are in operation and that have led to drops in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
He re-echoed the efforts and sacrifices made by Tinubu, who he described as a true democrat, for the continued successes and strength of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) both in the state and the nation.
Temitope said the House remained committed to the ideals of the party, its leadership and the GAC, a team of elders that continue to guide the party in Lagos.
For his part, Gbolahan Yishawu (Etim Osa II) praised the President for fighting insecurity and reducing inflation.
Contributing to the debate, Aro Moshood, representing Ikorodu II, commended the President for the upward review of the country’s minimum wage, his investment drive that has secured over $40 million and his assuaging the effects of the removal of subsidies.
However, the Speaker, Meranda expressed optimism that the President would meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
“I know President Tinubu will take us to the Promised Land. When he started, it was rough but it is becoming obvious the policies are yielding results.
“This is a positive result happening within the short time Tinubu came into power. Tinubu’s investment in the security architecture is also yielding results as we have insecurity reducing,” she said.
Miranda, therefore, directed the acting Clerk of the House, Abubakar Ottun, to send a commendation letter to the President acknowledging the positive impact of his policies and programmes.
The members are expected to resume sitting on Monday, by 11 am as further developments unfold.
….as court adjourns case indefinitely
The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, on Monday, caused a scene before the Federal High Court in Abuja, as he insisted that he would not be prosecuted before a shrine of injustice.
Kanu, who is facing a seven-count treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him, forced the court to adjourn his trial sine-die (indefinitely).
The detained IPOB leader spoke from the dock, on a day that was fixed for FG to open its case against him.
Trouble started after the prosecution counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, informed the court that he had filed and served all the necessary processes on Kanu’s legal team, preparatory to the commencement of full-blown hearing of the matter.
However, Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Alloy Ejimakor, drew the attention of the court to his client’s contention that the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, was no longer fit to preside over the case.
Ejimakor noted that Justice Nyako had in a ruling she delivered on November 24, 2024, recused herself from the trial.
Kanu’s lawyer also stressed that his client had also applied for his trial to be moved from Abuja to any Division of the high court in the South East region where offences he was charged with were allegedly committed
Following Ejimakor’s submissions, Justice Nyako explained that though did not want to handle the trial again, she said the case-file was returned back to her by the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho.
According to Justice Nyako, the CJ turned down her recusal from the trial and directed the defendant, Kanu, to file a formal request for the matter to be reassigned to another judge
Meantime, while the prosecution counsel and the defence lawyer were still bickering over the request for Justice Nyako to hands off the trial, Kanu, who was watching from the dock, indicated his intention to address the court.
“I want to speak,” Kanu insisted when he was asked if he wanted to take over from his lawyer.
“Yes, I want to take over,” he replied.
Kanu said he only appeared for the proceeding due to the respect he had for the court, even as he stood his ground that Justice Nyako no longer had the requisite jurisdiction to priside over his trial, having previously recused herself.
Attempt by FG’s lawyer to interject, further infuriated the IPOB leader.
“Look at you! A grown-up man like you who should be in the village and who should be making sure that things are done properly, you are here subverting the law,” Kanu fumed.
Turning to the judge, he said: “I don’t recognise the authority of this court to preside over my case. Everything you said here is meaningless to me.
“Why is it that when it comes to my case, everything is turned upside-down?,” he queried, insisting that the memo the CJ sent, which returned the case-file, could not override the enrolled order of the court that recused Justice Nyako from the trial.
When he was told by the judge that he was at liberty to appeal the directive of the CJ, Kanu said: “If the Chief Judge disagrees, he should be the one to appeal the decision.
“You cannot preside over this case, not now, not today, not ever. You stand recused and you must leave my case. I dont need you in my case. You are biased. Tell the Chief Judge that Nnamdi Kanu said so.
“This is not a court of law, this is a shrine of injustice and i will not subject myself to it,” Kanu added.
Not ready to be cowed by Kanu’s outburst, the prosecution counsel, Awomolo, SAN, urged the court to fix a date for his trial.
“My lord, in view of the fact that the defendant has indicated that he will not make a formal application, I apply for your lordship to give us a definite date for trial,” Awomolo, SAN, submitted.
Facing him again, Kanu, said: “Because of money they are paying you from the AGF’s office, a grown-up man like you is here supporting evil. The rule of law says you should go on appeal.
“The same Chief Judge writing this stupid memo, I have recused him before. He sat on appeal, I took him to NJC and recused him. Why is he insisting on this one? He wants to embarrass your lordship by asking her to sit on this case.”
In a short ruling, Justice Nyako, held that she had no option than to adjourn the case indefinitely.
“You have no jurisdiction to adjourn anything. None whatsoever! You cannot make an order without jurisdiction. The memo from the Chief Judge cannot confer jurisdiction upon you,” Kanu insisted.
It will be recalled that Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom, UK.
Justice Nyako had on April 25, 2017, granted him bail on health ground, after he had spent about 18 months in detention.
Upon the perfection of the bail conditions, he was on April 28, 2017, released from the Kuje prison.
However, midway into the trial, the IPOB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.
Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021 and extraordinarily renditioned back to the country by security agents on June 27, 2021.
Following the development, the trial court, on June 29, 2021, remanded him in custody of DSS, where he remained till date.
On April 8, 2022, the court struck out eight out of the 15-count charge that FG preferred against him on the premise that they lacked substance.
Likewise, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on October 13, 2022, ordered Kanu’s immediate release from detention even as it quashed the charge against him.
Dissatisfied with the decision, FG took the matter before the Supreme Court, even as it persuaded the appellate court to suspend the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal.
While deciding the appeal, the Supreme Court, on December 15, 2023, vacated the judgement of the appellate court and gave FG the nod to try the IPOB leader on the subsisting seven-count charge.
The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Ishaq Oloyede has disclosed that “exceptional” students below the age of 16 can register for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as the board had opened the Exceptionally Brilliant Window for such candidates.
He noted that while the examination body had enforced the minimum age requirement for any students into tertiary institutions at 16, the need for below-16s to sit for the UTME was necessitated by the number of rare, exceptional students.
Oloyede, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, stated this as a guest on the Sunday edition of a socio-political programme, Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, on Channels Television.
“In Nigeria, there are many brilliant students, we have so many excellent people. We are enforcing the 16-year minimum entry into tertiary institutions but some people are saying there are exceptional students. Yes, there are exceptional students but they are just one in a million.
“We are saying 16 years is the minimum but if you know you are exceptional, register for exceptional candidacy–that is you are less than 16 years old and exceptional,” he said.
The JAMB registrar equally condemned how some parents now raise the ages of their children.
He cited a case in which students between the ages of 10 to 12 had been registered for the UTME.
“I’m surprised, just from Monday to now, over 2,000 have registered in the whole country. Some of them are 10, 11, and 12-year-olds whose parents have found crooked ways of jumping classes.
“Normal children cannot grow at a rate higher than their biological age. What parents are now doing is increasing the age of their children, they are doing everything, affidavit of age and everything.
“The parents want to use the children to decorate their CVs. They want to say I am the mother of a lawyer, my child graduated at age 13,” Oloyede lamented.
In November 2024, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa announced the reversal of the 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions to 16 years.
“We will not be going forward with the 18-year admission benchmark. We will go with 16 years and we are going to meet with the Joint Admission Matriculation Board and others on that.
“There will also be exceptions for gifted students. So, 18 years is not part of our policy again,” he said.
The former Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, in July 2024, announced a ban on admissions for candidates under the age of 18 into tertiary institutions in the country.
A Nelore cow named Viatina-19 has set a new world record after being sold for an astonishing $4.8 million in Brazil.
Weighing 1,101 kilograms which is twice the typical weight of her breed, Viatina-19 has gained international recognition for her exceptional genetics, superior muscular build, and adaptability to hot climates.
Her record-breaking sale took place in Minas Gerais, where she was auctioned as the most expensive cow in history.
Viatina-19’s value extends beyond her price tag. She holds the Guinness World Record for the highest-priced cow and has also been crowned Miss South America at the Champions of the World competition, a testament to her elite pedigree and outstanding physical traits.
As a purebred Nelore, she features the breed’s signature white fur, loose skin for heat dissipation, and a prominent hump that stores fat for energy during food scarcity—traits that make Nelore cattle particularly suited for tropical and subtropical regions.
Originally from India and introduced to Brazil in the 1800s, the Nelore breed has become a pillar of the country’s livestock industry due to its heat tolerance, disease resistance, and efficient grazing abilities.
Viatina-19’s genetic legacy is expected to influence future breeding, as her eggs will be sold worldwide to enhance cattle quality and productivity
More...
A lawmaker at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Bonu Solomon Saanu, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s giant strides so far.
Hon. Bonu, who represents Badagry Constituency I, gave the commendation while addressing his colleagues on the floor of the Assembly during plenary.
According to the lawmaker, only a leader like Tinubu can attract top opposition elements from other political parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bonu, while speaking against the backdrop of the recent defection of Senator Ned Nwoko of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed optimism that before 2027, APC would have garnered increased support from other parties.
Senator Nwoko presented his resignation letter to the PDP leadership in Ward 8, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, on January 30, 2025.
In the letter, Nwoko complained about the state of the PDP. He also cited deep divisions and irreconcilable factions as the primary reasons for his defection.
“My decision to resign is, first and foremost, due to the deep divisions and factionalisation within the party.
This fragmentation has made it increasingly difficult to foster unity and advance the collective interests of our people,” he said.
Reacting, Bonu said, “The defection of Senator Ned Nwoko to the APC is a testament to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s achievements in office.
“Nigerians are beginning to see how much their President means well to them, his passion for development and progress, and his commitment to ensure Nigeria is great enough for Nigerians.”
He hoped that his colleague, Hon. Foluke Oshafile, the only Labour Party member in the Lagos Assembly, would defect to the APC before the next general elections.
ragedy struck Lubo community in Yamaltu-Deba local government area of Gombe State on Monday morning as a Christian clergyman, Reverend Bala Galadima, was murdered by suspected armed robbers.
LEADERSHIP reports that Galadima is the presiding pastor at Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) worship centre in Lubo community.
It is gathered that the hoodlums killed the cleric in the early hours of Monday at his residence.
Responding to that killing, Governor Inuwa Yahaya has condemned the heartless murder of the clergyman and directed security agencies to track down the murderers.
The governor in a statement by his media aide, Isma’ila Uba Misilli, expressed deep sorrow over the killing.
“Governor Inuwa Yahaya strongly condemned the reprehensible act, describing it as an assault on the peace and security that Gombe State has long enjoyed.
“The governor stressed that such incidents must not be allowed to undermine the peaceful coexistence in the state”, the statement said.
He extended his condolences to the bereaved family, the ECWA Church, and the entire Christian community, praying for the repose of the soul of the deceased
The investigation committee set up by the Nasarawa State government to probe the irregularities that trailed the recent employment of teachers in the state has revealed how the unsuspecting applicants were made to pay huge amounts of money in exchange for appointment letters.
Presenting the report to Governor Abdullahi Sule, the chairman of the committee, Silas Dachor, said officials of the State Teachers Service Commission, charged between N500,000 to 700,000 per applicant in abuse of due process during the exercise.
He said an Access Bank account number was provided for the applicants to pay the money into as appreciation to facilitate the issuance of appointment letters.
“In relation to this, an Access Bank account was provided for interested applicants who were directed to pay in amounts ranging from N500,000 to N700,000 for what was termed appreciation to facilitate the issuance of appointment letter,” he said.
Dachor said the committee discovered that the TSC willfully disobeyed the governor’s instruction to recruit only 1,000 by going ahead to engage 3,277 teachers.
“Indeed, there are hundreds of others in possession of appointment letters who are yet to be posted. This, to say the least, amounts to gross insubordination to His Excellency and a great disservice to the government and people of Nasarawa State.
“Furthermore, the committee found out that the recruitment did not in any way reflect the needs of the school system, contrary to the rationale of the exercise, which was to fill existing vacancies.
“We also found that the exercise did not show a fair spread across local government areas and, worse still, there was no evidence that the recruitment was based on merit but merely selective, thus edging out other potential candidates,” he said.
Responding, Governor Sule expressed dismay over the magnitude of corruption that trailed the exercise.
He said the only option left to the state government was to handover the affected officials to security agencies for prosecution.
“The aspect of them collecting money from people, I don’t even have the power to handle that.
“The security agencies should be involved to see how these innocent children would get back their money.
“How do we accommodate 3,277 teachers today in Nasarawa State? Where are you going to get the money to pay them? Where are you posting them?
“But that is not even the biggest worry. The biggest worry is that the entire exercise was not done on merit, which means we have engaged people who are not qualified to be posted as teachers,” he said.
He said the state government has no capacity to engage over 3000 teachers.
“We employ people because of the vacancies that exist. You can’t go employing teachers without knowing where to post them.
“The most important thing is not about politics but about the education of our own children.
“This is beyond politics. We are not going to build a society until we have a society of people who are educated.
“We cannot have a society of educated people unless we have the right teachers,” he explained.
Nigerians were shocked to see the level of humility displayed by David ‘Davido’ Adeleke via one of his recent posts. The singer again showed off his philanthropic side after he shared a list of orphanages that he was able to cater to through his foundation – the David Adeleke Foundation.
In 2024, WITHIN NIGERIA reported that the father of twins went on X on his 32nd birthday to share with his fans that he would donate to orphanages and charity homes that help the young avoid drug abuse addiction. He stated that the amount would be N300 million, noting that he would release more details as time progressed. In Davido’s words:
“Once again my birthday this year we Donating to ophanages and a charity that helps young people stay away from drug abuse & addiction. This year is N300m . Details to follow soon ❤.”
However, in an unanticipated post, on Sunday evening February 9, Davido wrote:
“My foundation was able help over 500 motherless babies home this year .. we go again next year!”
