Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the house of representatives, says political parties must identify and nurture young Nigerians to take over leadership positions.

Abbas spoke in Abuja on Monday at the youth town hall meeting organised by the national assembly on the 2025 budget.

The speaker said Nigerian youths are active participants in governance and development, adding that their creative energy is necessary in every critical sector of society.

Abbas advised the youths to unite and boldly propose their demands and expectations for the 2025 budget.

 

“Your energy, creativity, and resilience are transforming every sector of our society, from agriculture to technology, arts, sports, and entrepreneurship,” the speaker said.

“Across these fields, you demonstrate that Nigerian youths can achieve greatness with the right support and opportunities.

“Yet, we must ask ourselves: how can you do even more? How can we, as leaders, create an enabling environment that allows your potential to flourish fully?

 

“This dialogue is, therefore, so important to explore how government policies, budgets, and programmes can better support you in taking your rightful place as drivers of national development.

“The responsibility of building the next generation of leaders must not be left to chance. Political parties, as key institutions of democracy, have an urgent role to play in identifying, nurturing, and empowering young people to assume leadership positions.

“The challenges of our time, from climate change to digital transformation, economic shocks to global security issues, demand leaders who are prepared, knowledgeable, and visionary. Preparation is, therefore, non-negotiable in leadership.

“It requires education, exposure, mentorship, and a strong sense of duty and integrity. Young Nigerians must be intentional about preparing themselves to lead, not just politically but in every sphere of society.

“I call on political parties to take seriously their mandate to scout for and develop young talents, ensuring that leadership succession is deliberate and inclusive. The future of our democracy and the survival of our institutions hinge on this.

Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of the SPAC Nation church in the United Kingdom (UK), says his current travails are politically motivated.

The Nigerian pastor, who is at the centre of a UK deportation saga, said the persecution started after a member of parliament (MP) from his district alleged that he was advocating against the gay community.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Adegboyega said the MP reported the church’s activities to the police.

He said the police could not investigate the allegations against him and the church because they were “all nonsensical”.

“You can’t claim that our proof is inflated without telling us why. The UK Metropolitan Police gathered charities in the UK and asked them to go to SPAC Nation. I wrote solutions for the home office,” he said.

“Truths must be backed with facts. For 10 years, we have been persecuted without one single move.

“Allegations without indictment, so why shouldn’t we suspect biases?

“We have a situation where people believed I was supporting certain political parties because one person believed that my agenda was to go against the gay community, and from that day, we have been to reconciliation meetings.

“The person wrote that my evangelical zeal was to make sure that the gay community in that area does not survive.

“He took dossiers of evidence against the church to the sacred ground of the parliament and submitted it to the internal affairs minister, who submitted it to the police, and the police came back to say that they couldn’t even investigate one thing because it was all nonsensical.

“The person is an MP, and the same person is sitting behind these things, making sure that he is not defeated.

“If there is any honour left in his system, what such men should do is apologise unless you’re saying the police authority of Great Britain is inept, which would be quite unfortunate.”

Adegboyega dismissed the deportation case against him, stressing that the focus should be on the contribution of his church to the safety and businesses of people in the UK.

“The country cannot deny it. There is no prime minister who can deny the result of the work we have done. When the metropolitan police came to the church, that was about three years ago; they sat down, and they came to learn,” he said.

“It is our result of how many lives have been saved, how many knives we have taken off the street, and how many businesses we created for this economy.

“We had a few hours of the tribunal, and in the tribunal, I was given a few hours to talk about the SPAC Nation, and we defended the honour of the SPAC Nation.”

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved the N47.96 trillion 2025 budget.

Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, spoke to journalists after the council’s last meeting in 2024 about its decisions.

Bagudu said the 2025 budget represents a 36.8 percent increase from the N27.9 trillion 2024 estimate.

The minister said the 2025 framework is based on key economic projections, including an oil price benchmark of $75 per barrel, daily oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd), and an exchange rate of N1,400/$.

“Today, the federal executive council approved the budget proposals for 2025 with amendments which Mr president directed following a presentation to the federal executive council led by the director general of the budget office, Tanimu Yakubu,” the minister said.

“The 2025 framework is based on the oil price benchmark of $75 per barrel. Oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day. Exchange rate of one 1400 naira (to the dollar).

“All these are already included in the medium-term expenditure framework which we have presented here, which have also been approved by the national assembly. 

“So the total projected revenue for 2025 stands at N34.82 trillion out of which the expenditure is projected at N47.96 trillion which is an increase of 36.8% from the 2024 estimate.”

Bagudu said the deficit for 2025 is projected at N13.13 trillion representing 3.89 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

On December 12, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that Tinubu would present the 2025 budget on Tuesday.

nformation obtained from the World Bank’s website, has indicated that the apex bank is set to decide on three major loan projects for Nigeria in 2025, totalling $1.65bn.

This is part of the bank’s effort to address critical challenges in the country.

According to Punch, the loans currently in the pipeline, will focus on internally displaced persons, education, and nutrition enhancement.

The loans are designed to support Nigeria’s social and economic recovery, particularly in vulnerable sectors requiring urgent intervention.

The first project, titled Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project, has a commitment amount of $300m and is scheduled for approval on April 8, 2025.

The project, which remains at the concept review stage, seeks to provide sustainable solutions for internally displaced persons and their host communities, addressing their social and economic challenges.

The second project, HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All, is expected to receive $553.8m in financing.

Its approval is slated for March 20, 2025, and it also remains in the concept review phase.

The third project, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0, involves the largest share of the proposed loans, with a commitment of $800m.

The World Bank is expected to hold a decision meeting on the project by February 20, 2025.

The $1.65bn financing package reflects the World Bank’s continued commitment to supporting Nigeria’s ongoing reforms.

The World Bank’s schedule indicates that decisions on these loans will be made in early 2025, with Nigeria’s ability to meet project prerequisites and demonstrate accountability in implementation likely to play a key role in getting the funds.

Super Eagles of Nigeria forward, Ademola Lookman has succeeded his countryman, Victor Osimhen, as the CAF Men’s Player of the Year in 2024.

Ademola Lookman, who is currently 27-year-old clinched the CAF prestigious honor during the award ceremony at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier today, December 16.

The Atalanta winger, who started his international football career with the England youth team, contended with Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams for the honor. Interestingly, he was deemed better than the aforementioned players.

Ademola Lookman at the 2024 CAF Awards in Morocco.

Note that since the list of nominees was announced in November, most football enthusiasts believe that Lookman was more deserving of the honor than his competitors.

The former Leicester City winger had a superb 2023-2024 season with Atalanta as he helped them to win the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the history of the Italian side.

Recall that Lookman became the first player in history to score a hat-trick in the final of the said tournament as Atalanta won the trophy by beating the German Bundesliga invincibles Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.

He was also one of the highest goalscorers at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in which he helped Nigeria finish second behind the hosts.

Last season, Ademola Lookman scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists for Atalanta. So far this season, the Nigeria international has scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists in 19 games in all competitions.

Below are major stats of Ademola Lookman in 2024: 

1.  Over 20 MOTM Awards
2. Reached the AFCON Final
3. Scores brace in AFCON R16
4. Scores winner in AFCON QF
5. AFCON Team of the Tournament
6. Hat-trick in the Europa League final
7. Only African Nominated for the 2024 Ballon ‘Or

Two major meetings were held over the weekend that just passed that have implications for the future of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the possible resolution or otherwise of political developments among member-states in the last two to three years, with implications for the future of the sub-regional organization. ECOWAS was established in May 1975, when 15 West African states signed the Treaty of Lagos to establish a platform for the promotion of economic integration. This particular treaty was revised on July 24 1993, but the essential purpose of ECOWAS has remained consistent: trade facilitation, free movement of persons and goods, solidarity, promotion of human rights and peace. The sixteenth member joined in 1977, making the membership 16. In addition to its many guidelines and principles, ECOWAS has a general framework which also guides protocols and relations among members. In July 1991, it adopted the Declaration of Political Principles as a cardinal rule, and in 2001, the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. One of those protocols is the underlying trigger for this commentary, to wit: the principle of customary international law enshrined in Article 2 (4) of the 1945 UN Charter which binds member-states against the use of force as a means of changing governments, in the absence of armed attack or self-defence.  In 1978, ECOWAS signed a protocol on non-aggression against member states and in 1981, members agreed that in the event of any act of aggression against a member, they would come together in mutual self-defence and protect the victim-state to ensure peace, security and stability, by military means if possible and if inevitable, as seen in the interventions of ECOMOG in Liberia (1990) and Sierra Leone (1998). Even the African Union (AU) enabled by its Article 4(h) can be called upon to intervene when the basic protocols have been breached. This however is a slightly complicated area of the subject which we need not bring into this commentary. 

What we know is that ECOWAS specifically sees pro-democratic intervention as its bounden duty, but the effectuation of this has been a problem in the sub-region over the years and to cite a recent example, in 2016, when ECOWAS threatened to deploy a standby ECOWAS force in The Gambia to restore the people’s wish if Yahya Jammeh refused to leave office. Jammeh was eased out and a standby force did not have to intervene.  But a turning point came for ECOWAS when the military seized power in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Guinea in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in July 2023. ECOWAS, with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu as Chair, thought it needed to intervene to return these countries to democracy, the rise of military juntas in the sub-region being a threat to democratic consolidation. ECOWAS suspended the states in line with its protocols and proceeded to impose political and economic sanctions. It threatened to deploy troops if it became necessary. This was an act of political miscalculation. 

In the four countries, there were civilian protests against ECOWAS, particularly in former French colonies of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. The more interesting part of it is that the ECOWAS was accused of being too pro-French.  In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the people publicly denounced continued association with France and specifically in Niger, the people openly waved Russian flags and pulled down French flags. From Senegal to Niger, a wave of rebellion erupted in the former colonies, in what signalled a creeping failure of French relations with its former colonies in Africa. Senegal has had to shut down French military bases to assert its sovereignty, in Burkina Faso the military junta revoked gold permits that had been awarded to French companies, in Niger, the government similarly cancelled the mining permit of Orano, the French nuclear producer that runs the uranium mines in that country. In addition, Niger revoked its tax co-operation treaties with France as also did Mali, which broke off from its defence accord with France, and its 11 colonial agreements with the former overlord. In the vacuum created by these new realities, Russia and its Wagner group became the favourite partner of former French colonies in West Africa. The Sahel region has been a hotbed of violence and terrorism and naturally, there were concerns about the implications of the presence of Russia and Wagner in the sub-region and the festering anti-West sentiments in the backyard of ECOWAS members. ECOWAS eventually had to review its threat of sanctions, and military action and adopted the options of diplomacy and dialogue. This achieved little or nothing. In January 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their decision to quit ECOWAS. They formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as their own confederation as an alternative to ECOWAS. Their departure under Article 91 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty would become effective on January 29, 2025. The resort to diplomacy, an afterthought by ECOWAS also yielded no results. In July, ECOWAS appointed President Bassirou Faye of Senegal as the mediator with the aggrieved countries. President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo was also sent on diplomatic shuttles to Niger. President Tinubu as ECOWAS Chairman, also sent other envoys to the Sahel.   

Barely a month to the January deadline, there was a meeting of Ministers of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in Niamey last Saturday, December 14, where they reiterated that the departure of the three countries from ECOWAS, effective January 29, 2025 is “irreversible.” They however also resolved that the three countries would remain visa-free for all ECOWAS countries after the exit. While the latter resolution may alleviate fears about the free movement of goods and services, there is still the residual challenge of insecurity in the Sahel, and the threat of a further tumultuous season in that part of West Africa with wider implications for regional peace. It is perhaps out of this realization that the Authority of Heads of State and Governments at its 66^th Ordinary Summit last weekend, Sunday, December 15 at the State House in Abuja, decided to vary Article 91 of the Revised Treaty and granted the departing trio an extension of six months from January 29 to July 29. This is basically to create room for further diplomatic negotiations in the hope that the three countries can be brought back into the fold. In Niamey, on Saturday, the AES Ministers still made it clear that ECOWAS leaders are too subservient to France. Without being specific, they may well have been referring to President Tinubu who recently returned from France where he was treated to a lavish and grand reception by President Emmanuel Macron. It remains to be seen whether the AES would reverse itself. It is a long wait but as certain as daylight, July 29, 2025 would soon be upon us. In the meantime, the ECOWAS Commission has been directed to begin work on the necessary withdrawal formalities, while the mediator continues with last-ditch efforts to keep the dream of the founding fathers of ECOWAS alive, giving the AES an opportunity to have a re-think. 

It is further instructive that at the ECOWAS meeting of Heads of States and Governments, President Tinubu, Chairman, took time out to praise the just concluded general elections in Ghana and parliamentary elections in Senegal. He even praised Ghana’s Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who conceded defeat to the candidate of the opposition, President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He praised the government and people of Ghana for their maturity. This was a subtle dig at the leaders of the West African countries where the military chose to resort to force and aggression.  Without a doubt, the rise of military juntas poses a threat to democracy in West Africa and peace in the region. The romance of the juntas with Russia and China dangerously positions the region as a territory for proxy conflicts among major Western powers. It is an ill-wind. ECOWAS needs to do more to persuade the errant countries to restore constitutional order. The leaders also need to reinvent and retool the organization.

By next July, it will be 50 years since ECOWAS was established. It would be pertinent to ask: how has the body fared? Has it so far fulfilled the ambitions of its founding fathers? Today, only one of those leaders who established ECOWAS in 1975 is still alive. Would General Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria be proud of what ECOWAS has become? What are the challenges facing the body? How can it be reformed? Mutual suspicion among the various blocs: Anglophone, Francophone and the Lusophone has been a major issue for ECOWAS: how can the goal of integration be better realized?  In 50 years, whatever the challenges may have been, it can be said that ECOWAS has been pivotal in forging cooperation, integration and trade within the region. ECOWAS in 2010 adopted Vision 2020, and also later a Vision 2050 roadmap to deepen the original objectives of the association. There may have been challenges: insecurity in the Sahel, Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin, Ebola, COVID-19 and the emergent threat of military juntas, but on the whole, the main achievements of the body deserve to be celebrated. ECOWAS fought to restore peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and has been vocal in insisting on good governance. There are hitches in person-to-person relations within the body, over trade, commerce and space, but the free movement of goods and services has been largely beneficial. ECOWAS ranks probably as the most successful regional economic bloc in the continent, in terms of conflict management. 

But ECOWAS has lost steam. It needs re-organization. It is unfortunate that the same ECOWAS that acted decisively in Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia is now the same body that is now being treated scornfully by a group of military adventurists who have reversed democratic progress in the Sahel. Their effrontery is fuelled by the descent into poverty and anomie in their countries. The clamour for change that compelled the people of Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Niger to embrace the military is simply their frustration with the leaders in those countries. The people seek change and they embrace it in whatever shape it presents itself, with high expectations too, because they no longer trust their leaders who have alienated them and placed a greater accent on their own elite well-being rather than the common good for the people’s benefit. The people are led by persons who promote injustice, inequality, nepotism. They rig elections and do not allow the people’s vote to count. When the military intervenes, the people see the intervention as a form of liberation from the shackles of oppression. In Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, they trooped to the streets in jubilation, almost like the situation today in Syria with the fall of Bashar Assad and the Assad dynasty, one of the most murderous ruling houses in the Middle East which clung to power for 54 years.  In Mali in August 2020, when Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was removed in a military coup over allegations of corruption, fraud and electoral violence, the people were joyous. They carried placards saying “This isn’t a coup. It is a Revolution”. There was yet another coup in May 2021. Similarly in Niger in 2023, thousands of people gathered to hail the generals who led the coup in that country. The urgent matter that West Africa needs to resolve is the challenge of good leadership and governance.  

There is a need at the organizational level for a re-dedication to the ideals of ECOWAS, and to develop a higher sense of belonging among the member-states and the over 420 million people that make up the region. As ECOWAS steps into its 50^thyear, it is in urgent need of reform and we need to see the members being faithful. At the last meeting of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Governments, Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, commended Nigeria for having paid up its community levies for 2023, with the 2024 levy paid up to July this year. He advised other member states to emulate Nigeria’s example. I guess it has become a habit among ECOWAS members to allow Nigeria to do the heavy lifting in terms of funding while others tag along and yet enjoy the benefits of membership. It is important that all parties pay their levies as and when due. The various structures of the body must be overhauled to ensure equity and deepen trade facilitation.  The ideals of free movement of persons across the region should be enhanced. It must be possible for any national of an ECOWAS state to live and work in any of the member states without being subjected to undue discrimination or harassment. The celebration of ECOWAS at 50 must be an occasion for sober reflection and renewal. President Bola Tinubu was elected for a second term as Chairman of ECOWAS in July 2024. He would preside over the 50th anniversary celebrations before handing over the seat in July 2025. He may have listed some of his achievements as ECOWAS Chairman at the 66^th Ordinary session in Abuja; he would be required to give a fuller account of his tenure and the status of ECOWAS as part of the 50^th anniversary. There is a lot more that can be done.     

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, has ordered an investigation into the death of two Okuama community leaders, Pa James Oghoroko and Dennis Okugbaye while in Army custody.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur, disclosed this while speaking during the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy Committee’s end-of-year briefing.

Tukur revealed that the Defence Chief directed the 6th Division of the Nigerian Army to investigate the allegations and submit a report by Monday.

Oghoroko, the President-General of the Okuama community, and Oghoroko, 81, the community’s treasurer, reportedly died six days apart after being detained by the military.

The duo along with four others — Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mabel Owhemu, and Mr. Dennis Malaka — were arrested during a military operation conducted between August 18 and 20.

The arrests followed the killing of 17 soldiers on March 14, during a peace mission aimed at resolving a dispute between Okuama and the neighbouring Okoloba community.

Speaking on the matter for the first time, Gusau said, “Regarding allegations of deaths in detention over the weekend, headlines surfaced suggesting that individuals detained in connection with the Okuama incident had died.

“Immediately, the CDS directed an investigation to be conducted by the 6 Division. Any moment from now, we expect the findings on whether the claims are true or not. For now, these remain allegations.

“We are committed to uncovering the truth, and by tomorrow, we will have more details.”

The Federal Government has announced a free train ride for any Nigerian wishing to travel to celebrate the Christmas festivities.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the announcement on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting.

He noted that the free train ride will commence from 20th December, 2024, and end on 5th January, 2025.

According to Idris, Nigerians can access the train rides on all the routes where train services are currently being rendered.

More details later…

The Nigerian Government has renamed the University of Abuja after former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.

The institution will henceforth be known as Yakubu Gowon University.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris announced the name change shortly after the last Federal Executive Council meeting for the year 2024, chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

He explained that the decision was taken in recognition of the enormous contribution of Gowon to nation building.

Details later…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 192 foreign nationals for their alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams, marking the largest such operation in the commission’s history.

Among those arrested are 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Khazartans, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian. The suspects were apprehended in a surprise operation at their hideout, a seven-storey building known as the Big Leaf Building, located at No. 7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The EFCC revealed that the operation was the result of actionable intelligence and months of surveillance on the activities of the syndicate. The investigation confirmed that the foreigners used the building, which appeared to be a legitimate corporate office, to train Nigerian accomplices on how to execute romance and investment scams. They also used Nigerian identities to carry out their fraudulent schemes.

The facility, equipped with high-end desktop computers, contained several floors dedicated to criminal activities. On the fifth floor, investigators seized 500 SIM cards of local telecom providers, which were acquired for illicit purposes.

According to the EFCC, the foreign suspects recruited Nigerian accomplices to target victims primarily in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and various European countries through phishing schemes. The Nigerian operatives were given desktop computers and mobile devices, creating fake profiles to engage victims in fraudulent romantic and business conversations.

These accomplices communicated with victims using WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram, often pretending to be business professionals or romantic partners. The scammers encouraged victims to register on a fake online investment platform, www.yooto.com, where they were required to pay activation fees starting at $35 to open an account.

The EFCC’s successful operation marks a significant blow to the international syndicate involved in these scams.

Details later: