Esther Marcus, a woman who claims to be a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police from the Nigeria Police Force, has shared her experience of being underpaid after 35 years of service.

In the now-viral video, Marcus, who claimed to have joined the force before clocking 16 years, disclosed that after retiring in 2018, she received N1.7 million as her gratuity and was subsequently placed on a monthly pension of N40,000.

Voicing her frustration over what she called the “dirty contributory pension scheme,” she said, “My name is Esther Marcus, a retired DSP of the Nigerian Police Force. I retired on November 1, 2018. I just want to use myself as a case study. It’s applicable to every other police officer under this dirty contributory pension scheme.

“After serving for 35 years, though I joined the Nigeria Police Force at a very young age, I escorted a friend; unfortunately, she was not selected, but I was chosen because I was tall, even though I was not yet 16 when I joined the Nigeria Police Force. 

“And when I retired in 2018, I waited for over a year before I was given N1.7 million… after 35 years. Then, after waiting for another three months, they started paying me N40,000 as my monthly pension after giving me N1.7 million after serving for 35 years. And that applies to every other policeman and policewoman who retired under this dirty scheme called the contributory pension scheme. That’s what we’ve been going through.”

According to her, the Federal Government’s responses to their pleas have been largely ignored, despite multiple public hearings on the issue.

Marcus added, “This struggle has been ongoing for over 10 years now because when I retired in 2018, there was a police retirees’ meeting. They started it in 2017 or thereabouts, and all our cries to the Federal Government have been met with deaf ears. It’s not an insult, but that’s the truth.

“They are aware of what we’re going through. They’ve held about three or four public hearings on this case. But when the Army was retiring, the DSS and other paramilitary forces — there was nothing like a public hearing.”

Marcus also highlighted what she saw as inequality within the police force, claiming that senior officers like the Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs), Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), and the Inspector General (IG) have been exempted from this pension scheme.

“The AIGs, DIGs, and IGs have exempted themselves from this dirty contributory pension scheme. They only left the Commissioners of Police downwards; they are the ones suffering it,” she said.

“The president cannot say he hasn’t heard this issue. He knows what is happening,” she added.

Marcus, determined to continue the fight for justice, vowed that the retired police officers would not stop advocating for their rights, saying,
“Let me tell you, we will never stop fighting because even those coming behind us… you cannot just see pure injustice and not fight against it. It’s not possible.”

“How do you expect me to survive on N40,000? That’s for me as a DSP. We have two-star officers, and one-star officers, who are receiving N28,000. And you want them to survive on this? What offence did the police commit to deserve this ill-treatment?” she questioned.

“We will not stop fighting,” she affirmed. “What we are planning now is to go and occupy their National Assembly and call CNN to cover the whole programme.”

She added that anyone opposing this reform is akin to a vulture, waiting for the vulnerable to perish.

“Anyone who is against us will not escape from this evil bondage,” she said. “That person, that man, that group who doesn’t want the police to be exempted from this evil— they are vultures because a vulture only waits for its victim to die, then it comes to feed. And that’s what’s been happening.”

Marcus further expressed her frustration, stating that it is unrealistic to expect police officers to stop engaging in corrupt practices when they know retirement will bring them into such financial circumstances.

She said, “You want the police, knowing fully well that when they retire, they are going into hell; you want them to stop corruption? They will continue collecting. They will continue extorting. They will continue enriching themselves by whatever means they can.”

A 7-Year-Old boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game park inhabited by lions and elephants in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament.

The ordeal began when Tinotenda Pudu wandered at least 23 km (14 miles) from home into the "perilous" Matusadona Game Park, said Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi on X.

He spent five days "sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits", she said.

Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one point, it had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.

The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident to the BBC but said the boy was seven-years-old rather than eight, as the MP had said, and walked 49 km (30 miles) from home.

Murombedzi said the boy used his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to stay alive.

Tinotenda survived his ordeal by eating wild fruit. He also dug small wells into dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water - a skill taught in the drought-prone area.

Members of the local Nyaminyami community started a search party and beat drums each day to try and guide him back home.

But ultimately, it was park rangers who managed to find him.

On his fifth day in the wild, Tinotenda heard a ranger's car and ran toward it, narrowly missing it, the MP said.

Luckily, the rangers returned, spotted "fresh little human footprints," and searched the area until they found him.

"This was probably his last chance of being rescued after five days in the wilderness," said the MP.

The park is over 1,470 sq km (570 sq miles) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions, and antelope.

Across social media, people have been praising the young boy for his resilience.

"This is beyond human comprehension," one person wrote on X.

Another user wrote: "He's going to have one hell of a story to tell when he gets back to school."

A Zambian police officer reportedly under the influence of alcohol released 13 detainees to celebrate the New Year, sparking a manhunt for the escaped suspects.

The BBC reported that Inspector Titus Phiri allegedly took cell keys from Constable Serah Banda at Leonard Cheelo police station in Lusaka on New Year’s Eve, freeing individuals held for crimes including assault, robbery, and burglary.

Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga described the incident, stating, “In a state of intoxication, [Phiri] forcibly seized cell keys… unlocked both the male and female cells, and instructed the suspects to leave, stating they were free to cross over into the new year.”

Following the escape of 13 out of the 15 detainees, Phiri himself fled the station. The officer has yet to address the allegations.

This unusual incident drew parallels to a 1997 episode when the late High Court Judge Kabazo Chanda ordered the release of 53 detainees.

Judge Chanda criticized the prolonged detention of suspects, some held as far back as 1992, without trial. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he declared at the time.

Reacting to the latest case, lawyer and former presidential spokesperson Dickson Jere commented on Facebook, “I keep laughing each time I picture the scenario – comical! But then, I remembered a similar incident in 1997.”

The Kano State Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, has warned Present Bola Tinubu that he would be voted out in 2027 if he fails to change his economic policies.

Speaking to newsmen in Kano, the NNPP chieftain stated that his party would have victory in the 36 states of the federation and the presidential election in 2027.

He claimed that Nigerians are now queuing behind the party, waiting patiently for the next general election.

Dungurawa said, “With these your harsh anti-masses policies, and your stance on them, just prepare for defeat in the next general elections. You either change them or we Nigerians together will change you.”

Speaking further, he said, “From the podium on May 29, 2023, President Tinubu started reeling out anti-masses policies, and as if we offended him, he kept slamming such policies on us up till today.

“Therefore with these problems and many more created by the APC government, it is just a matter of time but we are going to ensure that Tinubu is out in 2027 and Kwankwaso, a true democrat, comes in.”

He said his party has opened offices and had formed structures in the states and local government across the federation, stressing that the development is a clear indication that NNPP would win both state and federal seat come 2027.

According to him, NNPP recorded tremendous successes in 2024, and is on course to achieve more in 2025.

“You are all living witnesses that we are lucky to have a God fearing governor who has restructured Kano in terms of infrastructure, empowerment and human development.

“Kano can now compete with any modern city globally, especially with the state of the art facilities made available in the metropolitan and rural areas,” he added.

Dungurawa maintained that the only challenge the party is facing is alleged plans by the Federal Government to make the country a one-party system.

He advised the Federal Government to intensify efforts in introducing policies that would alleviate the sufferings of the people.

Former senator, Babafemi Ojudu has revealed how President Bola Tinubu secretly recorded a Jewish lawyer detailing the massive looting orchestrated by former military ruler Sani Abacha in the 1990s.

Ojudu shared the account during an interview with Edmund Obilo while discussing his book, Adventures of A Guerrilla Journalist.

Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 to 1998, is estimated to have diverted around $5 billion into foreign accounts, including banks in the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Over the years, the Nigerian government has been working to recover the stolen funds.

Recounting his experience as a journalist in exile, Ojudu said he met Tinubu in the UK, where the latter introduced him to the Jewish lawyer.

The lawyer, according to Ojudu, promised to provide critical information on Abacha’s corruption and those complicit in the looting.

In a surprising twist, Ojudu revealed that Tinubu excused himself midway through the meeting, claiming he needed to use the bathroom. Unknown to the lawyer, Tinubu used the brief absence to switch the recording tape in the device capturing their discussion.

He said, “I was excited as a newsman. We went there and sat before the lawyer. He (the lawyer) kept reeling out how Abacha was stealing, and who was helping him.

“The name that was constantly mentioned was the Chagoury brothers. I was so excited but I felt so bad that because I couldn’t write. I needed to take notes. I kept trying to memorise whatever I could.

“Midway to the engagement, our brother (Tinubu) excused himself to go to the bathroom and came back. After about two hours, the engagement came to an end and we hailed a taxi to return to his house.

“While there, I said what you took me to listen to today was super exclusive but unfortunately I will have to talk to you when we get home so that if you remember some things I will note them down.

“He said to me: Don’t worry yourself. I had a tape recorder with me. That time I went to the bathroom, I went to change the recording from side one to side two. That is why I flushed the toilet so that the man would not know that I was changing the tape.”

Ojudu described Tinubu as a “strategist” who would do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

He, however, said Tinubu tried to stop the story from being published.

“He (Tinubu) is a strategist. He does what he has to do to get what he has to get. I love to work with people like that, who will always find a solution,” Ojudu added.

He stated, “We got home and ate. He was on the couch and slept off. I rifled through him and took the tape and then woke him and said I was leaving.

“About 8pm when I got to my hotel, I quickly changed my flight to the following morning.

“He (Tinubu) called me at 8pm and said: Femi where are you, I can’t find that tape. I said it was with me. He said: what are you doing with it? I said I am going home tomorrow to publish it. He said if you publish it; you are dead. I said I would publish it and let them kill me.

“So, I got back to Nigeria and played the tape to some of my staff, gave them assignments on what they should check and we ran the story. It was a story that shook Abacha.”

A former political ally of President Bola Tinubu, Professor Usman Bugaje, has said the Man of the Year award given to the President would not erase the suffering he caused the citizens.

The former national secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Professor Bugaje, said the Tinubu he knew when they were both in ACN was different from the man who has become President.

In an interview on Arise News on Thursday, Bugaje claimed that President Tinubu moved from being a progressive politician to almost a monarch.

“ThisDay has every right to declare whoever it wants as man of the year, and I don’t quite know what criteria and what methods they followed to arrive at that conclusion, but for all I know and for all many Nigerians who remember President Tinubu is the suffering that has been associated with his presidency since he arrived.

“Yes, I used to know him to be man of ideas with books around and we used to engage because if you remember I was the National Secretary of AC, which later became ACN, while I was still the National Secretary. So I had occasion to interact very closely and fairly consistently for a long period of time.

“I find all that has evaporated. I don’t see the ideas, I don’t see the dynamism, I don’t see that progressiveness. I see somebody who is almost turning into a monarch,” he said.

The Islamic Scholar condemned President Tinubu’s stance on the Tax Reform Bill during his media chat with selected journalists. He stated that the Tax Reform Bill was not submitted to the National Assembly in line with rules.

“In the last media chart, if I got it right, he did talk about the tax bill being sacrosanct. How can it be sacrosanct? This is a bill in front of the National Assembly. Even at that, not properly presented to the National Assembly, because when the Senate presented it was not on the order paper. And you can’t discuss by parliamentary rules and procedures any matter which is not already in the order paper. So this idea to smuggle things and this idea of coming through the back door creates a lot of suspicion,” he stated.

Bugaje advised the government to focus on ensuring food security and not taxation. He said without food security, there would be no peace in the country.

He continued, “I can go on, but let me make three points if you please. And this is not just about the President Tinubu. It covers almost all our political, if you like, leaders, or if you like the leadership that this democracy has produced in the last 25 years, characterized by three things.

“And whatever man of the year you become and whatever thing you want to do, unless you capture these things or you address these issues, is very difficult for anybody, no matter how well-intentioned. The fact that we don’t have an appreciation of the future.

“When government spokesmen speak and when ministers address us on issues around their own mandate, their ministries, they don’t seem to have the figures. They don’t seem to have the idea of the previous efforts. There is no vision. We can’t see.

“Let me just use one or two things to illustrate that, if you please. One, 2023, the grains deficit, just grains, that’s food that Nigerians eat, the deficit, that’s the difference between consumption and actual production, was about 30 million metric tons. Since then, we have had floods in Maiduguri, floods in Jigawa, floods in Taraba, floods in Zamfara, floods in so many other places, insecurity has escalated.

“So that must have affected us. So what is our grain deficit this year? And what are the measures to address this grain deficit? If you can’t have food, you can’t have peace. And you cannot talk about reforms, you cannot talk about taxation. So I don’t see a conversation that demonstrates a proper understanding of the issues in agriculture.”

The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has visited Nigeria’s former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, at his Minna residence in Niger State.

Obi, in a post on his X account on Thursday, confirmed the visit, which came after his meeting with Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi.

The Labour Party leader revealed that his discussions with Babangida revolved around key national issues. 

“After leaving Jigawa State, I traveled to Minna, Niger State, to visit a father figure, elder statesman, and leader, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, at his residence. It was an opportunity to wish him a Happy New Year and exchange thoughts on national matters.

“General Babangida’s wisdom and insights remain invaluable, and I always cherish the opportunity to meet him and benefit from his guidance and advice,” Obi shared.

Nigerian telecommunications companies have proposed a 100 per cent increase in their tariffs, pending approval from the government.

The proposal, which has been submitted to the Nigerian Communications Commission, aims to address rising operational costs, including inflation and increased service delivery expenses.

The disclosure was made by the Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday.

However, the CEO expressed that it remains uncertain whether the Nigerian Communications Commission—the telecom regulator, will approve the proposal.

According to Toriola, the proposed tariff hike is necessary for the sustainability of the industry, which has been facing significant financial pressures due to rising operational costs.

“We’ve put forward requests of approximately 100 per cent tariff increases to regulators. I doubt they’re going to approve that quantum of increases because they are very, very sensitive to the current economic situation in the country,” Toriola said.

Despite the challenges, Toriola expressed optimism that regulators would make the right decision, taking into account the realities of the sector.

The CEO emphasised that the focus is on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry, rather than short-term profitability.

“I believe we’re all on the same side, the policymakers, the regulators, our Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, and the industry. We’re united because we share concerns about a few fundamental issues. First, human rights, are critical to driving any economy. Without a sustainable industry, the broader economy and the well-being of the people will be negatively impacted.”

The proposal comes amid rising costs for telecom companies, driven by factors such as inflation, exchange rate fluctuations, and the increasing price of key operational inputs like diesel, power generation, and raw materials.

Toriola highlighted the pressure these rising costs have put on telecom businesses, making it difficult for many companies to maintain profitable operations.

Earlier this week, operators issued a statement warning that service disruptions are imminent unless tariffs are adjusted to account for escalating operational costs.

The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo described the telecom sector as “under siege,” citing soaring operational costs driven by inflation, volatile exchange rates, and rising energy prices.

He noted that despite these challenges, tariffs have remained unchanged, leaving operators struggling to maintain quality service and expand their networks.

The telcom chief warned that without an immediate tariff adjustment, operators may resort to service shedding, leading to limited availability of telecom services in certain areas.

The first call for a tariff adjustment was made in April 2024, but no significant progress has been achieved.

In response to the growing financial strain, ALTON and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria issued a joint statement urging the Federal Government to facilitate a constructive dialogue with industry stakeholders.

The associations emphasised the need for a framework that balances consumer affordability with operators’ financial sustainability, following 11 years of tariff stability.

With a shared commitment to preserving the sector’s future, operators are calling on all stakeholders to act before it’s too late, warning that failure to do so will risk the survival of one of Nigeria’s most critical industries.

THE Bishop of Ifako Diocese, African Church, Rt Rev. Isaac Akin Falana, has raised the alarm over the high rate of divorce across the country while suggesting measures to address the problem.

Falana called for urgent measures to nip the development in the bud.

He said this in a short sermon during the wedding ceremony of Oluwaseun Babatunde and Folorunsho-Alaba Obadeyi in Lagos.

The cleric, who expressed worry over the high rate of divorce among couples in the country especially weddings held in Churches and Mosques, said it is wrong for young couples to consider divorce as the best solution to any minor disagreement in their marriage.

The cleric urged couples to learn to settle disagreements through dialogue and endurance rather than considering divorce while noting that there is no perfect marriage anywhere.

He said: “Couples should endeavour to study and know their partners very well and strengthen the bond between them.

“Couples cannot behave the same way. They should only try to understand each other, ensure unity and show tolerance. A man is expected to love his wife and a woman is expected to show respect to her husband. These are quite important.”

Falana also emphasized the need for couples to kneel down and pray when there are issues troubling them and jointly seek solutions and find a way to end disagreements and become friendly again.

Father of the bride, who is the Chairman/CEO of Glister Success Ltd, Chief Bamidele Babatunde also told journalists that he was extremely happy and excited to share the wonderful event with the people who are most dear to the couple while wishing Oluwaseun and Folorunsho a happy married life.