The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Malam Aminu Gwarzo, on Monday, tendered an unreserved apology to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gwarzo, in a brief video interview at the Emir’s palace in Gidan Rumfa on Saturday, accused the NSA of arranging the return of the deposed 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Bayero, to Kano.

Gwarzo made the apology while addressing newsmen at the Government House in Kano on Monday morning.

The deputy governor acknowledged that he was misled into making the allegation and expressed regrets for any embarrassment or inconvenience caused to the NSA and his office.

”We were shocked to hear the NSA’s name mentioned in the plot to impose a deposed Emir in Kano, knowing his integrity and pedigree.

“We are human and can err at any time,” the deputy governor said.

“On behalf of myself and the Governor of Kano State, I assure the NSA of our continued support and cooperation in discharging his duties.”

The deputy governor called on President Bola Tinubu to conduct a thorough investigation into the happenings in Kano to ensure peace and stability in the state.

NAN reports that the NSA had threatened to take legal action against Gwarzo, for defamation in the ongoing Emirship dispute in Kano.“The National Security Adviser provided two jets to bring the dethroned emir to Kano and to take him to the palace. We have not understood their intention,” Gwarzo said.

In spite of denying the allegation through his spokesperson on Saturday, the NSA, in a letter by his lawyers, Aliyu & Musa Chambers, demanded an apology from Gwarzo.

The lawyers said that Ribadu had been inundated with “a barrage of telephone calls both within and outside Nigeria” over the “false accusation.”

The bill seeking to raise the retirement age of members of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday, passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, and Abubakar Yalleman from Jigawa, sponsored the bill which proposes to raise the retirement age of members of the NPF from 60 to 65, and from 35 to 40 years in service.

The bill proposes to amend section 18 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020.

It also seeks to review the service years of police personnel in order to “improve the experience and expertise of the police workforce to retain experienced personnel, and reduce the cost of training and recruiting new officers, improve the morale performance and job satisfaction, and to address the shortage of experienced police personnel”.

In his lead debate during plenary on Tuesday, May 21, Yalleman, who chairs the house committee on police, said the amendment is needed to retain the experience of officers “who have been trained and have served for considerable years”.

“This experience is needed especially in this time of insecurity when experienced police officers are needed to help tackle insecurity in the country,” he said.

First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu has assured Nigerians, particularly the youth, to keep believing in the country, saying that Nigeria will witness the rebirth of a new nation that would take its rightful place among the comity of Nations.

She gave this assurance at an event tagged, “Honouring the Youth of Our Nation,” with the theme: “Becoming: Pathway to Success,” in commemoration of the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, held at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.

The First Lady said that the government will continue to do its best to provide an enabling environment to foster and support the young ones as active participants in national development and in re-writing Nigeria’s story for good.

She said purpose, passion, determination and resilience are necessary for achieving success in life.

The First Lady, who emphasized the importance of education to attain great heights, assured that her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, is geared towards complementing the efforts of President Tinubu, in the areas of education, agriculture, social investment and economic empowerment.

She said, “Stay in school, finish school because we are a developing country. When you stay and finish your education, you will have more options.

“We will continue to do our best to provide an enabling environment to foster and support you as active participants in national development and in re-writing Nigeria’s story for good.

“I urge us to keep believing in Nigeria, by the special grace of God, we will witness the rebirth of a new nation that will take its rightful place among the comity of Nations.“

...Says Unity Must Serve Greater Good Of Nigeria

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has given conditions that would make him accept any merger between his party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 elections.

Reacting to a statement by the presidential candidate of the PDP and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on the likelihood of a merger between both parties, the former Anambra State governor said during an interview with NoireTV at the weekend, that he would enter into a merger agreement with any party or individual only if it serves the greater good of Nigeria.

He commended Atiku’s willingness to support him if it benefits the southeastern region of the country and emphasised the need for any merger or alliance to be focused on improving governance and helping the poor, not just winning elections or for state capture.

“I commend Atiku for his statement especially where he said he will support me if it goes to the South East. On the issue of a merger and the coming together of parties, I have always said that as long as any merger or any coming together is to better Nigeria and for governing properly, I am for it. If it is just a merger for election or state capture, I’m not for it. I am not desperate to be president, I am desperate to see Nigeria work, especially for the poor, because we have a lot of potential.

“So, if the merger is to be able to govern Nigeria properly on all those things that will make Nigeria a better place, I am for it. If the merger is to be able to govern Nigeria properly and work for all those things that would make Nigeria become a better place, I am for it. It might be at the party level, it might be at the individual level or at any level, we must come together to be able to build a better Nigeria.”

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Atiku has been engaging Obi to discuss the possibility of a merger and that he would support anyone chosen to represent the PDP in 2027 — even if the candidate is from the south-east.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, says Nigeria must embark on aggressive and swift implementation of policies and development plans that will hasten the total eradication of illiteracy in couple of decades.

He warned the refusal to prioritise education for all citizens portends danger for the country.

Obasanjo opined that Nigeria will produce more drug abusers, terrorists, bandits, and other social misfits if the disturbing number of out-of-school children is not addressed.

Obasanjo, lamenting that the country has over 20 million out-of-school children, asserted that the children if not educated, empowered, or given necessary skills, would become nuisance in the society.

The former president assertions are contained in a statement by his special assistant on media, Kehinde Akinyemi on Sunday. 

He explained that to prevent such, a 25-year socio-economic development agenda is needed to prioritize education, and technology among others.

According to him, the development agenda will make it compulsory for be educated up to secondary school level.

” A 25-year socio-economic development agenda that will be generally agreed to, by the nation of all political parties and passed into law by the National Assembly with State Assembly aspects also passed into law by the State Houses of Assembly. We take up the implementation on a five-year basis. In reality, that plan will have the effect of almost a constitution. The first priority in the implementation will be education for all.

“ There should be no Nigerian without being in school compulsorily for eleven years – secondary education level.

“ Five years must be set out to ensure that every Nigerian child that is not in school is in school and no one is left out of popular education. Adult education should be embarked upon to give every Nigerian basic education equivalent to six years of formal education.

“ We should give ourselves ten years to rid Nigeria of illiteracy. No matter what we do, if we do not find a way of educating, giving skills, and empowerment, over 20 million Nigerian children that are out of school today will end up being rich recruitment centers for drug addicts, Boko Haram, bandits, and other social misfits”

He also urged the Federal Government to provide a conducive environment where businesses can thrive.

“ The second should be food and nutrition security through agribusiness. The third should be energy for all. The fourth should be industrialization and manufacturing. And the fifth should be science, technology, innovation, and Artificial Intelligence, AI.

“ In all these, the government should provide a conducive environment for the private sector to operate and thrive. And where the government will be involved at all, other than as policymaker and enabler, it should be based on private-public partnership with government as a junior partner,” the statement added.

The Nigerian Army has cleared the air on the presence of soldiers in Kano State amid the ongoing scramble for the throne of Emir in the state.

Within Nigeria recalls that Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, and Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, dethroned Emir of Kano, have been embroiled in a royal tussle following the State government move to remove the latter and reinstate the former.

The Kano House of Assembly had abrogated the law which former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje used to depose and exile Sanusi in 2020, paving the way for reinstatement of the monarch.

However, event started taking an unsettling turn when Ado Bayero, who was outside the state when he was dethroned, returned to the ancient city and made his way to a mini palace in Nassarawa.

Reacting to the development, Governor Yusuf directed the emir’s arrest, but the police ignored him, insisting that Bayero remains emir and vows to enforce court order stopping Sanusi’s reinstatement.

Shortly after the arrest order, men of the Nigerian Army moved to the mini palace to secure the place, while the main palace was guarded by vigilantes and hunters.

This had given the impression that the Army was on the side of the dethroned monarch.

Civil society groups, activists, lawyers and many others had condemned the military action, saying such has no place in a democracy.

But in a statement on Sunday night, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, said the army’s mission in Kano was to forestall break down of law and orser as a result of emirship tussle.

He disclosed that the military is not involved in the emirate tussle.

“Contrary to insinuations by the Kano state chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association as published on 26 May 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army have not been involved in the Kano state emirate tussle and are not involved in enforcing any court order. They have only taken proactive steps to checkmate any possible breakdown or breach of the security that may be occasioned by the Kano Emirship tussle.”

“The issue of paramount concern to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies is the prevention of breakdown of law and order in the state, which could be taken advantage of by adversarial non-state actors. The military would imminently intervene when it becomes apparent that the intensity of the security situation becomes overwhelming for the police.

“All the Army is doing at this stage is to monitor the situation as it unfolds and be on standby in the event of any escalation that could threaten the security of the state and the region in general.”

Nigeria’s Head Coach, Finidi George, has picked rave-of-the-moment Ademola Lookman, African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen and safe hands Stanley Nwabali among a crop of 23 players who will do battle with South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. 

George also selected goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, England-based defenders Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and Alhassan Yusuf, and forwards Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Boniface and Terem Moffi.

Remo Stars’ hard-as-nails defender Sadiq Ismael is called for the first time, with Turkey-based midfielder Fisayo Bashiru, Bayer Leverkusen of Germany’s Nathan Tella and lanky forward Paul Onuachu also called.

Nigeria confront South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Friday, 7th June starting from 8pm, and then fly to Abidjan to tackle Benin Republic at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Monday, 10th June starting from 4pm CIV time (5pm Nigeria time).

Full List

Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Udinese FC, Italy); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC)

Defenders: Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); Sadiq Ismael (Remo Stars FC); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Benjamin Tanimu (Ihefu SC, Tanzania)

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Hatayspor, Turkey)

Forwards: Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Terem Moffi (OGC Nice, France)

The 26th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi, has described his reinstatement by the state government as justice against the injustice meted to him in the past.

On Friday, Governor Abba Yusuf reinstated Sanusi as Emir of Kano after deposing the 15th Emir, Aminu Bayero.

This was after the Kano State House of Assembly heard the motion on the Kano State Emirate Council Amendment Bill and eventually repealed the 2019 Law that allowed for the creation of the five separate emirates from the old Kano Emirates.

But despite a court stopping Sanusi’s reinstatement, the statement had enthroned him.

However, meeting with security chiefs on Saturday, Sanusi said he had not seen the specific court order.

“The emir, who spoke for over an hour during the meeting, told us that what the state government had done was justice against the injustice meted out to him in the past.

“He told us that he had not seen the court order we were referring to, describing it as a media court order until he sees it,” a source privy to the meeting told Daily Trust.

Kylian Mbappe played his last match for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, winning the French Cup against Lyon.

The Ligue 1 champions won 2-1, thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and Fabio Ruiz.

Jake O’Biren pulled one back for Lyon in the second, before PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a superb save minutes later. 

PSG, who are the Ligue 1 and French Super Cup champions, have now secured a record-extending 15th Cup title and first since 2021.

However, they were only able to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, where Borussia Dortmund eliminated them.

Mbappe leaves as a free agent and is widely expected to sign for Real Madrid.

On inauguration day at the Eagle Square, Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made promises on critical areas affecting the country including economy, security, power and petrol subsidy.

In fact it was on that occasion that he made the statement ‘subsidy is gone’ which has continued to reverberate in the economic circles across Nigeria.

Nearly one year after, people are asking, How much of the promises have been fulfilled? Find below the full text of the May 29, 2023 speech:

My Fellow Citizens,

I stand before you honoured to assume the sacred mandate you have given me. My love for this nation is abiding. My confidence in its people, unwavering. And my faith in God Almighty, absolute. I know that His hand shall provide the needed moral strength and clarity of purpose in those instances when we seem to have reached the limits of our human capacity.

This day is bold and majestic yet bright and full of spirit, as is our precious nation.
As a nation, we have long ago decided to march beyond the dimness of night into the open day of renewed national hope.

The question we now ask ourselves is whether to remain faithful to the work inherent in building a better society or retreat into the shadows of our unmet potential.

For me, there is but one answer. We are too great a nation and too grounded as a people to rob ourselves of our finest destiny.

This nation’s journey has been shaped by the prayers of millions, and the collective sacrifices of us all.

We have endured hardships that would have made other societies crumble.

Yet, we have shouldered the heavy burden to arrive at this SUBLIME moment where the prospect of a better future merges with our improved capacity to create that future.

To the surprise of many but not to ourselves, we have more firmly established this land as a democracy in both word and deed.

The peaceful transition from one government to another is now our political tradition. This handover symbolizes our trust in God, our enduring faith in representative governance and our belief in our ability to reshape this nation into the society it was always meant to be.

Here, permit me to say a few words to my predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr President, you have been an honest, patriotic leader who has done his best for the nation you love. On a more personal note, you are a worthy partner and friend. May History be kind to you.

For many years, Nigeria’s critics have trafficked the rumour that our nation will break apart, even perish.

Yet here we are. We have stumbled at times, but our resilience and diversity have kept us going.
Our burdens may make us bend at times, but they shall never break us.
Instead, we stand forth as Africa’s most populous nation and as the best hope and strongest champion of the Black Race.

As citizens, we declare as one unified people devoted to one unified national cause, that as long as this world exists, NIGERIA SHALL EXIST.

Today, Fate and Destiny join together to place the torch of human progress in our very hands. We dare not let it slip.

We lift high this torch so that it might shine on every household and in every heart that calls itself Nigerian. We hold this beam aloft because it lights our path with compassion, brotherhood, and peace. May this great light never EXTINGUISH.

Our administration shall govern on your behalf but never rule over you. We shall consult and dialogue but never dictate. We shall reach out to all but never put down a single person for holding views contrary to our own.

We are here to further mend and heal this nation, not tear and injure it.

In this vein, may I offer a few comments regarding the election that brought us to this juncture. It was a hard-fought contest. And it was also fairly won. Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, Nigeria has not held an election of better quality.

The outcome reflected the will of the people. However, my victory does not render me any more Nigerian than my opponents. Nor does it render them any less patriotic.

They shall forever be my fellow compatriots. And I will treat them as such. They represent important constituencies and concerns that wisdom dare not ignore.

They have taken their concerns to court. Seeking legal redress is their right and I fully defend their exercise of this right. This is the essence of the rule of law.

Over six decades ago, our founding fathers gave bravely of themselves to place Nigeria on the map as an independent nation.

We must never allow the labour of those who came before us to wither in vain but to blossom and bring forth a better reality.

Let us take the next great step in the journey they began and believed in.

Today, let us recommit our very selves to placing Nigeria in our hearts as the indispensable home for each and every one of us regardless of creed, ethnicity, or place of birth.

My supporters, I thank you. To those who voted otherwise, I extend my hand across the political divide. I ask you to grasp it in national affinity and brotherhood. For me, political colouration has faded away. All I see are Nigerians.

May we uphold these fitting and excellent notions as the new Nigerian ideal.
My fellow compatriots,

The Nigerian ideal which I speak of is more than just an improvement in economic and other statistics. These things are important; but they can never convey the fullness of our story.

Our mission is to improve our way of life in a manner that nurtures our humanity, encourages compassion toward one another, and duly rewards our collective effort to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us.

Our constitution and laws give us a nation on paper. We must work harder at bringing these noble documents to life by strengthening the bonds of economic collaboration, social cohesion, and cultural understanding. Let us develop a shared sense of fairness and equity. 

The South must not only seek good for itself but must understand that its interests are served when good comes to the North. The North must see the South likewise.

Whether from the winding creeks of the Niger Delta, the vastness of the northern savannah, the boardrooms of Lagos, the bustling capital of Abuja, or the busy markets of Onitsha, you are all my people. As your president, I shall serve with prejudice toward none but compassion and amity towards all.

In the coming days and weeks, my team will publicly detail key aspects of our programme. Today, permit me to outline in broad terms a few initiatives that define our concept of progressive good governance in furtherance of the Nigerian ideal:

The principles that will guide our administration are simple:

1. Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.
2. We shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our sub-region.
3. We shall remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.
4. In our administration, Women and youth will feature prominently.
5. Our government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies.

SECURITY

Security shall be the top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.

To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security DOCTRINE and its ARCHITECTURE.
We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide, better training, equipment, pay and firepower.

THE ECONOMY

On the economy, we target a higher GDP growth and to significantly reduce unemployment.
We intend to accomplish this by taking the following steps:

First, budgetary reform stimulating the economy without engendering inflation will be instituted.
Second, industrial policy will utilize the full range of fiscal measures to promote domestic manufacturing and lessen import dependency.

Third, electricity will become more accessible and affordable to businesses and homes alike. Power generation should nearly double and transmission and distribution networks improved. We will encourage states to develop local sources as well.

I have a message for our investors, local and foreign: our government shall review all their complaints about multiple taxation and various anti-investment inhibitions.
We shall ensure that investors and foreign businesses repatriate their hard earned dividends and profits home.

JOBS

My administration must create meaningful opportunities for our youth. We shall honour our campaign commitment of one million new jobs in the digital economy.

Our government also shall work with the National Assembly to fashion an omnibus Jobs and Prosperity bill. This bill will give our administration the policy space to embark on labour-intensive
infrastructural improvements, encourage light industry and provide improved social services for the poor, elderly and vulnerable.

AGRICULTURE

Rural incomes shall be secured by commodity exchange boards guaranteeing minimal prices for certain crops and animal products. A nationwide programme for storage and other facilities to reduce spoilage and waste will be undertaken.

Agricultural hubs will be created throughout the nation to increase production and engage in value-added processing. The livestock sector will be introduced to best modern practices and steps taken to minimize the perennial conflict over land and water resources in this sector.
Through these actions, food shall be made more abundant yet less costly. Farmers shall earn more while the average Nigerian pays less.

INFRASTRUCTURE

We shall continue the efforts of the Buhari administration on infrastructure. Progress toward national networks of roads, rail and ports shall get priority attention.

FUEL SUBSIDY

We commend the decision of the outgoing administration in phasing out the petrol subsidy regime which has increasingly favoured the rich more than the poor. Subsidy can no longer justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying resources. We shall instead re-channel the funds into better investment in public infrastructure, education, health care and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions.

MONETARY POLICY

Monetary policy needs thorough housecleaning. The Central Bank must work towards a unified exchange rate. This will direct funds away from arbitrage into meaningful investment in the plant, equipment and jobs that power the real economy.

Interest rates need to be reduced to increase investment and consumer purchasing in ways that sustain the economy at a higher level.

Whatever merits it had in concept, the currency swap was too harshly applied by the CBN given the number of unbanked Nigerians. The policy shall be reviewed. In the meantime, my administration will treat both currencies as legal tender.

FOREIGN POLICY

Given the world in which we reside, please permit a few comments regarding foreign policy.
The crisis in Sudan and the turn from democracy by several nations in our immediate neighbourhood are of pressing concern. 

As such, my primary foreign policy objective must be the peace and stability of the West African sub-region and the African continent. We shall work with ECOWAS, the AU and willing partners in the international community to end extant conflicts and to resolve new ones.
As we contain threats to peace, we shall also retool our foreign policy to more actively lead the regional and continental quest for collective prosperity.

CONCLUSION

This is the proudest day of my life. But this day does not belong to me. It belongs to you, the people of Nigeria.

On this day, Nigeria affirms its rightful place among the world’s great democracies. There, Nigeria shall reside forever.

The course of our past and the promise of the future have brought us to this exceptional moment.
In this spirit, I ask you to join me in making Nigeria a more perfect nation and democracy such that the Nigerian ideal becomes and forever remains the Nigerian reality.

With full confidence in our ability, I declare that these things are within our proximate reach because my name is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and I am the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May God bless you and May He bless our beloved land. 

*In the following pages, the ruling party, opposition parties’ members as well as a renowned economist, in what is at best fireworks on the Tinubu government, assess the administration one year after.