₦airaland Forum

'Now as a Nigerian, you land anywhere around the world and the see you as a drug dealer. I have never seen cocaine but now the think we all deal with cocaine in Nigeria because of our President.

And they said he is on vacation. In the midst of all these chaos"

"Now as a Nigerian, you land anywhere around the world and the see you as a drug dealer. I have never seen cocaine but now the think we all deal with cocaine in Nigeria because of our President.

And they said he is on vacation. In the midst of all these chaos" pic.twitter.com/nmKEowzuaX

— Arewa Source (@Arewa_Source) September 18, 2026

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC Ayekooto Akindele has alleged that the 2027 African Democratic Congress, ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Rotimi Amaechi are secretly purchasing shares in the Dangote Refinery through the recently launched Initial Public Offering.

Ayekooto made the claim in a post he shared on his Facebook page on Wednesday while addressing those criticizing the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

According to the APC chieftain, while Atiku and Amaechi are allegedly purchasing shares in the refinery, their supporters still believe in the return of fuel subsidy.

He said, “Atiku and Amaechi are secretly buying Dangote Refinery shares but their uninformed illiterate followers are shouting “Bring back subsidy.” May we not be foolish in our lives.”


Ayekooto further noted that while some Nigerians are losing hope in the country, citizens living abroad are actively investing in Nigeria, including purchasing shares in the Dangote Refinery.

“Wailers living in Diaspora are making their domestic counterparts here feel hopeless about the country.

“Whereas Diaspora Wailers are busy investing in Nigeria, rushing to buy the Dangote Refinery shares while those Wailers who reside in the same country where Dangote resides are exhibiting traits of hopelessness,” he added.

Former Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Senator Bala Na’Allah, has said he remains a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, but will support whichever political party his constituents choose ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Na’Allah made the disclosure during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday.

The former senator, who withdrew from the APC senatorial primary ahead of the exercise in May after alleging that the outcome had been predetermined, was asked whether he would support the ruling party in the 2027 election.

Responding, Na’Allah said his loyalty as a Democrat was ultimately to the wishes of his people, stressing that he would not use his political position to compel them to support a party against their preference.

“Luckily for me, as a Democrat, I believe in what my people want, because democracy is a recurrent suspicion whereby more than half the people should be right more than half the time.

“Let me be very honest with you. I’m APC. If for whatever reason my people believe that APC is not the party they want to do. My qualification in politics has not taken me to a position where I will ask people to do what they don’t want to do,” he added.

The former lawmaker, however, said he remained open to assessing the political developments ahead of the election.

“But again we are learning every day, we will see those who have that capacity,” Na’Allah added.

Na’Allah was expected to contest the APC senatorial primary as part of his bid to return to the Senate before he pulled out of the race.

He had alleged that the outcome of the primary had already been predetermined, leading to his withdrawal from the exercise.

Its Over😱
NDC has taken over Zamfara State. The homecoming of Kabiri Marafa, the NDC governorship candidate has completely shutdown the entire state.

Zamfara is OK ✌️ pic.twitter.com/kKCj5S0gxJ

— Jude Heavenly 🇳🇬🇱🇷 (@JudeHeavenly) September 14, 2026

The Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Documentary, everything you need to know about his arrest, detention, and the case against him, featuring HE Atiku Abubakar, H.E. Peter Obi, H.E. Rotimi Amaechi, H.E. Rauf Aregbesola, Alhaji Sanusi Maikudi, among others.

If you come across this please… pic.twitter.com/H0Q5uzOUYH

— Mal. Imran U. Wakili (PULLO) 👑 #iSTANDWITHELRUFAI (@IU_Wakilii) September 15, 2026

𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍: 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲

Credit: Sunday Moses
---
Follow us for more breaking news and videos pic.twitter.com/RfPyZSnyxc

— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) September 13, 2026

Spending N150k on fuel every two weeks is crazy, especially for someone without a government job.

Please bring back the subsidy, @officialABAT, even if it’s only temporary.

You can’t let Nigeria lose me because I couldn’t afford fuel. 😭

Five Islamic Clerics Abducted After Attending Prayer For Tinubu’s Re-Election At Senator Yari’s Zamfara Residence

Five Islamic clerics have reportedly been abducted by suspected terrorists after attending a special prayer gathering organised for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election at the residence of former Zamfara State Governor and serving Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari in Talata Mafara.

The clerics were reportedly abducted on Saturday, September 12, 2026, shortly after attending the gathering at Yari’s residence, where about 1,000 Islamic scholars were said to have gathered to pray for Tinubu’s victory in the 2027 presidential election.

SaharaReporters learnt that the victims reportedly include Imam Yahuza, the First Jumma’at Imam in Dogon Madacci; Magawata Abdullahi, the Second Jumma’at Imam in Dogon Madacci; Malam Shehu Dakko; Imam Bala Fagon; and Na’ibi Tasi’u of Tungar Nagudai.

Sources said the clerics had travelled from communities in Bakura and Talata Mafara Local Government Areas to attend the prayer gathering.

Their reported abduction has raised fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in Zamfara, particularly as the incident allegedly occurred in connection with a gathering at the residence of Yari, a former governor, serving senator and Director-General of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.

The identities of the abductors and their whereabouts remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.

Security agencies have yet to issue an official statement on the reported abductions as of press time.

Also, the Zamfara State police spokesman, Yezid Abubakar has not responded to messages and calls sent to him seeking his comment.

PROTEST IN TAMBUWAL, SOKOTO

Residents of some villages in Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto State, have taken to the streets of Tambuwal to protest the worsening insecurity affecting their communities.

The protesters called on the authorities to take urgent action to protect lives and property and address the growing security challenges in the area.

PROTEST IN TAMBUWAL, SOKOTO

Residents of some villages in Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto State, have taken to the streets of Tambuwal to protest the worsening insecurity affecting their communities.

The protesters called on the authorities to take urgent action to protect lives and… pic.twitter.com/R57SOT2XYq

— Sulaiman Uwaisu Idris (@KafinHausaa) September 11, 2026

Protest erupts in Sokoto over the worsening insecurity!

According to a speaker in the video, more than 10 villages in the Tambuwal area have reportedly been displaced as residents continue to face growing security threats.

Earlier today in Tambuwal LGA: Youths reportedly burnt APC offices and blocked major highways, protesting worsening insecurity and the growing hardship facing residents.

Earlier today in Tambuwal LGA: Youths reportedly burnt APC offices and blocked major highways, protesting worsening insecurity and the growing hardship facing residents. pic.twitter.com/iM9QqIClS4

— Duke of Minna 🇳🇬 (@ICare2know) September 11, 2026

The people of Zamfara rejected the APC again in front of the state governor and Sen. Yari when they said Nigeria the crowd chanted Atiku's name

Watch to the end and see the red arrow😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/3Ioi5poKeY pic.twitter.com/PqMucGGus3

— Dos Santos (@MyksonDosSantos) September 10, 2026

My dad had a heart surgery yesterday and is in hospital and today @GovWike has sent development control to his land in Jabi while he’s in the hospital. If anything happens to my dad, walahi it will not be funny with anybody.

Q: Name one policy of the Tinubu administration that you would keep if you become president.

Peter Obi: He has one, the floating of the Naira.

Q: Name one policy of the Tinubu administration that you would keep if you become president.

Peter Obi: He has one, the floating of the Naira. pic.twitter.com/WgkjxWv9wC

— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) September 10, 2026

Benue Youths, nice one

We don mark una faces as people wey no want make me move forward as a country

Una Dey win 1-0

“These Benue people are really cr@zy. So you have thugs and youths who know how to carry weapons, yet band!ts are kpain your people on a daily basis and you can’t do anything to stop it. You can’t even confront or block these b@ndits from att@cking your own people, but you all… pic.twitter.com/rQakmtS7rP

— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) September 8, 2026

BREAKING: Protesters Block Gboko Road Over Obi Visit

Protesters chanting “we don’t want Peter Obi” barricaded Gboko Road near the Air Force base and airport in Makurdi on Monday, halting traffic. The demonstration comes as the presidential candidate continues engagements in… pic.twitter.com/K8OOYfhw2A

— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) September 8, 2026

Na you know why you miss church today, our priest don ascend back to heaven. pic.twitter.com/X0RhKWx4US

— MŘ_KÉÑ (@KNakanye) September 6, 2026

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s democratic credentials, saying the ruling party’s loss of the Osun governorship election shows that democracy is taking firmer root in Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu said this on Thursday at the seventh annual lecture organised by Freedom Online at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, where he discussed Nigeria’s democracy and preparations for the 2027 elections.

He cited the August 15 Osun election, which was won by Governor Ademola Adeleke of another political party, as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment to democratic principles. Adeleke defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by more than 60,000 votes.

Tinubu congratulated Adeleke after the election, describing his victory as a “fitting assurance” that democracy would continue to flourish under his administration. He later met the governor at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and urged him to unite the state.

“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” Sanwo-Olu said.

"Under this President, the ruling party can lose a state in the South-West in an election year, and the sky does not fall. That is what a maturing democracy looks like.

“This President is a lifelong democrat, and he means to leave behind a stronger democracy than he inherited, not only for Nigerians but as an example to a continent that badly needs one.”

Sanwo-Olu said electoral reforms and technology had improved Nigeria’s electoral process but stressed the need for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be fully prepared for 2027.

"INEC must be ready in every polling unit on the 16th of January and again on the 6th of February, and each of us has a duty to help it be ready,” he said.

The governor also warned politicians against violence and electoral malpractice, insisting that no political victory was worth a Nigerian life.

“A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it. No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all,” he said.

He urged voters to judge governors by their performance and challenged the media to hold political leaders accountable, including those within their own ranks.

“I am not asking for a compliant press.

“A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public,” he said.

“I am asking for a rigorous press. Check the facts, mine included. Call out disinformation wherever it comes from, including from my own side.

"In the weeks ahead, the most dangerous lies will not come from newspapers. They will come from anonymous accounts and doctored videos and you are the institution best placed to answer them.”

In the 2023 presidential election, then-candidate Bola Tinubu used Peter Obi (Labour Party standard-bearer) against Atiku Abubakar by dividing the votes between the two opponents to emerge as the winner. FCT minister Nyesome Wike disclosed this strategy on Wednesday in an interview as he discussed his desperation to ensure Mr Tinubu’s re-election.

Mr Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress won the last presidential poll with 8,794,726 votes, Mr Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party came second with 6,984,520, and Mr Obi polled 6,101,533 to emerge third.

The trio are running for president again.

“Look at the entire votes of Obi that would have gone to Atiku, all gone,” Mr Wike stated.

The FCT minister, who claimed Mr Obi was not a threat in the 2023 election, said the politician was allowed to win some South-South states to prevent Mr Abubakar’s victory.

But Mr Obi also claimed victory in Lagos.

“The South-South ought to be a PDP stronghold that would have made Atiku win the election. In Cross River, we say support Obi. APC took second in the state. In Edo, they supported Obi,” Mr Wike said. “So the PDP structure there supported Obi, because he was not a threat as per the election. Then in Rivers state, since I am here, we said no to Obi and Atiku. We supported the president.”

According to the FCT minister, Mr Obi lacks the required political strength to win the 2027 presidential election.

“When he appeared at the NBA conference, they’re shouting Obi. For you, he’s popular. When the proper mathematics comes to the table, we’ll know,” Mr Wike stated.

The 2027 poll is expected to be a repeat race between the three politicians, with the power of incumbency resting with Mr Tinubu, who has several issues to contend with, including his handling of the nation’s economy and security and his cocaine trafficking case in the United States.

Mr Abubakar’s public service is also tainted with corruption allegations and he is considered part of the political class that has impoverished the country.

While popular among many Nigerian youths, Mr Obi is battling the tag of being a religious bigot since his infamous leaked telephone conversation.

A mild drama ensued on Wednesday during a solidarity walk in support of the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in Zamfara State when the crowd hailed Atiku Abubakar instead of Tinubu.

The incident was captured in one of the videos from the event, where the crowd was heard chanting, “Sai Atiku,” instead of expressing support for the President.

The solidarity walk took place in Gusau, the state capital, to appreciate Tinubu for his appointment of former state governor, Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar as Director-General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections.

It was organised by the A.A. Yari Political Organisation in collaboration with the Shehu Movement Organisation and the Yari 774 Initiative for Asiwaju 2027.

According to the organisers, Yari’s appointment would help propel the party towards the “promised land”.

The Zamfara State APC Chairman, Alhaji Kabiru Moyi Birnin Magaji, while speaking at the event, said Tinubu would receive massive votes from the people of Zamfara in the 2027 general elections.

DAILY POST reports that President Tinubu recently constituted the Presidential Campaign Council for his re-election bid in the forthcoming 2027 general elections and appointed Yari as its Director-General.

United States President, Donald Trump, has appointed Dr. Karl Von Batten as a commissioner on a @WhiteHouse presidential commission.

Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., announced the appointment in a post on X.

According to the X post: “Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. is proud to announce that President Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) has appointed our Managing Partner, Dr. Karl Von Batten, to serve the United States of America as a Commissioner on a @WhiteHouse presidential commission.

"Dr. Von Batten is deeply grateful to President Trump (The Chief) for this appointment and for the confidence placed in him.

"This presidential appointment represents a tremendous honor and reflects Dr. Von Batten’s longstanding commitment to public service, leadership, and our nation.

"Dr. Von Batten looks forward to answering the call to serve our President and country.

“We congratulate Dr. Von Batten on this distinguished honor and wish him every success in this important public service role.”

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had hired Batten’s Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., in March 2026.

The 12-month retainer is valued at $1.2 million.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that he would be the first politician to suffer the consequences should former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress ADC or Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Peter Obi defeated President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, citing the intensity of his open support for the president.

Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, monitored in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike said his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election has made him a marked target of the opposition, insisting he has no regrets over his political stance. “I will be the first politician that I think they will come after. I will be the first politician. I know they will come for my head,” he said.

The minister said he was under no illusions about the risks of his position but maintained that he would not shy away from confronting the president’s opponents. He said he remained focused solely on Tinubu’s victory regardless of the personal political cost.

“Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the president’s reelection. When I am eating, I think about the president’s reelection. Everything I am doing now is about the president’s reelection,” he stated.

Wike said he was unbothered by the criticisms trailing his support for the President, noting that he has been vilified more than any other politician for his loyalty. “I don’t see where anybody in this country today has been called names the way my name has been. I am not bothered about people who say their [own] thing. My business is, like I said, I am going to support Mr President,” he declared.

"...If anything happened and Mr President failed today, I will be the first politician to hurt Atiku and Peter Obi...I won't make that mistake of sleeping while the President loses the election, no, because I know they will come for my head..."

~ FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. pic.twitter.com/7JEviPMakw

— BATified Soldier.🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️ (@Dareybabslink) September 2, 2026

Atiku Abubakar, man who never built anything for the masses as a citizen can never prioritize them as President.

If he is serious about canceling NELFUND. He should begin by making his University free for all.

2027 Presidential Election Projection 🇳🇬

Green 🟢 — Landslide Victory
Yellow 🟡 — Potential Swing
Blue 🔵 — Slim Win

North West — Obi 3 | Tinubu 1 | Atiku 3

Kano — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Kaduna — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟡
Katsina — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟡
Kebbi — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🟡
Sokoto — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🟡
Jigawa — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟡
Zamfara — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🟡

North East — Obi 1 | Tinubu 1 | Atiku 4

Adamawa — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🟡
Bauchi — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🟡
Borno — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟡
Gombe — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🔵
Taraba — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🔵
Yobe — Atiku ~ Rotimi 🔵

North Central — Obi 4 | Tinubu 3

Benue — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟡
Kogi — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟡
Kwara — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟡
Nasarawa — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🔵
Niger — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟡
Plateau — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
FCT — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢

South West — Obi 1 | Tinubu 4 | Makinde 1

Ekiti — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟢🟢
Lagos — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟡
Ogun — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟢
Ondo — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟢
Osun — Tinubu ~ Shettima 🟡
Oyo — Makinde ~ Lawal 🟡

South East — Obi 5

Abia — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Anambra — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Ebonyi — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Enugu — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Imo — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢

South South — Obi 6

Akwa Ibom — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🔵
Bayelsa — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Cross River — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🔵
Delta — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Edo — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🟢
Rivers — Obi ~ Kwankwaso 🔵

TOTAL PROJECTION:

Peter Obi — 20
Bola Tinubu — 9
Atiku Abubakar — 7
Seyi Makinde — 1

Total — 37 states (+ FCT, as affirmed by the Nigerian Supreme Court)

Key Factors:

1. Atiku Abubakar is in a party without structure and is facing internal crises pending in Court.
2. Bola Tinubu has been resoundingly rejected in Core Northern Nigeria.
3. Peter Obi and Musa Kwankwaso of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) command the two largest grassroots movements in Nigeria.

#PresidentialElectionPolls27
#NigeriaDecides2027
#PresidentialPolls2027 🇳🇬

President Bola Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to block the further release of records linked to past investigations involving him, arguing that disclosure would violate his privacy rights.

Tinubu, who joined the case as an intervenor, made the request in a fresh filing before the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The President is urging the court to reject a motion for summary judgment filed by Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, and allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to retain redactions and withhold information from documents already released.

Greenspan had submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking records relating to Tinubu, including what he described as the “entire FBI file” on the Nigerian president and FBI interview records from 1992 to 1993.

The requests formed part of 12 FOIA applications submitted to six US federal agencies for investigative records connected to a Chicago heroin trafficking case from the early 1990s. Tinubu was among four individuals named in the requests.

In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA had improperly refused to confirm or deny whether they held records relating to Tinubu.

The judge subsequently ordered the agencies to search for and process non-exempt documents responsive to Greenspan’s requests.

The agencies later released thousands of pages, although portions of the documents were redacted. They also provided a Vaughn index outlining the reasons for withholding specific information.

In his latest filing, Tinubu argued that FOIA was created to promote transparency about government operations and not to provide private information about individuals contained in government records.

“Plaintiff’s motion should be denied because FOIA is not a tool for obtaining information the government collected about private individuals,” his lawyers argued.

The President’s legal team contended that Greenspan’s requests were primarily aimed at obtaining personal information about Tinubu rather than examining how the FBI, DEA or other US agencies carried out their official duties.

His lawyers cited a 1989 US Supreme Court decision and invoked FOIA Exemption 7(C), which protects law-enforcement records where disclosure could constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

They also relied on provisions of the US Privacy Act, arguing that the FBI and DEA had acted properly in redacting or withholding exempt information.

President challenges Greenspan’s public-interest argument

Tinubu’s lawyers also rejected Greenspan’s claim that the records should be released because Tinubu is Nigeria’s president.

They argued that public curiosity about the President’s background, political career or suitability for office does not amount to the kind of public interest recognised under FOIA.

According to the legal team, Greenspan’s filings show that his primary objective is to obtain information about Tinubu rather than uncover possible misconduct by the FBI, DEA or other US government agencies.

The lawyers further dismissed claims of a secret prosecution or government cover-up as “unsubstantiated allegations”, arguing that Greenspan had not presented sufficient evidence of wrongdoing by the US government to warrant additional disclosure.

They also opposed Greenspan’s challenges to the agencies’ searches, the DEA’s Vaughn index, the exemptions claimed and the handling of information that could allegedly be separated and released.

Tinubu is therefore asking the court to dismiss Greenspan’s motion and allow the existing FBI and DEA redactions and withholdings to remain.

Greenspan filed the FOIA requests in 2022 and 2023, seeking records from the CIA, FBI, DEA, Internal Revenue Service, Executive Office for United States Attorneys and Department of State.

The requests centred on investigative records connected to the Chicago drug-trafficking case and named Tinubu alongside Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele.

Several agencies initially issued “Glomar” responses, meaning they declined to confirm or deny whether responsive records existed.

However, in her April 2025 ruling, Judge Howell held that the FBI and DEA had failed to establish sufficient privacy grounds to conceal the fact that Tinubu had been the subject of a criminal investigation.

She ordered the agencies to search for and process non-exempt records, while upholding the CIA’s Glomar response.

Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with the allegations.

The 36 state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, have distanced themselves from blame that sub-national governments have not been able to properly account for funds received from the removal of fuel subsidy.

The governors said that such accusations over the non-management of subsidy removal proceeds by them should not rear their heads.

They also threw their weight behind the proposed implementation of National Affordable CNG Transit Programme (NACTP), saying that it will help reduce the cost of transportation in the country.

Rising from its third meeting at the NGF’s Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday night to early Thursday morning, the governors stressed that the initiative seeks state governments’ support for CNG vehicle conversions, fleets and other enabling infrastructure, targeted at reducing passenger fares.

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri who read the communique issued at the end of the meeting on behalf of the Chairman of the Forum, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, blamed the rising inflation in the country on the increase in transport, just as he disclosed that the governors noted that the NACTP has the “potential to ease transportation costs, and agreed on the need to further consider its financing and implementation framework.”

When asked whether the Forum would accept blame that sub-nationals had not been properly accountable for funds obtained from the removal of fuel subsidy, Governor Diri said: “That cannot be true. That cannot be true. But we’ll leave that debate for another day.”

According to Diri, the governors would work with the private sector to bring in more CNG vehicles in the country, because “gas is cheaper than petrol, which will actually reduce the costs of transportation.”

He expressed the belief that such would
have a multiplier effect on every other sector, saying, “The impact is expected to be on our people, the common man.”

Diri disclosed that the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, briefed the governors on opportunities for state participation in CANEX Weekend 2026 and the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027, scheduled to hold in Lagos.

The governor, who noted that, as state executives, they expressed their collective resolve to participate, said, “Governors noted the platform’s potential to showcase investment-ready projects, promote local exports and tourism, and connect State MSMEs with African and global investors and buyers. The Forum assured the Honourable Minister of its support in achieving these objectives.”

The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to address mounting debts in the power sector.

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe disclosed the plan during a media interactive session on Friday, saying the subsidy would be removed gradually and consumers would not lose access to electricity services.

“We have the mandate of Mr President to clear the legacy debt and come up with sustainable structures to make sure this doesn’t pile up any more,” Tegbe said.

“I promise you, next year, by God’s grace, we will put a stop to this so-called subsidy in the power sector. Mr President, we will not deprive Nigeria of anything. We’ll make sure Nigerian consumers continue to have power and improve power services.”

The minister also said there is no immediate plan to increase electricity tariffs.

The announcement aligns with recommendations by the International Monetary Fund for Nigeria to gradually remove electricity subsidies.

The government has previously put the subsidy burden at about N3 trillion as of February 2024, while the Association of Power Generation Companies says GenCos are owed roughly N6.5 trillion.

Tegbe’s comments come amid ongoing efforts to clear legacy debts in the sector. President Bola Tinubu recently approved a N4 trillion bond programme for debt settlement.

In January, the government issued a N501 billion inaugural bond under the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme. On July 20, it announced a second tranche worth about N729 billion to settle verified debts owed to power generation companies.

Earlier this year, Tinubu also directed ministries, departments and agencies to use existing electricity laws to determine how subsidy costs should be shared among the federal, state and local governments in the 2026 budget.

Here is a quick lesson in strategic communication: instead of focusing on the imperfections of my Uncle Turaki’s campaign, use them as an opportunity to educate Nigerians.

Explain why this policy is necessary and how it has successfully secured our borders against terrorist infiltration. Let the people make up their own minds without speculating on what might happen if Atiku succeeds.

If you keep reacting to his perspectives rather than responding with clarity, you may only end up winning him public sympathy. He is experienced enough to weaponize his position as he pivots towards populism. The people are ripe for it. Be mindful. 🤷🏽‍♂️