₦airaland Forum

By Chibuzo Ukaibe and Zaharadden Umar,


Indications emerged yesterday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may not harken to the request by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehiozuwa J. Agbonayinma, to reopen and prosecute a 2006 alleged financial crimes case involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

It was gathered that the anti-graft commission may not revive the case against Atiku when he served as vice president because of the closeness of the presidential election holding next year.

Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the January 15, 2027 election.

The former lawmaker, who also served as a member of the Code of Conduct Bureau, made the request in a petition dated August 27, 2026 and filed by his legal representatives, Sagitarian Law Firm.

The petition, exclusively obtained by LEADERSHIP Weekend, and signed by the firm’s Principal Counsel, Hannibal Egbe Uwaifo, was received at the office of the EFCC Chairman on September 1.

But Atiku, in reaction, described the renewed recycling of decades-old allegations against him as the convulsion of political opponents cornered by their own failures, unable to defend the hardship Nigerians are enduring and now desperately searching for an Atiku controversy because they cannot survive scrutiny of their own economic record.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the sudden return to allegations rooted in the political battles of the Obasanjo era was not a demonstration of strength but an admission that his opponents have run out of answers to hunger, collapsing purchasing power and the unbearable cost of living.

However, Agbonayinma dismissed suggestions that his petition was politically motivated, insisting that the move has nothing to do with the 2027 general elections but is aimed at ensuring accountability.

He said he merely reminded the anti-graft agency of an investigation previously conducted by the EFCC following a request from the United States to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Several messages and phone calls to EFCC officials were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

However, a source in the EFCC, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the commission “is not likely to look into the petition because of its closeness to the 2027 election.”

The source noted that taking up the case at this time might be misconstrued as a political witch-hunt against the ADC presidential candidate.

Another source in the commission, who also asked not be to named, simply said, “Let’s wait and see. But there is nothing indicating that the commission is looking into the case at the moment.”

Recall that five days to the August 15 Osun State governorship election, the EFCC froze the accounts of the state government over alleged fraudulent activities amounting to N11 billion, attracting uproar from many Nigerians.

However, President Tinubu directed the EFCC to immediately vacate the court order and discontinue its action on the state government’s account.

Reacting to the unfolding saga, ADC party chairman for Tambuwal Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Bello Ibrahim Tambuwal (Dan-Marafa), said any investigation the EFCC conducts into Atiku will amount to a politically motivated witch-hunt, driven by the APC government’s anticipation of defeat in the upcoming election.

He noted that Atiku’s immense popularity among Nigerians—coupled with his stance on restoring fuel subsidies, reopening borders, reinstating Hajj subsidies, and addressing insecurity—has rattled and alarmed the Tinubu administration.

He pointed out that in the 19 years since Atiku left office as Vice President, neither the EFCC nor the ICPC initiated an investigation against him until now, on the eve of the election; this indicates that the ruling party is attempting to intimidate and weaken the opposition, though such tactics will prove ineffective.

According to him, any efforts by the ruling party or other groups regarding this investigation are misguided, as the move has only boosted Atiku’s popularity and acceptance at a time when the public is increasingly becoming disillusioned with APC governance.

Similarly, ADC chieftain in Sokoto State, Hon. Attahiru Umar Danmadi, stated that if the EFCC conducts a genuine and fair investigation, Atiku has no cause for alarm or fear, as he has nothing to hide—having previously invited authorities to investigate him.

He asserted that any current investigation into Atiku is merely an attempt to tarnish his reputation; it is purely political, driven by the efforts he and the opposition are making to unseat the ruling party in 2027.

There are fresh concerns over the launch of a fresh $1 billion cash transfer recently unveiled by the federal government, following the Auditor-General for the Federation’s query of N33.75 billion transferred to more than 3.29 million households in 2023.

The Auditor-General’s concerns are contained in the 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), which examined transactions of the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Abuja, for the 2023 financial year. The report lamented that it could not be verified whether the funds reached genuine beneficiaries.

The report, transmitted to the National Assembly on July 17, 2026, said electronic transfers amounting to N33.751 billion were made to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries listed on the National Social Register and enrolled on the National Beneficiary Register across 35 states.

However, auditors said the NCTO failed to provide sufficient records to establish the identities of the recipients or reconcile the payments with the official beneficiary registers.

The auditors said the payment vouchers did not contain complete beneficiary details, while the records required to verify the transfers were not made available.

They specifically faulted the NCTO for failing to produce a Remita statement showing the beneficiaries who actually received the funds against those listed on the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register.

“This hindered the authentication of the payments and made it difficult to ascertain whether the beneficiaries who received the funds were genuine,” the auditors said.

The report further alleged that officials of the cash transfer office obstructed efforts to obtain the Remita records needed for the audit.

“All efforts to obtain access to the REMITA statement were obstructed and denied by NCTO accounts staff, thereby frustrating the audit process,” the report stated.

Daily Trust reports that the federal government recently launched a $1 billion social protection programme designed to shift vulnerable Nigerians from temporary relief to lasting economic empowerment and self‑reliance.

The Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP) was launched at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, alongside four additional programmes aimed at bolstering the nation’s humanitarian response and poverty-reduction framework.

However, the latest audit report from the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) says there is insufficient evidence to show that N33.75 billion in cash transfers meant for 3.29 million vulnerable households in 2023 reached genuine beneficiaries.

The auditors said the findings were contrary to the provisions of the Financial Regulations (FR) 2009, which require payments to be made only to persons named in payment vouchers or their authorised representatives.

They cited paragraph 613 of the regulations, which requires paying officers to satisfy themselves that the person receiving a payment is authorised to do so and, where necessary, provide proof of identity.

The auditors also cited paragraph 603(i), which requires vouchers to contain full particulars of each service and be supported by relevant documents to enable the payments to be verified.

Recall that state Governors in 2023 at the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting requested the disbandment of the register for lack of credibility, suggesting that a new register be compiled for the implementation of social intervention by the Federal Government.

However, the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Sani Gwarzo, said that though the register might not be as accurate as expected, it’s a starting point and could be reviewed.

Subsequently, in January 2024, President Bola Tinubu suspended all programmes administered by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The NSIPA is domiciled under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The suspension came amid ongoing investigations into alleged corruption in the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Ministry which led to the suspension of the then minister Beta Edu


Poverty rate surges

Meanwhile, the World Bank had revealed that Poverty in Nigeria rose to 63 per cent in 2025 despite a slowdown in inflation, underscoring the limited impact of recent macroeconomic improvements on household welfare, the World Bank has said.

The bank disclosed this in its Nigeria Development Update (April 2026) titled “Nigeria’s Tomorrow Must Start Today: The Case for Early Childhood Development,” released in Abuja on Tuesday.

The report showed that the national poverty rate rose from 40 per cent in 2019 to 45 per cent in 2020, 47 per cent in 2021, 51 per cent in 2022, 56 per cent in 2023 and 61 per cent in 2024.

It reached an estimated 64 per cent in 2025 and is projected to remain at 64 per cent in 2026 before falling to 61 per cent in 2027 and 59 per cent by 2028.

The increase has also been accompanied by a sharp rise in the number of Nigerians living in poverty.

The World Bank’s estimates put the number of poor Nigerians at about 80 million in 2019, rising to 95 million in 2020, 105 million in 2021, 115 million in 2022, 135 million in 2023 and 150 million in 2024.

The figure was projected at about 160 million in both 2025 and 2026 before declining gradually to 155 million in 2027 and 150 million by 2028.

The number of Nigerians living in extreme or ultra-poverty has also risen substantially, from approximately 30 million in 2019 to about 78 million in 2025 and 2026.

The World Bank, however, expects poverty to begin declining gradually as inflation eases and economic growth improves.

It projects average real GDP growth of 4.2 per cent between 2026 and 2028, supported by higher public investment, improved investor sentiment and structural reforms.

Inflation is also expected to moderate, with headline inflation projected to average 15 per cent in 2026 and fall to about 10.7 per cent by 2028.


AuGF’s report shows impunity among civil servants – Expert

A development expert and Executive Director at the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CEPTI) Dr. Umar Yakubu, said the Auditor General’s report showed impunity among civil servants.

He said the Auditor-General’s report on the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) has once again exposed the staggering cost of opacity in public safety nets, where N33.75 billion in digital disbursements cannot be verified against genuine beneficiaries.

“When administrative staff actively obstruct auditors from accessing Remita records and multi-billion-naira transactions bypass mandatory pre-audits,we are looking at institutionalized impunity that actively shields corruption from public scrutiny.

“This systemic failure underscores why technology-driven oversight, rigorous transparency indices like the Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) and independent verification frameworks are non-negotiable for public spending in Nigeria.

“Social intervention programmes cannot function as opaque conduits for unverified expenditures while vulnerable populations remain statistical justifications for leaked funds,” he said.


CSO demands accountability before fresh disbursement

The Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), Dr. Jackson Omenazu, described the Auditor-General’s inability to verify the cash transfers as a serious warning about the management of public resources.

The organisation demanded full disclosure of the N33.7 billion transfers before the government commits another $1 billion to social protection.

Omenazu said the Auditor-General’s constitutional responsibility to examine how public funds are received, disbursed and accounted for should not be frustrated by government officials.

“If public money cannot be independently audited, Nigerians have a legitimate right to ask: who is accountable for the money and where did it go?” he said.

The organisation called for the immediate publication of details of the N33.7 billion transfers, including beneficiaries, implementing agencies, amounts disbursed and the purpose of each payment.

It also demanded an independent forensic audit of the programme, with the findings made public as well as unrestricted access for the Auditor-General and other constitutionally authorised oversight bodies to records relating to the cash transfers.

ISSJHR urged the government to suspend additional disbursements or expansion of similar programmes until the outstanding accountability questions are resolved.

It said that if the proposed $1 billion package proceeds, the government should establish safeguards including transparent procurement, beneficiary verification, independent monitoring and periodic public reporting.

The organisation also called for recovery and prosecution where investigations establish that public officials, contractors or beneficiaries misappropriated public funds.

By Omeiza Ajayi & Chidinma Chukwu, Abuja


President Bola Tinubu on Thursday disclosed how his administration has tolerated criticisms without reprisals, saying Nigerians can insult and attack him and still sleep well at night.

According to him, his tolerance for criticisms lies at the heart of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its commitment to press freedom.

The President, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, spoke on Thursday at the Centenary Celebrations of the Daily Times of Nigeria Limited, held in Abuja.

“Let us admit that under this government, you can insult and attack the president and still go to bed without midnight troubles. This philosophy lies at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the SGF quoted the president.

Tinubu said he recognises the role of the media in shaping the destiny of a nation, noting that the president “has consistently demonstrated an appreciation of the fact that Nigeria’s present challenges did not emerge overnight,” and that many of the challenges “are rooted in structural weaknesses that have accumulated over decades.”

He said the task of national renewal “requires the courage to understand where we have come from and confront what we have laid back and made difficult, necessary choices, but where we must go.”

The president described the reforms of the present administration as going beyond policy changes, stating that they “are about changing the trajectory of our nation” and are aimed at building a stronger fiscal foundation, creating a more productive economy, strengthening institutions, attracting investments, improving infrastructure, and expanding opportunities for young people to help Nigeria “compete more meaningfully and purposefully in the global economy.”

On the significance of the centenary, the president said, “One hundred years is not an anniversary; it is a testament to endurance, relevance and institutional resilience,” adding that the Daily Times “has not only reported Nigeria’s history, it has been an important leader, analyst and catalyst” in the nation’s story.

He said, “A nation that forgets its history is at risk of repeating its mistakes, but a nation that understands its history can draw wisdom from its successes, learn from its setbacks and confidently design its future.”

The president also unveiled the Nigerian Grand Book, a publication which he said was designed to celebrate Nigerians who have contributed to national progress and to preserve the country’s institutional memory for future generations. “History should not be a museum of yesterday. History should be an instrument of engineering tomorrow,” he said, adding that the publication would allow Nigerians to “tell our history from our own perspective” without relying on outside narrators.

He said the book complements the Daily Times’ 100 Times Heroes Award, noting that “nations are built by people”, including entrepreneurs, farmers, scientists, public servants, artists, innovators and citizens who serve their communities.

He cautioned that by 2050, Nigeria’s population is projected to reach 450 million people, an outlook he said carries major implications for food sovereignty and water resources.

The president commended the management and leadership of the Daily Times, as well as Mr Fidelis Anosike, for what he described as a historic contribution to the preservation of national heritage, and urged the newspaper to “continue to thrive” for another hundred years.

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of Folio Media Group, owners of the Daily Times of Nigeria Limited, Mr Fidelis Anosike, said the newspaper turned 100 on June 26, 2026, and that the Nigerian Grand Book was designed “to usher in the resurrection and re-emergence of the Daily Times as the Phoenix of our times.”

He traced the paper’s history from its acquisition by the Daily Mail of London to its listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1975, coinciding with the Nigerian Indigenisation Act, and credited the transparency of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration for midwifing what he called “a clinically transparent privatisation” of the Daily Times of Nigeria.

Anosike said the acquisition of the Daily Times was led by young Nigerians in their 30s, whom he said had proven capable of replicating “the professionalism, acumen, and capacity for mergers, acquisitions, expansions and diversifications” seen in Western economies.

He thanked guests for gracing the occasion, describing the journey with the Daily Times of Nigeria as one that had “emboldened our dreams, futuristic forays built on faith, growth and altruism.”

The centenary event was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; governors of Niger, Zamfara and Nasarawa States, as well as representatives of Lagos and other states; ministers; the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi; Vanguard Publisher, Uncle Sam Amuka; ThisDay publisher, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; traditional ruler; and a host of others.

Earlier, former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, in his keynote address, praised the contribution of Daily Times to the evolution of journalism in Nigeria.

By Okiki Adeduyite


The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, has urged married women whose husbands prevent them from voting for the party to seek divorce, offering to pay their dowries.

Gadaka made the remark while speaking at a campaign rally in Nangere, Yobe State, on Thursday, according to Arise News.

In a video shared by News Central, the APC chairman said women whose husbands would not allow them to vote for the party should stand up to them and leave their marriages.

“If your husband won’t allow you to vote for APC, stand up to him and seek a divorce. If you leave the marriage, I will pay your dowry and marry you,” he said.

The remark has sparked criticism, with residents and Islamic scholars describing it as reckless and provocative and warning that it could undermine family values.

Gadaka has since apologised and withdrawn the comment amid the backlash.

In a video shared on the Facebook page of Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, on Friday, the APC chairman said his remark had been misconstrued.

He explained that the comment was intended as a joke.

“My statement was just a joke and does not in any way represent the ideals I stand for or intended to encourage divorce among married people.

“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,” he added.

The remark comes days after Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, sparked controversy after threatening to flog people who refused to support the APC in the 2027 election>

“If your husband won’t allow you to vote for the APC, stand up to him and seek a divorce. If you leave the marriage, I will pay your dowry and marry you.”

— Alhaji Muhammad Gadaka, Chairman of the APC in Yobe State. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0jEvNL9wIi

— Sulaiman Uwaisu Idris (@KafinHausaa) September 3, 2026

BREAKING: “I withdraw my earlier statement that any woman whose husband prevents her from voting for the APC should end her marriage and that I would marry her. I apologise to the public; I only said it as a joke.”

— Muhammad Gadaka, APC Chairman in Yobe State. pic.twitter.com/hXgt8p9zOu

— Sulaiman Uwaisu Idris (@KafinHausaa) September 3, 2026

By Solomon Odeniyi


No fewer than nine people, comprising four civilians and five security personnel, were killed during an operation to rescue victims abducted by suspected members of an international terrorist group in Oyo State.

The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, disclosed this in an interview published by Premium Times.

He explained that security operatives launched an immediate pursuit of the kidnappers after receiving credible intelligence about the incident.

Ajayi said a vigilante and a police officer were killed during the initial pursuit, while more fatalities were recorded during a subsequent raid on the kidnappers’ hideout.

“Immediately after the incident happened, based on credible intelligence, troops chased them immediately, and sadly, a vigilante and a policeman were killed. During the second raid, more were killed, making a total of nine fatalities, four civilians and five security personnel,” Ajayi said.

The DSS boss described the rescue operation as complex, noting that the victims included a two-and-a-half-year-old child who could not have escaped quickly during an assault on the location.

“It was a complex operation involving a two-and-a-half-year-old infant who could not run much if we invaded the place,” he explained.

Ajayi also raised concerns over what he described as widespread disinformation circulated on social media during the rescue operation.

He said videos purportedly showing children being tortured during the incident were actually old footage from another country and were unrelated to the Oyo operation.

“As expected, the rescue operation attracted a lot of social media disinformation. You have to sieve the information there,” he said.

He added, “While that incident lasted, they were posting deepfake videos of children beaten with lacerations on their bodies. They were actually footage from a particular country on witchcraft-related incidents passed off as real-time crude events here.”

The DSS DG urged the media to intensify fact-checking and ensure that verified information was separated from false narratives, particularly during sensitive security operations.

“Recall the victims recounted how well-treated they were by the criminals. So, one of the things I’d like you to do in the media is fact-finding and separating facts from fiction,” he said.

Ajayi said the kidnap group involved in the incident was an international terrorist organisation with links to Al-Qaeda, adding that the Service had previously arrested its leaders.

He disclosed that the arrested kingpins were linked to the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and had allegedly been planning further abductions targeting foreigners, students, women and children.

“Citizens ought to know that the incarcerated leaders of the kidnap group who were requested in exchange for the victims were arrested last year by the Service; their arrest helped to prevent high-profile attacks,” Ajayi said.

He added that the suspects were “found complicit in the Abuja/Kaduna train attack and were planning more kidnappings of foreigners, students, women and their children on a large scale.”

According to him, the group was seeking recognition as a state and freedom to practise its religion in a designated territory, and arresting its leaders was a proactive security measure.

Ajayi said the kingpins and three other collaborators had been sentenced to life imprisonment, although the DSS would seek stiffer punishment.

“The kingpins are the ones now sentenced to life imprisonment. The three other collaborators earned life imprisonment, and the Service will push for a stiffer penalty,” he said.

The Oyo abduction reportedly occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools in Oriire LGA and abducted pupils and teachers.

Security agencies in the country subsequently conducted a joint operation that led to the rescue of the victims.

by Olushola Bello


The Initial Public Offering (IPO) of the Dangote Refinery will open within the next 10 to 12 days.
Based on this timeline, the offering is likely to officially begin around September 15, 2026.

According to Reuters, the group president of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote disclosed this on Thursday while speaking to investors and analysts in Botswana during a visit to the Southern African country.

Dangote said the IPO is expected to raise about $5 billion, potentially making it the largest public offering in Africa.

“So our dream is that we want to make sure we double the capacity of the refinery, which will take us to 1.4 million barrels per day. The IPO will open in the next 10 to 12 days,” Dangote said.

The 650,000 barrels per day refinery reached full nameplate capacity in February 2026 and has since tested production at 700,000 barrels per day.

Dangote said proceeds from the IPO will fund the expansion of the refinery and its petrochemical complex, positioning the facility as a major supplier of refined petroleum products to African and international markets.
The IPO comes months after the refinery secured $2.5 billion through a private placement in July.

The company said the transaction was subscribed 3.7 times and that proceeds would support ongoing expansion.

Last month, it also secured a $400 million underwriting commitment from Marob Strategies and Consulting DIFC Limited and Lilium Capital Group, appointed as co-financial advisers.

According to the Information Memorandum released earlier, the Dangote Refinery is valued at $39.1 billion.

The refinery has benefited from stronger refining margins amid disruptions in the global oil market, particularly as tensions in the Middle East have increased demand for alternative fuel supplies.

Dangote also disclosed plans for a secondary listing of Dangote Cement Plc on the London Stock Exchange in October.

He said the listing is expected to broaden the cement company’s access to international investors and provide greater exposure to global capital markets. Dangote Cement is currently listed on the Nigerian Exchange.

The Group president announced plans to begin construction of a new refinery in Kenya in partnership with East African governments, saying construction is scheduled to commence on September 30 and is expected to take up to three years to complete.

The Kenya refinery will supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries, and is expected to help reduce East Africa’s dependence on imported refined fuels. It will represent the Dangote Group’s largest refining investment outside Nigeria.

The chief executive officer, Dangote Refinery, David Bird, said the company will not pursue a foreign stock market listing for at least three years.

He explained that the priority is the Nigerian IPO and that the refinery wants to establish a stronger operating and financial track record before entering international capital markets.

The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has announced plans to develop a high-speed rail line linking Lagos to Maiduguri, with trains expected to operate at speeds of up to 360 kilometres per hour.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Olufunso Adebiyi, disclosed the plan on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the 19th National Council on Transportation.

Adebiyi said the proposed rail project is part of wider efforts by the Federal Government to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on road transportation and expand the options available to commuters and businesses.

“The objective is to give Nigerians the freedom to choose between road, rail, air and water transportation rather than forcing citizens to depend almost entirely on roads,” Adebiyi said.

He said the government was pursuing what he described as a “rebirth” of the railway sector while also developing road, maritime and air transportation. According to him, rail transport would help reduce pressure on roads, particularly from heavy-duty vehicles, while improving movement across the country.

Adebiyi also announced plans for a Smart National Transport Data Bank and six standardised bus terminals across the country. He said light rail projects were also being pursued in Lagos and Kano as part of efforts to build a more integrated transport system.

The permanent secretary said investments in the transportation sector had already generated about 9,000 jobs. He cited roughly 4,000 workers engaged on one project and more than 5,000 on another, while also highlighting the Federal University of Transportation as part of efforts to develop skilled manpower for the sector.

On the maritime sector, Adebiyi said ports were undergoing reconstruction and automation aimed at improving cargo handling and reducing congestion. He said the different modes of transportation were being developed to work together and reduce logistics costs.

The announcement was made during the four-day 19th National Council on Transportation, which brought together federal and state governments, transport agencies and development partners to discuss measures for improving Nigeria’s transportation system. The council was held under the theme, “Developing an Effective Transport System for Nigeria: The Role of Integrated Transportation.”

The proposed Lagos-Maiduguri high-speed rail line would extend rail connectivity between Nigeria’s commercial centre in the southwest and Maiduguri in the northeast. The government has not publicly announced a construction timeline, project cost or completion date for the proposed high-speed route.

By Idowu Isamotu


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, disclosed that more than 40 of its personnel have been dismissed in the past two and a half years.

The commission revealed that they were sacked over their involvement in alleged corruption and financial malfeasance that could tarnish the image of the agency.

The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who disclosed this in Abuja when he met with media executives and other journalists in Abuja, said more than five of them are currently facing prosecution.

According to him, the case files of others involved that are yet to face the wrath of the law were being prepared for prosecution.

He stressed that these were part of the efforts to ensure that personnel of the anti-graft agency maintained the highest standards of integrity while investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.

“In the past two and a half years or three years of my service, I have asked them to dismiss over 40 staff on account of corruption and financial malpractice.

“More than five of them are being prosecuted at the moment. You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge,” the anti-graft agency boss told journalists.

The EFCC chairman said the commission had also introduced measures to strengthen accountability among its personnel, including a gift policy designed to regulate the acceptance and declaration of gifts by staff.

According to him, personnel would be required to declare assets valued above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives abroad.

He said the commission would determine the categories and value of gifts that its personnel could accept, stressing that the policy was aimed at ensuring that staff could account for their means of livelihood and standard of living.

Olukoyede warned that EFCC personnel could not effectively fight corruption while engaging in corrupt practices themselves.

He also disclosed that the commission had renamed its former Department of Internal Affairs as the Department of Ethics and Integrity, as part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability.

Olukoyede said the commission’s anti-corruption activities had also contributed significantly to revenue mobilisation, with federal and state tax recoveries amounting to approximately N288.1 billion during the period under review.

He said the figure comprised about N173.2 billion in federal tax recoveries and N114.9 billion attributed to state internal revenue services.

“This is fiscal value recovered through enforcement of existing obligations, not through the imposition of new taxes,” he said.

The EFCC chairman further disclosed that approximately N257.2 billion in naira recoveries were recorded for federal ministries, departments and agencies.


‘N1.23tn recovered in 3 years’

Olukoyede said the commission recovered N1.23tn, $684.48m, £373,905.78 and €9.34m between October 1, 2023, and June 30, 2026.

He explained that about N397.26 billion, representing 33 per cent of the naira recoveries, constituted direct recoveries for the Federal Government, while N836.34 billion, or 67 per cent, represented indirect recoveries made on behalf of ministries, departments and agencies, state revenue services, companies, individuals and foreign victims.

On the utilisation of recovered funds, Olukoyede said N661.32 billion and $492.37 million had been released to beneficiaries during the period.

He said the naira releases included about N325.35 billion paid directly to individuals and corporate bodies, while N335.97 billion was released to various MDAs, the Nigerian Revenue Service and state internal revenue services, among other beneficiaries.

Nigerian comedian Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has shared his experience boarding a driverless Uber in Atlanta, United States

The entertainer, in a post made via his official Instagram account on Sunday, described the futuristic ride humorously.

He wrote, “I entered Uber in Atlanta… na Jaguar, but driver no dey!, Oyibo don use technology make motor drive itself. Meanwhile, for Africa, our jazz na to dey turn people into yam. When our own juju go upgrade? See you guys at #enish_restaurant tonight in Houston.”

In the accompanying video, AY is seen inside the empty vehicle as it moves, unlocking and starting the ride with his phone.

He says, “When oyinbo dey tell una say dem no be una mate, Una go dey follow him argue follow them, they argue.”

“See, na the car dey drive himself. Na my uber be this. E dey carry me they go. Dem don tell una say dem no be una mate una no wan hear word una go dey do juju. They do different things, they kill people for Africa. I don’t want juju, that will kill people.”

He continued by saying, “I unlocked the car with my phone. Start the ride with my phone. And here we go. On my birthday. So we’re arriving in four minutes, basically. All by myself. No driver. Arriving in four minutes.”

The clip, posted on his birthday, drew reactions from followers who mixed humour with comments on technology and African realities.

#mr_anuel_ wrote “Baami be careful oo.” While #ololade_omolade_daramola commented “And believe me big bro na Africa here they get this juju take it or leave it sir.”

#dj_kase_ng said “Your grandma will never take this ride .”
As #aduratomijoe posted “To turn person to yam now sef don cost because yam dey very expensive now, and the juju no fit catch up with that budget again.”

#smartkid_armani added “Ghost don finally Dey get jobs .”
As #ernest10_ said “Big name,you get mind oo.”

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐒

Nigerian comedian Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has shared his experience boarding a driverless Uber in Atlanta, United States

Credit: IG | aycomedian
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— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) August 31, 2026

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐒

Nigerian comedian Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has shared his experience boarding a driverless Uber in Atlanta, United States

Credit: IG | aycomedian
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— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) August 31, 2026

By Hamisu Kabir Matazu


Sainna Buba, the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, has sparked widespread concern after threatening political opponents with physical harm and state-backed punishment if they fail to support the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Buba made the incendiary remark during a campaign inauguration event organized by the Tinubu City Boy Movement, a political support organisation campaigning for President Bola Tinubu’s administration and his anticipated 2027 re-election bid.

Addressing the gathering, the commissioner issued a stern warning to critics and opposition figures, using violent imagery to caution against political dissent.

“Whoever shows us a finger, we are ready to cut off his fingers,” Buba stated, adding, “We are now playing politics. Whoever shows us a finger, we will show him a finger… Whoever dares to show us a finger again, we will break his finger.”

In addition to threats of physical retaliation, Buba outlined a policy of political patronage and exclusion, explicitly stating that government benefits would be weaponized against non-supporters.

“The government is our government. Those who follow us will enjoy the honey; if you refuse, then you will be flogged,” he said.

Buba’s comments have drawn sharp criticism, raising serious questions regarding political tolerance, democratic norms, and the protection of dissenting voices in Borno State.

Some critics pointed out that such aggressive rhetoric from a serving public official threatens public safety and undermines the foundational principles of multi-party democracy.

As preparations for the 2027 general elections gradually begin to gain momentum among political parties and support groups, incidents like this highlight simmering tensions on the ground.

Buba has yet to issue a clarification regarding whether his statements were meant to be taken literally or as aggressive political rhetoric.

Also, the Borno State Government had not issued an official response to the commissioner’s remarks at the time of reporting.

The development comes five days after the Chairman of Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Danjuma Shekwolo, asked residents to either vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 or leave the council area.

WATCH: ‘Whoever Shows Us A Finger, We’ll Cut Off His Fingers’ — Borno Gov Zulum’s Commissioner Allegedly Threatens Non-Supporters

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— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) August 30, 2026

He is the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development and he made the remark during our City Boy Movement’s North East engagement in Maiduguri.

In all honesty, I believe the Commissioner did not mean the statement literally. It was an obvious joke made in the spirit of the lively interaction at the event and everyone present understood it as such. There was clearly no intention to insult, threaten or make any serious statement.

We were there. We heard the remark in its proper context, understood the atmosphere in which it was made, and we dismissed it because we knew it was a joke. Not every statement made at a political gathering should be deliberately amplified or interpreted in the most negative way possible.

There are enough serious issues to debate without manufacturing controversy from an obvious joke.

by Theophilus Adedokun


The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says its operatives have rescued two foreign nationals lured to Nigeria and held captive by “certain Chinese nationals”.

Ani Iniedu, force public relations officer, said on Saturday that the operation was a breakthrough in the fight against transnational organised crime.

Iniedu said the rescue was carried out by operatives attached to the National Central Bureau (NCB-INTERPOL), Lagos annex.

He said ​the operation followed intelligence received from INTERPOL-NCB, Bogotá, on August 26, regarding two female citizens of Colombia, identified as Maria Camila Rodas Ortiz and Yuliet Fernanda Rios Mesa.

“The victims were fraudulently lured to Nigeria, held against their will, and had their travel documents confiscated by certain Chinese nationals who are currently at large,” the statement reads.

“​Upon receipt of the intelligence, police operatives promptly launched a covert tracking operation, locating the hideout in Lagos where both victims were safely rescued on the same day.

“The fleeing suspects abandoned the location upon sighting the approaching team, and efforts have been intensified to track down and arrest all members of the syndicate.”

Iniedu said the rescued victims are currently in safe custody and receiving necessary support.

“The Colombian Embassy in Accra is working in close collaboration with the Bureau to secure hotel accommodations for the victims and arrange emergency travel documents to ensure their safe return to Bogotá,” the statement reads.

Olatunji Disu, inspector-general of police (IGP), reaffirmed his commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of all residents within the country.

Disu added that the force would continue to deepen collaboration with international law enforcement partners to combat cross-border crimes.

by Kabir Yusuf


The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recommended administrative action against 13 public officials over their roles in the scandal involving the illegal Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The recommendation is contained in an ICPC investigation report examining how the organisation, which was not established by a valid legal instrument, gained access to government offices, financial systems and other administrative privileges.

The commission also recommended the prosecution of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man who presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC, for forgery, impersonation, making false statements to public officers and criminal misrepresentation.

The recommendations offer a fresh indication of how deeply the purported agency penetrated the federal bureaucracy before the Presidency eventually disowned it.

The ICPC investigation followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a probe into the PFIPC. In its interim report submitted to the President on 6 August, which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, the commission said Mr Adeyemi was never appointed by the federal government and that the PFIPC was not established by any law, executive order or other valid government instrument.

The ICPC recommended administrative action against Mimi Abu, director of the Organisation Design and Development Department at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Rosemary Achem, special adviser on administration to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; and Patricia Akhigbe, an assistant director at the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.

Others are Aminu Abdullahi, schedule officer, Office Allocation, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Bello Abdullahi, assistant director, IPSAS, National Chart of Accounts, Consolidated Account Department, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation; Sanni Olubunmi, director, Inspectorate Department, OAGF; and Jousha Kadiri Luka, director, Consolidated Accounts Department, OAGF.

The list also includes Muazu Balami, deputy director, Risk and Review, Inspectorate Department, OAGF; Omameh Florence, assistant director, Inspectorate Department, OAGF; Akinlose Moses, Inspectorate Department, OAGF; Ogaba Harry, chief accountant, OAGF; Esther Orji Okoli, principal executive officer I, OAGF; and Ogunbade Habeebat Ajibola, manager, Compliance and Regulation Department, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The commission also recommended that the affected institutions implement relevant reforms identified in the report.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Adeyemi used documents presented as official presidential instruments to obtain office accommodation, seek self-accounting status and facilitate the opening of Central Bank of Nigeria accounts for the PFIPC. Several government agencies processed his requests on the assumption that the organisation was a legitimate federal institution.


Further investigation recommended

Beyond the administrative action, the ICPC recommended further investigation into the roles played by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance in what it described as the process through which legitimacy was accorded to the PEAC/PFIPC.

It also recommended inviting and interviewing officials and individuals connected to the newly uncovered fake MDAs, forged legislative Acts and Unity Bank accounts.

Those listed for further questioning include the managing director, chief compliance officer and relationship or account officer responsible for the Unity Bank accounts linked to the organisation.

The ICPC also recommended the invitation of OAGF officials, Adekunle Ajayi and Lovina Akabueze.

It further recommended an analysis of all bank accounts linked to Mr Adeyemi, as well as other sources of funds he claimed to have obtained as loans.

The recommendations come against the backdrop of mounting evidence that the purported agency was able to navigate several layers of the federal bureaucracy without its legal status being independently verified.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in July how the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the CBN acted on requests from Mr Adeyemi’s organisation.

In one instance, the OAGF wrote to the CBN on 29 July 2025 requesting the creation of four domiciliary accounts for two MDAs, including the PFIPC. The CBN subsequently confirmed the creation of dollar and pound accounts for the purported agency.

Mr Adeyemi also obtained access to office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja after presenting documents to government authorities. PREMIUM TIMES reported that he had approached the OSGF in November 2024 seeking office accommodation and self-accounting status.

How the purported agency gained legitimacy
According to the ICPC report, the PFIPC operated without a valid legal instrument establishing it as a federal government institution.

Despite the absence of a recognised enabling framework, the organisation acquired administrative visibility through documents presented as official instruments. It gained access to government facilities, interacted with public institutions and participated in administrative processes.

The report said the organisation projected itself as a government entity through representations made by its associates and gaps in institutional verification procedures.

Government officials who interacted with the organisation generally relied on the documents and information presented to them rather than independently verifying its legal status, according to the ICPC.

The commission said the investigation exposed weaknesses in the verification systems of government institutions and highlighted the need for stronger coordination among agencies.

It recommended stronger mechanisms for authenticating official documents and ensuring that only legally established government entities are granted access to public resources, government facilities, financial systems and other administrative privileges.


Presidency disowns PFIPC

The Presidency has maintained that neither the PFIPC nor Mr Adeyemi’s purported appointment existed under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, had described the PFIPC as fake and said Mr Adeyemi was never appointed to head such an agency. The ICPC investigation cleared Mr Gbajabiamila of any wrongdoing.

The investigation has already led to criminal proceedings against Mr Adeyemi. Police charged him and two other defendants with eight counts involving conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.

Mr Adeyemi was arrested in July after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment. He has denied wrongdoing and is expected to defend himself in court.

The ICPC said its findings and recommendations were submitted for consideration and appropriate action under applicable laws, regulations and public service procedures, while investigations continue into areas requiring further scrutiny.


Another fake agency

The discovery of the alleged PFIPC also led investigators to uncover another suspected fake agency, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, which allegedly operated within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

President Bola Tinubu ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of the agency’s alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze.

ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said investigators also found that Mr Nwabueze operated under several variations of his name and that there were suspected collaborators within the OSGF.

The commission said forged legislative instruments were allegedly used to give the entities an appearance of legitimacy and facilitate the opening of bank accounts in their names.

The emergence of another purported agency within a federal government office has expanded the scandal beyond the PFIPC, raising fresh questions about weaknesses in the verification and oversight mechanisms that allow individuals and organisations to present themselves as legitimate government entities

By Samuel Omotere


Gunmen have killed the All Progressives Congress Chairman in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Ishaq Yunusa, and abducted another occupant of his vehicle.

The incident occurred on Thursday along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway, around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afusat Saliu, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists in Lokoja on Friday.

Saliu said the attack occurred at about 5pm when armed assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire on motorists.

She said a blue Toyota Corolla with registration number GWA 636 CH was later found abandoned along the highway.

“The driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, was found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was taken into the bush by the assailants,” the statement said.

The police spokesperson said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, had intensified operations in the area, with personnel combing the surrounding forest to locate and rescue the abducted victim and apprehend the assailants.

She added that the deceased had been evacuated to Grimard Hospital, Anyigba, for autopsy, while the command was pursuing all available leads in connection with the incident.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, directed sustained security operations along the affected corridor and ordered efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The command urged motorists and residents along the route to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the police or other security agencies.

It said further updates would be provided as more information became available.

PUNCH Online had reported that gunmen recently abducted National Youth Service Corps members in Kogi State, with the police later announcing the rescue of 11 victims.

Kogi APC LGA Chairman, Alhaji Yunusa Onu Ishaq, has been killed by suspected kidnappers.

His remains arrived at his family residence on Iyale Road, Anyigba, this evening.

The kidnappers also reportedly took other victims into the forest.

May God help our land 💔 pic.twitter.com/V7EFICoDuG

— Azlannnn (@Shaibu_AO) August 27, 2026

The federal government through the outgoing head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has commissioned 100 Renewed Hope Mass Transit Electric Buses acquired for federal civil servants, describing the initiative as a practical demonstration of the government’s commitment to workers’ welfare and productivity.

Walson-Jack, who spoke yesterday at the ceremony at Eagle Square, Abuja, said the 37 buses presented at the event constituted the first batch of the 100 electric buses procured under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.

She described the event as particularly significant to her, saying it was her “parting gift” to federal civil servants as her tenure as head of the Civil Service of the Federation would end within 24 hours.

“It is with so much joy in my heart that I welcome you to this epoch-making commissioning of 100 Renewed Hope Mass Transit Electric Buses for federal civil servants.

“What we have here is 37 buses, being the first instalment of the 100 Electric Buses,” she said.

According to her, she could not have asked for a more fitting way to end her tenure than receiving and handing over an intervention that would continue to serve civil servants after her departure from office.
“I could not have asked for a more fitting note on which to close this chapter of service than receiving and handing over the keys to something that will keep moving, keep working, long after I have gone home,” she said.

The HoCSF said transportation was more than simply moving people from one location to another, stressing that the daily commute had significant implications for the finances, safety, punctuality and productivity of civil servants.

She said the initiative would ease the financial burden of transportation, reduce commuting risks and enable workers to arrive at their places of work in better physical and emotional condition.

“An intervention that makes transportation safer, more reliable, and more affordable is, therefore, not a peripheral welfare gesture; it is an investment in a more productive Civil Service,” she said.

Walson-Jack said the buses represented a visible assurance that the government understood the daily realities of its workforce and was prepared to respond to them.

She linked the initiative to other welfare measures of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, including the upward review of the national minimum wage, wage award following the removal of fuel subsidy, digitalisation and ease-of-service reforms, as well as renewed attention to pensions, promotions, employee compensation and health insurance.

She said the measures demonstrated that government reforms should be felt by workers and not merely announced.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda lives not only in policy documents, but in interventions that Civil Servants can see, board, and feel the benefit of every day,” she said.

The HCSF expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his support for the welfare of civil servants and the transformation of the Federal Civil Service.

She said a strong and efficient Civil Service depended on a workforce that was properly supported, motivated and equipped to deliver quality services to Nigerians.

Walson-Jack also commended the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, for his support and for personally undertaking the symbolic handover of the buses.

She acknowledged the contributions of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Patience Oyekunle; Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Dr Garba Abdul Sule; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Chris Isokpunwu; and their respective teams.

She also commended the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, for his support towards the realisation of the project, as well as the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, and his team.

Walson-Jack emphasised the need for a sustainable operational framework to guide the deployment of the buses, saying routes and schedules must be transparent, equitable and responsive to areas of greatest need.

She further called for effective arrangements for maintenance, qualified drivers, passenger safety, cleanliness and monitoring.

According to her, operations would commence with a pilot phase on selected routes, while full deployment would follow after the necessary logistics had been concluded.

She added that the buses would also be deployed, where appropriate, to Federal Secretariats across the states.

“A Special Purpose Vehicle has been established to ensure their proper management, maintenance and long-term sustainability,” she said.

The HCSF urged civil servants to regard the buses as valuable public assets and protect them from abuse.

“They are yours to use, but also yours to protect,” she said.

Walson-Jack also urged beneficiaries to reciprocate the government’s investment by improving their punctuality, productivity and dedication to duty.

She said reducing the financial, physical and emotional burden of commuting would enable civil servants to arrive at work with greater capacity to perform their responsibilities.

“That is the entire logic of what we launch today: productivity, dignity and safety, delivered on four wheels,” she said.

The HCSF, who is due to leave office on Thursday, urged those responsible for managing the buses to ensure that they remained functional, sustainable and beneficial to civil servants for many years.

“I may leave office tomorrow, but these buses and the reform journey of the Federal Civil Service must keep moving. There should be no breakdown on either route!” she said.

She expressed appreciation to President Tinubu, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the National Automotive Design and Development Council, the Service Welfare Office and all those who contributed to the delivery of the initiative.

She thereafter formally commissioned the Renewed Hope Mass Transit Electric Buses for the Federal Civil Service, dedicating the intervention to the welfare of federal workers and improved service delivery to Nigerians.

Controversy has erupted over the involvement of the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.

Opposition figures and public commentators have questioned the propriety of his role as a campaign fundraiser while remaining in charge of the nation’s revenue agency.

The development has particularly drawn criticism over Adedeji’s appointment as Deputy Director of Fundraising in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Former Kogi West Senator and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melaye, has threatened to challenge the appointment in court.

He argued that it raises serious questions about conflict of interest and public service ethics.

Melaye said he would approach the court on Monday to test the legality of Adedeji’s involvement in the campaign structure.

“As a lawyer, by the grace of God, on Monday, I’m going to court. We have to test that,” he said in a video posted on his official X account on Sunday.

The former senator questioned how the head of the country’s revenue collection agency could simultaneously occupy a fundraising position in a partisan presidential campaign.

“And you are serving as the country’s Chairman of Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS) formally known as FIRS. Is there no conflict in this?” Melaye asked.

He argued that Adedeji, as a public servant, is expected to comply with the Public Service Rules and public service ethics.

“If that is not conflict of interest, I don’t know what else it would be,” he said.

Melaye’s position has been echoed by a number of Nigerians reacting to the appointment on social media.

Some have expressed concern that the involvement of the country’s tax collection chief in campaign fundraising could blur the line between public office and partisan politics.

Development and business commentator, Morris Monye, questioned the appointment.

He asked whether it could result in taxpayers’ money being used to finance the APC campaign.

Another commentator, Kalu Aja, also questioned the propriety of the appointment, asking how the head of the country’s tax collection agency could serve on a political party’s fundraising committee.

He suggested that Adedeji could take a leave from public office if he wished to work directly for a political organisation, arguing that the current arrangement risked undermining public institutions.

Other social media users similarly raised concerns about the optics of having the head of the NRS, the agency responsible for generating a substantial portion of government revenue, involved in fundraising for a presidential campaign.

One commentator, identified as @MohdHAbdullahi, described the development as raising ethical concerns and argued that a line should be drawn between partisan political activity and public service responsibilities.

The controversy over Adedeji’s role comes against the backdrop of wider criticism of the composition of Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council by opposition parties.

The ADC has criticised the council over the inclusion of some former government officials, describing it as a “rehabilitation system” for individuals facing unresolved corruption and public accountability questions.

The party specifically questioned the inclusion of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu, and former Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund chairman Ngozi Olejeme.

It demanded clarification on whether outstanding cases involving them had been resolved.

Similarly, the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) described the campaign council as an “assembly of disconnected yes men and discredited politicians” and questioned its capacity to secure Tinubu’s re-election.

APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, said the composition of the council reflected what his party considered a failure by the President to assemble a credible team with sufficient public confidence.

“If after three and half years in power, President Tinubu could not garner the capacity to assemble a credible team, then it is clear that indeed he has no business being in charge of a nation as complex and demanding as Nigeria,” Yusuf said.

However, unlike Melaye and the social media commentators who specifically questioned Adedeji’s role, the ADC and APM criticisms were largely directed at the wider composition and credibility of the campaign council.

The APC had announced the 2027 Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday, naming Tinubu as chairman, Vice President Kashim Shettima as Vice Chairman I and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as Vice Chairman II.

Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari was named Director General, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was appointed Secretary.

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun was named Director of Fundraising, with Adedeji listed as Deputy Director of Fundraising.

The council is expected to coordinate the ruling party’s campaign for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

But the decision to place a serving public revenue chief in its fundraising structure has now introduced an additional controversy to the campaign council, with questions being raised over whether his political role is compatible with his responsibilities as head of a federal revenue institution.

Melaye said he would pursue the matter in court while continuing his opposition to Tinubu’s re-election bid.

“But I will test that in court, and we will make sure that, by the special grace of God, the battle to stop Tinubu is a battle of no retreat, no surrender,” he said.

The emerging controversy has placed Adedeji’s appointment among the first contentious issues surrounding the APC’s campaign structure.

Opposition parties have broaden their attacks on the council ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.

Ayoola Olasupo and Solomon Odeniyi



The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, George Nwabueze, has denied the allegation of running a “fake agency” in the country.

Nwabueze, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, noted that he oversaw an office which was under the supervision of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

He noted that the office had been in existence for 16 years.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission had on Friday said the President had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest for leading and promoting the outfit, which it tagged as a fake federal agency.

The ICPC said the accused was running it with the collaboration of senior public servants in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

But responding to our correspondent, the embattled executive director said, “Made in Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from. A programme that has been in the SGF’s office since 16 July 2010 was just discovered yesterday (Friday). After 16 years; Nigeria is a funny country.”

Nwabueze spoke while responding to our correspondent’s enquiries on LinkedIn, where he had earlier posted his appointment letter to rebuff ICPC’s claim of illegality.

The letter, dated October 3, 2025, was purportedly issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It was referenced OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205 and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare.

The letter, addressed to “Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja,” conveyed the approval of his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF.

According to the document, the appointment was for a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025 and was renewable.

“I am directed to formally convey the approval of your appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” the letter stated.

It added that the appointment followed “a careful evaluation of your commitment, contribution, and capacity in delivering on the mandate of the Special Project Office.”

The document listed Nwabueze’s responsibilities to include the supervision and development of programmes, projects and policies; supervision of regional and state coordinators across the 36 states; and organisation of exhibitions, trade expos, economic summits and other promotional initiatives aimed at promoting indigenous products and services.

It further stated that the project was to operate temporarily from Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex.

“Please note that this appointment is at the pleasure of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and in line with the objectives of the Made in Nigeria initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the letter said.

Efforts by Sunday PUNCH to engage Nwabueze further on the matter proved abortive as he declined response.


Special status request

Also, another document shared on Saturday on Linkedin by Nwabueze showed that his office sought to be granted the status of a Special Project.

The document, dated April 17, 2025, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Gagare, and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It was referenced PS-PEAO/2025/008/4.

The document, titled, ‘A proposal for the Made-in-Nigeria Project to be granted Special Project status’, stated that the initiative had been operating for about five years and had promoted Nigerian-made products and services locally and internationally.

It claimed that the project had organised economic forums and trade exhibitions in several parts of the world and contributed positively to the Nigerian economy, particularly in the area of foreign direct investment.

The document listed increased employment opportunities, economic growth and poverty reduction among the expected benefits of granting the project special status.

According to the proposal, the initiative would also contribute to Gross Domestic Product growth by supporting local industries and encouraging domestic production.

It further stated that the project would reduce importation by encouraging Nigerians to consume locally made products, thereby reducing dependence on imported goods, conserving foreign exchange and improving the country’s trade balance.

The document added that the initiative aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the economy, reduce dependence on crude oil and promote the non-oil sector.

The Permanent Secretary subsequently invited the SGF to note that granting the project special status would enhance its credibility and performance and enable it to meet its mandate and responsibilities.

However, the proposal made clear that the activities of the project were to be reviewed and operational modalities developed.


A fake agency?

The ICPC chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, had identified the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office as one of the outfits uncovered during the commission’s investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

Aliyu, while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja, said investigators discovered the office while probing the PFIPC and what he described as procedural weaknesses within the public service.

According to him, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation.

He identified the promoter of the outfit as Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, alleging that he operated under different variations of his name and had the backing of some senior public servants in the OSGF.

The ICPC had described the outfit as part of the structures uncovered during its investigation into the alleged PFIPC.

However, documents released by Nwabueze appear intended to challenge the allegation that the project office had no official backing.

One of the reports shared on the LinkedIn page of the organisation documented a stakeholders’ engagement in Nasarawa State involving Governor Abdullahi Sule.

In the report, the governor was heard saying the state had domesticated the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and captured it in its 2026 budget.

“For us in Nasarawa State, we have since domesticated this initiative of the Federal Government in our solemn commitment to promote local contents and have value for resources abound in our dear state,” Sule was quoted as saying.

“I’m happy to inform you that we did not only domesticate this project, but we also accord special attention to its operationalisation by including it in our 2026 budget,” he added.

The report also quoted the National Coordinator of the Made in Nigeria Project as saying the initiative was domiciled in the OSGF and was responsible for promoting the national brand.

Nwabueze was further heard saying the decision had been taken to locate a National Brand Processing and Packaging Centre in Nasarawa State.

The organisation’s website also identified “Nwabueze George” as “Executive Director, National Coordinator,” linking the position to the person named in the ICPC investigation.

Checks on the organisation’s website showed a structure featuring national, zonal and state coordinators.

At the national level, the organisation listed Dr Bassey B. Unaowo as Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary on Political and Economic Affairs in the OSGF, while Dr Hajara Njidda Amoni was listed as Director, National Administration.

The organisation also listed zonal directors and coordinators across several states.

It maintained social media accounts on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn under the handle “@pmainpro.”

Office shut for months, says OSGF official

However, a staff member of the OSGF told Sunday PUNCH that the office had been shut for months.

“It was not operating as an agency but I know was under investigation… The office was shut months ago,” the source said.

The development leaves questions over the status of the project office, particularly the conflicting claims over its authorisation and relationship with the OSGF.

While the ICPC maintains that the office was illegally allocated space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation, documents released by Nwabueze show an appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF formally appointing him to head the project office.

The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, when contacted, asked our correspondent to write a letter to his office before a response could be obtained.

Efforts to reach the ICPC spokesman, John Odey, proved abortive as of the time of filing the report, as calls to his number indicated that it was not reachable.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the police had yet to be officially briefed about the suspect.

Credible sources in the police force told our correspondent that a manhunt would only be launched after a formal briefing on the matter.

By Ismaeel Uthma


The All Progressives Congress and Governor Ademola Adeleke-led Accord party deployed over N100bn in the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, Saturday PUNCH can report.

The funds were channelled into campaign materials, vote buying, payments of agents, canvassers, security personnel and electoral officers in the 3,763 polling units and 332 wards of the state.

The estimated expenses exceeded the N3bn limit set by the Electoral Act 2026 for each of the governorship candidates.

Adeleke polled a total of 511,067 votes to defeat his arch-rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who received 444,815 votes.

Our Family Got ₦800,000 for ‘Ayinla’ Movie — Late Ayinla Omowura’s Son | Punch0:00 / 0:00
Expenses on agents

Saturday PUNCH confirmed from multiple sources that each agent of the APC who supervised the election at their various polling units was paid N100,000, while Accord party agents received N20,000 each.

Four other agents of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Movement and All Progressives Grand Alliance enlisted by Accord were paid N20,000 each.

That means Accord also expended N100,000 on party agents in each unit.

Osun has a total of 3,763 polling units, 332 political wards and 30 local governments and one Area Office.

A multiplication of N100,000 by 3,763 gives a total of N376.3m, and N752.6m if the latter sum is multiplied by two (for APC and Accord).

Similarly, findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that the African Democratic Congress paid N30,000 to some of the agents.

According to an official of the party who spoke on condition of anonymity, the agents were paid on Thursday, while some received their money on Friday.

However, the payment did not cut across all the units, making it difficult to calculate the total amount spent by the party on the agents.

Each of the ward collation officers of the APC, according to party officials involved in the election process, was paid N120,000, which amounts to N39.84m for the 332 wards.

Also, our correspondents learnt that the security team, comprising police, civil defence and Federal Road Safety Commission officers in each of the polling units was paid N100,000, while Accord gave them N80,000.

Also, the security team received another N50,000 from the state government, according to multiple officers who participated in the election.

The total accountable sum spent on the security personnel across the polling units by the APC, Accord and the state government amounted to N865.49m.

Apart from that, each top police officer was reportedly paid N2m by the APC, totalling N62m across the 31 LGs and area councils.

However, our correspondents could not get the amount spent on top security agents by Accord.


Vote buying

For vote buying, both parties spent billions of naira a few days before and during the election.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that the original amount allocated and disbursed for vote buying by APC was N40,000 per voter.

A former local government chairman and chieftain of the party in Ila Federal Constituency said the party spent billions to buy votes.

“We saw money and we started dancing. It was a huge amount of money in my local government. I have never seen such money in my entire political career. We received between N80m and N100m to spend on voters. Some local governments received N500m each,” he said on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

Analysing the vote-buying template, the chieftain said, “Our target was 150 voters per unit, apart from the party members. We were to spend N40,000 at 15-15-10. Each voter was supposed to collect N15,000 twice before election day and N10,000 on the election day. But some of our people didn’t follow that template. The N40,000 per voter was disbursed from the state and some of us actually spent on the targeted voters.

The total amount allegedly spent by the APC on vote buying amounted to N22.578bn.

According to many party members, the APC appointed 30 canvassers in every unit and paid each of them N10,000.

That amounts to N1.1289bn.

For Accord, an average of 150 voters were also targeted at N20,000 each in each polling unit.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the party appointed 30 canvassers with a mandate of getting 10 voters each at the initial stage.

However, because many of the polling units didn’t have up to 300 voters, the minimum number of voters to be paid by the canvassers was reportedly reduced to 150.

A multiplication of 150 voters by N20,000 totals N3m in each unit and amounts to N11.289bn if multiplied by 3,763, the total number of polling units.

A senior special assistant to Adeleke who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity on Thursday confirmed the amount but explained that the party did not disburse the money on election day.

He also disclosed that each of the canvassers was paid N10,000, amounting to N1.1289bn across the state.

“The party disbursed N20,000 per vote and each canvasser was to get 10 voters per unit. We had 30 canvassers in every unit. But the target was reduced to 150 on the average. In my unit, the total number of voters was 128. Some Accord members even collected the money, but the money was disbursed before the election day.

“By my estimation, Accord wouldn’t have spent less than N40bn for that election,” he said.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that some voters were paid as high as N80,000 in some polling units.

It was gathered that at polling unit 001, Coop. Building Junction, Isare, Ward 08, Ilesa East Local Government Area, where former governor Rauf Aregbesola voted, each voter was offered N70,000.

The APC won the unit after securing 256 votes, while Accord came second with 43 votes. ADC received just 13 votes at the unit.

Also, at the unit of a former Deputy Chief of Staff to the governor, Abdullahi Binuyo in Ward 10, Odo-Otin LG, a vote was reportedly bought at N80,000 around 12pm on the election day.

An Accord insider said some chieftains still had money in their homes.

The source said, “The money was huge and we couldn’t finish it all. After the election, about a billion naira was still left idle in a party leader’s house. They had to move the money to another location, the house of another leader, for safekeeping.”


Payment to electoral officers

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the electoral officers in each unit also benefited from the lavishness of the political parties.

According to multiple sources, both Accord and APC paid between N150,000 and N300,000 to the electoral team across all the units in the state.

Speaking with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, a former APC lawmaker in the state disclosed that the party expended a minimum of N400,000 on security and electoral officers in each unit.

He broke down the figure, explaining that the electoral officials were given N300,000, while the security team received N100,000.

The ex-lawmaker said, “In my unit in Osogbo LG, we deployed over N400,000. The electoral officers were also given N300,000 – N150,000 for the team lead and N150,000 for the ad hoc staff. The security team in each unit across the state was given N100,000.

“I’m aware that a total of N36bn was raised by governors, ministers, senators and others in support of the APC for the election. That was different from the direct funds from the Presidency, Oyetola (the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy) and his immediate team, the party and others.

“I had to conclude that Adeleke is a man of destiny for him to have won that election despite the huge amount of money we spent and the use of security.”

Confirming the amount, a member of the security and mobilisation committee of the APC said, “That was the template across the state. I can correctly say that between N4m and N5m was deployed to each unit for that purpose.”

If the N300,000 given to electoral officers was multiplied by the 3,763 polling units, it amounts to N1.1289bn.

Similarly, the senior special assistant to Adeleke also confirmed that Accord “reached out” to the electoral officers but couldn’t confirm the amount given to them.

“Accord also reached out to the electoral personnel in every unit, but I don’t know the amount. I witnessed when an APC leader in my unit gave the corpers money. They both distributed cash,” he said.


Electoral Act provision

According to the Electoral Act, the legal campaign-spending limit for a governorship candidate is N3bn.

Section 92(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 states, “A candidate to the office of governor shall not exceed the sum of N3,000,000,000 (Three billion naira) as election expenses.”

Commenting on the amount expended on the election by the parties, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, called for the prosecution of the parties for violating the dictates of the Electoral Act.

He decried the high rate at which the parties embarked on vote buying, describing it as unpalatable.

Itodo said, “The Electoral Act is clear about election expenses. If they spend whatever they spent as reported, it is above the threshold established by the Electoral Act. Therefore, it is an electoral offence. It means from both sides they committed an electoral offence. They should actually be prosecuted.

“Vote buying was quite significant. In fact, the inducements before the election were quite high. They’re buying people’s voter cards and PVCs for N25,000, N30,000 and that’s why on election day you saw people show up at the polling units without their PVCs and some came with sheets of paper with their voter identification number written. What that tells you was that the choices were even compromised before the election.”


Election fund controversies

The amount expended on the election has been a subject of controversy since Adeleke was announced winner of the poll.

His elder brother and billionaire businessman, Deji Adeleke, while giving thanks for the outcome of the election, alleged that APC spent over N60bn on the poll.

Also, popular hip-hop artiste, David Adeleke (Davido) claimed that APC spent N110,000bn on the election.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the spokesperson for the Ademola Adeleke Governorship Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged that the N110bn was brought into the state in two tranches.

“How do you bring cash as much as N110bn? We even have another report that the money is over N60bn. Initially, there was N60bn and another N50bn, making about N110bn in a country where people are suffering, where the economy is suffering,” he said.

However, the spokesperson for the APC in Osun, Kola Olabisi, dismissed the allegation and challenged the Adelekes to provide evidence.

He said APC didn’t engage in vote buying because the candidate of the party was popular enough to win the election.

“Anybody can make an allegation, but any allegation that is not supported with fact is as good as torn paper. It is wasteful. So, it has to be proven. I don’t know if Dr Deji Adeleke has something to prove his allegation, but if he doesn’t, that is too bad.

“He should be able to substantiate his allegation. Then we know that he is talking, but now, such allegations were just an expression. It should not be taken with any form of seriousness. It is frivolous and without any iota of fact. It should be discounted and disregarded,” he said.

Meanwhile, a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, also accused Adeleke of spending not less than N40bn on the election.

Fayose, while speaking with TVC journalist, Nifemi Oguntoye, in a video shared on X on Wednesday, said, “Accord party led the opponents. The money that went to that election from the Accord party itself cannot be under N40bn. I stand to be corrected.

“N7.5bn was released across local governments and wards shortly before the election. Secondly, on Monday, they sent over N7.5bn to the various local governments. The minimum for the wards that got the minimum would be about N35m. In a ward of about 7, 8, 9 polling units.”

But Olajengbesi denied that Accord engaged in vote buying.

“Accord party did not distribute, share money or buy a single vote. The election was won by the party with the support of the people of the state,” he said.

by Chika Izuora


Ghana’s Energy Minister and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapo, has expressed his country’s willingness to begin supplying electricity to Nigeria as part of a broader regional ambition.

Ghana already exports power to Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, with Nigeria representing a major new target market.

The government’s energy mix plan combines natural gas, renewables and nuclear power to support Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy initiative Ghana’s top stories, now easier to find.

Ghana is moving to add Nigeria to its growing list of electricity export partners, with Jinapor saying the country aims to become a reliable power supplier for the wider West African sub-region. Jinapor highlights a diverse energy mix to support the 24-Hour Economy initiative, according to report published August 21, 2026 by gen.com.gh.

Speaking on the matter, Jinapor said Ghana’s goal is to build enough generation and transmission capacity to meet domestic demand while also serving neighbouring economies. Ghana already has active cross-border electricity arrangements with Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso through the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), whose transmission network is physically interconnected with those countries.

Nigeria as Ghana’s next power market Nigeria presents a particularly significant opportunity. With a population of over 200 million people, it is one of Africa’s largest electricity markets.

However, Jinapor acknowledged that reaching Nigeria would require expanding transmission infrastructure to handle the volume of power trade involved.

Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, shared these remarks during a public event on August 21, 2026.

“So clearly, this falls in line with our vision, and we believe that if we can achieve this, Ghana can become an energy hub for the whole of the West African region in the shortest possible time,” he added.

Nuclear power and the 24-Hour economy Beyond regional exports, the minister also outlined Ghana’s long-term energy mix strategy.

That reliability, Jinapor argued, is critical to President John Dramani Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy initiative, a policy designed to encourage businesses and industries to extend their operating hours beyond the conventional working day.

The minister said nuclear power in particular, alongside gas and renewables, would provide the consistent electricity supply needed to sustain industrial activity at that scale.

Meanwhile, Nigeria is considering exploring several sources of energy to meet growing electricity demand, by converting cassava wastewater into biogas is being considered to help address the country’s energy needs.

The conversion will help transform the waste into useful resources as a sustainable solution to the environmental challenges associated with cassava processing.

Cassava effluent, which is often discharged around processing centres without adequate treatment, could contaminate nearby streams and other water bodies, but its biodegradable components could also be harnessed to produce renewable energy.

An Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Technical Director, Renewable Resources Centre, University of Ibadan, Prof. Taiwo Hammed, who spoke at a U.S.-Nigeria Transdisciplinary Workshop, themed, ‘From Cassava Effluent to Energy,’ at the University of Ibadan, offered clear explanations saying cassava wastewater could serve as feedstock for biogas production when properly managed.

According to him, its effectiveness depends on the type and quantity of feedstock, retention time, temperature and the balance of nutrients required by microorganisms to break down organic matter.

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says he will not let up the political heat on Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Peter Obi, his Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) counterpart.

Speaking on Friday in Abuja, Wike said there is currently no formidable opposition party in the country, noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which would have been the leading opposition party, has been weakened by internal crisis.

“I have told you we have no opposition. What you have is people who are just trying to see whether they can be relevant. Who is the opposition leader? Ordinarily, it would have been PDP, but because of the crisis we have had, you can’t see a formidable party that you will call the leading opposition party,” Wike said.

“So, whatever they [opposition] feel is not my business. I don’t want them to feel well. It is not my wish for them to feel well. My business is to make them not feel well all day, because they will be having high blood pressure. I guess that is my job — to make them have high blood pressure.

“I am not here to make them feel well. You see, when you are having a contest with somebody, your business is not to make him feel well. Your business is to make sure that you beat him thoroughly, and he will be sick all through.

“And that is what we are doing to them. So, how Atiku feels, how Obi feels, does not give me a headache. In fact, if I knew how they feel now, I would add more crises for them.”

Wike, a member of the PDP who is campaigning for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, has frequently taken jabs at the two presidential candidates.

On Thursday, Wike criticised Atiku over his promise to restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

Wike described Atiku as “confused”, adding that the former vice-president would say anything to win the presidency.

In October 2025, Wike taunted Obi by dismissing his presidential bid, calling the former Anambra governor a “social media presidential candidate”.

My job is to make opposition (Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi) not to feel well and high blood pressure

- Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike

Video Credit : newscentury // IG pic.twitter.com/UbGFoxP1CE

— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) August 21, 2026

By Taiwo George


Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at President Bola Tinubu, accusing the President of attacking his proposed petroleum-sector intervention.

President Bola Tinubu says Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is ignorant about economic realities of the country.

When he hosted Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, on Thursday, taunted Atiku’s promise to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.

“I saw one of my opponents now say he will go back to subsidy. I read it. That is a demonstration of serious ignorance on governance and the economy,” Tinubu had said.

Responding, Atiku described the President’s remark as the insolent sermon of a failed economic experimenter who mistakes Nigerians’ capacity to endure suffering for evidence that his policies are working.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said there was an almost comical audacity in Tinubu calling anyone economically ignorant.

Shaibu said: “If economic ignorance had a presidential seal, Tinubu and his family would be its official logo. Here is an administration that detonated simultaneous fuel-price, exchange-rate and cost-of-living shocks across a fragile economy, watched millions become poorer, and now struts around Abuja demanding applause for the wreckage.

“That is not reform. It is economic arson followed by propaganda about the ashes. Tinubu’s courtiers may clap because FAAC allocations have increased, but hungry Nigerians cannot boil FAAC figures for dinner. Businesses cannot power factories with presidential speeches, workers cannot pay transport fares with macroeconomic grammar, and parents cannot settle school fees with statistics manufactured for State House applause.

“A government that grows richer while its citizens grow poorer is not reforming an economy. It is extracting from its people.

“Tinubu should therefore spare Nigerians the economics lecture. A man who set the house on fire cannot ridicule another man for redesigning the fire extinguisher.

“Tinubu and his gang of jesters should acquaint themselves with elementary economics before accusing anyone of ignorance. Economic prescriptions respond to prevailing conditions. Even a first-year economics student understands ceteris paribus — other things being equal.

“But other things are no longer equal in Tinubu’s Nigeria. Apparently fresh from a bowl of amala, Tinubu mounted the podium at Eagle Square and casually declared that ‘subsidy is gone’ without a credible transition plan or adequate protection against the inflationary consequences.

“Those three words were not economic policy. They were economic vandalism by presidential fiat. Petrol prices exploded. Transportation and production costs followed. The naira depreciated sharply. Food prices soared. Businesses buckled and household purchasing power was decimated.

“Having destroyed the economic assumptions upon which previous prescriptions rested, Tinubu’s propagandists now accuse Atiku of inconsistency for responding to the disaster they created.

“That is not inconsistency. That is economics. Only incompetence insists on yesterday’s prescription after today’s conditions have changed.

“Atiku is not proposing the resurrection of the corrupt, open-ended subsidy bazaar. He proposes a targeted, capped, budgeted, time-bound and independently audited production-support mechanism tied to domestic production and protected against arbitrage.

“The difference is simple: Tinubu pronounced first and searched for a plan afterwards. Atiku studied the consequences and produced a solution.

“But there is an even greater hypocrisy in Tinubu’s subsidy sermon.

“Tinubu told Nigerians subsidy was dead. Yet NNPC’s audited accounts reportedly contain approximately ₦17.5 trillion in energy-security costs and petroleum under-recoveries, including about ₦7.13 trillion classified as Energy Security and ₦8.67 trillion in under-recoveries.

“So what exactly did Tinubu remove?

“If subsidy is dead, why are under-recoveries alive? If corruption was eliminated, why has opacity survived? Tinubu has given Nigerians the worst of both worlds: he removed the relief but retained the opaque costs. Nigerians got the pain; government kept the bill.

“Now that Tinubu tells Nigerians that one of the great achievements of subsidy removal is that states which previously struggled to pay salaries now receive larger FAAC allocations, he must realise that this argument is economically shallow and, worse still, an admission of developmental failure.”

Atiku added: “You do not build a federation by impoverishing citizens so that Abuja can send bigger cheques to governors. That is robbing households to subsidise governments.

“If the price Nigerians must pay for governors to meet their basic obligations is crushing transport costs, diminished purchasing power, food inflation and deepening poverty, then Tinubu has merely transferred solvency from the kitchen tables of ordinary families to government treasuries.”

By Goli Innocent


Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has disclosed that he earns a monthly salary of ₦503,000, while Permanent Secretaries in the state receive ₦900,000.

Oborevwori made the disclosure on Thursday during the inauguration of 12 four-bedroom terraced duplexes and the presentation of 12 official vehicles to newly appointed Permanent Secretaries in Asaba.

The governor said the salaries of Permanent Secretaries were increased after they complained that some directors were earning almost the same amount as them.

“When the Permanent Secretaries said most of the Directors are receiving almost the same thing with them, we increased their money. Today, Permanent Secretaries… Your salary is 900, my salary is 503,000, Governor’s salary.

“Head of Service is one million. It’s clear. So, you know some of them don’t want their husbands to know how much they are receiving,” he said.

Oborevwori said his administration had prioritised the welfare of civil servants, noting that official vehicles had been provided to serving Permanent Secretaries to improve their mobility and efficiency.

“To enhance their mobility and operational efficiency, we provided official vehicles to serving Permanent Secretaries. And today, it is my pleasure to present another 12 vehicles to the Permanent Secretaries that were recently sworn in,” he said.

He added that 302 public officers had benefited from the Public Officers’ Vehicle Loan Scheme, while 119 others had received support under the Public Officers’ Housing Loan Scheme.

The governor also said civil servants interested in agriculture had been provided with farm inputs to create additional income streams and contribute to food security.

He said 450 senior management staff had also received support to participate in a seven-weekend training programme through collaborations with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria.

Oborevwori said the appointment of 12 Permanent Secretaries in May ensured that every local government area in Delta had a Permanent Secretary in the state civil service, adding that the appointments were based on merit.

The governor further disclosed that Delta had approved the payment of a 13th-month salary to civil servants from December, with an executive bill being prepared to give the policy legal backing.

He urged civil servants and political appointees to shun absenteeism, nepotism, waste, inefficiency, bribery and corruption, while promising continued investment in infrastructure and measures to improve service delivery.

by Ayodele Oluwafemi


The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has filed a motion seeking to submit ex parte in camera declarations on why it withheld information about its investigative records relating to allegations of drug trafficking against President Bola Tinubu.

An ex parte in camera declaration is a written statement submitted solely to a judge by a party in a legal case.

In an application dated August 20, the FBI told the US district court in Columbia that it cannot publicly explain all the reasons it is withholding certain records, hence the need for an ex parte in camera declaration.

A copy of the application was published on X by Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm recently hired by Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 elections.

The FBI said it has invoked various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions against the requests for Tinubu’s records from 1992 to 1993.

The US law enforcement agency said if it acceded to the requests, it “would, among other things, disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations and/or could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual”.

Part of the FBI’s application reads: “One of the requests at issue is the request assigned Request Number 1588244-000, which sought “[t]he entire FBI file for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, DOB 3/29/1952, President-Elect of Nigeria as of February 2023”.

“Plaintiff submitted a second FOIA request to the FBI seeking “FBI 302 interviews with Bola Tinubu from FBI Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU during the timeframe 1992-1993”.

“This was assigned Request Number 1593615-000. The FBI has invoked various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemptions, including 6, 7(C), 7(D), 7(E) and 7(F) regarding these requests, and determined the information withheld from Plaintiff in this case, if disclosed, would, among other things, disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations and/or could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.

“The FBI has determined that it cannot provide on the public record the full basis for the application of Exemptions 7(E) and 7(F) to certain withholdings and that, therefore, an ex parte, under seal declaration is necessary.”

The FBI said if the court grants the permission to submit an ex parte in camera declaration, it would explain reasons for withholding certain information before August 28.

The plaintiff in the case is Aaron Greenspan, the American founder of PlainSite.

Recently, the US Department of Justice requested an additional 10-day extension to respond to a court order concerning the release of records related to allegations of drug trafficking against Tinubu.

However, Beryl Howell, the judge, granted only four additional days, until August 21.

Subsequently, Tinubu, through his legal team, joined the US DOJ’s request seeking an additional 10-day extension to respond to a court order.

Howell was said to have declined Tinubu’s request.


THE CASE

In 2022 and 2023, Greenspan filed 12 FOIA requests with six different US federal agencies seeking information from criminal investigations into a Chicago heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s.

Greenspan sought investigative records about four named individuals allegedly associated with the drug ring, including Tinubu, Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.

Five of the US agencies responded, saying that they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of the requested records.

Dissatisfied with the responses, Greenspan approached the US DOJ’s office of information policy (OIP).

The OIP affirmed the agencies’ refusal to confirm or deny the existence of the requested records, according to the court documents.

On June 12, 2023, Greenspan filed a lawsuit challenging the agencies’ Glomar response to his FOIA requests. A Glomar response is an official statement by a US government agency refusing to confirm or deny whether requested records exist.

The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), and Department of State were initially named as defendants.

However, the CIA was later named as a defendant in the first amended complaint.

In April 2025, Judge Howell held that the responses issued by the FBI and DEA were “improper and must be lifted”.

The judge ruled that the FBI and DEA failed to provide information to “establish cognizable privacy interest exists in keeping secret the fact that Tinubu was a subject of criminal investigation”.

Howell held that the two agencies failed to provide evidence demonstrating the burden of sustaining their Glomar responses.

Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River, has shared his account of how Ibrahim Babangida, ex-military head of state, warned former president Olusegun Obasanjo about Atiku Abubakar, his then deputy.

Duke served as governor of Cross River from 1999 to 2007.

His account is contained in a new book by Seun Oloketuyi titled ‘How to Win Elections in Nigeria’, which details the intrigues that characterised the early years of Nigeria’s fourth republic.

Duke recounted how an informal meeting of some past leaders at the presidential villa in Abuja, involving Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state; Obasanjo, and Atiku turned into a tense encounter.

He said the meeting culminated in a blunt, unforgettable warning from Babangida that would alter the course of their political alliance.

According to Duke, the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku had become increasingly strained as the president prepared to seek a second term.

Atiku, he said, was making moves that raised concerns about whether he would continue to support Obasanjo’s re-election bid.

The growing tension, as captured in the book, eventually became a major political issue within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Duke recalled that at one point, 10 governors, including himself, met with Solomon Lar, then-PDP national chairman, to discuss possible alternatives for the vice-presidential slot.

The situation, he said, weighed heavily on Obasanjo.

Duke said he remembered receiving a late-night call from the president, who complained about what he saw as betrayal by his deputy.

“I urged him to remain calm and promised to fly to Abuja the next morning,” Duke recalled.

What followed was an unusual meeting at the presidential villa.

According to Duke, Atiku had arranged for Babangida and Abdulsalami to meet with Obasanjo.


‘I WARNED YOU NOT TO TRUST YOUR DEPUTY’

During the meeting, Babangida reportedly reminded Obasanjo of agreements that had been reached following his release from prison.

He also argued that convincing northern political leaders to support Obasanjo’s second-term bid would be difficult.

Obasanjo, Duke said, asked whether that was their final position or whether there was still room for negotiation.

Babangida reportedly said there was still room for further discussions.

But according to Duke, the most revealing moment came after the meeting appeared to have ended.

He noted that as the men were leaving Obasanjo’s private study, Babangida said he had forgotten his keys inside and asked Obasanjo to walk back with him.

As both men walked back alone, Babangida allegedly dropped his diplomatic tone and delivered a blunt warning.

“I warned you not to trust that your deputy,” he told Obasanjo.

And when they returned to the others, Babangida looked at Atiku before turning back to Obasanjo.

“This one cannot rule Nigeria,” he allegedly said.

Duke said the encounter offered a glimpse into just how deep the distrust between Obasanjo and Atiku had become, and how seriously the political struggle was being discussed behind closed doors.

He added that the episode also reinforced one of the lessons he learnt from his time in office which is that, “betrayal is a very crazy thing in politics”.


BACKGROUND

Obasanjo and Atiku have endured a frosty relationship since their stint at the helm of Nigeria’s affairs.

Both men have repeatedly traded corruption, abuse of office and political betrayal accusations.

The verbal exchanges took a fresh dimension on July 24 after Obasanjo alleged that Atiku gave the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba, former speaker of the house of representatives, N5 million to begin impeachment proceedings against him during his first term in office.

Obasanjo made the allegation while responding to comments by Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun, on the political developments that preceded the 2003 general election.

Speaking on August 1 during a fireside chat with Charles Oputa, the activist popularly known as Charly Boy, in Lagos, Obasanjo reiterated his strong reservations about Atiku, saying he regretted picking him as his vice-president.

Reacting, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate accused the ex-president of fabricating allegations against him to favour his kinsman ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku said Obasanjo was only being bitter because he stood against his third-term agenda while they were in office, adding that he has no regrets for his actions.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to publish a detailed account of federation revenues, deductions, savings and transfers.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the latest July 2026 federation account figures had deepened questions over the management of revenues accruing to the federation, particularly funds generated following the removal of petroleum and energy subsidies.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, the former vice-president said his earlier reconciliation of published federation account figures had identified about N28 trillion requiring explanation as of June 2026.

He said the July figures had pushed the cumulative amount requiring transparent public accounting towards N30 trillion.

“The question President Tinubu must answer remains painfully simple: Where is the money?” Atiku said.

For July 2026, gross statutory revenue stood at N4.359 trillion, while the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) approved N3.007 trillion for distribution to the federal government, 36 states and 774 LGAs.

Atiku said the figures reinforced the need for a comprehensive reconciliation of revenues flowing into the federation account and deductions made before distribution.

“The madness continues. Month after month, trillions of naira enter the Federation accounts, and month after month enormous amounts are removed under different classifications before the balance is distributed,” he said.

“Our reconciliation previously identified approximately N28 trillion requiring explanation up to June 2026. July shows that the pattern has continued.

“The cumulative amount of Federation revenues, deductions, savings, transfers and related funds requiring transparent reconciliation is now approaching N30 trillion.

“If the Tinubu administration disputes that figure, the answer is not another press statement. Publish the ledger.”

The former vice-president cited previous federation account figures, including N2.068 trillion reported as available revenue in January 2024, of which N1.149 trillion was distributed.

He also pointed to June 2025, when N4.232 trillion was reportedly available and N1.818 trillion was distributed, as well as June 2026, when N4.501 trillion was reported as available and N2.551 trillion was distributed.

“These are not accounting footnotes. This is the wealth of the Nigerian people,” Atiku said.


‘WHERE IS THE SUBSIDY-REMOVAL WINDFALL?’

Atiku said the government must specifically account for revenues and fiscal gains arising from the removal of petroleum and energy subsidies.

He recalled that Nigerians were asked to endure the economic hardship associated with the reforms on the promise that the resulting savings and additional revenues would be deployed for development.

“President Tinubu did not ask Nigerians to endure the agony of subsidy removal so that the proceeds could become unexplained stashed funds beyond public scrutiny,” he said.

“The savings and additional revenues generated by these reforms belong to the Nigerian people. They are not the private reserves of the Presidency or any government agency. Where is the subsidy-removal windfall?”

Atiku also questioned the government’s borrowing despite claims of increased revenues and savings.

“If these trillions genuinely exist as savings, where are they and why is Nigeria borrowing so aggressively?” he asked.

“If the money has been transferred, who received it? If it has been spent, what was it spent on? If it remains in government accounts, what are the balances today?”

He challenged the administration to publish a month-by-month and beneficiary-by-beneficiary reconciliation of federation revenues from June 2023 to date.

“For every naira removed before distribution, Nigerians deserve to know the amount, beneficiary, purpose, date, destination and legal authority,” Atiku said.

“Transparency is not achieved by attaching convenient accounting labels to trillions of naira. It is achieved by opening the books.”

He said Nigerians had made enough sacrifices and deserved to know how public funds are being managed.

“If the approximately N30 trillion is properly accounted for, President Tinubu should publish the ledger and show Nigerians where every naira went,” Atiku added.

By Daily Trust


Celebrity journalist and politician, Chief Dele Momodu, has asked Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, not to compare Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State with his Rivers State counterpart, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

Momodu said this while responding to Daily Trust’s story on Wike’s claim that President Bola Tinubu could have sent him to Osun if he wanted the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the election at all cost.

“If the President had wanted to win the Osun State election at all costs, I would have been there and we would have won it, and there’s nothing the governor can do,” Wike had boasted during an interactive session with reporters earlier on Tuesday,

The minister’s comment came against the backdrop of the APC’s loss to Adeleke, who ran on the platform of Accord Party.

But responding to Wike, Momodu said, “Osun people would have demystified you mercilessly. Adeleke is not Fubara!! My kobo advice, stop equating yourself to God.”

Daily Trust reports that Fubara lost traction after falling out with Wike.

After surviving a series of impeachments, he was suspended for six months and reinstated after reportedly agreeing not to seek a second term.

Fubara had tried to bypass the agreement by defecting to the APC, but he was not cleared to contest the primary election, let alone getting the ticket.

At a media chat earlier this month, Wike described Fubara as the biggest loser in the Rivers political crisis.

He said the governor lost the opportunity to return for a second term because he listened and acted on wrong advice from his supporters, who deceived him and worsened the crisis in the state.

He said Fubara’s failure to preside over the last local government election, which produced the current council chairmen in the 23 LGAs, and having no control of the state House of Assembly showed he was not in charge even as governor.

“Impeachment is constitutionally provided but it is used as a political tool. When you are having two people quarreling, at a certain stage, you have to surrender. If you don’t surrender, this is what will happen to you. Now you have to weigh the option. For the interest of peace, let us sheathe our swords.

“Impeachment is constitutionally provided for, but you don’t come out every time to say you want to carry out impeachment. That is only done when you see that things are not working very well. Even in that situation, you have to be very careful; there is a process. Remember the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.

“All these are political tools but provided in the Constitution. A time comes when you discuss the tools. So that is what has happened here. In the interest of peace, look, you give and take.”

Wike expressed disappointment that the governor could not break into the state House of Assembly during the crisis, saying that, of the 29 members of the House, none was with him, nor were any of those who were his supporters.

“Assembly of 29 members, not one was taken away. What does it tell you? You’re a leader, for example, in Okrika, the Assembly member is here. You’re a leader in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government, the Assembly member is not with you. You’re a leader in Khana Local Government, the Assembly member is not with you. You’re a leader in Andoni Local Government, the Assembly member is not with you. You’re a leader in Obio/Akpor, you don’t have one Assembly member.

“You’re running to the governor that we are with you; with you with what? He (Fubara) couldn’t break the Assembly. What does it tell you? Everything is money, money. If it is money, who has the money?

“All these people who surrounded the governor, look at all the fights. What impact or input did they make to help the governor succeed? They were there and a state of emergency was declared. What did they do?

“When I said the governor is losing, what I mean… the governor did not preside over the local government election. He did not. The one he did was nullified by the Supreme Court and they were all sacked. How do you think that, as a governor, I did not superintend over the election? Two, because of some people who surrounded him, giving him advice, the governor did not secure a second term,” he said.

Asked how Fubara is the biggest loser, he said, “If you want me to say the bitter truth, I feel for him. But yes, he is the biggest loser. Yes, he lost because, look at it, God gave you something on a platter of gold. There is no problem; there is no basis. In fact, as a strategist, how would you stay 100 days in office, assuming, as you said, though not conceding, that he is under pressure to bring money? One hundred days in office, and you cannot stomach it.

“Assuming what they are saying is correct, say, ‘Look, I need to go somewhere. I need to make a contribution to the state.’ As it stands now, who is going to lose? The state has lost, I lost. I didn’t want the state to lose. I wanted the state to progress and, as politicians too, you don’t want your own group to lose out. Let nobody deceive you.

“Even those who supported Siminalayi, they said that they cannot allow us to continue to be in power. Politics is not church. Politics is all about power. What you use the power for is a different thing. Whether you use it for the interest of the people or not is a different thing.”

If the president had wanted to win the Osun State election at all costs, I would be involved, and I would have been there, and Governor Adeleke would have known that it would have been different.

- FCT Minister Nyesom Wike pic.twitter.com/QXSNrGzSq9

— OurFaveOnlineDoc 🇬🇧 🇳🇬 (@OurFavOnlineDoc) August 18, 2026

by Jemilat Nasiru


Deji Adeleke, the billionaire businessman and father of afrobeats singer Davido, says he prayed that voters would collect money allegedly offered by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the Osun governorship election but back Ademola Adeleke, his younger brother and incumbent governor.

Speaking after Adeleke secured a second term in the August 15 election, Deji said he resorted to prayer after hearing reports of the amount of money allegedly being spent by the APC to influence voters.

He claimed that the APC spent about N60 billion during the election, with some voters allegedly offered as much as N50,000 for their votes.

Ademola, the Accord candidate, defeated Bola Oyebamiji of the APC with 511,067 votes against 444,815.

The result marked the second consecutive governorship defeat for the APC in Osun after Ademola defeated then-incumbent Gboyega Oyetola in the 2022 election.

Oyetola, now minister of marine and blue economy, remained a prominent APC figure in the state and supported the party’s campaign in the 2026 contest.

Deji said rather than attempt to match the alleged spending by the opposition, he turned to God and prayed for his brother’s victory.

“On the day of the election, when I heard about the kind of money they were spending, I went back to my little corner in my room and I knelt down and I prayed to God Almighty and I said, ‘God Almighty, let people collect their money but still vote for Ademola Adeleke,’” he said.

“They spent 60 billion as we heard. Some places they bought votes for as high as 50,000, for one single vote.”

Deji said the Adeleke camp’s victory was not because it had more money or a stronger political structure than the APC, but because of its faith in God.

“The only reason why we defeated Oyetola is not because we’re bigger or spent more money than him,” he said.

Deji said his faith had also shaped his approach to politics and public life, adding that he regularly turns to the Bible during his prayers.

“When I kneel down to pray every day, I have some Bible passages and verses that I read and pray with. And this is part of my testimony. Isaiah 41:10,” he said.

The businessman said his confidence in God had also made him less concerned about political influence or seeking access to powerful people.

“I am not afraid or bothered about anything because my belief in God Almighty is very strong and that is why you don’t see me running after power, people in high places or competing with people to go to visit anyone,” he said.

“I’d rather ask God Almighty to help me in my little corner.”

By Pelumi Bolawa


Davido has fired back at house of representatives member James Faleke following tensions surrounding Saturday’s Osun governorship election, which saw his uncle Ademola Adeleke secure re-election.

Adeleke, candidate of the Accord Party, was declared winner on Sunday morning after an overnight collation of results in Osogbo.

He polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who finished with 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) placed a distant third with 17,180 votes.

The war of words began after Davido accused Faleke of pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the election outcome.

In a post on X, the singer alleged that the lawmaker, alongside two other APC legislators, was attempting to “upturn the election result”.

Davido further declared that the people of Osun had rejected Oyebamiji and former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, adding that he would never support the APC.

Faleke, who traveled to Osun to support his party’s candidate, denied the allegations, insisting he had no power to influence the poll outcome. He noted that his presence in the state was no different from Davido’s support for his uncle’s party.

In an X post, Davido dismissed Faleke’s response and took a swipe at his political career.

“Politics is not a career. Get a Job!” he wrote.

The singer, who has been actively involved in his uncle’s re-election campaign, also congratulated Adeleke on securing a second term as Osun governor.

Kehinde Akinseinde-Jayeoba


Nigerians may soon have the opportunity to become shareholders in Dangote Petroleum Refinery as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received an application for a potential $5 billion initial public offering (IPO) by the multibillion-dollar refinery.

The proposed offering, which could become one of Nigeria’s biggest capital market transactions, is expected to give retail and institutional investors an opportunity to acquire equity in one of Africa’s largest industrial projects.

However, the final size of the IPO has not been determined, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird, said the company intends to make the proposed share sale broadly accessible to Nigerians, describing it as a “people’s IPO.”

“We really want to drive participation,” Bird said in an interview with Reuters, signalling the company’s intention to encourage significant domestic ownership of the refinery.

The planned listing comes as Dangote Refinery seeks additional capital to fund a major expansion that could increase its refining capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day within the next three years, almost doubling its current capacity.

Bird said the expansion would be funded partly through proceeds from the IPO and additional debt.

The proposed public offering follows a major private placement in July that raised $2.5 billion and valued the refinery at approximately $40 billion.

The private placement, led by Africa Finance Corporation alongside a group of strategic investors, was reportedly 3.7 times oversubscribed, highlighting strong investor appetite for the refinery.

The transaction attracted significant interest from African and international institutional investors, reinforcing expectations that the proposed IPO could generate substantial demand.

For the Nigerian capital market, the proposed listing could deepen the equities market, increase the range of investible assets available to domestic investors and provide an avenue for Nigerians to participate directly in the growth of the refinery.

While international investors could participate in the Nigerian offering, Dangote Refinery does not plan to pursue an immediate foreign listing.

Bird said the company wants to establish at least three years of production and financial performance before considering an overseas listing, potentially in London.

A stronger operating track record, he said, could enable the refinery to achieve a better valuation when it eventually seeks an international listing.

The company has not disclosed its valuation for the proposed IPO or confirmed the final amount it intends to raise.

Dangote Refinery is targeting a substantial expansion of its operations, with capacity expected to rise to 1.4 million barrels per day.

The company believes its access to Nigerian crude, large domestic market and integrated operations provide significant competitive advantages over many refining assets in other markets.

The refinery currently supplies a substantial portion of Nigeria’s petrol and diesel requirements and meets the country’s jet fuel needs, while also exporting refined petroleum products to markets in Africa and Europe.

Bird said the refinery became Europe’s largest supplier of jet fuel in June and July, reflecting the growing international reach of its products.

The company’s expansion plans come against the backdrop of Africa’s persistent deficit in refined petroleum products and petrochemicals, creating opportunities for Dangote Refinery to increase both domestic supply and exports.

The proposed IPO therefore represents more than a fundraising exercise for the refinery. It could mark a significant shift in ownership by allowing Nigerian investors to take direct equity positions in a strategic national asset.

If successfully executed, the offering could also become a landmark transaction for the Nigerian capital market, providing investors with access to one of the country’s largest industrial enterprises while giving Dangote Refinery fresh capital to expand production and strengthen its position in regional and global energy markets.

By : Terhemba Daka


Iran’s military has announced a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures and hands over a United States soldier.

Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief, Major General Amir Hatami, announced the reward on Sunday, saying the initiative followed what he described as “the large number of requests” from people seeking to participate in financial support for the military effort, according to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA.
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“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said.

He added that Iranian women who carried out such an action would receive twice the amount.

“Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward,” he said.
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Hatami, however, did not disclose where or when Iranian forces or civilians were expected to capture or kill American personnel.
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The reward further underscores the hostility between Tehran and Washington following months of military confrontation that began after the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28.
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The conflict was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting and a June framework for peace talks. The diplomatic process subsequently collapsed, while the two sides continued to exchange fire intermittently, particularly around southern Iran and the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
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The latest Iranian announcement also comes against the backdrop of repeated allegations that Tehran has considered retaliatory action against US President Donald Trump.
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During a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July, US security officials reportedly used an elaborate deception to move Trump away from his publicly expected aircraft amid concerns about a possible Iranian attack. Reports said Trump was secretly transferred to another aircraft while a decoy departure was maintained to conceal his movements.
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The development comes as Washington and Tehran continue to face unresolved disputes over military operations, the Strait of Hormuz and the prospects for renewed negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the confrontation because it is a major route for global oil shipments. Fighting and threats surrounding the waterway have repeatedly raised concerns about energy supplies and the wider economic consequences of the conflict.

By Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos


Nearly half of Nigerian households experienced a major economic setback in the past year, including job losses, business closures or difficulties finding employment, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.

The report, titled “Six Zones, One Crisis: What Nigerians Say About Jobs, Skills and the Risk of Leaving,” was based on an in-person survey of 1,180 respondents across 21 cities and Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones between July 7 and 18, 2026. It found that 45.3% of households had experienced at least one major employment-related shock in the previous 12 months.

The findings showed that Nigeria’s employment crisis varies considerably across regions. The Southeast recorded the highest level of economic hardship, with 66.5% of respondents reporting a job loss, business closure or inability to find work.

The Northcentral followed at 61.3%, while the South-South recorded 50.3%. The Northeast stood at 40.4%, the Southwest at 32.7%, and the Northwest recorded the lowest rate at 21.5%.

SBM Intelligence said the high level of economic shocks in the Southeast was linked to poor infrastructure, limited access to capital and security challenges, including disruptions caused by sit-at-home orders.

However, the organisation cautioned that the relatively low figure in the Northwest should not necessarily be interpreted as evidence of a healthier labour market. It noted that subsistence agriculture may be helping some households survive despite weaknesses in formal employment.

The report also found that Nigerians face different barriers to employment depending on their location. Low wages were identified as the biggest challenge in the Southeast, where 24.8% of respondents cited poor pay, and in the South-South, where 21.1% gave the same response.

In the Northwest, lack of skills was the leading obstacle, cited by 26.8% of respondents, while 22.9% in the Northeast identified skills shortages as a major barrier.

In the Southwest, poor infrastructure was the biggest employment constraint at 21%, closely followed by limited access to capital at 20%. Credit access was also a major concern in the Northcentral, where 21% of respondents identified it as a barrier to employment and business development. Meanwhile, discrimination based on age, ethnicity, gender and personal connections was a significant concern for young people in the South-South.

The difficult labour market is also encouraging Nigerians to consider relocating in search of better opportunities. The survey found that 79.1% of respondents would either definitely move or consider relocating to another geopolitical zone for a good job. About 21.2% said they would definitely relocate, while 57.9% said they would consider it depending on the circumstances. Only 20.9% preferred to remain in their current zone.

The South-South recorded the highest willingness to relocate at 92.6%, followed by the Southwest at 86.3% and the Southeast at 75.7%. The Northwest recorded 69.3%, the Northcentral 68.9%, and the Northeast 59.6%. SBM Intelligence described the South-South as particularly vulnerable to labour migration, noting that oil production has not translated into sufficient employment opportunities and that the region’s non-oil economy remains underdeveloped.

Digital skills emerged as the most popular training option, with 52.7% of respondents selecting it as their first choice. Interest was highest in the Southeast at 71.4%. Technology and ICT were also viewed as having the greatest potential to create jobs nationally, followed by agriculture and agro-processing. Construction trades were the most preferred option only in the Northeast.

SBM Intelligence recommended increased investment in inter-regional economic corridors, stronger digital-skills programmes, improved access to credit for small businesses and a national vocational qualification system. It also called for better labour-market data and measures to reduce nepotism in recruitment. The organisation further urged the government to simplify credit programmes so that informal businesses and self-employed Nigerians can benefit more effectively.


Expert: Report reflects Nigeria’s harsh economic reality

Economic analyst and former Chairman of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Prof. Adebayo Adams in a chat with our correspondent described the report as a reflection of the country’s current economic reality, warning that rising unemployment, insecurity and the cost-of-living crisis are pushing more households into survival mode.

The expert said the reported loss of jobs and income should not be viewed in isolation, stressing that many Nigerians had also lost business opportunities and other sources of livelihood over the past year.

The expert said the impact was particularly severe in regions affected by insecurity and displacement.

“These figures reflect the reality that nobody can really defend away,” the expert said, noting that the situation had become especially difficult for small businesses and low-income households.

He linked the rising economic pressure to unemployment, internal migration and the growing number of Nigerians struggling to maintain adequate incomes.

According to him, the movement of people from one region to another in search of jobs and better economic opportunities has increased pressure on urban centres, while households are increasingly relying on whatever resources they have to survive.

The expert also pointed to growing withdrawals from retirement savings as another indication of the severity of the economic strain.

He said thousands of unemployed contributors were increasingly turning to their pension savings to meet immediate needs as food prices, transportation costs and other living expenses continued to rise.

“Everybody is now planning for survival. It has gotten to that level where everybody just wants to survive,” he said.


‘Subsidy must return’

The expert identified insecurity as one of the major factors behind the deterioration in household welfare, particularly in parts of northern Nigeria.

He explained that when farmers cannot safely access their farms, food production declines, while the additional costs associated with insecurity are eventually reflected in food prices.

“People are no longer going to farm. It is a function of demand and supply,” he said, adding that farmers in some affected areas had also been forced to pay money to criminal groups before accessing their livelihoods.

He said, “Anything that affects the oil price will definitely affect the cost of living. So the masses are suffering. The issue at hand now is for the government to look into it and return some of these subsidies. If the government fails to return the subsidy, then there would be a problem. Government must be able to subsidise the fuel, and must be able to come up with other incentives.”