₦airaland Forum

By Itoro Oladokun


To be honest, Nigerians are daring and adventurous at the same time, especially with food. We all have that secret food combo we absolutely love but won’t boast about in the open because, as the name implies—it’s weird! If you want to put your taste buds up for a challenge, see the weirdest yet tastiest food combinations we love:

Indomie and Agege bread

Instant noodles already slap on their own, but some people take it up a notch by stuffing them into Agege bread. The result? A carb overload that somehow just works. It’s soft, chewy, and packed with that signature Indomie flavour. The only rule? Eat it with confidence, and don’t look at anybody so their body expression doesn’t confuse your gut.

Eba and beans

Don’t scream yet! Eba should be paired with soup, right? Wrong. Some bold foodies have discovered that eba and beans—especially porridge beans—make an unexpectedly satisfying duo. It’s heavy, it’s starchy, but if your stomach can handle it, it’s oddly comforting. For a more satisfying weirdo combo, pair beans with fufu.

Rice and Okra soup

We all agree rice is versatile, but okra soup? That’s where lines get blurred. Yet, many Nigerians secretly enjoy this slimy and delicious pairing. The okra coats each grain of rice perfectly, making swallowing almost too easy. But don’t say it out loud unless you’re ready to defend your taste buds. If you’re from the western part of the country, rice and Ewedu is pure magic—not kidding!

Suya and chocolate drink

Suya paired with cold, creamy Milo or Bournvita hits differently. It might sound chaotic, but that mix of heat and sweetness is elite. If you’ve ever dipped suya into your hot chocolate while pretending it was an accident, just know you’re not alone.

Garri and Ketchup

Yes, we love garri with milk and sugar, but some people push boundaries by mixing it with ketchup. The tangy sweetness of ketchup and the crunchiness of dry garri create an oddly satisfying contrast. It’s a mystery why this works, but some people swear by it.

Garri and Mango

Garri and mango have saved lives since back in the day. If you grew up where there was an abundance of mangoes and plenty of garri, you would agree with me that this combo is the real deal—especially when the hot sun has drained you from endless trekking back from school. And if you want to take it a step further, try banana and garri—it’s heavenly!

Yam and Mayonnaise

Boiled yam meets mayo in this unconventional pairing. While butter and palm oil are more traditional choices, mayonnaise brings a creamy, slightly tangy twist that actually makes yam softer and tastier. It’s tagged ‘Yamalicious yam.’ You might raise an eyebrow at first, but one bite will have you questioning everything. But if you don’t trust your bowels to cooperate, challenge your taste buds with this when your toilet is vacant.

Akara and Jam

Akara (bean cake) with bread is a classic, but have you ever tried it with jam? That sweet-savory combo hits differently, almost like a Nigerian version of pancakes with syrup. If you ever find yourself out of butter, just spread a little jam on akara and thank us later.

Fried plantain and Egusi soup

We all love dodo (fried plantain) on the side of rice or beans, but mixing it directly into egusi soup? That’s a different level of boldness. The sweetness of the plantain with the nuttiness of egusi creates a blend that is shockingly addictive.

Spaghetti and Beans

Don’t think this is the regular spaghetti with beans by the side. Wrong! I mean mixed spaghetti and beans porridge. It’s odd, but when it lands on your taste buds, it’s pure indulgence!

Food is personal, and taste is subjective. Next time you see someone eating rice with okra or dipping akara in jam, just remember the viral challenge: *“We listen, but we don’t judge.”

Put it to use because some of the best flavours come from unexpected combinations.
Tell us, what’s the weirdest food pairing you secretly love but won’t confess to? Share with us!

Former President Goodluck Jonathan says the political elites in Nigeria will act better when citizens reject wrong things.

Jonathan spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the public presentation of ‘Readings on Election Security Management’ and ‘Selected Readings in Internal Security Management’ authored by Solomon Arase, the former inspector-general of police (IGP).

Jonathan, Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, suggested creating a hall of shame for past leaders who contributed to the country’s problems.

He lost his 2015 re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

He decried the conduct of elections in the country, noting that “people willingly do wrong things because we are in a society where people accept the wrong thing and celebrate those who do the wrong thing”.

“One gets worried when it comes to the Nigerian elections. Just as Arase said, the key actors in the elections are the electoral management body, in our own case, the INEC and the police. And sometimes elections are done anyhow we like,” Jonathan said.

“Why so? I don’t think I can say clearly; it’s because people lack the knowledge. They don’t lack the knowledge. People willingly do the wrong thing because we are in a society where people accept the wrong thing and celebrate those who do the wrong thing.

“And if we go to the level where society will not accept the wrong thing, people will no longer do the wrong thing.

“I believe one day when Nigerians will no longer accept the wrong things and a day, we all collectively say we will no longer accept the wrong things.

“We, the political class, will behave normally. People must reject us if we behave wrongly.

“Maybe, one day, we would have two buildings in Abuja where we will have places with pictures of people even if they are dead and say these are the people who really messed up this country so that their grandchildren will know that their grandfathers were part of the problems of this country.”

Jonathan noted that the military has been overstretched in the provision of election security, citing countries like Botswana and Senegal, where the police play major roles during the polls.

“In fact, here we overstretch the army. In most other countries, militaries don’t get involved in the day-to-day managing of the elections,” he said.

“In some countries, they use them to manage some strategic transportation, like the Air Force and the army in very dangerous areas, to convey materials.

“But manning polling booths, staying around, the military are never used for that. I just came back from Botswana some months back monitoring their elections. “It’s a very small country with a small population, so almost all the police officers were used for the election.

“What the military does is that those regular duties that the police officers were doing, including securing the police headquarters, the military took over because almost all the police officers were sent to the field.

So, the military high command had to post military officers to secure government assets and facilities.

That’s what they do, and you don’t hear stories. Go to a country like Senegal, which is a West African country, for their election last year.

“Here, we talk about technology, technology, and still with the technology we still have problems. And I said that they use the simplest form of voting.”

Mexico will take Google to court if it insists on changing the Gulf of Mexico’s name to “Gulf of America” for Maps users in the United States, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday.

She said her government had written again to the US company arguing that President Donald Trump’s executive order on the subject only applies to the part of the continental shelf belonging to the United States.

The letter informs Google that “under no circumstances does Mexico accept the renaming of any geographic area that includes part of its national territory and that is under its jurisdiction,” she said.

“We will wait for Google’s response and, if not, we will proceed in court,” Sheinbaum said at her daily news conference.

Sheinbaum had announced on Friday that her government was considering legal action against Google, saying: “If necessary, we will file a civil suit.”

Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico soon after his January 20 inauguration.

In response, Sheinbaum cheekily suggested calling the United States “Mexican America,” pointing to a map dating back to before 1848, when one-third of her country was seized by the United States.

Google, which is part of tech giant Alphabet, said that users of its Maps app in Mexico would continue to see the name “Gulf of Mexico” while those in third countries would see both names.

Apple has also renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for US users of its mapping application to comply with Trump’s order.

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru


ABUJA- THERE have been lamentations among some federal government workers over what they described as payment of “half salary” for January.

'We aren't just a band of blind musicians; we have journalists, teachers and computer...0:00 / 0:00

But the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, JPSNC, has assured workers that the matter is being looked into and that a letter has been written to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

Some federal civil servants had complained that they were ‘shortchanged’ in their January salary.

An assistant director in the federal civil service told Vanguard that he collected N510,000 in December but was paid N360,000 in January.

He said: “We were shortchanged, many of my colleagues were paid half salary. I hope this is not deliberate. The new minimum wage did not even reflect on the payment slip.”

Responding to the complaint, Chairman, Public Service Joint Negotiation Council, Benjamin Anthony, said that efforts have been put in place to correct the problem.

According to him: “The issue with the January salary, there was a mixed up from the IPPIS (Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System). We have written to the Head of Service of the Federation and in her proactiveness had told us that they are working on it.

“To ensure that they correct it. If the workers look at the previous salaries that have been paid to them, there was no problem. So even the IPPIS has confirmed that there is a mixed up, so it will be corrected.”

Continuing, Anthony said: ” When you see a salary table, you take it, pick your own grade level and step and divide it by 12, you will know the actual pay that you will be going home with every month, and if there is anything below that, that is where you will now come up and complain.

“But they will be shouting, they cannot go to their industrial unions and submit all this thing and which is not helping us, because it is the information from them that we are going to use and work on it.”

Asked whether the peculiar allowance of N40,000 has been removed from the payment slip, he said: “The peculiar allowance we negotiated and federal government agreed to continue to pay it. I think the computer removed it from their payroll, and that is the root of the problem. I know of peculiar allowance, that one is not there. So they will reflect it and pay them.

“Apart from peculiar allowance. I think they have been paid their 25 percent salary review that was done, they have been paid that one. I think some of them, we asked, they told us that they finished paying in December, also the wage award they have finished paying that one, that we confirmed”

On the omission of minimum wage on the pay slip, he said: “That is the mistake from the system. It doesn’t mean that it has not been paid. They have started paying it, if you check the salary, if you look at directors before, they were taking around N500 hundred and something thousand, but if you look at it now, it is N700 hundred and something thousand and all other grade levels.

“There are great changes. We appeal to the Nigeria public service worker that if there’s any complaint, they should quickly submit it through their industrial union so that we can collect this data and then forward to the government for implementation.”

Comrade Anthony further said: ” We have also written to all the industrial unions that they should collect names of the people that are affected and send to us so that we can forward it to the federal government and we are yet to get any reply from any industrial union.

“I want to ask the workers to keep calm and also for them to submit their complaints to their industrial unions so that they can forward it to us.”

by Yakubu Mohammed


Two weeks after a failed reconciliation move between Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), popularly known as Boko Haram, and its breakaway faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), both groups have resumed fighting in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.

This is not the first time the Bakura Doro-led faction of Boko Haram and ISWAP engaged in such violent fighting on the islands of Lake Chad Basin.

The recent clash, according to Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency expert in the North-east, occurred on 14 February around ISWAP camps in Toumbun Gini and Toumbun Ali.

Mr Makama, in an X post, said ISWAP suffered heavy casualties in the battle that was fought on water. He said the fighting may continue and spread to Kukawa LGA, where Boko Haram fighters continue their campaign against ISWAP.

Both groups have been fighting each other since ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Abubakar Shekau, a former idiosyncratic leader of JAS, had, in 2015, pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), making him the leader of ISWAP.

However, ideological differences forced some top members of the group, including Habib Yusuf, the son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf, to fall out with Mr Shekau.

The breakaway faction led by Mr Yusuf, otherwise known as Abu Musab al-Barnawi, went ahead to bear the name ISWAP with its operational bases in the islands and shores of the Lake Chad basin, restricting their brothers-in-arms to places like Sambisa and Mandara Mountain in Gwoza.


The genesis of the infighting

When the groups first split in 2016, the Islamic State tried all it could to reconcile them, but the negotiation failed majorly as a result of Mr Shekau’s ideological stance, especially on who should be regarded as a kufar [apostate] and why they must be executed.

That same year of the schism, the Islamic State officially recognised Mr Yusuf as the leader of ISWAP. This situation forced Mr Shekau and some of his loyalists to revert to his JAS designation.

Subsequently, a clash between ISWAP and Boko Haram led to the death of Mr Shekau, who experts believe killed himself to escape ridicule after his Sambisa hideout was raided on 19 May 2021. This ended Mr Shekau’s 11 years of terror campaign.

As the shadowy Bakura Doro succeeded Mr Shekau, supremacy fights between both groups continued, diminishing their strengths. This is besides strategic military offensives against the groups, although it is believed that these rivalry fights have killed more insurgents than military offensives.


The failed reconciliation

Two weeks earlier, Mr Doro wrote a letter to the ISWAP leadership, seeking reconciliation between both groups, said Malik Samuel, a researcher with a deep understanding of jihadi groups in northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region.

PREMIUM TIMES could not get a copy of the letter written by Mr Doro. But Mr Samuel said insiders told him the letter was about reconciliation.

He explained that ISWAP set up a committee to look into the request before the current clash.

A Borno-based journalist who has been reporting on violent extremism in the North-east corroborated Mr Samuel, saying the reconciliation process failed.

“The ongoing clash may not be unconnected with the failed peace deal,” the journalist, who asked not to be named for his safety, said.

Although the ISWAP has always been open for reconciliation with Boko Haram since the death of Mr Shekau, the move has always failed due to differences in beliefs, such as the treatment of civilians who do not believe in jihad.

As the rivalry continues, both groups now resort to guerilla tactical attacks, deploying IEDs of various types to hit their targets. According to experts, this shift in operational pattern shows a significant combat weakness within the groups.

But that does not mean the state actors have won the war. Our correspondent understands that groups, especially ISWAP, intensify their endearing strategies in the local communities they control. Noting that more than 35 million people need support because of the instability in Lake Chad that has claimed thousands of lives, the European Union recently allocated €201 million in humanitarian aid for Sahel and Lake Chad countries.

The renewed clash between the two groups, according to Mr Samuel, is “a win” for the Nigerian authority and other regional governments around the Lake Chad region.

“Had the reconciliation worked out between them, it would have been somewhat devastating to the Nigerian military and other regional forces,” Mr Samuel opined, noting that rivalry clashes between the groups decimate more than the ongoing military operations in the North-east

When asked what could have prompted Boko Haram to write a reconciliation letter to ISWAP, the researcher explained that it may be due to the international recognition that ISWAP enjoys.

“It is not because of economic or funding issues,” he explained. “Boko Haram since before the death of Shekau has its funding model. They thrive on taxation of local fishers, herders and farmers.”

According to him, Boko Haram might be envious of last year’s scenario when Islamic State sent foreign instructors to train ISWAP fighters, including minors, in December.

The lifeless body of one Inspector Haruna Mohammed has been discovered in a hotel room in Ogun State.

A woman, who arrived at Super G Royal Hotel, located at 11 Anthony Uzum Estate, Oyeyemi Akute, with the police officer at around 1:00 am on Saturday, February 15, 2025, is currently missing.

According to a police memo detailing the situation report, hotel manager Deborah Adejobi found their room unlocked at about 8:52 am.

When she checked inside, she discovered the officer's lifeless body while the woman was nowhere to be found.

The hotel owner, Abiodun Olagunju, reported the case to the police. According to the memo, the woman had earlier visited the reception at about 6:00 am to request table water.

The police have described Mohammed's death as "unnatural."

His body has been removed and deposited at Life Channel Mortuary in Olambe.

The police memo reads, “SITREP X Ajuwon Division X sudden and unnatural death X grateful be informed that today 15/02/2025 at about 1130hrs one Abiodun Olagunju 'M' the owner of Super G Royal Hotel X of NO. 11 Anthony Uzum Estate Oyeyemi Akute reported mine that X date at about 0102hrs one Haruna Mohammed 'M' and a lady whose name and address unknown both came to his hotel and lodge X that at about 0600hrs of date X the said lady came to reception and requested for table water later at about 0852hrs the manager of the hotel X one Deborah Ogunjobi 'F' discovered that the door of the room was not locked and when she open the door she saw the lifeless body of the said Haruna Mohammed X on receipt of the report detectives mine visited the scene photograph taken X corpse removed and deposited at Life Channel Mortuary Olambe X police camouflage uniform with Insp rank and name tag with inscription Haruna Mohammed was found in his bag and manager was brought to the station for interrogation the lady now at large meanwhile investigation is in progress further development will be communicated yours please X SUPOL Base 35 Ajuwon XXXX.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has denied claims that it sells substandard petrol with a high burn rate.

In a statement on Saturday by its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, the NNPCL said it was reacting to a viral video claiming that its petrol does not last long in fuel tanks.

Our correspondent reports that a video had surfaced online where a content creator claimed he bought a litre of Dangote petrol from MRS filling station in Alapere, Lagos, at N925 and the same litre at NNPC in Ojodu Berger at the rate of N945.

According to him, he poured the fuel into separate power generators, and the one running on NNPC fuel stopped after 17 minutes, while the Dangote petrol lasted until 33 minutes.

But the NNPCL said the petrol purchased from its filling station was from the Dangote refinery.

“The NNPC Ltd strongly refutes the false and misleading allegations made in a viral video circulating online, which claims that NNPC fuel does not last.

“This assertion is baseless and entirely unfounded, originating from unverified and amateur research that lacks credibility, accuracy, and professional oversight,” the statement said.

The company emphasised that its fuel “is carefully formulated with one of the best compositions, ensuring optimal efficiency, durability, and environmental sustainability for consumers.”

Furthermore, the NNPC stressed that a significant percentage of the Premium Motor Spirit sold at its stations in Lagos was sourced from the Dangote refinery.

“It is important to emphasise that a significant percentage of Premium Motor Spirit sold at NNPC retail stations in Lagos—where this deceptive video was created—is sourced from the Dangote Refinery, a strategic partner in promoting local production and energy security.

“Dangote Refinery adheres to strict industry standards, guaranteeing the quality of petroleum products supplied to our consumers,” the NNPC declared.

It added that the “misleading video” represents yet another desperate attempt by economic saboteurs to misinform the public and tarnish NNPC’s reputation.

“We will not tolerate deliberate misinformation designed to undermine our operations and mislead Nigerians.

“Henceforth, NNPC Ltd will take firm legal action against individuals or groups who intentionally spread falsehoods about our brand and operations. Those engaged in such malicious activities will be held fully accountable under the law,” it was stressed.

The energy firm urged the public to disregard such “fabricated content” and rely on verified sources for accurate information, saying it remains steadfast in its mission to ensure fuel availability, affordability, and quality for all Nigerians while maintaining global industry standards.

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has defended the commission’s ongoing crackdown on internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo boys, despite criticisms from some quarters.

Speaking on Thursday while receiving the management of The PUNCH at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, Olukoyede stated that the country lost over $500m in one year due to internet fraud.

The EFCC boss noted that the activities of internet fraudsters had evolved beyond online scams, warning that they were now involved in more dangerous crimes, such as kidnapping, ritual killings, and arms trafficking.

“We are doing the work. Last year alone, we had over 11,000 petitions, investigated close to 9,000, and prosecuted nearly 5,000 cases despite our limited manpower. Some people criticise us for going after Yahoo Yahoo boys, but they don’t understand the severity of the crime.

“It is no longer just about scamming people. They are now into kidnapping, banditry, and ritual killings. Some of our investigations have uncovered horrifying details, including cases where young female victims were used for rituals. If we don’t act decisively, in the next 10 years, we may not have a generation we can confidently hand over this country to,” Olukoyede stated.

Olukoyede also stressed the EFCC’s commitment to internal cleansing, revealing that he had sacked 27 commission staff members in the past year over corruption allegations.

“You cannot be fighting corruption and be corrupt yourself. I have publicly challenged anyone to come forward with evidence that I have collected bribes in my years of service. Integrity is key in this fight, and we must lead by example,” he said.

The EFCC chairman urged the media to play a more active role in shaping public perception of the commission’s work, advocating investigative journalism that highlights both corruption and the agency’s achievements.

“The media has always been a key player in the anti-corruption fight. In the early 2000s, before the EFCC was established, it was journalists who exposed many financial crimes. We need to return to that era where the media and law enforcement work together to protect the country,” he said.

The Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman, Michael Nzekwe, praised the media’s role in sensitisation and advocacy, calling for greater collaboration.

“The media is a critical partner in this fight. The advocacy and awareness you create have helped sustain the anti-corruption movement in Nigeria. We ask for even more understanding in the way our work is reported. The fight against corruption is for the good of all Nigerians, not just the EFCC,” he said.

Dangote Group, one of the most respected conglomerates in the country, has demonstrated its resolve to dominate the nation’s automobile sector, especially in the passenger car and commercial sector.

Dangote, which took the franchise for the Peugeot brands few years ago and later Sinotruck brand, has continued to rollout models from its two plants in Kaduna (Peugeot) and Lagos (trucks).

Dangote in a significant move to become a leading player in the sector has commenced the assembly of the Peugeot 3008 GT model at its Kaduna plant, in addition to other models.

This development marks a major milestone in Dangote Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, (DPAN) Limited’s efforts to revitalise the Peugeot brand in Nigeria, which was the most popular brand in the country in the 1970s and 80s.

The Peugeot 3008 GT, with its 1.6-litre high-performance turbo engine, joins DPAN Limited’s existing lineup of locally assembled vehicles, including the Peugeot 301 Sedan and the 5008, a seven-seater SUV known for its spacious interior, stylish design, and modern technology features.

In addition to the 3008 GT, DPAN has also unveiled the Peugeot Landtrek 4×2, a pickup truck with a rear-wheel drive system, powered by a 2.4-litre engine. This move marks DPAN’s entry into the light commercial segment of the market.

According to Umar Isa-Kaita, DPAN’s Chief Commercial Officer, the company is engaged in discussions with auto companies to expand its Peugeot sales and after-sales network by accrediting dealerships across Nigeria.

This initiative aims to enhance the visibility and availability of Peugeot vehicles nationwide, while ensuring satisfactory after-sales support for customers.

The introduction of the 3008 GT and the Landtrek pickup truck is a fulfillment of DPAN’s promise to expand its lineup of locally assembled vehicles.

The company’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Isa Gachi, had assured that these models would follow the Peugeot 301, which was launched in January 2022.

With its Kaduna plant capable of assembling 120 vehicles per day, DPAN is poised to gradually reclaim the Peugeot brand’s former glory in Nigeria’s automotive market.

The company’s efforts are expected to revitalize the industry, which has faced significant challenges in recent years.

DPAN is a joint venture between Dangote Industries Limited, Kaduna, Plateau, and Kebbi State Governments, and Stellantis Group, the parent company of Peugeot.

The company’s commitment to assembling high-quality vehicles in Nigeria is a testament to its dedication to the country’s economic development and growth.

Patrick Ikenweiwe, deputy director at the Department of State Services (DSS), says first-class graduates in Nigeria’s academic institutions should be forced to join the secret agency.

Ikenweiwe spoke on Wednesday during the 2025 distinguished personality lecture organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara state.

The deputy director, who represented Adeola Ajayi, DSS director-general, delivered a topic titled: ‘The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping and National Integration’.

Speaking during the event, Ikenweiwe said individuals with low academic performance should not be entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the country’s security apparatus.

The deputy director noted that academic institutions should provide the secret service with their top graduates to strengthen the security framework.

He said the recruitment process for security agencies should ensure the inclusion of the best talent in the country.

“If I have my way the best of the lot from every academic institution must be forced to serve in the secret service; that is how it is in the so-called developed nations,” he said.

“Like I know, in Israel, there is one examination that students take to into the university. The moment you score above 70 marks, you have no option but to be sent to the university

“Tell me, how would a dullard be able to keep security in a criminal gang that is constituted of first-class people. You know, you need intellect to track criminality.

“So, if I have my way in this country, and we keep praying that we do the right thing. The academia should be able to supply us, sincerely, the details of students who have excelled in their various fields of study so that they would be forced to serve this great nation”

Nigeria’s mega Dangote Oil refinery, Africa’s largest, could begin operating at full capacity in 30 days, the head of the refinery, Edwin Devakumar, told Reuters yesterday.

The 650,000 barrels per day refinery built by Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, in Lagos began processing crude into products, including diesel, naphtha and jet fuel, in January last year and started processing petrol in September.

It aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity but has been struggling to secure sufficient crude locally.

The Dangote Refinery is a massive oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Lagos, Nigeria. Developed by Dangote Group, it is one of the largest refineries in the world and the biggest in Africa. The facility, located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, is designed to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it a game-changer for Nigeria’s energy sector.

Costing about $20 billion to build, the refinery has helped to partly meet local demand and has reduced reliance on imports.

Head of the Dangote oil refinery, Devakumar, said the refinery was currently operating at 85 per cent capacity and “we can go 100 percent in 30 days.”


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Last year, the refinery turned to importing crude after it was unable to secure sufficient volumes despite an agreement with the Nigerian government to buy crude in the local naira currency, the Reuters report noted.

It has asked for 550,000 bpd of crude for January-June this year from oil producers in Nigeria, according to the oil regulator, which has also said it would block export permits for oil cargoes from producers who fail to meet their stipulated supply quota to local refineries.

The Dangote Oil Refinery is exploring new markets for its refined products. Founder Aliko Dangote told a group of Nigerian professionals who visited last week that it was sending two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco as part of its plans to expand. “We are looking at all the markets right now,” said Devakumar.

Meanwhile, oil prices rebounded on Monday despite lingering fears over a potential global trade war after the US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff plans, this time targeting steel and aluminium.

Brent crude futures were up 87 cents, or 1.2 per cent, at $75.53 a barrel, with US West Texas Intermediate crude adding 1.3 per cent, rising 90 cents to $71.90.

Monday’s gains could be down to bargain hunting after the market posted a third consecutive weekly decline last week, pressured by the concerns over global trade, a Reuters report said.

US President, Donald Trump, said he will announce on Monday 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the United States.

A week ago he announced tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, but suspended those for the neighbouring countries the next day.

Brent crude is forecast to average $60 to $65 a barrel in the second half of 2025 because Trump will be persistent in his desire to lower energy prices and he will ultimately prove to be a bearish influence on the market, Citi analysts said.

By Okiki Adeduyite


A lecturer in Theatre Arts and Film Studies at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr Chukwudi Okoye, has explained the circumstances that led to him being physically assaulted by a female student, identified as Goddy Mbakwe Precious, a third-year History and International Studies student.

PUNCH Online reports that the incident, which took place on campus, began when Okoye interrupted the student’s recording of a dance video in the corridor of the Faculty of Arts.

An eyewitness told PUNCH Online, “The lecturer tapped her on the shoulder and said, ‘Excuse me,’ as he passed behind her. However, she became visibly upset and exclaimed, ‘Can you imagine how he just hit me?’”

The situation escalated into a confrontation, with the student grabbing the lecturer’s clothes before onlookers intervened.

A video of the altercation, which went viral on social media, showed the student lashing out at the lecturer.

In a video shared by UNIZIK 94.1FM on Wednesday, Okoye narrated his side of the story.

He said, “I was leaving a classroom to my office when I saw the lady along the corridor of the Faculty of Arts. She was making a TikTok video and I needed to pass because of the way the place was and someone was on the other side.

“I said “excuse me’ and walked off. And when she made that insulative comment, I had to turn back to first ascertain if she was a student or my student in the department.

“I needed her to delete the video. I actually asked her to delete it right in front of me. When she refused, I stretched my hand to confiscate the phone. And that was when all hell let loose and the rest, as they say, is history,” he said, adding that he would leave further action to the university’s committee.

In a statement signed by the Acting Head of Information, Public Relations, and Protocol, Njelita Louis, the university confirmed that Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, had ordered a full-scale investigation.

“We urge all concerned parties and members of the public to remain calm as we diligently pursue the truth.

“The university is committed to upholding discipline and decorum, and we will ensure that appropriate actions and sanctions are taken based on the outcome of the investigation,” the statement partly read.

The National Association of Nigerian Students also condemned the incident and called for a thorough probe.

by Beloved John


US companies can now bribe officials in Nigeria and other countries without fear of repercussions, as the US government has suspended a law that allows it to prosecute its citizens for bribing foreign officials to secure contracts.

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing the country’s Justice Department to pause prosecutions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the US law prohibiting American citizens and businesses from bribing foreign government officials to gain or retain business.

The president asked the US attorney general to pause prosecution under this law until a revised enforcement guidance that promotes American competitiveness is issued.

The law, enacted in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter’s administration, applies to US and foreign companies listed on the country’s stock exchanges.

In the past, the law has been used to prosecute businesses involved in corruption activities abroad including in Nigeria.

However, President Trump insisted that the law disadvantages US firms by prohibiting practices common among foreign competitors, creating an uneven playing field.

“Future FCPA investigations and enforcement actions will be governed by this new guidance and must be approved by the attorney general.

“American national security depends on America and its companies gaining strategic commercial advantages around the world, and President Trump is stopping excessive, unpredictable FCPA enforcement that makes American companies less competitive,” Mr Trump’s executive order reads, according to Reuters.


Anti-corruption effort

The suspension of the FCPA will likely increase unethical practices and weaken global anti-bribery efforts, experts say.

The act has been a cornerstone of US anti-corruption policies, holding multinational companies accountable for unethical business practices abroad.

A notable case involving Nigeria was the 2009 prosecution of officials of Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), a subsidiary of US oil and energy contractor Halliburton, for bribing Nigerian government officials. The US government ordered the company to pay a $402 million fine.

Similarly, in 2023, the US indicted Glencore Plc, a global trading and mining firm, for paying $100 million in bribes to officials in developing countries, including Nigeria, to secure contracts and evade audits.

Outside Nigeria, in 2017, Halliburton was fined $29.2 million for bribing Angolan officials to obtain lucrative deals.

With the FCPA now on hold, there are concerns that enforcement actions will decline and unethical business practices will worsen.

According to Transparency International, the US anti-corruption watchdog, the FCPA made the US a leader in addressing global corruption.

The organisation said Mr Trump’s executive order could pave the way for eliminating the country’s fight against global corruption.

Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti state, says politicians bicker on social media to entertain their followers.

Fayemi spoke at his 60th birthday thanksgiving service, which held on Sunday at St. Martin’s Catholic Church, Isan Ekiti.

The former governor noted that despite political differences, Ekiti politicians are not enemies but remain committed to the progress of the state.

He also expressed sincere gratitude, attributing his accomplishments to divine favour. He thanked Biodun Oyebanji, governor of Ekiti, for continuing with some of his policies.

“I am a product of grace, and I have so many reasons to be thankful to God at sixty,” Yinka Oyebode, special adviser to Ekiti governor on media, quoted Fayemi as saying.

“I also want to thank our Governor for making me proud. It could have been otherwise; things could have gone awry, but he is also a product of grace.”

Fayemi downplayed the feud among political figures on social media.

“That is why, in spite of the challenges one faces in politics, we enjoy a very cordial relationship — one built on mutual love and mutual respect. So, all these things you read on social media are for your entertainment,” he added.

“Many will wonder why Governor Segun Oni is here. When he was celebrating his birthday, I spent the entire day with him. Governor Fayose would have been here without hesitation if he were around.

“That is Ekiti — the vision we have always had is a state that will not be separated by political divide.

“We might belong to different political parties, but there is one party that we collectively belong to: the Ekiti party, Ekiti Progressive Party. Our governor is carrying on with that vision.”

Fayemi served as governor of Ekiti from 2010-2014 and 2018-2022. He was minister of solid minerals development from 2015-2018.

by Ayodeji Adegboyega


The women’s presence, operation, and compensation have set tongues wagging across the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Senior staff members across the CBN’s 29 departments are fuming and grumbling over how the women, arbitrarily brought in by Governor Olayemi Cardoso as consultants, have amassed enormous powers enabling them to sometimes issue directives to departmental directors.

There is also widespread anger across the board over what some insiders describe as the “unbelievably high and obscene” compensation the consultants earn monthly.

Mr Cardoso assumed duties as CBN governor on 22 September 2023. Some insiders said the women arrived with him that day at the bank. But some sources said the women only joined days later and have remained at the regulatory institution ever since, sparking suspicion and debate about their relationship with the governor, value to the institution, and huge monthly pay.

The women at the centre of this raging controversy are Nkiru Balonwu, founder of The Africa Soft Power Group, and Daphne Dafinome, a chartered accountant and chief operating officer of Crowe Dafinone, a Nigerian accounting firm.

There is a third “technical consultant” called Shola Phillips who joined Mr Cardoso’s kitchen cabinet from Citibank. But our sources said Shola’s presence and activities have not been as disruptive and controversial as those of her two colleagues just as the terms of her engagement are not immediately clear.

The consultants are now mockingly called “Cardoso women” across the bank. One source giggled when our reporter requested a further explanation of the term. “You should be able to decode what that means yourself,” the official said.

Directors at the CBN said Mr Cardoso arbitrarily hired the women as consultants without following laid down rules, with no terms of reference, deliverables or timelines for the delivery of their consultancies.

For instance, they queried the hiring of Ms Balonwu as a corporate communication consultant when the CBN has an elaborate, efficient, and well-staffed corporate communication department led by a director and tasked with ensuring effective, timely and qualitative internal and external communication engagement and feedback.

The consultants are now mockingly called “Cardoso women” across the bank.

On the other hand, insiders said Ms Dafinone’s consultancy role is not clearly defined; she merely takes on any responsibility assigned to her by Mr Cardoso. Only recently, the governor tasked her with designing and implementing a controversial early exit programme to pay off at least 1,000 staff members into voluntary retirements. Mr Cardoso tapped her for this role while bypassing the bank’s human resources department, which is statutorily charged with developing and administering human capital management policies, functions and processes.


Ms Balonwu and Dafinone as Fifth and Sixth CBN Deputy Governors

The CBN has four deputy governors: Emem Usoro (Corporate Services Directorate), Muhammad Dattijo (Economic Policy Directorate), Philip Ikeazor (Financial System Stability Directorate), and Bala Bello (Operations Directorate). However, staff members now derisively refer to Ms Balonwu and Dafinone as the fifth and sixth deputy governors of the bank, saying the two have amassed so much power to be so called.

Directors said the consultants now write memos on CBN letterheads, issuing directives even when they are unknown to the bank’s structure and organogram.

“They said they are consultants, but they have permanent offices in the bank, and their consultancies have no end dates,” one director said. “I am tempted to say they are even more influential than the deputy governors. Their offices are on the eleventh floor, just like the governor’s. The deputy governors are on the tenth floor, below the so-called consultants. They even bypass deputy governors to give direct instructions to directors.”

Another bank insider corroborated the director’s claim, saying he once overheard one of the women boasting that “if she draws a line at the bank, even the governor dare not cross it”.

“I can tell you the women are the real people running the CBN. Cardoso has become a mere figurehead,” a third director said.


Consultant earning salary of 15 directors

Staff members also accuse Mr Cardoso of paying the women obscene salaries. For instance, Ms Balonwu, they said, pockets N50 million naira monthly, earning more than the governor and the deputy governors. Her salary also dwarfs the combined pay of 15 directors, who earn below N3 million monthly.

On her part, Ms Dafinone earns N35 million monthly, said to be higher than the combined salaries of 10 directors.

“Why do you abuse your office to engage family and friends and make them millionaires this way? a staff member lamented. “It is disturbing because even Emefiele, with all his weaknesses, did not act with this impunity.

“These women are doing nothing. They are not adding any value to the bank. The governor is just enriching them because they are his friends. There are 29 experienced directors, 170 deputy directors, and over 400 PhD holders in CBN. There is no need to domicile consultants in the bank.”


What the law says about hiring consultants

According to Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act 2007, government agencies are required to conduct transparent and competitive processes when hiring consultants.

The Act mandates that consultancy opportunities be publicly advertised—typically in at least two national newspapers and the official procurement journal—with clear submission guidelines, defined terms of reference, and detailed evaluation criteria.

Proposals must be assessed separately on technical merit and cost, ensuring that only qualified candidates are engaged and that the process remains fair and accountable.

In contrast, the apparent arbitrary appointment of the so-called “consultants” at the CBN—hired without defined deliverables or competitive process, and earning salaries that dwarf those of senior executives—raises serious questions.

Their hiring appears to violate the strict procedures outlined in the Act, which are designed to safeguard public funds and ensure value for money.


Consultant Dafinone for fraud trial

Meanwhile, one of the consultants, Ms Dafinone, is set to be arraigned on 4 March before Justice Ibrahim Kala of a Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged N100 million fraud. Her company, CEDDI Corporation Limited, is also a defendant in the case.

Daphne Dafinome, a chartered accountant and chief operating officer of Crowe Dafinone
Daphne Dafinome, a chartered accountant and chief operating officer of Crowe Dafinone
She is accused of conspiring to defraud developer Lukman Adeleke in a 2019 property transaction.

According to court filings, Mr Adeleke paid N100 million for a property at 93 Broad Street, Lagos Island, but Ms Dafinone allegedly sold it to another buyer.

Efforts to resolve the dispute amicably failed, leading Mr Adeleke to seek legal redress.

According to the New Telegraph, Ms Dafinone was absent at the last court hearing, with her lawyer, Dapo Akinosun, informing the court that she was receiving medical treatment in London.

Ms Dafinone’s ongoing legal troubles add to the controversy surrounding her role at the CBN, where senior officials have raised concerns about her influence and high remuneration, questioning the necessity of her consultancy.

Meanwhile, Mr Cardoso, in September 2024, appointed Ms Dafinone to the board of the Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System of Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), a non-bank financial institution owned by the CBN and charged with redefining measuring, re-pricing and sharing agribusiness-related credit risks in Nigeria.

Despite her ongoing trial, Ms Dafinone is combining her role on NIRSAL board with her controversial consultancy at the CBN.

Efforts to reach the consultants were unsuccessful. Ms Dafinone did not respond to telephone and WhatsApp calls. Neither did she reply to a text message.

Attempts to contact Ms Balonwu were also unfruitful; her direct telephone line did not connect while she did not answer or reply to a WhatsApp call. An iMessage sent to her was delivered but went unanswered.

Similarly, CBN spokesperson Hakama Ali’s known telephone line was unreachable, and she did not respond to a text message and an email sent to her.

Mr Tokunbo Opebi, the acting chairman of an Akure-based radio station Breeze 91.9 FM, has been accused of beating and assaulting a former member of staff of the station Mercy Okafor for tendering his resignation letter.

It was learnt that the incident which took place on Tuesday at the premises of the station located along Ijoka Road in Akure has further exposed the abusive nature of some media owners in Nigeria.

Source privy to the incident mentioned that Okafor joined the station as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) corps member but was offered employment by the station after she completed her service.

“Mercy Okafor is a bundle of talent. She is Igbo but she has a Bachelor’s degree in Yoruba language. I heard her mum is from Ile-Ife; her versatility and her command of Yoruba Language attracted people to her. They begged her to stay after her service.” the source said.

According to the source, when the station's accountant, Bisola Agbayewa, gave birth and went on maternity leave, Okafor was asked to fill in for her, which she did admirably.

When the leave expired, the accountant did not return and instead resigned, so Okafor became both an accountant and an OAP at the station.

"Breeze 91.9 FM has the worst payment package of any radio station in Akure, Ondo State's capital," the source claimed.

Up to 2024, some OAP earn as little as 25,000 Naira per month, while temporary workers are paid as little as 10,000 Naira, in direct violation of Nigerian labour rules and the Minimum Wage Act.

These payments are not made on time or as scheduled. According to a credible source, some of the workers had not received full payment for the month of December as of February 5th, 2025.

According to the source, Okafor submitted her resignation letter and notified the station's management of her plan to leave the organisation. When she finally turned in the company's data, all hell broke loose.

The chairman reportedly told her she should have stayed until the station found a replacement, but she told him she had already given the station notice, which they had ignored.

Infuriated by her courage, Tokunbo allegedly withdrew his shoe and struck the lady in the head before unleashing a barrage of blows on her.

“It took the Intervention of Bimpa Dele-Mogaji and Joyin Johnson to free Okafor from the hands of Tokunbo who was throwing punches at the young lady,” the source said.

“Tokunbo is responsible for almost all the woes that have happened to that station. If you stay you won’t get paid regularly, if you leave you might get arrested on trumped up allegations. Who has he not arrested and detained, from former engineer to marketer to OAP?" he lamented.

“If you honourably tendered your resignation letter before the end of the month you will never get the salary for that month or any other outstanding pay."

Mercy Ekene Okafor who is the victim of the recent physical assault has reportedly received treatments for internal injuries sustained from the assault.

Her mother and some relatives came to Akure on Thursday to take her home to Ile-Ife for treatment.

“No allegation of financial misappropriation was brought against her, Tokunbo simply said he beat her up like that because he didn’t like the tone with which she responded to him," the source said.

Attempts made to reach the general manager of the station Sunday Ajongbolo and the acting chairman were unsuccessful.

by Ronald Adamolekun


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A Dubai court has sentenced the owner of Rahmaniya Group and Ultimate Oil & Gas, Abdulrahman Bashar to one year in prison for a financial crime involving his dealings with CI Energy Company, an oil and gas firm.

The ruling marks the second time in less than five years that Abdulrahman Bashar would be sentenced to jail, the first being a ten-month imprisonment declared against him by a UK court in 2020.

According to court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the UAE court gave the verdict on 30 January 2025 even as Mr Bashar, 48, failed to show up for trial despite being notified.

The public prosecution in the UAE charged the businessman for issuing seven cheques with a combined value of 126.45 million dirhams, drawn on an Emirates Islamic Bank account with a mismatch in his signature.

The prosecution accused the Nigerian billionaire of issuing the cheques by “deliberately signing and drafting them in a way that prevents their cashing,” consequently asking that Mr Bashar be punished under extant laws.

The court, relying on evidence presented to it, including statements by Jamal Awad Nasser Hussein (the agent of CI Energy), duplicates of the cheques and statements of account, noted that the cheques were returned unpaid on presentation at Emirates Islamic Bank because of disparity in Mr Bashar’s signature.

“It is established that the crime of issuing a cheque is realised merely by giving the cheque to the beneficiary knowing that there is no balance available for withdrawal,” the court said during the proceeding led by Jugde Hussein Hamdi.

“The court sees from the examination of the documents that the incident within the scope of what it has extracted in the aforementioned manner is sufficiently established against the accused to convict him,” it added.

It remarked that the defence attempted to question the evidences presented against it as a ploy to convince the court to disregard them, adding that the accused’s denial of the charge was intended to avert punishment.

To avoid delay in justice delivery, the court chose to refer a civil case filed by the prosecution for compensation to a competent civil court since the claims require a special investigation.


The businessman’s previous record

Justice Butcher of England and Wales High Court, in a verdict issued in February 2020, sentenced Mr Bashar to a jail term of ten months for flouting several orders of the court in a case initiated by Sahara Energy Resources. is “punished,” not “published.” (Here is the hyperlink)

“The basis of the sentence was that Mr Bashir had committed continuing breaches of the order of Mr Justice Robin Knowles of 1 August 2019 and of the order of Mr Justice Bryan of 6 September 2019,” Justice Butcher said.

The orders required Rahmaniya Oil and Gas to honour the request for supply of 6,400.49 metric tonnes of gas to Sahara Energy Resources or its agent.

Instead, Abdulrahman Bashar failed to “allow or procure Rahmaniya Oil and Gas Limited or its servants or agents to allow the release of the said gas oil from the terminal,” according to court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

The court issued a binding indication that the term could be commuted to six months if he abided with the previous court order that he disregarded.

Rahmaniya was fined £500,000, while Adebowale Aderemi, the manager of the company, was asked to pay a penalty of £10,000.


Who is Abdulrahman Bashar?

According to information on his company website, Abdulrahman Bashar is chair of Ultimate Oil and Gas DMCC. He is also managing director and chief executive officer of Rahamaniyya Group of Companies, Nigeria. His companies are engaged in the trading, supplying, and distributing of African crude and oil products, from which the billionaire has amassed a huge fortune.

“Through Rahamaniyya group, Alhaji (Abdulrahman Bashar) now directs a diversified conglomerate consisting of business outfits operating in various sectors of the economy across Africa, Europe, South Asia, and the Middle east: making the most of his vast experience in oil and gas exploration, marketing, distribution of petroleum products and haulage,” his profile on his company website further said.

By Ismaeel Uthman


The removal of the embattled lawmaker, Mudasiru Obasa, as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has created cracks in President Bola Tinubu’s dynasty. Ismaeel Uthman writes

There are indications that President Bola Tinubu’s decades-long political dynasty in Lagos is experiencing its first major crisis following the intrigues surrounding the removal of the embattled lawmaker, Mudasiru Obasa, as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Obasa’s removal and the support given to the lawmakers by many Governance Advisory Council members without consulting Tinubu signal an unexpected political move within the All Progressives Congress, a party where the President remains the state and national leader.

Previously, it was widely believed that the President approved Obasa’s removal before the state lawmakers took action.

However, sources close to Tinubu and familiar with Lagos APC politics revealed that the President was not consulted before the lawmakers took the decision.

According to the sources, the President was embarrassed that such a significant political move was executed without his knowledge and was puzzled why many GAC members would support the decision.

Obasa was removed as Speaker on January 13 by 36 lawmakers over allegations of misconduct, abuse of office, and financial mismanagement.

The Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, was immediately sworn in as the new Speaker, while the Chief Whip, Mojeed Fatai, was elected as the new Deputy Speaker.

Obasa, who had been Speaker since 2015 and represents Agege Constituency I, insisted upon his return to Lagos from the United States that he remained the speaker.

His removal has since divided the GAC caucus and the APC in Lagos.

To assert his authority, President Tinubu, according to sources, directed GAC members to persuade Lagos lawmakers to reinstate Obasa and allow him to resign.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the GAC members held a marathon meeting on Monday at the Governor’s Lodge in Marina, Lagos, where they conveyed the President’s directive to the lawmakers.

However, despite apologising to Tinubu at the meeting and reaffirming their loyalty to the President, the lawmakers reportedly insisted that Obasa would not be reinstated.

Of the 39 lawmakers present at the meeting, 37 voted against Obasa’s reinstatement.

It was gathered that the members agreed to write a letter of apology to the President explaining why Obasa could not be reinstated.

A viral video on social media showed some APC members dancing and singing praises of the new Lagos Assembly Speaker, urging her to continue her speakership.

According to sources, six GAC members chosen across the three senatorial districts of the state travelled to Abuja on Wednesday to deliver the lawmakers’ letter to Tinubu.

However, for undisclosed reasons, they were unable to meet with the President.

Providing insight into the crisis, a prominent APC chieftain with knowledge of the ongoing intrigues described the development as a major political challenge for Tinubu.

According to the source, the Lagos progressive family would never remain the same due to the political machinations.

He explained that the crisis was driven by three major political factors: the 2027 governorship election, the rivalry between the Justice Forum and Mandate caucuses within the APC, and the ambitions of Lagos indigenes to dominate the state’s political structure.

Sunday PUNCH learned that Obasa belonged to the Mandate group, while many of the lawmakers and GAC members were affiliated with the Justice Forum.

The APC chieftain stated that many GAC members, particularly Lagos indigenes, initiated Obasa’s removal to stifle his governorship ambition.

He also noted that the power struggle between the Mandate group and the Justice Forum over the control of the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 elections played a significant role in Obasa’s ouster.

“The President is not happy that the lawmakers and the GAC acted in this manner. He feels betrayed. You know the level of control he has in Lagos. Nobody wields absolute power without other forces supporting them, especially in Lagos politics. For them to have taken such action without his blessing, it amounts to disloyalty and a betrayal of trust.

“The situation now is a test of wills—who will blink first? The President has insisted that they comply with his directive to reinstate Obasa, but they have not done so. It is almost as if they are challenging Tinubu’s authority in Lagos.

“This is an unusual development. Even before Tinubu became President, he maintained control over the state. Now, they are dealing with someone who has always emerged victorious in political battles. Even when he faced challenges in the primaries and the presidential election, he still prevailed. This crisis is a significant test for him,” the source said.

The APC chieftain confirmed that the GAC members who travelled to Abuja were denied an audience with the President.


“Those who went to Abuja were not granted audience. If anyone claims otherwise, they are merely playing politics.

“After this, the APC and the progressive structure in Lagos may change permanently. What happened is unprecedented. This crisis has created distrust. Political betrayal of this magnitude cannot be overlooked. It necessitates a strategic realignment to prevent a recurrence. If you are betrayed once, you might gain public sympathy. But if it happens again, it becomes a liability,” the source said.

Speaking on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s role in the crisis, the APC chieftain declared, “The governor is playing the devil’s advocate. Some say he is the major financier of this entire situation and is the one ensuring that the President’s directive is not followed.”

Sanwo-Olu had earlier distanced himself from Obasa’s removal, describing it as strictly a legislative affair devoid of political interference from the state government.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media & Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “It is purely a legislative matter, and the Assembly handled it the best way they could. It has nothing to do with the governor.”

But the source reiterated that the current political crisis was part of the permutations ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

He said, “It is a matter of getting a stumbling block out of the way. It is a game where the end justifies the means.

“The politics of 2027 has begun. Perhaps uncharacteristically, the speaker (Obasa) showed his hand too early, making himself a target for attack and destruction. After that infamous budget speech, Obasa became an easy target for those with similar ambitions.

“He gave them the opportunity to work against him, brainwashing members of the House about issues they were already aware of. They played it tough, making it seem as though the Speaker had been exploiting them.”

However, a top politician in the Lagos West senatorial district, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, dismissed the claim that Obasa was removed due to indigenous factors.

According to the aspirant, the lawmakers removed Obasa because he was hampering their political and social well-being.

He argued that if the former speaker had maintained good relations with his colleagues, he would have been aware of the plot to remove him.

“What happened is a crisis within the legislature; it has nothing to do with being an indigene or not, nor with the 2027 governorship election. The fact that 36 out of 40 lawmakers orchestrated Obasa’s removal without him knowing in advance speaks volumes. It confirms reports that he did not have a good relationship with the lawmakers,” he said.

Speaking on the reported directive from the President to reinstate Obasa as Speaker, the APC aspirant warned that such a move would backfire and have devastating consequences for the party in future elections.

He said, “Removing the new Speaker will cause more crises for the party. Besides, how do we confirm that the President even gave such a directive? It could be a case of name-dropping. Assuming the directive is real, implementing it would be difficult because it would be seen as an attack on the indigenes.

“The new Speaker and her deputy are both Lagos indigenes. She is already receiving strong support from feminists and other female-led groups. Removing her would have a ripple effect on the party.”

Commenting on the crisis, a chieftain of the APC, Joe Igbokwe, said the matter wouldn’t go out of hand, saying ‘the bubble will not burst.’

He expressed his confidence in the ability of the GAC to manage the crisis, maintaining that there was no cause for alarm.

Igbokwe who spoke with Sunday PUNCH, said, “Lagos is Lagos and when the chips are down, everybody comes to the table and addresses the matter. Lagos has come a long way in matters of democracy and how to handle things like this. There are strong elders among the GAC members who will sit down, look into the matter, and try to resolve whatever it is.

“GAC is one body that I respect in Lagos; the bubble will not burst. There is no cause for alarm. Given my experience in Lagos politics, in which I have worked for almost 20 years, members of the GAC are committed and strong-willed. They have wisdom and understanding; they know when to go and when to stop, so there is no cause for worry.

“There is nothing GAC cannot manage; the current issue will not get out of hand. No man can change the system of Lagos, and one man cannot cause division in GAC. It is a kind of collective responsibility, and they are always united in anything they do.”

A chieftain of the APC, Fouad Oki, had on Wednesday cautioned the party leadership against prolonging the crisis, warning that doing so would be dangerous.

He urged GAC members to respect the independence of the House of Assembly and acknowledge the broad support the new Speaker, Meranda, had received from various sections of society.

Oki said, “This bold statement reflects a desire for progress and reform. It is imperative that we, as leaders of the APC, do not dismiss the voices of the people. Ignoring this sentiment could lead to political dangers that may jeopardise our party’s standing and unity.

“I urge you to consider the implications of prolonging this discord. Let us not allow our internal disagreements to overshadow the greater goal of serving the people of Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.”

The parent company of Facebook, Thread, WhatsApp and Instagram, Meta, is set to implement another round of layoffs across its operations in Africa, Europe, and Asia starting Monday next week.

The company informed its staff of the plans in an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday.

Notices will go out to employees losing their jobs starting at 5am local time Monday in most countries, including in the United States, according to one of the posts, authored by Meta’s Head of People, Janelle Gale.

However, employees in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands will be exempted from the cuts “due to local regulations,” while those in more than a dozen other countries across Europe, Asia and Africa will receive their notifications between February 11 and February 18, it said.

LEADERSHIP recalls that Meta confirmed last month that it was planning to trim about 5% of its “lowest performers” and backfill at least some of the positions.

The Friday memo, in which Gale referred to the cuts as “performance terminations,” was first reported by The Information, unlike previous company-wide layoffs, Meta was planning to keep its offices open on Monday and would not issue any updates providing further details on the decisions, Gale said in her post.

A separate memo, posted by VP of Engineering for Monetization Peng Fan on Friday, asked staffers to assist with an expedited hiring process for machine learning engineers and other “business critical” engineering roles.

That process would take place between February 11 and March 13, Fan said in that post.

“Thank you for your continued support in helping us achieve our accelerated hiring goals, and better align with our company’s priorities for 2025,” he stated.

By Baba Martins


Nearly one year after its completion, Vice President Kashim Shettima is yet to move into the new official residence built for the No.2 citizen, Weekend Trust findings have revealed.

The official residence, said to have been built at the cost of about N15 billion, was commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 7, 2024. The building was handed over to the Presidency by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration.

When Weekend Trust visited the official residence on Friday, January 31, 2025, only a few plain cloths security operatives were seen manning the house and the vicinity of the residence did not show any form of activity.

Multiple sources who are familiar with the matter told Weekend Trust that the delayed movement into the house by the VP is as a result of some security concerns.

Some of the sources who spoke to this newspaper pointed at the location of the VP’s newly built official residence, which they said is not ideal for occupancy by a high profile national public officer like the No.2 citizen of Nigeria. This, the sources said, could have been responsible for the delayed relocation of the VP into the house.

We could not get official confirmation of the claims by our sources. The spokesman to the vice president, Stanley Nkwocha, could not be reached for official comment on the issue.

When contacted, an official of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the project implementation arm of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said the work components on the vice president’s residence expected to be carried out by the FCT administration had been completed.

The official, who did not want to be mentioned, said after the completion, the project was handed over to the presidency on the day it was commissioned last year.

by Ayodele Oluwafemi


Daniel Bwala, special adviser to the president on policy communication, says Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, does not have the capacity to “unsettle” President Bola Tinubu.

Bwala spoke on Thursday during an interview with TVC News. He added that Tinubu is not losing sleep over el-Rufai’s relentless criticisms of his administration.


BACKGROUND

El-Rufai has been aiming digs at some members of the Tinubu administration.

The former minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) recently criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for “straying away from its core values”, stating that he no longer recognises his political party.

Bwala had asked el-Rufai if his take on the APC would have been different if he were a member of Tinubu’s cabinet.

Reacting to Bwala’s remarks, el-Rufai said he would not hold back from criticising the party even if he were handed a role in the Tinubu administration.


‘ON HIS OWN, EL-RUFAI IS UNELECTABLE’

Asked if the presidency is jittery about el-Rufai’s comments and the regrouping of opposition politicians, the spokesperson said Tinubu is not bothered about what the opposition is up to.

Bwala said the disposition of the president has always been conciliatory.

“Who is jittery? The political opponents have no direction. There is no organised political party in Nigeria other than APC. Almost all opposition parties are trying to find their way,” Bwala said.

“I don’t attack because I see that the position of Mr President is that of reconciliation. In his 18 months in office, he has never reacted to anybody. He has never been seen being combative or aggressive against anybody.”

The presidential spokesperson said he understands el-Rufai’s dilemma, adding that the former governor cannot achieve his mission by joining the opposition.

According to Bwala, el-Rufai only becomes a political heavyweight when he aligns with a “solid revolutionary” leader.

“El-Rufai, as he said, is still in APC. You treat him like a brother. I know his grandstanding. I know he is having some trouble finding a path,” he said.

“If you leave a governing party, which you have influence, and think that you can undertake a mission, you have to have a place that is working to do that.

“He does not have the capacity to make the president unsettled. No opposition party, even if combined, can make the president unsettled.

“Let me tell you something about my elder brother, el-Rufai, and whether we should be worried.

“There is a dynamic around el-Rufai. El-Rufai needed a solid revolutionary person to thrive. On his own, el-Rufai may not win the senate.

“He won governorship because of the Buhari factor and got re-elected because of the Buhari factor. If you leave him now to go and run for senate in Kaduna, he would not win.”

Al Green, Democratic lawmaker from Texas in the US house of representatives, says he would be filing impeachment articles against Donald Trump over the president’s plan to “take over Gaza”.

Speaking during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said the US will take over the Gaza Strip to “dismantle and develop it”.

“Gaza is a hellhole,” Trump said.

Gaza has been reduced to rubble following the recent escalation of hostilities between Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, and Israel.

According to The Guardian, Green said Trump’s plan was a “dastardly deed”, adding that “ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the President of the United States”.

“And the prime minister of Israel should be ashamed, knowing the history of his people, to stand there and allow such things to be said,” he added.

“Dr King was right. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America.

“I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed, and dastardly deeds done.”

Green said the “impeachment movement is going to be a grass-up movement, not a top-down”, and that “when the people demand it, it will be done”.

Green launched a raft of unsuccessful impeachment attempts against Trump during the president’s first term in office.

His latest effort is unlikely to gain much traction as impeachment is not seen as an immediate agenda for his party.

Former Governor of Kaudna State, Nasir El-Rufai has thrown his weight behind the leader of Northern Star, Naja’atu Muhammad amid allegations against the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu.

DAILY POST reports that Mohammed had in a viral Tiktok video, claimed that Ribadu had while serving as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, discredited the virtue of President Bola Tinubu and other top politicians who are currently in the government.

He claimed that Ribadu as chairman of the anti-graft agency, vowed in 2007 that he will frustrate the then governors, Tinubu, George Akume of Benue State and Orji Kalu of Abia State.

However, the NSA in a letter on Tuesday, denied the allegation and demanded a public apology and retraction from Muhammad.

The letter addressed to Muhammad by the Lawyer of the NSA, Ahmed Raji, SAN, said Ribadu “has never maintained such a viewpoint” against any of the three politicians.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria added that “the damage occasioned to our client by your deliberate but ill-advised action is unquantifiable” and challenged Muhammad “to provide evidence of your allegations.”

Wading into the matter, El-Rufai in a post on his official Facebook page on Wednesday shared a screenshot of an old newspaper that captured Mohammed’s claim.

According to El-rufai, “Nuhu must have serious amnesia”, insisting that “Najaatu’s statement is accurate”.

The former governor claimed that the “record of proceedings in the Senate will confirm that Nuhu made those statements, sometime in 2006.

“The subsequent Daily Trust report below of February 2007, reconfirms the essence of the statements.

“The conclusions of the Federal Executive Council in 2006, which can be subpoenaed from the Cabinet Secretariat of the SGF’s office contain the allegations.

“In that Special FEC meeting in which I was a member, Nuhu’s EFCC made similar presentations accusing many sitting officials, sometime in 2006.

“These Council Conclusions will further remove all doubts.

“This is for the record and to remind the morally-flexible that at some point in our national life, silence is no longer golden”.

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The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has accused oil producers of diverting 500,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

The crude oil alleged to have been diverted is said to be meant for local refineries.

This is even as the group lamented that quite a number of local refineries have been abandoned due to the failure of oil producers to obey the domestic crude supply obligation.

The PETROAN made this allegation while commenting on the decision of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to ban the export of crude oil allocated to local refineries.

It was noted that the development on the ban of exportation of crude oil allocated to local refineries are expected to have a positive impact on the economy.

According to the statement, refining crude oil locally will enrich the petrochemical industries and agricultural sector.

It is also expected to "reduce inequalities in income, and enable Nigeria to transition from a raw material supplier to a value-added product supplier" per the PETROAN position.

PETROAN said the move would boost local refining capacity, reduce the importation of refined petroleum products, and ease pressure on foreign exchange supply.

“The exportation of crude oil meant for domestic refining has led to the abandonment of local refineries. It has been a major racketeering scheme, with producers and traders prioritising quick foreign exchange proceeds over local refining,” a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Joseph Obele, read.

“Approximately, 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day are allocated for domestic refining, but these volumes often find their way to the international market”.

While commenting, the PETROAN’s National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, urged the NUPRC to take swift action against refineries, cargo vessels, and companies that default on this policy.

Harry believes that the policy will guarantee sufficient refined petroleum products in the country, leading to price reductions and better days ahead for Nigerian consumers.

Earlier, the NUPRC in a circular warned exporters from tampering with cargoes meant for local refineries

In a letter addressed to exploration and production companies and their equity partners, the Commission Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, warned that diverting crude oil meant for local refineries is a clear violation of the country’s law.

“Kindly note that the diversion of crude cargo designated for domestic refineries is a violation of the law, and the Commission will henceforth disallow export permits for such cargoes.”

“All cargoes designated for domestic refining can only be altered with the express approval of the Commission Chief Executive. The above is for your strict compliance,” the letter read.

The factional of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Emeka Beke in Rivers State said Tony Okocha is doing everything possible to force former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi out of the political party.

Spokesman of the faction, Darlington Nwauju, explained that Okocha’s intent was the major reason he has been attacking the former minister.

Okocha, on Monday, described the former Minister as a failed politician who was unable to attract any single project to the region and the state.

“Why has former Governor Amaechi’s name become the only currency that Tony Okocha and his group can use for their political trade by batter? The only reason why Tony Okocha is doing everything possible to construct a gulf in the APC family is to vex the original stakeholders of the party in the state like Amaechi and force him out of a political party he laboured to build in Rivers State,” he said.

Nwauju said destroying other people’s reputations to gain political relevance is what every reasonable man should query.

Also, an APC chieftain, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said Amaechi influenced over 15 crucial projects in the South-South region and helped several South South people to get appointments into various Federal Government agencies.

Eze, Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), said, it was necessary to give clarity on Okocha’s statement. He stressed that Amaechi served all parts of the country equally as Minister and attracted several developmental projects to the South-South region contrary to Okocha’s claims.

“For the records, Amaechi pushed for the construction of the 39km Bonny Bodo road and its two creek bridges including the bridge over Opobo channel at a whopping sum of N120 billion. This gigantic bridge is comparable only to the 2nd Niger bridge project among others,” he said.

In response to Okocha’s claim that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has not achieved anything since he assumed office, Eze said such a statement indicates that Okocha does not know what governance is all about.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of federal commissioners to key national agencies, including the Federal Character Commission (FCC), National Population Commission (NPC), and Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

In a statement issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Hon. Kayode Oladele has been appointed Federal Commissioner for the FCC. At the same time, Mrs. Olukemi Victoria Iyantan will serve as Commissioner for the NPC. Additionally, 21 new and returning commissioners have been appointed to the RMAFC to represent various states.

Notable appointments to the RMAFC include Mrs Linda Nkechi Oti (Abia), Mr Akpan Imo Effiong (Akwa Ibom), and Prof. Steve Ugbah (Benue).

The list also includes key renewals, such as Chief Eyo Nsa Whiley (Cross River) and Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Mashi (Katsina), signalling a mix of fresh leadership and experienced hands.

The complete list of RMAFC appointees is as follows: Mrs. Linda Nkechi Oti-Abia (Fresh Appointment), Mr. Akpan Imo Effiong-Akwa Ibom (Fresh Appointment), Mr Enefe Ekene – Anambra (Fresh Appointment)

.Prof. Steve Ugbah – Benue (Fresh Appointment)Chief Eyo Nsa Whiley – Cross River (Renewal) and

Aruviere Egharhevwe – Delta (Fresh Appointment).

Others are Nduka Henry Awuregu – Ebonyi (Fresh Appointment)

Mr Victor Eboigbe – Edo (Renewal), Hon. Wumi Ogunlola – Ekiti (Fresh Appointment), Hon. Ozo Obumreme Obodougo – Enugu (Fresh Appointment) and Mr Mohammed Kabeer Usman – Gombe (Fresh Appointment).

Others are Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Mashi – Katsina (Renewal), Hon. Adamu Fanda – Kano (Fresh Appointment), Prof. Olusegun Adekunle Wright – Lagos (Renewal), Aliyu Almakura Abdulkadir – Nasarawa (Renewal), Bako Shetima – Niger (Renewal) and Mr. Amosun Akeem Akintayo – Ogun (Fresh Appointment).

Others are: Dr. Nathaniel Adojutelegan – Ondo (Fresh Appointment), Hon. Saad Bello Ibrahim – Plateau (Fresh Appointment), Mr. Modu Aji Juluri – Yobe (Renewal) and Bello Rabiu Garba – Zamfara (Fresh Appointment)

The appointments, which took effect on 3rd February 2025, will last for an initial five-year term, as stipulated under relevant laws governing political and public office holders.

The statement noted that President Tinubu expects the newly appointed commissioners to work collaboratively with agency heads to advance the objectives of their respective organisations, which is in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The President’s directive emphasised the importance of robust support for effective resource allocation, population management, and equitable representation to drive national development.

According to Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations, the President is confident that the new appointees will contribute to fulfilling strategic national priorities through dedicated service.

Trucks, SUV/Jeeps, light vehicles/minibuses and cars will now pay ₦6,400, ₦4,000, ₦3,200, and ₦2,000, respectively, to ply the 227.2km Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi highway reconstructed by the Federal Government under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) road project scheme.

The development followed the official flag-off of the cashless tolling operations along the road corridor by the federal government on Tuesday.

The road has four toll stations at Keffi, Akwanga, Lafia and Makurdi Plazas.

The toll rates peg Trucks/buses/multi-axle vehicles at ₦1,600 per toll, light vehicle/minibuses at ₦1,000, SUV/Jeep at ₦800 and cars at ₦500, respectively. Each vehicle plying the road from beginning to the end will be tolled four times at four different toll stations.

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, said on the 227.2-kilometer Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi highway, however, commercial vehicles will enjoy 50 per cent discount while tricycles, motorcycles, and other modes of two-or-three-wheel transport are exempted from paying toll fee.

Others also exempted are Police, Military and security and diplomatic vehicles.

He said the road corridor is a vital infrastructure route in Nigeria, serving as an essential highway for both the economic and social activities of the central and northern regions of the country.

He said the road corridor is crucial for the economic, social, and strategic development of Nigeria as it serves as a key artery for trade, mobility, and national security while contributing to the growth of infrastructure, urbanisation, and national cohesion.

Umahi, represented by the Minister of State for Works, Barr. Bello Goronyo, Esq., said the effective maintenance and further development of the road will continue to play a significant role in the nation’s development and enhancing the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.

He said the Federal Government of Nigeria rehabilitated and upgraded the roads through the preferential credit loan from China Exim Bank.

He explained that the loan agreement provided, among other things, that upon completion, the road will be tolled, operated, and maintained by a private party, and that revenue collected from the operation shall be preferentially used for the loan repayment to the China Exim Bank.

“Consequently, the Ministry, under the previous administration in 2023, executed a 25-year toll of wages and maintained concession agreement with Messrs China Harbour Operations and Maintenance Company Limited, in partnership with Messrs Katamaran Nigeria Limited, under the Highways Development and Management Initiative Phase I,” he added.

He said the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi road is the first among the nine corridors being concessioned under the Highways Development and Management Initiative Phase I to commence operations.

He added that the government, in the coming months, will continue with the launching and operationalisation of the remaining ones located across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

This initiative has opened a new chapter in the history of Nigeria as it gives the Federal Government the opportunity to overcome bad roads.

“Tolling concessions is a vital step towards the realization of our vision for a more efficient, sustainable, and well-maintained road transport system for our beloved country. Today, we embark on a journey to ensure that our infrastructure is preserved for the benefit of present and future operations. The collection of tolls will generate much-needed revenue for the maintenance and extension of our renewed road agenda,” he stated.

He reiterated that the initiative will promote ease of movement that bolsters the economy, creates a self-sustaining and resilient transport network, supports economic growth and job creation in the beloved North African and rural areas across the country.

He said the toll order fee for the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway has been gazetted as follows: “Saloon cars would be tolled for N500, SUVs/Jeeps N800, minibuses N1,000, and multi-axle vehicles N1,600.”.

He, however, said frequent road users, like the commercial light vehicles defined under the Federal Highways Act, would enjoy a 50% discount.

He added that “pedal vehicles, tricycles, motorcycles, and other modes of two-orthree-wheel transport used by mainly disadvantaged populations would be offered a 100% discount.”

The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe, called for public enlightenment on the toll fees.

“We need to encourage the people. We need to get the buy-in of the people. Because the effects of this are multiple. Security is guaranteed, our vehicles will last longer, accidents will be less, the economy will develop because at these tollgates, economies will come up. Shops, sales, and all that will come up,” Akabe stated.

Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, says he does not pretend and cannot be one of the politicians who become “Nollywood actors” once in government.

Recently, el-Rufai has been involved in a public war of words with some members of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The spat began after the former Kaduna governor criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for “straying away from its core values” and said he no longer recognises his political party.

El-Rufai’s comment struck a chord within the presidency, and Daniel Bwala, a presidential aide, asked el-Rufai if his take on the APC would have been different if he were a member of Tinubu’s cabinet.

Reacting to Bwala’s remark, el-Rufai said he would still criticise APC even if he had been involved in the Tinubu administration.

On Saturday, in a post on his X account, the former Kaduna governor aimed another jibe at those he claimed become actors once they get into political office.

He was responding to a post by a social media user, @irahabib.

“The day I read El-Rufai’s book titled Accidental Public Servant, I concluded that no politician would want @elrufai in their cabinet unless they genuinely intend to develop this country. He doesn’t know how to pretend,” Habib wrote.

In response, el-Rufai wrote, “Thanks for your kind words, @irahabib. Truly, I don’t know how to pretend. Being a Nollywood actor in governance is for some others, not some of us. Have a nice day.”

The Federal Government has donated N30 million to the family of renowned National Flag designer, late Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, two years after his demise.

The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, accompanied by the Oyo State Director of the agency, Olukemi Afolayan, made the official presentation of the cheque on behalf of the Federal Government at the Elebu in Ibadan residence of the late National hero on Thursday.

PUNCH Online reports that the late Akinkunmi died on August 29, 2023, at the age of 87.

On September 4, 2023, President Bola Tinubu sent a government delegation led by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi, on a condolence visit where it pledged to give the late Nigerian hero a national burial and financial support to the family.

The NOA DG said, “The donation of N30 million to the family of renowned National Flag designer was not to pay for the services of the late legend but to support his family in appreciation of his contributions to the country.”

One of the deceased sons, Akinwunmi Akinkunmi, expressed gratitude to Tinubu for the gesture.

A former governor of Osun State, Bisi Akande, has alleged that the historic EndSARS protest that shut down the nation’s economy in 2020 was orchestrated to destroy President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking in an interview, State Affairs with Edmund Obilo, published on Wednesday via YouTube, Akande alleged that the protest was manufactured in America by the Obidient movement.

According to the former governor, the EndSARS, which was “organized with a lot of money from America”, aimed at stopping Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

He said, “EndSARS was designed to be the end of Tinubu. Those behind the protest know that that was what they were doing.

“The Obidients were behind EndSARS; it was manufactured in America and brought in just to stop him.

“They came from America to do the EndSARS and later became a movement to form a party but they can’t form a party. It was well planned and organized with a lot of money from America”.

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2023, says he will not accept President Bola Tinubu even if he volunteered to be his bail surety.

Sowore is currently in police custody after he was invited for questioning over allegations of cyberstalking, negligent acts, and intimidation.

The police invitation was about a viral video wherein Sowore confronted officers who had stopped his vehicle at a checkpoint in Lagos.

He arrived at the force headquarters in Abuja on Monday, and on Wednesday, police arraigned Sowore over cybercrime allegations.

However, he rejected the bail conditions set by the police, which required him to deposit his international passport and present a level 17 civil servant as a surety.

The court adjourned ruling on his bail application to Thursday, January 25.

‘MY BAIL CONDITIONS FRIVOLOUS AND RIDICULOUS’

Addressing journalists in a video seen by TheCable, Sowore rejected the bail conditions and vowed not to participate in what he called “illegality”.

The human rights activist said the conditions were “laughable, frivolous, and ridiculous,” adding that the police have no right to grant administrative bail.

“I cannot in good conscience continue to participate in illegality because I have made it very clear that the police have no right to grant administrative bail that asks for civil servants to own, first and foremost, N100 million houses, which is a crime; that’s a corruption to stand bail for me, who is an employer of labour,” Sowore said.

“I’m a publisher of an internationally renowned news website. I have people who I hired in Nigeria and abroad. I’m not a civil servant. In fact, I’m an uncivil citizen who is against all kinds of corruption.

“I have spent my entire life fighting against corruption. So, to now ask me, to insult me that I should provide a level 17 director, who had not gotten employment when I was fighting for democracy in 1992.

“To now ask the person to come and stand surety for me is a biggest insult. Even if President Bola Tinubu had appeared as my surety, I would have rejected that very laughable, frivolous, ridiculous, and I dare say stupid bail condition.

“If the court in its own wisdom decides that they want my passport in their coffers, which is a very special passport, that’s a different issue.

“But we must continue to reject the impunity of the Nigeria police and officers who will just invite you and then ask you to deposit your passport.

“I should go and bring a level 17 civil servant; even by the civil service rules, there is no level 17 officer because a level 17 in civil service is a permanent secretary who is politically appointed by the president.

“So, you expect such a person to come and stand surety for Sowore. I’m not being arrogant, and I’m not bragging. In 1992, when I was a student leader, Tinubu was a senator, and I was more powerful than him in Nigerian society.

“So, how dare them ask me, and I can guarantee you that at that time, Egbetokun probably had just joined the police, and he was a sergeant. That’s if he has not forged his age.”

The removal of former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa has further polarized the ranks of the Governor’s Advisory Council, the apex advisory organ.

Some members of GAC had earlier disagreed over the process that led to the removal of Obasa.

Meanwhile, a member of the GAC, Chief Muraina Akanbi Taiwo, from Isolo Constituency, faulted members of the Assembly for reconvening during the house’s recess in a statement on Tuesday.

The GAC members, including former Minister of Defence (State) Senator Musliu Obanikoro and Senator Anthony Adefuye, expressed divergent views over the embattled former Speaker.

While Adefuye said Obasa was illegally removed, Obanikoro countered the latter, saying his statement “was careless.”

However, the GAC secretary, Mr Mutiu Are, said the brewing crisis in the Assembly is a family affair and will be resolved in a family way.

Obanikoro faulted a statement made by Senator Adefuye expressing support for Obasa.

Adefuye, a member of GAC, said in a recent interview that he disagreed with the removal of Obasa.

“What he is saying is that he was illegally removed, and the procedure was faulty, and I agree with him,” the APC chieftain said.

Reacting to Adefuye’s interview, Obanikoro said the APC chieftain made the statement carelessly, adding that it was important to respect hierarchy in any organisation.

The former Minister said, ” Senator Adefuye’s statement on the removal of the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, is very unfortunate, childish and inconsequential.

“Senator Adefuye’s comment shouldn’t have come up. As leaders, if there are serious issues of this magnitude, rushing to make a press statement or personal statement on such issues is unbecoming of a statement.

“Since GAC as a unit has not made any pronouncement on the subject matter, it is irresponsible of any member of that privileged body to go public and comment on an issue as sensitive as that.

“Moreso, our leader, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, waded in on the matter, so I believe nobody should come out individually to express an opinion based on privileged status.”


It’s a family affair — GAC scribe

Are called for calm, saying the matter will be resolved in a family way.

While reacting to the claim by Obasa that his removal was unconstitutional, Are said: “Whatever is currently going on in Lagos politics is a family affair. As an elder, I’m not supposed to take sides.

“We would resolve everything because the GAC, the apex advisory organ, has its mechanism for resolving matters like this.

“By my position as the secretary of the body, I’m not given an express permission to speak to the matter. But I can tell you we’ll resolve it in a family way.”


Taiwo hits lawmakers

A statement by Taiwo, titled: “My take on the ongoing imbroglio in the Lagos Assembly,” read in part, “The act of the lawmakers to reconvene during the recess is illegal.

“It shows total disregard and apparent disrespect for the party’s leadership.

“Obviously, the GAC Leadership is split over the matter, but we will all defer to the final decision of our de facto leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to resolve the crisis.”