₦airaland Forum

Lagos State lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, has rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress primary election for Surulere Constituency I, insisting that he would challenge the process through the party’s appeal mechanism.

PUNCH Online reports that Elliot lost the APC ticket for a return to the Lagos State House of Assembly after Barakat Odunuga-Bakare defeated him in Wednesday’s primary election.

Odunuga-Bakare, believed to enjoy the backing of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, polled 11,385 votes to emerge the winner of the contest, while Elliot secured 270 votes.

Reacting to the outcome in a chat with reporters on Wednesday, the lawmaker said he was dissatisfied with the conduct of the primary and would formally challenge the process.

“We are appealing, and as I say, it is not a do-or-die affair. I’m here to serve the people. That’s my home. They come to my house.

“So, I’m not going to say any more than this, other than the fact that we are not accepting this process. But the party has also, in its magnanimity, given us an opportunity to appeal,” he said.

Elliot alleged that violence and intimidation marred the exercise, claiming that several of his supporters sustained injuries during the primary.


"Nobody was killed. But a lot of people were really maimed. There are videos of people going to the hospital.

“This is just primaries. It is not a do-or-die affair. In different wards, people are being intimidated. I have been talking about intimidation for a long time,” he added.

The lawmaker further alleged that many of his supporters were denied access to the voting venue.

“Why I decided to say I was not going to accept the process was because when I entered, I discovered that virtually all my supporters were outside, and I kept asking, ‘Why were they not coming in?’” Elliot said.

“The next thing I heard is that in 20 minutes they’re going to stop. How can you stop in 20 minutes?” he queried.

The lawmaker also questioned claims that some membership cards presented by his supporters were fake.

“I was hearing that the cards were fake. The only way you can verify if a card is fake is when they go through the verification process and allow them to do that process. So why would you say they are fake?” he asked.


Elliot also stated that he never withdrew from the race, explaining that he only directed his supporters and agents to stop participating in the voting process over alleged irregularities.

“The only person who can ask me to step down is the party. If the party says Desmond go down, that is when I will step down because I’m a party person,” Elliot said.

Despite the controversy, the actor-turned-politician said he remained committed to the APC and the people of Surulere Constituency.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has opened up on how some persons tried to pitch him against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu barely three months after coming into power.

Speaking at the launch of “My Life of Duty and Allegiance”, autobiography of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Shettima said the individuals, whom he refused to name but said are from Borno State, told Tinubu that he was plotting to kill him and take over power.

“Three months into our swearing in, some people told Tinubu I was planning to kill him to take over power. The President had called me and said, ‘Sit down! Your people came to me and said stop wearing those Shettima’s clothes.’

“But the president said their story did not add up. He said when you gave me those clothes, I was an aspirant. I would not have been the candidate, neither were you going to be Vice presidential candidate.

“Some people told him after election that I was planning to use the clothes to kill him and take over. However, Tinubu wore the clothes after that because he is not fetish.”

Shettima advised Nigerians to be better united as their brother’s keeper, not as merchants of divisions.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has appointed former Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, and former Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, to lead its presidential primary committees ahead of the party’s forthcoming presidential primaries.

While Senator Imoke will serve as Chairman of the Presidential Screening Committee, Abdulfatah Ahmed will head the Presidential Election Committee.

Other members of the Presidential Screening Committee include Hon. C.I.D. Maduabum as Secretary, Alhaji Lawal Batagarawa, Prof. Bode Ayorinde, Hon. Nnena Elendu-Ukeje, Prof. David Salifu, and Col. Abubakar Ali Ciroma.

The Presidential Election Committee has Prof. Yisa Gana as Secretary, alongside Maj.-Gen. Adamu Jalingo, Dr Auwalu Anwar, Chief Emenike Ikechi, Dr. Macaulay Iyare, Tajudeen Bakare, Elder Ubolo Itodo Okpanachi, Zainab Buba Galadima, Uzoamaka Onyeama, and Maj.-Gen Muhammad Inuwa Idris as members.

The party also constituted a Presidential Appeals Committee chaired by Dr. Suleiman Usman, SAN, with Barr. Ken Imasuagbon serving as Secretary, while Barr. Dare Okerade will serve as member.

For the governorship primaries, the ADC constituted two screening panels. The first panel is chaired by S.E. Aruwa, SAN, with Femi Olawuyi, Esq as Secretary. Other members include Lauretta Onochie, Chief Dr (Mrs.) Vivian E. Ugochukwu, Akilu Indabawa, Ibrahim Mohammed Wali, and Prof. Rabiu Bello.

The second governorship screening panel is chaired by Barr. Justina Abanida, with Hon. Chille Igbawua as Secretary. Other members are H.E. Gerrard Irona, Sen. Yisa Braimoh, Hassan Mohammed Ibrahim, Joseph Ephraim Enemali, and Navy Capt. Aliyu Ngolmo.

The party also approved two Governorship Appeal Committees. The first committee is chaired by P.I. Oyewole Esq, with Abdulhakeen Taiye Ibrahim as Secretary and Adah Usman as member. The second appeal committee is chaired by M.E. Sheriff, Esq, with Barr. Realwan Okpanachi as Secretary and Barr. Hassan Yakubu as member.

The ADC said the committees were carefully constituted to ensure transparency, credibility, fairness, and internal democracy throughout the conduct of the party’s primaries.

Signed:

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
National Publicity Secretary
African Democratic Congress (ADC)

As soaring cattle prices push up the cost of beef across Nigeria amid deepening poverty, low-income families are increasingly forced to remove meat from their meals. Many can no longer afford not only beef, but also fish, chicken, turkey, and other sources of animal protein. In this report, IDOWU ABDULLAHI examines how shrinking purchasing power is pushing nutritious diets beyond the reach of millions of poor households and worsening the country’s malnutrition crisis

On a sunny afternoon on May 13, 2026, in Isheri, a border town nestled between Lagos and Ogun States, Olaide Alarape stood quietly beside the butchers’ section of the Kara market, mentally calculating how far the cash in her hand could go.

Around her, market traders shouted prices to the attention of intending customers, but Alarape’s attention remained fixed on the displayed meat already surrounded by customers bargaining for smaller portions.

For the 37-year-old vegetable seller, feeding her family a balanced diet has become an exhausting daily struggle shaped by rising food prices, particularly the prices of animal protein, such as cow meat.

Meat, once a regular part of family meals, has gradually disappeared from her cooking pot.

“It’s been more than two months since I last bought meat. There are times I cook without any animal protein because things are now difficult, and the beef my children love to eat is now three times as expensive,” she told PUNCH Healthwise.

Like many Nigerians struggling with the rising cost of living, the mother of three now relies heavily on eggs to provide some form of protein in her children’s stew.

“When you go to the meat seller now, if you want to buy meat worth N2,000, how many will they give you? Meat worth N2,000 is available, but it is cut into tiny pieces. The N2,000 meat may just be about four small pieces.

“My children love meat, and I cannot afford meat that will last us for a few days. I just buy N1,000 eggs and use them to make stew instead of buying meat worth N5,000 that we’ll finish at once,” she told PUNCH Healthwise

Meals without protein

From the beginning of 2026, 40-year-old Nnena Victor had mastered the art of stretching a pot of soup.

Each evening, Victor, who survives on the meagre amount she makes from washing clothes for people in the Berger Area of Lagos State, serves her four children’s meals without animal protein.

Her children, once used to eating beef and fish in their meals at least a few times weekly, now survive mostly on garri, noodles, yams, and thin soups with barely any protein.

Before the worsening economic hardship, she said her family could afford meat several times a week without much difficulty.

“At least before things became this costly, we used to eat meat properly, maybe even several times a week. But now, I just buy eggs for them once or twice a week because meat has become like gold,” she lamented.

She said the rising prices had discouraged her from buying meat the way she once did.

“The cost is something else. I have to consider the amount I have and those of us who need to eat. If we buy meat worth N2,000 or N3,000 now, the quantity they will cut for you is very small compared to before. I no longer find it easy to buy meat.

“When we cannot afford meat, we buy cheap fish or eggs instead. Eggs, especially,” she told PUNCH Healthwise

Olaide and Victor’s experiences are not isolated. Their situation mirrors the growing reality for millions of vulnerable Nigerians who are increasingly unable to afford meat, a major source of animal protein amid worsening economic hardship.

Households reality

Across markets in Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Kano, Port Harcourt and other cities, the prices of beef, fish, turkey, eggs, and other protein products have continued to rise, forcing many households to either reduce their intake or eliminate animal protein from their diets.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that protein-dense foods, including beef, chicken, turkey, fish, crayfish, and dairy products, have become luxury items for many low-income households.

For instance, a kilogram of beef ranges from N8,000 and above, goat meat is higher at N10,000, and turkey costs around N8,000, chicken is around N7,000 and above, depending on the types, while fish ranges from N3,000 to N10,000, depending on the types.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise show that even eggs, which many vulnerable Nigerians have turned to, are not spared. Some Nigerians just buy in smaller quantities, which costs N200 or N250 per egg, depending on size.

A crate of eggs that sold for less than N2,000 a few years ago now costs N6,000 and above, depending on the markets or neighbourhoods.

Also, a paint bucket of crayfish that cost around N8,000 before now generally ranges between N12,000 and N18,000 depending on the density of the paint bucket.

Worryingly, while many vulnerable families cannot afford animal proteins, protein-rich fruits and vegetables that could also bridge the gap of protein deficiency are also costly, making them no options for Nigerians battling economic hardship.

The consequences, PUNCH Healthwise findings show, are increasingly visible in homes where families now prioritise filling their bellies with carbohydrate-dense foods over balanced, nutritious meals, a situation further worsening Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis.

Protein deficiency looms

Nutrition experts warned that the trend could lead to protein deficiency and worsen Nigeria’s already troubling malnutrition burden, particularly among children, pregnant women, and low-income families.

Protein is widely regarded as an essential building block of life. It is found in every cell of the body. When people do not get adequate amounts of protein from their diet, it leads to protein deficiency. Protein deficiency is today a major cause of malnutrition. The World Health Organisation describes malnutrition as “the gravest single threat to the world’s public health.”

Protein is a macronutrient that is basic for the development, upkeep, and repair of all your body’s cells.

Nigeria’s malnutrition burden

Already, about two million Nigerian children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with only two out of every 10 children affected reached with treatment.

The United Nations Children’s Fund says malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of children under five, adding that seven per cent of women of childbearing age suffer from acute malnutrition.

According to UNICEF, Nigeria carries the second-highest burden of stunted children in the world and the highest in Africa.

The 2023–2024 National Demographic and Health Survey revealed that nearly 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five are stunted, up from 37 per cent in 2018.

It added that about 8.0 per cent suffer wasting, compared to 7.0 per cent previously, and a quarter of children under five are underweight, up from 22 per cent.

Similarly, in January 2026, the United Nations, through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, disclosed that 35 million Nigerians are at risk of acute hunger this year.

The Médecins Sans Frontières, in its 2025 Country Activity Report released on May 13, 2026, raised concerns over worsening malnutrition in Nigeria.

The international medical humanitarian organisation revealed that more than 440,000 children were treated across its operations in Nigeria in 2025, adding that it recorded its highest number of malnutrition admissions in recent years last year.

Further findings by PUNCH Healthwise show that the alarming burden of malnutrition is tied to poverty, with over 60 per cent of Nigerians living below the poverty line, and survival often comes before nutrition.

The situation is further complicated by Nigeria’s low life expectancy, which health experts said was influenced by poverty, poor healthcare access, infectious diseases, and inadequate nutrition.

The latest United Nations 2025 global report placed Nigeria’s average life expectancy at 54.9 years.

Nigeria trails behind war-torn nations like Sudan, where life expectancy stands at 66.5 years, as well as Ghana at 65.7 years and South Sudan at 57.7 years.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise showed that inflation and the resulting surge in food prices continue to weigh heavily on households, leaving many families unable to meet their daily nutritional needs.

We ration eggs, ponmo, fish

According to nutrition experts, animal proteins provide essential nutrients needed for growth, brain development, immunity, and overall body function.

However, for many Nigerians struggling to survive the current economic realities, balanced meals are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

More than 10 women told PUNCH Healthwise that they now ration protein in their children’s meals, with beef mostly out of the equation because of the prices.

For a single mother living in the Alagbole area of Ogun State, Idayat Olayemi, protein-rich meals are now reserved for special occasions.

The 29-year-old said feeding her two children without animal protein like meat and fish had become a thing of the past.

“Before, I could buy meat, but not anymore. Now, I buy eggs or ponmo (cowhide) once in a while because I have to consider other things I need money for as a single mother. Most times, we just eat whatever can satisfy hunger,” she said.

Similarly, a hairdresser based in the Ogba area of Lagos, Toyin Alawode, said the economy has forced her to cut her coat according to our resources.

The mother of three explained that she now goes for eggs or buys N1,500 panla fish to make stew for her children.

“If you go to the butchers and ask them to cut meat worth N1,000 for you, they will only give you about three or four pieces. So, instead, I prefer to buy eggs or panla fish for my children. At least, if they cannot eat meat, they can eat eggs,” she said.

On her part, a full-time housewife, Rasaq Oluwakemi, said she had to devise means of making eggs into balls to mimic meat for her children.

“If I buy just two eggs, which is N500, I will mix them with pepper like I’m preparing it for frying, but I will pour it into a nylon, tie it, and boil it in the rice I’m making. Once it is cakes, I cut it into slices, and I use it to make stew so everybody can eat from it, including myself.

“That is how we are managing now. As long as there is at least something on the food for my children, we can manage it,” she said.

Also, a low-level civil servant and mother of three, Olawunmi Hajarah, said her family had drastically adjusted their feeding habits over the last two years.

The Mile 12-based 35-year-old explained that the rising cost of living had affected nearly every aspect of daily survival.

“My salary has not increased significantly, but food prices keep going up every week. We used to buy meat, chicken occasionally, and eggs regularly. Now, we ration the ones we can afford, and we most times depend on eggs and ponmo,” she said.

According to her, feeding a household has become one of the biggest financial burdens for many Nigerians.

“We just try to manage. School fees, electricity bills, transportation, and rent are competing with food. Sometimes, nutrition becomes secondary because survival comes first,” he added.

Cows now cost N3 Million – Cattle dealers, butchers

To find out why cow meat has become pricey lately, PUNCH Heathwise visited the abattoir in Oko Oba, Kara cattle market, and Mile 12 to speak to cattle dealers and butchers.

The stakeholders who spoke to PUNCH Healthwise blamed fuel subsidy removal on the astronomical rise in the prices of cow, which is reflected in the high prices of beef on butchers’ tables across the country.

They listed transportation costs from north to south, insecurity affecting farming communities, and the high cost of animal feed as other factors contributing to the increase in prices.

The Financial Secretary, Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Isa Muhammed, said that following the removal of the fuel subsidy, the business changed drastically.

“Before the subsidy was removed, even the biggest cow you could find was not more than N700,000. But after the subsidy removal, prices started rising. Now, in the North, some cows cost N2,500,000.

“Before the increase in fuel price, transporting a full truckload of cattle from Maiduguri to Lagos used to cost about N450,000 to N500,000. But everything changed after fuel prices increased.

“Even the brown animal feed we buy from Nigerian Flour Mills has become very expensive. Before, we used to buy it for around N1,000 per bag. Sometimes, during August, we bought it for N870. But today, we buy the feed for about N18,000 per bag.

“Everything has become costly — animal feed, transportation, and even the people who escort the cattle trucks for security from North to Lagos. Their charges, which used to be N50,000 has now increased to N200,000,” he told PUNCH Healthwise during a visit to Abattoir in Oko Oba.

Corroborating Muhammed’s claim, the Chairman of the Cattle Dealer Association, Isheri-Olofin, Ogun State, Alhaji Kolo Muhammed, explained that transporting one cow from the North that used to cost about N50,000 is now N120,000 per cow.

“That is the reason why the price of cows is high. In fact, it is even higher than what we expected,” he said.

He explained that cow prices vary based on size, adding that there are cows that now cost over N3,000,000.

“The smallest one is sold for about N600,000, N650,000, or N700,000. The medium size is between N1.4 million, N1.5 million, and N1.6 million. Then the biggest ones are sold for N3 million, N3.1 million, or N3.3 million. That is how we sell them,” he said.

Many are in debts

Both cattle dealers’ executives lamented that many people in business are in debt, including the dealers and butchers.

The national secretary said, “Sometimes, you can spend N50 million or N60 million buying cattle from the North and transporting them to Lagos, only to return without making any profit. Sometimes, after two months, you still may not recover one naira. That is why many people are leaving the business.

“Even the butchers are suffering. Many of them buy cattle on credit and owe the dealers. Some butchers owe one person N30 million or N40 million.”

He added, “It is also not easy on their (butchers’) parts. Let me give you an example, if you buy a cow for N2 million and slaughter it for sale in pieces, you will need cut about 4,000 pieces at N500 each before you can recover the N2 million. Even after recovering the money, what about the other expenses? What about feeding yourself and your family? That is the present situation of the cattle business in this country.”

Also speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, the Chairman, Lagos State Butchers Association, Mr Ismaila Babalola, urged the government to support butchers across the country.

He noted that due to the rising cost of cattle, many butchers have abandoned the business and some retired.

Babalola said, “The cost of a cow is something else now. We now buy cows for 2 to 3 million. Many of our members have abandoned the business. Those who are still young left for other businesses, while those a bit older just stop working entirely. There is also the aspect of debt.

“We want the government to support our members by providing grants to help keep our members in business. We’d appreciate it if the government could support us to cushion the effect of the subsidy on our business.”

Customers beg to buy N1000 meat – Butchers

Speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, a butcher at Mile 12 Market, Kehinde Alabi, said many customers beg butchers to buy meat worth N500 or N1,000.

“The problem is that things are very hard for people now, and meat is expensive. We still sell meat in portions of N2,000 or N1,000 when customers cannot afford more. We understand the condition of the country.

“Some people even beg us, saying they and their children have not eaten meat for a while, and ask us to help them with N1,000 worth of meat, or even N500 worth. That is how things are now.

“Some people even plead for free meat because they have no money at all. Some buy N1,000 or N2,000 worth, and even N2,000 or N3,000 now feels too much for them,” he said.

Another butcher, Musiliu Adepoju, said customers now purchase fresh meat in smaller quantities than before.

According to him, many customers who previously bought sizable quantities of meat now request tiny portions.

“People price meat and walk away because they cannot afford it anymore. Some buy just one N1,000 or N2,000 for an entire family meal,” he said.

As protein prices continue to rise, the shrinking presence of meat and other nutritious foods across homes is becoming more than a household adjustment.

Experts said the high cost of animal protein, like cow meat, which is gradually disappearing from vulnerable Nigerians’ meals and other nutritious diets, may expose many to hidden hunger.

Children are most at risk – Experts

The nutritionists explained that while many Nigerians may still consume enough calories to feel full, the absence of nutrient-rich foods, such as animal protein, exposes them to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals.

According to the nutritionists, animal proteins provide nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin B12, calcium, and high-quality amino acids needed for healthy growth and body repair.

Without adequate intake, they said, vulnerable groups, especially children, may experience stunted growth, poor cognitive development, weakened immunity, fatigue, and increased risk of illness.

A registered dietitian nutritionist and former Director of Nutrition Services, Osun State, Mr James Oloyede, said, “When there is low intake of animal protein like beef, fish, among others, individuals are at risk of micronutrient deficiency.

“The greatest implication is on the children. Children less than five years old are going to have what we call severe acute malnutrition. When a child is malnourished in early childhood, it affects the child’s intellect because the brain will not be well-formed. Such a child is unable to develop as expected intellectually.

“There’ll be a high prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting in Nigeria. And this will weaken child is malnourished in early childhood, it affects the child’s intellect because the brain will not be well-formed. Such a child is unable to develop as expected intellectually.

The Nigeria Police Force has announced the tragic loss of 17 police officers who paid the supreme price following a terrorist attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School, Buni Yadi, in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, in the early hours of May 8, 2026.

A statement signed by DCP Anthony Okon Placid, Force Public Relations Officer, said the officers, who were undergoing specialised operational training at the institution, lost their lives when terrorists launched a coordinated attack on the facility from multiple directions at about 1:15 a.m.

It stated that several gallant personnel of the Nigerian Army also made the ultimate sacrifice while courageously repelling the attack.

Olatunji Rilwan Disu, described the fallen officers as courageous and dedicated personnel who demonstrated exceptional patriotism and commitment to national security through their participation in advanced counter-terrorism and tactical training programmes.

The IGP conveyed the condolences of the entire Force to the bereaved families, assuring them that the sacrifices of the deceased officers would never be forgotten.

In further demonstration of solidarity and support, the Commissioner of Police, Yobe State Command, CP Usman Kanfani Jibrin, has since visited the institution on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, where he commiserated with the Commandant of the school, Brigadier General A.C. Enuagu, officers of the Nigerian Army, and surviving police personnel undergoing training at the facility.

He commended the resilience and courage of the surviving officers and encouraged them to remain resolute in completing the training programme in honour of their fallen colleagues.

The Inspector-General of Police assured Nigerians that the Force, working closely with the Armed Forces and other security agencies, would sustain ongoing efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.

The Nigeria Police Force saluted the courage, sacrifice and service of the fallen officers, whose dedication to duty will forever remain honoured by the nation.

The late Muhammadu Buhari wrested power from Goodluck Jonathan in a never-before-seen political upset of an incumbent in Nigeria precisely because of the northern establishment’s strategic coalition with the Southwest political establishment led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And Tinubu is president today because of the North’s requital, sort of, for Tinubu’s gesture.

I qualify the requital with “sort of” because Muhammadu Buhari, the chief beneficiary of the coalition, along with a significant number of the cabal that puppeteered him, didn’t want Tinubu to be president. That was the spark for Tinubu’s famously impassioned “Emi lo kan” speech in Abeokuta.

However, northern governors’ collective, full-throated, unambiguous support for Tinubu and denunciation of Buhari and his cabal with the slogan “The North remembers” compensated for Buhari’s treachery. Plus, 63.6 percent of Tinubu’s 8,805,420 votes came from the North.

That is now beside the point. Since becoming president, Tinubu has governed as if only the Southwest voted him into power, or as if the 25.9 percent of the votes he got from there is more significant than the 63.6 percent he got from the North.

I have pointed out in several past columns that Tinubu hasn’t been able to transcend his Lagos-centric and Yoruba provincialism. That’s why he still rules as if he were the governor of Lagos and not the president of Nigeria.

Tinubu is, in many ways, worse than Muhammadu Buhari, who held the record as the most narrow-minded and provincial president Nigeria ever had. In spite of Buhari’s manifest preference for northern Muslims across different ethnic groups, which I characterized in past columns as “undisguised Arewacentricity,” he ceded some power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and left control of the economy to the Southwest.

Buhari formally transferred presidential powers to Osinbajo at least five times in his first term, if we count every Section 145 handover in which Osinbajo was to perform presidential functions or serve in an acting capacity while Buhari was outside Nigeria.

I am aware that some people count only three because they focus on the longer or more politically consequential acting-presidency periods, especially June 2016, January-March 2017 and May-August 2017, but the wider point is that Buhari trusted a Yoruba man enough to transfer power to him on many occasions.

By contrast, Vice President Kashim Shettima appears to have been marginalized in Tinubu’s presidency. Despite Tinubu’s frequent health-related trips to France, he has never transferred power to Shettima, even for a day. Instead, he seems to time his returns to Nigeria just early enough to avoid the constitutional requirement to hand over power, only to leave for France again a few days later.

Major economic and financial levers of government were held by southern figures, including Southwesterners. Osinbajo coordinated the economic team, Godwin Emefiele controlled monetary policy, Kemi Adeosun headed Finance until she resigned over the NYSC certificate forgery scandal, Babatunde Fowler ran FIRS, Udo Udoma led Budget and National Planning, Okechukwu Enelamah ran Trade and Investment and Ben Akabueze ran the Budget Office.

By contrast, under Tinubu, even the constitutionally recognized economic role of the vice president appears to have been hollowed out. Kashim Shettima may chair the National Economic Council on paper, but the commanding heights of economic policy are firmly in the hands of Tinubu’s Southwestern circle, leading to the increasingly plausible joke that Nigeria’s economic fate can now be decided entirely in Yoruba.

It used to be said that the only truly powerful and influential northerner in Tinubu’s administration was National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. He appeared to enjoy Tinubu’s confidence to a degree that went beyond the normal.

But with the duplicative appointment of retired Major General Adeyinka Famadewa, from Osun State, as Special Adviser to the President on Home Security, there is a widespread feeling in the North that Tinubu has finally purged the last vestige of northern influence in his government.

There are many reasons for this perception. First, home security is a subset of national security, and no past government has ever seen the need to establish a separate office for a Special Adviser on Home Security.

In any case, the National Security Adviser is a constitutionally recognized office in the presidency and is part of the National Security Council, which advises the president on public security and agencies created for the security of the federation. It is responsible for the “leadership, management and capacity development” of Nigeria’s security architecture.

It’s hard to justify the creation of the office of SA on Home Security to focus on terrorism inside Nigeria, banditry, border vulnerabilities, intelligence coordination, critical infrastructure protection and inter-agency response when Nigeria already has the NSA, the Ministry of Interior, the DSS, the police, the military, the NSCDC, the Immigration Service and the National Counter-Terrorism Centre under ONSA.

The Ministry of Interior’s own mandate includes internal security and related services, while the NCTC is already housed in ONSA to coordinate counterterrorism efforts.

Second, Famadewa worked as the principal general staff officer to the NSA during the Buhari administration from 2015 to 2021, where he established the Intelligence Fusion Centre. The skills, experience and associational capital he is bringing to his new job as SA on Home Security are all derived from ONSA.

In other words, without being clearly subordinate to, or carefully coordinated with, the NSA and limited to domestic-security implementation, he is merely a Yoruba NSA. At least that’s what it comes across as.

Third, Famadewa is said to be a Hausa-speaking Yoruba man, and this fact is being read as a signal that Tinubu wants a Yoruba ear in the defense sector headed by northerners, which demonstrates a deep distrust of the people from the region he put there.

These speculations may have no basis in fact. For one, Ribadu is still the international face of the Tinubu administration. You don’t send someone you distrust to negotiate on your behalf with a government as crucial as the United States government.

Vice President Shettima also seems to get along just fine with Tinubu in spite of what seems to us outsiders like the diminished influence of the office of the vice president, especially in comparison with the outsized influence of Osinbajo in Buhari’s first term.

It is also possible that what comes across as Tinubu’s inexplicable animosity toward a region that gave him more than 60 percent of his electoral mandate actually comes not from him but from his ethnocentric kitchen cabinet that people have called his greedy, ignorant, shortsighted “Lagos boys.”

But it doesn’t matter. The buck stops at his desk. His studied representational exclusion of the Southeast is already well established. Apart from Nyesom Wike, there is no other notable southern minority in a key position in his government. Yes, he has made noteworthy symbolic overtures to northern Christians, particularly through his wife, Remi.

Nonetheless, for a president seeking a second term, he has an awfully perplexing electoral tactic. To dispense with a region that gave you more than 60 percent of your vote, you need several emblematic motions. First, don’t be seen to be undermining, relegating or ignoring your vice president from the region. It may not be true, but perception is the currency of reality in politics.

Second, don’t be seen to be calculatedly surveilling the second most important appointment given to the region, that is, the office of the NSA, by appointing a kinsman from your natal state, no less, to reduplicate his position.

If you have decided to initiate a political divorce with the region, which is perfectly legitimate even if it is treacherous, at least have a sensible alternative regional coalitional strategy.Politics

As I have repeatedly pointed out in my columns, the Muslim North isn’t politically invincible. Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan have shown that convincingly. But to defeat it, you need to galvanize the entire South, the Christian North and a sprinkling of the margins of the Muslim North.

Tinubu is incapable of executing this strategy. Most of the Southeast won’t warm up to him in 2027 both because of his systematic exclusion of the region and because of the region’s enthusiastic embrace of its son, Peter Obi, who will most likely run again in 2027. Given Obi’s popularity among southern minorities, the best scenario for Tinubu would be that he would divide southern minority votes with Obi.

Votes from the Southwest, northern Christians, many of whom seem to have thawed their initial ice-cold hostility toward him on account of his choice of a Muslim as his running mate, and a plurality of southern minorities will never be sufficient to compensate for his active, self-created loss of northern Muslim votes.

And that causes me to wonder what Tinubu’s 2027 electoral game plan is. Whatever it is, it can’t be a legitimate electoral victory. But my biggest worry, more than electoral calculations, is the extreme, unexampled, in-your-face ethnocentric capture of the country by Tinubu, which sets an even worse precedent for his successor than Buhari set for him.

Nigeria needs a Nigerian president, not a sectional overlord who is Nigerian only in name.

Court documents seen by Reuters showed that the refinery instituted the suit against Nigeria’s Attorney General, seeking to overturn import permits issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Fresh tensions are emerging in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector as Dangote Petroleum Refinery moves to halt the continued importation of petrol into the country through a new lawsuit challenging fuel import licences granted to oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Court documents seen by Reuters showed that the refinery instituted the suit against Nigeria’s Attorney General, seeking to overturn import permits issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The legal dispute comes almost a year after Dangote Refinery withdrew an earlier case that similarly challenged the issuance of fuel import licences to the NNPCL and several fuel trading firms.

In the fresh filing before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the refinery asked the court to nullify import permits recently issued or renewed by the NMDPRA, arguing that the approvals violated an existing court order directing parties to maintain the status quo pending determination of the matter.

The NMDPRA had yet to respond to requests for comments as of the time of filing this report.

Fuel marketers and regulators have repeatedly defended the continued issuance of import licences, insisting that petrol imports remain necessary to guarantee adequate supply across the country and prevent shortages in the domestic market.

Dangote Refinery, however, maintained in its court filing that the licences issued this month “undermine its operations” and violate provisions of the law which, according to the company, only permit the importation of petroleum products when local production is unable to meet national demand.

The refinery had in July 2025 discontinued a previous lawsuit challenging similar licences without publicly stating the reason for the withdrawal, leaving unresolved questions over market competition and the future structure of Nigeria’s fuel supply chain.

Nigeria has historically depended on imported petrol due to the long-standing poor performance of state-owned refineries. The Dangote Refinery, valued at about $20 billion and designed to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was expected to significantly reduce or eliminate the country’s dependence on imported refined products.

Despite the commencement of operations at the facility, fuel importation has persisted, with industry players arguing that imported products are still required to bridge supply gaps as the refinery continues to expand output.

The latest court action is likely to intensify conversations around fuel market regulation, local refining capacity and the broader implementation of Nigeria’s petroleum laws, especially amid growing expectations that domestic refineries should gradually take over the country’s fuel supply needs.


Overttime, there has been tension in the Nigerian oil sector.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that Dangote Petroleum Refinery accused Nigerian upstream oil producers of failing to supply crude oil to the facility as required under the country’s petroleum law, forcing the refinery to rely heavily on international traders who charge additional premiums.

In a statement issued by its management, the refinery said the situation has significantly increased operational costs, even as it struggles to maintain stable fuel supply in Nigeria amid global energy market volatility.

"The high crude cost is compounded by the fact that Nigeria upstream producers have failed to supply crude oil to the refinery as required under the PIA, forcing us to source a substantial portion through international traders who charge an additional premium,” the company said.

The refinery explained that the situation has made crude procurement more expensive, particularly because Nigerian crude oil itself trades at a premium above global benchmark prices.

Many feared abducted as Boko Haram invades school in Borno village

An unspecified number of students of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State are feared to have been abducted when some armed members of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists invaded their school premises in the early hours of Friday.

Mussa is a remote village and shares a border with Sambisa Forest, an enclave and hideout of terrorists.

Sources revealed that the insurgents stormed the school on motorcycles, barely 10 or 15 minutes after troops left the community.

In a social media post, Mr Solomon Mussa said, “Good morning, beloved. Please pray for the Mussa Boko Haram attack in Mussa village now. According to a report coming out from Mussa, school children were affected…”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Abdullahi Askira, who also hails from Askira-Uba Local Government Area, confirmed the school invasion by terrorists on Friday, even as he said details are still sketchy at press time.

“Yes, I can confirm to you that some suspected terrorists riding on motorcycles invaded primary and junior secondary schools in Mussa village this morning.

“Information at my disposal was that many of the students fled into the bush, but I don’t have details of those abducted yet.

“It is also disheartening that the incident took place barely some few minutes after troops on patrol left the community; this signifies that the insurgents or the attackers were spying on the movement of troops before they struck,” the Deputy Speaker said.

He, however, promised to give further details as the situation unfolds.

All efforts to get the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Keneth Daso, to comment on the incident proved abortive at press time.

The Federal Government has debunked claims circulating in the media regarding the approval of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance for federal civil servants.

DAILY POST recalls that on April 24, 2026, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, at a well-attended press briefing, announced that the Federal Government had approved a robust welfare package for civil servants and other entitlements.

The package included full Duty Tour Allowance for approved trainings in selected training institutions, an upward review of peculiar allowance across grade levels on the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS) and the Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), as well as an increase in estacode, book allowance and other entitlements.

However, the Director of Press and Public Relations, in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Eno Olotu, said in a statement that no such pronouncement of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance for civil servants emanated from the office.

According to the statement, for the avoidance of doubt, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation neither approved nor formally conveyed the approval of the allowance to the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) or any labour union.

“The statutory responsibility for the issuance and communication of such circulars rests solely with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC),” the statement noted.

It further added that the meeting convened by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, was strictly an interventionist and conciliatory engagement aimed at facilitating dialogue between organised labour under its jurisdiction and the NSIWC, to promote mutual understanding and avert any breakdown in labour relations within the federal civil service.

Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole has declared that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has become the best campaign manager of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Oshiomhole explained that Atiku has been attacking opposition figures like Peter Obi and others.

The lawmaker, who spoke while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the APC is not worried about opposition like the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.

He said: “You mean that APC would be worried about ADC, NDC? I saw Atiku, he is now our best campaign manager because he is attacking Obi, and I see Obi attacking Amaechi.”

Atiku and Obi had previously ran on the same ticket but later went their separate ways following the former Anambra State governor’s defection to the Labour Party where he contested for the presidency in 2023.

In January 2026, Obi rejoined Atiku in the ADC only to defect to the NDC a few days ago.
It is believed that Obi will run for the presidency with Rabiu Kwankwaso on the platform of the NDC.

The appointment of Adeyinka Famadewa, a retired major-general, as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, has sparked debate over a new dynamic of Nigeria’s security architecture under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

Tinubu, who is currently outside the country, announced the appointment through a circular on Monday signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume and issued by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Ibrahim Kana.

According to Akume, the appointment underscored the commitment of Tinubu’s administration to strengthening internal security coordination, enhancing intelligence-driven operations, and deepening inter-agency collaboration in addressing emerging security threats across the country.

Daily Trust reports that Nigeria has in recent times witnessed growing security challenges with several soldiers, policemen and other security agents paying the supreme price while sophisticated security equipment was also burnt in the process.

President delivered transformational projects in North – Renewed Hope Ambassadors
Court remands 3 in Kano over alleged murder
While some Nigerians opined that the president’s decision was in the right direction, others said the appointment has a political undertone and could be a subtle move to whittle down the powers of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Two retired Generals gave different perspectives as to why President Tinubu created the office of the Special Adviser on Homeland Security.

“I don’t think he will remove Ribadu. I believe he is trying to solidify the foundation for the state police. He will use him (the new adviser) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to decentralise the police,” one of the Generals told Daily Trust.

The other General said, “Ribadu won’t go immediately. He coordinates the nation’s intelligence architecture and the General will handle internal security.

“However, going by the tribal politics seen since the present administration came to power, I won’t be surprised if Ribadu is sidelined. Maybe for the votes of the North East, he might still be relevant. However, nobody should tell me that this appointment is based on merit. What merit, really?”

A security expert, who does not want to be named, said there might be a problem.

According to him, “There are overlapping functions, no doubt about that. In the United States, the two are separated – the NSA being an advisor, and the Homeland Security Secretary being our equivalent of a minister.

“But for Ribadu and this man to be both advisers, something is really wrong somewhere. Ribadu may not be enjoying Tinubu’s trust and confidence anymore,” he said. The source said the outlook was not in favour of Ribadu.

“This was how Tinubu gradually frustrated Wale Edun, until his (Edun’s) exit. First, all of Edun’s important and sensitive duties were given to a minister of state…Edun felt more and more humiliated the longer he stayed. He was later sacked. Ribadu may hang on to give the impression that all is well. Or his entitlements may not be tampered with, but the real power may have departed elsewhere,” he said.

Who is Famadewa?

Famadewa is a decorated retired major-general with over three decades of military and intelligence service spanning national security strategy, intelligence fusion, counter-terrorism operations, and international security diplomacy.

He served as Principal General Staff Officer to the former National Security Adviser at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno from 2015 to 2021.

During his time at ONSA, he spearheaded the establishment of the Intelligence Fusion Centre (IFC), creating an integrated multi-agency intelligence platform that brought together the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Armed Forces to improve national threat assessment and strategic response coordination.

Following his retirement from active military service, Famadewa served as Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, where he continued to provide strategic thought leadership on policing, civil-security cooperation, and national security reform.

His scholarly contributions include the widely acclaimed monograph titled “Policing and National Security in Nigeria,” which offers practical frameworks for strengthening civil-security collaboration.

Ribadu, Famadewa can work together – Retired military officers

Meanwhile, in separate interviews with Daily Trust, Maj-Gen. Elvis Njoku (rtd) and Maj Bashir Galma (rtd) explained that even though there is a thin line between the duo’s responsibilities, they can still work together and get the desired results for the country and the President.

Gen. Njoku said, while the NSA advises the President in a wider capacity, Famadewa would advise him directly.

He said, “Homeland is the Ministry of Interior, you can check again. He is a Special Adviser to the President. That is what it is; there is no confusion about it.

“National Security Adviser is different; this is a Special Adviser, just like other Special Advisers, directly to the President. Their functions could overlap. This one is advisory. He’s just advising the President, just like we have other Special Advisers. What are their jobs? The SAs are just making their work directly to the President, not to the world or to Nigeria.

“NSA also advises the President in a wider capacity. This one is personal to the President.

“For instance, I’m sure you know Bayo Onanuga is the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. Does it mean that we don’t have the Minister of Information?

“The appointment is just to add to the wealth of knowledge and clarity for the President. The President can reach quickly. I don’t think anybody is usurping another person’s power. There are new things everywhere. Change is constant. Things must not be done as they used to be. What happened in 1975 is not what is happening now; change is constant and we must be ready for change.

“Absolutely, there will be no clash between the two of them; rather, it will be a beautiful mix of relationships. They will be working together. You know Famadewa worked with Monguno almost five, six years ago. He has a wealth of experience. Is it not good to have more people in this type of place?

“The media should be campaigning for bringing more retired generals, the people that had given their best in nation-building through so many other means. So many Generals have a lot on their heads on what to do, but we just leave them like that; we must bring them on board. That’s why I say change is a constant thing.”

On his part, Maj. Galma said the NSA, being an officer from a paramilitary formation, needs both serving and retired soldiers around him.

He said, “This appointment made by President Tinubu is the right way to go, because I’m one of those who have been advocating for somebody with military experience who is going to be very close to the president to answer some professional questions regarding military operations.

“General Famadewa is a good idea, but it depends on the assignment, which may clash. Though Ribadu came from a paramilitary formation, being a policeman before, he needs these military people around him.

“But for somebody who is directly under the president, with military experience, with the rank of a major-general, I think it is a very good idea.”

Like US, like Nigeria?

Some Nigerians wondered why the Homeland Security Office was created when there is a Ministry of Interior, ONSA, among others, saying this is the first time such an office is being created.

They argued that if Nigeria must copy other countries, it must copy rightly.

Silas Omale, a retired officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in an interview with our correspondent, cautioned the federal government not to create another “conduit pipe” for taxpayers’ commonwealth.

He said, “If at all we want to borrow some things from other countries, it is important we copy them rightly. I pray this is not another office that will ‘swallow’ more of the taxes we’re paying.”

Checks showed that homeland security in the U.S, formally known as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is saddled with the responsibility of protecting the country from internal threats. The DHS was created in 2002 after 9/11, a coordinated series of terrorist attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001.

The DHS was broken into five main missions, which include counter-terrorism and security threats; border security and immigration; cybersecurity; disaster prevention and response, as well as enforcing trade and customs laws.

On the other hand, the National Security Adviser serves as the chief adviser to the US President on national security, foreign policy and military matters. The NSA, officially known as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, serves on the National Security Council and is assisted by officials who produce research, briefings and intelligence reports.

The NSA plays a critical role in the US’ National Security Council, which advises and assists the President on national security and foreign policy issues. In May 2025, President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as NSA and assigned Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take over the role in the interim.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of retired Major General Adeyinka A. Fadewa as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, the Presidency announced on Monday.

The appointment was disclosed in a statement issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). It was electronically signed by Chris Ugwuegbulam, its Head of Information and Public Relations.

According to the statement, the appointment was made “in recognition of his exceptional record of service, strategic expertise, and outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s national security architecture.”

The statement explained that the appointment reflects the Tinubu administration’s commitment to strengthening internal security coordination and intelligence operations across the country.

It stated that the appointment “underscores the commitment of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthening internal security coordination, enhancing intelligence-driven operations, and deepening inter-agency collaboration in addressing emerging security threats across the country.”

According to the statement, the circular announcing the appointment was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and issued by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana.

Major General Fadewa (retd.) is described as a highly decorated retired military officer with more than three decades of experience in military intelligence, counter-terrorism operations, national security strategy and international security diplomacy.

The Presidency noted that he served as Principal General Staff Officer to the National Security Adviser at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) between 2015 and 2021.

During his time at ONSA, he reportedly led efforts to establish the Intelligence Fusion Centre (IFC), a multi-agency intelligence platform designed to improve coordination among Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies.

The statement said the platform brought together the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Armed Forces “to improve national threat assessment and strategic response coordination.”

Following his retirement from active service, Fadewa served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja, where he focused on policing, civil-security cooperation and national security reforms.

The statement also highlighted his scholarly work, including a monograph titled Policing and National Security in Nigeria, which it described as offering “practical frameworks for strengthening civil-security collaboration.”

President Tinubu expressed confidence that the retired general would strengthen the administration’s homeland security efforts.

According to the statement, the President believes the appointment “will further enhance the administration’s efforts toward achieving a safer and more secure Nigeria through improved coordination of homeland security initiatives, intelligence integration, and proactive risk management.”

Tinubu also urged the retired officer “to deploy his wealth of experience, professionalism, and strategic insight in advancing national security objectives and supporting the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”