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The known suicides, though, are everywhere and continuing, each as heartbreaking as the next -- an unrelenting crime wave in plain sight but with little attention.

James Woods, 17, a track sprinter from Streetsboro, Ohio, died in 2022 after sextortionists wrongly told him he would go to prison for sending a nude image. Carter Bremseth, 16, a golfer from Olivia, Minnesota, died in 2021. Riley Basford, 15, of Potsdam, New York, an avid outdoorsman who played lacrosse and football, died in 2021.

Eli Heacock, 16, of Barren County, Kentucky, a track and tennis athlete, took his own life last February. He had been pressured after extortionists used AI to turn a clothed picture into a nude before threatening to release it. Bradyn Bohn, 15, of Kronenwetter, Wisconsin, a baseball player, died by suicide last March. His final note included a line referring to his sextortionist: "Make sure he gets caught."

"We've seen the chats," Coffren said. "The societal pressure, the pressure these offenders are putting them under, the fear, the shame, the guilt, all of that combines in such a sense of urgency and rapidness. It is relentless. They are terrifying these kids into believing they have no recourse, they have no out.

And the kids are believing it."
Perhaps most concerning is the speed. All of the victims died within 24 hours of initial contact, most within hours, NCMEC reports.

In 2021, Braden Markus, 15, a football player at Olentangy High School in Ohio, for example, took his own life just 27 minutes after he was first contacted. It took 10 months for his parents to access his phone and discover why.

"There is no advanced warning," John DeMay said. "Someone came into my house and murdered my son while we were sleeping."

"This was pure torture," Larson said. "They tortured him from 5,200 miles away."
John DeMay and Jenn Buta say that since they've made Jordan's story public, they have heard from hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who have been victims of sextortion at some level.
"Just this week I had four reach out in a 24-hour period," Buta said.

The parents' advice for teens getting targeted is simple: Shut off the computer as soon as a questionable message pops up, walk away and then go tell a trusted adult. The criminals are looking for money, and if they think an avenue has dried up, they'll likely move on. It's like a fish wiggling off the hook. But if they believe a fish is still on the hook, there is no amount of appeasement -- or payouts -- that will stop them from pushing for more.

"If you don't engage with them, they're going to stop and move on," John said.

Meanwhile, NCMEC suggests immediately reporting the account to a social media platform and reaching out to the organization's hotline: 1-800-843-5678. Laws and policies can help keep the image off the internet.

"We can help," Coffren said. "We can handle it."
A slew of new state laws -- often pushed into passage by victim families -- have made sextortion a felony. Law enforcers say that since most of the international criminals don't believe anyone will actually take their own life, they won't actually face criminal consequences for what they believe is just a minor financial crime. It's why a message had to be sent.

Mark totten became the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan in May 2022. He said it was his second day on the job when he was briefed on financial sextortion. He had had a vague awareness of the concept but was stunned at the sophistication and callousness of the operation.

"You can see why this is attractive to fraudsters because this kind of scam only takes hours, sometimes not that long," Totten said. "With a senior citizen, it can take weeks and months to build that kind of trust."

He described Jordan's case as the most important prosecution of his tenure. He left the post last January and is now running to be Michigan's attorney general.

The key was not just finding the Ogoshis and Robert. It was charging them and extraditing them to the United States, which is rare.

"There was a real need to create a deterrent in Nigeria and everywhere overseas," Totten said. "We needed to make it clear that this was a crime with real consequences ... including imprisonment in the United States."

The FBI's Beccaccio described local Nigerian law enforcers as "nothing but cooperative with us." It took over a year, but the Ogoshi brothers were brought to the United States in August 2023 where they soon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sexually exploit a minor. Robert is still in Nigeria, fighting extradition. Five American men -- one from Alabama and four from Georgia -- pleaded guilty in April to having helped the scammers launder their extortion money.

On Sept. 5, 2024, in the U.S. District Court in Marquette, packed with Jordan's family and friends, the brothers were sentenced to 17½ years in prison.

In court, the Ogoshis said they viewed their extortion operation merely as a small financial scam -- to which Totten took strong exception.

"There was an utter disregard for human life," Totten said. "They were just casually telling this victim that he should kill himself if he wasn't going to pay."

Locking up the Ogoshi brothers does little to stop the danger. Samson Ogoshi ominously wrote in a legal filing that "blackmail is prevalent in Lagos," stating he knew of "hundreds of people [my] age ... engaged in similar scams."

It's why Beccaccio notes that "arresting our way" out of the problem is not feasible.

Awareness, especially in the United States among potential victims, is the only solution, she and others said.


Time moves on in the Upper Peninsula, although never quite the same. Jordan, gone in the middle of the night, will never return.
All that is left, way up here on top of the country, is to scream out warnings.

The DeMays and Jenn Buta contend that something like a serial killer is on the loose -- international crime rings raiding American homes to blackmail, emotionally torture and then kill American boys -- and that almost no one is noticing.

John DeMay and Lowell Larson have given presentations across the country -- including high schools and law enforcement conferences. Buta operates social media accounts to raise awareness to teens and their parents, all while trying to raise younger two daughters of her own.

They answer messages. They lobby politicians.
John and Jessica DeMay never spent another night in the house where Jordan died. John, who works in real estate, cleaned and fixed it up (even personally patching the bullet hole in the drywall of Jordan's bedroom) before selling the place.
Still, the reminders of Jordan are constant and crushing.

In the good weather they like to sit on their boat -- DeMayflower -- in Marquette's Lower Harbor, next to an old ore dock that once made this town an industrial power and now serves as a hauntingly beautiful testament to the region.

Yet that's also where Jordan, as a middle schooler, loved to jump and spin into Lake Superior. John, meanwhile, thinks about Jordan's recently passed 21st birthday and how they might have celebrated with a day of fishing before hitting a downtown bar for a legal beer, an always powerful father-son relationship morphing into an adult friendship.

Mostly they wonder what Jordan could have become, what Jordan would have become.
"He was going to tackle the world," John said.
Kyla, meanwhile, will soon begin her senior year at Northern Michigan, trying to spread the word as well. In one of her classes, she made a presentation about the crime that uprooted her life.

"The first thing I asked the class was: 'Has anyone heard of sextortion?'" Kyla said.

She was hopeful that her peers were familiar with it, that awareness was spreading, at least here in Marquette.

"Only one hand went up."

The first message to Jordan DeMay's Instagram arrived innocently enough.

"Hey," it read.

It was the evening of March 24, 2022. The sender was "Dani.Robertts," someone who would later assert to be a 19-year-old college woman from Atlanta. Her profile picture showed a pretty teen in a car with a German shepherd. She followed 1,805 accounts and had 683 followers, including one of Jordan's teammates at Marquette High School, where he was a well-known football and basketball player.

Jordan DeMay, 17, stood 6-foot-2, with blond hair. He was the homecoming king, popular and funny, with an expansive group of friends. Injuries ended his goal of playing small-college football, but he was set to attend nearby Northern Michigan University with his girlfriend, Kyla, in the fall.
At 10:19 p.m., Jordan responded. "Who is you?" he asked.

The initial discussion between Jordan and Dani Robertts went on for nearly two hours, mostly involving small talk and some inconsequential picture exchanges -- headshots mainly, another of Jordan in his basketball uniform. By then, Dani had won a measure of trust.

After midnight, Dani mentioned that she liked playing "sexy games." She wanted to exchange more mature photos.

Jordan repeatedly mentioned that Dani might not be "real" or that this all might be "fake." He jokingly responded to one request for a naked photo by sending a popular joke meme. It appears that, at times, he didn't take any of this seriously.

Undeterred, Dani kept pressing and pressing, eventually sending an intimate photo of her own. Now it was Jordan's turn, Dani said. He had something on her, after all. Fair is fair, Dani implied.

Jordan was in his bedroom, in the basement of the split-level home, in Michigan's vast and desolate Upper Peninsula. It was after midnight.

His father, stepmother and two young stepsisters were sleeping upstairs.

He went into his bathroom, pulled down his pants and snapped a photo in the mirror.
He hit send.

Almost instantaneously, the friendly Dani Robertts was gone. There had, of course, been no Dani Robertts.

All along, Jordan had been chatting with Samuel Ogoshi, then 22, in Lagos, Nigeria. Samuel was part of a small ring of online scammers, including his younger brother Samson, then 19, and a third man, Ezekiel Robert, then 19.

Once Jordan sent the photo, the three men sprang into action with a relentless, scripted extortion plan to harass and threaten him with public humiliation. Robert took over the chat while Samson Ogoshi scoured Jordan's social media for friends, family, classmates, teachers and anyone else he could find. He quickly compiled a collage with Jordan's intimate image surrounded by photos and social handles of people they could send it to.

"I have screenshot all ur followers and tags," Robert wrote. "Can send this nudes to everyone and also send your nudes to your Family and friends Until it goes viral. All you've to do is to cooperate with me and I won't expose you."
Jordan didn't respond. The direct messages kept coming.

dani.robertts: "Are you gonna cooperate with me"
dani.robertts: "Just pay me RN [right now]"
dani.robertts: "And I won't expose you"
Finally, Jordan wrote back: "How much"
dani.robertts: "$1000"


The Ingredients of Jordan's life.. small-town athletic stardom, close-knit rural background, popularity and having a steady girlfriend -- appear to have made him the perfect target for a new kind of crime, dubbed "financial sextortion" by the FBI.

Predators from thousands of miles away in Nigeria had zeroed in on Jordan as a source of easy money through internet blackmail. ESPN reviewed court records, police reports and previous news accounts to examine how loosely organized overseas criminal organizations entrap and extort American teens with terrifying, extreme and even deadly aggressiveness.

This predatory web has snared victims from all kinds of backgrounds. But growing numbers of young, male athletes are particularly vulnerable because of both their elevated social status locally and the desire to project a perfect image for potential college recruitment, according to Abbigail Beccaccio, the chief of the FBI's Child Exploitation Operational Unit.

"If you look at our numbers and you look at how the bad actors are targeting victims, your school athletes are going to have a larger [online] footprint," Beccaccio said. "It is going to make them more vulnerable to these types of targeted attacks. They have more to lose than another individual. ... They're looking at being scouted.

They're putting videos of their [highlights] out on social media."

Since 2021, online sextortion has led to tens of thousands of cases and more than $65 million in losses, according to the FBI. More tragically, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports, it has led to over three dozen suicides.
And that's just the ones they know about.
Jordan DeMay was now in that kind of danger.


Jordan replied he didn't have $1,000. He had $355, mostly earned from his job at McDonald's. Clearly desperate, he tried to make a deal, sending $300 via Apple Pay. The scammers weren't satisfied. They demanded $800 more and applied maximum pressure with repeated, increasingly threatening messages.

"Watch how I make your life miserable," one read.
Jordan sent a screenshot of his finances to show he was nearly tapped out, then offered his final $55.

"No deal," Robert, still posing as Dani Robertts, responded.

The scammers began to gloat at the power they held: "I love this," Robert wrote before repeatedly starting countdowns to sending out the image. "10 ... 9 ... 8."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Jordan asked.
"Because it's going to be your worse night marrow [nightmare]."

On and on it went.

"I got all I need RN [right now] to make your life miserable dude."

Jordan pleaded for relief. He appealed to decency.
"I am begging for own life," he wrote.

The Nigerians never relented. Eventually they sent the collage, including Jordan's picture, to Jordan's girlfriend, Kyla Palomaki.

dani.robertts: "I bet your [girlfriend] will leave you for some other dude"

dani.robertts: "Just waiting for your [girlfriend] to get the text."

dani.robertts: "You know what will happen."
Kyla was asleep across town, unaware of it all. The Nigerians kept hammering away.

Jordan: "I will be dead. Like I want to KMS [kill myself]"

He again wrote he was out of money.
dani.robertts: "Okay, then I will watch you die a miserable death."

Jordan: "It's over, you win bro"

dani.robertts: "Okay"

dani.robertts: "Goodbye"

dani.robertts: "Enjoy your miserable life"

Jordan: "I'm kms rn [killing myself right now]"

Jordan: "bc of you"

dani.robertts: "good"

dani.robertts: "do that fast"

dani.robertts: "Or I'll make you do it"

dani.robertts: "I swear to God"

At some point, Jordan went upstairs to the kitchen and took a 40-caliber handgun, loaded with hollow-point bullets, out of an unlocked safe above the refrigerator. He returned downstairs, sat on his bed and typed out two texts.

One went to his girlfriend: "Kyla, I love you so much. I made a mistake and wish I could continue but I can't do this anymore. This was a choice I made and I must pay myself."

Eleven minutes later, he sent one to his mom, Jenn Buta, who lives nearby.

"Mother I love you."

Moments later, he took his own life.

John DeMay said he heard a bang around 3:45 a.m. -- about five hours after Jordan's first contact with Dani. Due to the acoustics of the house and lacking any reason to think it might be gunfire, John later said he figured his son had just knocked something over downstairs. John was a former cop and avid hunter, well accustomed to the sound of gunfire. The noise didn't register with him.

He has wrestled with the firearm being accessible but said someone determined to die by suicide will find a way.

Besides, he trusted Jordan implicitly. His son was about the happiest, most well-adjusted teen he knew. There had never been any mental health concerns or signs of depression.

"The epitome of the cool kid," Jordan's stepmother, Jessica, said. The last John had seen of his son, Jordan was excitedly packing for an upcoming family vacation to Florida, a welcome respite from the snow and freeze of the long Lake Superior winter.

When silence followed the sound of the bang, John said he thought it was no big deal. He fell back to sleep.

Jenn Buta said she woke early at her home 7 miles away to find the message from her son.

They were exceptionally close, sharing a love of basketball and shopping and long talks on long drives, especially to Jordan's travel tournaments. She would offer lessons on life and hoops -- look people in the eye, hold the door, shoot the ball! Jordan, in turn, made her listen to his music -- Drake, Post Malone, Fetty Wap.

They texted throughout the day, every day -- even as he approached 18. About parties. About Kyla. About whatever. He had video called her the night before while shopping for suntan lotion and cold medication.

So being greeted by a text from her son a little before 7 a.m. was not surprising,
"I love you too," she wrote back. "I hope you got a good night's sleep."

Except Jordan didn't text back. Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen. This was unusual. She grew concerned.

"Call it a mother's intuition, but I knew," Buta said. "Something's wrong."

"Are you OK," she wrote.

No response.

"Jordan?"

It was now almost 7:30 a.m. Jordan should be at school. She texted Kyla, asking if Jordan was there. Kyla wrote back that he wasn't, and that he wasn't responding to her texts either.

Buta tried to tell herself not to panic. She texted John asking if Jordan was somehow still at his house. This would be unusual. Jordan got out the door every morning. He was never late. He was self-sufficient.

John went immediately downstairs, whipped open Jordan's door and flipped on the light. It was a scene no parent should ever see: his son, lifeless, still sitting up in bed, gun still in his right hand, his red iPhone nearby.

"You just knew immediately what happened," John said. "It was obvious what happened. He's got the pistol and the mess from the exit was on the wall."
He stumbled back upstairs.

"I couldn't even breathe," John said. "My wife thought I was having a heart attack. I couldn't even get it out. I just said: He shot himself."

He called Buta. It was just nine minutes after she had texted about their son. She'd been staring at the phone, trying to will it to deliver some good news: an oversleep, a flat tire, anything.

John somehow blurted it out.

"He's gone."

Jenn Buta said she doesn't remember much from the ensuing days. She paced back and forth in her house, unable to eat, unable to sleep. "I still don't sleep," she said.

The funeral was a massive affair, maybe 2,000 mourners, stuffed not just into the pews of Lake Superior Christian Church but watching on television in every office, hallway or available inch of the place. Others simply couldn't get in. Cars stretched up and down State Highway 553.

Friends choked out speeches. Tears were everywhere.

The crowd size was both stunning, yet unsurprising. Jordan was popular yet approachable and self-deprecating.

"The All-American kid," Jessica DeMay said. When he got his driver's license, he proudly bought an old, red 1994 Dodge Ram with more than 200,000 miles on it.

"Crank windows, cassette tape," his mother said with a laugh.

"Total rust bucket," his father added.

He drove it around like it was a Bentley.

He cracked constant jokes. He impressed by not needing to impress, drew in friends by looking outward to help others, led through actions.

He was a well-known athlete across the Upper Peninsula. He had played everything, including on travel baseball and basketball teams that would scoop up talent from tiny, old lumber and mining towns before heading off to represent an often-forgotten region. It's the bond of the UP; distance breeding togetherness.

Teammates and even rivals showed up at his funeral -- often in their team jerseys -- some coming from more than two hours away.

His athletic career had been marred by injuries, but it also sparked an interest in a real career -- Jordan planned to study to become a physical therapist.

It felt like he was just starting life. Instead, he ended his.

Lowell Larson was then a detective, but now the undersheriff, for Marquette County. He had been one of the first to arrive at the DeMay home that morning.

"We knew that we had a suicide," Larson said. "We didn't know why he did it."

Suicides are nearly always cloaked in confusion.

They aren't usually the result of crimes. Larson said he knew John DeMay from a lifetime of both living in Marquette -- population just 21,000, but the biggest city for nearly 200 miles. He was pained by the tragedy. He said he didn't think it would become an investigation though.

Jordan's phone was passcode-locked (state police would later crack it by combining Jordan's jersey numbers in football and basketball). Even if Larson had been able to gain access, Jordan had deleted the Instagram messages.

"I can't just write a bunch of search warrants for every death investigation to get everybody's social media for a fishing expedition," Larson said. "We have to have probable cause that a crime has been committed."

The first clue came later that day. A devastated Kyla drove with a friend to nearby Presque Isle Park. It's where she and Jordan would go after hitting Dunkin' for an iced coffee or a strawberry dragon fruit refresher.

"We had so many conversations, just sitting on the rocks, watching the sun set," Kyla said.

Now, she was trying to make sense of it all. "I was in a state of shock, but I just kept saying: There's no way," Kyla said.

Her phone buzzed with messages of condolence. Amid the flood, she opened Instagram and discovered a direct message from 3:38 a.m. It was from a name she didn't know -- Dani Robertts.

It contained the picture of Jordan.

"I immediately knew this was the reason," Kyla said.

She went home and wrote the account back: "what is this about?"

To Kyla, this was a mystery. To the Nigerians on the other end, this was another potential opportunity.

Despite Jordan's final "kms" messages, they didn't yet know he was dead. They put together screenshots of all of Kyla's family and began bullying Kyla, according to an exchange that Kyla provided to Bloomberg and confirmed with ESPN.

dani.robertts: "I swear I will ruin his life with this"

Kyla: "He killed himself last night. Please don't"

dani.robertts: "Do you want me to ruin his life?"

Kyla: "He's gone. No"

Dani: "Do you want me to ruin his life? Yes or no"

Kyla: "He's already ruined. WDYM? [What do you mean?]"

Dani: "He [is] going to be in jail"

Kyla: "HE'S DEAD"

Dani: "And this will go viral"

Kyla: "HE SHOT HIMSELF"

dani.robertts: "Haha. Do you want me to end this. And delete the pics?"

dani.robertts: "Yes or no..."

dani.robertts: "Cooperate with me and this will end..."

dani.robertts: "Just do as I say and all this will end."

Kyla went to her parents, although that wasn't easy. "It is embarrassing," Kyla said.

"It's like, 'Dad, Jordan sent a naked photo to another girl.

"You don't want your parents to think badly about your boyfriend, who I was still madly in love with, even though he just died. It was hard for me to even say."

Word quickly got to Larson, who soon obtained an emergency order from a magistrate to compel Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to turn over records.

Meta sent over 700 pages, featuring conversations the scammers, posing as Dani Robertts, had conducted with over 100 accounts. Larson quickly realized the conversations were part of "a script" using similar language and grooming patterns.

"It was almost the exact same text," Larson said.

"It was clear they were doing the same thing over and over again. You find out what works, and you keep doing it."

To Larson, this wasn't a suicide. It was murder.


META provided IP addresses that allowed him to confirm he was dealing with criminals overseas. That was backed up when he obtained a warrant to search the local newspaper, The Mining Journal , for the IP addresses of anyone who had read Jordan's obituary. He suspected that after Kyla told them Jordan was dead, they would have sought more information about it.

"I was trying to put myself in the mind of the criminal," Larson said.

Four IP addresses came back from Nigeria. One of them matched with an address from the Dani Robertts account.

The FBI would later travel to Nigeria where, with government help, agents found searches on the Ogoshi computer that included "Michigan suicide" and "Instagram blackmail death."

Scammers have long used the internet to target potential victims, especially the elderly. In recent years, they have turned their attention to teenagers.

Concerns about organized sextortion began mounting in 2021, when both the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which monitors these crimes, began hearing the same terms -- particularly "ruin your life" -- being reported by victims via their tip line.

"These crimes had been sexually motivated," Lauren Coffren of NCMEC said. "But this was different. Now they were financially motivated."

The crime is popular, the FBI says, because of its ease and the fact that it is cheap to establish. Samuel Ogoshi, for example, made up the "Dani Robertts" account after paying another Nigerian $4.80 for some pictures of an actual girl from a hacked American account, according to court records.

"Our victims' subset really began to shift," said Beccaccio of the FBI. "Instead of having a high number of females targeted, our male population between the ages of 14 and 17 really started to get targeted. We also found that the suicide risk in that population was also much higher than that in our traditional sextortion."

In 2022, NCMEC received 10,000 reports of such incidents. By 2024, it had risen to more than 30,000. But because victims are reluctant to report, law enforcers say the real numbers are probably much higher.

"We don't know what we don't know," Coffren said. "And that is incredibly terrifying. There remains so much stigma and shame, especially around male victimization, which is why they are targeting young men."

That underreporting includes potential suicides. Though NCMEC says at least 36 have occurred since 2021, the real number is unknown.

In this case, for example, if the scammers hadn't contacted Kyla, there would have been no cause for a police investigation, and Jordan's death likely would have been just another inexplicable suicide.

"This is a parent's worst nightmare," Coffren said. "There is nothing to look out for. A kid can go to bed in their bedroom, and you might not see them the next morning."

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu holds Telephone Conversation with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E Dick Schoof at the State House

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has held a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Dick Schoof, from the State House in Abuja.

The call was disclosed by Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who did not disclose the specific issues discussed between the two leaders.

Also, Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, disclosed on X:

“Earlier today, President Bola Tinubu had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof to discuss bilateral issues between the two countries and other issues of common interests on global affairs ,”

Since assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu has pursued an active foreign engagement agenda, visiting about 36 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.

According to the presidency, these diplomatic efforts have attracted over $50 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Nigeria within two years.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye, noted in June that the trips had strengthened Nigeria’s international partnerships.

Destinations have included the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and the Netherlands, among others.

What impact did you make on the civil service?

But again, people will not know that I restructured the civil service in Anambra State. I was the one who introduced the clocking-in system for work. I was also the one who put in promotion of civil servants by written exam and oral exam. It was absent until I came.

I got that from my time at the federal level because I sat for exams. For the appointment of permanent secretary, I introduced exams, too. This was done on the whims and caprices of the governor.

I encouraged the judiciary too to do that. In the appointment of judges, even though they were not writing exams, they did something near it. If you’re a lawyer who wants to be a judge, your chamber will be evaluated by a special team.

My then Chief Judge told me that I had to stay clear from that area for him. So I didn’t interfere. But he showed me what he was doing. And I was satisfied with what he was doing. The first judges were appointed. We appointed 10 new judges, young men. Two of them are going to the Court of Appeal. One is the Chief Judge of Anambra State now. They were young. They were in their 30s.

The eldest was in their 40s. They were firebrand boys. We had to make them judges. We also gave the judiciary new buildings, renovated their old ones. I gave them cars. I started the cars with my 10 judges because they were the newest. For the other people who had cars that had been broken down, we sat with these people and then we came back to those who had cars before that now needed to be replaced.

The magistrates also got cars from me. I didn’t want magistrates to be standing in bus stops with their gown and all. Some of them were riding on okada. I was the first governor to do that. I was the first also to allow the Chief Judge to operate a budget.

They weren’t operating on a budget. They were coming to the Governor’s Office for everything. I said, Accounting General, whatever we are budgeting for the judiciary, even though we are sure our money wouldn’t be 100 % complete in the budget because there must be a deficit element, we must give them the 60 % at least, which we were sure were going to have in budget implementations.

We moved up 60 % to the Chief Judge’s office. So we gave the judiciary independence so to say. And there were so many other things we did in Anambra State which I cannot say but I was happy that I opened up the place.

I did several road projects and the least of them was 20 kilometres. The then federal government didn’t give me a refund. They didn’t like my face. But they gave to my successor, Peter Obi, the sum of N15 billion.

Do you have any regrets leaving medicine for politics?

I have not left medicine. Medicine is like an art. You learn it. It is like an art. You learn it. That’s why my three children are medical doctors. If the profession is not good, I won’t allow them to go there. I encourage them. So medicine is a noble profession. It’s a noble profession. And it has a way of taming you. Especially if you’re schooled in medical school in Nigeria here, you will be tamed, whether you like it or not. The exams will tame you.

Through your professional and political life, what has been your guiding philosophy and what would you want to be remembered for after leaving the stage?

Well, my guiding philosophy is that I want a lot of people, the generality of people to be happy. That is why I did medicine in the first instance because I wanted to alleviate pain. And of course I did some unionism with medicine. I flouted instructions from my superiors.

You have not followed your friends to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Why is that? Also what are your fears about the upcoming Anambra elections especially against the background of escalating insecurity in the state?


I am not going to ADC. I am still a member of APC. But I watch what they’re doing. And so as somebody on political sabbatical, I am like a spectator now, watching people play football in the field, and I get excited and I laugh. Some mistakes here and there. Even my own party makes their mistakes too.

ADC people are seasoned politicians and to me what they are doing, they have a right to form their own party, but they have succeeded in dragging out my people to start contestations with them too early in the day. That’s what they have succeeded in doing.

On the Anambra elections, I have no fear about that. What fears? There will be free and fair elections in Anambra state. Those who say they will write the results, whether you are a Labour or you are APC or you are APGA or PDP, nobody can write results in Anambra State. We are a different state.

Nobody will write a result in Anambra state. Enough of those talk about writing results. They will not have the leeway to write results in Anambra State. It’s not possible.

Senator Chris Ngige, former Anambra State Governor and Labour and Employment Minister, reflects on his time in the Government House and lamented how his successor, Mr. Peter Obi, who inherited many of his projects, failed to give him any credit.


You have been Governor, senator and minister. Can you walk us through your journey through public service and politics?

My journey to the Government House did not just start and I did not dropped from heaven and became a Minister. I did my primary school at St. Patrick’s Ogbete, Enugu. I went to St. John’s Secondary School, Alor. I was by the grace of God the school captain. I also had the second best result of school certificate from the school. I later went to University of Nigeria, Nsukka where I studied medicine.

I did my prelim medicine in Nsukka campus in 1973 September to June of 1974. And thereafter, I had my MBBS degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1979. From there, I went to Onitsha General Hospital for my housemanship and I did my NYSC in 1980 to 1981. Thereafter I was employed into the National Assembly Service, the National Assembly Service Commission in 1981.

Later on I was posted to the office of the Senate President as the Senate President’s physician. And not long after that, I did that job for just one year. The military struck in December 1983. And the National Assembly was the first casualty to be dissolved.

And we were then absorbed into the Federal Civil Service. I alongside other colleagues became medical officers in the Federal Ministry of Health. After that, I was in the Federal Government Special Guest House Clinic.

At one time I had a stint in Dodan Barack’s Clinic. And from there, I went on a course to Pakistan and did a System and Hospital Administration. I came back and went to the Ministry of Health headquarters as an Assistant Director and Consultant IV.

And later on, I was promoted to Deputy Director. As we are doing that, the civilian regime was being formed by Abdulsalam Abubakar in 1998 and I decided to join partisan politics.

At what point did you join politics?

I joined the partisan politicians and I became a mentee of the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who was the brain box and the architect of G34. G34 also now formed the nucleus of the PDP. The 34 members, apart from about one, two, three of them, all others were members of the formation of the People’s Democratic Party.

And like I said, I was new in partisan politics. So we had to do tutelage under Dr. Alex Ekwueme. We carried his bag to meetings, as politicians would call it. I am a founding member of PDP.

Pa Solomon Lar was then elected by the Caucus. When democracy was full blown and the PDP had produced a president and National Assembly members, the other parties ANPP and AD also produced National Assembly members but they didn’t win the big trophy which is the presidential seat. Olusegun Obasanjo, our candidate and he won.

I was elected as the National Secretary of the PDP and the Zonal Secretary for the South East Zone. We started that and served diligently again. From there, when the appraisals of governors were done in 2002, the party found the then Governor of Anambra State, the late Chinwoke Mbadinuju wanting and did not want to support him. So they didn’t give him an automatic ticket.

Then, a group from Aka Ikenga in Lagos and Mbgoko Igbo in Lagos fused. But some people at home were pushing for my candidacy. I contested and won the primaries. To be a governor was not my first choice. My first choice was to be a senator.

My journey through the government house is another kettle of fish, another big story. But I put in my best for the people of Anambra State. And from there, the court removed me. It’s important to know that I was the first governor to be removed by the court in Nigeria. At that time, governorship election petitions abated and stopped at the Court of Appeal level so it was easy for my traducers to do what they wanted to do.

I had to leave honourably so that there would be no bloodshed in Anambra because the people were in a very bad mood. Yet, the people rallied around me and showed it in 2007, which the courts nullified. They also showed it in a 2010 governorship election.

Again, some mysterious hands walked against me coming back and my votes were balkanized and a lot of them declared illicit. I moved from over 147,000 votes to I think they gave me either 87 or 88 thousand. And the winner of the election won with 96,000 votes and was declared winner. Professor Soludo came third after me with 85,000 votes.

So, I took it again with equanimity, no hassles, and I won the contest for Senate in 2011, four years after. Because I won the senate seat, again, there was a very heavy backward push from INEC. INEC has always been the problem in Nigeria’s electoral process. All said and done, I won the majority of votes against the late Professor Dora Akunyili and I was sworn in as Senator for Anambra Central and I served from 2011 to 2015, four years.

And after that, I couldn’t pass through for a second term in the Senate. But by then, we had formed the All Progressives Congress and I was the Campaign Deputy Director General in charge of the Southeast. So I was Zonal DG and after that, I was appointed Minister in the cabinet of late President Muhammadu Buhari.

I was reappointed after four years when he came for his second term in 2019. And I served again from 2019 to May 2023 when the administration came to an end. And since then, I’ve been a private person trying to rebuild my life, my family life in particular because not being near home affected some of the family needs, bonding with children and so on.


How have you impacted on the lives of the people of the state and the country in general?

I had done a civil service job in the Department of Hospital Services of the Ministry. That department is in charge of medical practice in the teaching hospitals, federal medical centers, federal staff clinics, dental centers, and psychiatric centers all over Nigeria.

And then the centers of excellence that were being established also served as units for specialization. I was in that department, like I said before, after my training in Hospital Administration and System Management.

But before that I was in the clinics. I served in the National Assembly Clinic in 1004. So the legislators’ families were coming to me. One thing stands out for me. Whenever I was in the clinic, you will see a long line of patients wanting to see me. They didn’t want to go into other consulting rooms. I didn’t know why, but it happened.

From practice, when I was in the Federal Government Special Guest House, I was the same. I was treating foreign patients and people like the former Liberian President, Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor. They were all patients. Even when Nelson Mandela visited Nigeria, I was officially attached to him because I was in charge of the Federal Government Special Guest House.

Even the late M.K.O. Abiola, I was his doctor for the period 21 days when we were in Indonesia and Malaysia under the G15 Economic Cooperation Council, which Babangida initiated for us.

In my handover note to Mr. Peter Obi, they affirmed that I had N13.8 billion left in all the various accounts. Obi is not the only person who left money. I left money for him, but he’s not talking about it, and that is not good.

I left money for him in all those accounts. Also, I did articulated education, joining up JSS3 into UBEC. That was the idea of UBEC. Some of my secondary schools got new classrooms, new equipment. As a matter of fact, the computer system donation, which Obi did later, was my idea. I was the one who paid for HFP computers. I paid for 2,000.

I renovated many hospitals. I’m a doctor. The Onitsha General Hospital didn’t have good theaters by the time I came back as governor. We had two theaters operating while I was there. When I came back, I put up three new theaters. I ordered for medical equipment because I wanted Onitsha to become a specialist hospital, which the Federal Government can take to be a medical center, which is what has happened now.

What did you do differently with Ekwenugwokeke Polytechnic?

From Ekwenugwokeke Polytechnic, my predecessor said it was Anambra State University with seven buildings. So what did I do? Luckily, they had awarded contracts for those who will build faculty buildings, but no payments had been made. They couldn’t mobilize the contractors.

I brought them back, mobilized them and they did faculty buildings immediately. When I came, there was no budget for them because it was May. So I did an extra budget for them and by 2004, we had invited the National University Commission (NUC) to come for accreditation. 60 courses were accredited in one fell swoop.

Over 30 of them were full accreditation. In 2005, again, we did the same and they got full accreditation for those that had partial accreditation. By then we already had over 100 courses. Before I left, we had gotten the Council for Legal Education to approve their Law Faculty.

Also, before we left, UBEC had conducted what they call an appraisal of schools that were under UBEC and Anambra, my state, won. They won three trophies. But by the time the trophies were being presented in December of 2006 or so, I had left office. So, the accolades went to my successor.

But where I bother is that there is no mention that these things were done before my successor came. It is not right. There was also no mention that I had handed over schools to the missions in 2005, 95 schools, primary and secondary.

The records are there. I did my broadcast, handed over the schools on October 1, 2005 under the supervision of then Commissioner of Education, Professor Leonard Moghalu, who is a Professor of Education. So we did a lot of work. Maybe my successor built them, but he’s saying he built them from ground zero, which is not good, which is not true.

I have to talk about it now, because the government is a continuum and you need to give honor to whom honor is due. The money I left was construction money, majorly, because I have an account called Infrastructure Account. In that one, we had about N8.7 billion left there. Then the one in the CBN, we had over N1.7 billion, which I encumbered.

Then the ones I left in other banks, Bank PHB and Zenith Bank and the rest of them are accounted for the other funds. My investments were not talked about. I invested in Orange Petroleum. I was the one who paid.

I was also the one who got the land, the acreage Anambra State Government gave them to be monetized as our investment. Even though Orange Petroleum is not doing too well today, I made investments and Madame Etiaba also made her own investments into it.

The bank debts, I paid them all off. I paid them all off. I didn’t owe any bank. The gratuities to civil servants who were there served and reached their retirement age, which is like severance, I paid all. Nobody was owed gratuity by the time I left. So, anybody claiming he paid all gratuities is not speaking the truth.

I paid off everything as well as the pensions. The pension I didn’t pay is a component that is of old Anambra. I didn’t I pay because reconciliation and verification were needed. But once you are an Anambra person, and you’re a pensioner, I started giving them 142 % rise.

I was the second state to do it in Nigeria. Peter Odili in Rivers started, then Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos. We paid 142 % rise. So pensioners, who were supposed to be paid 10,000 naira as pension, were getting 30,000 under my command in Anambra.

I was also the governor who put salaries on the first line charge. You don’t need to see anybody before your salary is paid. Anambra is an economically commercial state. Their markets are their strength, starting from Onitsha Main Market, the Nnewi Market. Then after Onitsha Main Market, you now have Onitsha building materials and others.

Were you able to deliver urban renewal projects in some of the cities?

I decongested Onitsha and sent out the people selling building materials and brought them to a land belonging to Ogidi, Nkpor, and Ogbunike. If you are driving into Onitsha from Okah end, you will see the building materials on both sides.

Otherwise, they were in Onitsha, in William Street and Ozomagala Street and they were blocking the place. So I moved them. I moved the people selling electrical to Oba. Others selling stationeries and paper near QRC and CKC were moved to Onitsha.

I decongested Onitsha and they started tarring the roads and opening them up. From the Onitsha Township Roads, we reticulated the roads into the hinterland of Anambra. We constructed a total of about 600 kilometers of roads. And when I say 600 kilometers of roads, I mean first-class roads that are still standing today.

They are still standing, all of them. They were constructed by first-class contractors. Those who bought shops in that place that I relocated them to, paid just over N1 million. Those shops are costing N300 million today. And there are a lot of them. So I made their money to be big investments. I made their trade flourish. I made it for other Nigerians to come into Onitsha and buy. So I did all those.

Lere Olayinka, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, has tackled former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for saying that he knows how to defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Amaechi had said he can defeat Tinubu in 2027 because he knows the president’s weakness.
The former minister disclosed this at a public discussion on an X Space.

However, Olayinka wondered how Amaechi could defeat Tinubu after suffering a series of defeats to Wike.

Posting on X, Olayinka described Amaechi as a jester.

He wrote: “Hungry man Amaechi was a sitting governor in 2015, when Wike defeated him.

“Hungry man Amaechi was a minister in 2019, when Wike defeated him.

“Hungry man Amaechi just left office as a minister in 2023, when Wike defeated him.

“The same hungry man Amaechi is boasting that he knows how to defeat Tinubu, a sitting president.

“I know Tinubu’s weaknesses, will defeat him if ADC gives me ticket – Amaechi.

“Me: Just the way he defeated Tinubu in the APC primary of 2022 nah. Alawada.com.”

Abubakar Yusuf Dingyadi, former media aide to the Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iliya Damagum, has declared that neither Labour Party’s Peter Obi nor PDP’s Atiku Abubakar stands a chance of defeating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

He dismissed the idea that PDP, African Democratic Congress (ADC) or any coalition involving defectors from other parties could successfully challenge Tinubu in 2027.

“Those running to other parties now are the same people who never stood to fight for or build their former parties.

“So if they think they can unite against Tinubu, they are joking.”

Abubakar said some politicians have sacrificed their lives for Tinubu and would continue to do so, noting that he remains the strongest contender ahead of the 2027 poll.

“If you are talking about Jonathan, Obi or anyone else, none of them will come to the North and tell us they will defeat Tinubu just to bring security.

“Where were they in 2023? They were not united, and they are still divided today.”

Abubakar accused some opposition politicians of prioritising personal ambition over building political platforms, particularly within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

To him, many ADC members have already resolved to defect if they fail to secure the party’s endorsement or ticket.

“These politicians are touring the country, holding press conferences and media chats, often without being invited, just to criticise Tinubu. Yet, when they had opportunities to lead, they did nothing tangible for the people.”

He also argued that those claiming to be speaking for the North are doing so for self interest not for the region.

“No Northerner will come and tell us they love the North more than we do.

“This is not about ethnicity. Nigeria of that time is past. If you want to rule Nigeria, tell us what you have done for the North and what you will do to ensure its survival.”

Contrary to speculations that some state governments were engaging bandits in negotiations in the ongoing efforts to restore peace in states beleaguered by banditry and kidnapping, especially in the North West region of the country, officials of those states have debunked such interactions.

Our correspondents who spoke to government officials in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina and Sokoto denied negotiating with bandits, though some expressed willingness to consider such option if the bandits yield.

Recent reports said bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, had surrendered a cache of arms and released 32 kidnap victims following a series of peace dialogues with Islamic clerics.

But the director general, media and communications in Zamfara State, Malam Nuhu Salihu Anka, said the state government would never negotiate with bandits until they are weakened and seek negotiation themselves.


Speaking with our correspondent, he said the state government stood on its decision not to negotiate with bandits.

According to him, even if the government would go for negotiation, it would be when the bandits are weakened and brought to their knees, begging for it.

“We can never go for negotiation with bandits until they are weakened and come out begging after surrendering all the weapons with them, then the government can sit with them and negotiate for peace,” he said.

Malam Nuhu Anka also pointed out that the bandits were at the moment weakened and looking ways to negotiate with government, citing a recent video clip released by the bandits leader Bello Turji where he is talking about negotiation to allow farmers go about their normal businesses in their respective villages.


The governor’s aide further explained that the persistent attacks by bandits in the state, kidnapping and killing of innocent people were tactics of pushing the government to negotiate, which he said would never work.

Similarly, the Katsina State government has reiterated that it is not in direct negotiations with bandits, but remained open to supporting peace initiatives spearheaded by local communities in a bid to restore lasting security.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda had on several occasions, reaffirmed his administration’s position, stressing that while the government would not initiate talks with criminal groups, it would welcome any move towards peace if the bandits themselves decide to lay down their arms and seek dialogue.

“If they feel pressured and choose to come forward for negotiations, we will grant them the opportunity,” the governor stated.

So far, three local government areas including Batsari, Jibia and Danmusa, have successfully embraced community-led peace arrangements which have contributed to a relative improvement in security in those areas.

The development came as Katsina State continues to grapple with the menace of armed banditry, which has severely impacted rural communities, agriculture, and livelihoods.

Although Sokoto State has had its share of banditry, animal rustling and kidnapping in recent times, the state government has not negotiated with bandits.

A Government House source wondered what would be the basis of such negotiation with hardened criminals.

He advised that the only option left for the bandits who have committed countless killings and kidnappings is to voluntarily lay down their arms and ammunition, and turn a new leaf.

In Kaduna, Governor Uba Sani says his administration’s adoption of non-kinetic approach was yielding results as peace had returned in most troubled communities.

Sani said elders and community leaders had pleaded with his administration to negotiate with bandits and he was considering their plea.

On the other hand, the governor recently said he did not pay any kobo to bandits to compensate the perpetrators of violence, rather would continue supporting their victims.

Security who spoke to LEADERSHIP faulted negotiations with bandits and any proposed amnesty for them.

They rather called for justice for victims who have suffered years of torture.

Recall that a religious cleric recently brokered peace deal between a wanted terrorist, Bello Turji and the government.

A former director of the Department of State Services (DSS) Barr. Mike Ejiofor, said rather than negotiating with bandits, the government should go hard on them.

He said, “We should not be negotiating with bandits, they don’t have a central command. You can be negotiating with one group and another group will be carrying out attacks. We should rather go hard on them and stop them from operating. That is my opinion,” he said.

The director, media and publicity, International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS)Dr. Abdullahi Muhammed Jabi, said the entire negotiation is rather a strategy to douse tension, adding that such a move was totally unacceptable.

“The negotiation may be a strategy to douse tension by the state governments. Granting amnesty to known terror group leaders is unacceptable. The likes of Bello Turji deserve to be hanged publicly,” he said.

Notorious bandits kingpin, Bello Turji, has released a new video message confirming that negotiations are ongoing with him to end violence and insecurity in parts of Zamfara and neighbouring states.

In the video, which surfaced online on Thursday, Turji said the negotiations were aimed at fostering lasting peace to allow farmers and herders coexist peacefully and go about their livelihoods without fear of violence or harassment.

“What we want is peace — peace that will enable Fulani herders and Hausa farmers to live without fear or oppression,” Turji said in Hausa language in the video shared by Zagazola Makama on X (formerly Twitter).

President Bola Tinubu has approved the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture with N1.5tn, in what has been described as the most significant boost to agricultural financing in Nigeria’s history.[/b]

A statement issued by the agric ministry on Wednesday stated,

“President Bola Tinubu has approved the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture with N1.5tn, approximately $1bn, marking the most significant boost to agricultural finance in Nigeria’s history.

“The recapitalisation would reposition BOA as a dynamic development finance institution, with deliberate targeting of youth and women-led agribusinesses through accessible credit and capacity development support,” the statement added.

This came as the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, disclosed in the statement that the implementation of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy will accelerate Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem, improve access to modern inputs, and make farming more attractive, rewarding, and competitive, particularly for youth and women.

He said NATIP provides the strategic policy foundation for transforming agriculture into a modern, tech-enabled, and youth-driven sector.

According to him, “the NATIP provides the strategic policy backbone for transforming agriculture into a tech-enabled, youth-driven sector, promotes mechanisation, digital agriculture, research-commercialization linkages, among others.”


He added, “With NATIP, we are building that system, one that supports youth innovation, unlocks productivity, and rewards ambition. We must now ensure it delivers at scale.”

Kyari also highlighted the Federal Government’s National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism, which was launched in May 2025 and is being implemented under the coordination of the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit.

“To translate these bold institutional reforms into real impact, we must now set clear delivery expectations. That means establishing annual lending targets for youth and women-led agribusinesses.

“It means designing guarantees to expand access, not inflate fees. It means financing cash flows, not just collateral. And it means equipping entrepreneurs not only with credit, but with the capabilities to absorb and grow that capital,” he said.

He noted that the initiative is already gaining traction across several states, reaching about 250,000 farmers, which he described as early signs of the policy’s potential when matched with political will and effective coordination.

Kyari further emphasised that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda places food security and job creation as interdependent tools for national development.

“Mr President, in articulating the Renewed Hope Agenda, placed food security and job creation not as standalone ambitions but as interdependent levers for economic diversification, social stability, and national sovereignty,” he said.

“This agenda affirms the right to feed ourselves with what we grow, process, and add value to. Food sovereignty means reclaiming control over food systems, reducing reliance on imports, and investing in the strength of Nigerian farmers, processors, and agribusinesses as the foundation of national resilience.”

Kyari stated that Nigeria’s task is to “make that vision real by unlocking the full productive power of Nigeria’s youth and women in agriculture.”

He also mentioned that the National Agricultural Development Fund is actively forming partnerships to finance climate-smart agriculture, aggregation centers, storage hubs, and rural logistics systems aimed at enabling value addition and boosting competitiveness.

The initiative, which aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aims to widen credit access and promote financial literacy among the youth.

YouthCred is being implemented by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) and was officially launched in July 2025.

According to CREDICORP, the scheme has already reached its 1,000th beneficiary and is targeting 400,000 young Nigerians across the country.

The loans are offered at Single-digit low interest rates, with no requirement for collateral or guarantors.

Applicants must complete a digital financial literacy course that covers areas such as credit management, responsible borrowing, and repayment plans.

CREDICORP said the onboarding process is entirely digital, requiring only a Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN) for swift verification.

In some cases, financed items, such as digital devices, are delivered directly to the beneficiaries.

Initially targeted at members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the programme will soon be extended to employed youths and youth-led businesses.

CREDICORP noted that flexible repayment terms, strong data privacy safeguards, and financial education are core components of the scheme.

“YouthCred is more than a loan programme — it’s a nationwide movement to reorient how young Nigerians perceive credit,” the agency said.

The government said the broader goal is to reshape the country’s credit culture, encourage responsible borrowing, and promote inclusive economic growth.

The Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation has unveiled a new initiative to empower corps members with access to single-digit interest loans of up to N200,000 under a programme dubbed “YouthCred.”

The scheme officially kicked off on Wednesday in Abuja with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Credicorp and the National Youth Service Corps.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director/CEO of Credicorp, Uzoma Nwagba, disclosed that N9bn has been earmarked for the first phase of the programme, targeting NYSC members nationwide.

He explained that the initiative goes beyond credit access, aiming to instill responsible borrowing habits and financial planning among young Nigerians.

He said the programme is part of President Bola Tinubu’s consumer credit drive announced during his Democracy Day address on June 12.

“The heart of YouthCred is actually not just credit, but credit orientation that is teaching young Nigerians, especially as they are coming into the workforce, teaching them good credit habits, teaching them how to build a credit history, teaching them how to plan financially and borrow responsibly, and then ultimately also giving them credits that enables them to access goods and services,” he said.

Eligible corps members will be required to complete a brief digital credit education course before they can access the loans.

Those who repay promptly can gradually qualify for higher amounts, up to the N200,000 cap.
The loans are expected to support a variety of needs including relocation, acquisition of work tools and devices, skills training or small-scale business funding.

Nwagba emphasised the strategic importance of the NYSC scheme to national development, describing it as a “national gold mine for credit reorientation.”

“Our first target for this is N9 billion. But like I said in the signing ceremony, the loans will grow, and the amounts will grow as the programme continues to gain adoption,” he added.

He urged beneficiaries to embrace the opportunity with discipline, stressing that repayment is vital to sustaining and expanding the scheme.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, hailed the initiative as “epoch-making,” praising Tinubu for prioritising Nigerian youths.

The DG assured Credicorp of NYSC’s full cooperation, including the integration of credit education modules into orientation and training programmes.

He added that the programme would not only empower corps members during service but also prepare them for life afterward, creating a generation of financially literate, credit-worthy, and business-minded Nigerians.

He stated, “I am glad and I want to thank the MD/CEO of CrediCorps and his staff for this initiative and partnership. I particularly would like to appreciate His Excellency, Mr President, for having the Nigerian youths at heart and driving this initiative.

“It shows that Mr President is committed to this, and he’s passionate about this. We are glad that we are recognised at that level.”

The Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday approved the reconstruction of the Katsina-Ala road which has been impassable for many years.

The Minister stated this, on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Ministry’s Headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja.

Engr Umahi said this while reacting to a question about the deplorable state of the road which has defied attention from previous governments.

According to him, “On Katsina-Ala road, we just got approval from Mr. President on Tuesday to re-scope the project, review the project, and have it completely executed.

“I was a very happy person because that has been giving us a lot of concern. And we will try with the little resources to do palliative on that project.”

Umahi further stressed that, “Benue is taking almost 1 billion US dollars on 260 kilometer from Makurdi to 9th Mile. That is a lot. I am not sure any other zone is having that much. And by this month, we are procuring the second section of the legacy project that is coming from the border between Benue and Ebony.

“And there is a bridge that is involved. The bridge between Benue and Kogi which is about 1.35 kilometer of bridge that is going to be part of the next section we are going to prepare. So, I think the President loves Benue people. Let there be peace in Benue so that we can do more,” he said.

While taking about the South East, Engr Umahi noted that,

“The most important route in South East is the Enugu – Onitsha road, and that was awarded by the past administration, 108 kilometres by 2, and it was awarded for N202 billion to MTN under Tax Credit.

“But at the time we came on board, they had exhausted only N50 billion, and so we had to descope the project. And so we took out 72 kilometres of the project and awarded it to SKCC for N150 billion. Work is ongoing there.

“And so what we have done is to direct on emergency basis for SKCC and MTN to move immediately to the sections of the roads that are very bad, and within the scope of their work, do palliative, so that no section of that road will be unmotorable from Enugu down to Onitsha.”

He urged the people of South East to double their support for the re-election of President Tinubu, noting that he has demonstrated enough goodwill to Ndigbo through many infrastructural investments of Federal Government in South East.

Cletus Obun Mbia, a former lawmaker and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has cast doubt on Peter Obi’s vow to serve only one term if elected in 2027, describing it as an unconvincing political gimmick.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, had recently pledged to serve a single four-year term if elected president, drawing on the examples of leaders such as Nelson Mandela to emphasise the value of purposeful and time-bound leadership.

However, reacting to Obi’s pledge, Mbia, speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Trust TV, dismissed the comparison, arguing that Obi lacks the legacy and depth of leadership demonstrated by the South African icon.

“He is busy citing Mandela. What made Mandela take that decision? Mandela fought as a young lawyer all his life for his people, and then the people crowned him and said, ‘Come and lead the country that you created,’” Mbia said.

“Mandela didn’t announce to anybody that he was stepping down or serving one term. He didn’t need to announce anything. A lion does not need to roar to show that it is a lion. You do not fold an umbrella and call it a walking stick. It doesn’t work that way.”

Mbia further criticised Obi’s economic rhetoric, especially the popular mantra of transitioning Nigeria “from consumption to production.

He accused the former governor of lacking any practical track record in industrial development.


“An Obi who has been governor and tells us that we should move from consumption to production has shown no production in his entire business career. He buys and sells. Where’s the production? Where’s his factory?” he queried.

“Is there no land in Anambra, in his village, to build one school? What was produced in the technical schools and the polytechnic that were in Anambra? He said,

‘We became number one in passing WAEC.’ After WAEC, what else? What is the production in WAEC? How does that become education?”

He also criticised Obi’s handling of local government administration during his tenure in Anambra State, accusing him of stifling grassroots democracy.

“In eight years, you didn’t do one local government election until the last year you had in office. That’s when you did elections — to give power to the people who you say you care about,” he stated.

Mbia suggested that Obi’s current campaign is more about personal ambition than genuine service, adding that the APC would address these concerns more robustly when the 2027 election campaigns formally begin.

“When we get to the campaigns, we shall deal with those issues. For now, let us not give him free publicity by analyzing him. Peter is not one of those that we should trust.”

Peter Obi’s single-term promise has become one of the most debated topics in the early build-up to the 2027 presidential race, with supporters praising the pledge as a sign of focused leadership, while critics, such as Mbia, say it is a desperate attempt to gain attention.

Residents of communities in Kwara and Niger States bordering the Benin Republic are silently jubilating following the rumoured disappearance of Abubakar Abba Mahmuda, leader of Mahmuda, currently the most feared terror group in Nigeria.

According to some villagers in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, whose communities have suffered the most attacks at the hands of Mahmuda terrorists, the Mahmuda leader was believed to have disappeared over the weekend.

The villagers confirmed that none of Mahmuda’s commanders have been able to explain his sudden and embarrassing disappearance.

However, speculation is rife among the villagers that the Department of State Services (DSS) may have covertly tailed and captured Mahmuda as he visited one of his numerous witchdoctors. After capturing Mahmuda alive, the villagers claim, the DSS officers moved him to a secret location. This, they say, explains Mahmuda’s puzzling disappearance, which has thrown his camp into disarray.

Typically, the new DSS leadership, which has consistently pledged to return the Service to covertness, has kept sealed lips on Mahmuda’s whereabouts.

A local chief in one Baruten village, speaking in Hausa, said the villagers strongly believed that only the DSS had the capacity to capture Mahmuda in such a manner.

He said, “Muna matukar farin ciki da dss akan wannan falala da suka yi cikin sirri. Wadannan mutane sun zama tushen ciwon kai a gare mu. Muna godiya ga shugaban kasa Tinubu da ya saurari kukan mu ya aiko mana da shugaban DSS nagari.”

Loosely translated, “We are happy with what the DSS has done for us and with such covertness. These terrorists have been a source of headaches in our communities. We are thankful to President Tinubu for responding to our cries for help.”

On his part, the leader of a famous cattle market in the area, also speaking in Hausa, expressed the hope that Mahmuda’s speculated capture by the DSS would restore peace to the traumatised villagers.

He said, “Muna godiya ga Allah da wannan babban nasara. Mun kasance muna rayuwa cikin tsoro. Abin farin cikin ba za mu ƙara rayuwa cikin tsoro ba godiya ga Shugaban kasa Bola Tinubu.

Translated, “We thank the Almighty God for this great victory. We used to live great fear. Happily, we would no longer live in fear, thanks to President Bola Tinubu.”


Mahmuda, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, is believed to have links with terror groups in Mali and Niger Republic. It migrated to Niger State over five years ago after dislodging guards at the Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP), an area with a land mass of more than 5,300 square kilometres, more than the size of Anambra State.

Lately, Mahmuda terrorists had been kidnapping and killing scores of villagers and sacking entire communities in Kwara and Niger States.

The now-captured leader would often send voice notes in Hausa to whole communities, demanding huge levies in exchange for protection.


Independent security sources disclosed that the 33-year-old husband of two wives is Hausa, from Daura, Katsina State, and used to sell audio and video tapes of notable Islamic preachers, including Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf. According to the sources, the now-captured terrorist leader first joined Boko Haram but later switched allegiance to Ansaru, before forming Mahmuda.

“As at Wednesday morning, details of how one of the most wanted terrorists in Nigeria was captured alive were still sketchy.

What isn’t sketchy is the fact that the DSS has been carrying out a series of well-coordinated and intelligence-led operations in the North in recent times,” one of the security sources declared.

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Abdullahi Garba Ramat as the new Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Mr Ramat, 39, is an electrical engineer and administrator, with a PhD in Strategic Management, among other qualifications.

President Tinubu also nominated two commissioners for the NERC. They are Abubakar Yusuf, Commissioner of Consumer Affairs and Fouad Olayinka Animashun, Commissioner of Finance and Management Services.

All nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.

At just 39 years old, Engr. Ramat brings a rare blend of engineering depth, public sector innovation, and digital transformation expertise to the Commission. His appointment signals a renewed commitment to regulatory excellence, consumer protection, and investor confidence within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

A multidisciplinary STEM professional and strategic governance expert, Engr. Ramat holds a PhD in Strategic Management from Lincoln University, a Master’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from India, and a B.Eng in Electrical Engineering from Bayero University, Kano.

He also holds a suite of executive certifications from world-class institutions, including Harvard University (Big Data Analytics, Civil Engagement), Google (Workshop Administration), Microsoft (Azure Solutions Architect Expert), and Gonzaga University (Power Transmission and Distribution Systems).

As Executive Chairman of Ungogo LGA (2021–2024), Engr. Ramat championed Nigeria’s first blockchain-based decentralized e-identity system, facilitating the issuance of tamper-proof indigene and resident ID cards. He established the Ungogo Identity Management Agency (UIMA) and the Ungogo Internal Revenue Agency (UIRA) to streamline governance and enhance fiscal efficiency.

Under his leadership, UIRA deployed a cloud-based ERP solution that increased internally generated revenue by over 300%, setting a new benchmark for digital revenue administration in local governance. Prior to this, as Managing Director of the Kano State Metropolitan Agency (KASMA), he led the implementation of energy-efficient retrofits to reduce power costs in public infrastructure.

A pioneer in digital security systems, Engr. Ramat also developed LURA, a next-generation smart surveillance platform that integrates IoT, biometrics, and real-time analytics to support community safety and combat organized crime.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the rollout of free healthcare access initiative for low-income retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), describing it as a critical component of social protection and dignity in retirement.

The President also called for the implementation of “long-overdue pension increases and a minimum pension guarantee,” which would provide a safety net for the most vulnerable pensioners under the CPS.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy said the President also directed the immediate resolution of the longstanding police pension issue, explaining that the police men who served the nation deserve to retire with dignity.

The President gave the directives after receiving a briefing from Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, the Director General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom).


President Tinubu further mandated the PenCom DG to urgently resolve the longstanding police pension issue, emphasising that members of the police force who serve and protect the nation deserve to retire with dignity and peace of mind.

The DG also briefed the President on ongoing efforts to ensure the value preservation of pension fund assets, especially in the face of inflation and macroeconomic pressures, as well as plans to introduce foreign currency contributions to enable Nigerians in the diaspora to participate in the pension system


President Tinubu supported the reforms, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to inclusive growth and protection for ordinary Nigerians.

During the briefing, the DG updated the President on a suite of transformative pension initiatives to enhance retiree welfare and expand the Pension Scheme’s reach.

Ex-spokesman of President Bola Tinubu in the South East, Dr. Josef Onoh has accused the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi of betraying his Godfather, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in his ‘inordinate’ quest for political positions.

Onoh spoke on the sidelines of Obi’s International Press Conference in support of the opposition political parties’ allegation on President Tinubu’s Certificate discussions.

Onoh also accused Obi of oscillating among political parties, giving him out as an unstable and fairweather politician, desperate for selfish ends, while posturing to be a Man of the people.

Bashing Obi further, Onoh said that the ghost of Obi’s treachery against Ojukwu has been hunting him, driving even the Labour Party as led by Lamidi Apapa to issue a disclaimer on Obi and foreclose his future political career with the party.


Onoh said that the reason why Obi has been fighting like a Don Quixote was because of the eclipse of his political career having been shot out by all his former political parties such as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the LP.

He recalled that Peter obi served as governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014 in APGA; the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019 and in May 2022 he became the LP Presidential candidate.

Reminding Obi of the sanctity of the Nigeria Presidency, Onoh recalled to Obi that in March 2006 he (Onoh) was a serving member of the Enugu state house of Assembly representing Enugu north state constituency when he honoured his inauguration as Governor of Anambra state under the invitation of his late brother in- law, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.


“I recall as your recited the oath of office of Governor of Anambra state, you mentioned multiple times ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria’, ‘President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’ and ‘Federal Government of Nigeria’, while he only directly mentioned ‘Anambra State’ once during his oath of office.”

Educating Obi further, Onoh told the LP candidate that the Governor’s oath of office as contained in the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as he Obi, quoted during his inauguration in March 2006, February 2007 and June 2007, is the same oath that says a Governor must exercise the authority vested in him so as not to impede or prejudice the authority lawfully vested in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, so as not to endanger the continuance of the Federal Government in Nigeria.


“It goes on to state that a Governor must devote himself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria.

So having served as a Governor you are fully aware of the constitution of Nigeria as you took more oath of office more than any other governor in the history of Nigeria, hence it has given you a Bureau de Change political shift mentality.

As governor you swore allegiance to the President and service of the people.


“Your Excellency sir, please permit me to re-introduce you to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu. Like you, he is versatile with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as he took same oath of office of Governor like you did but unlike you he did twice.

He remained consistent and committed to his party the Alliance for Democracy AD which he in 1999 was Lagos State Gubernatorial candidate which he won on 9 January 1999 and defeated the PDP candidate with overwhelming Popular votes of 841,732 against PDP’s 184,900.


“In September 2006 he was instrumental to the merger that gave birth to ACN which dissolved in 2013 and formed Merger of Faction of Alliance for Democracy, Justice Party.

Advance Congress of Democrats and finally Merged into the All Progressives Congress the previous and current ruling party.

“Today, May I due to selective amnesia re-introduce Asiwaju Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu to you, constitutionally he doesn’t need introduction to Nigerians except you alone.

President Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he’s our president, he’s your president, he has remained committed and consistent, he is committed to our party the APC, he respects and has remained loyal to Abdulkareem Adebisi Bamidele Akande one of the founding fathers of our party the APC and national chairman of the then AD that Mr. President rode on to become Lagos State Governor.


“Unlike you that betrayed my brother- in law, your political godfather and leader of APGA, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, (May his soul rest in peace).


I recall how he told the good people of Anambra state to vote massively for you the then APGA candidate in the February 2010 election and then incumbent Governor of the state, because by doing so, they would be making him (Ojukwu) happy. He termed it ” My last wish”. And they honoured him by voting for you out of respect for him.

“You, swore in the presence of some privileged individuals of which I’m fully informed by Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu during his last days on earth that you will never leave APGA the party that made you everything you are, but immediately he passed away you didn’t waste time to jump ship and abandon same party you swore with the Holy Rosary you won’t abandon.

“Permit me to quote the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.’ In the same vein, he said elsewhere, ‘No law can be sacred to me but that of my own nature.’ Unfortunately you have no integrity, your nature is never to be trusted, appearing more righteous than the pope while sowing the seeds of discord in a pius manner.


“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu is the 16th and current president of Nigeria, ghe needs no introduction while you’re the 16th defeated presidential candidate for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The facts are there, Go and verify,” Onoh bashed Obi.

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority has announced three startup companies as winners of the third edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI 3.0) — an initiative designed to support early-stage Nigerian innovators developing transformative solutions to address some of the country’s most pressing challenges.

This announcement came after an intense pitch session at the recently concluded NPI 3.0 Demo Day, where ten finalists selected from over 5,000 applicants in healthcare, agriculture and education, presented their transformative solutions to an expert panel of judges from business and technology ecosystems.

This year, in addition to the combined prize pool of $220,000 and a five-week fully funded training programme at Draper University, Silicon Valley, USA, NSIA partnered with the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and Cascador to expand the rewards for participating startups with the Cascador Impact Prize of $15,000 each for three startups and the $5,000 PVAC.

The Healthcare Innovation Prize is also for three start-ups within the top ten.

D-Olivette Labs, developers of smart AI-powered biodigesters that convert farm and food waste into clean energy and organic fertilisers, clinched the top spot with a combined prize value of $100,000 from NSIA and a Cascador Impact prize of $15,000, bringing its total combined prize value to $115,000.


Promise Point, a woman-led cassava processing solution with a fully automated facility on over 1,500 hectares of owned farmland and a network of over 2,000 smallholder farmers within its value chain, came second with a prize value of $70,000 and the Cascador Impact Prize of $15,000, bringing its total combined prize value to $85,000.


GeroCare, a pioneering health tech platform focused on restoring dignity and improving care outcomes by positively transforming elderly care in Nigeria, came in third place with a combined prize of $50,000 and a PVAC Healthcare Innovation Prize of $5,000, bringing total winnings to $55,000.

Additionally, Mediverse – a Nigerian-built laboratory automation platform that combines a cloud Laboratory Information Management System, an electronic Lab Notebook and a small on-prem IoT application to provide a pioneer Level 2 lab automation software won the $5,000 PVAC Healthcare innovation prize.

Sosocare, a low-cost health insurance platform that aims to further unlock access to optimal healthcare for Nigerians through access to health insurance, also won $5,000 PVAC Healthcare Innovation Prize each.

FriendsnPal, Africa’s first predictive AI-powered mental health platform that delivers 24-hour anonymous emotional support, also won the $15,000 Cascador Impact Prize.

Earlier at the event, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun said the government is on the ground to encourage startups financially to acquire ideas and skills, connect with the global workforce, and do well in their mission to provide solutions, create wealth, and jobs.

“And I want to say to you, we are all in the same boat. You have your ideas, and you have your product, and you have to stick with it. But the key is implementation.

“It’s very important that we focus on healthcare, focus on education, and indeed agriculture. Particularly agriculture, we need it. We need your new products, new methodologies, because we have productivity, it’s very, very important, and it is really one metric of that,” the minister stated.


MD & CEO of the NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said, "the NSIA Prize for Innovation exemplifies our commitment to nurturing homegrown solutions with the potential for transformative impact.

This year, we have partnered with PVAC and Cascador to expand the opportunities for participating start-ups and further propel innovation, youth entrepreneurship and meaningful solutions that drive positive socio-economic outcomes.

He congratulated the finalists and winners and reaffirmed his dedication to driving innovation, creating jobs, and repositioning Nigerian entrepreneurs for global relevance.

Deputy head of mission/counsellor at the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Hitoshi Kozaki
said Japan is heavily investing in the social start-up in Nigeria, which is an investment in infrastructure, as well as an investment in funding,

adding that the financing is co-funded by the Nigerian and Japanese governments and managed by the NSIA. Kozaki said the scheme is designed “to open up the opportunity for the Nigerian entrepreneurs to work with the Japanese business. Innovation is key to Nigerian development. And Japan is waiting to see what is happening in Nigeria.”

Japan is providing a $10 million grant for start-up hubs in Abuja, which are infrastructure investments where entrepreneurs can produce some sort of product. Apart from that, Kazoki said his country is putting in another $20 million to be managed by NSIA.

The NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI) aligns with the Authority’s ongoing commitment to catalyse the technology ecosystem by identifying and rewarding Nigerian innovators, equipping them with the right tools to scale product–market fit, connecting start-ups with potential investors, and delivering a robust community of technology innovators and entrepreneurs.

The dedicated effort towards bullying Atiku out of a legitimate presidential aspiration is again well-noted, masquerading as coming from a place of patriotism within a certain movement but having deep roots in the misgovernance of APC and the calculations of Tinubu’s men.

Let me say it clearly:

Atiku is too big to be bullied.
ATIKU WILL RUN in 2027.

And the majority will vote for him insha Allah and by God’s grace.

Organizers of the highly anticipated I13th edition of gbo Day/New Yam Festival Ndigbo in Ghana have announced the postpment of the event.

They also postponed the Diaspora Economic Development Conference and Lecture Annual Awards dinner night 2025 in the West African country.[/b]

The event was originally scheduled to take place on September 21, 2025, at the Efua Sutherland Park in Accra.

The announcement was made through an official statement released by the Igbo Day/Yam Festival Committee, led by Chief Bright Chiawalam, who serves as the committee chairman.

According to the statement, the decision to postpone the high profile cultural event was reached after “careful deliberation and consultation,” with the aim of ensuring that the festival and award dinner night held in an environment that truly reflects the excellence, dignity, and unity of the Igbo people.

“This decision was not made lightly,” the statement read. “We understand the deep cultural and emotional significance of this annual celebration to Ndi Igbo and our friends across Ghana and beyond.”


The Igbo New Yam Festival, also known as Iri Ji or Iriji Ohuru, is a time-honored tradition celebrated across Igbo communities to mark the beginning of the harvest season.

In Ghana, the festival draws thousands of attendees, including members of the Igbo Diaspora, local chiefs, dignitaries, and cultural enthusiasts.

Organizers have promised that a new date for the event will be communicated in due course. In the meantime, they are calling for patience and continued support from the public as preparations continue behind the scenes.


“We are committed to delivering a bigger, better, and even more impactful celebration of Igbo heritage,” the committee assured.

As the Igbo community and cultural enthusiasts await the rescheduled date, the postponement has been met with a mix of understanding and anticipation, with many expressing hope for an even more memorable event.

In the same breath, the statement also informed the general public that the13th and Igbo Diaspra Economic Development Conference lecture Annual Awards/Dinner Night with the topic, The Impact of Diaspora Ndigbo in the Nigeria Economic Growth to be delivered by Hon Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria and Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has equally been postponed as new date will also be announced in due time, the statement stated.

Former Super Falcons striker Patience Avre Odeli has accused previous Nigerian governments and Football Federation officials of robbing her generation that brought football glory to the country.

The one-time top scorer, who is presently based in the United States, said she and her colleagues who won the Women’s African Cup of Nations four times and featured in four FIFA Women’s World Cups were not appreciated.

Avre said this has left some of her teammates facing harsh economic challenges years after giving their best to the country.

The ex-striker of Ufuoma Babes FC of Warri and Princess Jegede Queens FC of Lagos, whose generation was the first Super Falcons team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, said the government failed to adequately compensate them.

“My generation was robbed several times by irresponsible government and NFF officials. The government approved peanuts as we campaigned in the African Women Championship, Olympic Games, and FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Avre said.

“Promises in the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo were worthless, whilst some NFF officials led by Amaju Pinnick and coaches sat on our little bonuses and kits. Amaju repeatedly asked some of us to send our account details without paying us till date.”


She accused officials and coaches of failing to protect the players’ interests, adding, “Besides inexplicably cutting our allowances, some officials and coaches would seize our jerseys and souvenirs we should have taken home after major competitions.”

However, Avre commended President Bola Tinubu for rewarding the current Super Falcons players and coaches who recently won WAFCON in Morocco with millions of naira, apartments, and national awards.

“I served Nigeria for thirteen years and we were never accorded the honour we deserve. Instead, we got empty promises, golden handshakes, golden cards, and N300,000. We were promised landed properties that we never received.”

The Delta-born former striker appealed to the President to correct the injustice done to her generation.

“Most of my colleagues are suffering. Hence, the President should correct the injustice,” she concluded.

The Adamawa State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party has insisted that the former presidential candidate of the party and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar’s exit from the PDP will not affect its fortunes during the 2027 general elections.

While speaking to Arewa PUNCH during an exclusive interview on Monday, the state organising secretary Hamza Madagali confirmed that out of the over 286 state executives cut across local governments and wards, only three members joined Atiku’s African Democratic Congress.

“The Jada Local Government PDP chairman, the women leader, and one other ward executive member were the only three that joined the former vice president in his new party,” he disclosed.

Madagali insisted that the PDP in Adamawa State is an institution that can not be dismantled overnight, pointing out that the party represented the hope of Adamawa people.

“Adamawa PDP shares have been over subscribed by the people, so collapsing such a great institution built by people is not an individual task,” he stated.

Also speaking, a top party chieftain from Michika Local Government, Mr. Luka Tizhe Tumba said that the former vice president’s exit from PDP was a prayer answered by God.

“He had been an obstacle to the party any time, especially during elections because the people of Adamawa State have not seen his political benefit from the days he was vice president and even now,” he declared.


Tumba, a top leader of the party in Michika, the biggest local government in Adamawa with 16 wards, said that only the exit of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri can ground PDP in Adamawa State.

“Other political big names in Adamawa State are like commanders without troops. How can such commanders go into battlefield?” he queried.

The state chairman of the party, Barrister Tahir Shehu, in his own comment, pointed out that the former vice president’s exit will have no negative political effect on the party.

[b]“Adamawa State is the home state of PDP. Atiku himself won the governorship election in 1999 on the platform of the party. It was based on this that he was elevated to the position of vice president.”

He added, “The only time PDP lost the state was under President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, when a candidate was selected in Abuja, and we rejected it at the poll to prove that Adamawa voters are not based in Abuja.”

Shehu pointed out that after the crisis, the party reclaimed its mandate in 2019, and the PDP under Governor Ahmadu Fintiri can not be challenged at the poll come 2027.

He insisted that “Atiku’s exit can not shake the party in the state due to the massive support the PDP gets from the people of the state.”

The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has rubbished claims by maverick singer, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy, that Lagos is not any man’s land.

Charly Boy had made the remark while frowning at the renaming of a bus stop in Lagos.

The Bariga Local Council Development Area of Lagos State had renamed a popular bus stop from his name to ‘Olamide Baddo’ after renowned hip-hop artist, Olamide Adedeji.

Faulting the renaming of the bus stop, Charly Boy said ‘Lagos is a no man’s land,’ while likening the coastal city to New York City in the United States.

Responding, Lere Olayinka challenged Charly Boy to contest for the Oba of Lagos since the state is a no man’s land.

Posting on X, he wrote: “Ndi Lagos is no man’s land, when next the seat of Oba of Lagos becomes vacant after the present Oba must have lived long enough, go and contest for it.

“You can also contest the seats of Obas like Osolo of Isolo, Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Olu of Mushin, etc.

“You can even become Oniru, Ojora, Olumegbon, Aromire, Oluwa, Oloto, Olumegbon, Elegushi, Bajulaye, Ashogbon, etc.

“Sebi all these Traditional Titles are in your own language, not Yoruba.”

Activist Deji Adeyanju has slammed Peter Obi and his team after a leader in the Obidient movement, the support group of Peter Obi, Yunusa Tanku, shared a video of Obi serving himself and other members of the Obidient group breakfast this morning.

Yunusa shared a video showing Obi serving him and other members breakfast and captioned it

‘’This is the hallmark of a good and servant leadership, one who serves the people even his staff. It is not for the show, it's naturally inbuilt...... Obidients let stay focused. PO is coming .......A New Nigeria is POssible.''

Adeyanju saw the video and was startled by the post. He berated Yunusa for sharing such a post

‘’Is this what we have reduced leadership contest to in Nigeria bros? Serving food?'' he asked.

He describe the post as ‘’childish'' and said that this ‘’419 strategy'' will not work come 2027.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday defended the reward package given to the Super Falcons following their victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Onanuga, in a post on his X handle, expressed surprise at the criticism from some Nigerians over the presidential rewards, questioning why the gesture was being met with disapproval.

He drew a comparison with the BBNaija reality show, pointing out that its winner receives a N150 million grand prize.

“When you remember that Multichoice, the organizer of the BBNaija reality show, is offering the winner ₦150 million grand prize, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons,” Onanuga wrote.

“President Tinubu has rewarded excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry, and the undying Nigerian spirit.”

DAILY POST reported President Bola Tinubu offered each player a cash reward of $100,000 and each coach and support staff member $50,000. He also conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all 24 players and 11 technical crew members.

Additionally, each member of the team will receive a three-bedroom apartment under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Scheme.