₦airaland Forum

The movement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara was unknown on Tuesday night when the military moved trucks into Rivers Government House in Port Harcourt.

The trucks were placed within and outside the Government House on the first night of the State of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu declared emergency rule amid the attacks on oil installations in Rivers State.

Some militants groups had threatened to blow up pipelines if the Rivers House of Assembly impeach Fubara.

However, hours after the lawmakers served the governor with notice of alleged misconduct, the militants carried out their threat.

Responding, the president suspended Fubara and the lawmakers for sic months, appointing an administrator for the state.

After the declaration, about 10 military trucks patroled the road leading to the Government House main gate while armoured vehicles were seen at strategic positions within the road leading to the Government House gate.

The road leading to Government House from the popular UTC junction was deserted as residents made efforts to get back to their respective houses.

A resident of Port Harcourt who pleaded anonymity told our reporter that military trucks were found all over the area.

“The road leading to Government House from the Issac Boro park to the popular UTC is deserted. Residents are making efforts to get back to their respective homes as nobody wants to be caught in a cross fire. I saw about 10 military trucks parading the road leading to Government House. There are other armoured tanks that have been stationed at both entrance road leading to Government House,” the sources said.

Our reporter could not confirm if Fubara had vacated Government House as of press time but sources from Government House informed our reporter that the governor might have a premonition of the State of emergency.

The source said the governor held several meetings with members of the suspended state Executive council throughout the day.

A former Commissioner who spoke with our reporter briefly on phone said he could not speak at length because was having a meeting with the governor, promising to call back later, but he never did as of press time.

President Bola Tinubu has formally withdrawn the appointment of two Resident Electoral Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission.

This was disclosed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.

The letter indicated that Tinubu has withdrawn the appointments of the REC representing Borno, Mohammad I. Ngoshe, and his Bayelsa counterpart, Owede Kosioma Eli.

The President had earlier announced the appointment of the duo in a letter sent to the Senate on March 11.

While the present REC of Borno, Umar Mukthar was reappointed, another commissioner, Johnson Silnikiem was unveiled as the new REC for Bayelsa.

The trio of Umar Yusuf Garba – Kano; Saad Umar – Bauchi and Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako – Anambra, who were earlier appointed, retained their positions.

The letter partly read, “In compliance with the provision of section 154(1) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), I am pleased to forward for confirmation by the senate, the appointment of the following five nominees as Resident Electoral Commissioners in the Independent National Electoral Commission.”


“The distinguished senate is invited to note that this letter which supersedes my earlier one-referenced presidency dated 12th day of March is occasioned by my consideration and approval of the commissioner from Borno state for reappointed for a second term.

“While hoping that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominees in the usual expeditious manner, please accept Distinguished Senate President, the assurances of my highest consideration”.

The Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have given a quit notice to residents of some communities in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

The terrorists were said to have asked the residents to vacate the community for allegedly revealing their movements to security agencies.

Top sources told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that the members of the Islamic sect invaded the communities last weekend, shooting sporadically before warning the residents.

“This is what's happening in my locality. I’m from Yobe State, and I live in the Gujba Local Government Area. Few days back, Boko Haram came to our town and others, attacking everybody, beating, harassing, and so much more,” a source said.

“Now they have given us a short notice to migrate within a timeframe of one week, or else they will kill everyone. We really need help, and the media is quiet about this. I believe this will reach government officials. Our lives are in danger. We don't even have money to travel, let alone rent a home, many people are in abject poverty. We truly need your help.“

Another resident said, “Yes, he is right. That's exactly what's happening, and now we're trying to find a way out. Unfortunately, the media isn't even discussing this issue, and if I were to post about it myself, I could face threats.”

SaharaReporters learnt that some of the residents have started fleeing their homes in droves as the deadline nears.

Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.

The sect’s membership has swollen with the defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau.

The Nigerian Army has repeatedly claimed that insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.

The terror group has caused over 100,000 deaths and displaced millions of people mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS BISHOP KUKAH AS PRO-CHANCELLOR OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, KACHIA
 
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.
 
Additionally, the President appointed principal officers for the university, including Prof. Qurix Williams Barnabas as Vice Chancellor, Sanusi Gambo Adamu as Registrar, Ibrahim Dalhat as bursar, and Prof. Daniel Abubakar as university Librarian.
 
President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr Thomas Etuh, representing the North Central, Chief Fabian Nwaora (South East), Prof Femi Taiwo (South West) and Zarah Bukar (North East). as members of the university's Governing Council.
 
All the appointees were carefully selected based on their distinguished careers, leadership experience, and dedication to advancing education in Nigeria.
 
President Tinubu implored them to use their collective expertise to position the university as a hub for academic excellence and research, aligning with the administration's Renewed Hope Agenda.
 
President Tinubu urged the newly appointed officers to provide visionary leadership and lay a solid foundation for the university's growth as it prepares to admit its first cohort of students in September 2025.
 
The Federal University of Applied Sciences was formerly known as Nok University. It was renamed following the federal government's takeover of its assets.
 
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
March 17, 2025

Adewole Adebayo is not only a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), he was also the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections. In this interview, Adebayo provides new details into the defection of a former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, from the ruling party at the federal level, All Progressives Congress (APC), into his SDP. He insinuates that the SDP is on its way to becoming a mega party ahead of the 2027 elections as, according to him, more leaders of the APC as well as those of other parties are joining the party, some secretly. Excerpts:

The impression many people have is that your party’s net just caught a big fish with Nasir El-Rufai joining. It is also rumoured in some quarters that El-Rufai is probably the biggest personality in the party. Is this the beginning of more defections expected into the party?

El-Rufai is not a fish at all. He is a fellow fisherman. So, he has just joined us on our fishing expedition. So, he is an outfit fisherman, who knows the waters and the ropes.

He has joined us. Many have joined. So, I don’t see how the media determines who is bigger than who, but what we are looking for is that every Nigerian who understands the predicament we are in would want to join the SDP as a credible platform. Attahiru Bafarawa has joined the SDP, for example. He is a former governor in his state. A lot of people have joined him. I am not going to steal the thunder of others because everyone has their protocol of announcement. So, somebody wants to send a tweet tomorrow. If I tell you he has joined today, then you have stolen his thunder.

Somebody who has to seek support from his family and associates, you go and now say today he is going to join next week. You have already upset their plans. So, many will join. The summary of it is that we are looking for fishermen because Nigeria’s ship has sunk and we need to go into the depths of the ocean to rescue the country. And I think that every Nigerian should think about what they need to do to get this country out of the situation we find ourselves in. Nothing is working. And those who want to join other political parties are free to join as well. But I think that to understand the sense of urgency the country is going through now, the SDP is a viable place for them to come.

What exactly did the party induce El-Rufai, Bafarawa and others with for them to say they are coming to SDP, and how did it happen?

It’s because it’s inherent in every Nigerian. And I can perceive it even from your voice that every Nigerian has that inherent patriotism in them. It is when they have ambition, they have fears, they have worries, they have animosity towards somebody, or they have something they’re looking for. That’s when they suppress and sublimate their patriotism. What we did was to go around and try to awaken patriotism in people. El-Rufai is 65 years of age with his massive talent. He has the brain of 50 people combined. He has the courage of 1,000 people and he is ready to work. So, we reached out to him and said “why don’t you come and work with the SDP? You can use the SDP to work”. And let us see, and many more will join. Imagine, even from the ruling party, they should prepare themselves for a robust and viable alternative platform that they can compete with and our democracy will be awoken. People will not be frustrated.

People will not say “what can we do now?” Because Tinubu must know that after two years in office, there will be millions of people who don’t like him and his policies. Not liking Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) should not translate to losing interest in the country or losing confidence in democracy. And people will not be thinking of any other extra-constitutional method and all of that. So, it is good for everybody to have a new set of political class that is competitive. That is everywhere; and the platform is national. That’s what the SDP is. The party is not a sectional one or a fractional one. It is a very strong platform that delivered the presidential election in 1993. And it has gradually been rebuilding and will deliver presidential, gubernatorial, National Assembly and other legislative victories in 2027. So, it is good for people to come, and that’s what we will be telling them.

We will show them our rules. We are going to be fair and reasonable, and they do not need to have any fear that we will not be reasonable. All the other tribulations and injustice or whatever they said they went through, we will say no. Here is a fair platform and the party is not ruled by anybody.

Many had fears before that with Adebayo there, how would they even have a breathing space, but we assured them that everything is by process and that due process would be followed. Every institution will treat you equally, and it’s not a place where you can express any discrimination. It’s a place where you come and express your talent, and if you come and meet someone more talented than you, then so be it. You will understand why you had aspirations and your hand did not reach the aspiration. It’s because somebody more qualified than you is there. That way, you understand that you need to improve on yourself and no door is shut against anyone. Those are the things which we believe have moved people when they see the amount of hard work.

We started like somebody who had a wheelbarrow and tried to compete with somebody who has a big trailer. And they saw the energy with which we were doing the work undeterred. They realized that, maybe, those who have pickups could join us, and those who have other things can join us, and then we can become more competitive. That’s the whole idea, and we keep the discipline, we don’t drop the ball.

We stick to our Constitution. We stick to Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution. We stick to the manifesto of the party, and we stick to the feedback we are getting from the people, and we don’t take shortcuts. We don’t introduce criminality, bribery and all of that, and we communicate with the people. We don’t try to get the power by passing it to people. We want the people to put us there. If we stick to all of that, it will be a resounding success not only for the SDP but also for all democrats in Nigeria.

It’s like there’s a deal between your party and El-Rufai because many believe he is pursuing a presidential ambition. And if that is so, what happens to your presidential bid?

You see, all these are speculations and speculations upon speculations. What I know regarding El-Rufai’s presidency is that he is qualified by age and by other requirements to aspire. He has not said he wants to aspire. If he aspires, it has been written down by God, and it means that I will have to defeat him before I become president. That’s the only way I see it. But as it is, he has been speaking with us.

He didn’t just fall into the room through the ceiling. He was on his own. I will be talking to him. And we’ll be interacting. And he’s coming; none of it is news to us. None of it is unwanted by us. His coming, we desire it and we have had a lot of discussions and this issue has not even come up at all. What has come up is the plight of Nigerian people, the suffering masses and how we can explain the problem to our people so they can believe that solutions that are real can come. I know what he knows about generating electricity for the country. It aligns with what I know, too, because this is operational research. We understand. We know the kind of leadership we need to give, and these are the things we are discussing. So if that happens in the future that he develops the presidential ambition, I will not regret supporting him to come to the party because I will consider it that God has written it down that on my way to the presidency, I have to defeat El-Rufai to get there. And I will work hard along that line, but I’m not worried at all. Unlike El-Rufai, some people who have expressed presidential ambition have been setting up committees, but we are still encouraging them to come. I have not told the party that anybody who wants to run for president should not come in. That would be selfish.

That would be defeatist. That would not serve the party well and won’t serve the country well. We have said for anybody who is coming, the process will be fair, no commitment of crime, no forgery of documents, no bribery of delegates, no cheating and no violation of the law. If we go through that competitive and fair and legitimate process, whoever emerges at the end of it would have been qualified to aspire for the position and that person would be a better person. I think that some of us whose presidential ambition is not hidden, they respect that and they know that we are not going to use any foul means to gain advantage.

How is this defection adding value to your party because there is speculation that El-Rufai may have a joint ticket with Peter Obi?

I don’t know all these names you are mentioning; they have not come to our party. Only El-Rufai is our member, and he is our member on merit. We desire to have him. He is not our member because somebody else is hoping to pair with him or whatever. We award him as our member because of who he is and what he can do. It has nothing to do with presidential ambition or anything. It is a fact that, give him six months in the party you will see the amount of work he will have done for the party. Give him three months, and you will see the amount of work he will have done. In the last several months that we have been having pre-joining discussions with him and preliminary work, everything he said he was going to do, he has done.

Everything is good, and he has delivered every assignment given to him. Every milestone has been reached. So, we have no concern that he will be a good party person. Some of them are just trying their best to pursue their ambition. And the SDP may just be one factor they are considering, but they are free to go anywhere they like. Ambition is not a crime. But the SDP is not available to be used for the ambition of people who are desperate and indiscriminate. The SDP is for those who look at our ideology, our manifesto, our platform and the kind of leadership we have given to the opposition; those who say they want to join us. But people who are coming in from the first day with the ambition on their faces are not welcome.

The person who wants to come in, become a member of our party, settle in the party, blend with us, if he develops ambition, we are not going to say we regret having him around. But those who are coming in, looking for a platform to buy and pursue their ambition, are wasting their time. The SDP is not like any other party where you can just say “how much do I give you to give me the mandate or ticket?” The SDP is not like that. You have to come in, go to your ward, join, understand the party, and see how the process works, and if you want to persuade any party member to allow you to vie for any position, then you can do so.

With what is going on, some see SDP as the new face of opposition in Nigeria. Could this be true?

SDP is the true face of the incoming government. That’s how we see ourselves. If that is what they think of us, fine, no problem. We are just consistent. We have been the opposition even before Tinubu came. Our manifesto was a different one. Our agenda was a different one. So, we just remain consistent. More people are listening to us. Many people come up to me when I go around. “Oh, we were carried away by the frenzy of the 2023 election, and we didn’t listen to you enough. We will be listening to you. We now understand you”.

Some people opposed us before. And they said, “well, I only opposed you because you didn’t have any government experience. Now that we have tested those who have government experience and you are far better than them, what you predicted has come to pass. We are now ready to join you”. So, the people are acknowledging a fact, which has always been there, that the SDP has been the real opposition. If they are acknowledging it, it is like my Igbo brothers and sisters would say, anytime you wake up, you say, “good morning”. So, for those who see us now as the new face of opposition, we thank them and those who have always known that they were the true opposition. We know them, and we will continue to do the work until we deliver the Nigerian people; we cannot rest.

Given the fact that some elements in the North are saying the Presidency must return to the North, is the Southern Presidency for 2027 still possible?

The Presidency is neither in the North nor in the South. The Presidency is in the hands of the wrong people right now. So what we want to do is to return the Presidency to the people of Nigeria. The Presidency that is there now doesn’t serve East, doesn’t serve West, doesn’t serve North, doesn’t serve South. It’s a self-serving one. So all this is just a waste of time. What we want is a Presidency that works. So there is nothing called Southern Presidency or Northern Presidency. What we have is a government that serves the people or does not serve the people. The one that is there now does not serve the people. And we need to bring one that serves the people. Those are the conversations we are having. We don’t know what the hegemonists are thinking elsewhere. But in the SDP, we look at the government, we look at Chapter 2 of the Constitution, we look at our manifesto, and we look at the programmes of that government. When we compare, we know that APC is not on the side of the people. Just like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before, they have not been on the side of the people. So, let us come to power and show a government that is on the side of the people. So, as we are talking today, people are fasting, but Christians and Muslims and most families are hungry.

There is no disparity in the hunger in the North, or in the South, or in the East, or in the West. People have children and they are unemployed. There is no better employment in the North or in the South.

When it comes to insecurity, everybody who leaves his house is praying hard, and those who are in their houses are having sleepless nights. So, if it comes to the economy, unstable currency, inflation, and all of these other factors, costs that are arising, a poorly performing budget, it doesn’t favour the North, and it doesn’t favour the South. So, these discussions are not of priority to us. What is a priority to us now is to ask ourselves a question: are there no patriots left in this country?

Are there not any more competent people left in this country? Are there not any honest people left in this country? If the answer is that there are, then where are they and why are they not marching to the SDP? That is the clarion call, and that is why I have been in Kaduna State for the past few days. I just returned to Abuja, and I’m taking the journey to another place. We are going round the country and ringing this bell; if there is still any honest man left in this country, show your face now and come and join us. If there is still any patriot left in this country, show your face now and come and join us. And if there is anybody who is self-righteous that wants to do what is right, come and join us because that is the clarion call.

The Tinubu administration is almost two years in office. Can you assess its performances so far?

It has been working off the syllabus. So, most of what they have done is off-syllabus because the syllabus for governance in Nigeria is the constitution. The syllabus is particular about the area of concentration, and that area of concentration is Chapter 2 of the constitution. Even with their watered-down Renewed Hope, they have not even gone five percent of the way. Their budget last year underperformed, and even the President acknowledged that the budget performed below 30 percent. So, they have scored themselves. President Tinubu was at the joint plenary of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives said while President Tinubu was presenting the budget that the previous year’s budget underperformed. So, what more do I have to say? Is it in the area of insecurity, people are being carried up and down like cattle and the families have to redeem them back like goats. Which area do we have? Is it in the area of employment?

He is doing a programme now to get the youth to come and do conferences. He is not taking the youth to the factories and the farms to go and work and produce. He is bringing them like late Sani Abacha to Abuja to be entertained and be given compensation. He is not directing the youth to go and work. He is not recruiting them to the armed forces. He is not recruiting them to the civil services. He is not recruiting them into commerce, agriculture, or railways. Nothing, he is wasting their time. So, what is the performance? Where is the performance? Look at the appointment.

Where is the diversity? Where is the diversity of talent? Where is the diversity of gender? Where is the diversity of ethnicity? Where is the diversity of religion? Where is the diversity of ideological perspectives? Where is the creativity? So, do I need to say more? So, they are on their way out. What we are trying to do is usher them in an orderly fashion.

‘I See Sanwo-Olu’s Hand In Obasa’s Impeachment And I’m Not Comfortable He Could Be That Powerful,’ Tinubu Tells Lagos Assembly Members

President Bola Tinubu has disclosed that he stepped in to facilitate the reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly after detecting the influence of the state executive, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in Obasa’s impeachment, SaharaReporters has learned.

According to sources present at the meeting Tinubu held with state lawmakers on Wednesday, the President expressed concern over Sanwo-Olu’s level of influence, stating that it was troubling for the governor to wield such power and that he had a vested interest in who became the Speaker of the Assembly.

SaharaReporters had reported on Wednesday that Tinubu met behind closed doors with Speaker Obasa, Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda, and other Lagos State lawmakers at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The meeting was held to address the leadership crisis within the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“At the meeting, President Tinubu explained that the reason why Obasa escaped the impeachment was because he saw the indelible fingerprints of the Lagos executive led by Sanwo-Olu in the Speaker’s removal, and he found it unsettling why the executive would be interested in who should emerge as the Speaker,” a source familiar with the events at the meeting stated.

The lawmakers arrived at the Presidential Villa before 3:00 PM on Wednesday and were promptly escorted into the President’s office complex by security operatives.

Notably, Obasa, whose controversial reinstatement had deepened divisions within the Assembly, arrived separately around 3:00 PM.

The high-stakes meeting followed Tinubu’s decision to arrange a chartered flight to transport all Lagos Assembly members to Abuja in a bid to resolve the escalating political turmoil.

The crisis, which erupted after the impeachment of Obasa on January 13 over allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement, has rocked Lagos politics.

Lawmakers had initially celebrated his removal as a victory for accountability, but behind-the-scenes pressure from APC leaders—backed by Tinubu—led to his controversial reinstatement.

Meranda, who was briefly installed as Speaker following Obasa’s ouster, was forced to step down under pressure from party bigwigs, reportedly as part of a deal to maintain party unity.

She was later compensated with the Deputy Speaker position, but many lawmakers remain furious over what they see as Tinubu’s high-handed interference

However, SaharaReporters learned that Tinubu lambasted Obasa for arriving late to the meeting.

“The Speaker was lambasted for coming late as always. The President spent the first 10 minutes to dress him down,” a source revealed.

Tinubu’s Resolutions

After hearing both sides—Obasa and the lawmakers opposing his return as Speaker—Tinubu urged the lawmakers to allow Obasa to retain his position.

He also instructed Obasa to withdraw his court cases challenging his removal.

“The President pleaded that we should allow the Speaker to return as the Speaker. And he directed the Speaker (Obasa) to go and withdraw his legal applications from the court,” a source said.

SaharaReporters also learned that Tinubu decided that the current principal officers and committee chairmen should remain in their positions.

“But regarding the issue of the clerk, after a heated debate in the presence of President Tinubu, he asked the lawmakers to allow the court to resolve it since the matter is already in court,” a source said.

“The Speaker wants the former clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, while all the other lawmakers want the current clerk, Taiwo Ottun, to remain as the clerk.”

On Wednesday, SaharaReporters reported that Lagos State Assembly under Obasa’s leadership had sought the deployment of armed security personnel to fortify the Assembly complex.

This followed the conflicting judicial pronouncements that have thrown the state's legislative arm into chaos.

A leaked letter addressed to the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), signed by the Clerk of the House, O. B. Onafeko, revealed Obasa’s request for additional security reinforcement at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja.

“I have the instruction of the Leadership of the House to request for Armed Officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to provide security cover for the Lagos State House of Assembly as well as Honourable members and Staff,” the letter read.

The document further noted that the NSCDC personnel would work alongside 20 private security guards in securing the premises, indicating that the leadership anticipates possible unrest or confrontation.

This request came as at the time National Industrial Court (NIC) clarified that it did not order the reinstatement of Clerk Onafeko, contrary to reports circulated by Obasa’s camp.

The court had only issued a directive for both parties to maintain peace, pending further hearings.

During the last court session on March 12, 2025, Justice M.N. Esowe expressed shock over Onafeko’s forceful takeover of the Assembly Secretariat, using security operatives to eject Acting Clerk Ottun.

Counsel for the Assembly, O.O. Oniyire (SAN), accused Onafeko of manipulating the judicial process and spreading misinformation about his alleged reinstatement.

Meanwhile, the court scheduled March 18 for the hearing of all pending applications, further delaying a resolution to the crisis.

SaharaReporters previously reported that the leadership crisis in the Lagos Assembly had been worsened by a multi-billion naira procurement scandal involving official vehicles for lawmakers.

According to sources, the bone of contention was the purchase of 39 SUVs, a project originally approved by Obasa before his removal in January.

SaharaReporters learned that Obasa had reportedly sanctioned the procurement of 35 Toyota Fortuner SUVs and 10 Toyota Prado SUVs from Dubai at a staggering N7 billion.

However, during her brief tenure as Speaker, Mojisola Meranda reviewed the proposal, opting instead for a local dealer who supplied 32 units of 2025 Toyota Prado SUVs and seven Toyota Land Cruiser 2025 models for N5 billion—effectively saving the Assembly N2 billion.

This decision allegedly enraged Obasa, who demanded that all SUVs procured under Meranda be returned. Sources told SaharaReporters that Obasa’s original plan was to distribute 45 luxury vehicles, including four units for himself and his two wives.

In another controversial move, Obasa had also unilaterally replaced the legal team representing the Lagos Assembly in court without consulting the 35 lawmakers who had initially voted for his impeachment.

The move sparked outrage among the Assembly members and legal practitioners.

During a recent court hearing at the Ikeja High Court, Justice Yetunde Pinheiro adjourned proceedings to March 17 after multiple new applications were filed.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, representing the 35 lawmakers opposed to Obasa, condemned the Speaker’s move as illegal.

“A plaintiff cannot impose a lawyer on the defendants,” Falana stated, affirming that he and his legal team had been duly selected by the majority faction of lawmakers.

As economic hardship bites harder, importation of used vehicles has recorded a significant decline with diesel or semi-diesel engine, of cylinder capacity 2500cc dropping by 65.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) to N354.8 billion in 2024 from N1.04 trillion in 2023.

However, the decline also reflects the effect of continuous increase in import duty, levies and taxes on that category of imports.

Breakdown of data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics for the review period showed that no bills were recorded on used vehicles imports in the first quarter of 2024 (Q1’24).

But second quarter (Q2’24) recorded N110.54 billion, and the value grew by 11.9 percent QoQ to N123.77 billion in Q3’24 before declining 2.6 percent QoQ to N120.49 billion in Q4’24.

Recall that in July last year the Ports and Terminal Multipurpose Limited blamed high import duty and taxes on used vehicles for the 60 per cent drop in vehicle importation it experienced in the first half of 2024, H1’24.

In February 2025, the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) said it intends to grant waivers to vehicle owners to pay duties within a specific time frame to avoid sanctions.

Recently, the Federal Government announced a 90-day window to regularise import duties on specific categories of vehicles.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the development was a proactive move to enhance compliance and streamline import processes.

“In a proactive move to enhance compliance and streamline import processes, the NCS, under the directive of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, is pleased to announce a 90-day window for regularising import duties on specific categories of vehicles.

“Valuation and assessment of the vehicles would be carried out using the Vehicles Identification Number valuation method. Import duty and a 25 per cent penalty shall be paid in tandem with the import guidelines, procedures, and documentation requirements for used vehicles under the Destination Inspection Scheme in Nigeria (2013) and the NCS Act 2023. Also, duty payments must be made using the procedure code specifically created for this exercise.” Maiwada said.

Lagos Speaker Obasa Furious As Meranda Reduces Lawmakers' Vehicle Budget By N2Billion, Excludes Obasa’s Wives As Beneficiaries

The leadership crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly has taken a fresh turn as embattled Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and his former replacement, Mojisola Meranda, clash over the purchase of official vehicles worth N5 billion.

SaharaReporters gathered from sources within the Assembly that Obasa is furious over Meranda’s decision to procure the vehicles from a local dealer rather than following his initial plan of importing them from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

A source close to the Assembly leadership confirmed to SaharaReporters on Tuesday that the issue stems from the purchase of 40 SUVs for lawmakers, a project initially approved by Obasa before his removal as Speaker in January.

“There is an ongoing issue at the Assembly now because of the purchase of 40 SUVs for all the members,” the source said.

“What really happened was that it was the same Obasa that approved the project; he was the one that sanctioned the purchase of these vehicles before he was suspended. Meranda only executed the project by awarding the project when she was elected.

“It was not like Meranda did this without Obasa’s approval. Obasa approved it. It was in his plans to buy the vehicles for all the lawmakers. The part played by Meranda is the execution.

“What is causing the problem is that Meranda did not follow how Obasa wanted the execution to be. Obasa wanted to give the project to someone in Dubai.

“Obasa wants to import those vehicles from Dubai. But Meranda did not do that. He executed the project and gave the project to a Nigerian-based dealer to procure those vehicles. This is what is making Obasa angry.”

The source further revealed: “Obasa had done an approval for the purchase of 35 units of Toyota Fortuner SUV and 10 units of Toyota Prado from Dubai at N7 billion. As a matter of fact, he made the approval on December 23, 2024.

“Upon his removal, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda reviewed the approval and called for a bidding locally and approved the sum of N5 billion for 32 units of 2025 Toyota Prado SUV and 7 units of Toyota Land Cruiser 2025, saving N2 billion for the House.”

Following his controversial reinstatement as Speaker—reportedly orchestrated by President Bola Tinubu and top APC figures—Obasa is now demanding that all 40 SUVs procured by Meranda be returned.

The Lagos Assembly has been embroiled in a protracted leadership crisis since January, when Obasa was impeached for fraud and gross misconduct.

His removal was short-lived, as Meranda’s tenure lasted just 49 days before she was forced to resign under pressure from the presidency and APC leadership in Lagos.

Reports indicate that before his removal, Obasa had made arrangements to distribute 45 SUVs—40 for lawmakers, one for the Clerk, and the remaining four for himself and his two wives.

However, Meranda’s swift intervention disrupted his plans entirely.

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have rescued 27 foreigners who were allegedly kidnapped and confined in an apartment in the Isheri Oshun area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this during a press briefing on Monday.

According to him, a distress call was received by the Complaint Response Unit from one of the victims, who reported that she and others had been held against their will and were not allowed to leave the apartment.

Hundeyin added that the Divisional Police Officer in the area was immediately contacted, and efforts were thereafter made to rescue them from the apartment.

”Somebody reached out to the Complaint Response Unit of the Lagos Police Command and complained that she had been kidnapped in an apartment and not allowed to leave the apartment. The CRU contacted the Divisional Police Officer covering the area and raced to the place and upon getting to the apartment and breaking into it, a total number of 27 foreigners were found in the apartment.”

The rescued individuals comprised 18 males and nine females, some of whom are Ghanaians and others from the Republic of Benin.

Hundeyin said preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had been lured into the country under the false pretence of securing jobs.

“We are currently investigating whether Lagos was their final destination or if they were being trafficked to another country. However, they are now safe and in our custody,” Hundeyin added.

In a related development, a couple was said to have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping an online vendor who had gone to deliver a product in the Iyana Ishashi area of the state.

Hundeyin said the incident was reported on Sunday by the victim, who alleged that she had been abducted while attempting to make a delivery.

He said, “The victim received a request for a product and proceeded to the customer’s house in Iyana Ishashi. Upon arrival, the door was opened, and she was forcibly dragged inside by a man and a woman. The suspects were later identified as Emmanuel and Mazioma Okafor.”

Hundeyin said that after seizing the victim, the couple allegedly stripped her naked and assaulted her.

He added that they thereafter took her nude pictures and demanded a ransom of N2m, threatening to leak the images if she failed to comply.

“She managed to pay N300,000 that day, which allowed her to regain her freedom. However, she was warned that if she did not pay the balance, her pictures would be released. The victim subsequently reported the incident to the police, leading to an immediate investigation. This led to the arrest of the suspects,” Hundeyin added.

Nigeria ranked seventh among the top 10 recipients of US foreign aid in 2024, receiving approximately $763 million through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), according to data from ForeignAssistance.gov.

The funding was primarily directed towards humanitarian assistance, healthcare, economic development and counterterrorism efforts, reinforcing Nigeria’s strategic importance in Africa and its longstanding partnership with the US.

Nigeria’s aid allocation focused on four key areas:

Public Health and Humanitarian Support – A substantial portion of the funds supported health programmes, including HIV/AIDS prevention under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well as interventions for malaria, tuberculosis and maternal health.

Security and Counterterrorism – Given Nigeria’s ongoing battle against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other insurgent groups, U.S. funding played a role in supporting security reforms, counterterrorism training and peace-building initiatives in the Northeast.

Economic Development and Governance – Aid was also channelled towards poverty alleviation programs, infrastructure projects and initiatives to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

Food and Emergency Relief – USAID provided support to millions of displaced Nigerians, particularly in conflict-affected areas, addressing food insecurity and access to clean water.

Global Context: Nigeria’s Position in US Aid

In 2024, Ukraine remained the top recipient of US foreign aid, receiving $6.1 billion — a direct result of the ongoing war with Russia. Other major recipients included:

Despite these contributions, the future of US foreign aid remains uncertain following the Trump administration’s decision in January 2025 to freeze nearly all foreign aid programmes for a 90-day review. The move, carried out under the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), resulted in frozen bank accounts, office closures and the dismissal of thousands of aid workers globally.

The suspension also affected up to $1 billion in payments for previously fulfilled contracts, raising concerns about the continuity of assistance programmes worldwide. However, this decision has been legally challenged, with the US Supreme Court currently reviewing the action’s legitimacy.

Nigeria Spends N930bn on Fuel Imports in February Despite Rising Local Refining Capacity

Nigeria imported petrol and diesel in February 2025 valued at about N930 billion, despite rising local refining capacity, raising questions as to the economic sense behind the licensing of oil marketers to bring in fresh petroleum products.

Data on the importation of the fuels last month, showed that aside from the N930 billion bill in February, oil marketers licensed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), imported products worth N5.5 trillion between October 2024 and January this year.

However, this development is taking place despite the growing capacity of the Dangote Refinery as well as the Port Harcourt Refinery owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). Both refineries produce petrol.

In addition, the Warri Refinery as well as other modular refineries scattered mostly in the Niger Delta, refine diesel locally.

In February this year, the petroleum products import licensing body, the NMDPRA, argued that it had continued to approve oil marketers to bring in products, to address shortfalls in the country. It disclosed that the local refinery only meets 50 per cent of daily fuel consumption, justifying the continued importation of petrol to meet the deficit.

Executive Director of Distribution, Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure of NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, told journalists: “Just before the current administration came in, the daily PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) supply sufficiency was always more than 60 million.

“In fact, averaging about 66 million a day for PMS. And following Mr. President’s withdrawal of subsidy, the announcement of May 29th, 2023, we immediately saw a steep decline in consumption. And between then and as we speak, we’ve continued to do plus or minus 50 million.

“Of these 50 million litres averaging for each day, less than 50 per cent of that is contributed by domestic refineries. And so the shortfall in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is sourced by way of imports. So just for clarity, what I’m saying is that the contribution of local refineries towards the sufficiency is less than 50 per cent.”

But President of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, also speaking in February, said that his refinery holds over 500 million litres of petrol and N600 billion worth of total petroleum products in stock.

A Business Consultant, Mr Dan Kunle, agreed with this position, stating that the sustained import dependency by Nigeria could erode recent gains in the stability of the naira.

In all, the import data for February 2025 indicated that Nigeria brought in 701.75 million litres of petrol and 265.88 million litres of diesel during that month.

Based on landing cost estimates from the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) as of February 20, the total import bill in February is believed to have exceeded N650.8 billion, while diesel amounted to over N278.5 billion.

The fuel tanker vessels came mainly through Lagos and Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Warri ports.

The NNPC Group CEO, Mele Kyari had stated that the company had not imported petrol this year.

“These significant import figures come at a time when local refining output is increasing. Two of NNPC’s four refineries, in Warri and Port Harcourt, have reportedly resumed operations, while private refineries such as Dangote Refinery, Waltersmith, and Aradel are actively producing.

“Despite these positive developments, the continued large-scale importation of refined petroleum products underscores structural bottlenecks in the industry, including logistics challenges, production scale-up issues, and supply chain inefficiencies,” Kunle explained.

According to him, reducing import reliance will require accelerated refinery optimisation, competitive local pricing structures, and strengthened regulatory frameworks to incentivise domestic supply over costly imports.

Kunle stressed that the continued large-scale dollar-denominated imports could reverse these gains that the naira garnered in the last few months, putting additional pressure on foreign exchange reserves.

donself9:
You cant see it becos, those expected to distribute, hoard and re bag it to sell

Those working in Alausa and Apc members are the big saboteurs of govt goodies cos they must hoard n divert a lot


the two times i got lagos rice ... it was through my friend who is media spokeperson to a chieftain in APC

Govt is not serious, saboteurs can be handled