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Stakeholders call for regional cooperation to tackle insecurity in South-East region

Stakeholders have called for closer regional cooperation to tackle insecurity and sustaining peace in the South-East region of Nigeria region.

The decision was taken at the maiden edition of the South-East Security Summit, which took place at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Umuahia, Abia State capital.

The summit was organised by the Federal Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (South-East), on the theme: ‘Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability.’

Addressing participants, Governor Alex Otti said that security remains the bedrock of development, stressing that no society can achieve meaningful progress if its people live in fear.

According to him, governments at all levels must continue to strengthen collaboration with security agencies, while investing in initiatives that remove the conditions that fuel crime.

‘Security is the foundation of prosperity. Until citizens are made sufficiently secure and free from the threats of criminals, no real development can happen,’ Otti said.

The Governor noted that although the South-East had recorded significant progress in restoring peace over the past few years, leaders must continue to work together to consolidate those gains.

He said that intelligence sharing, coordinated security operations and stronger partnerships among the South-East States had contributed to reclaiming communities previously threatened by criminal activities.

Otti also argued that fighting insecurity goes beyond confronting armed criminals, urging authorities to dismantle networks involved in illicit drug trafficking, illegal arms supply and other activities that sustain violent crimes.

‘Whoever threatens the peace and security of this region, irrespective of ethnicity or religion, is an enemy of the people and must be dealt with according to the law,’ he said.

The governor further urged residents to support security agencies with timely and credible information, insisting that criminals should never be shielded because of family or community ties.

He also identified unemployment and economic hardship, as factors that often push young people into crime, calling for greater investment in education, agriculture, infrastructure and job creation as part of a long-term security strategy.

Godswill Akpabio, Senate President,

represented by Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, said that insecurity can only be effectively addressed through collaboration among governments, security agencies and local communities.

Akpabio described the summit as a timely initiative, saying that no institution or security agency can tackle today’s security challenges alone.

‘No nation has ever secured itself, through isolated efforts. Security succeeds where partnership flourishes,’ he said.

He maintained that the National Assembly would continue to support efforts aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture through improved legislation, enhanced intelligence gathering, technology-driven policing and closer cooperation among security agencies.

Akpabio also called for greater community participation in security, noting that lasting peace depends on the trust and cooperation between citizens and law enforcement agencies.

In their goodwill messages, Governor Hope Uzodinma, of Imo State, represented by Chinyere Ekomaru, his deputy; Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, represented by Onyekachukwu Ibezim, his deputy; Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, represented by Ifeanyi Ossai, his deputy, and Governor Francis Nwaifuru of Ebonyi State, represented by

Moses Odunwa, Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation against insecurity, insisting that no State can effectively tackle crime without working closely with its neighbours.

The governors commended President Bola Tinubu for ongoing efforts to improve national security and Governor Alex Otti, for hosting the summit, describing it as a timely platform to develop practical solutions to the region’s security challenges.

They agreed that while the South-East had recorded significant progress in restoring peace in recent years, sustaining those gains will require greater collaboration among state governments, security agencies and local communities.

Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, commended President Tinubu for supporting reforms, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture, including the planned expansion of the Nigerian Army and recruitment of additional personnel.

Kalu also commended Governor Alex Otti, for hosting the summit and for what he described, as the remarkable improvement in security across the State.

He further urged South-East States to integrate security planning into the region’s long term economic development agenda, noting that investment and industrial growth cannot flourish without peace.

Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, stressed that State security cannot be achieved, by government and security agencies alone and called for society and government approach.

He reaffirmed President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring lasting peace and economic growth in the South-East, through a combination of military operations, non-kinetic measures, infrastructure development, and educational initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

He also commended Governor Alex Otti for making Abia a peaceful and a safe state while also applauding him for his good leadership and transformation.

‘When the South-East is secure, Nigeria is stronger. When every region enjoys peace, our democracy flourishes,’ he said.

Earlier, Christopher Gwabin Musa, a retired Army General and Minister of Defence, convener of the summit, explained that the Federal Government convened the summit to engage directly with stakeholders in the region and develop practical, community-driven solutions to insecurity.

He said that the administration of President Tinubu is committed to restoring peace across the country through improved intelligence gathering, better-equipped security agencies and stronger collaboration with communities.

‘Without peace, there cannot be development. That is why President Bola Tinubu is determined to ensure that communities become active partners in our security architecture,’ he said.

Azubuike Ihejirika, former Chief of Army Staff, while delivering the keynote address

said that lasting peace in the South-East depends on effective collaboration between security agencies and local communities.

Ihejirika urged security operatives to go after those responsible for criminal acts without branding entire communities, as accomplices, warning that such an approach, would only discourage residents from sharing useful intelligence with law enforcement agencies.

Contingents to foreign military exercises due home

PHILIPPINE contingents to military exercises in Australia and in Hawaii are on their way home with the conclusion of the events they participated in.

The Army (PA) on Monday said that Australia’s Exercise Carabaroo 2026 formally concluded on July 29 during closing ceremonies held at the Townsville Field Training Area in Queensland.

Aside from the PA and the Australian Army soldiers, US marines took part in the drills scheduled from July 14 to 29.

‘A combined defensive live-fire drill served as the highlight of the exercise, showcasing the Philippine and Australian armies interoperability in conducting effective firepower and maneuvers amid enemy attacks. Other key training drills that were part of the exercise included close-quarter battle [CQB] drills, K-9 operations, assault operations, and trilateral mortar live-fire drills with the US Marine Corps,’ the PA statement added.

Exercise Carabaroo is an advanced combined arms interoperability of both the PA and Australian Army.

The exercise is also testament to the strong strategic partnership between Philippines and Australia to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific Region, the Army statement added.

Exercise Carabaroo, which is hosted by the Darwin-based 1st Brigade of the Australian Army, bolsters the PA’s capability development and active transition towards external security operations, the statement added.

Rimpac ends

THE Navy (PN) Task Group (NTG) 84 and its Coast Guard (PCG) component is now sailing home after participating in the multi-nation Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) maritime exercise in Hawaii.

The Navy contingent capped off its fifth and another outstanding participation in the world’s largest

multinational warfare exercise, as Rimpac 2026 exercise officially ended on July 31 at the Ford Island Conference Center (FICC) in Hawaii.

‘The Commander, Combined Task Force, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, congratulated the contingents from participating nations for a job well done amid the successful conduct of the Rimpac 26 exercise. All heads of the delegation were also given a chance to share their experiences and challenges during the exercise,’ the PN said in a statement.

Selected officers and enlisted personnel of NTG 84 attended the US Navy-hosted dinner reception in conjunction with the closing ceremony of Rimpac 2026 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

A joint booth of the PN and the PCG was set up to showcase Filipino food and products during the activity.

zWith the theme ‘Partners, Integrated, Prepared,’ Rimpac 2026 was participated in by 30 nations, 30 ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 190 aircraft, and more than 30,000 personnel.

As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, Rimpac provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participant countries.

LTFRB to tap agencies in next fare hike petition hearing

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will invite key government agencies to its next hearing on pending fare hike petitions, saying it wants to weigh the impact of any increase on commuters, transport workers and the broader economy before making a decision.

In a statement on Monday, the LTFRB said representatives from the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Department of Energy (DOE) will be invited to participate in the next round of deliberations on fare increase petitions filed by various transport groups.

LTFRB Chairperson Vigor Mendoza II said the board has already heard the concerns and arguments raised by transport groups during Monday’s hearing and will now validate the operational and financial data they presented. ‘We all heard the concerns and arguments raised by the transport groups on their fare hike petitions. They are all valid and legitimate and our task now is to validate the data they presented in terms of operational costs vis-à-vis their daily income and that of the drivers,’ Mendoza said.

He said the board also wants to obtain the views of other government agencies before acting on the petitions, noting that any fare adjustment would have implications beyond the transport sector.

‘But we also need to hear what the DEPDev and other agencies concerned have to say because we are all aware that any fare adjustment of any amount will have effects on the economy and the public’s purchasing power,’ he added.

According to the LTFRB, DEPDev will be asked to discuss the potential economic effects of the proposed fare adjustments, while DOLE is expected to present its assessment of labor concerns affecting public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers. The DOE, meanwhile, will provide data on recent fuel price movements and their impact on motorists.

Mendoza said the board is seeking a solution that would provide relief to the transport sector while minimizing the impact on inflation and commuters.

‘The necessity to assist the PUV sector is already there because of the series of oil price hikes in the past weeks. The question, however, is that if fare adjustments are approved, what would be the ideal amount that would have the most minimal inflationary effects but are acceptable to everybody,’ he said.

‘This is the part where the insights of experts from DEPDev and other concerned agencies will play a key role,’ he added.

Mendoza led Monday’s fare hike hearing, which was attended by various transport groups, including representatives of the seven groups that filed fare hike petitions. He also thanked the transport groups and other participants for taking part in the proceedings and presenting their arguments before the LTFRB.

The statement came after several transport organizations, led by Manibela, announced a three-day transport strike from Aug. 10 to 12 to protest the series of fuel price increases in recent weeks. While oil companies are expected to implement price rollbacks on Tuesday, transport groups said the rollback follows weeks of substantial increases in pump prices. /jpv

Teachers’ Sacco leaders to recover Shs11b

The government has tasked the newly inaugurated board of directors of the Walimu Co-operative Union Ltd with recovering more than Shs11 billion in defaulted loans.

The union, which is an umbrella organisation for teachers’ savings and credit cooperative organisations (Saccos), has also been directed to revive hundreds of dormant Saccos across Uganda.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, which injected Shs27 billion into the union to bolster teachers’ financial well-being, is demanding greater accountability.

Officials revealed that Shs11 billion of public funds loaned to teachers nationwide have not been repaid, severely crippling Walimu’s capacity to promote financial inclusion.

The new board has until March 31, 2027, to recover at least 80 percent of the outstanding loan portfolio. This is part of a broader government strategy to restore confidence in the teachers’ cooperative movement.

Speaking during the board’s inauguration in Kampala, Mr Robert Bariyo Barigye, the commissioner for cooperatives policy and development at the Ministry of Trade, emphasised the urgency of structural reforms.

”The board has been tasked with strengthening supervision, improving governance, and ensuring recovery of the outstanding funds lost through poorly managed Saccos lending,” Mr Barigye said.

He further exposed the systemic rot within the sector, revealing that a staggering 346 teachers’ Saccos have collapsed or become inactive.

”Only 39 out of the 385 registered teachers’ Saccos are currently active. This is a wake-up call for stronger monitoring and better leadership within the cooperative movement,” he added.

Historically, teachers’ Saccos in Uganda have struggled with weak managerial oversight, political interference, and a poor loan repayment culture among members, many of whom cite low salaries and economic hardships as reasons for not repaying loans.

The newly inaugurated Board chairperson, Mr Steven Olinga, acknowledged the high stakes and pledged to clean up the union’s image.

”We accept this challenge with full commitment. Our priority will be to restore trust among teachers, revive dormant Saccos, and ensure public funds injected into the sector deliver value to members,” Mr Olinga said.

The Walimu Sacco General Manager, Ms Caroline Atai, urged the incoming leadership to deploy modern tracking tools to curb future losses.

She urged the board to deliver measurable results by digitising financial systems and introducing robust vetting measures to minimise future defaults.

According to the ministry, the new board’s success will be strictly measured by the volume of funds recovered, the number of defunct Saccos brought back to life, and tangible improvements in financial service delivery to teachers across the country.

Thais urged to stay alert for war risk

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Thai nationals in the Middle East to remain vigilant as regional tensions continue to escalate and the risk of further military attacks increases.

In an advisory issued on Sunday, the Department of Consular Affairs said the security situation in the region appeared to be deteriorating and could lead to renewed hostilities.

The ministry advised Thai citizens living across the Middle East to closely monitor local news reports, follow announcements from local authorities and Thai diplomatic missions, and strictly comply with security measures imposed by host governments. They were also urged to avoid high-risk areas whenever possible.

Those planning to travel to the region were advised to carefully assess the necessity of their trips before departure.

Thai nationals requiring emergency assistance were advised to contact the nearest Thai embassy or consulate-general, or the Department of Consular Affairs’ 24-hour hotline at +66 2-572-8442.

The advisory came as international media reported continued Israeli military operations in parts of the Gaza Strip and rising tensions involving Iran.

US President Donald Trump said late on Saturday that he had cancelled threatened US strikes on Iran if a deal could be reached quickly to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address what he described as Iran’s nuclear threat.

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Iran had asked him to delay military action, claiming that the “perimeters of a deal” had been reached. He also said Israel had agreed to a pause in fighting.

Should the NBA continue to monopolise the administration of justice?

MY original intention this week was to discuss a different subject. Record-breaking heatwaves are increasing demand for cooling, prompting the International Energy Agency (IEA) to warn of mounting pressure on electricity systems. I intended to argue that Nigeria must urgently treat grid restructuring and coordinated distributed energy systems as national priorities for affordable electricity, cooling, industry and economic development. Events, however, have compelled me to postpone that discussion.

Last week, I wrote about the shameful Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election and asked whether Nigerian lawyers could effectively guard Nigeria’s democracy if they could not convincingly guard the integrity of their own professional election. My argument was never merely about the NBA election. It was about the extraordinary influence the legal profession exercises over the Nigerian state. Lawyers shape constitutional interpretation, prosecute crimes, advise governments, and litigate or adjudicate election petitions that often determine political power because the legal profession occupies both the Bar and the Bench. The NBA is therefore one of Nigeria’s most consequential democratic institutions. Yet, reports indicate that neither the president-elect nor some of her principal opponents cast their own votes. Worse still, no one knows whether the litigation over the election will outlive the NBA President-elect’s two-year tenure.

Since that column was published, I have received several messages from lawyers, including one purportedly attributed to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In it, he lamented the conduct of the NBA election and made a startling observation: ‘Honestly speaking, I have since come to the conclusion that the NBA as presently constituted is irredeemable.’ He questioned reports that candidates spend billions of naira to lead a professional association, pay practising fees for colleagues, sponsor hotel accommodation, finance branch activities and conduct campaigns resembling political elections. He also alleged that some candidates enjoyed financial backing from federal and state governments. Whether those allegations are proven remains to be seen. When a lawyer of that stature reaches such a conclusion, Nigerians should pause and reflect.

Against this backdrop, the visit of the President-elect of the NBA to President Bola Tinubu has naturally generated public discussion. The NBA’s leadership should maintain both the reality and appearance of independence from the political executive for the health of our democracy. What should Nigeria do when one of its foremost Senior Advocates concludes that the NBA is ‘irredeemable’?

The monopoly of justice

The NBA is more than a professional association. Lawyers defend constitutional liberties, challenge executive excesses, prosecute crimes, protect private rights and interpret the laws upon which society rests. The Attorney-General of the Federation and all 36 Attorneys-General must be lawyers. When such an institution experiences an internal crisis of confidence, Nigerians cannot afford to dismiss it as merely an association quarrel. It becomes a societal concern.

These events reinforce a central argument in Chapter 8 of my forthcoming book, The Unfinished Nigerian Project: Rule of Law or Rule of Lawyers? A Case for Adopting a Jury System.

My concern has never been that lawyers are less ethical than engineers, doctors, accountants or teachers. Rather, it is that Nigeria has concentrated extraordinary institutional authority over justice within a single profession. Lawyers monopolise the Bench, the Bar, all thirty-seven constitutionally guaranteed offices of Attorney-General, constitutional litigation and the interpretation of the Constitution itself.

Power that is concentrated eventually becomes power that is insulated. We separate legislative, executive and judicial powers because no institution should become accountable only to itself. Has this monopoly over the justice system created incentives for the increasingly rancorous and heavily monetized struggle for leadership within the NBA? That is the constitutional question before us. Perhaps if the administration of justice is shared with other Nigerian professionals, ‘their learned colleagues’ might conduct their own leadership recruitment more civilly.

Justice must belong to society

Some readers responded to my earlier column by arguing that Nigeria is simply too corrupt for a jury system. One reader cited a recent criminal trial in the US State of Minnesota involving Somali defendants, where an attempt was made to bribe a juror. His conclusion was that corruption would simply migrate from judges and lawyers to jurors. The concern is understandable, but it overlooks a fundamental principle of institutional design. Good institutions are not built because people are virtuous; they are built because people are fallible. That is why democracies separate powers, establish independent courts, conduct elections and require audits-not to eliminate corruption, but to make it harder, costlier and easier to expose.

That is why I advocate a carefully designed jury or hybrid jury system for Nigeria. Nigeria need not copy American or British models wholesale. It should study comparative experience and develop a system suited to its constitutional and societal realities. The principle, however, is universal: justice is too important to be monopolised by lawyers. Justice should reflect not only legal expertise but also the conscience, values and moral judgement of society. Nigeria has people of integrity across every profession whose voices belong in the administration of justice. Ironically, the Minnesota example reinforces rather than weakens this argument. One conscientious juror was enough to frustrate an attempt to corrupt the judicial process. Institutions are stronger when authority is distributed rather than concentrated.

Law alone cannot produce justice because legal reasoning, however sophisticated, is no substitute for society’s conscience. That conscience should find expression in the administration of justice through a carefully designed jury or hybrid jury system-one that makes judges and lawyers more accountable to the public they serve and, perhaps, encourages greater restraint in the conduct of their own professional affairs.

A national reset

Many Nigerian lawyers are honourable professionals who have defended democracy, human rights and the rule of law at great personal cost. But institutions must never be judged by the integrity of their best members. They must also withstand the ambitions of their worst. No other major professional association in Nigeria-not the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the National Association of Petroleum Explorationists, the Nigerian Medical Association, the Nigerian Society of Engineers or the Nigerian Union of Teachers-regularly attracts this level of political intrigue, financial inducement, electoral acrimony and public controversy over who leads it. The obvious question is: why?

The answer lies in the extraordinary concentration of institutional authority over justice within one profession. Such concentration inevitably creates incentives for fierce internal competition, political patronage and the monetisation of leadership contests. No democracy should entrust so much influence over one of its most important public institutions to a single profession, however distinguished that profession may be. Justice belongs to society-not to lawyers alone. This is not an argument against lawyers; it is an argument against concentrating the administration of justice within any single profession.

Nigeria should therefore begin a serious national conversation on introducing a carefully designed jury or hybrid jury system, so that justice is not merely administered in the name of the people, but with the meaningful participation of the people. Citizen participation in the administration of justice would broaden accountability, enrich deliberation and restore public confidence that justice reflects not only legal technicalities but also the conscience and moral values of society. If one of Nigeria’s foremost Senior Advocates now believes that the NBA, as presently constituted, is ‘irredeemable’, then our national conversation should not be about how the NBA redeems itself. It should be about redesigning a justice system concentrated within one profession 4and whether that concentration is creating unhealthy incentives-including the increasingly rancorous and heavily monetised struggle for leadership within the NBA.

Strong nations do not depend on the virtue of one profession. They distribute power. They widen participation. They build institutions that can withstand human imperfection.

Perhaps Nigeria’s true reset should begin by returning justice to society.

’Govt execs obliged to uphold PHL position in WPS dispute’

DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. clarified that his call for resignation of government officials, who are unwilling to uphold the Philippines’ position on the West Philippine Sea (WPS), is rooted on their legal obligations, not their personal or political beliefs.

In a statement, Teodoro said no public official can be asked to step down ‘just because of a belief,’ stressing that his earlier remarks were based on existing laws and policies governing the WPS.

‘I was careful in using as basis Administrative Order 29 series of 2012, concerning the West Philippine Sea. Since the AO was issued in pursuance of and under law, it forms part of the law of the land,’ he said, referring to Administrative Order 29 signed in 2012 designating the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago as the WPS.

Teodoro said all public officials, especially those elected into office, are sworn to uphold the Constitution and laws of the country.

‘Public officials are sworn to obey and uphold all laws and regulations issued in accordance with law,’ he said.

Teodoro, a lawyer and Bar topnotcher, added that officials who disagree with the country’s legal position have recourse through the courts, but cannot simply disregard existing laws while remaining in office.

‘If a public official cannot uphold these, then the duty is clear. Uphold or file an action to declare the rule or law unconstitutional. Until that time, there is no option but to uphold the law,’ he said.

‘If a public official cannot conform to these requisites, then the only option is to resign.’

Teodoro also cited the Philippines’ recent submission before the United Nations of information supporting its extended continental shelf claim, including waters surrounding Bajo de Masinloc, saying the move further reinforces the country’s legal position in the WPS.

‘And so in Panatag Shoal, etc. These areas form part of the West Philippine Sea under AO 29. Are they not supporting this? If not, then what is their sworn duty?’ he said.

He warned that any public official opposing the country’s maritime claims should make their position clear.

‘If they do, they must state this clearly and by doing so they will have left a mark in our history and they will be remembered by future generations, our people, soldiers, and most especially…in Masinloc, Zambales, where the fishermen are most affected by China’s illegal and fabulist activities,’ he said.

Teodoro, likewise, pushed back against what he described as misleading reports about his earlier remarks.

‘Fake news once again has reared its ugly head,’ he said. ‘Please do not rely on headlines, which attempt to frame my statements. To do so would be an injustice to our people and to patriotic Filipinos.’

The clarification came days after Teodoro said government officials who side with China on the WPS issue should either uphold the country’s position, challenge it before the Supreme Court if they believe it is unconstitutional or resign from office.

His remarks followed renewed tensions in the West Philippine Sea, including recent confrontations near Ayungin Shoal and continuing Philippine efforts under the Marcos administration to assert the country’s sovereign rights through diplomacy, international law, and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

Combined N783.78bn OMO, Treasury Bills maturities to boost liquidity conditions

Funding conditions in the Nigerian financial system came under pressure last week after the settlement of N1.20 trillion in Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs) and N2.19 trillion in Open Market Operations (OMO) auctions drained significant liquidity from the banking system.

System liquidity fell 20.68 per cent to N2.99 trillion from N3.78 trillion the previous week. Despite the moderation, liquidity remained firmly in surplus, underscoring the resilience of banking system funding even as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) maintained its tight monetary policy stance aimed at containing inflation and managing excess liquidity.

Money market rates stayed broadly stable amid the squeeze. The Open Repo Rate (OPR) was unchanged at 22.00 per cent, while the Overnight (OVN) rate edged up by two basis points to 22.14 per cent, indicating that short-term funding conditions remained relatively comfortable.

Across the Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate (NIBOR) curve, funding costs rose beyond the overnight tenor. The one-month, three-month and six-month rates increased by 25bps, 45bps and 58bps to 22.70 per cent, 23.22 per cent and 23.67 per cent respectively, while the overnight NIBOR eased slightly by three basis points to 22.21 per cent. The upward repricing of medium- to longer-term interbank rates reflects market expectations that the CBN will sustain its restrictive stance after retaining the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 26.50 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Treasury Bills True Yield (NITTY) curve recorded broad-based declines across all maturities. The one-month, three-month, six-month and twelve-month tenors fell by 41bps, 8bps, 34bps and 16bps respectively, reflecting sustained investor demand for government securities in the secondary market. Trading activity remained largely subdued, although mild buying interest compressed the average yield by 12bps to 18.23 per cent.

At the primary market auction, the Debt Management Office (DMO) offered N700 billion across standard NTB maturities and attracted overwhelming demand of N3.60 trillion-an oversubscription of more than 5.1 times. The DMO allotted N1.20 trillion. Stop rates for the 91-day and 182-day bills were held at 16.30 per cent and 16.50 per cent, while the 364-day stop rate declined 31bps to 17.35 per cent, signalling stronger appetite for longer-dated short-term instruments.

Looking ahead, dealers expect liquidity conditions to receive support from N783.78 billion in maturing securities, comprising N500 billion in OMO bills and N283.78 billion in Treasury bills. Nonetheless, the CBN is likely to conduct additional OMO auctions to sterilise excess liquidity and keep short-term interest rates within the current range as it continues to pursue its inflation-targeting objectives.

Isabela imposes liquor ban due to TD Luis

The provincial government of Isabela imposed a ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on Monday, Aug. 3, due to Tropical Depression Luis.

Now under Signal No. 1, the province announced the implementation of the ban in accordance with Ordinance No. 2020-13-1 of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Through its Public Information Office, the local government reminded the public that anyone found intoxicated will be fined P2,000.

Failure to pay the fine within seven days will result in an increased penalty of P3,000, imprisonment of up to three months, or both, depending on the court’s decision.

Individuals and establishments that offer, sell, or permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages will be fined P4,000.

Failure to settle the fine within seven days will result in an increased penalty of P5,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.

As of 10 a.m., Luis was located, based on all available data, 165 kilometers (km) east of Echague, Isabela, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Pagasa also said Luis was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near its center, with gusts of up to 55 kph.

Restrictions on maritime activities were likewise imposed. /mcm

Who is built for the ground game (II)

Last week closed on a simple question. Which of the emerging presidential contenders is actually built for the kind of ground game the North demands, and who is simply hoping the region falls into line the way it sometimes has in the past. Answering that means setting party labels aside and looking at the individuals, because personalities carry more weight than party colours in most of the North. So, who actually has something to work with, and who is running on hope.

The incumbent’s structural head start

President Tinubu goes into this cycle with something none of his challengers have a functioning structure already in place across most of the Northwest. Consensus candidacies, a governors’ forum that has closed ranks behind him, and northern power brokers such as Abdullahi Ganduje, Barau Jibrin and Aliyu Wamakko working to reassure the base that northern interests remain protected inside the party. That is the difference between building a machine from nothing and simply maintaining one that already exists.

But incumbency in the North carries its own quiet risks this time. The prosecution of Nasir El-Rufai by the ICPC, whatever its legal merits, is increasingly read by some northern constituencies not as ordinary anti-corruption enforcement but as the removal of a prominent northern voice from the field. Arewa youth groups have already framed his continued detention in those terms, warning that 2027 could become a referendum on whether the North’s political voices are being squeezed out. Whether that grievance hardens into votes or fades as noise is uncertain.

Atiku, familiarity as an asset and a limitation

Atiku Abubakar remains, for better or worse, the most familiar face in northern opposition politics. Decades in public life, and name recognition younger challengers simply do not have. Running now on one faction of the African Democratic Congress, he is positioned alongside El-Rufai in a coalition explicitly built around unseating the incumbent. On paper that combination, looks formidable.

In practice, the coalition has spent the past year fighting itself as much as the ruling party. The public exit of ADC chieftain Salihu Mohammed Lukman, citing hostile treatment and a struggle for control of the party’s Kaduna structures, is the kind of internal wound that is hard to hide from voters. His own warning, that the coalition risks being reduced to a marginal participant before the race even starts, is worth taking seriously regardless of where the blame sits. A coalition fighting itself over turf is not demonstrating the discipline that wins wards.

El-Rufai, the power broker who isn’t on the ballot

El-Rufai is arguably the single most consequential northern political figure this cycle without being a presidential candidate himself. His mobilisation as Kaduna governor is widely credited with helping deliver the North West’s decisive support for Tinubu in 2023. Having since left the APC, first for the SDP and then the ADC coalition, he has positioned himself as a champion of northern grievance against the current administration, a powerful role if he can actually play it. But it is complicated by two things at once: his own legal troubles with the ICPC, limiting his freedom of movement at exactly the moment mobilisation matters most, and internal ADC fighting fuelled partly, by some accounts, by his own camp’s disputes over control of party structures. A kingmaker who cannot move freely, whose own coalition is quarrelling over turf, is weaker than the one who delivered the Northwest in 2023.

The Obi-Kwankwaso question

Peter Obi’s path to relevance in the North runs almost entirely through his choice of Rabiu Kwankwaso as running mate on the NDC platform. That is a serious attempt to solve a real problem: Obi’s own base is overwhelmingly southern, and without a credible northern figure on the ticket he has little organic path into Northwest turnout. Kwankwaso brings decades of Kano political capital and a movement, Kwankwasiyya, that has outlived multiple party vehicles.

The complication is one we flagged last week. Kwankwaso’s own base in Kano took a serious hit when Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf defected from the NNPP to the APC in January 2026, taking a large share of the movement’s elected structure with him. Kwankwaso still commands real personal loyalty, but loyalty without the governorship and the local apparatus behind it is a different kind of asset than it was two years ago. Whether this ticket can turn residual goodwill into functioning ward level machinery in Kano, let alone the wider Northwest, remains one of the more genuinely open questions of this cycle.

The PDP factions and the Jonathan question

Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s emergence from one PDP faction adds a familiar name to the field, but his political identity was built in the Niger Delta, not the Northwest or Northeast, and any meaningful northern showing would depend on alliances and structures he has never really possessed there. The same applies to Sandy Onor’s Wike backed faction. Interesting for PDP watchers nationally, but not, on present evidence, developments that reshape the northern contest.

PRP: the deepest roots, and a candidate who doesn’t yet carry them

No party in this field can claim a Northern lineage as substantial as the Peoples Redemption Party. It traces its history to late Mallam Aminu Kano’s Talakawa movement, born in Kano in 1950 as NEPU and reconstituted as PRP in 1978, and remains, by its own account, Nigeria’s longest surviving party. That history is not decoration, it is an authentic strand of Northern grassroots politics predating almost every other name in this race, and under National Chairman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a widely respected figure in Northern political and intellectual circles, the party has made a genuine effort this cycle to bring that legacy back into national conversation.

Where things get more complicated is with the candidate himself. Donald Duke, the former Cross River governor who secured the PRP ticket in May, brings a credible national profile, including a well-regarded record on tourism and urban development in Calabar and a previous presidential run under the SDP in 2019. What he does not bring, at least not yet, is a Northern base of his own. His career was built entirely outside the region PRP’s history speaks to, and there is little visible evidence so far of him building the structure that legacy might otherwise support.

It is also worth being straightforward about the primary itself, separate from the party’s leadership. Duke won with 6,499 votes, a modest turnout even by the standards of Nigeria’s smaller parties, and one losing aspirant, Yakubu Kingsley, has an unresolved federal court case alleging irregularities in the vote count, including in two Northern states, Bauchi and Gombe. None of that reflects on how Baba-Ahmed has run the party, which by most accounts has approached the process methodically and stayed open to scrutiny. But it means PRP goes into 2027 carrying real historical credibility in the North without yet translating it into a functioning campaign behind the man on the ballot.

The pattern underneath all of it

Step back from the individual profiles and the pattern from last week’s piece repeats itself almost exactly. Multiple ADC factions. Multiple PDP factions. PRP carrying the North’s deepest historical claim without a candidate who can activate it. A Labour Party candidate, an APM candidate, an ADP candidate, and a long list of smaller flag bearers all drawing from broadly the same pool of anti incumbency sentiment without any of them consolidating it. Every one of these candidates has some claim to a piece of the northern electorate. None, at this point, has assembled the kind of unified structure that could convert grievance into a winning coalition of northern states.

That is precisely the dynamic that favours the party already holding the ground. Fragmentation does not need to be engineered by the incumbent, it simply needs to be left alone, and Nigerian opposition politics has a long history of doing exactly that to itself. Whether the ADC resolves its disputes, whether Atiku and El-Rufai can operate as a single ticket, whether Kwankwaso can rebuild enough of his Kano structure to matter, will likely decide the northern contest more than any speech, slogan or press briefing between now and election day.