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The Samuel Ioron Foundation (SIF) has launched Whistleblower Nigeria: Reporting Sexual Violence in Displacement Settings, an initiative designed to help survivors in Benue State report sexual violence safely and access essential support services.

Speaking at the launch, the Foundation’s Executive and Project Director, Ngunan Ioron Aloho, said the initiative would strengthen community reporting channels and improve coordination among key service providers, including healthcare facilities, legal aid organisations, the police and social welfare agencies.

‘The aim is to ensure that when someone reports abuse, they can get practical help, with their safety and confidentiality protected,’ Aloho said.

She explained that knowing where to report abuse was only one part of the challenge facing survivors, adding that access to medical care, counselling, legal assistance and protection after a report was equally important.

According to her, the Foundation would work directly with communities and service providers to strengthen referral systems and support survivors through the process while respecting their choices and protecting their confidentiality.

The initiative follows SIF’s participation in Nigeria’s National Preparatory Session on Ending Violence Against Children, held ahead of the Global Ministerial Conference in Manila, Philippines.

At the session, the Foundation shared experiences from communities in Benue to contribute to discussions on translating national child protection commitments into accessible and timely support for children and families.

The Foundation noted that children living in displacement camps and host communities could face violence in different settings, including homes, communities and temporary settlements.

It added that children’s experiences and concerns needed to be reflected in policy discussions and decisions concerning their protection and welfare.

‘Policies can promise protection, but for children living in displaced or humanitarian contexts, the real question is often much simpler: Who can I tell when something happens to me, and will anyone actually help?’ Aloho said.

She said the Whistleblower Nigeria initiative seeks to address this concern by helping community members recognise and safely report sexual violence, connecting survivors with appropriate support services and following up on referrals.

Aloho added that the Foundation’s work in Benue had provided insights into the challenges children and families faced when seeking assistance, as well as areas where reporting channels and support services required improvement.

She called for sustained funding, stronger coordination among service providers and the meaningful involvement of children, survivors and communities in decisions affecting their safety and welfare.

According to her, the initiative’s success would ultimately depend on whether people seeking help could access appropriate support safely and promptly.

The Foundation is inviting companies, civil society organisations and service providers to partner with it on the initiative.

Potential partners can contribute funding, technology, professional expertise and referral services to strengthen safe reporting channels and improve survivors’ access to healthcare, protection and legal assistance across Benue State.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed unwholesome, banned, fake and adulterated products worth about Eight Billion Naira confiscated in the course of its operations in the North Central Zone.

The destruction exercise was carried out on Thursday during the North Central Zonal Destruction of NAFDAC regulated products in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, represented by the Deputy Director in charge of North Central Zone, Mr. Joseph Edor, said the bulk of the destroyed products were predominantly banned alcoholic beverages in low volumes of less than 200ml (20cl).

Prof. Adeyeye explained that studies by researchers have shown that due to the availability, affordability and portability of such pack sizes, they have become major products of abuse and addiction among Nigerians, especially youths and underage school children.

She noted that research has also shown that early exposure to alcohol affects the brain and other vital organs such as the liver and kidneys, stymies the brain resulting in mental retardation and brain damage, which in turn leads to poor performance of pupils and students in school, low productivity and several illnesses.

She said, ‘It was based on these abuses, addiction and adverse effects that the Agency banned the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET and glass bottles below 200ml, hence the raid and confiscation from manufacturing outfits, sales outlets, markets and motor parks.’

Other products destroyed include expired, fake and unwholesome food, drugs and cosmetics confiscated during daily operations.

The NAFDAC DG said the Agency has the mandate of protecting and promoting public health by ensuring that only the right quality, safe and efficacious drugs, food, cosmetics, medical devices, water and other regulated products are manufactured, imported, distributed, advertised or used in Nigeria.

She said in order to achieve the mandate, the Agency through its officers carries out inspections, investigations, enforcement, product registration and laboratory analysis.

The DG appreciated other law enforcement organizations, sister agencies, associations and stakeholders for their continuous collaboration, especially in intelligence sharing and security cover during operations.

Smallholder farmers in Katsina State are to access interest-free loans of up to N300,000 under the Federal Government’s FarmerMoni programme to support agricultural productivity in the state.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda flagged off the enumeration exercise and training of Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) desk officers in the state.

The governor also disclosed that the programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Katsina State Government through the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA).

Speaking at the event, Radda said his administration was committed to supporting farmers, empowering young people and creating opportunities for businesses across the agricultural value chain.

He said the government had been providing fertilisers, mechanisation equipment and irrigation facilities to farmers to improve production and strengthen food security.

Earlier in his speech, the National GEEP Programme Manager, Dr Hamza Ibrahim Baba, said FarmerMoni was designed to provide eligible smallholder farmers with interest-free, collateral-free loans of up to N300,000.

He explained that the facility was a loan, not a grant, adding that repayment was expected to begin six to nine months after disbursement, in line with the programme’s guideline adding that the enumeration exercise would help identify eligible farmers, improve beneficiary records and ensure transparency in the selection process.

He warned desk officers against demanding money from applicants for registration or selection, stressing that only genuine and eligible farmers should be enrolled.

Similarly, the State GEEP Manager, Hajiya Karima, urged the newly trained desk officers to work professionally, provide accurate information and ensure the programme reached the intended beneficiaries.

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, appointed General Shaibu Waidi as the Chief of Army Staff on 30 October 2025 and other Service Chiefs, security analysts recognized the choice of Shaibu as a deliberate pivot toward frontline-tested doctrine. For adversaries lurking in the Sambisa forest, the Mandara mountains, and the ungoverned spaces across the country, the message was unmistakable: a proven adversary had assumed command. Twelve months later, General Waidi’s stewardship has earned widespread praise; from the Presidency and Nigerian citizens to international defense bodies and global peace advocates. His one-year tenure reflects a transition from orthodox administrative oversight to dynamic, operational excellence.

A thoroughbred officer of the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps, General Waidi’s career was defined long before his ascension to the apex of army command. From his early days in tactical command at platoon and company levels to high-level staff responsibilities at both Army Headquarters and Defence Headquarters, he established a track record grounded in rigor and execution.

Unlike commanders who settle into the quiet routine of administrative life, Waidi built his reputation in combat zones. His operational footprints run deep through vital internal security and counter-insurgency operations, notably Operation Lafiya Dole and Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East.

Beyond Nigeria’s borders, he distinguished himself internationally on peacekeeping deployments, including the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS).

His senior leadership tenures; first as General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander Sector 1, and subsequently as Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation Hadin Kai marked an aggressive period for adversary networks. Under his watch, territory was systematically reclaimed, supply lines were severed, and Boko Haram and ISWAP strongholds faced unrelenting combat pressure.

When his transfer from the North-East was announced, local communities openly mourned the departure of an officer who had restored stability to their towns and villages. To an emotional populace, the tall, composed general offered a quiet, prophetic pledge: ‘I will always be with you.’

Following a strategic posting in April 2025 as Director of Armour Research at the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre where he contributed to technological integration and doctrine formulation destiny called on 30 October 2025. Adversaries who assumed the Army Chief role would confine him to a desk in Abuja quickly learned that his operational tempo would remain as direct and engaged as ever.

Over the past year, General Waidi translated his operational experience into systemic military reforms. Recognizing Nigeria’s vast territorial expanse, he moved away from overly bureaucratic command architectures. He championed the practical decentralization of military formations, devolving operational decision-making power down to forward-operating units, field sectors, and rapid-response detachments. This decentralization cut reaction times, eliminated procedural delays during hostile flare-ups, and allowed theater commanders to launch swift tactical interdictions without waiting for bureaucratic clearance from the capital.

At the same time, General Waidi broke the traditional mold of executive distance. Refusing to lead by proxy, he has consistently spent his weekends, festive seasons, and operational pauses on the frontlines; from forward operational bases in Borno, Yobe, and Kaduna to crisis centers across the North-West and the Niger Delta. By standing shoulder-to-shoulder with troops under live operational conditions, he transformed combat morale, inspiring an aggressive posture throughout the ranks.

Central to this doctrine is the principle that tactical effectiveness starts with personnel welfare. Over the past twelve months, the Army instituted comprehensive overhauls of field allowances, combat insurance schemes, and primary healthcare delivery for frontline soldiers and their dependents. Housing revamps across major barracks and swift medical evacuations for wounded personnel reinforced trust between the military leadership and troops in the field. To match this internal rejuvenation, General Waidi re-anchored army recruitment and promotions entirely on professional competence,mental fortitude, and merit. By enforcing transparent screening systems and ending extraneous influence in enlistment, he ensured that incoming personnel possess both the discipline and aptitude required for modern combined arms operations.

Operational friction among security branches also gave way to seamless institutional collaboration. Working closely with the Chief of Defence Staff, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force, and intelligence services, General Waidi institutionalized joint intelligence-fusion cells. Real-time air-to-ground synchronization turned complex joint operations into efficient, coordinated engagements.

Equally transformative has been his recognition that asymmetric warfare cannot be won solely through kinetic force.General Waidi prioritized the bond between the Army and civilian communities, moving civil-military cooperation past simple public relations into active partnership. Stringent standard operating procedures were reinforced to ensure zero tolerance for civilian rights infractions during operations.

Meanwhile, the engineering and medical corps executed civic interventions, including clean-water boreholes, primary health camps, and access road rehabilitation in conflict-affected zones. This rebuilt community trust directly improved actionable, real-time intelligence from local populations,transforming everyday citizens into cooperative allies in the fight against crime and terror.

One year since taking office, General Shaibu Waidi’s tenure demonstrates what clear vision and decisive leadership can achieve. He has maintained his promise to the Nigerian people: that wherever national security is tested, their Army Chief stands actively on the frontlines alongside his troops. With presidential backing, broad domestic goodwill, and the respect of international partners, General Waidi has laid a solid foundation for long-term operational success, steering the Nigerian Army into another year with sharpened combat readiness, renewed moral clarity, and an unshakable resolve to safeguard the nation.

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has disowned a campaign timetable in circulation, purportedly from the ADC is false and not from the party.

Director, Media and Publicity, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement also clarified that ‘the document did not emanate from the Council or its campaign office.’

While asking party members, leaders and other stakeholders not be take the alleged timetable serious, the Campaign council asked them to wait for the official direction from the party.

Ologbondiyan said the ADC – PCC has disowned an ‘unsigned campaign timetable currently in circulation, clarifying that the document did not emanate from the Council or its campaign office’.

He said the Council wishes to inform Nigerians, ADC members, leaders and other stakeholders that the purported timetable is unauthorised and should not be regarded as an official campaign schedule.

Accordingly, ‘all members and stakeholders are urged to disregard the document and await official communications from the ADC-PCC on campaign activities and schedules.’

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has dismissed claims that Nigeria sold $700bn worth of solid minerals to the United States, insisting that the bilateral agreement was designed to attract investment and facilitate cooperation, not transfer ownership of the country’s mineral assets.

Alake said no Nigerian asset was sold under the agreement, describing reports suggesting that the United States was taking over Nigeria’s mineral resources and security architecture as false.

The minister spoke in a statement on Wednesday after inaugurating the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector.

‘There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,’ Alake declared.

‘We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers,’ he said.

The committee was established following a strategic cooperation framework between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Alake said that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both countries was a government-to-government arrangement intended to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian mining operators.

He said the partnership would attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.

The minister also dismissed reports suggesting that the United States would take control of Nigeria’s mineral resources and security architecture, describing such claims as products of misinformation.

Explaining the rationale for the partnership, Alake said Nigeria was determined to change the pattern of international economic transactions in which African countries often received little value from their natural resources.

He noted that Nigeria had long depended heavily on oil revenues, while much of its solid minerals sector operated informally, with mineral ores extracted and exported without adequate local processing.

According to him, the Federal Government has introduced policies requiring investors to demonstrate clear plans for processing minerals locally before obtaining mineral titles.

Alake said the policy had encouraged the establishment of processing factories across the country, including what he described as West Africa’s largest lithium processing plant, recently commissioned in Nasarawa State by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

The Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump had prioritised energy, artificial intelligence and superintelligence, as well as critical minerals, as key areas of focus for US embassies.

Baas said the United States was interested in working with partner countries to secure critical supply chains while ensuring that they also benefited from the value generated.

‘We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,’ he said.

The Senator representing Kaduna South Senatorial District, Sunday Marshall Katung, has urged voters in Southern Kaduna to re-elect President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani in 2027, citing their administration’s projects and policies in the area.

Katung said the two leaders have demonstrated commitment to the development of Southern Kaduna through interventions he described as capable of improving livelihoods, creating jobs and promoting inclusion.

The senator stated this in an interview with Invicta FM, Kaduna, while assessing the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administrations at the federal and state levels.

He said Tinubu’s decision to flag off the APC’s North-West campaign in Kaduna reflected the strategic importance of the state to the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘He is a caring President who knows that Kaduna is like home. As far back as 2007, I led a delegation with my Senator, then Senator Caleb Zagi, to meet him on issues concerning Kaduna and he accepted,’ Katung said.

The senator identified the proposed light rail project and the $29.62m ginger processing hub in Kachia as key federal interventions expected to stimulate economic activities and create employment opportunities in the state.

According to him, the ginger processing facility has already begun to influence economic activities in Kachia, with land prices rising as investors anticipate increased commercial activities.

‘You can’t go to Kachia today and ask what the President has done. People will tell you their lifestyle has changed. The same will happen in Kafanchan and Manchok. By the time the light rail starts, jobs will be created, food vendors will sell. Value chains will change,’ he said.

On the state government, the senator praised Governor Uba Sani for what he described as an inclusive leadership style that had restored Southern Kaduna’s sense of belonging in the affairs of the state.

‘Governor Uba Sani has shown that he is a Governor for all. He has restored peace, brought projects to our zone, and runs an open-door government. For us in Southern Kaduna, this is the first time in a long time that we feel truly part of Kaduna State,’ Katung said.

He also defended the APC’s grassroots mobilisation strategy ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that direct engagement with voters was more effective than relying solely on campaign rallies.