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Why my father hid my Hausa identity-Gbenga Hashim

Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr Gbenga Hashim, has revealed the extraordinary family secret behind why his Hausa and royal identity remained concealed from him for almost three decades.

Hashim, grandson of the 40th Sarki Yauri, said his late father, Alhaji Hashim Abdullahi Yauri, deliberately kept his royal heritage away from him as a child after receiving a warning from an Islamic cleric about possible dangers within the royal family.

According to him, the cleric advised his father against exposing the child’s identity prematurely, prompting him to take what was ultimately a life-changing decision to protect his son by keeping his identity secret.

‘He chose protection over inheritance,’ Hashim said.

As a result, Hashim was relocated and raised in the Borgu Emirate under a different identity.

Although he was named Abdulmalik at birth, he grew up within a Yoruba cultural environment, largely removed from the Hausa traditions, royal connections and family history of his paternal lineage.

For almost 27 years, he said, he lived without knowing the full circumstances surrounding his identity.

The extraordinary story is detailed in Chapter 13 of his forthcoming autobiography, Sunrise At Midnight, scheduled for publication soon.

The chapter provides an account of his childhood, his father’s decision and the eventual discovery of the heritage that had been deliberately kept from him.

Hashim has previously spoken publicly about his unusual childhood. In an interview with THISDAY, he disclosed that he was born in Yelwa, Yauri, in 1969, while his father was a young police officer. He subsequently grew up with the family of his stepfather, Julius Bamidele Olawepo.

Hashim also paid tribute to his late father, whom he described as a highly influential police officer who rose to become a Police Commissioner and Commandant of the Police College, Kaduna.

Popularly known as ‘Zaki’ the Lion, Alhaji Hashim Abdullahi Yauri was widely respected across Northern Nigeria.

Hashim said the nickname reflected his father’s courage, discipline, strength and commanding personality.

Hashim and his siblings recently marked the 30th anniversary of their father’s passing with commemorative advertisements in major Nigerian newspapers.

For Hashim, the story of his father is inseparable from the story of his own identity.

The father who kept his royal lineage secret was also a man who, in Hashim’s account, carried a formidable reputation in public service.

Hashim’s account also takes him further back into the history of his paternal family, to his grandfather, Seriki Abdullahi Jibril, popularly known as Maiy Yauri.

He described his grandfather as one of the prominent traditional rulers of Northern Nigeria in his era and part of a generation of educated Northern royals who combined traditional authority with modern education, administration and commerce.

According to Hashim, Seriki Jibril, the 40th ruler of Yauri, was particularly distinguished by his knowledge of finance and trade, financial prudence, transparency and commitment to education.

He described him as a prominent royal of Hausa ancestry who was honoured with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) during the colonial period.

Hashim further recalled that British records portrayed his grandfather as an unusually independent traditional ruler who, during the Second World War, exercised a degree of administrative autonomy that distinguished him from many of his contemporaries.

But for Hashim, the story is ultimately bigger than royalty.

It is the story of a father who chose secrecy as an act of protection; a child who grew up between cultures without knowing the full story of his origins; and a family history that eventually returned to him decades later.

‘For 27 years, I lived without knowing the full story of who I was,’ Hashim said.

He said discovering his Hausa and Yauri heritage did not diminish the Yoruba cultural environment in which he was raised. Rather, it gave him a deeper understanding of the different cultural and historical strands that shaped his identity.

His story, he said, is ultimately about family, sacrifice, identity, heritage and the strange ways in which history can remain hidden for decades before finding its way back into a person’s life.

Klopp makes no promises on silverware ahead of Germany debut

Germany coach Juergen Klopp refused to make any promises of silverware on Wednesday but said signs of progress should be visible when his side ?face the Netherlands in his first match in charge in the League today.

The former Liverpool manager succeeded Julian Nagelsmann in July after Germany’s shock 2026 World Cup exit.

Nagelsmann had said following Germany’s Euro 2024 quarter-final defeat that he was sad he ?would have to wait two years to lift the World Cup, a ?prediction that came back to haunt him when his side were ?eliminated by outsiders Paraguay this summer.

Klopp was asked about his remark at the ?start of his Liverpool tenure that he would probably have won a title if ?he was still in the job four years later. He went on to win a string of trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.

He was far more circumspect on Wednesday. ‘I ?don’t want to promise anything,’ Klopp told a press conference. ‘What I can say ?is we will try and that’s what it is about now. That’s where we are at ?moment.’

Four-times world champions Germany have been eliminated early at the last three World Cups and have tasted no major international success since lifting their last World Cup in 2014.

Klopp raised eyebrows last week by naming two separate squads for two sets of ?two matches in ?the coming days ?as he rebuilds the national team ahead of Euro 2028.

‘I am in charge of the senior team and my task is ?to take the football there so that we are in ?with a ?chance to win every game we play,’ Klopp said. ‘It won’t work every day but we are working at it. I hope we can see some things already tomorrow.’

‘We ?need to ?take steps and the boys are ready for ?that,’ he said.

After visiting the Netherlands on Thursday, Germany host Greece on Sunday and Serbia on October ?1 before travelling to Greece three days later.

Insecurity threatens polls, says INEC

Insecurity is a major threat to the January and February 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared yesterday.

The electoral agency added that it would collaborate with the police to ensure that no Nigerian who desires to vote in the elections is disenfranchised as a result of insecurity.

It also identified logistical challenges and inadequate funding for the lead security agency as potential crisis areas if they are not properly addressed.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan spoke yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on the sidelines of the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers.

The Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) explained that vote-buying had moved away from polling units, hence the need for intelligence gathering to prevent the buying and selling of votes.

He pledged to make the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections and the February 6 governorship and Houses of Assembly elections credible, free and fair.

He explained that after five off-cycle elections, beginning with the November 2025 Anambra State governorship election and last week’s legislative by-elections, INEC, under his leadership, had learnt valuable lessons that would help it conduct credible elections in 2027.

The INEC chairman also stressed the need for adequate funding, professional police neutrality and effective coordination through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), urged the police to give Amupitan and INEC the necessary support.

She said effective policing support was vital to safeguarding the electoral process and delivering free, fair, credible and transparent elections.

Amupitan said insecurity remained INEC’s foremost concern because violence in some parts of the country could prevent eligible Nigerians from voting.

‘It’s a major source of concern for us. That can be a source of disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and we don’t want any Nigerian to be disenfranchised,’ he said.

He said INEC was working with the police, the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other security agencies to develop strategies for conducting elections in volatile areas.

Amupitan said the commission would convene a meeting of ICCES to address some of the challenges ahead of the general elections.

ICCES, he explained, provides a platform for INEC, security and other government agencies to coordinate election security at the federal, state and local government levels.

He said the mechanism, which emerged after the 2011 elections following concerns over post-election violence, had evolved into a structured system, with the Inspector-General of Police participating at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level and divisional police leadership at the local level.

He stressed that stronger coordination would be required ahead of 2027 and urged senior police officers to maintain professional neutrality, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen inter-agency cooperation.

The INEC chairman said politicians were adopting new methods of vote-buying, while some Nigerians remained willing to sell their votes.

He said many instances of vote-buying no longer occurred at polling units, making intelligence gathering critical to detecting and stopping the practice.

INEC, he said, was working towards a broader task force involving the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the AGF’s office, ICCES and law enforcement agencies.

‘We don’t have powers to arrest them. We don’t have powers to investigate,’ he said, adding that enforcement remained the responsibility of the security agencies.

He said INEC would continue to improve logistics and result management while working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that offences under the Electoral Act were investigated and prosecuted.

On disputes arising from political party primaries, Amupitan said matters within the jurisdiction of the courts would have to be resolved through litigation.

He said the Electoral Act was clear that disputes over primaries were for the courts to determine, including, where necessary, up to the Supreme Court.

However, he said such disputes would not necessarily prevent INEC from conducting elections because elections were contested by political parties rather than individual candidates.

‘Whatever decision that comes out at the end of the day, INEC will abide by it,’ he said.

Amupitan also said adequate funding was critical to providing the security, personnel and logistics required for credible elections.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, the INEC chairman said the commission’s funding was constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, but its responsibilities required sustained financial support.

He said INEC conducts presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly elections, in addition to voter registration and the registration and monitoring of political parties.

The commission also has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration, he said.

‘Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you can do because of financial constraints,’ Amupitan said.

He said funding was particularly important for deploying personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.

He added that even where security agencies maintained peace, inadequate logistics could still undermine an election.

Amupitan said INEC was applying lessons from recent off-cycle elections to its preparations for 2027, particularly in intelligence gathering, logistics and inter-agency coordination.

He said the commission had conducted five off-cycle elections without any being declared inconclusive, adding that each election had provided lessons for subsequent polls.

‘We started with the Anambra election. We learned some things from Anambra and ensured that they did not repeat in the election of FCT,’ he said.

He said the commission had similarly applied lessons from the FCT and Osun elections to strengthen its preparations.

The electoral agency also conducted off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and, only last week, legislative by-elections in Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states.

The INEC chairman also urged political parties to make campaigns issue-based rather than personal.

‘Campaigns should be based on issues, not on personality,’ he said, blaming some negative campaign practices on lack of political tolerance.

He said INEC was working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that offences under the Electoral Act were investigated and prosecuted.

He also urged politicians to avoid treating elections as a ‘do or die’ affair and to refrain from campaigns of calumny and denigration.

Amupitan attended the retreat with National Commissioners Dr Ken Ukeagu and Rear Admiral Jamila Abubakar Malaga (rtd.); Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chukwuemeka Ibeziakor; and Oketola.

Others were Ahmad Yusuf, Executive Assistant (Finance), and Ezeh Emmanuel, Head of Legal Department, INEC Imo State.

7 reasons you feel sleepy after eating

You just finished eating, and instead of getting back to what you were doing, you suddenly want to sleep. Your eyes become heavy. You start yawning. Concentrating becomes difficult, and that comfortable bed or chair suddenly looks more attractive than whatever you were doing.

For some people, this happens almost every day after lunch. Others notice it mainly after eating a large or heavy meal. But why does a meal sometimes leave you feeling sleepy when food is supposed to give you energy?

There is no single explanation, but the type and amount of food you eat, the time of the meal, alcohol and your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle can all play a role.

In this article, Tribune Online highlights seven possible reasons.

Your meal may be too heavy

One of the first things to consider is how much you eat. After a meal, your digestive system becomes active as the body breaks down food and absorbs nutrients.

Eating a very large meal can be accompanied by stronger feelings of fullness, relaxation and sleepiness.

This is one reason a large lunch may leave you struggling to keep your eyes open shortly afterwards.

The exact relationship between meal size and post-meal sleepiness is still being investigated, particularly in humans, but many people clearly notice a difference between eating a moderate meal and eating until they are uncomfortably full.

What you eat can affect how you feel afterwards

The composition of your meal can also influence your level of alertness. Meals particularly high in refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, bread, pastries and some processed snacks, can cause significant changes in blood glucose and insulin after eating.

Fat-rich meals, including many fried foods, can also leave some people feeling sluggish. This does not mean that rice, bread or other carbohydrate-containing foods are unhealthy by themselves. Rather, the quantity and overall balance of the meal matter.

A meal containing a mixture of protein, fibre and carbohydrates may affect your energy levels differently from one dominated by refined carbohydrates or heavily fried foods.

Eating at a time when your body is naturally less alert

Sometimes, the food is not the main reason.

Your body has an internal biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm , which influences when you feel awake and when you feel sleepy.

For many people, alertness naturally falls during the afternoon.This is why you may feel perfectly energetic in the morning but begin struggling to keep your eyes open after lunch.

If you eat your biggest meal during this period, the natural afternoon dip in alertness and the effects of eating may occur at the same time.

So, when you find yourself fighting sleep after lunch, your meal may not be entirely responsible.

Insulin resistance could be playing a role

Another possible factor is insulin resistance . Insulin helps glucose move from the bloodstream into the body’s cells, where it can be used for energy. When the cells become less responsive to insulin, the body has to produce more insulin to help regulate blood glucose.Insulin resistance is closely associated with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and can develop before diabetes is diagnosed.

Feeling sleepy after eating does not, on its own, mean that you have insulin resistance.

However, if you regularly experience unusual tiredness after meals, particularly alongside other symptoms or risk factors for diabetes, it may be worth discussing with a healthcare professional.

Your blood sugar may be falling after eating

A common explanation for post-meal tiredness is a supposed sugar crash. For most healthy people, however, the body is able to regulate blood glucose after eating, so a dramatic fall in blood sugar is not the usual explanation for ordinary post-meal sleepiness.

There are exceptions.Some people experience reactive hypoglycaemia, also called postprandial hypoglycaemia, in which blood glucose falls too low after a meal. This typically occurs around two to five hours after eating and can cause symptoms beyond sleepiness.

These may include shaking, sweating, weakness, a racing heartbeat and confusion.

If these symptoms repeatedly occur after meals, they should not simply be dismissed as normal tiredness.

Alcohol can make the sleepiness worse

If alcohol is taken with a meal, it can contribute to the feeling of drowsiness afterwards. Alcohol has a sedating effect, so combining it with a large meal, particularly during the afternoon, may make you feel even more ready for a nap.

However, feeling sleepy after drinking should not be mistaken for getting better sleep. Alcohol can interfere with normal sleep patterns and may affect how rested you feel later.

The real problem may not be your food

Sometimes, the meal is simply making an existing problem more noticeable. Several health conditions can cause persistent tiredness, meaning that a person may feel particularly exhausted after eating even though the food itself is not the underlying cause.

These conditions can include iron-deficiency anemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, anxiety and depression, among others. For example, a person with obstructive sleep apnoea may sleep for several hours but still wake up feeling unrefreshed because their sleep is repeatedly disrupted.If that person then eats a meal during the afternoon, the body’s natural dip in alertness may expose just how tired they already are.

Lagos APC expels Egunjobi, Yusuf

Two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State were yesterday expelled by the party leadership.

The chieftains, Chief Ganiyu Egunjobi and Mr. Azeez Yusuf, were expelled, following their anti-party activities and disloyalty to the party.

Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, said in a statement that they exhibited conduct considered inimical to the integrity and party discipline.

Egunjobi and Yusuf contested APC primaries for Agege Constituency I and Agege Constituency II, but failed to secure the party’s tickets.

Rather than respect the outcome of the internal democratic process and remain loyal to the platform on which they sought election, they obtained tickets from the opposition Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Ojelabi said the party viewed the conduct as a clear repudiation of the obligations of party membership and an unacceptable act of anti-party activity and disloyalty.

He said in a statement that their purported resignations from the APC were therefore, viewed as a belated and face-saving attempt to pre-empt the consequences of their actions.

Ojelabi says the party’s position is that membership of the APC cannot be treated as a convenient political garment to be worn during a primary and discarded immediately after an unsuccessful outcome.

He said: ”APC is a political organisation governed by rules, regulations and constitutional obligations. While members are free to aspire to elective office, such aspirations must be pursued within the framework of the party’s constitution and the applicable electoral laws.

‘A member who loses an internal contest is expected to accept the outcome or pursue legitimate avenues of redress provided by the party and the law-not to undermine the party by seeking an alternative platform within the same electoral cycle.

‘The party has accordingly invoked the relevant provisions of Article 9(5)(II) of the APC Constitution (as amended in 2022) in taking disciplinary action against the two former members.

‘Their conduct is particularly significant in the context of the 2026 electoral framework. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has emphasised the obligation of political parties and political actors to comply with the Electoral Act 2026 and the Commission’s regulations governing the electoral process.

‘The Lagos APC therefore wishes to make it abundantly clear that Chief Ganiyu Egunjobi and Mr. Azeez Yusuf are no longer members of the All Progressives Congress.

‘Consequently, neither individual has the authority to speak for, represent, negotiate on behalf of, or otherwise transact any business with any person, organisation or institution in the name of the Lagos State APC or the All Progressives Congress.

‘The party urges members, supporters, stakeholders and the public to take note of their changed status and to refrain from dealing with either of them as representatives or authorised agents of the APC.

”The APC remains committed to internal democracy, discipline, loyalty and respect for the rules governing the organisation. The right to contest an election does not confer the right to sabotage the party after losing its nomination process.

‘The APC is a party of rules. Its tickets are contested, its decisions are respected, and its integrity will be protected.

‘The Lagos APC will continue to take all necessary steps to preserve the discipline, cohesion and credibility of the party as it prepares for the forthcoming elections.’

Adeleke blames Nigeria’s poor pitches for stadia accreditation failures

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Limited, Engineer Lanre Adeleke, has urged Nigerian stadium developers and government agencies to make the playing pitch the top priority in sports infrastructure projects. He also commended the Lagos State Government for its sports infrastructure drive.

Adeleke spoke yesterday during a facility tour of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

He said Nigeria’s failure to secure international accreditation for many of its stadiums stems mainly from poor pitch quality rather than the quality of the stands.

‘I think the pitch must be given the ultimate attention now,’ Adeleke said. ‘Look across Nigeria. We have 20 or 30 grand stadiums with impressive stands. Yet, we fail to get international accreditation because of the quality of the pitch.’

He said Nigeria has misplaced its priorities in scoring stadium projects.

‘In school, if an exam has six questions and question number one is compulsory and worth half the total marks, you don’t spend all your time answering the optional ones but in Nigeria, we’ve been majoring in the minor,’ Adedeji explained as he likened the pitch to an airport runway.

He noted: ‘A traveller might admire a magnificent and shiny terminal of an airport. But an airline pilot doesn’t care about the terminal if the runway is undulating and unsafe for landing. An airport is judged by its runway and its control tower.

‘ In stadium construction, the pitch is our runway. It is the compulsory question. It is the icing on the cake. We must reverse our priorities. Give 50 per cent or 70 per cent of our weight to the pitch and let the rest like the floodlights, scoreboards and dressing rooms follow.’]

Meanwhile, Adeleke has praised the Lagos State Government for what he described as a forthcoming approach to sports development.

‘That is where Lagos State is setting a standard,’ he said. ‘The government has been remarkably forthcoming, and the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission(LSSC), Lekan Fatodu, is performing at an exceptional level.’

He said Lagos is constructing eight mini-stadia across the state: ‘Three are already at 100 per cent completion, and Ketu is right at the finish line. Ongoing work is pushing forward in Epe and Somolu, with projects moving ahead in Badagry and Orile as well.’

He said Lagos stands apart because its facilities include practice pitches. FIFA standards for major tournaments require a main stadium supported by at least four practice pitches, one for each team in a tournament group.

‘While other regions are still struggling to get a single practice pitch started, Lagos already has these practice pitches built into its infrastructure,’ Adeleke said. ‘And look at Agege Stadium. It stands alone as a fully completed, top-tier facility with its artificial turf 100 per cent ready to go. Whether you look at Gbagada, Ikorodu, Ketu, or Ifako, the vision is being realised.’

On the pitch at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Adeleke said the turf must undergo surface trenching, known technically as grooving, before it is ready for competitive football.

‘After planting this grass, there is what we call trenching,’ he explained. ‘Underneath where we stand, there are four hidden layers of drainage connecting to the perimeter drains. The fifth layer, the surface trenching, is what seals the deal. It takes a month of precision, but once done, the water drains flawlessly, and the pitch holds.’

Didier Pascal, a foreign consultant who was on site, said the work cannot begin until the dry season.

‘We cannot start the trenching just yet. It’s the wet season,’ Pascal said. ‘If we cut the trenches while the ground is soaked, the pitch levels will collapse. We must wait for the dry spell so we protect the integrity of the surface.’

Adeleke said the process drew criticism during the Warri City Stadium project.

‘When we did it in Warri, we had some misconceptions. Bloggers started writing that we planted grass only to dig it right back up. But we had to show them: this surface trenching is the vital final phase before a pitch is ready for true football,’ he added.

ICAN Oluyole District pays WAEC fees for 100 students

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Oluyole District, Ibadan, has paid the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees of 100 students as part of activities marking its second anniversary.

The beneficiaries are students of Oba Akinbiyi Model College, Ibadan, and St. Louis Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan, with each school receiving N2 million to cover the examination fees of 50 students.

Speaking during the presentation, the Chairman of ICAN Oluyole District, Dr Olawale Dopemu, said the gesture was part of the district’s commitment to giving back to society and investing in the future of young Nigerians.

Dopemu said the initiative was also designed to encourage students, particularly those studying commercial subjects, to pursue careers in accounting and other related fields.

He said the district was adopting some students and would provide sponsorship and mentorship to selected beneficiaries through their academic journey and into professional accounting.

According to him, ‘One of the cardinal points of this group is to give back to society. As we celebrate our second anniversary, we have decided to reach out to these students and support them.

‘We want to encourage them to pick up their books and take their studies seriously. There is nothing you cannot achieve in life if you put your mind to it.’

He urged the beneficiaries to remain focused on their studies and make good use of the opportunity provided by the organisation.

The General Secretary of ICAN Oluyole District, Mrs Tolulope Olatoyan, said the initiative was aimed at impacting lives and strengthening the relationship between the accounting profession and the community.

Olatoyan said, ‘One of the things we want to achieve with the second executive of this district is to impact lives and ensure that we reach out to the community around us.

‘We are here to celebrate our second anniversary by reaching out to some of the students in the school. We are particularly interested in the commercial students because some of them are studying Accounting, Economics, Commerce and Marketing.’

The Principal of Oba Akinbiyi Model College, Mrs Adebisi Adebanji, commended ICAN Oluyole District for the gesture, describing it as a major investment in the future of the students.

Adebanji said the support would provide the beneficiaries with a platform to pursue their academic ambitions without the burden of examination fees.

She urged the students to reciprocate the gesture by taking their studies seriously and striving for excellence.

Also, the Principal of St. Louis Grammar School, Mrs Shadare Abosede, expressed appreciation to the ICAN district for coming to the aid of the students at the beginning of the new academic session.

She said the payment of the WAEC fees would remain memorable to the beneficiaries, adding that the gesture would inspire them to give back to society when they become successful.

Govt moves to cap rent at 40 per cent of workers’ income

The Federal Government has said it is working to ensure Nigerian workers do not spend 40 to 60 per cent of their income on rent.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma said this while commending the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for supporting access to affordable housing for its workers.

Darma said excessive spending on rent could force workers to seek additional sources of income to meet other family obligations, including education and welfare, thereby creating conditions that could encourage corruption.

The minister said the government’s objective was to reduce the proportion of workers’ income spent on rent and ensure that more Nigerians had access to affordable and decent housing.

He said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every unhoused Nigerian had a home.

According to him, about 110 million Nigerians are currently unhoused, requiring an estimated 16 million housing units to address the deficit.

‘One important dimension is that people with families, if they tend to spend their own income, their own legitimate income on rent, then they will have to source other means of getting some money to do other things to take care of their families, their schooling, and the rest.

‘And that is an impetus to corruption. So we are going to ensure that in this country, workers do not spend 40 to 60 per cent of their income on rent. We are going to ensure that that is done. At least if we do that, we are reducing one dimension that leads to corruption.

‘But importantly, what we are trying to do is to make sure that every unhoused Nigerian gets housing, gets a place they call home.’

He said the ministry had engaged stakeholders in the housing sector as well as relevant regulators to facilitate the provision of the required housing units within the coming months.

Darma also disclosed that the government was taking stock of abandoned housing projects across the country as part of its strategy to address the housing deficit.

He said the abandoned projects dated back several years, including housing schemes initiated during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

‘There are so many housing projects, starting from the National Housing Programme and even long way back-even during Gen Obasanjo’s time-so many of them have been abandoned all over Nigeria, in all states,’ he said.

The minister said the government was compiling statistics on the abandoned projects and visiting states where the properties were located.

He explained that the Federal Government was engaging state governors to take over or buy the abandoned housing projects so that they could be renovated and converted into serviceable homes for civil servants.

Darma said the government had identified close to 250,000 abandoned housing units nationwide.

He expressed optimism that if state governments could take over the 250,000 units within the next few months and allocate them to civil servants, it would represent significant progress in addressing the country’s housing shortage.

‘We are taking stock of them; we are taking statistics. We are moving to each and every state where we have these abandoned properties.

‘We go and beg the governors to take over, to buy them off, so that they could have them being placed as serviceable homes and give them to their own civil servants,’ he said.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to implementing the strategy, saying: ‘We are going to do it.’

Bauchi Stakeholders call for maternal, neonatal tetanus elimination

Stakeholders in the Bauchi State health sector have called for increased public awareness, immunisation and community participation to accelerate efforts to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in the state.

The call was made during a Maternal, Neonatal and Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) media engagement held at the MHWUN Secretariat in Bauchi.

The engagement brought together health officials, media practitioners, traditional rulers and religious leaders to discuss ways of strengthening efforts to prevent the disease.

Speaking at the event, Mohammed Ribado Jibrin, State Health Education Officer, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, said the meeting was organised to provide stakeholders with accurate information on MNTE and strengthen public health education across communities.

He urged journalists and broadcasters to use their platforms to disseminate credible health information, particularly to women of reproductive age and families, while encouraging communities to make use of available healthcare services.

Also speaking, Nasiru Shuabu, State Immunisation Officer, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, said symptoms of tetanus include severe muscle stiffness and difficulty opening the mouth.

He urged anyone experiencing such symptoms to seek medical attention promptly.

Shuabu identified immunisation, hygienic childbirth practices and proper umbilical-cord care as key measures for preventing maternal and neonatal tetanus.

He also urged traditional and religious leaders to support awareness campaigns across the selected local government areas.

The engagement was attended by local government representatives, including Garba Musa, Chairman of Kirfi Local Government, and Hon. Saleh Hodi Jibir, Chairman of Shira Local Government.

The selected local government areas are Ningi, Kirfi, Itas-Gadau, Shira, Giade, Darazo and Tafawa Balewa.

Electricity: Benue mulls $4b hydro power plant, Bayelsa 13 mini grids

Bayelsa and Benue State governments yesterday announced measures to provide stable power to residents and industries.

While Bayelsa is mulling 13 mini-grids to complement its 60-megawatt turbine, Benue announced a move to build a $4 billion hydro power plant in Makurdi, the state capital.

Director General, Bayelsa Electricity Regulatory Agency(BERA), Rosalyn Dressman, said during the Southsouth Reawakening Group Roundtable Series in Yeangoa said the state government, in collaboration with the German Development Organisation (GIZ) and the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, is already collating data for the establishment of the mini-grids.

The roundtable series was themed ‘Bayelsa Power Infrastructure and Its Value Chain Objectives.’

Dressman said the regulatory agency has designed an Integrated Resource Plan that focuses on demand and load forecasting, establish conditions of existing assets and comparing supply and network options.

According to her, the integrated resource plan also identifies the least-cost options for meeting service requirements, while also considering resilience and the objectives of each project.

Managing Director, Bayelsa Electricity Company Ltd, Olice Kemenanabo, identified poor network as the principal reason many homes do not have power.

Kemenanabo said although the Electricity Act provides for regulatory arrangements where state and interstate interests are involved, it does not eliminate the franchise owner.

His words: ‘The law provides for regulatory arrangements where state and interstate interests are involved. But that does not mean that the interstate dimension somehow eliminates the franchise owner or extinguishes the rights and obligations associated with that franchise.

‘The assets and the franchise arrangements remain governed by the applicable legal framework. The fact that a state now has regulatory responsibilities does not, by itself, mean that the distribution network operated under an existing franchise can simply be excised from that distribution company and unilaterally vested in the state.

‘There is no provision, to my understanding, that says that once a state establishes a regulatory agency, it should automatically take over the network of another distribution company and drive the franchise owner away.’

SSRG Convener Joseph Ambakaderimo described the Electricity Act, 2023 as a structural shift that ’empowers states with the authority to shape their own electricity markets, opening the door to innovation, investment, and locally driven solutions.’

Ambakaderimo said the transition from a centralised state-led electricity market represents both an opportunity and a responsibility.

He warned that decentralisation, if not properly coordinated, risks fragmentation, highlighting overlaps between federal and state jurisdictions in transmission and distribution.

‘At the South South Reawakening Group, we believe that reforms alone do not deliver outcomes; execution does, and execution requires dialogue, alignment and collaboration,’ the SERG convener stated.

In Makurdi, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA), Johnpaul Kpenkaan, told reporters that the $4 billion plant, if executed, will generate 1,650Megawatts (MW) of electricity.

The initiative, according to Kpenkaan, is part of Governor Hyacinth Alia administration’s broader efforts to strengthen the state’s infrastructure and create the energy foundation required to support industrial and economic development.