Category: Auto Guid

The Grade A Customary Court sitting at Mapo in Ibadan, Oyo State, has adjourned a divorce case filed by a woman, Morenike, against her husband, Abdulmatin, whom she accused of irresponsibility, abuse, battery, and domestic violence.

Morenike told the court that her husband neglected his responsibilities at home, leaving her to shoulder most of the burden.

She stated that she single-handedly catered to the needs of their only child and was also responsible for paying the house rent.

She further described Abdulmatin as violent and abusive, alleging that he frequently beat her and sometimes threatened her with a knife during fights.

She stated that on one occasion, he attempted to suffocate her.

According to her, he was verbally abusive, often insulting and humiliating her in public by calling her a prostitute.

Morenike asked the court to grant her custody of their child and to compel her husband to take responsibility for their child’s welfare, giving attention to feeding, education, and healthcare.

She also requested an order preventing him from threatening or interfering with her private life.

In his response, Abdulmatin denied all the allegations but agreed to the dissolution of their marriage.

Morenike, in her testimony, said, ‘My husband and I began living together shortly after meeting.

‘We did not hold any formal marital rites, neither did my husband pay my bride price.

‘Our relationship was troubled from the beginning of our union.

‘My husband was irresponsible throughout the marriage.

‘I was the one who provided for the family the entire time we were together.

‘He failed in his duties as a father and contributed nothing to our child’s welfare or education.

‘I enrolled her in school and paid most of her fees.

‘My husband was verbally and physically abusive.

‘Instead of appreciating my efforts, he constantly insulted me, even in public.

‘He beat me over trivial issues and once tried to suffocate me.

‘He also threatened me with a knife.

‘I eventually left our marriage out of fear that my husband would one day butcher me.

‘My lord, I am ready to move on with my life.

‘I plead that this relationship be dissolved.’

Morenike begged the court for custody of their child.

She further entreated the court to enforce that her husband assume full responsibility for their child’s upkeep, giving feeding, education and health care preference.

The plaintiff, in addition, requested an order preventing the defendant from threatening and infringing on her private life.

The president of the court, Mrs. S. M. Akintayo, adjourned the case until May 12 for the defence.

Concerns are mounting over the diversion and misuse of critical child nutrition supplies in Oyo State, raising fears that hard-won progress in reducing malnutrition could be reversed.

The issue came to light as the state government uncovered widespread irregularities in the distribution of nutrition commodities meant for children under the age of two, one of the most vulnerable groups.

Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, speaking at the inauguration of the Oyo State Aid Diversion Committee, warned that the diversion of these supplies is undermining efforts to tackle malnutrition and safeguard child development.

She said the committee was established following reports that life-saving nutrition commodities were not reaching their intended beneficiaries.

According to Ajetunmobi, the state government, in partnership with UNICEF, contributed funds last year to the Child Nutrition Fund to provide small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements and ready-to-use therapeutic food for children under two.

She explained that the intervention was designed to prevent malnutrition-including severe acute malnutrition, stunting, and wasting-while also providing treatment for affected children.

‘The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are critical for brain development. If proper nutrition is not ensured during this period, it can affect a child’s growth and performance later in life,’ she said.

The commissioner noted that the supplements were procured and distributed across all 33 local government areas through primary healthcare centres.

However, she expressed concern over serious lapses in the distribution process.

‘We discovered a lack of accountability and transparency. Some of these supplements are not reaching the children who need them. In some cases, they are given to children outside the specified age range, diverted, or even sold in markets, despite being meant for free distribution,’ she said.

Ajetunmobi stressed that such practices undermine government efforts and could reverse the progress already recorded in the state.

She revealed that malnutrition rates in Oyo State had dropped significantly-from 34.7 percent to 24.7 percent-and said the government is determined to sustain and improve on these gains.

The newly inaugurated committee includes representatives from the police, the National Orientation Agency, and civil society organisations. Its mandate is to monitor health facilities, investigate reports of diversion, and ensure proper distribution of nutrition commodities.

‘We want full accountability. These supplements must reach the children they are meant for. If they are diverted, the purpose of the programme will be defeated,’ she said.

The commissioner also called on residents to support the initiative by reporting suspicious activities.

‘Let us all be involved. Visit healthcare centres, check the markets, and report if these products are being sold. They are not for sale,’ she urged.

She added that clear distribution and referral systems have been established to ensure eligible children can access the supplements at primary healthcare centres and designated distribution points.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and Chairman of the State Committee on Food Security, Tunde Ayanleke, acknowledged that while progress has been made in reducing stunting, the state still faces challenges with wasting-a more acute form of malnutrition.

He expressed optimism that targeted interventions would address the issue but warned that progress could stall without sustained investment and stronger inter-agency collaboration.

Ayanleke also praised the state government’s role in securing grants under the Child Nutrition Fund in partnership with UNICEF, noting that the intervention has significantly strengthened nutrition programmes.

‘Our state risks missing out if we do not maintain the required level of support. We are appealing for continued backing so that we can benefit again this year,’ he said.

He further disclosed that the state is conducting a general household survey to map poverty levels and better understand the drivers of malnutrition across local government areas.

According to him, the survey will help identify areas contributing most to malnutrition indicators, enabling more targeted interventions.

‘The essence is to know where the problems are most severe so that resources can be directed effectively,’ he added.

Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji, described the situation as a systemic problem driven by internal misconduct, warning that it could endanger children’s lives and reverse public health gains.

He recounted disturbing audit findings that illustrate the extent of malpractice.

‘In one instance, officials reported having 30 cartons of supplies. Physically, the cartons were intact. But when auditors opened them, some were filled with stones instead of the actual commodities,’ he revealed.

He added that similar deceptive practices had been uncovered during facility inspections, where health workers allegedly manipulated stock records to evade detection.

Olatunji also cited malpractice in the administration of malaria treatment, where proper diagnostic procedures were bypassed or falsified.

‘We instructed that anti-malaria drugs should not be given without proper testing. But some workers manipulate results. In some cases, positive samples are reused to falsify multiple test kits just to justify drug usage. That is deeply troubling,’ he said.

He emphasised the role of law enforcement in tackling diversion, particularly through market surveillance and local intelligence. He also disclosed plans to strengthen monitoring systems, including the introduction of a dedicated hotline for reporting cases of diversion and malpractice.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola-represented by ACP David Apampa-assured that the command would provide full operational support to ensure accountability in the distribution of critical supplies.

To strengthen coordination, the command called for designated contact persons to liaise directly with security agencies in cases of suspected diversion.

Earlier, Director of Nutrition at the Oyo State Ministry of Health, Dr Kadijat Alarape, disclosed that the state received 3,970 cartons of nutrition commodities from UNICEF. Of these, 2,278 cartons have been distributed across all 33 local government areas, while 1,692 cartons remain in storage.

She added that for the treatment of malnourished children, the state received 600 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food, with 330 cartons already distributed and 270 cartons still in storage.

Providing further insight, Alarape explained that small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements are intended for children aged six to 18 months to prevent malnutrition during the critical first 1,000 days of life.

She added that severely malnourished children are treated with specialised therapeutic foods, which are often expensive but provided free under the programme.

‘One sachet of therapeutic food can cost about N5,000, and a child may require several sachets weekly. Yet, we have reports of people diverting and selling these products,’ she lamented.

A new report by the civil society organisation Urban Alert has revealed the devastating environmental and economic impacts of gold mining in Osun State, describing the current regulatory framework as a system of ‘extraction without development.’

Published on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, the comprehensive document highlights a stark contrast between the region’s immense geological wealth and the severe pollution and financial exclusion burdening local host communities.

The report details an ongoing environmental emergency centred on the Osun River, which serves as a primary drinking water source for approximately 100,000 residents.

Building on its 2021 findings that proved the existence of mercury, lead, and cyanide in local waterways, Urban Alert’s latest water quality testing exposed catastrophic pollution levels.

The data revealed arsenic levels at 850 percent above World Health Organisation limits, mercury exceeding limits by over 2,000 percent, and lead contamination soaring between 1,000 and 2,000 percent above acceptable thresholds.

‘Arsenic levels 850% above WHO limits, mercury over 2,000% above limits, and lead contamination 1,000-2,000% above limits’. The consequences are dire, as ‘scientists have projected five-year mortality impacts if remediation is not initiated’.

Despite scientific projections warning of severe mortality impacts over the next five years if remediation is not initiated, the report noted that the government had yet to mandate any cleanup programme as of March 2026.

This environmental degradation is juxtaposed against the massive wealth currently being extracted from the state.

According to the document, the Segilola Gold Project in Atakumosa East-Nigeria’s most active commercial gold mine-produced 85,057 ounces of gold in 2024 alone, generating an estimated $196 million in revenue.

However, the report highlights that ‘geological richness does not automatically translate into community prosperity’.

‘If Osun State adopted a community-first model like Ghana’s Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF)-which mandates a contribution of $1 per ounce of gold sold plus 1% of annual net profit-the communities hosting the Segilola mine would receive a combined annual community fund of ‘approximately $1.34 million per year’ to build hospitals, schools, and water treatment plants. Over the remaining life of the mine, this could result in an estimated ‘$13.4 million into a ring-fenced community endowment’.

Furthermore, the publication exposed significant regulatory loopholes within the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sector, which it described as a licence to extract without accountability. The report observed that corporate clusters are acquiring multiple small-scale leases to supply centralized refineries.

‘The failure to do so is not a resource failure. It is a governance failure. And governance failures are the only category of failure that policy can fix’

Because these sites are technically classified as small-scale operations, they carry no obligation to report production quantities, environmental status, or community benefit payments, creating an untracked pipeline of wealth that completely bypasses local residents.

Concluding that the state possesses more than enough mineral wealth to fund critical infrastructure in every extraction community, the authors declared that the ongoing crisis needs urgent policy reforms.

A coalition of various support groups in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Friday, staged a solidarity parade to garner support for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu and the election of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as the next governor of the state in 2027.

The minister of state for health and social welfare, Dr Iziaq Kunle Salako, joined the groups, which included the City Boy Movement, Caucus 7202, and Ogun West Assembly, in the parade on major streets in Ayetoro town.

The group declared their readiness to work together for the victory of the APC in next year’s poll.

Salako, who is the convener of the solidarity walk, said the rally was put together to celebrate the emergence of Senator Adeola as the consensus candidate of the party and also to demonstrate their support towards the reelection of President Tinubu.

The minister said, ‘We are to celebrate and rejoice in the choice of Senator Adeola as the gubernatorial consensus candidate of the APC in Ogun State. This is the first time a person from Ogun West will be unanimously endorsed as a consensus governorship candidate.

‘Our sincere appreciation goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun for the pivotal and leadership roles they played in ensuring a rancour-free consensus arrangement. This solidarity parade is to demonstrate the readiness of our dear party in Yewa North Local Government to embark on massive grassroots mobilisation for the reelection of President Tinubu and the electoral victory of Senator Adeola in the February 2027 governorship poll.

‘The APC administration, both at the national and state levels, has prioritised the development of Ogun West. The party has also helped the senatorial district to break the jinx of over five decades. We appreciate the PBAT and DA for standing by Ogun West. I want to also thank former governors Ibikunle Amosun and Gbenga Daniel for supporting Yayi.’

Salako appealed to members of the party and the support groups to commence door to door step campaign in ensuring that the party coast to victory in the elections.

The minister also encouraged them to register with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and obtain their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), for them to perform their civic responsibilities in the election.

The Director-General of Caucus 7202, Seni Koiki, explained that the event was organised to rally support for all APC candidates, particularly President Tinubu and Senator Adeola.

He thanked the leaders of the party in the local governments for participating in the solidarity parade, disclosing that more such events meant to sell the party and its candidates to the electorate will be organised in other locations across Ogun State.

Newly matriculated degree students of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) and the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, have been warned against drug abuse, sexual harassment, cultism, cybercrime and other forms of social vices.

The warning was given by the Vice Chancellor of ATBU, Professor Ibrahim Garba, and the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Alhaji Sani Usman, in their separate remarks during the matriculation ceremony for 120 admitted students into the affiliated degree programmes of both institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.

Speaking, Ibrahim Garba, who was represented by Professor Abubakar Sadiq Bappa, Chairman, Central Admission Screening Committee of ATBU, said both ATBU and the Polytechnic have a policy of zero tolerance for all forms of vices and anti-social behaviour.

He further warned that students who fail to conform to the rules and regulations governing their stay on campus would be shown the way out.

The VC added that their duty is not only to provide students with access to knowledge but also to help shape their character so they become responsible citizens.

He said, ‘The oath you have taken today is an indication of your readiness to abide by ATBU laws and statutes as well as a promise that you will conduct yourself with decorum during your stay in this institution.’

According to him, ‘As for your stay here, everything has been done possible to ensure an acceptable standard of educational facilities and welfare for your studies.’

‘You should therefore give the Polytechnic all the needed support to realise the vision and mission of both the Polytechnic and our University,’ said the VC.

Earlier, the Rector of the Polytechnic, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Dalhatu Sa’idu Abubakar, reiterated that any student found culpable of engaging in these vices would face appropriate disciplinary actions, including rustication, suspension or outright expulsion.

He urged students to demonstrate respect for constituted authority, including lecturers, administrative staff, and institutional regulations guiding their conduct.

The Rector said, ‘This institution is determined to maintain a peaceful, disciplined, and academically conducive environment for all.’

He added, ‘I encourage you to direct your energy towards purposeful academic engagement, apply yourselves diligently to your studies, and maintain regular attendance at lectures.’

‘You are also advised to participate actively in all academic activities and nurture values that will set you apart as worthy ambassadors of both Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi,’ he added.

Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition in which patches of skin lose their pigment, resulting in lighter or white areas. Vitiligo is a long-term (chronic) skin disorder that causes the skin to lose its natural colour due to the destruction or malfunction of melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing melanin, the pigment that gives skin, hair, and eyes their colour. The affected areas may appear as small spots (macules) or larger patches, and hair in these areas can also turn white or silver.

The exact cause of vitiligo is not fully understood, but it is considered an autoimmune disorder, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy melanocytes. Genetic factors may also play a role, as about 30% of people with vitiligo have a family history of the condition.

Certain triggers, such as sunburn, emotional stress, or chemical exposure, may worsen or initiate the condition. Loss of skin colour in patches, which may appear anywhere on the body, including hands, feet, face, genitals, and mucous membranes. Hair colour changes in affected areas, turning gray or white.

Itching may occur before depigmentation starts in some cases.

The condition can be localised (focal), segmental (one side of the body), or generalised (symmetrical patches across the body), with universal vitiligo affecting most of the skin.

Vitiligo affects people of all ages, races, and sexes, though it is often more noticeable in individuals with darker skin. Most cases appear before age 30, and people with other autoimmune conditions, such as thyroid disease, diabetes, or lupus, may have a higher risk.

While vitiligo is not life-threatening or contagious, it can affect self-esteem and quality of life. Treatments aim to restore skin colour or slow progression, including topical medications, light therapy, and, in some cases, surgical options. However, treatment does not guarantee permanent results, and new patches may still develop. Some people choose not to treat vitiligo and manage it with cosmetic approaches like makeup or skin camouflage.

Vitiligo is a manageable condition, and support from dermatologists and patient communities can help individuals cope with its physical and emotional effects.

Three people have been confirmed dead in a lone accident along the Oke-Onigbin and Omu-Aran road after the Workers’ Day celebration in Kwara State.

The Tribune gathered that those involved in the accident were members of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kwara Command, Kabir Kazeem, who confirmed the incident, said it occurred around 3 p.m. when the celebrants were returning to their local government from Ilorin, the state capital.

‘A commercial bus, a black Mazda with registration number ARP627KY, was on May 1 involved in a lone accident due to overspeeding.

‘Seven people were involved in the accident, comprising three males and four females, but unfortunately, three females died on the spot,’ he said.

Kazeem noted that FRSC officers rushed to the scene and evacuated the injured passengers and the bodies of the deceased to the nearest hospital in Omu-Aran.

He added that the driver lost control after one of the vehicle’s tyres burst at high speed, leading to the fatal crash.

The Sector Commander said the FRSC would continue to sensitise drivers on road safety and urged passengers to caution drivers where necessary.

The Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Council, Mr Awelewa Gabriel, described the incident as a painful blow to the council, the health sector, and the state as a whole.

‘Our hearts are heavy. These were dedicated professionals who left their homes to celebrate the dignity of labour, only to meet this unfortunate fate on their way back.

‘We have lost patriots who served our communities with compassion and commitment,’ he said.

The Chairman assured that the local government would work with the state government and relevant agencies to support the affected families and assist with medical expenses.

As a party, we’re studying the implications and the importance of these two court judgments. We think that the judiciary has reinforced its place in the manner in which the electoral process functions. Our prayer is that the judgments they delivered are consistent with fairness and justice. I’m sure the parties involved, the PDP and the ADC, are studying the judgments as well and they will take appropriate steps either to take advantage or any advantages if they exist or to minimise damage. We (PRP) are free of any legal encumbrances to welcome people. Our platform has integrity and we are ready to receive anybody who wants to come. We’ve only barely about 24 hours to the deadline for submission of registers to INEC. We have a large number of people coming from all parties, including PDP and ADC. If they choose to come to us in view of what is happening in their parties, they are welcome. If they choose to stay in their parties and fight it out, we’ll respect their wishes and we’ll stand by it.

Nigerians are of the opinion that the country is heading to a one-party state with the way things are going. On Thursday, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation called for the deregistration of some political parties, citing some constitutional provisions for his submission. What do you think could have made him call for party deregistration at this point in time?

Democracy is defined by free association and free operation of political parties. When you begin to interfere in the operations of political parties, you are operating very close to the boundaries that can completely damage the democratic process. I’ve read the same thing that you read, that the Attorney General of the Federation is asking a court to deregister five parties. I think this is coming at the wrong time and from the wrong quarters. INEC registers parties, not government. And it should be the call of INEC. The rules regarding whether a party should continue to exist or not, or whether they are registered or not, should be left to INEC. It’s not the business of the government to go to court and ask parties that are opposing it to be deregistered. This represents an assault on the fundamentals of the democratic process. We condemn it.

What is the prospect of your party as the 2027 elections draw nearer? Do you see the PRP winning the presidential election? Then how prepared are you for the forthcoming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States?

Let me take Ekiti and Osun. We are as prepared as we can be. We have good candidates. PRP is sound in those two states and our prayer is that the people of Ekiti and Osun will vote for change. They shouldn’t return any of the parties that have destroyed the foundation of good governance, of the economy. People who use offices only to get money to come back again. They should vote for our candidates. Our candidates represent the real spirit and substance of change. Our candidates are good people. If voted into power, they will make a change. They will represent the New Nigeria that we are trying to rebuild. And they should not make the mistake of voting on ethnic or religious lines. PRP is a national party. We are serious in asking these two states to vote for our candidates.

Our prospects are bright. In fact, our prospects are even brighter. We have existed for over 70 years and now, by the combinations of both the misfortune of some of our parties, the misfortune they are suffering in the hands of the judiciary, perhaps INEC and the government, we are having a large number of people coming into our party. We are the only party that exists in principle and ideology that says very clearly that there shall be justice and competence and development of the people with their own resources. Other parties have no ideology, they just want power. We are the only party that exists on the basis of an ideology and we’re very proud of our ideology. Our prospects are bright. We think Nigerians will look very critically at the parties, look at us and then choose us.

Was PRP part of the opposition parties’ coalition that met in Ibadan recently to take a stand on 2027? Or your party, like some parties, will adopt President Bola Tinubu as its candidate or your party will field its own presidential candidate for the poll?

We’re part of it because we were invited and we attended. Outside the APC, I don’t know of any party that is adopting President Tinubu. Maybe there are one or two; you are a journalist and know what you mean. But I don’t know any party, but if there is any party, they wouldn’t have come to Ibadan. It was a meeting of parties in the opposition. We envisaged some possibility of some form of alliances with other parties in future. For now, everybody is registering their own members, they are selling forms to people. But we’ll not rule out cooperation, collaboration, alliances with parties that seek to reinforce the strength of the opposition. The important thing, the key issue for us, is that this administration must be brought to an end in February 2027. It has no plan for Nigeria. A second term for this administration will be a disaster for this country. And we think that Nigerians now know enough not to vote for this administration again. There are other parties who think like us. We will collaborate, we’ll cooperate and we’ll convince enough Nigerians to actually vote for the opposition.

You were an appointee of President Tinubu until some months ago when you resigned your appointment and gave the reasons for doing so. Has the President worked on those reasons that made you leave the government?

He (President) is not doing any of those things. On the contrary, things are worse than when I left. I went in in 2023 and the understanding was that I was going to be the special adviser to him in the office of the vice president. I never had a chance to contribute to anything that would help either the polity or the politics. On the contrary, I saw mistakes being made. I saw the country being allowed to drift. I saw a lot of attempts to hoodwink this country with figures and statistics that we are making progress. I had a nice office in the Villa and I would come to town, go into Nigeria and I would see misery, insecurity, poverty, hopelessness, young people without hope. I would come back again and I would advise that we need to put things in place and nobody listened to me. I got tired of giving advice that would not be used and I left.

Some Nigerians are saying that there is a gang up against the President because some of his policies are not in favour of the political class. Do you agree with that assertion?

If there is a gang up, it will be a gang up of criminals and bandits and killers and kidnappers that the same president has not been able to contain. Those are the only people who will gang up so that Nigerians will be killed and maimed and be made poorer. It’s no gang up. The President is incapable of securing Nigerians and is blaming criminals. He’s blaming politicians rather than dealing with the sources, the manifestation of insecurity. If he said there is a gang up against him, it’s not coming from law-abiding citizens, it is coming from those who think President Tinubu should mobilise to protect them. There must be a gang up involving criminals and bandits and kidnappers. We don’t know about that.

What is your general view on the state of the nation?

We’ve never been in a war situation more than we are now. We have a government that is too removed from the people. They don’t really understand the state in which Nigerians live. We are living with the highest level of insecurity that we have ever lived with. Poverty levels are unprecedented, young people have no hope. There is nothing to inspire them to be good citizens and to grow up in a country that does not care for them to be productive adults. We are fighting each other, we are hating each other. The country is more divided now than it has ever been. And it’s very important that we put an end to this drift in 2027. As I said before, another term for the same administration may just put an end to this country.

One would have thought that you would settle for a party like ADC instead of coming to the PRP. What’s the attraction in PRP?

If I ask you, what is the attraction in ADC? ADC is a collection of politicians who are more or less being recycled for a long time. PRP is a party that has stood on principles and values for all its time. If you want real change, genuine change, you don’t change parties, you pick a party that says we would take Nigeria in the opposite direction from where this administration has taken it. So the choice for me was very simple. It was not even a choice. First, I’ve been a PRP person all my life, from the university. And secondly, it’s the only party that represents, for me, the future for Nigerians, for my children, for my grandchildren. PRP can fix Nigeria. We don’t want power just for the sake of it. We want power to change this country. The people who come to our office buying forms, express their support to us, and ask what they can do too. We tell them if you are serious about coming into PRP, please understand that this party is committed to a number of key issues.

One is that if we form government or when we form government, the most important thing or the first thing we are going to do is that we are going to restore credibility, integrity and competence at all levels of leadership. The second thing is that we are going to resecure Nigeria; we have to make Nigerians feel secure in their homes, in their farms and on the road because right now they are left unattended and not secure. Number three, we have to rebuild the Nigerian economy to cater for the poor and the rich. Right now, our economy is not working. It’s only working on a piece of paper for Tinubu and his close people. Number four, we have to reunite Nigeria. We have to remove the anger and the hatred in the hearts of Nigerians against each other. For no reason, Muslims hate Christians and vice versa. For no tangible reason, we hate each other; we hate people of different faiths, we hate people of different tribes, we hate people from different parts of the country. Our party, if we form government, we’ll put an end to this hatred. There is enough room for everybody. There’s no reason why we should fight just because we worship different gods. And finally, we’ll restructure Nigeria. We believe the country is not working. We will put Nigeria on the table and ask Nigerians to advise us on how we will restructure Nigeria. We have to change this country’s structures and processes and systems and even its values. We have to have the emergence of leaders who will use power to improve the lot of people and not to steal our money and become rich.

The Zamfara State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has elected new executives to run its affairs for two years in the state.

The election was held on Friday at the INEC headquarters in Gusau, under the supervision of IPAC national headquarters, led by the National Organising Secretary, Bashar Bala, who represented the National Chairman. He said the keenly contested exercise was peaceful and orderly.

Members of the Zamfara State IPAC elected Suleiman Bungudu of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) as Chairman, Alhaji Idris Abdullahi Bangaje of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as Deputy Chairman, while Hon. Bashar Abdullahi of the Accord Party emerged as Secretary in the state.

Others elected include Mr Paul Ezeanya of the Action Alliance (AA) as Treasurer, Mamuda Garba of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) as Legal Adviser, while Kabiru Garba of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) emerged as Public Relations Officer of IPAC in the state.

The newly elected executives, who are to run the affairs of IPAC for two years, were sworn in by the Zamfara INEC Head of Litigation and Prosecution, Barrister Abdulkarim Shehu Bello.

In his acceptance speech, the new Chairman of IPAC in Zamfara State, Suleiman Bungudu, promised to carry every member along and assured that he would run the affairs of the council without fear or favour.

‘My doors are open. I will carry every member along for our success, and I welcome advice from any member,’ he stated.

The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of pilgrims from the state as preparations continue for pilgrimage activities.

The Director-General of the board, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim Matawalle, gave the assurance while receiving the Commander of the 3 Brigade, Kano, Brigadier General A.M. Tukur, during a courtesy visit to the board’s office.

This was contained in a statement signed by the board’s Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Suleiman Dederi, a copy of which was made available to the press in Kano.

Matawalle stated that since assuming office, he has prioritised fostering strong relationships with security agencies to ensure adequate protection for pilgrims.

He emphasised that collaboration with relevant authorities remains central to achieving a safe and hitch-free pilgrimage exercise.

In his remarks, Brigadier General Tukur said the visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation and synergy between the Nigerian Army and the Pilgrims Welfare Board in Kano State.

In a separate engagement, the Director-General also hosted members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Kankarofi Ward in Kano Municipal Local Government Area. During the meeting, he distributed Federal Government forms intended to facilitate access to assistance and support.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the APC Ward Chairman, Alhaji Sha’aibu Gambo, and the Chairman of Mai Taimako Organisation, Alhaji Nura Bako, commended the Director-General for his continued support and outreach.

Also, members of the Abba/Tinubu Support Organisation, led by Sa’ad Sulaiman Gezawa, paid a courtesy visit to the board as part of ongoing stakeholder engagements.

The developments highlight the board’s ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional partnerships and community relations ahead of pilgrimage operations.