Category: Daily Trust

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has announced that the 23rd National Sports Festival (NSF) in Enugu state will feature only 20 sporting events due to the prevailing economic situation.

This was one of the decisions taken at the meeting held in Abuja between the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade and States’ Directors of Sports.

In the statement released yesterday, the DG reiterated the Commission’s exclusive rights to organise and coordinate the NSF and reaffirmed that the decision to reduce the number of sports to 20 was taken at the last National Council on Sports meeting held in Calabar, in consideration of the prevailing economic realities in the country.

The DG further explained that the Commission’s decision to come up with a list of 20 sports for the games is in line with the model being used for the 2026 Commonwealth games in Glasgow, Scotland, where some sports were being merged.

The sports approved for the Coal city Games, Enugu 2026 are; Athletics and Para Athletic; Badminton and Para Badminton; Basketball and Wheelchair Basketball (3×3); Boxing; Canoeing and Para Canoeing; Cricket; Cycling ; Darts; Football and Golf.

Others are: Gymnastics; Judo; Mixed Martial Arts; Shooting and Para Shooting; Swimming; Table tennis and Para Table Tennis; Tennis; Taekwondo; Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting and Wrestling.

Twenty years. Eighteen billion dollars. Zero functional refineries. These numbers capture Nigeria’s greatest industrial tragedy-not engineering failure, but organised impunity. Now, just as Nigerians hoped for closure, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has signed a fresh Memorandum of Understanding with two Chinese firms-Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xingcheng Industrial Park Operation and Management Company Limited-to ‘accelerate’ the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

Let me be clear: this MoU changes nothing. Worse, the chosen partners cannot do the job.

First, examine the Sanjiang Chemical. It is a legitimate petrochemical producer based in Jiaxing, China, specialising in epoxy ethane and ethylene glycol using light feedstocks. There is no public evidence that Sanjiang has ever built, operated, or managed a full-scale crude oil refinery-let alone facilities as complex as Port Harcourt (210,000 barrels per day) and Warri (125,000 bpd). Processing petrochemical derivatives is not the same as reviving aging refineries burdened by decades of decay. Financial reports also show declining revenues and significant short-term debt. If a company is already under liquidity pressure, how will it shoulder the burden of Nigeria’s most troubled national assets?

Second, Xingcheng Industrial Park is an even greater mismatch. By every corporate record, it is an industrial park and infrastructure management company-essentially a real estate manager. There is no verifiable evidence that it has any experience in petroleum engineering, refinery operations, or hydrocarbon processing. The MoU’s stated ambition to develop gas-based industrial hubs around the refineries may explain why a park manager was brought in, but the core job is rehabilitating and operating actual refineries. That requires a lead partner with proven refinery engineering credentials-a Technip, a Bechtel, a Sinopec Engineering. Xingcheng possesses none of these.

Nowhere in the NNPC’s announcement is there mention of a lead engineering, procurement, and construction firm with global refinery credentials. The statement says the MoU is for a ‘potential Technical Equity Partnership’ and that definitive arrangements will follow ‘subject to customary approvals.’ In plain language: this is an expression of interest, not a binding contract. The terms, financing, and the very identity of who will do the work are all yet to be determined. If the definitive agreement eventually brings in a proper refinery operator, why was that operator not named upfront? If the plan is for Sanjiang and Xingcheng to subcontract the actual work, Nigeria is signing an MoU with middlemen-adding layers of cost and opacity while diluting accountability.

The technical verdict on these refineries is already settled. Kelvin Emmanuel explains that they were built with only secondary distillation capabilities; their profit margin cannot exceed 20 per cent, while break-even requires 40 to 45 per cent. You cannot engineer your way around sixty-year-old assets with fundamental design limitations. The Chinese are not magicians.

But my greatest fear is not technical failure-it is contractual entrapment. Consider Uganda’s Entebbe airport. A $200 million loan from the Chinese Exim Bank required the aviation authority to seek Chinese approval for its annual budgets. All airport revenues were deposited into an escrow account controlled by the lender. Uganda waived sovereign immunity, and disputes would be settled in China under Chinese law. When Uganda tried to renegotiate, the Chinese authorities refused. The airport was never formally seized-effective control was transferred in the fine print. Uganda’s Finance Minister later apologised to parliament: ‘I apologise that we shouldn’t have accepted some of the clauses.’

Then consider Zambia. Over years, Zambia accumulated billions in Chinese loans backed by sovereign guarantees and linked to its copper sector. When copper prices fell, Zambia defaulted in 2020. Chinese lenders became Zambia’s largest bilateral creditor, with $5.7 billion owed. Debt restructuring dragged on for three and a half years because of the number of Chinese creditors. By late 2024, Zambia became the first African country to formally accept China’s yuan for mining taxes and royalties-a direct consequence of being unable to restructure on favourable terms. No asset was seized. But economic leverage and strategic influence transferred systematically. This is the trap Nigeria risks walking into-borrowing against oil assets to fix refineries that have already consumed $18 billion, with a partner whose operational capacity remains unverified.

What must be done? First, no binding agreement with Sanjiang or Xingcheng shall be signed unless the full unredacted MoU is transmitted to the National Assembly within seven days, followed by a public hearing within 30 days, and approved by a two-thirds majority of both houses. Second, no sovereign guarantee, revenue escrow arrangement, budget approval right ceded to any foreign entity, waiver of sovereign immunity, or agreement to foreign jurisdiction shall be included unless every such provision is individually and explicitly approved by the same supermajority after public testimony from the Minister of Finance and independent experts. Third, the Bureau of Public Procurement must certify compliance with the Public Procurement Act. Fourth, NEITI must audit the transaction at every stage.

Beyond these demands, the only honourable exit is transparent, competitive divestment. The Dangote refinery-built with private capital, not state billions-is producing fuel. The NNPC itself announced in December 2025 that it plans to sell stakes in selected oil and gas assets through a formal bidding process. The framework exists. What is missing is political courage. If Sanjiang and Xingcheng are capable, let them bid in an open process. If they cannot win a competitive bid, they should not operate Nigerian refineries. That is not anti-China. It is pro-accountability.

For young Nigerians watching this cycle of waste, the lesson is brutal: your future was traded for contracts that never worked. Selling the refineries will not recover the $18 billion already lost, but it will stop the bleeding. Nigeria tried rehabilitation. Nigeria paid for rehabilitation. Nigeria failed at rehabilitation. To persist is moral negligence. The Chinese MoU is not a solution. It is the same disease in a different bottle-this time, with less convincing actors.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State has disclosed that no fewer than eight aspirants have so far indicated interest in contesting for the governorship ticket on the platform of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

This is as the party commended former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, for what it described as his ‘boldness’ in obtaining the party’s presidential nomination form.

The Rivers State chairman of the ADC, Dr. Chukwudi Dimkpa, made this known in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.

Dimkpa said the party has continued to witness an unprecedented wave of political interest and participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

‘This is a clear indication that the party has rapidly emerged as the preferred platform for credible leadership, progressive politics, and people-driven governance.

‘The formal declaration of intent by Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to contest for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of the African Democratic Congress marks yet another major milestone in the growing national momentum around the party.

‘In Rivers State, the level of interest generated within the ADC has been extraordinary. No fewer than eight prominent individuals have already indicated interest in contesting for the office of Governor under the platform of the party.’

He disclosed that those who have so far shown interest to contest for the governorship position in the state include former public office holders, technocrats, accomplished professionals, and respected private sector operators.

He added, ‘They are, among others, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG); former Member of the House of Representatives and former Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); another former Member of the House of Representatives and former Chairman of NIMASA; former Commissioner for Employment Generation; former Chief Medical Director of UPTH; renowned architect and successful private sector leaders and entrepreneurs.’

The party chairman revealed that beyond the governorship race, several highly qualified individuals have also expressed interest in contesting for Senate, House of Representatives, and State Assembly positions across the state.

He said the development has sent a very clear message that the ADC is no longer viewed as an alternative party.

He stated, ‘ADC is now increasingly being seen as the vehicle for the future. What we are witnessing is not an ordinary political movement. It is a convergence of experience, competence, credibility, youth energy, and grassroots belief in a new political direction for Rivers State and Nigeria.

‘For years, many Nigerians complained that credible people stayed away from politics. Today, credible people are not only joining politics, they are deliberately choosing ADC.

‘The growing influx of respected leaders and professionals into the party reflects increasing public confidence in the vision, internal democratic culture, and transformational agenda of ADC.

‘Most importantly, it demonstrates that Rivers people are ready for a fresh political order built on ideas, capacity, accountability, inclusion, and development-driven leadership.’

Governor Dauda Lawal has received the Award of Excellence from the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for promoting inclusive governance and social protection delivery in Zamfara State.

The award was presented during a stakeholder engagement with local government chairmen held at the Transcorp Congress Hall in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Lawal commended the Federal Government, the World Bank and development partners for supporting reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s social protection system.

He said the expansion of the National Social Register and integration of the National Identification Number (NIN) had improved transparency, efficiency and accountability in service delivery.

The governor described the engagement as ‘timely and strategic,’ noting that social protection had become a critical governance tool in conflict-affected states like Zamfara.

‘Insecurity in Zamfara has led to displacement, livelihood disruptions, food insecurity and economic hardship, thereby increasing the vulnerability of women, children, displaced persons and rural communities,’ he said.

Lawal stressed that social protection interventions must be coordinated, transparent and data-driven to ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most.

He also underscored the importance of local governments in community mobilisation, data validation and monitoring of interventions.

‘The integration of NIN with the National Social Register boosts credibility, reduces duplication and enhances transparency, but technology alone cannot solve the challenges without accountability and collaboration,’ he added.

Presenting the award, the National Coordinator of NASSCO, Dr Funmi Olotu, said the recognition was in appreciation of the governor’s commitment to inclusive governance and social protection in the state.

Former spokesperson of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. (Mogaji) Seye Oladejo, has said Lagos State deserves a special status because of its strategic role as Nigeria’s economic and commercial hub.

Oladejo made the declaration during his official announcement to contest for the House of Representatives seat for Mushin Constituency II at the GOS Compound in Olateju, Mushin, Lagos.

The former chairman of Mushin Local Government said Lagos requires increased federal recognition and support to match the economic responsibilities it carries for the country.

‘Lagos State should be accorded a special status as Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, and our 37 LCDAs should be officially recognised,’ he said.

Oladejo pledged to sponsor a Lagos Special Status and Infrastructure Support Bill at the National Assembly if elected, noting that the legislation would seek increased federal funding for infrastructure and development projects in the state.

He also promised to push for the constitutional recognition of Lagos State’s 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) through a proposed Local Government Autonomy and Recognition Bill.

Speaking on his ambition, Oladejo described it as a ‘social contract’ with the people of Mushin Constituency II focused on impactful representation and people-oriented legislation.

‘I am here to canvass for your support and seek your understanding to back me up at the House of Representatives for Mushin Constituency II,’ he said.

The APC chieftain highlighted youth empowerment, education, healthcare, sports development, and economic inclusion as key priorities of his legislative agenda.

According to him, he would promote vocational education and digital skills training to improve employment opportunities for young people.

‘We will drive vocational education for our youths, strengthen support for public schools, empower micro and small-scale businesses, and create opportunities for young people through sports development,’ he said.

Oladejo also promised support for artisans, traders, widows, indigent students, and people in the creative industry through targeted empowerment programmes and proposed legislation.

He disclosed plans for a National Youth Skills and Employment Development Bill aimed at creating large-scale employment opportunities through vocational and technical training.

Other proposed legislations, according to him, include a Public Education Support and Equity Bill, a National Mental Health and Community Care Bill, and an MSME and Informal Sector Growth Bill.

On education, he promised free JAMB and GCE forms for indigent students as well as scholarships for outstanding students in public institutions.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed June 20, 2026, for by-elections into five vacant National Assembly seats across Nasarawa, Kano, Ondo, Enugu and Rivers States.

The affected constituencies are Nasarawa North Senatorial District in Nasarawa State, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, Ondo South Senatorial District in Ondo State, Enugu North Senatorial District in Enugu State and Rivers South East Senatorial District in Rivers State.

INEC said the elections would hold alongside the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for the same day.

The commission said the by-elections became necessary following deaths, resignation and other constitutional developments that created vacancies in the National Assembly.

The Nasarawa North Senatorial seat became vacant following the death of Senator Godiya Akwashika, a development that created a major political vacuum in the district regarded as one of the strongholds of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North-Central.

Similarly, the Enugu North Senatorial District seat became vacant after the death of Senator Okey Ezea, setting the stage for what observers expect to be a keenly contested race among major political parties in the South-East.

In Ondo State, the Ondo South Senatorial District seat was declared vacant following the resignation of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim after his appointment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The Rivers South East Senatorial District seat also became vacant after the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi.

Similarly, the vacancy in Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State was created following the death of Hon. Muhammad Danjuma Hassan.

A youth group within the All Progressives Congress in Kebbi State, the Kebbi APC Youth Vanguard (KAYVA), has criticised former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, over comments made during the launch of his 2027 governorship ambition.

The group reacted after Malami reportedly purchased the APC nomination and expression of interest forms and unveiled a campaign initiative tagged ‘Operation Rescue,’ which he said was aimed at addressing challenges facing Kebbi State under the administration of Governor Nasir Idris.

Speaking with journalists, spokesperson of the group, Adamu Ahmed, said KAYVA disagreed with Malami’s position on the state of governance in Kebbi.

‘We do not share the view that Kebbi State needs to be rescued,’ Ahmed said.

He added that the group believed the current administration had continued to make efforts in addressing developmental and security challenges in the state.

Ahmed also urged residents to carefully assess the records and programmes of political aspirants ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

‘We encourage the people of Kebbi State to evaluate all aspirants based on their contributions, experience and plans for the state,’ he said.

The group further called on party members and residents to remain supportive of the current administration while political activities ahead of the election continue.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested three persons with disabilities (PWDs) for alleged drug trafficking during separate operations in Anambra and Kwara states.

Spokesperson of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday.

The suspects include a 60-year-old man, Romanus Nwabara, who was arrested on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at Akpaka Forest in Onitsha, Anambra State, following credible intelligence.

NDLEA operatives recovered 250 grams of skunk packaged in retail sachets from him.

In another operation at Ogbunike area of Anambra State, NDLEA officers on Thursday, May 7, arrested a 25-year-old suspect, Amos Kenneth, with 160.3 grams of Tramadol 225mg and 100mg, 80 pills of Diazepam, 38.23 grams of Exol-5, and 176.93 grams of skunk.

Similarly, in Kwara State, operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu on Friday, May 8, intercepted a commercial vehicle during which a passenger identified as Usman Salisu, also a PWD, was found with 6.3 kilograms of skunk concealed in a brown school bag.

In a related development, operatives of the NDLEA Special Operations Unit on Friday, May 8, raided a mansion in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, allegedly used as a drug stash house.

During the operation, officers recovered 4,000 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of imported cannabis, weighing 2,326 kilograms with an estimated street value of over N5.8 billion.

Also recovered from the building located at 36 African Lane, Lekki Phase 1, were two Mercedes-Benz buses and several designer sachets allegedly used for retail packaging of illicit substances.

Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives arrested Emmanuel Osita Okeke, 38, with 129 kilograms of skunk at Nyanya-Karu in Nasarawa State on Monday, May 4.

‘On Friday, May 8, operatives along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State intercepted a white commuter J5 bus heading to Abuja. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 76 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 766 kilograms and the arrest of three suspects identified as Mathew Omohove, Ebuka Desmond, and Babangida Musa.

‘In Lagos State, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, May 6, raided a makeshift ‘skuchies’ production factory at Ijora Badia, where two suspects, Bose Jamiu and Gbenga Gege, were arrested while allegedly producing the illicit cocktail,’ the statement said.

The agency said 270 litres of already prepared skuchies and 106 grams of Tramadol 225mg were recovered during the raid.

Meanwhile, the agency said its commands and formations across the country has continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

A faction of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has expelled its former national chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, during the party’s convention held over the weekend in Bauchi.

Gabam was expelled alongside former National Youth Leader Uchechukwu Ogbonna and other executive members who were earlier suspended or had resigned. The move, cited under ‘disciplinary measures,’ was finalized through a voice vote at the convention.

The motion for the expulsion of Gabam, Ogbonna, and others for actions between June 9, 2022, and May 8, 2026, was moved and seconded by state party chairmen.

Delegates unanimously approved the motion during the 2026 National Convention and Presidential Primaries held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium.

But reacting via a video in Hausa, the embattled Shehu Musa Gabam described the actions as illegal under the SDP Constitution. He insisted he was unbothered, claiming the organizers violated the Electoral Act.

‘The Constitution of the SDP is very clear; if the Chairman does not preside over a National Working Committee or NEC meeting, it is null, void, and of no effect,’ Gabam said.

He further accused Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed of interfering in the party ‘s affairs.

‘We have seen elements conducting a convention in Bauchi with the involvement of the Governor, who provided accommodations and facilities as they work to form an alliance,’ Gabam alleged.

He noted that his faction is still working at the SDP headquarters to organize a ‘legitimate’ convention scheduled for May 18-20 in Abuja.

‘We call on our teeming supporters to remain calm. INEC officials did not participate in the Bauchi exercise due to procedural violations,’ he added.

In a swift reaction, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, described the allegations as baseless. ‘It is a baseless allegation. Governor Bala Mohammed is a member of the PDM, not the SDP,’ he stated.

Meanwhile, Prince Adewole Adebayo has emerged as the SDP presidential candidate following a unanimous vote by delegates from the 36 states and the FCT.

In his acceptance speech, Adebayo vowed to rescue Nigeria from hunger, joblessness, and leadership failure.

He warned that the country is sliding toward ‘one-man rule,’ alleging that the APC has abandoned internal democracy.

‘The real danger is not a one-party state, but one-man rule. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not satisfied with being the candidate for the APC alone; he wants to be the candidate of every party,’ Adebayo alleged.

He also cited gross economic mismanagement, claiming trillions in fuel subsidy savings have disappeared while unprecedented borrowing has failed to yield visible development.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Cross River State has criticised the administration of Governor Bassey Otu of the ruling APC, saying it is retrogressive and eroded past achievements.

Former guber candidate and leader of the ADC in the state, Dr Effiong Nyong, said Otu’s governing style and performances are ‘below average.’

He spoke with journalists yesterday in Calabar, lamenting that Cross River is no longer the progressive state which the APC had grabbed.

According to him, the state has continued to decline in key sectors including education, sports, tourism and public administration.

Nyong reviewed the state’s governance trajectory and expressed concern over what he called the erosion of Cross River’s past achievements.

He said the state was once regarded as a leading hub for quality education in Nigeria, but has now lost its competitive edge due to years of policy neglect and institutional decline.

‘I schooled in Cross River State when people came from different parts of the country because they were certain of getting a quality education. Today, can we still say the same? The answer is no,’ he said.

He also lamented the collapse of the state’s tourism and sports sectors, recalling the golden era when Rovers Football Club of Calabar was one of Nigeria’s most celebrated teams.

Nyong further argued that despite significant federal allocations and available economic assets, the state had failed to translate resources into visible development outcomes.

‘Cross River receives substantial revenue, yet there is little to show in terms of development compared to other states with fewer resources,’ he said.

Nyong maintained that his party, the ADC, remains committed to offering alternative leadership that would restore accountability and development in the state.

He, however, dismissed claims that the ADC was working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing such allegations as political speculation.