Category: Daily Trust

Gwagwalada residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the unhygienic and deplorable state of the slaughterhouse section of the Anagada Livestock Market.

The residents, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the facility was poorly maintained and urgently needed upgrading to meet public health standards.

They described the slaughterhouse section as unfit for processing meat for human consumption.

A NAN correspondent who visited the market observed that animals were slaughtered on a dirty floor littered with waste.

NAN reports that butchers were also seen using tyres to process animal skin which produced thick smoke that polluted the air. Slaughtered animals were washed with water from unhygienic sources.

Mrs Deborah Adiche, a trader, expressed fears that the poor sanitary conditions in the market could expose consumers to diseases.

‘The way they handle meat here is very bad. Most times you see meat meant for human consumption on a dirty floor mixed with animal waste.

‘Butchers also lack knowledge of standard handling, and sometimes they use motorcycles to transport the meat,’ she said.

Adiche called on authorities to enforce strict hygiene practices, sensitise butchers regularly, provide vans for meat transportation and build a standard slaughterhouse with constant water supply.

Mr Nasiru Ibrahim, a resident, said meat for public consumption should be processed in a clean environment to safeguard public health.

Mrs Bridget Adeniji, a resident, also advocated for total rehabilitation of the facility, including adequate water supply, proper waste disposal, and modern slaughter equipment.

A public health expert, Dr Emmanuel Ademola, warned that poor sanitation in slaughterhouses increases the risk of contamination and disease spread.

He urged regular veterinary inspection before and after slaughter, and strict compliance with environmental and health regulations.

Responding, an area council official of the market, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said management and the Area Council regularly sensitise butchers, adding that veterinary officers routinely examine livestock. (NAN)

The official, however, said that compliance remained a challenge, adding that some workers failed to adhere to established hygiene standards in spite of continuous awareness and sensitisation.

He explained that the slaughterhouse had four boreholes connected to overhead tanks to ensure water supply.

He said that a gas-powered roasting system earlier introduced could not cope with the volume of work.

‘We told them to look for another alternative and we are still waiting,’ he said.

He, therefore, appealed to governments and spirited individuals to provide a modern and sustainable roasting system for abattoirs across the FCT. (NAN)

Egbin Power has commenced the 11th edition of its annual scholarship programme, reaffirming its commitment to quality education and creating opportunities for young people in its host communities.

The programme supports the company’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Established under Egbin Power’s Personal Corporate Social Responsibility (PCSR) initiative, the scholarship programme provides free education to outstanding students selected from primary and secondary schools across the company’s host communities.

The 2026 edition began with a pre-test exercise attended by more than 250 students. Other activities include an education fair, boot camp, mentorship sessions and playgroup activities designed to improve academic performance while developing participants’ confidence, discipline, leadership abilities and life skills.

The Chief Executive Officer of Egbin Power, Mokhtar Bounour, said the company remained committed to using education as a tool for sustainable community development.

‘As a responsible organisation, we remain committed to accelerating development around us. Education is one of the most powerful and sustainable ways to create that impact, and our scholarship programme is a deliberate investment in the future of our communities,’ Bounour said.

He said the company’s responsibility extended beyond electricity generation to creating opportunities, nurturing potential and helping young people achieve their dreams.

‘At Egbin Power, we believe our responsibility goes beyond generating electricity. We also have a responsibility to help generate opportunities, nurture potential and enable dreams,’ he said.

Bounour added that the programme was investing in young people who would become future leaders, professionals and change-makers.

‘The legacy we want to build is one of lasting value-where quality education becomes a foundation for individual progress, stronger communities and a better society. This is our commitment to shared success,’ he said.

Parents, teachers and community leaders continue to support the initiative by partnering with the company in the educational development of participating students.

Beyond education, Egbin Power implements other corporate social responsibility initiatives focused on healthcare, youth empowerment, community infrastructure and human capital development.

The company said these interventions reflect its broader commitment to creating sustainable value, promoting development and improving the quality of life in its host communities.

On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the world football governing body FIFA formally accepted the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Musa Gusau and other principal officers of the federation. FIFA also said it was backing the proposed comprehensive reform roadmap for Nigerian football. The immediate implication of this is that FIFA will not sanction Nigeria on the basis of the induced resignations. But make no mistake about this, Nigeria is still not out of the woods.

For while this may have settled some dust arising from the mass resignations occasioned by executive meddlesomeness, it has opened another vista of challenge and test of character for those shaping football in Nigeria. Football, it must be said, is run on the pedestal of rules, mores and industry-based statutes. Such rules are fashioned to insulate football and its governing bodies at all levels from any form of crude intrusion and impunity.

Nigerians strongly believe and agree that NFF and the entire football ecosystem need reforms, especially after missing out from two consecutive World Cup for men, and now the 2027 World Cup for women in Brazil. But they also warn that such reforms must conform with laid down rules in accordance with NFF statutes and in consonance with both CAF and FIFA legal frameworks. The reforms must be anchored on the due process of the laws governing football in Nigeria, Africa (CAF) and globally (FIFA). One of such cardinal norms is that neither CAF nor FIFA should appoint or cause to be appointed a Normalisation Committee until the exhaustion of the NFF statutory process. Both CAF and FIFA are also barred from recognising or negotiating with Nigerian government or any such external body on the way forward for the NFF in moments of crisis such as the recent mass resignations. The NFF statutes have clearly stated the legitimate procedures towards resolving any leadership succession or vacancy crisis.

It bears reaffirming that Nigeria football administration is not anchored on lawlessness. Articles 38 of the NFF statute in keeping with the independence of the NFF states very clearly the steps to be taken in moments of resignations such as we have now. Where such vacancies exist on account of resignations, the law states categorically that such resignation does not amount to dissolution of the NFF. This also does not in any way extend an invitation to the federal government to meddle into the matter by trying to conjure ways of determining how the NFF should be governed. The lines are not blurred. They are defined. The government of any country under FIFA governance code has no locus to assume administrative duty either vicariously or by any direct manipulative process. On this count, the Nigerian government must back off from any intrusion whatsoever.

The question is: Are there vacancies at the football house? The answer is a valid YES! How then should the vacancies be filled? The answer is found in the law, not in any person’s imagination or conjuration. Here, again, we look to what the rule book says. Article 38 of the NFF statute envisaged diverse scenarios and dimensions of vacancies. Article 38(7), for instance, states: ‘If more than 50 percent of the positions of the Executive Committee become vacant, the General Secretary shall convene an Extraordinary Congress within the prescribed period of time. In the meantime, the remaining members of the Council shall take care of the daily affairs of the NFF until new elections are held.’

But whether more than 50 percent or all of the whole Council resigned, the NFF statute which is the only legitimate legal framework for football administration in Nigeria duly recognises the place of Congress to ensure stability and seamless succession of leadership within the federation.

Since the resignation tsunami that shook the NFF, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has appointed an interim administrative body to oversee the affairs of the federation. Under the circumstance, there should be no rush to set up a Normalisation Committee when immediate and extant procedures for filling vacancies have not been fully exhausted. The NSC must avoid being teleguided by the federal government. It must at this time recognise the legitimate powers vested in the Congress to drive the process of succession. Any procedure outside the Congress runs contrary to the grains of the NFF statutes.

This is even made easy as Congress has not only welcomed the reforms, but has indicated its willingness to work with both CAF, FIFA, and NSC to ensure a seamless transition to stronger and efficient leadership for Nigeria football. What is paramount at the moment is that every reform roadmap, strategy and prescription must have institutional legitimacy. Constituting a Normalisation Committee is not the next chapter in this regard. The most compelling and critical step is to consider the role and place of Congress as enshrined in the NFF statute and equally as is the lawful practice under CAF and FIFA jurisdictions which includes Nigeria.

Yes, there is crisis in Nigeria football. But due process of the law must be followed in the course of resolving the crisis. FIFA and CAF, both of which have bought into the reforms agenda for Nigeria football, should ensure they guide the Nigeria football stakeholders to abide by the statutes and not bow to extraneous influence.

The Congress of the NFF consists of 108 delegates representing various key sectors of Nigeria football. Its composition includes 36 states football associations’ chairmen and secretaries and the Federal Capital Territory; representatives and board members from domestic leagues, including the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO), and Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL). It also includes members of specialist bodies namely: delegates from the coaches’ association, referees’ association, and the players’ union. This broad-spectrum membership of Congress makes it a veritable stakeholders’ representative body.

It is therefore both absurd and inappropriate to bypass Congress or diminish its legitimate essence in the guise of resolving the crisis. Doing so amounts to a descent into illegality and conscious transgression. It does not enforce the independence of NFF; it impairs it.

Not following the due process of the law exposes Nigeria to sanction by CAF and FIFA, even when they both agree to the reforms. And who knows, resolving the leadership crisis through any illegal means may trigger a trove of litigations. Some aggrieved stakeholders who felt that illegality was introduced in the making of the next Council may drag Nigeria to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in Switzerland. That is not the kind of optics that Nigeria football needs at this time.

To avoid such showdown that could further dim whatever is left of Nigeria’s international image, Nigerian authorities, CAF and FIFA, must listen to Congress. A word is enough for the wise!

· Ekwueme, sports aficionado, writes from Abuja.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday declined to grant an application for bail filed by Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Adeyemi’s lawyer, M.B. Abdulazeez, held that there was need to hear from the police and other respondents in the suit in the interest of fair hearing.

Justice Egwuatu, however, granted a relief for the respondents to give Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, unhindered access to him lawyers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adeyemi, through his lawyer, had, in the suit, sued the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police (IGP), Nigeria Police Force and Assistant-Inspector General of Police as 1st to 4th respondents respectively.

In the suit signed by another lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, the alleged fake DG sought six reliefs.

Adeyemi urged the court to admit him to bail, release him from detention and allow him to seek medical attention from health practitioners of his own choice over his alleged ill health.

He also sought an order restraining the police or any other officers or agents from interrogating him or directing him to make, adopt or sign any statement, save in the presence of a legal practitioner of his own choice.

He equally sought ‘an order that, for so long as the applicant remains in custody, the respondents do permit the applicant unimpeded access to legal practitioners of his own choosing at all reasonable hours.’

In his affidavit, Adeyemi’s elder brother, Adeniyi Adebola, said the detainee was unable to attend to the commissioner for oaths by reason of his detention.

NAN reports that the police, in a criminal charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, is presently prosecuting Adeyemi over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation, among others, before another brother judge, Justice Mohammed Umar.

Justice Umar had, in July, issued an arrest warrant against Adeyemi following his absence from scheduled proceedings.

The judge then fixed Sept. 30 for his arraignment.

After the issuance of arrest warrant, Adeyemi was later apprehended by the police and had been in custody, pending his arraignment.

Meanwhile, when the civil case before Justice Obiora was called on Thursday, Abdulazeez, who appeared for Adeyemi, moved the motion ex-parte.

After moving the application, Justice Egwatu held that the requests for bail, medical attention and other reliefs could not be granted without hearing from the respondents.

The judge, however, granted Relief six, which mandated the AGF and the police to give Adeniyi unfettered access to his lawyers.

The judge also gave the respondents a 72-hour ultimatum to show cause why the other reliefs sought by Adeniyi should not be granted.

The court consequently fixed Sept. 9 for the respondents to show cause.

The police, in the criminal charge, named Adeyemi, ‘Femi Surname Unknown,’ and ‘Anu Surname Unknown’ as the first to third defendants, respectively, over alleged forgery and impersonation.

In the police processes before Justice Umar, the prosecution lined up several witnesses, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, etc, to give evidence in the case.

Investigators alleged that Adeyemi operated the purported agency from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja before his arrest.(NAN)

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), has stated that Nigeria’s agricultural sector still lags behind despite contributing 3.15 per cent to GDP in the first quarter of 2026.

ACCI President, Chief Emeka Obegolu made the disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday at a Press Conference ahead of the maiden edition of the Agricultural Mechanization for Export-Quality Products in Africa (AGROMEQA EXPO 2026).

The President who was represented by the first Vice President of ACCI, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba said ‘despite the agricultural sector comprising crop production, livestock, forestry, and fishing recording a 3.15 per cent, year-on-year growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to N11.87 trillion in the first quarter of 2026 (Q1’26) from N11.51 trillion in Q1’25, more needs to be done in the sector especially in terms of moving from manual to mechnised agriculture.’

He added that the agric sector has a lot of prospects but needs proper investment and technology to drive growth.

Speaking on the Expo, he said it will be convened under the theme: ‘Technology and Investment for Agro-Export.’ which speaks on the need to transform agriculture from largely subsistence-based production into a modern, technology-driven, investment-led, and export-oriented sector.

‘AGROMEQA EXPO 2026 is envisioned as a premier platform for promoting agricultural mechanisation, strengthening export-quality production systems, encouraging value addition, facilitating technology transfer, and attracting sustainable investments across the agribusiness value chain.

Through this initiative, we reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing Nigeria’s national priorities on food security, economic diversification, job creation, industrial development, and export-led growth.

Today on Nigeria Daily, we hear from Shafiyu Abdullahi, a father in Plateau State who lost his daughter, Hauwa Shafiyu, to diphtheria in just one week.

We also get an update on the situation in Kano and speak with a medical expert about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of the disease.

The Jigawa State House of Assembly has suspended indefinitely the Chairman of Buji Local Government Council, Najibullahi Falalu Tukur, over allegations of gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds.

The suspension followed the adoption of the recommendations of the House Committee on Local Government, presented by its Vice Chairman, Sani Sale Zaburan, during plenary on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

In its report, the committee recommended the suspension of the chairman in accordance with Section 36, Subsections (2) and (3) of the Jigawa State Local Government Establishment Law, 2024.

Announcing the decision, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin, directed the suspended chairman to hand over all government properties in his possession to the Vice Chairman of the council.

The Speaker also announced the constitution of an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct and misappropriation against the suspended chairman.

The committee is chaired by Usman Abdullahi Tura Musari, representing Guri Constituency, while members representing Maigatari, Malam Madori, Birnin Kudu, Yankwashi, Kafin Hausa and Sule Tankarkar constituencies will serve as members.

The committee is expected to investigate the allegations and report its findings to the House for further consideration.

Governor Uba Sani has fulfilled a 30-year old promise that was made to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medalists, by giving them plots of land and naming streets after three of them who are from Kaduna State.

Speaking to newsmen after inspecting the ongoing Ahmadu Bello Stadium project on Tuesday, Daniel Amokachi recalled that in 1996 when the Dream Team won the Olympics Gold Medal, federal and state governments made promises that were never redeemed.

He disclosed that Governor Uba Sani has given him, Garba Lawal and Emmanuel Babayaro plots of land 30 years after they were promised, adding that he also directed that streets should be named after those of them who were not so immortalized.

Amokachi who is renowned Football Manager and former Professional Player, said that they lacked the words to thank the Governor for his kind gestures and his promise to duly reward veteran footballers and coaches in their lifetimes.

Another former professional footballer and an ex General Manager of Kaduna United Football Club, Garba Lawal, described the Ahmadu Bello Stadium as a world-class stadium which will be of FIFA standard when completed.

”Now, Super Eagles will not have to go to Uyo to train. Now, this one is right here at my door mouth. It’s a wonderful project and by the Grace of God, we shall come and unveil it by November,” he added.

Another Olympic Gold Medalist, Emmanuel Babayaro noted that Governor Uba Sani has assembled the entire football family of Kaduna State and football is thriving again ”like we used to know it.”

”Coming to the stadium and seeing the edifice and the very amazing work that is going on here, I can not but admit that he is indeed a political conundrum,” the former goalkeeper added.

While thanking the Governor for fulfilling a 30-year old promise, he recalled that ”the first time that Garba Lawal called me and sent me the papers for the land, I doubted it.”

”The next thing that came to my mind was that maybe they needed us to come for one elaborate event and use it for some political whatever. But guess what, nothing of such came up.

”That means, he gave us those lands because he is that awesome. He did not say that ‘I am giving this land, come and say thank you on TV or come and do one political campaign or the other,’ ” he added.

Responding, Governor Uba Sani thanked the football veterans, including coaches and administrators, for contributing to sports and football development in Kaduna State.

He noted that ”Kaduna is the leading footballing state in Nigeria. We have produced more stars that have gone out of the country and made their marks globally.”

”As a Government, it is our responsibility to bring back the glory of Kaduna state in the world of sports. The last time that any CAF football tournament was played in this stadium was in 2016, when Super Eagles played against Egypt,” he recalled.

According to him, the condition of Ahmadu Bello Stadium has deteriorated so badly that he had to reach out to President Bola Tinubu, requesting that the sports facility be handed over to Kaduna State.

”I made it very clear to him that I will demolish the stadium, which had 16,000 seating capacity and was built in 1964. I disclosed to him that in the whole of Nigeria, there is only one CAF-standard football stadium, that is the one at Uyo with 31, 000 capacity.

”But today, I am happy to say that Ahmadu Bello Stadium when completed will be 33,000 capacity,” he said, adding that its pitch will be a hybrid of grass and synthetic.

”When completed, Ahmadu Bello Stadium will be the only stadium in Nigeria with a FIFA-standard pitch. Only last week, I was reading the number of stadiums in Africa that are CAF-standard. In Nigeria, there is only one stadium. When you are talking of FIFA-standard, we don’t have any, not even the Uyo stadium.

Governor Uba Sani pointed out that Kaduna State is investing heavily in sporting facilities because football generates a lot of revenue.

”In the last World Cup that was hosted in the United States, the country made about $20 to $24 billion, in terms of hotel accommodation, transportation and hospitality generally.

”Only recently, Morocco hosted CAF/AFCON tournament and from what we have seen, the country was also able to get at least $1.4 billion from all the different regions where the event took place,” he added.

Arewa Think Tank has defended the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, saying the commission’s interventions on fiscal matters are within its mandate.

Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, the Convener, stated this in a statement reacting to criticisms against the commission over recent pronouncements relating to Nigeria’s fiscal and economic policies.

Yakubu described the criticism of the RMAFC Chairman as misplaced, arguing that the Commission is a constitutionally established institution with a direct responsibility for issues relating to revenue mobilisation, allocation and the financial relationship among the three tiers of government.

According to him, attempts to portray the Commission’s interventions on fiscal matters as an overreach of its mandate amount to a misunderstanding of the constitutional responsibilities assigned to RMAFC. The statement reads, ‘The Arewa Think Tank Convener said it was therefore wrong for anyone to suggest that the Chairman had no business speaking on issues with direct implications for revenue generation, revenue allocation and the Federation Account. ‘Since when did the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission become an agency that is expected to remain silent on matters that directly affect revenue mobilisation and the allocation of the Federation’s resources?’

He said the Commission’s interventions should rather be viewed as part of its institutional responsibility to ensure that revenues accruing to the Federation are properly monitored and equitably distributed.

Yakubu noted that RMAFC has consistently participated in national discussions concerning taxation, revenue allocation and fiscal reforms. During the 2025 public hearing on the tax reform bills, for instance, the RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, publicly stated the Commission’s position on the proposed reforms and called for adjustments concerning the distribution of Value Added Tax revenue to subnational governments.

Yakubu stressed that public officials should be allowed to discharge their responsibilities without being subjected to unwarranted attacks whenever their positions do not conform to the expectations of particular individuals or interest groups.

He, however, urged critics of the RMAFC Chairman to engage the substance of the Commission’s position rather than questioning its right to participate in fiscal-policy discussions.

Operatives of the Zone 12 Intelligence Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, based in Bauchi, have arrested five suspects allegedly found in possession of human eyes and materials suspected to be used for money rituals in Bauchi State.

The suspects, identified as Abdullahi Idris, Sani Haruna, Auwal Umar, Abubakar Yusuf and Sharu Sale, were arrested during an intelligence-led operation, according to a statement signed by the Zone 12 Public Relations Officer, SP Jalige Mohammad, and made available to journalists in Bauchi.

Mohammad said the operatives recovered two human eyes, white and red clothes, as well as other materials suspected to be connected with money ritual activities.

He said the suspects were currently in police custody and undergoing interrogation, while investigation was ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the recovered items and identify possible accomplices.

The police spokesperson added that the source of the exhibits was also being investigated, saying the suspects would be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction upon completion of the investigation.

Mohammad said the Assistant Inspector-General of Police had condemned the alleged act in strong terms and urged parents, guardians and members of the public to remain vigilant.

He advised members of the public to promptly report suspicious persons or activities to the nearest police formation.

The AIG, he added, reassured residents of the zone of the police command’s commitment to rid the area of criminal elements and protect lives and property.