Category: Daily Trust

President Bola Tinubu has withheld assent to two bills recently passed by the National Assembly, citing several fundamental flaws in their provisions.

They are the Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (Amendment) Bill and the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2025.

President Tinubu conveyed his decision in two separate letters read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on Tuesday.

Tinubu expressed concerns over a clause in the Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (Amendment) Bill authorising the institute to collect 1% of all import and export freight levies-a measure the President described as unfair to businesses, and incompatible with the federal government’s tax policy.

The President also said the provision in the bill, authorising the institute to borrow up to ?50 million without presidential approval and to invest public funds, even though the agency is not designed to generate revenue, violates existing fiscal discipline framework and could lead to serious financial mismanagement. He said, ‘Such clauses pose serious fiscal and governance challenges and, if allowed, would set a dangerous precedent.’

The President also withheld assent to the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill 2025, citing conflicts with existing laws and policies.

The president said the proposed legislation contradicted core government policies related to the funding of public agencies, taxation, public service remuneration, age and tenure limits for public servants.

He argued that assenting to the bill as transmitted could create an ‘unsustainable precedent’ against the public interest. ‘I hope that the Senate will take the necessary steps to fix the identified issues with this legislation,’ Tinubu said.

After reading the letter, Akpabio said, ‘This is a demonstration of the President’s steady hands and attention to detail. It now falls on us to re-examine the bills and ensure they are in line with national policy and fiscal responsibility.’

Akpabio referred the two bills to relevant Senate Committees for further legislative action.

The Minister of Communication and digital technology, Bosun Tijjani has stated that the government is mobilising 49 per cent of Nigeria’s $2 billion fibre optics network investments project.

He stated this in Abuja at a plenary session organised by IHS, one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared telecommunications infrastructure in the world.

Speaking at the ongoing Nigeria Economic Summit, Tijjani stated that in less than two years, 11 states declare zero right of way.

He said, ‘The biggest issue in the telecom sector is to invest in infrastructure which the federal government is currently mobilizing because we require huge broadband infrastructure to drive telecoms growth.

‘Therefore, we said for Nigerians to have connectivity we need to invest in fibre optic networks and it will cost $2bn. Since no single company can raise that, the federal government opted to bring in 49 per cent and we want the private sector to bring the other 51 per cent.

‘We realised that if we improve Broadband connectivity by 10 per cent, it will lead to growth by 2.5 per cent which is why we want every state and local government to have a fibre optics network and we believe we can deliver between 3 to 4 years,’ he added.

Tijjani further reiterated the role of AI in national growth adding that Nigeria has become the hub for telecoms investment. Sharing his perspectives, Mohamad Darwish, CEO IHS Nigeria at the Plenary Session on the topic ‘Smart Growth, Digital Leap’ noted that to build a smart economy, Nigeria must reposition digital infrastructure, innovation, and talent not as peripheral sectors but as core inputs and catalysts for growth.

‘Hence the reason we have convened this plenary session at this 31st Economic Summit is to highlight the infrastructure gaps affecting Nigeria’s digital growth and economic competitiveness, and the basis for the gaps and identify regulatory reforms required to strengthen public-private partnerships that drive sustainable investment in infrastructure, innovation, and talent development,’ he said.

The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested nine suspected cattle rustlers in two separate operations, recovering four cows, two goats, and two vehicles.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 45, were arrested on September 30, 2025, by operatives of the Hadejia ‘A’ and Auyo Divisions, acting on credible intelligence.

According to the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Shiisu Lawan Adam, the suspects were intercepted at an uncompleted building in Kantin Waje Quarters, Hadejia Local Government Area, and at Kogin Dole via Wailari Village, Auyo Local Government Area.

The recovered items include a tinted glass Golf Wagon and a Volkswagen bus with registration number UBJ 835 XX.

One of the recovered cows was identified by its owner, Muhammad Sani, a resident of Harbo Sabuwa Village, Miga Local Government Area, who had previously reported the matter to the police.

The Commissioner of Police, Jigawa State Command, commended the operatives for their swift response and vowed to rid the state of cattle rustlers and other criminal elements.

The Nigeria Police Force and Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) were at the forefront of repelling the night attack by Boko Haram terrorists on a military base in Banki town, Bama LGA of Borno State, at the weekend.

Sources from the community, when Daily Trust visited the town, commended the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the town for rallying community resilience during the attack.

One of the sources, who prefers a single name, Aminu, said the DPO was asked to flee the town when the insurgents arrived, but he stood his ground instead.

‘He organised his boys to defend their location and the people around them. People celebrated him after the attack.

‘Many people, including the soldiers, had abandoned their positions, crossed to Cameroon and left residents behind, but the DPO encouraged many of us to stay back,’ he said.

Another resident stated that the police, with the assistance of the civilian JTF, secured the Divisional Police Headquarters and Nigeria Customs Service control posts located at the border with Cameroon.

He also commended residents of the town for resisting displacement despite the Boko Haram threats. ‘If we leave here, where do we go?’

‘Why soldiers fled’

Speaking to our correspondent, one of the security sources said it was the dashed hope of an Air Force jet that gave the terrorists an edge over them.

‘The Boko Haram movement was sighted around 4pm, but we couldn’t tell their target location. So, a red alert was declared.

‘An hour later, we learnt that the terrorists engaged troops in Bula-Yobe town. We immediately moved there for reinforcement. Midway, another signal came in that we should return to base.

‘The order was, a fighter jet was on its way to dislodge the terrorists, and it could mistake us for Boko Haram.

‘Unfortunately, before we entered Banki, another signal came in that the Boko Haram terrorists were coming into Banki in large numbers.

‘Our troops were terrified by the massive number of terrorists that the signaller mentioned,’ he said.

He said, when the insurgents started infiltrating, the long chain of commands that the Commanding Officer was receiving prevented them from responding quickly.

‘They kept telling the Commander to be patient, that the Air Force jet was coming to clear them. It’s after they reached the last point that he commanded us to engage them.

‘It’s an hour encounter, but we fought until none of us could recognise one another,’ said one of the soldiers

He said the commanding officer tried to stay back after the soldiers but was overpowered by the terrorists.

‘Thank God for saving his life, because he tried to wrestle the gun truck with the insurgents, but they were too many. It was so dark on that day that one couldn’t identify the person next to him,’ he said.

3 more communities resettled

Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has resettled three more communities after residents resisted Boko Haram displacement in Banki.

The governor, who was in Banki on Sunday, where the insurgents attacked military barracks and civilian locations, sympathised with residents and commended their resilience.

‘I purposely came to Banki to salute your courage; your act of bravery is really encouraging,’ Governor Zulum stated. ‘We should not allow a few bad elements to displace this town whose businesses and economic activities have been thriving.’ He added, ‘I want to assure you that the insurgents will not succeed, Insha’Allah. We will strengthen the security of this border town and will support our youth volunteers, hunters, and vigilantes to further fortify this area.’

He assured that robust security measures will be implemented to protect the border town from further attacks by Boko Haram insurgents.

As part of his ongoing post-conflict recovery programme, the governor also announced the planned resettlement of three communities, Kumshe, Tarmu’a and Bula Yobe in the Bama Local Government Area.

‘Kumshe, Tarmu’a and Bula Yobe will be resettled. The people deserve a dignified life, and we are committed to delivering it,’ he affirmed.

Zulum confirmed that the rehabilitation of Banki road has commenced, with 30 trucks already deployed to repair the dilapidated route.

He called on the people, particularly the youths, to actively participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise for the betterment of society.

Similarly, Zulum also addressed traders at the Banki Market, where he urged them to be vigilant and cooperate with security agencies for sustainable peace in the area.

In an interview with a security expert and former Director of the Department of State Service (DSS), Barrister Mike Ejiofor, he advised that the government must ensure that an area is fully stabilised before returning internally displaced people to the area.

‘As for now, some of those areas are still not stabilised, so asking the indigenes to return to their ancestral homes is not the right thing to do.

‘But, if the areas are secured, we can deploy civil defence to take charge, and assure the people that the place is secured,’ he said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s departure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the expiration of his second term in office.

The President has also honoured the outgoing chairman with the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.

Yakubu was first appointed in November 2015 as the 14th chairman of the commission for an initial term of five years. The appointment, which was renewed in 2020, has now expired.

President Tinubu thanked Professor Yakubu for his services to the nation and his efforts in sustaining Nigeria’s democracy, ‘particularly through the organisation of free and fair elections throughout his two-term tenure.’

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement said in recognition of Yakubu’s dedicated service to the nation, President Tinubu has bestowed on him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger(CON).

Onanuga had also said that in the letter dated October 3, 2025, Professor Yakubu had thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the commission since 2015.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and CARE Nigeria, has launched a programme to empower 6,389 households in Yobe State.

The initiative, known as the Resilience and Social Cohesion (Peace) Project, aims to restore essential services, rebuild livelihoods, and promote sustainable transformation in the state.

Speaking during the state-level stakeholders’ meeting on the project in Damaturu, CARE Nigeria’s Area Manager, Abatcha Abubakar, said the beneficiaries would receive training, agricultural inputs, crop processing machines, and monthly stipends to enhance their livelihoods.

He explained that the project, funded by BMZ in partnership with WFP, UNICEF, and CARE Nigeria, seeks to increase productivity and revenue among smallholder farmers, targeting a total of 31,945 individuals across Yobe State.

According to him, the intervention focuses on five wards in Jakusko Local Government Area, where households will benefit from improved dietary diversification and access to financial services through the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

‘We implement crop production initiatives where participants are grouped and provided with inputs to build resilience and self-sufficiency. Also, we have an Income Generating Activity (IGA) component that supports agro-processing and income diversification beyond farming,’ Abubakar said.

He noted that beneficiaries would be grouped into VSLAs-community-based savings schemes that empower members, particularly women, to save collectively and access small loans to improve their livelihoods.

‘The project will provide seeds for maize, groundnuts, and rice for wet-season farming, while also promoting backyard vegetable gardening to improve nutrition and food security. Each selected household will also receive a monthly stipend for six months, and warehouses are being constructed to support post-harvest storage,’ he added.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the people of Kano State, as well as northern Nigeria, will reciprocate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goodwill to the region in 2027.

Speaking during a visit to the Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano, on Monday, Barau described the president’s approval to upgrade the institution as a monumental step towards strengthening education in the North, particularly in Kano.

‘I thank Mr President, the leader we are all proud of, who loves Kano, the North, and Nigeria. He graciously approved our long-standing request to upgrade this institution to a university, and for that, we remain deeply grateful,’ he said.

Barau noted that the struggle for the upgrade had lasted nearly a decade, adding that President Tinubu’s swift action reflected his commitment to human capital development.

‘We have never asked the president for anything and been turned down. Why shouldn’t we love him? We must reciprocate-and we will, come 2027,’ he said.

He also praised Tinubu for approving the renaming of the institution after the late Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, a revered Kano elder statesman. ‘When I presented the request, the president immediately approved it. This shows his respect for Kano and our heroes,’ he added.

Barau, who described himself as the ‘father of the university,’ pledged continued support for its growth and announced scholarships for 1,000 students from Kano North, with plans to extend the initiative to other parts of the state.

Every reform era must eventually face a defining question: who will protect its gains once the headlines fade? For the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), that question took center stage last Friday at Lagos Business School, when Governor Olayemi Cardoso addressed hundreds of students in a landmark fireside chat.

It was not a technical seminar on monetary policy. It was a dialogue about continuity, a call to Nigeria’s youth to understand that stability is not just a statistic but a national mindset. The inaugural CBN Governor’s Annual Lecture Series, themed ‘Next Generation Leadership in Monetary Policy and Nation Building,’ represents the evolution of what can best be described as the Cardoso Doctrine: a return to discipline, transparency, and credibility as the architecture of economic leadership, and now, a deliberate effort to socialise stability by embedding it in the next generation.

When Governor Cardoso assumed office in September 2023, Nigeria faced what he later described as a ‘crisis of confidence.’ Inflation was climbing, the foreign exchange market was dysfunctional, and investor trust had eroded. In response, the CBN pivoted sharply toward orthodox monetary policy, curbing deficit financing, tightening liquidity, unifying exchange rates, and publishing long-suppressed financial statements.

Two years later, those reforms have stabilised the naira, attracted new capital inflows, and restored global confidence in Nigeria’s economic management. But for the Governor, these technical victories are only half the story. Reform must become culture, and culture begins with people. ‘Without stability, the things you are asking about can’t happen,’ he said. ‘You can wish them to, but serious investors will run away.’

That statement, delivered not to economists but to aspiring leaders, crystallised a profound idea: stability is not the task of central bankers alone; it is the civic duty of every generation that benefits from it.

Cardoso’s insistence on collective stability is not rhetorical; it is strategic. By turning policy into dialogue, the CBN is nurturing a generation that views economic discipline as a shared value rather than an imposed constraint. This is leadership reframed, from bureaucratic oversight to mentorship in stewardship.

For decades, Nigeria’s financial narrative has oscillated between crisis and recovery. The Governor’s vision is to replace that cycle with a culture of consistency, where transparency and trust are not exceptions but expectations. The students at the lecture, drawn from Pan-Atlantic University, the University of Lagos, Lagos State University, and Yaba College of Technology, represent the vanguard of this new culture: future entrepreneurs, policymakers, and civic actors who will inherit both the tools and the temperament of reform.

‘Why should people deal with all the difficulties of running a business and have instability added to it?’ he asked. ‘That is our work. If we fail in that, we fail in being an effective central bank.’

Cardoso’s reflection on Nigeria’s transformation was as candid as it was instructive.

‘Two years ago, people were not looking to exit through the door but through the window,’ he recalled.

That imagery captured a nation’s exhaustion. Today, the story is shifting. Investor confidence is returning, the credit outlook has improved, and Nigeria’s presence in global financial circles is again marked by credibility. The Governor referenced a recent visit by BlackRock leadership as symbolic proof that consistency breeds confidence.

For the students listening, these were not statistics; they were evidence that leadership grounded in credibility can turn despair into momentum.

When asked about the future of central banking, Cardoso did not hesitate: ‘Digitisation and AI will be key to the future effectiveness of any central bank.’ Under his leadership, the CBN is not only modernising systems but redefining governance through technology. The move to a paperless office, the introduction of an electronic FX matching platform, and the use of AI-driven oversight all signal a forward-looking institution that sees transparency as both technological and ethical.

For young Nigerians entering business, fintech, or public service, technology becomes the bridge between access and accountability. In a country where opportunity has too often depended on proximity, open data and digital systems are the great equalisers. By linking innovation to integrity, the Governor is teaching that the digital future must be a disciplined one, powered by inclusion, not indulgence.

Perhaps the most powerful moment of the session came when he set aside charts and policies and spoke directly about personal character.

‘Protect your hard-earned credibility,’ he told the audience. ‘It will take you very far. Without it, you cannot reach what you aspire to.’

In those words lies the heart of his leadership philosophy: credibility is both the currency of institutions and the compass of individuals. He warned against discouragement, recalling how the CBN itself faced formidable headwinds at the start of its reform drive. ‘The headwinds come from places you least expect,’ he said. ‘But you must have the courage and the strength of character to stay the course.’

For a generation often impatient for quick results, that was a timeless reminder: resilience is reform’s most underrated virtue.

Every generation inherits a balance sheet of assets, liabilities, and lessons. The greatest of these assets is credibility, a resource painstakingly rebuilt over the past two years. Through the Governor’s Lecture Series, the CBN is institutionalising credibility as a public value, transforming monetary stability from a technocratic goal into a social ethic.

And that is where the true opinion lies: Nigeria’s biggest economic risk is not inflation or exchange rate volatility, it is institutional amnesia. The inability to preserve credibility once it has been restored is what has historically undone the country’s economic progress. The Cardoso Doctrine seeks to break that cycle by creating custodians, not just beneficiaries, of stability.

As the Governor concluded, when asked to describe Nigeria’s future in one word, he replied simply: ‘Bright.’ That optimism is not rhetorical; it is earned, forged through discipline, transparency, and the conviction that the next custodians of Nigeria’s economy are already in the room, learning how to protect what has been rebuilt.

In that sense, the Cardoso’s doctrine is more than a set of policies; it is a philosophy of continuity, one where stability is not only achieved but taught, shared, and safeguarded by a generation prepared to lead with credibility at its core.

Groups under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP) have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take a decisive action against individuals and groups allegedly sabotaging efforts to achieve local refining of petroleum products in the country.

The groups, which converged on the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, before marching through major streets, accused a powerful oil cartel of frustrating Nigeria’s economic progress by undermining local refinery initiatives – particularly the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Speaking during the rally, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta and Comrade Dahiru Umar Maishanu, both leaders of PANEP, said the call to President Tinubu was a patriotic effort to rescue Nigeria from a cartel that profits from fuel importation and scarcity.

Ude-Umanta said, ‘This is not about Dangote alone; it’s about Nigeria’s economic survival. Mr. President must rise to the occasion and stamp his feet. He must crush those sabotaging our march toward self-reliance in refining.’ The PANEP leader said their rally themed ‘National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,’ was part of a nationwide movement to defend local refining from what he called ‘economic terrorists’ determined to keep Nigeria dependent on fuel importation.

He alleged that some oil unions and importers were colluding with foreign interests to frustrate the Dangote Refinery’s operations, warning that failure to act decisively could scare away future investors.

‘If they succeed in killing Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever bring money here again,’ he cautioned.

Ude-Umanta also condemned the recent actions of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), against the Dangote Refinery.

He urged President Tinubu, who also serves as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure that local refineries such as Dangote’s are supplied crude oil at the same rate as foreign refineries to sustain their operations and boost investor confidence.

On his part, Comrade Maishanu said their protest was a patriotic call to end decades of economic enslavement caused by fuel importation.

Maishanu commended Dangote Refinery for positively impacting domestic fuel prices, noting that costs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) have begun to drop.

He said, ‘Nigerians are beginning to breathe fresh air from this refining revolution. This is the time for the President to prove that local investors matter.’

On a recent trip from Kano to a neighbouring state, I witnessed a familiar scene that perfectly captured Nigeria’s moral decay. At a police checkpoint, our driver casually slipped a crumpled banknote into a security officer’s hand. As we drove off, a passenger muttered under his breath, ‘Barayi kawai!’- ‘Thieves.’ That single phrase carried the weight of a nation’s frustration, a resigned acknowledgment that corruption has become an everyday transaction.

We can no longer pretend to be shocked. Corruption in Nigeria has long crossed the line from scandal to culture. From petty bribes on the highways to multimillion-naira scandals in high places, it has seeped into our national DNA. Conversations at motor parks, markets, and dinner tables often revolve around the same themes-rising costs, falling incomes, and a deep sense that the system is rigged against the honest. For many Nigerians, the dream of prosperity has been replaced by the daily struggle to survive.

At the upper echelons of power, the story is even more disheartening. High-profile figures accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of looting public funds continue to move freely, enjoying influence and protection. The irony is glaring: some of the very institutions created to combat corruption appear to have been compromised by it. The notorious ‘brown envelope’ culture-stretching from journalism to government contracts-has become a national malaise that corrodes integrity and silences truth.

This erosion of ethics has not gone unnoticed. On July 4, 2025, the Africa Polling Institute (API), an independent and non-partisan research organization, released its 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey. The findings were damning. Nigeria’s Social Cohesion Index was pegged at 46.8 per cent, below the neutral benchmark of 50 per cent. Though it may sound like a number, it tells a profound story: Nigeria is a nation struggling to hold itself together.

According to the survey, public trust in government and institutions has sunk to historic lows. Citizens increasingly believe that those in power serve themselves rather than the people. Ironically, what now unites Nigerians is not shared vision or progress, but shared suffering-an equal-opportunity frustration shaped by economic hardship, broken promises, and relentless inflation.

This moral decay cuts across all levels of society. Many public officials chase wealth and influence with no thought for the public good, while ordinary citizens-exhausted by hardship-are tempted to cheat the system just to survive. From vote-buying with noodles and a few thousand naira to elaborate scams and exploitative contracts, deception has become a survival strategy. It is now so normalized that many no longer even recognize it as wrong.

The present administration insists that reforms are underway-billions allocated, progress assured, and ‘renewed hope’ promised. But beyond the televised briefings and photo ops, the grim reality tells a different story: chronic power outages, rampant kidnappings, hunger, unemployment, currency chaos, and palliatives that never reach the poor. The official narrative of reform collapses under the daily evidence of dysfunction.

We are being deceived-not once, not occasionally, but every single day. Yet perhaps the hardest truth to confront is our own complicity. We tolerate mediocrity, normalize corruption, and reward empty rhetoric with applause. Every time we pay a bribe, ignore wrongdoing, or justify abuse of office because the culprit is ‘our own,’ we deepen the rot we claim to despise.

It is time for a civic awakening. Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved by endless press conferences or cosmetic reforms designed to impress foreign donors and deceive local voters. What this nation needs are moral courage-a rebirth of conscience that values honesty over hype, accountability over ambition, and genuine reform over political theatre.

Toothless reforms and selective prosecutions must become relics of the past. We must rebuild public institutions on integrity, not slogans. Until that happens, indices like the Social Cohesion Survey will keep falling-not because of statistical models, but because our lived reality already confirms the decline.

The death of trust is more dangerous than corruption itself. Once people stop believing that the system can be fair, society begins to unravel. To save Nigeria, we must first recover our moral compass. Only then can we hope to rebuild a nation where justice is not for sale, truth is not silenced, and patriotism is not punished.