Category: Daily Trust

The Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, was a special guest at the recent Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) convened by the Nigeria Auto Journalists’ Association (NAJA) with the theme, ‘Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration.’ In an interview after the programme, the Corps Marshal speaks on the Presidential Initiative on the compressed natural gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicle (EV).

What is your impression of the Presidential Initiative on CNG and EV?

Let me first of all appreciate President Bola Tinubu, one for allowing me to represent him at the recent United Nations Summit on Global Road Safety to address the General Assembly.

Also, I want to thank him for the Presidential initiative on the CNG and the Electric Vehicle. You can see that it has aligned with Goal 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on green energy. Green energy is a motorized transport system, where pedestrians and cyclists are more encouraged for a healthier and cleaner environment.

This initiative has brought in so many investments. As we can see we have so many assemblies and manufacturing assemblies that are producing electric vehicles and CNG vehicles. You can also see companies that are manufacturing CNG cylinders, the conversion kits, and also the technology brought in to take greater part of our youths to be part of this technical initiative to create jobs for them.

Really, it’s a massive investment that is coming into Nigeria, and also producing massive jobs for our unemployed people. And I also want to appreciate Mr. President and his entire government machinery for also giving road safety all the support to be a part of this project and process. I believe that with this initiative going into this administration, we hope that with the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway and many massive renovations on the entire midland roads, we are going to achieve what the United Nations really requires on Goal 11.2, which is to provide a safe, accessible, affordable, reliable and sustainable, efficient transport system for all Nigerians by Year 2030. I think we are moving towards that. We hope that every Nigerian should support this administration for this initiative to be achieved.

What about enlightenment of road users?

When FRSC started, one of the cardinal mandates was public education and sensitisation. And you can agree with me that the FRSC has been doing that for the past three decades, but we are not there yet.

The issue of road safety agenda, road safety principle, we keep on saying, has to be a shared and collective responsibility. It shouldn’t just lie on FRSC. FRSC is just an organ, an agency of government that can drive it, but the entire citizens of Nigeria are supposed to drive this. You have shown me that most of the mixed loading, where loads packed in trailers and trucks – load and passengers normally come from the North, where the literacy level is still low.

So, the government, citizens, community leaders, traditional leaders are supposed to be involved in sensitisation, not just the FRSC. We are only creating the platform for everyone to be involved. That’s why we designed our campaign. Instead of going just to the motor parks and garages, we now went back to the grassroots by creating what we call town hall engagements, bringing everyone on board – the driver, the passenger, community leader, entire citizens and potential passengers so that we can tell them what we require, sensitisation on good culture of driving. It shouldn’t just lie on FRSC. It should come across all citizens of this country.

I think we are getting a bit of progress on it, but we need to do more. Society, citizens, everyone must come on board to support the FRSC. When you see a bad driving culture, stop the person, tell him, let him be embarrassed, that is shared responsibility.

What about the bad driving culture in Abuja as observed by one of the speakers?

That’s also the thing that will require every citizen to support us. What is going on in Abuja, as you mentioned earlier, this bad driving culture, everyone wants to create lanes. Before you know it, 10 lanes have been produced in one road. Before you know it, everybody is speeding. Before you know it, everybody is taking overloading, both in load and in passengers.

We need to come together to talk to ourselves. Wherever we find ourselves, let’s talk. And that’s why we tell passengers, when you see a driver over-speeding, speak out.

Also, the Nigerian Auto Journalists Association (NAJA), you have provided a platform for us to meet with a lot of Nigerian citizens, bringing in the journalists because you have been supporting us right from the day FRSC started. This shows that you have that conviction and dedication to move this Nigeria forward by putting in whatever you have to support FRSC to reduce road traffic crashes by half by the year 2030. And I hope that we achieve that. We are almost more than halfway.

Today, we are in 2026, and we have just four years to be able to achieve that half reduction in both the crashes, the fatalities and also the injuries. As of today, we need your support because if I tell you the medical bills we spend on a monthly basis for knocked down FRSC personnel, while on duty, paid to orthopedic hospitals, and not to even mention the number of deaths we record on our personnel who are knocked down and die daily on Nigeria roads by motorists. So, we need your support. I will continue to say this, we need the support of journalists to say the facts and for the clarity of what is going on in the country.

Road Safety Agenda, Road Safety Principle shouldn’t be left to the FRSC alone. It should be a collective responsibility, a holistic responsibility for all Nigerians to come on board. The literacy level we are talking about, our government needs to be on board at the sub-national level, the local governments. The state governments are supposed to continue to enlighten their citizens, to make sure that they have that literacy level, to know that they are not animals. Why are they combining passengers and animals in one truck or in one vehicle? That’s supposed to be separate. There are different trucks or vehicles that are for carrying passengers, loads and animals. We shouldn’t combine all. Something needs to be done.

What legacy do you like to leave as the corps marshal of the FRSC?

One thing I believe in life is consistency and sustainability. The principles and strategies we adopted at the FRSC – technology-driven organisation, highly trained personnel and commitment to projecting the image of the country. These are the key things, which I will continue to build and to improve upon.

Where there is the need for me to also review and reorganise and reframe to achieve, that is really exactly what I’m doing. I’m not changing anything from the principles that we have of reducing road traffic crashes and injuries. Those are the mandates of FRSC. Whatever we are doing is about life.

That is why we continue to partner and collaborate with agencies. I think this is the legacy I want to leave – partnership, collaboration and bringing out the best of FRSC staff to serve Nigerians and to also project the image of the corps.

Nigeria’s $92 billion virtual asset market, built overwhelmingly by young Nigerians and now the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, risks being driven offshore by the new guidelines on the taxation of virtual assets, a pressure group, the Digital Assets Coalition, has warned.

In its formal position paper on the framework of the new guidelines, which came into force on 3 August 2026, the Coalition, at the weekend, objected to the charges on the gross movement of money rather than on any profit earned.

The industry alliance representing digital-asset participants and operators in Nigeria, opens the paper, titled: ‘Tax the Profit, Not the Movement of Money’, with an unambiguous statement of support for taxation.

However, it said it backs taxing real gains, registering platforms, verifying customers, and requiring full transaction reporting, in line with the standards of the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.

It said it is objecting to the charges on the gross movement of money rather than on any profit earned.

The first, it said, is a 1.5% stamp duty on every conversion between naira and digital assets, never refunded and charged whether a person gains or loses. The second is a 1% withholding deducted from the entire value of every sale, even where the seller made a loss.

A third concern is the requirement to remit taxes in tokens, which is inconsistent with the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, whose Section 39 mandates payment in currency.

‘We support the taxation of virtual assets without qualification,’ said Obinna Iwuno, spokesperson of the Digital Assets Coalition.

‘Our concern is with a design choice that taxes the movement of money itself. This charge falls on a remittance to a student abroad, on a freelancer converting earnings already taxed as income, and on a trader in a year they lost money. That is not a tax on profit. It is a toll on participation.’

Daily Trust reports that the burden falls hardest on the young Nigerians who built the market as working infrastructure for global earnings, family remittances, and savings that survive Naira volatility.

Because young users transact small and often, the levies compound fastest against their pattern of use.

They bite even below the N10 million threshold the Nigeria Tax Act itself exempts and within the N800,000 income band taxed at zero, while filing burdens can exceed a student’s entire earnings.

‘The framework is anti-youth in effect, even if not in intent,’ Iwuno said, adding, ‘You cannot tax your way into the future by taxing the people building it.’

Every comparable country has reversed course. India’s 1% transaction withholding saw regulated exchanges lose 81% of volume within four months, with over 90% of trading moving offshore within a year, according to the Esya Centre.

Kenya repealed its 3% transaction tax in 2025, and Turkey withdrew a similar levy in 2026.

Benue residents have lamented rising rslents in the state despite government’s urban renewal and housing projects which is currently reshaping the real estate landscape.

Our correspondent reports that across the state’s capital of Makurdi, new road projects have opened previously inaccessible communities, attracting developers, businesses and private investors.

But despite the growing development, soaring rents and rising property costs continue to keep decent housing beyond the reach of many residents.

Rresidents have expressed excitement over the massive road construction projects currently being executed by Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration across the state, but complained that rents are going overboard.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, disclosed that no fewer than 390 kilometres of rural and urban roads are under construction across the state, adding that at least 25 road projects within Makurdi metropolis alone have been completed and are already in use.

Residents speak

The residents in Makurdi metropolis around High Level, Logo 1, Wurukum, North Bank and Wadata have heaved a sigh of relief as their areas are being transformed and making accessibility easier.

Veronica Ucha, who lives behind Zone 4 Police headquarters in Makurdi, said their vicinity received a facelift with petty businesses now thriving following the construction of new roads in the area.

‘This area was inaccessible even by foot in the past but as you can see, cars are driving anywhere now. Besides, small businesses are opening here and there with traders thriving in commercial activities,’ she said.

For Jack Edwin, the roads construction within Wurukum has helped opened up hitherto inaccessible areas and making living more conducive for residents.

‘People are now coming to live in this area unlike before. The construction of the roads and opening up of gutters have also controlled flooding in the area so we are very happy,’ Edwin added.

The residents are also optimistic that the state capital, Makurdi will soon become the cynosure of all eyes even as they commended the government for stepping up housing development.

According to them, the public housing initiatives are beginning to reshape Benue State’s property market, boosting real estate investment in some locations even as high rents, housing deficits and affordability continue to shut out many low-income residents.

Alfred Asongo, a resident, however worried that the development has skyrocketed cost of renting houses which now goes for between N800,000 and N1.5million for a two-bedroom; N400,000 to N750,000 for a one-bedroom and N300,000 to N600,000 for a single room self-contain, against the previous lower prices at half of the current rents of the various apartments.

Apart from Asongo, some estate surveyors and residents said that the improved road networks have increased the value of land in several emerging neighbourhoods, while landlords continue to review rents upward amid growing demand for decent accommodation.

This development however propelled the Benue State Government to recently take over the 116 housing units built by the Federal Government in a Makurdi suburb through the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), with plans to make them more accessible through a rent-to-own arrangement.

Sequel to the acquisition of the federal estate, BIPC had commenced construction of a 1,080-unit Eco City Estate in Makurdi, one of the state’s biggest housing projects of the state in recent years.

The project, which is being developed in phases, is expected to provide residential accommodation for civil servants and other residents while easing pressure on the rental market.

The company has also unveiled plans to develop additional low-income housing estates as well as a proposed Diaspora City, signalling a broader strategy to address the state’s growing housing deficit.

Property experts such as Estate surveyor, ESV Joe Nelson, thinks these initiatives, combined with ongoing road construction across Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo and other urban centres, are gradually changing the real estate landscape.

Prior to the infrastructure push, access to affordable housing was a major challenge because Benue has relatively few government-owned housing estates, but the problem was not vacant buildings.

Rather, it was the shortage of completed housing units, slow allocation processes and the inability of many workers to afford available homes.

One of the most prominent examples was the 116-unit National Housing Programme Estate at Tse Ukpahar, behind Welfare Quarters in Makurdi which was built under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The estate had remained largely unoccupied for years due to financing constraints, insecurity, administrative bottlenecks and delays in allocation.

Stakeholders, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (Benue Chapter), had described the estate as the state’s only major completed government housing project awaiting full occupation.

The houses were initially priced at N8.5 million for a one-bedroom bungalow, N11.5 million for a two-bedroom unit and N12.5 million for a three-bedroom bungalow, prices many workers considered beyond their financial reach at the time.

‘Government houses are meant for ordinary workers, but they are often priced beyond what we can afford,’ a civil servant, who requested anonymity had said.

Mrs. Rose Egbo who expressed similar concerns, recalled that expectations were high when construction began.

‘We were told the estate was meant for civil servants and low-income earners, but when they announced the prices, many people simply gave up. Most workers could not raise that kind of money,’ she said.

She also cited insecurity around the estate as another factor discouraging prospective occupants.

‘People stopped going there because that area became notorious for kidnappings,’ she added.

However, in what analysts describe as a major shift in housing policy, the Benue State government recently taken over the 116 housing units through the BIPC has set the tone for occupancy.

BIPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, while speaking at the recent handover ceremony of the estate, noted that the decision followed Governor Alia’s directive to provide affordable homes after complaints over rising rents and the cost of housing in the ongoing Eco City Estate.

‘When we started the Eco City Estate, civil servants complained that the houses were expensive, so His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia directed that we should have homes for low-income earners, and that is why we have done this investment,’ Asemakaha said.

He explained that, under the new arrangement, 40 percent of the houses will be allocated to civil servants, another 40 percent to members of the public, while the remaining 20 percent will be distributed through other approved categories.

Asemakaha said that beneficiaries will acquire the houses through mortgage-backed instalment payments rather than outright purchase, just as he directed the conversion of a unit for an outpost station of the Nigerian Police Force while stressing that the initiative was designed to reduce high rental in Benue and close gaps of housing deficits.

On his part, Governor Hyacinth Alia, represented by the Acting Head of Civil Service, Dr. Eunice Ogbenyi Ihu, said the housing estate would significantly ease the accommodation challenges confronting civil servants in the state.

However, many residents have applauded these development, saying that with rents continuing to climb across Makurdi despite the ongoing construction of new estates, the state’s infrastructure drive will ultimately be measured not only by the number of roads constructed but by whether ordinary workers can finally afford a decent place to call home.

For ESV Nelson, improved infrastructure has made several previously neglected areas attractive for residential and commercial development, increasing land values and stimulating private investment.

However, he warned that infrastructure development alone will not solve Benue’s housing challenges.

Nelson and other estate developers as well as prospective homeowners argue that access to affordable mortgage financing, lower construction costs and transparent allocation systems remain critical to ensuring that housing projects benefit the intended low-income population.

For now, in the estimation of residents, the combination of road expansion, urban renewal and housing development suggested that Benue’s property market is entering a new phase.

Yet, until affordability catches up with infrastructure, to them, the dream of home ownership will remain out of reach despite the cranes, bulldozers and new estates dotting the state’s landscape.

CropLife Nigeria (CLN) has called for stronger enforcement of regulations against the importation, distribution and sale of pesticides prohibited by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The organisation, which represents manufacturers, formulators, importers, consultants, distributors, farmers and users of pest control products, said it was concerned about what it described as the continued circulation of paraquat, diquat, atrazine and chlorpyrifos despite their prohibition by NAFDAC in 2023.

According to CLN, NAFDAC prohibited the manufacture, importation, distribution and use of the affected products, including formulations containing them.

The organisation said the alleged continued circulation of the pesticides could undermine regulatory efforts, expose farmers and consumers to potential health risks, affect food safety and create challenges for the acceptance of Nigerian agricultural produce in international markets.

CLN said its members, in collaboration with NAFDAC, had developed and introduced alternative products to replace the prohibited pesticides.

In a statement, the organisation called on NAFDAC, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), the Farm Inputs Support Services (FISS) Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), law-enforcement agencies, state governments and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen enforcement of regulations governing pesticides.

It urged the authorities to improve surveillance and intelligence-led inspections at land borders, ports and other entry points to prevent the illegal importation of prohibited pesticides.

The organisation also called for increased market surveillance and routine inspections of agrochemical markets to identify and remove prohibited products from circulation.

CLN further urged the relevant authorities to investigate suspected cases of illegal importation, distribution and sale of the pesticides and prosecute offenders where appropriate.

It called for greater collaboration among NAFDAC, NESREA, FISS, the Nigeria Customs Service, security agencies and neighbouring countries to strengthen efforts to prevent the illegal movement of prohibited pesticides across borders.

The organisation also advocated sustained public awareness campaigns to educate farmers on the risks associated with the use of prohibited pesticides and encourage them to obtain agricultural chemicals only from authorised distributors.

It recommended effective product traceability systems and stronger enforcement mechanisms to help prevent prohibited pesticides from re-entering the Nigerian market.

CLN reiterated its commitment to working with NAFDAC, NESREA, FISS and other stakeholders to strengthen pesticide regulation and promote food safety and national food security.

The organisation said effective enforcement of pesticide regulations would help protect farmers and consumers while supporting the reputation and international acceptance of Nigerian agricultural produce.

The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company Plc (NMRC) has reaffirmed its financial resilience despite Nigeria’s challenging macroeconomic environment, as well as expansion of its madante on housing financing.

The reassurance was given at the company’s 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held virtually as shareholders approved an 80 kobo dividend per share.

The meeting, chaired by Dr. Olabanjo Obaleye, attracted representatives of the company’s corporate shareholders, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and other key stakeholders.

Presenting the Company’s 2025 Annual Report and Accounts, Dr. Obaleye stated that although the operating environment remained difficult, NMRC recorded a modest performance driven by prudent management, disciplined execution and a steadfast commitment to long-term sustainability.

Speaking at the AGM, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kehinde Ogundimu, explained that the unusually high interest rate environment prompted the company to adopt a proactive strategy aimed at strengthening its balance sheet.

According to him, NMRC took a deliberate, non-distress-driven decision to prudently manage its liabilities and repayments by contracting its balance sheet, demonstrating sound financial discipline in a period of elevated borrowing costs.

He disclosed that ‘the company recorded a Net Interest Income of N6.462 billion in 2025, representing a 2.45 per cent increase over the previous year. Profit Before Tax stood at N3.489 billion, reflecting a 7.5 per cent decline compared to 2024, largely due to prevailing economic conditions,’

The AGM also ratified the appointments of Mr. Adeyemi Odubiyi and Mr. Arinze Adigwe as Non-Executive Directors, while Ms. Funke Aboyade, SAN, and Dr. Markie Idowu were re-elected to the Board.

In addition, shareholders approved the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as the company’s External Auditors to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Obaleye said ‘NMRC is commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s housing finance system and expanding access to affordable mortgage financing,’

‘It is impossible to know when a bubble will burst, but it is possible to know when a bubble exists.’ – Robert Shiller

Cracks in Global Foundation

There is something increasingly unsettling about the global economy. The problem is no longer simply that markets are overvalued, currencies are under pressure, or governments are intervening to prevent financial instability. The deeper problem is that the architecture holding the global financial system together increasingly depends on confidence in assets whose underlying economic foundations are becoming harder to defend.

AI companies have become the newest and most powerful expression of this phenomenon. Companies with enormous valuations are raising extraordinary amounts of capital on the expectation that future AI revenues will justify today’s prices. The valuation creates the capacity to raise more money; the new money validates the valuation; and the higher valuation reinforces the belief in future earnings. It is a financial circle. And history has shown us how dangerous such circles can become.

Before examining the AI sector, it is useful to consider the tectonic shifts occurring elsewhere in the global economy. Recent weeks have seen several notable fractures. Japan’s currency crisis and the ongoing devaluation of the Yen have prompted aggressive intervention by the United States government by selling the Euro. Simultaneously, South Korea’s stock market experienced a sharp correction, and over $1 trillion was temporarily wiped from U.S. chip stocks. While these events are concerning, they may also reflect normal volatility in a post-pandemic environment characterised by shifting interest rates and supply chain realignments.

The response to these crises, however, has raised eyebrows. The United States’ intervention to support the Yen represents exactly the kind of currency management that Washington has historically criticised Beijing for. The Treasury’s ‘signalling’ tactics, including the widely discussed notes associated with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, underscore a heavy-handed approach to managing exchange rates. Bessent, a veteran who made his fortune alongside George Soros, is recognised as one of the world’s most skilled practitioners in currency markets. While his actions may be viewed by some as pragmatic crisis management, others argue they highlight a broader trend of bending the established rules of global economic engagement.

For decades, the United States has accused China of manipulating its currency to gain an unfair economic advantage. Yet when a major economy finds its currency under severe pressure, direct intervention, interest-rate policy and carefully calibrated official signals can become tools for influencing exchange rates. The principle is suddenly less abstract when the stability of the global financial system is at stake.

The same contradiction can be seen in global energy markets. Oil, arguably the world’s most important strategic commodity, is not determined by supply and demand alone. It is shaped by geopolitics, sanctions, production agreements, strategic reserves, shipping routes and financial markets. Governments intervene. Producers intervene. Traders speculate. Great powers influence the rules. And increasingly, the line between markets and political power is becoming impossible to ignore.

The Last Un-Rotten Apple?

The hyper-valuation of companies like OpenAI and their peers is playing an outsized role in propping up the US market, which in turn holds a significant portion of the world’s foreign savings. These savings are critical for financing U.S. Treasury auctions. In essence, the AI sector has become a key structural pillar of the American financial system. The concern is that this pillar may be built on a foundation that requires careful scrutiny.

Many of these companies are not yet generating substantial operational profits; instead, they are raising capital through successive fundraising rounds, each built upon optimistic valuation narratives. OpenAI, for instance, relies heavily on new investment to sustain its operations and massive infrastructure costs. The market is currently pricing in over $2.1 trillion in projected future earnings from these firms-an extraordinary figure for companies that are, for the most part, still operating at a loss.

For decades, the dominant economic philosophy was that the private sector could do almost everything better than the state. Public enterprises were privatised. Public utilities were commercialised. Infrastructure became an investment class. Education became a market. Healthcare became an industry. Housing became a financial asset.

The argument was that private capital would create efficiency. But what happens when almost everything becomes an asset? Eventually, there are fewer new places for capital to go. And that may explain part of the extraordinary enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence. AI has become more than a technology. It has become a financial destination for global capital searching for the next great source of growth. This is where the danger begins.

The Catalyst for a Broader Slowdown?

The systemic risk, if it materialises, lies in the interconnectedness of these markets. If the AI sector experiences a significant correction, it could trigger a sell-off in equities. If foreign investors, seeing their savings impacted, were to pull back from U.S. bonds, yields could spike, increasing the cost of servicing the national debt. Unlike 2008, there is no guarantee that the bond market would serve as a safe harbour this time around, given the current levels of global debt and geopolitical fragmentation.

Scott Bessent and his peers are experts at navigating financial crises, and they are likely to continue using aggressive signalling and market intervention to manage volatility. Their goal is to avert a severe economic contraction-a recession that could be more significant than recent downturns. The manipulation of the AI narrative, combined with currency and oil market interventions, can be seen as calculated attempts to buy time and maintain stability.

This is the uncomfortable paradox of our age. We have built a global economy in which governments are increasingly dependent on markets, markets are increasingly dependent on expectations, expectations are increasingly dependent on technology, and technology companies are increasingly dependent on capital continuing to believe in their future.

The greatest mistake would be to assume that because AI is genuinely revolutionary, every valuation attached to AI must therefore be justified. History does not work that way. Railways changed the world. The internet changed the world. Electricity changed the world. Housing remains indispensable. Yet the existence of a transformative technology or essential asset does not prevent financial bubbles from forming around it.

Financial crises rarely begin when people discover that the future is impossible. They begin when people suddenly realise that the future they have already priced into everything was never guaranteed.

The world may therefore be entering a period in which the greatest economic battle is no longer between capitalism and socialism, or between markets and governments. It is between financial expectations and economic reality. And if reality eventually wins, the adjustment could be global. What is unsustainable cannot be sustained.

The Yobe State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly shooting another man with an arrow following a dispute in Tarmuwa Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s spokesman, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said the incident was reported at the Tarmuwa Divisional Police Headquarters and that investigation was ongoing.

He said preliminary findings indicated that the suspect allegedly found his wife in a compromising situation with another man near her parents’ residence in Danewa-Biriri village.

According to the police, an altercation ensued, during which the suspect allegedly shot the victim with a bow and arrow, inflicting serious injuries.

‘The victim is currently receiving treatment at the Police Hospital in Damaturu, while the suspect has been arrested.

Investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances surrounding the incident, after which appropriate legal action will be taken,’ Abdulkarim said.

Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Usman Kamfani Jibrin, advised residents against taking the law into their own hands.

He urged members of the public to report disputes and criminal activities to the police for lawful resolution.

The Lagos state government has been urged to build a 50 to 100 years master plan for the development of its coastal line.

The president of Shoreline Developers Association of Lagos, Lai Omotola stated this during the inauguration of the association, saying the state’s coastal line occupies 40 percent land mass.

According to him, the association was established to foster development towards improving lifestyle and living conditions.

‘There is a need for us to move from crisis response to long term strategic planning,’ he said.

He described the association as self-regulating, science and technology drive and climate complaint, saying the essence of shoreline development transcends sand filling.

He highlighted the economic potentials of shoreline development, saying it helps to unlock fisheries, wind farms, coastal railway, Marina, renewable energy and eco-tourism potentials.

He raised concerns over the global threats associated with shoreline, calling for a deliberate approach between the state government and association to curtail it.

‘There is an urgent need for a comprehensive drainage network design and implementation, shoreline master plan, social and environmental impact assessment and deployment of high end technology.

‘Shoreline is a luxury that comes with global threats of sea level rise, intense storm surges and ground water extraction sinking at 4mm per year. There cannot be a better time to pay attention to threats to the environment,’ he said.

He added that the state must prepare for the impact of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project, saying houses affected by flood along the coastal road were not designed according to the master plan.

‘The Lagos- Calabar coastal road is not responsible for flooding, it is the people that built below the coastal road. They were building without a master plan, building below their foundation.

‘The coastal road was built according to the master plan. A lot of them will have to demolish and build according to the master plan,’ he warned

He urged the state government to seek beyond revenue and focus on development of super infrastructure, stressing that it will yield more revenue.

Rep Abdussamad Dasuki, Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reconsider the staggered arrangement for the 2027 general election and hold the federal and state elections on a single day.

Dasuki also raised concerns over Section 63 (2) of the Electoral Act which, he warned, could potentially compromise the integrity of the 2027 general election by allowing ballot papers without the prescribed official mark of the electoral commission to be counted under certain circumstances.

He said this at the weekend while receiving youths from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who visited to congratulate him on his emergence as Deputy Minority Leader.

Addressing the youths, the lawmaker said conducting the 2027 general election on a single day would save the country huge economic losses arising from the disruption of socio-economic activities associated with staggered general election.

He argued that a one-day election would also significantly reduce the financial burden on government, as allowances and other expenses for ad hoc electoral personnel, security agencies and other election-related logistics would be incurred for only one day instead of two separate election days. He said this had become necessary considering the paucity of funds for other needs having direct impact on the welfare of the people.

According to him, combining the elections would equally reduce the number of election-related trips that Nigerians and other participants would have to undertake, particularly in view of the country’s security challenges.

He explained that under the current arrangement, people travelling for election purposes could be required to make one trip in January for the federal elections and another in February for the state elections. A single election day, he said, would mean that such journeys would only have to be made once.

Dasuki urged INEC to merge the federal and state elections and conduct them in either January or February 2027.

He said the combined election would involve five ballot papers covering the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections at the federal level, as well as the governorship and State House of Assembly elections at the state level.

The deputy minority leader maintained that INEC had the capacity to manage the five ballot papers efficiently and effectively if adequate preparations were made ahead of the polls.

He further noted that the existence of eight off-cycle governorship elections would make a single-day election even more practicable, as governorship elections would not be held in 8 states during the 2027 cycle. He added that in those 8 states, the ballot papers would reduce to four.

Dasuki said the arrangement would not only simplify the electoral process but also help reduce the movement of voters, political actors, election officials and security personnel across the country.

‘Considering the security situation in Nigeria, participants should not be required to make two separate journeys for elections when the process can be efficiently organised to take place on one day,’ he said.

Raising concerns over a provision of the Electoral Act which, he warned, could potentially compromise the integrity of the 2027 general election by allowing ballot papers without the prescribed official mark of the electoral commission to be counted under certain circumstances, Dasuki wants Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act to be expunged.

He argued that the provision could create a loophole capable of facilitating the use of fake or unauthorised ballot papers during elections.

He drew attention to the provisions of Section 63(1) and (2), particularly the apparent contradiction between the two subsections.

Quoting Section 63(1), he said: ‘Subject to subsection (2), a ballot paper which does not bear official mark prescribed by the commission shall not be counted.’

He, however, expressed concern over the qualification contained in Section 63(2), which provides:

‘Where the returning officer is satisfied that a ballot paper which does not bear the official mark was from a book of ballot papers which was furnished to the presiding officer of the polling unit in which the vote was cast for use at the election in question, he or she shall, notwithstanding the absence of the official mark, count the ballot paper.’

Rep Dasuki argued that permitting ballot papers without the prescribed official mark to be counted could expose the electoral process to abuse and make it difficult to distinguish genuine ballot papers from counterfeit ones.

He assured that the minority leaders are working to ensure that it was corrected before the 2027 elections.

The lawmaker also commended the recent increase in the salaries of members of the Armed Forces, describing the measure as a step in the right direction.

He, however, called for further improvements in the welfare of military personnel, particularly in the area of accommodation.

Dasuki stressed that all military personnel should be provided with decent accommodation, noting that improved living conditions were essential to the morale and effectiveness of the Armed Forces.

He also reiterated his earlier call for forfeited properties to be handed over to the military for use as accommodation and other facilities.

The lawmaker said strengthening the welfare of military personnel was particularly important given the demanding security responsibilities they continue to shoulder across the country.

Pure Eve Ltd and GuduGudu Herbal Worldwide Enterprise have warned consumers against counterfeit versions of their herbal product, Menofix, currently circulating in the market.

The companies, in a joint statement signed by their Head of Corporate Communications, Peter Oriri, also clarified that the officially approved name of the product is Menofix Herbal Capsule, rather than simply ‘Menofix’ and that the company going forward will no longer call its product Menofix, rather its full name which is Menofix herbal capsule as duly certified and registered by NAFDAC.

Oriri said the product is registered and certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) under registration number A7-103321L, issued to Pure Eve manufacturer, GuduGudu Herbal Worldwide Enterprise. He urged consumers to check the full product name and packaging before making purchases.

‘We are eternally grateful to NAFDAC for its support, guidance and public awareness efforts, which have helped make the general public aware of the circulation of fake Menofix in the market,’ he said.

He disclosed that the companies had engaged the leadership of the Idumota open drug market in Lagos and met with the chairman of drug marketers as part of efforts to curb the distribution of counterfeit products. He added that the companies would continue to monitor the market and work with relevant stakeholders to protect consumers.

Oriri further announced plans to introduce a verification sticker on the product to enable consumers authenticate it. ‘Going forward, we will also put a verification sticker on our products that you can scan to be sure it is from us,’ he said.

The companies also thanked customers for their feedback and continued support, reaffirming their commitment to product safety and regulatory compliance. They urged consumers to remain vigilant and report suspected counterfeit products to the appropriate regulatory authorities.