Category: Daily Trust

PrimeTech Design and Engineering Nigeria Ltd, the engineering design subsidiary of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has achieved the internationally recognised ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) certification, marking a major milestone in its drive for operational excellence and continuous improvement.

The certification confirms that the company’s quality management system complies with internationally accepted standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), demonstrating its ability to consistently deliver engineering and consultancy services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

The achievement followed more than a decade of investment in quality management. PrimeTech began strengthening its quality systems through structured internal audits in 2015 while operating under the certification framework of its parent company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.

As the company expanded its operations, workforce and client base, it pursued an independent certification reflecting its operational growth and maturity.

Presenting the certificate, Country Director of the German Society for the Certification of Quality Management Systems (DQS), Ogudu Lawrence, commended PrimeTech for its commitment to quality, customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

He said the certification demonstrates that the company has established the systems, structures and processes required to consistently deliver services that meet international standards and client expectations.

Lawrence, however, noted that the certification is not a one-time achievement, explaining that DQS will conduct annual surveillance audits to ensure the company continues to meet and improve on the required standards.

‘Achieving the certificate is not the end. There will be annual surveillance audits to confirm that the systems remain effective and continue to improve. The certification can be withdrawn if the required standards are no longer maintained,’ he said.

Speaking on the achievement, PrimeTech General Manager, Christian Moesmer, described the certification as a defining moment in the company’s growth.

‘This certification independently validates that our quality management system meets international standards and reflects our commitment to delivering engineering and design services with professionalism and integrity. It assures our clients that quality is the foundation of everything we do,’ he said.

PrimeTech operates a comprehensive quality management system supported by a dedicated quality team and documented operational procedures. The company has also extended quality oversight beyond engineering activities to administrative operations, human resources and project support functions, promoting a company-wide culture of quality assurance.

Security operatives in Sokoto State have foiled two separate bandit attacks in Shagari and Rabah local government areas, forcing the attackers to abandon a total of 452 rustled domestic animals after gun battles with a joint security team.

The attacks, which occurred on Tuesday evening, targeted Horo Birni and Marake villages in Shagari LGA as well as Maikujera village, a remote settlement in Rabah LGA.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

According to him, at about 7:20 pm on Tuesday, armed bandits in large numbers attacked Horo Birni and Marake villages in Shagari LGA, firing sporadically before rustling an unspecified number of domestic animals.

He said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Shagari mobilised all tactical teams, including operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Village Community Response Unit (VCRU) and personnel of the Military Forward Operating Base (FOB), who engaged the attackers in a gun battle.

‘The hoodlums were overpowered and escaped through a nearby forest, abandoning all the rustled animals,’ the statement said.

Police said security operatives recovered 195 cows, 84 sheep and two camels during the operation.

The command added that two villagers sustained gunshot wounds during the attack and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

Rufa’i said that in a similar incident at about 8:10 pm on Tuesday, armed bandits attacked Maikujera village, a remote hamlet in Rabah LGA, shooting sporadically before rustling 171 domestic animals, including camels, cows, sheep and goats.

He said the DPO, who was already on alert, immediately mobilised all tactical teams, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the VCRU, blocked the exit routes from the village and engaged the bandits in another gun battle.

According to the statement, the bandits were overpowered and fled through a nearby forest, abandoning all 171 rustled animals, which were subsequently recovered.

The Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, commended the DPOs, tactical teams, VCRU operatives and the military for their swift response and professionalism, saying their actions foiled the attacks and ensured the recovery of all the rustled animals without any loss of life among security personnel or villagers.

Former Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has dismissed as false reports alleging that he and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are plotting to replace the party’s 2027 governorship candidate in the state, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), with the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr. Pius Akutah.

Ortom, in a statement issued on Friday by his Media Assistant, Zege Paul Terhide, described the social media report as mischievous, misleading and a deliberate distortion of facts.

He explained that the meeting in question involved himself, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Patrick Abba Moro, and the PDP governorship candidate, Chief Aondoakaa, alongside prominent Benue stakeholders, including Chief Simon Shango, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, Dr. Pius Akutah, Engr. Emmanuel Ameh and Dr. Matthias Byuan.

Ortom said the gathering formed part of ongoing consultations aimed at building a broad strategic alliance of Benue stakeholders in the overall interest of the state and not to discuss any change in the party’s governorship ticket.

He stressed that at no point during the meeting was the issue of replacing Aondoakaa raised, considered or included on the agenda, describing claims to the contrary as political mischief intended to mislead the public.

The former governor reaffirmed that Aondoakaa remains the duly nominated PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election, adding that the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice enjoys the confidence and full support of the party’s leadership.

He expressed confidence in Aondoakaa’s experience, competence and capacity to tackle Benue’s security and economic challenges and provide purposeful leadership if elected.

Ortom warned those spreading what he described as fabricated reports to desist from disseminating false information capable of creating confusion among party members and the public.

He urged PDP members, supporters and the people of Benue State to disregard the report, insisting that no amount of misinformation would derail the party’s efforts to build a formidable coalition ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

Chairman of the Governing Board of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Emmanuel Deeyah, has called for urgent action to end the recent wave of killings and insecurity in Ogoni, Rivers State.

Deeyah made the call during a visit to the Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Dr Thomas Bariere, following the killing of a former Chief Security Officer of the council, Letam Kiine, who was reportedly shot dead by gunmen near Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic.

He commiserated with the council and residents over the incident and expressed confidence in the council chairman’s ability to restore peace.

Deeyah commended Bariere for previous efforts to improve security, noting that communities once inaccessible due to violence had become safer.

He urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those behind the attacks.

‘Those causing insecurity are only distracting the community. We will support every effort to drive them out because peace must return to Khana,’ he said.

Responding, Bariere thanked Deeyah for the visit and described it as a show of solidarity.

He vowed to intensify efforts to tackle insecurity, alleging that some individuals seeking positions in the local security structure were linked to the violence.

‘The killings are too many. We will deploy every available resource to identify those responsible and ensure they face justice,’ he said.

He assured residents that security agencies had intensified operations and that those behind the attacks would soon be arrested and prosecuted.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Northern Caucus, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government’s ongoing passport centralisation reform is designed to marginalise Northern Nigeria, describing such allegations as false, misleading and aimed at creating unnecessary public anxiety.

The students’ body said the passport centralisation programme being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a nationwide operational reform intended to strengthen security, improve efficiency and enhance service delivery, rather than a policy targeted at any region of the country.

National Vice President (External Affairs) of the association, Sadiq Zango, who addressed newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, said the caucus decided to clarify misconceptions following growing enquiries and concerns from passport applicants and stakeholders across the North-East and North-West.

He urged Nigerians, particularly residents of the two geopolitical zones, to disregard what he described as ‘deliberate falsehood, propaganda and misinformation’ being circulated about the reform.

According to Zango, the migration of passport production to the Central Personalisation Centre in Abuja does not stop passport processing or issuance at passport offices nationwide or at Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad.

He explained that the exercise is part of a broader modernisation programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system through technology-driven processes.

Providing details of the implementation, Zango said the Nigeria Immigration Service adopted a phased migration plan to ensure a seamless transition with minimal disruption to services.

‘It is, therefore, far from the truth to suggest that the Federal Government is trying to disenfranchise the North or any other part of the country through this process,’ he said.

He said the new arrangement is expected to reduce passport processing time to about two weeks while eliminating manual interference in the personalisation process, curbing document fraud, improving accountability and ensuring uniform quality and enhanced security features in every Nigerian passport.

The NANS leader expressed confidence in the Nigeria Immigration Service, saying the agency remains committed to deploying technology-driven solutions that align Nigeria’s passport system with global best practices.

He appealed to Northerners and Nigerians generally to remain calm and ignore rumours capable of creating unnecessary tension, insisting that the reform is designed to produce a more secure, efficient and globally respected Nigerian passport for all citizens, irrespective of region.

Muslim women have been encouraged to play more active roles in leadership and governance as part of their Islamic responsibility to promote justice, accountability and the welfare of society.

The Iya Sunnah of Egbaland and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deputy governorship candidate in Ogun State, Dr. Lateefah Sowunmi-Kolapo, made the call during the inaugural summit of the Egba Muslim Women Forum (EMWOF) held in Abeokuta.

Addressing participants, Sowunmi-Kolapo stressed that although the forum must remain non-partisan, Islam encourages believers to be actively engaged in promoting the common good and supporting righteous leadership.

‘Leadership is an amanah (sacred trust), and Muslim women should be prepared to serve with integrity in education, healthcare, public institutions and other sectors where they can positively impact society and contribute to the growth of Islam,’ she said.

She noted that responsible civic engagement, advocacy for justice and support for accountable leadership are consistent with Islamic teachings, adding that Muslim women should understand public policies and contribute to shaping a society founded on moral values.

Sowunmi-Kolapo described the inauguration of the Egba Muslim Women Forum as the beginning of a movement to empower Muslim women to become agents of positive change within their homes, communities and the wider society.

She urged Muslim women to embrace unity above personal, organisational or political differences.

The PDP deputy governorship candidate also identified growing social challenges-including drug abuse, cybercrime, cultism, declining family values, the negative influence of social media and economic hardship-as issues requiring greater attention from Muslim mothers.

She urged Muslim women to nurture children with sound Islamic morals, integrity and discipline, emphasising that strong families are the foundation of a righteous and prosperous society.

Also speaking, Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, described the inauguration of the forum as a significant step toward strengthening the collective voice and influence of Muslim women across Egbaland.

She said bringing together women from different Muslim organisations under one umbrella would foster unity without erasing their individual identities.

Delivering the keynote lecture, Deputy Director at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Mrs. Rasheedah Ibrahim, also called on Muslim women to rise above organisational differences and work together in the interest of the Ummah.

‘We want to rise above organisational differences and embrace collective responsibility. Let us speak with one voice on matters affecting our community,’ she said.

Stakeholders have urged Nigeria to harness the creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial potential of its youthful population to accelerate economic growth and national development.

They spoke on Thursday at the IDCL Global Conference ’26 in Abuja, where they also called for improvements in electricity supply, reforms in the justice system and greater investment in an environment that enables young Nigerians to create businesses and employment opportunities.

The conference, themed, ‘A New Nigeria,’ brought together entrepreneurs, business leaders, development experts, youth advocates and other stakeholders to discuss economic growth, innovation, governance and national development.

Speaking at the event, the Convener of the Made in Abuja Creative and Entertainment Industry Conference and Award, Gabriel Obochi, said Nigeria must create an enabling environment for young people to turn their ideas into viable enterprises.

Obochi said exposure to productive and innovative people could encourage more young Nigerians to embrace entrepreneurship and creativity.

‘The environment inspires a whole lot of innovation and creativity. When you come into the midst of people who create, who produce, who virtually create anything, it inspires you to start creating or wanting to go into creating as well,’ he said.

He also urged young entrepreneurs not to be discouraged by business failures and other setbacks, saying risk remained an unavoidable part of entrepreneurship.

‘Everything in life is a risk. If you are pulled down by it, you will never get to achieve anything,’ he said.

According to him, successful entrepreneurs are often those who remain focused despite losses and build businesses capable of surviving difficult economic conditions.

Obochi also identified inadequate electricity supply as a major constraint to businesses and called for further liberalisation of the power sector to allow more players to participate in electricity generation.

‘The power sector should be democratised and allow some other smaller companies or ventures to also generate power. That is the only thing that will help us stabilise the power problem and electricity generation in Nigeria,’ he said.

Earlier, the Convener of the IDCL Global Conference ’26, Oluwakemi Olorode, said the gathering was aimed at encouraging Nigerians to play active roles in changing the country’s development trajectory.

‘It’s A New Nigeria. That’s the topic, where Nigerians, as individuals and collectively, are making an impact and changing the narrative,’ she said.

Olorode said the conference provided a platform for business owners, professionals and young people to exchange ideas, establish partnerships and explore solutions to some of the country’s development challenges.

‘So, it’s not a one-person narrative. It’s a narrative for everybody,’ she added.

She also identified electricity supply as an area requiring greater attention, saying businesses and households continued to struggle with inadequate power.

‘We still don’t have 24-hour electricity, even with Band A. We are still pleading with the government to help us make sure that Nigeria is thriving and becomes a success story,’ Olorode said.

Speaking during a panel session, the Executive Director of the Private and Public Development Centre, Mrs Lucy Abagi James, called for greater emphasis on implementing existing policies rather than developing new frameworks.

Abagi, who focused on reforms in the justice sector, said the digitisation of courts would improve efficiency and access to justice.

‘There are already policies. There is no need for another policy framework again. We need to advocate more for judges to be able to digitise their courts,’ she said.

She also urged Nigerians to become more knowledgeable about their legal rights, including the right to legal representation and speedy trial.

According to her, weaknesses within public institutions contribute significantly to corruption and inefficiency in the justice system.

‘One of the problems we are having with corruption is system failure,’ she said.

Abagi said increased digitisation of court processes, alongside stronger public advocacy and awareness, could improve access to justice and strengthen accountability.

Also speaking, development advocate Aisha Sabo said Nigeria’s human capital and the capacity of its people to develop solutions should be regarded as more important to the country’s future than its natural resources.

‘I don’t even believe that minerals are our greatest asset. Our greatest asset and resource is actually our imagination,’ she said.

Sabo urged young Nigerians to think beyond existing limitations and explore innovative solutions to development challenges.

Citing Rwanda’s deployment of drone technology to deliver medical supplies, she said countries could overcome infrastructure and geographical challenges by embracing innovation.

‘The landscape didn’t change, but the way people imagined it did,’ she said.

She said Africa’s youthful population presented a major development opportunity, but stressed that the potential would have to be properly harnessed through skills, innovation and opportunities.

Financial market trader and public speaker, Paschalene Chiemela, similarly urged young Nigerians to develop skills and create opportunities rather than depend solely on government interventions.

‘It doesn’t always have to revolve around the government or policies. It can start with us,’ she said.

Chiemela said young people should develop valuable skills and build credible personal brands to improve their prospects in an increasingly competitive economy.

‘I know the general saying is, ‘There’s no job.’ But what can you do? Build a brand. What can you offer?’ she asked.

She said creating value, developing relevant skills and looking beyond immediate challenges would help more young Nigerians take advantage of emerging economic opportunities.

The Kano State Government has suspended its Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention, SMC, programme activities and constituted a committee to investigate its implementation.

Public Relations Officer of the state’s Ministry of Health, Nabulisi Abubakar Kofar Na’isa, said this in a statement.

According to him, the suspension is to allow for a comprehensive review of the planning, distribution and implementation processes of the SMC programme in the state.

The statement further directed that all ongoing field operations, distributions and community engagement activities under the programme be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

The ministry said the investigative committee will examine programme operations, documentation, personnel records and all related implementation activities.

According to the statement, the committee is chaired by Director General of the State AIDS Control Agency, SACA, Usman Bashir, with Salisu Ahmad Ibrahim: Director General, State Primary Healthcare Management Board, (SPHCMB); Ghali Sule, Director General, Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency, (DMCSA); Mansur Mudi Nagoda, Executive Secretary, Hospitals Management Board, (HMB); Muhammad A. Abbas, Director General, Kano Centre for Disease Control, (KNCDC); Fatima Usman Zahradden, Executive Secretary, Kano Health Trust Fund, (KHETFUND); Rahila A. Mukhtar, Executive Secretary, Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, (KSCHMA) and Khadijah Hussein Said, Acting Director General, Private Health Institutions Management Agency, (PHIMA) as members while Nazeer Tanko Kyaure, Director Administration and General Services, Ministry of Health will serve as Secretary.

The ministry also directed the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, implementing partners and other stakeholders to report to the ministry headquarters with approved work plans, distribution records and candidate lists for verification.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in health programmes, and assured development partners and the public that the review was aimed at strengthening programme delivery.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.

In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, the president said while he was not opposed to the EFCC’s exercise of its statutory powers, the timing of the action raised some concerns.

The EFCC on Wednesday froze the account of the Osun State Government, citing alleged fraudulent handling of ecology funds, intervention funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11 billion.

The anti-graft agency took the action ten days to the state’s governorship election.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord party is contesting against two major candidates: Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Adeleke, who addressed journalists in Osogbo, the state capital, said the freezing of the account was unconstitutional because no court order was obtained before the directive was issued.

But the EFCC explained that the state government’s account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.

The commission, in a statement by its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said some officials of the state had earlier been quizzed by investigators of the commission, saying what precipitated the freezing was the unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.

I feel embarrassed – President

President Tinubu said he feels embarrassed by the EFCC action because the timing could create the impression that the Federal Government is interfering in the state’s forthcoming governorship election.

Tinubu said actions taken by federal institutions were often attributed to him as President, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge of them.

He said, ‘I must state that I feel deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order, but by the timing of the agency’s action.

‘This is so because every action taken by an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.

‘Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference.

‘I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.

‘As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers.

‘While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.

‘Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.

‘Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.

‘Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard.’

EFCC unfreezes account

Efforts to get an official update from the EFCC were futile as several calls to the spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, were not answered.

But a senior official at the commission confided in Daily Trust that another official letter has been sent to the management of the First Bank conveying the President’s directive to the bank.

The official, who did not want his name in print because he wasn’t authorised to speak, said: ‘A letter has been sent to the banker to remove the PND restriction on the state government’s account following Mr President’s directive. Nobody should view this from the perspective of the fact that EFCC is not independent.’

Lawyers, CSOs fault Tinubu’s directive

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong said President Tinubu’s directive to the EFCC to unfreeze Osun State Government accounts undermined the commission’s independence and raised concerns about political interference.

‘Whatever decision the EFCC takes, they may have taken it as an independent arm of government. The President cannot be directing the unfreezing or freezing of accounts. Even though the EFCC is an agency of the executive arm of government, it is created as an independent agency under the law,’ Effiong said.

According to him, the EFCC Establishment Act does not confer supervisory authority on the President over the commission’s statutory responsibilities.

‘What this does is undermine the independence and integrity of the EFCC, and it speaks to political interference,’ he said.

Effiong questioned whether similar presidential directives had been issued in other investigations without public knowledge.

‘If the President is now giving directives in respect of the Osun matter, how many other cases has he given such directives that the public does not know about? We cannot simply trust the President to do what is right when he has a clear partisan interest in matters,’ he said.

Another lawyer, Victoria Adaji, urged the President to demonstrate impartiality by allowing the justice system to function without interference.

‘The President should prove to Nigerians that he is neutral by ensuring justice is served in matters that require so in the country,’ Adaji said.

She maintained that the EFCC’s statutory independence should have been respected.

‘The EFCC is an independent institution, and the President should have understood that better rather than interfering in the matter,’ she added.

Also reacting, Human Rights Lawyer, Udochukwu Onoh, questioned both the President’s authority to issue such a directive and the legal process through which the court granted the order freezing Osun State’s accounts.

Udochukwu also argued that the state government ought to have been given a fair hearing before the order was granted.

‘When we view it from the angle of infringement on fundamental human rights, how could a court grant such a motion without a fair hearing on both sides? The Osun State Government should have been invited to court and granted a fair hearing,’ he said.

He warned that even a temporary freeze on a state’s accounts could cripple governance and essential public services.

Describing the President’s intervention as political interference, Udochukwu said the EFCC should be allowed to discharge its statutory mandate without external influence.

‘Tinubu’s directive strange, eroding trust’

Also, a constitutional lawyer, Basil S. Kpenkpen, Esq., argued that the President’s directive has significant legal consequences for both the directing authority and the investigative Institution.

‘It’s very strange and undemocratic, the order constitutes a severe violation of the right to fair hearing under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, and it carries significant legal consequences for both the directing authority and the investigative institution.

‘What the Federal Government has done in law amounts to speculation, suspicion and doubt which cannot stand,’ the senior lawyer told one of our correspondents.

On his part, another senior lawyer, Peter Abang, called on the EFCC to put its boots on the ground and assure Nigerians of its independence and accountability in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

According to him, the directive may have tainted the independent image of the commission, arguing that anyone would, after this event and a series of other actions taken by the EFCC, be justified to hold the view that the commission cannot do anything except as directed by the Executive.

But Mustafa Adedibu, another constitutional lawyer, said the president should be commended for dousing the tension in the state.

Adedibu said, ‘The directive by Mr President for the EFCC to unfreeze Osun State Government’s account is, in my honest opinion, supposed to be a bit of relief to the nation as a whole.

‘The action of the EFCC to freeze the account of the state, however well-intended, is truly ill-timed, as the President rightly posited, and the President has just done the right thing.’

Also, civil society organisations criticised President Tinubu’s directive, warning that the intervention could undermine the anti-graft agency’s independence and public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.

The Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, and the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), Jackson Omenazu, separately argued on Thursday that any concerns arising from the EFCC’s actions should be resolved through the courts rather than executive intervention.

Odeh, who spoke to Daily Trust, said Tinubu’s directive left Nigerians with ‘two readings,’ both of which, according to him, cast the EFCC in a negative light.

‘Nigerians are left with two readings, and both are bad. One, the EFCC acted on its own and is now overridden by Aso Rock, which means it has no operational independence. The second assumption is that the EFCC did not act on its own, and the reversal is damage control,’ he said.

He argued that the President’s intervention had weakened whatever case the commission intended to pursue over the alleged mismanagement of ecological funds in Osun State.

Odeh also called for reforms governing the freezing of government accounts, saying any post-no-debit order on a state’s statutory allocation account should require a publicly disclosed court order, a defined duration and safeguards to protect workers’ salaries and pensions.

Similarly, Omenazu said the President lacked constitutional authority to interfere in an ongoing EFCC investigation or direct the agency on matters already before it.

‘The President does not have the constitutional authority to interfere in an ongoing EFCC investigation or direct the agency on matters that are before it. He should allow the law to take its course and respect the independence of institutions established by the Constitution and the laws of Nigeria,’ Omenazu said.

He maintained that the EFCC, being a statutory body, was expected to discharge its responsibilities independently and without executive interference.

‘The EFCC is a creation of statute and is expected to discharge its responsibilities independently, without executive interference. The President can only exercise powers that are expressly conferred on him by the Constitution and other extant laws. He cannot override the law or substitute his personal directive for due legal process,’ he said.

Omenazu added that any dispute arising from the commission’s actions should be resolved through the courts.

Free El-Rufai too, Atiku challenges Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to release former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, arguing that if the president could order the EFCC to vacate its freeze on Osun State’s government account, he has no basis to claim powerlessness over El-Rufai’s continued detention.

Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said: ‘Having now demonstrated that he can issue direct operational directives to anti-corruption agencies whenever he considers it expedient, President Tinubu owes Nigerians an explanation as to why he cannot exercise the same authority in the case of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,’ Atiku said.

ADC: President’s directive on Osun curious, unusual

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the President’s admission that he directed the EFCC to discontinue the action undermines claims of the agency’s independence or neutrality, thereby confirming that the President actually directs the operational conduct of the anti-graft agencies.

In a statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, the party claimed that the reversal was a response to sustained public outrage rather than a voluntary act of restraint, noting that the anti-graft agency would not have acted so recklessly in the first place if it did not presume the authorisation of the federal government.

It said: ‘What we find most curious about the statement is the President’s repeated reference to an alleged court order authorising the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts. This is a remarkable new twist. In all of its public statements on this matter, the EFCC never once claimed that it had obtained a court order.

‘The Commission consistently defended its actions on the basis of its statutory powers and what it described as ‘preventive mandate.’ At no point did it inform Nigerians that a court had authorised its actions.’

Denge Josef Onoh, Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly and former Southeast Spokesman for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has tackled the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melay.

In a strongly worded press release, Onoh accused Melaye of attempting to ‘play God’ and weaponize mortality against a sitting president for cheap political mileage.

Onoh said that the viral social media post by the former Senator for Kogi West maliciously invoked death of the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, as a prophecy against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Melaye claims that ‘God picked His phone and called Abacha,’ implying that a similar fate awaits President Tinubu.

Onoh said that if the Almighty were as swift to wrath as Dino’s bitter imagination suggests, Melaye himself would long ago have been answering queries before the divine throne.

Onoh said for the records of the public, he feels compelled to remind Nigerians of the ‘very actions Dino Melaye perpetrated against the State-actions that the same merciful God chose to overlook, giving him time to repent, an opportunity he has clearly weaponized into arrogance’.

Onoh said that as a member of the House of Representatives, Melaye led a free-for-all physical brawl that disrupted legislative proceedings, resulting in torn clothes, broken bones, and his eventual suspension.

Onoh said that Melaye theoretically undermined the institutions of state security by physically jumping out of a moving police vehicle to evade arrest, followed by a dramatic ‘collapse’ onto the asphalt, and later hiding in a hospital and up a tree.

Onoh said that during the 2023 presidential election collation at the National Center in Abuja, Melaye acted as a chief agent of destabilization, trying to aggressively halt a constitutional process because the results did not favor his principal.

Onoh said that Melaye openly brought the hallowed chambers of the Senate into disrepute by physically threatening and using deeply misogynistic language against Senator Oluremi Tinubu (now the First Lady).

Onoh said, If Dino Melaye truly understands the ‘God factor,’ he would realize that God is a God of long-suffering and patience. It is that divine patience that kept Melaye alive when he was jumping out of police trucks, jumping from political party to political party, and flaunting unexplained luxury while his constituents wallowed in poverty’.

Onoh said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is focused on the difficult, systemic economic reforms needed to undo the decades of rot that politicians contributed to.

Onoh went further to state that the 2027 election will be decided by the democratic will of the Nigerian people at the ballot box, ‘not by malicious, superstitious curses masked as spiritual insights’.

He advised Melaye to drop his ‘self-appointed role as a divine prophet of doom’, look into the mirror, and ask God for forgiveness.