Category: Daily Trust

The fixtures draw for the 2026/2027 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season will be held today, August 7, on the sidelines of the league body’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The AGM serves as the official business assembly of the NPFL, where the board and club leadership review the concluded season and ratify the policy direction for the incoming campaign.

The gathering will be held at the Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi Events Hall, opposite the University College Hospital in Ibadan.

Over the past four seasons, NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye has steadied the affairs of the top-flight league, establishing a reliable calendar that sees the season kick off in August and conclude in May.

Reflecting on this progress, Elegbeleye noted, ‘Our modest achievement includes putting the NPFL on a stable calendar since the 2023/2024 season. It is a major shift from the era of never knowing when the season will be concluded.’

He also highlighted his initial promise to ensure live broadcast coverage of the league, stating, ‘We have succeeded to a large extent in this direction, but still have much more work to do.’

Meanwhile, during the AGM, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Davidson Owumi will present the technical and operations report, while GTI Asset Management will present the financial report.

Following the conclusion of these presentations and the earlier announcement of the official kick-off dates, the highly anticipated fixtures draw for the 2026/2027 season will take place.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has cleared the Presidency of any involvement in the appointment of the purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi and creation of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The commission said the appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was forged and did not originate from the State House.

The chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed this yesterday after submitting the interim report of the commission’s investigation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said: ‘The ICPC discovered that Adeyemi also created two additional fictitious government agencies, apart from the one that is known in the public domain. Our investigation unraveled two other fake government agencies, namely FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP).’

Tinubu had, on July 7, directed the ICPC to investigate the activities of the council and submit its findings within 30 days.

Aliyu said investigations established that Adeyemi ‘was never appointed by the federal government or any authority of government,’ he said.

He added that the council ‘was never established by any law, executive order or other valid instrument of government.’

He said Adeyemi appropriated the identity of the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), illegally occupied its office and used forged government documents to carry out the activities of the fake agency.

He also said investigators discovered that the office used by the fake council was unlawfully accessed after its lock was broken.

It would be recalled that while appearing before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee that investigated the PFIPC, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had acknowledged granting official administrative approvals to the ‘phantom’ council based on documents allegedly later found to be forged.

On July 29, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, told the committee that her office issued an ‘authorised establishment’ and a recruitment waiver after receiving what was purported to be the council’s establishment Act and the appointment letter of its Director-General.

The ICPC chairman said it was also established that no federal government funds were approved or disbursed to the agency.

‘Our investigation found that weaknesses in verification, inter-agency oversight and government processes were exploited by Adeyemi with some level of negligence,’ he said.

State House disowns agency

The State House on Thursday distanced itself from the PFIPC, telling the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the ‘phantom’ council that it neither created it nor initiated any correspondence relating to its budget.

Permanent Secretary, State House, represented by the Director of Administration, Abdulkadir Idris, said the Presidency had no knowledge of the council until reports about it surfaced in the media.

Appearing before the committee, Idris said: ‘We did not send any correspondence or any request to the Office of the Accountant-General in respect of this council. We didn’t even know anything about this council. We never heard about it until we started seeing it in the media.

‘It is not our statutory responsibility to seek approval or justification for the creation of the PFIPC.’

The committee had invited the Permanent Secretary over documents purportedly originating from the State House requesting the creation of a budget code for the council, which lawmakers suspected was instrumental to securing budgetary allocations for the organisation.

But Idris dismissed the documents as fake, insisting that neither the signatory nor the office indicated on the letters exists in the State House.

He specifically denied the existence of one Akande Adewale who allegedly signed the disputed correspondence as Director of Administration and Support Services.

‘I am the Director of Administration in the State House. When the letter was shown to us, I saw it was signed in November 2024. At that time, the Director of Administration was Mrs. Aderonke Jaiyesimi, who retired in January 2025.

‘I presented to the Nigeria Police the list of Directors of Administration in the State House from 2003 till date. There is no name resembling Akande Adewale in our records,’ Idris said.

He further told lawmakers that the State House had no department known as the Directorate of Administration and Support Services.

Idris said he and the Permanent Secretary were invited by the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre after the controversy broke, where they presented official records to aid ongoing investigations.

During the hearing, the committee’s chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, confronted the witness with copies of letters allegedly written by the State House to the Accountant-General requesting a budget code for the PFIPC.

He said another letter from the Accountant-General’s Office appeared to acknowledge the request and bore a handwritten receipt stamp purportedly from the State House.

But Idris maintained that neither he nor the Permanent Secretary received such correspondence.

‘We are not in possession of any such documents. We did not write those letters, and we did not receive any response of that nature,’ he insisted.

He noted that appointments of directors-general of federal agencies are political appointments processed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), not the State House.

We approved 7 number plates to PFIPC – FRSC

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, on Thursday told the House’s ad-hoc committee that following the ongoing investigation, the FRSC had commenced the process of retrieving all the official number plates allocated to the PFIPC.

Mohammed said the FRSC issued seven official government number plates to the council after following what it believed were established verification procedures.

He explained that the application was accompanied by documents purportedly showing that the organisation had been legally established.

‘Our standard operating procedure requires every ministry, department or agency requesting official government number plates to submit a formal application, after which we verify the authenticity of the request before approval,’ he said.

He said the request was received in April 2025 from an office described as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and was supported with establishment documents and a list of chassis numbers for the vehicles.

‘As part of the verification process, our officials visited the office address presented to us and found it operational. Based on the documents and the verification carried out, we approved seven official government number plates,’ he said.

‘We have already begun administrative processes to retrieve all the official government vehicle number plates issued to the agency and have strengthened our internal verification mechanism to prevent a recurrence,’ he said.

The chairman of the committee, Gagdi, questioned the credibility of the documents relied upon by the FRSC, pointing out that the purported mandate of the council carried no official federal government insignia or security features.

Gagdi also noted that the document listed President Tinubu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and several serving ministers as members of the council’s board, describing the composition as suspicious.

‘Does this look normal to you?’ the chairman asked.

Responding, the Corps Marshal, responded: ‘It does not’,admitting that the document should have raised concerns.

Mohammed also confirmed that the seven vehicles registered for the council were brand new vehicles that had not previously existed in the FRSC database.

He admitted that the PFIPC case had exposed weaknesses in the agency’s verification process, describing it as an isolated incident from which the commission had learnt valuable lessons.

‘This is the first time we have encountered a case like this. It is now an experience for us, and we are strengthening our intelligence and verification processes so that it will never happen again,’ he said.

C’ttee fixes joint hearing, silent on Adeyemi’s appearance

The committee yesterday adjourned its sitting to next Wednesday at 12 noon, when all the government agencies that have testified so far are expected to appear for a joint session.

Its chairman, Gagdi, said the next hearing would bring together representatives of the affected institutions to jointly reconcile discrepancies in the documentary evidence before the panel.

‘We want to interact with certain people together, not one-on-one. We want the Head of the Civil Service, the Accountant-General, the State House and all other relevant agencies to be here at the same time so that we can establish exactly where the alleged infractions started and identify the weaknesses in each institution,’ he said.

He also said that the joint session would allow the committee to trace the chain of official actions that allegedly enabled the council to obtain government recognition, office accommodation, budgetary allocation and other official privileges.

The adjournment, however, leaves unanswered one of the questions surrounding the investigation, which is when the purported Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeyemi Adeniyi, will finally appear before the panel.

The issue has remained a subject of public interest since the committee disclosed at an earlier sitting that it had established contact with Adeyemi at an undisclosed location and considered his testimony crucial to determining how the purported council allegedly secured official recognition, office accommodation and budgetary provisions despite government insistence that it was never lawfully established.

Last week, the committee had directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeyemi before the lawmakers. But the police representatives told the panel that they could not comply because he was being held under a valid remand order of the Federal High Court. They explained that releasing him without the court’s authorisation would amount to a violation of the subsisting judicial order and requested the committee to obtain the necessary court warrant. The committee accepted the explanation and resolved to seek the court’s approval for his appearance.

CISLAC seeks sanctions for indicted officials

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for a broader probe into the operations of the PFIPC, saying accountability should not end with the prosecution of its purported Director-General.

Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, commended the ICPC for concluding its investigation, but emphasised that all public officials whose actions or negligence enabled the operations of the fake agency should face appropriate sanctions.

He said those who facilitated the opening of the agency’s bank accounts, approved office accommodation, processed its budget and other official dealings should not escape scrutiny.

‘Beyond just the administrative action against all the people that are involved, none of them should be spared. None of them should be politically protected. They all have committed crimes and therefore there must not be punishment for only one person,’ Rafsanjani said.

He maintained that it would have been impossible for one individual to carry out the alleged fraud without the cooperation or negligence of public officials, adding that those found culpable should face severe consequences rather than ‘light administrative inquiry.’

Rafsanjani also called on the leadership of the National Assembly to apologise to Nigerians for approving budgetary allocations for the council despite its non-existent legal status.

On the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee’s decision to question the purported DG in private rather than during a public hearing, Rafsanjani said the move would further erode public confidence in the legislature.

‘The National Assembly is always diminishing public confidence and trust of Nigerians. Why do you want to do a secret hearing when other witnesses were invited publicly? We do not support this secret hearing or secret investigation. If they are not hiding anything, let them come and do everything openly,’ he said.

He urged the Presidency to ensure that the ICPC’s recommendations are implemented without favouritism, warning against selective justice in the handling of the case.

On its part, the Connected Development (CODE) said the findings of the ICPC underscored the need for stronger transparency, accountability and institutional reforms across government.

In an interview with the Communications Manager, Stephen Akinfala, the organisation said the ICPC’s investigation exposed weaknesses in verification processes, inter-agency coordination and oversight.

CODE noted that the findings reinforced its long-standing advocacy for improved public financial management, transparent budgeting, open government and citizen oversight through its Follow The Money initiative.

Family opposes Adeyemi’s closed-door interrogation

Adeyemi’s family was reported to have alleged that members of the committee attempted to question him in police custody without the presence of his lawyers.

Adeyemi’s brother, Peter Adeyemi, reportedly alleged yesterday that committee members visited the detention facility where the suspect was being held but that he declined to answer questions because his legal representatives were not present.

He was quoted as saying that Adeyemi was willing to defend himself but wanted to do so publicly, just as the allegations against him had been made in open hearings.

The development followed a statement issued on Wednesday by Adeyemi’s lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, rejecting the committee’s reported plan to question his client at an undisclosed location while in police custody.

According to the statement, the defence team welcomed the House investigation into the alleged establishment and operations of the PFIPC but opposed any closed-door interrogation, arguing that their client should be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations in a public hearing where other witnesses had testified.

The committee has yet to publicly respond to the allegations by Adeyemi’s family or his legal team. While, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, was announcing that all agencies that have appeared before the panel would return for a joint session next Wednesday, he was silent on Adeyemi. He did not say if Adeyemi would be produced to testify before the lawmakers or not.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued a final warning to commercial transport operators loading passengers along roadsides and operating from illegal motor parks, announcing an imminent enforcement drive to move all intercity and intra-city transport operations into newly constructed bus terminals.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, said the administration was ready to enforce compliance to restore order, modernise public transportation and address security concerns, including ‘one chance’ robberies, drug trafficking and arms smuggling linked to unprofiled transport operators.

‘At the root of many security challenges is transportation.

‘The problem of ‘one chance’ and general insecurity will be half solved if we have a proper transportation system where operators are profiled and operate from designated terminals.

‘Under the new operational framework, long-distance intercity routes such as Kaduna, Aba, Lokoja, Owerri and Sokoto will operate strictly from designated terminals such as Mabushi and Kugbo. The Central Business District (CBD) terminal will handle intra-city routes, serving as a hub for taxis, e-hailing services and feeder buses,’ Elechi said.

He noted that, for the first time in the FCT’s 50-year history, the administration has built state-of-the-art bus terminals capable of handling more than 2,000 passengers.

According to him, the facilities include structured car parks, shopping outlets, food courts, escalators and cinemas, and will be managed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with Planet Projects.

Elechi added that discussions were ongoing with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to provide dedicated spaces within the CBD terminal for staff buses.

Addressing concerns over storm damage at the Kugbo terminal, he explained that the facility absorbed high-speed winds during a severe localised storm, thereby preventing major structural damage to nearby residential buildings.

He said structural modifications and roof repairs were nearing completion and that the terminal would soon become fully operational alongside the Mabushi and CBD terminals.

The secretariat warned that the previous practice of releasing impounded vehicles after operators signed undertakings would no longer continue.

Elechi noted that FCT transport regulations prohibit the operation of commercial motor parks in open spaces or on private premises without official authorisation.

‘We are not taking food from anyone’s table; we are asking operators to move from unsafe and unhealthy roadside locations into modern facilities built with billions of naira.

‘If you convert private premises into illegal motor parks, we will enforce the law, seal the premises and impound the vehicles.

‘The FCT must look like every modern capital city,’ he said.

The Transportation Secretariat also disclosed that efforts were ongoing to address intermittent traffic light failures caused by depleted solar batteries and faulty sensors. It urged residents to support the government’s anti-vandalism campaign by reporting the theft of traffic signalling cables and other power components.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Benue State on Thursday unveiled Abba John Abba, a lawyer, as its deputy governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The State Chairman of the party, Samson Okwu, made the announcement during an unveiling ceremony in Makurdi.

He urged aggrieved party members to set aside their grievances to ensure victory for all candidates at the polls, stressing the need for the party faithful to ‘close ranks’ in the interest of the bigger picture. The party’s governorship candidate, Herman Hembe, described Abba’s selection as a strategic decision endorsed by the national leadership, led by former Senate President, Dr. David Mark.

Expressing full confidence in his running mate, Hembe stated, ‘From my running mate to the next Deputy Governor of Benue State, we will work together for the development of Benue.’

Hembe urged party members to mobilize within their communities to secure victory in 2027, pledging that an ADC administration would improve healthcare delivery, strengthen security, and accelerate rural development. He noted that widespread insecurity has prevented residents from farming and trading, promising that his administration would implement urgent interventions to end the menace.

Furthermore, the governorship candidate promised to grant full autonomy to local governments immediately upon inauguration, emphasizing that grassroots development would remain a cornerstone of his tenure.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hembe committed to a peaceful, issue-based campaign focused on the party’s platform rather than personal attacks on opponents.

He also declared that he would serve only one four-year term if elected, after which the governorship would be zoned to Benue South. He noted that this arrangement would allow the party to align with the rotation of power, following the eight-year tenure currently being served by Governor Hyacinth Alia.

Earlier, the party’s Campaign Director, Prof. Cletus Torkyaa, urged Nigerians to vote for the ADC in 2027, describing the party as a credible alternative for good governance.

Dr. David Olofu, the ADC candidate for the Benue South Senatorial District, added that the time had come to ‘rescue Benue’ from its current challenges. He characterized the choice of Abba as a strategic move that would significantly strengthen the party’s prospects.

In his acceptance speech, Abba thanked the party for the confidence reposed in him.

He pledged unwavering loyalty to the party’s vision and promised to work closely with Hembe to ensure the ADC emerges victorious in the 2027 governorship election.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has cleared the Presidency of any involvement in the appointment of the purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi and creation of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The commission said the appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was forged and did not originate from the State House.

The chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed this yesterday after submitting the interim report of the commission’s investigation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said: ‘The ICPC discovered that Adeyemi also created two additional fictitious government agencies, apart from the one that is known in the public domain. Our investigation unraveled two other fake government agencies, namely FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP).’

Tinubu had, on July 7, directed the ICPC to investigate the activities of the council and submit its findings within 30 days.

Aliyu said investigations established that Adeyemi ‘was never appointed by the federal government or any authority of government,’ he said.

He added that the council ‘was never established by any law, executive order or other valid instrument of government.’

He said Adeyemi appropriated the identity of the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), illegally occupied its office and used forged government documents to carry out the activities of the fake agency.

He also said investigators discovered that the office used by the fake council was unlawfully accessed after its lock was broken.

It would be recalled that while appearing before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee that investigated the PFIPC, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had acknowledged granting official administrative approvals to the ‘phantom’ council based on documents allegedly later found to be forged.

On July 29, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, told the committee that her office issued an ‘authorised establishment’ and a recruitment waiver after receiving what was purported to be the council’s establishment Act and the appointment letter of its Director-General.

The ICPC chairman said it was also established that no federal government funds were approved or disbursed to the agency.

‘Our investigation found that weaknesses in verification, inter-agency oversight and government processes were exploited by Adeyemi with some level of negligence,’ he said.

State House disowns agency

The State House on Thursday distanced itself from the PFIPC, telling the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the ‘phantom’ council that it neither created it nor initiated any correspondence relating to its budget.

Permanent Secretary, State House, represented by the Director of Administration, Abdulkadir Idris, said the Presidency had no knowledge of the council until reports about it surfaced in the media.

Appearing before the committee, Idris said: ‘We did not send any correspondence or any request to the Office of the Accountant-General in respect of this council. We didn’t even know anything about this council. We never heard about it until we started seeing it in the media.

‘It is not our statutory responsibility to seek approval or justification for the creation of the PFIPC.’

The committee had invited the Permanent Secretary over documents purportedly originating from the State House requesting the creation of a budget code for the council, which lawmakers suspected was instrumental to securing budgetary allocations for the organisation.

But Idris dismissed the documents as fake, insisting that neither the signatory nor the office indicated on the letters exists in the State House.

He specifically denied the existence of one Akande Adewale who allegedly signed the disputed correspondence as Director of Administration and Support Services.

‘I am the Director of Administration in the State House. When the letter was shown to us, I saw it was signed in November 2024. At that time, the Director of Administration was Mrs. Aderonke Jaiyesimi, who retired in January 2025.

‘I presented to the Nigeria Police the list of Directors of Administration in the State House from 2003 till date. There is no name resembling Akande Adewale in our records,’ Idris said.

He further told lawmakers that the State House had no department known as the Directorate of Administration and Support Services.

Idris said he and the Permanent Secretary were invited by the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre after the controversy broke, where they presented official records to aid ongoing investigations.

During the hearing, the committee’s chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, confronted the witness with copies of letters allegedly written by the State House to the Accountant-General requesting a budget code for the PFIPC.

He said another letter from the Accountant-General’s Office appeared to acknowledge the request and bore a handwritten receipt stamp purportedly from the State House.

But Idris maintained that neither he nor the Permanent Secretary received such correspondence.

‘We are not in possession of any such documents. We did not write those letters, and we did not receive any response of that nature,’ he insisted.

He noted that appointments of directors-general of federal agencies are political appointments processed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), not the State House.

We approved 7 number plates to PFIPC – FRSC

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, on Thursday told the House’s ad-hoc committee that following the ongoing investigation, the FRSC had commenced the process of retrieving all the official number plates allocated to the PFIPC.

Mohammed said the FRSC issued seven official government number plates to the council after following what it believed were established verification procedures.

He explained that the application was accompanied by documents purportedly showing that the organisation had been legally established.

‘Our standard operating procedure requires every ministry, department or agency requesting official government number plates to submit a formal application, after which we verify the authenticity of the request before approval,’ he said.

He said the request was received in April 2025 from an office described as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and was supported with establishment documents and a list of chassis numbers for the vehicles.

‘As part of the verification process, our officials visited the office address presented to us and found it operational. Based on the documents and the verification carried out, we approved seven official government number plates,’ he said.

‘We have already begun administrative processes to retrieve all the official government vehicle number plates issued to the agency and have strengthened our internal verification mechanism to prevent a recurrence,’ he said.

The chairman of the committee, Gagdi, questioned the credibility of the documents relied upon by the FRSC, pointing out that the purported mandate of the council carried no official federal government insignia or security features.

Gagdi also noted that the document listed President Tinubu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and several serving ministers as members of the council’s board, describing the composition as suspicious.

‘Does this look normal to you?’ the chairman asked.

Responding, the Corps Marshal, responded: ‘It does not’,admitting that the document should have raised concerns.

Mohammed also confirmed that the seven vehicles registered for the council were brand new vehicles that had not previously existed in the FRSC database.

He admitted that the PFIPC case had exposed weaknesses in the agency’s verification process, describing it as an isolated incident from which the commission had learnt valuable lessons.

‘This is the first time we have encountered a case like this. It is now an experience for us, and we are strengthening our intelligence and verification processes so that it will never happen again,’ he said.

C’ttee fixes joint hearing, silent on Adeyemi’s appearance

The committee yesterday adjourned its sitting to next Wednesday at 12 noon, when all the government agencies that have testified so far are expected to appear for a joint session.

Its chairman, Gagdi, said the next hearing would bring together representatives of the affected institutions to jointly reconcile discrepancies in the documentary evidence before the panel.

‘We want to interact with certain people together, not one-on-one. We want the Head of the Civil Service, the Accountant-General, the State House and all other relevant agencies to be here at the same time so that we can establish exactly where the alleged infractions started and identify the weaknesses in each institution,’ he said.

He also said that the joint session would allow the committee to trace the chain of official actions that allegedly enabled the council to obtain government recognition, office accommodation, budgetary allocation and other official privileges.

The adjournment, however, leaves unanswered one of the questions surrounding the investigation, which is when the purported Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeyemi Adeniyi, will finally appear before the panel.

The issue has remained a subject of public interest since the committee disclosed at an earlier sitting that it had established contact with Adeyemi at an undisclosed location and considered his testimony crucial to determining how the purported council allegedly secured official recognition, office accommodation and budgetary provisions despite government insistence that it was never lawfully established.

Last week, the committee had directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeyemi before the lawmakers. But the police representatives told the panel that they could not comply because he was being held under a valid remand order of the Federal High Court. They explained that releasing him without the court’s authorisation would amount to a violation of the subsisting judicial order and requested the committee to obtain the necessary court warrant. The committee accepted the explanation and resolved to seek the court’s approval for his appearance.

CISLAC seeks sanctions for indicted officials

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for a broader probe into the operations of the PFIPC, saying accountability should not end with the prosecution of its purported Director-General.

Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, commended the ICPC for concluding its investigation, but emphasised that all public officials whose actions or negligence enabled the operations of the fake agency should face appropriate sanctions.

He said those who facilitated the opening of the agency’s bank accounts, approved office accommodation, processed its budget and other official dealings should not escape scrutiny.

‘Beyond just the administrative action against all the people that are involved, none of them should be spared. None of them should be politically protected. They all have committed crimes and therefore there must not be punishment for only one person,’ Rafsanjani said.

He maintained that it would have been impossible for one individual to carry out the alleged fraud without the cooperation or negligence of public officials, adding that those found culpable should face severe consequences rather than ‘light administrative inquiry.’

Rafsanjani also called on the leadership of the National Assembly to apologise to Nigerians for approving budgetary allocations for the council despite its non-existent legal status.

On the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee’s decision to question the purported DG in private rather than during a public hearing, Rafsanjani said the move would further erode public confidence in the legislature.

‘The National Assembly is always diminishing public confidence and trust of Nigerians. Why do you want to do a secret hearing when other witnesses were invited publicly? We do not support this secret hearing or secret investigation. If they are not hiding anything, let them come and do everything openly,’ he said.

He urged the Presidency to ensure that the ICPC’s recommendations are implemented without favouritism, warning against selective justice in the handling of the case.

On its part, the Connected Development (CODE) said the findings of the ICPC underscored the need for stronger transparency, accountability and institutional reforms across government.

In an interview with the Communications Manager, Stephen Akinfala, the organisation said the ICPC’s investigation exposed weaknesses in verification processes, inter-agency coordination and oversight.

CODE noted that the findings reinforced its long-standing advocacy for improved public financial management, transparent budgeting, open government and citizen oversight through its Follow The Money initiative.

Family opposes Adeyemi’s closed-door interrogation

Adeyemi’s family was reported to have alleged that members of the committee attempted to question him in police custody without the presence of his lawyers.

Adeyemi’s brother, Peter Adeyemi, reportedly alleged yesterday that committee members visited the detention facility where the suspect was being held but that he declined to answer questions because his legal representatives were not present.

He was quoted as saying that Adeyemi was willing to defend himself but wanted to do so publicly, just as the allegations against him had been made in open hearings.

The development followed a statement issued on Wednesday by Adeyemi’s lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, rejecting the committee’s reported plan to question his client at an undisclosed location while in police custody.

According to the statement, the defence team welcomed the House investigation into the alleged establishment and operations of the PFIPC but opposed any closed-door interrogation, arguing that their client should be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations in a public hearing where other witnesses had testified.

The committee has yet to publicly respond to the allegations by Adeyemi’s family or his legal team. While, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, was announcing that all agencies that have appeared before the panel would return for a joint session next Wednesday, he was silent on Adeyemi. He did not say if Adeyemi would be produced to testify before the lawmakers or not.

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.

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has invested N20 billion to finance private healthcare businesses in Nigeria, targeting a critical sector in need of affordable, long-term capital.

According to the bank, the N20billion Healthcare Fund, announced at the bank’s inaugural healthcare summit in Lagos, will target businesses including hospitals and clinics, diagnostic centres, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, maternity homes and other healthcare enterprises.

The financing will support expansion, medical equipment purchases, infrastructure, working capital and technology investments.

The bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Yemisi Edun, represented by Executive Director, Corporate Services and Service Management, Felicia Obozuwa described healthcare as a social imperative and an economic priority.

‘Building a strong healthcare system requires capital that is patient, affordable and long-term,’ she said.

She stressed that the fund will form part of a broader healthcare financing offering that combines lending with advisory support and partnerships intended to help businesses strengthen operations and attract capital.

‘The initiative comes as Nigeria seeks to expand healthcare capacity and boost local production of medicines and medical devices. The government is targeting local production of 70% of medicines and medical devices by 2030 under its Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain,’ she said.

The president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Njide Ndili said access to finance remains a major constraint for private healthcare operators.

Ndili cited experience from HFN’s partnership with the PharmAccess Medical Credit Fund, saying that small and medium-sized healthcare businesses can achieve strong repayment performance when financing is combined with technical support, capacity building, and quality standards.

‘HFN will work with FCMB to develop a framework for pre-qualifying healthcare facilities and helping businesses become investment-ready.

‘The federation has more than 400 member organisations and 4,000 professionals. The initiative also addresses a broader challenge for lenders: ensuring that healthcare businesses have the governance, financial reporting, management capacity and growth plans needed to deploy capital effectively,’ she said.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Iziaq Salako said the federal government has increased public funding for healthcare in recent years.

He added that over N339 billion has been disbursed through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund over the past 12 years, including N235 billion in the last three years under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

He stressed that N32.9 billion was recently disbursed to support more than 8,300 primary healthcare centres, with plans to expand coverage to about 13,000 facilities nationwide.

He called for greater mobilisation of private and public capital and urged healthcare operators to strengthen corporate governance, improve financial reporting and use blended-finance structures to fund growth.

Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, declared on Thursday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is on course to reclaim power in Kwara State in the 2027 general elections.

He cited, among other factors, the successful submission of the party’s candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Saraki added that the ‘growing defections and sustained unity among members’ remain among the greatest paths to victory.

Daily Trust reports that the meetings took place shortly after the PDP concluded its candidate nomination process for the 2027 polls.

Saraki, who remains the party’s leader in Kwara, has intensified consultations with stakeholders across the state in recent weeks to unite the opposition and strengthen its structures.

The PDP, which governed Kwara for 16 years before losing power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019, is seeking a political comeback. Since its defeat, the opposition has consistently pledged to reclaim the state.

Saraki spoke during separate meetings with PDP stakeholders from the Kwara North and Kwara South Senatorial Districts. During the engagements, he urged party leaders and supporters to remain united and intensify grassroots mobilization.

The meetings were attended by the PDP governorship candidate, Engr. Suleiman Bolakale Kawu; his running mate, Rev. Cornelius Fawenu; the party’s National Assembly candidates from both districts; members of the State Working Committee; party elders; and other stakeholders.

According to his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, Saraki confirmed that all PDP candidates have been successfully uploaded to the INEC portal. He described this as a major milestone in the party’s preparations.

‘As I assured our members earlier, all our candidates have now been successfully uploaded to the INEC portal. This marks another important step in our preparations for the 2027 elections,’ Saraki stated, thanking members for their patience and confidence throughout the nomination process.

He noted that the continued defections into the PDP across Kwara North and South reflect growing public confidence. ‘What gives me even greater confidence is what is happening across both senatorial districts, where people are joining the PDP in droves because they see our great party as the only credible alternative for good governance,’ he said.

The former Senate President stressed that unity is crucial as the party expands, urging members to subordinate personal interests to the collective goal of returning the PDP to power.

‘As our numbers grow, so does our responsibility to remain one family. I appeal to our leaders and supporters to accommodate one another and place the collective interest of the party above personal ambition. Our unity and discipline remain our greatest strengths,’ he added.

He pledged to continue supporting the party and its candidates throughout the electioneering process, reiterating his conviction that ‘with unity, commitment, and hard work, victory is within our reach.’

Fatima Mohammed, one of the 145 rescued abductees from Woro, Kwara State, handed over to the Niger State Government by the Federal Government, has recounted the harrowing conditions she and others endured during six months in the captivity of terrorists.

Speaking after her rescue, Fatima said they spent six months and two weeks in captivity, where they were subjected to severe hardship and deprived of necessities.

‘I am very excited because I am going to be reunited with my family again,’ she said.

According to her, the abductees had no freedom of movement and were forced to sleep in the open throughout their captivity, regardless of the weather.

‘There were no rooms to sleep in. We slept in the open, even when it was raining. We did not have clothes to change. Whenever our clothes got soaked by the rain, they dried on our bodies because we had nothing else to wear,’ she recalled.

Fatima added that the victims also suffered from inadequate food and other harsh living conditions while in captivity.

Another rescued victim, 17-year-old Isyaka Ahmed, said he was threatened with death after attempting to escape from the terrorists.

He described hunger and physical stress as the greatest challenges they faced throughout their ordeal.

‘They threatened to kill me when I tried to escape,’ he said, adding that some boys are still being held by the terrorists.

Despite the traumatic experience, Isyaka expressed joy at being reunited with his family.

Receiving the rescued abductees on behalf of the Niger State Governor, the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Dantoro, described the occasion as a day of celebration for the emirate.

‘Today is like a Sallah day in our kingdom,’ the traditional ruler said, expressing gratitude over the safe return of the victims.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, directed investors to explore opportunities in Abuja’s satellite towns and emerging development corridors, saying the next phase of the capital’s growth would extend beyond the traditional high end districts.

Represented by the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, Wike said ongoing infrastructure projects across the territory were opening new areas for residential, commercial and industrial investment.

He spoke at the opening of the Abuja Business and Investment Expo (ABIE 3.0) organised by Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL) in Abuja.

‘The next phase of Abuja’s development will not be restricted to Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse or the Central Business District. It will include communities and investment opportunities across the entire Federal Capital Territory,’ he said.

Wike said roads, bridges and other infrastructure being developed across the six Area Councils were creating new investment corridors and improving access to communities, markets, schools and healthcare facilities.

He explained that the projects were aimed at opening up more districts for development while spreading economic activities beyond the city centre.

The minister urged investors to take advantage of opportunities in emerging districts, agricultural communities and satellite towns, saying they would play a key role in Abuja’s next phase of growth.

He identified real estate, transportation, agriculture and agro processing, tourism, healthcare, education, renewable energy, technology, digital services, entertainment, waste management and urban infrastructure as sectors with investment opportunities.

Wike said the FCT Administration was also strengthening land administration, expanding digital processes and simplifying approval procedures to improve the investment climate.

‘We are working to simplify applications and approval processes so that investors can obtain accurate information and receive timely decisions,’ he added.

He noted that while the administration would continue to support investors, compliance with regulations remained a condition for doing business in the territory.

‘We will support and protect genuine investors, but we will not protect land speculators, fraudulent developers or businesses that disregard the law,’ he said.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, said the capital market could provide long term financing for infrastructure projects needed to support Abuja’s expansion.

He said strengthening collaboration between the FCT Administration and the capital market would help mobilise funds for infrastructure and broaden investment opportunities in the territory.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director of Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL), Amb. Maureen Tamuno, said the expo was designed to connect investors with opportunities across key sectors of the FCT economy.

She said participants would engage in investment forums, exhibitions, business networking sessions and policy dialogues covering infrastructure, real estate, technology, renewable energy, solid minerals, sports and the creative economy.

Tamuno added that the expo was expected to facilitate partnerships between government and private investors to support economic activities in the Federal Capital Territory.