Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, on Saturday dissolved all ad hoc committees of the House, including the committee investigating controversies surrounding the inclusion of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gadgi.

Others affected include the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the performance and benefits accruing to the Federal Government from concessionaire-operated ports (2006-2025), chaired by Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo; the Ad Hoc Committee investigating all security intervention funds disbursed by former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu from 2020 to date, chaired by Hon. Zakaria Nyampa; the Ad Hoc Committee investigating Nigeria’s power sector reforms and expenditure from 2007 to 2024, chaired by Hon. Ibrahim Al-Mustapha Aliyu; and the Ad Hoc Committee on the ‘Investigation of Pre-Shipment Inspection of Exports and the Non-Remittance of Crude Oil Proceeds’, chaired by Hon. Seyi Sowunmi.

Also affected are the Ad Hoc Committee on Federal Government Abandoned Landed Properties and Buildings in Nigeria, chaired by Hon. Daniel Amos; the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the rising insecurity and loss of lives in Abuja despite the CCTV project secured with a $460 million Chinese loan, chaired by Hon. Donald Ojogo; the Ad Hoc Committee investigating power sector reforms and expenditures from 2006 to 2024, chaired by Hon. Ibrahim Al-Mustafa Aliu; the Ad Hoc Committee set up by the House to investigate the increase in cases of drug trafficking, alcohol abuse and related offences in the country, chaired by Hon. Timeyin Adelegbe; as well as the Ad Hoc Committee investigating alleged mismanagement of oil spill clean-up funds in the Niger Delta, chaired by Hon. Okpolupm Etteh.

The directive was contained in a memo titled ‘Dissolution of All Ad Hoc Committees of the House of Representatives’ and addressed to all chairmen and members of the House’s ad hoc committees. It was signed by the Clerk of the House, Sidi Ibrahim.

According to the memo, all ad hoc committees of the House stand dissolved, and activities being carried out in the name of such committees shall cease forthwith, effective Friday, August 28, 2026.

The memo read in part: ‘I am directed by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, to inform all Honourable Members that all Ad Hoc Committees of the House stand dissolved with immediate effect.

‘This directive is sequel to earlier announcements urging Ad Hoc Committees to conclude their assignments and submit their reports in line with the Rules and established practice of the House. Following those announcements, only two Ad Hoc Committees sought and were granted extension of time in compliance with Order Eighteen Rule 5 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. The two-week extension granted has since elapsed.

‘For the avoidance of doubt, Honourable Members are reminded that Ad Hoc Committees are temporary Committees of the House established for specific and time-bound mandates. They are not intended to subsist indefinitely beyond the purpose and period for which they were constituted.

‘In accordance with Order Eighteen, Rule 11, Paragraph 5, of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, which provides for ‘Limitations as to time of Reports’, Committees are required to submit their reports within the time allotted. Having exceeded the time allotted, the continued existence of the Ad Hoc Committees is no longer tenable.

‘Consequently, with effect from Friday, August 28, 2026, all Ad Hoc Committees of the House stand dissolved, and activities being carried out in the name of such Committees shall cease forthwith.

‘Chairmen of the affected Committees are directed to forward all outstanding reports, working documents, records, and other materials relating to their assignments to the Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives, for safekeeping.

‘Honourable Members are kindly requested to take note and ensure strict compliance, please.’

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, has charged troops of 32 Artillery Brigade to sustain their operational tempo and deny criminal elements freedom of action within their Area of Responsibility (AOR).

Mahmuda gave the charge on Friday, September 4, 2026, while addressing troops during his maiden operational visit to Owena Cantonment, Akure, Ondo State.

The GOC said he had been closely monitoring the security situation within the Brigade’s AOR, noting that the challenges confronting the formation were similar to those faced by other formations under the Division.

He commended the troops for their efforts in responding to the security challenges and urged them to maintain an aggressive operational posture to effectively tackle contemporary threats.

‘From the reports I have received thus far, you are doing very well,’ Mahmuda told the troops, urging them to sustain the momentum and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate freely within the area.

The GOC also assured the troops that their welfare remained a priority of the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, in line with his ‘Soldiers First Concept.’

He noted that the recent salary increment for military personnel further demonstrated the Army’s commitment to recognising and improving the welfare of troops for their sacrifices and service to the nation.

However, Mahmuda reminded the troops that greater support also came with greater responsibility, urging them to reciprocate the efforts of the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army by remaining disciplined, professional and committed to their duties.

He charged the soldiers to uphold the reputation of the Nigerian Army as a corps of proud professionals and intensify their efforts in the fight against criminal elements.

The GOC concluded his address with a call on the troops to ‘up their game’ and continue to make the Nigerian Army and the nation proud.

Earlier, the Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier General Jibrin Garba, welcomed the GOC and his entourage to the Brigade and briefed him on the formation’s operational disposition and other matters under his command.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to constitute a team of independent experts in finance, audit, technology and public accounting to review audit findings surrounding the sum of N33.75 billion reportedly paid to 3.29 million vulnerable Nigerian households under the federal government’s cash transfer programme.

Reacting on Saturday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the figures raised important questions about the reach and accountability of the intervention.

According to the figures, N33.75 billion divided among 3.29 million households amounts to approximately N10,258 per household.

Atiku noted that at a time of rising costs of transportation, electricity and food, Nigerians deserve clarity on how the intervention was disbursed and whether it reached the intended beneficiaries.

‘This is not just a bookkeeping matter. If funds appropriated to support vulnerable Nigerians cannot be properly accounted for, and if access to records needed for accountability is limited, then public confidence in the programme is undermined,’ Atiku said.

The former Vice President commended the Auditor-General of the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, for carrying out his constitutional responsibility.

‘The Auditor-General deserves commendation for raising questions that are in the public interest. Institutions must protect the public purse and ensure transparency,’ he stated.

Atiku also noted discrepancies in government communications on the programme, citing claims that more than N600 billion had been disbursed to over 10 million households, after an earlier figure of 15 million households was mentioned.

‘A ministerial announcement is not proof of payment. A name on a social register is not evidence of a bank transfer. If more than 10 million households received over N600 billion, government should be able to show who received the money, how much each household received, and when the payments were made,’ he said.

He referenced audit queries reportedly raised on N33.75 billion paid to 3.29 million beneficiaries, alongside N36.74 billion in payments said to have been made without pre-payment audit, and N4.62 billion for which payment vouchers were not produced.

‘These are resources appropriated in the name of Nigerians who need support during a difficult cost-of-living period. Nigerians deserve to know how the money was spent,’ Atiku added.

To support transparency, Atiku said he would constitute a team of independent experts in finance, audit, technology and public accounting to review available records relating to the cash-transfer payments.

‘We will examine beneficiary data, payment channels, reconciliation records, and audit queries, within the limits of publicly available and institutional records. When the review is completed, we will share the findings with Nigerians,’ he said.

Atiku further said the government should make payment records available for scrutiny.

‘If Remita or other payment platforms processed these transactions, the records should be accessible. If beneficiaries received the payments, there should be verifiable evidence. If access to records was restricted, Nigerians deserve to know why,’ he said.

He argued that Nigerians need more than announcements, but policies that improve purchasing power through reduced costs of transportation, food and energy.

‘My proposal is a production-linked approach that supports domestic refining, increases local supply, and reduces the cost of energy so that the benefit reaches citizens through lower prices,’ he stated.

Atiku said that if investigations show that funds meant for vulnerable Nigerians were misapplied, those responsible should be held accountable in line with the law.

‘The poor have borne the burden of higher costs. They should not also lose the money appropriated to support them. Nigerians need the records, the recovery of any unaccounted funds, and policies that restore purchasing power,’ he said.

I have a 15-year old relative who sometimes goes into seizures. Kindly let me know if this is epilepsy or something else.

Bidemi (by SMS)

No, not everyone who has a seizure has epilepsy. Up to 10% of people worldwide will experience at least one seizure during their lifetime, but the proportion living with active epilepsy at any given time is only 4 to 10 per 1,000.

The gap between those two numbers is enormous, and it reflects a core distinction in medicine: a seizure is a single event, while epilepsy is a pattern of recurring, unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy is generally diagnosed after a person has had two or more unprovoked seizures separated by at least 24 hours. The word ‘unprovoked’ is doing heavy lifting here. It means the seizure wasn’t triggered by an obvious, identifiable cause like a head injury, a drug reaction, or a dangerous drop in blood sugar.

The seizure happened on its own, without a clear external explanation. A large share of seizures fall into the ‘provoked’ or ‘acute symptomatic’ category. These are seizures triggered by a specific medical problem, and once that problem is resolved, the seizures typically stop.

Across all age groups, the most common causes are head trauma, stroke, drug or alcohol withdrawal, and infections affecting the brain. The treatment for provoked seizures focuses on fixing the underlying problem, not on long-term seizure medication.

Correcting the electrolyte imbalance, treating the infection, or managing the withdrawal is what stops the seizures. These events don’t count toward an epilepsy diagnosis because the brain isn’t generating seizures on its own.

A prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) figure, Sani Ahmad Zangina, has commended Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, describing his administration as an example of purposeful leadership and responsible management of public resources.

Zangina, in a statement assessing the performance of the Sule administration, said the governor’s decision to publicly disclose the state’s increased monthly revenue and explain how the funds were being deployed demonstrated transparency that should be encouraged among political leaders.

According to him, Nasarawa State’s monthly revenue, which previously ranged between N3.8 billion and N4.5 billion before the removal of the fuel subsidy, has risen to between N14 billion and N16 billion.

He said the significance of the increase was not merely in the additional resources available to the state but in how the funds were being channelled into development projects.

Zangina highlighted the administration’s infrastructure programme, which he said included road projects reportedly worth more than ?90 billion.

He noted that the roads were particularly important because of their potential to improve connectivity between rural communities and major urban centres, thereby facilitating economic activities and access to markets. The APC chieftain also praised the governor’s emphasis on agriculture and industrialisation, citing the proposed N30 billion Cassava Industrial City in Kokona as a major initiative capable of creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities for farmers.

He further pointed to the establishment of four rice processing mills and a cassava processing centre, as well as efforts to attract private-sector investments into cassava farming and sugar production.

According to Zangina, the initiatives could help strengthen agricultural value chains while promoting local processing and reducing dependence on raw commodity exports.

He also cited the newly constructed Nasarawa State Secretariat, which accommodates about 11 ministries and is supported by a one-megawatt solar power plant, as another example of the administration’s approach to infrastructure development.

Zangina said the projects demonstrated an attempt to combine immediate infrastructure needs with long-term economic planning.

He equally commended the Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, Dr. Labaran Shuaibu Magaji, SAN, describing him as an experienced administrator whose previous service as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice had contributed to the coordination of government policies and programmes.

He said the combination of transparency, infrastructure development, industrialisation and effective administrative coordination under Governor Sule offered lessons that other state governments could study. ‘Nasarawa is working. Leadership is working,’ Zangina said.

He urged Nigerians to pay greater attention to governments demonstrating measurable commitment to development, stressing that effective utilisation of public revenue remained critical to improving citizens’ living conditions.

Nigerian-born legal scholar Prof. Ibironke Odumosu-Ayanu has been appointed dean of the University of Saskatchewan College of Law in Canada.

Odumosu-Ayanu will assume the position on October 1, 2026, for a five-year term, succeeding Martin Phillipson, who has completed two five-year terms as dean.

She currently serves as a professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, where she has been a faculty member since 2008.

The appointment was announced by Patti McDougall, interim provost and vice-president, academic at the University of Saskatchewan and chair of the search committee.

‘Dr. Odumosu-Ayanu’s appointment as dean reflects a distinguished record of academic excellence, collaborative leadership, and dedication to advancing research and graduate education,’ McDougall said.

‘Her work as dean will continue to build on the College of Law’s strong reputation for excellence in legal education and research, while strengthening its leadership in Indigenous legal scholarship and engagement with local and global communities.’

Odumosu-Ayanu’s academic career has been shaped by training and professional experience in both Nigeria and Canada. She earned her LLB from the University of Lagos before obtaining an LLM from the University of Calgary and a PhD from the University of British Columbia.

Her research has earned international recognition, particularly in the area of business and human rights, while her academic work has also included the development of research collaborations involving institutions and scholars from different countries.

She has also built a substantial record in teaching and mentoring, including supervising graduate students in law and interdisciplinary programmes.

Her contributions to teaching and student support have been recognised with several awards, including the Provost’s College Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2012 and the USask InterD Advisor Award in 2026.

Beyond her academic responsibilities, Odumosu-Ayanu has participated in professional, academic and community organisations in Saskatchewan and across Canada. Her service includes board roles with professional associations, academic journals and community organisations, including the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association.

Professor Doug Surtees, who currently serves as interim dean, will remain in the role until September 30 before Odumosu-Ayanu takes over.

Seyi Tinubu has been honoured as a Christian Youth Peace Ambassador by the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN).

Seyi Tinubu received the recognition during the National Christian Youth Security Summit and Thanksgiving, where YOWICAN commended his commitment to peace, youth development and national unity.

In a message of appreciation while receiving the recognition, Seyi Tinubu, who was represented by Ambassador Belusochukwu Enwere, expressed appreciation to the leadership and members of YOWICAN for finding him worthy of the recognition, describing it as a greater call to service and responsibility.

He said he accepted the honour with humility and renewed determination to support initiatives that promote youth development, peace-building, unity and positive social impact.

According to him, peace goes beyond the absence of conflict, stressing that it requires justice, compassion, tolerance, mutual respect and a willingness to work collectively for the common good.

Seyi Tinubu urged young Nigerians to play a critical role in building a united country where religious, ethnic and cultural differences would serve as sources of strength rather than division.

He commended YOWICAN for its efforts to mobilise Christian youths towards responsible leadership, community development, national unity and peaceful coexistence.

‘Your commitment to empowering the next generation is both commendable and necessary at this important time in our nation’s journey,’ he said.

He further pledged to continue supporting programmes and initiatives capable of empowering young people and promoting peaceful coexistence across the country.

He called on Nigerian youths to embrace peace, love and unity, saying the country needed an environment where every young person could dream, contribute to national development and prosper.

‘Together, let us choose peace, promote love and build a Nigeria where every young person can dream, contribute and prosper,’ he said.

He also prayed for continued strength for YOWICAN and Christian youths across Nigeria in their efforts to promote peace and national development.

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to soldiers, policemen, customs and immigration personnel over his controversial remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.

VeryDarkMan made the apology in a video shared on Friday after reflecting on his speech at the conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he referred to the military, police, immigration and customs personnel as ‘unknown gunmen’ during a discussion on insecurity.

He said he realised that the comment was unfair to security personnel who were risking their lives to protect Nigerians, particularly soldiers fighting Boko Haram and other threats.

‘I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs.

‘I know exactly what I was trying to say because, I mean, I have evidence to back up my claim, but I wasn’t fair to a lot of people in that speech,’ he said.

VeryDarkMan explained that his criticism was directed at alleged corruption, sabotage and information leaks by some individuals within the security agencies, rather than the personnel as a whole.

He acknowledged, however, that the manner in which he made the point amounted to a generalisation that could undermine the sacrifices of security personnel who had died in the line of duty.

‘That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our lives, and to protect our families.

‘I don’t think it’s fair to say they are also the unknown gunmen, to be very honest, because these people have laid down their lives,’ he said.

Explaining the intention behind his remarks, VeryDarkMan said he wanted security authorities to pay attention to personnel allegedly working against their colleagues and the country.

‘My speech was not to discourage you. My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces, is to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward and to see that sometimes information are being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them,’ he said.

He said he accepted that his choice of words created the impression that he was accusing the entire security sector.

‘But by passing that speech, like I said, it seems like I was generalising and it’s not fair to the fallen soldiers,’ he said.

The activist subsequently addressed the Chief of Defence Staff and other security authorities, asking that his apology be conveyed to personnel serving in difficult and dangerous conditions.

‘So I will go further to say to the Chief of Defence Staff, Sir, I really want to apologise for that speech, and I don’t want to discourage your boys.

‘Please extend my apologies to your boys, to the ones that are in the bush protecting our lands,’ he said.

He extended the apology to the police, customs and immigration authorities and to relatives of security personnel who had died while serving the country.

‘To the families of these heroes that might have also felt offended by this speech, knowing fully well that their brother, their sister, their son, their husband fought and died for this country, I am really, really sorry,’ he said.

VeryDarkMan maintained that allegations of misconduct involving some personnel should not erase the contributions of officers who continue to serve the country.

‘Yes, a lot of bad eggs there, like I said, a lot of bad eggs, a lot of them are there.

‘A lot of corrupt generals, a lot of high-ranking police officers are corrupt, a lot of junior officers are corrupt, a lot of them are there. But there’s still a lot of more good people, a lot of more good people, and I know a lot of them,’ he said.

He said he was concerned that his earlier comments could have a negative effect on a soldier who encountered the video while serving in the bush.

‘Imagine a soldier fighting in the bush and he watches VDM’s video, and he’s like, ‘Ah, VDM is one of us now, unknown gunman.’ That would discourage him, to be honest,’ he said.

VeryDarkMan also pointed to his interactions with some police officers as part of his experience with the security sector, saying they had given him insight into some of the challenges confronting the force.

‘Me and police, we work steady. I give, sometimes I share police information, tell them, ‘Oh, this is what is happening here, please, can you intercept,’ he said.

He urged officers who were genuinely protecting Nigerians not to interpret his criticism as an attack on their service.

‘And please don’t be discouraged, please, please, don’t be discouraged.

‘We’re there behind you now, and we’ll always support you. You know, and we are part of this thing, security is for all of us,’ he said.

Despite the apology, VeryDarkMan said he would continue to speak against personnel he accused of sabotage, arms-related activities and leaking information to terrorists.

‘But then again, to the bad eggs, your days are numbered.

‘To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered,’ he said.

The latest development comes after VeryDarkMan’s appearance at the NBA’s annual conference attracted criticism, particularly over his comments about the security agencies.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had rejected the defence of VeryDarkMan’s participation and argued that experienced speakers should handle specialised discussions at the conference.

VeryDarkMan later defended his invitation and explained the circumstances surrounding his appearance before mocking some of the backlash by appearing in a lawyer’s wig and gown in a video.

The Nigerian naira appreciated against the United States (US) dollar, trading at N1,315.6717 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official foreign exchange (FX) window on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

The data shared on the CBN’s official platform shows that the naira traded at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) rate of N1,315.6717 per dollar and closed at N1,322.5000 per dollar.

The currency, which traded at an NFEM rate of N1,326.6862 on September 2, 2026, appreciated by at least N11 after trading activities on Thursday.

At the parallel market, the buying rate remained the same while the selling rate increased by N5 when compared to the previous trading rate on Wednesday, September 2 , 2026.

According to Aboki FX , the Naira-to-dollar exchange rate at the black market on Thursday, September 3, 2026, was N1,395 and N1,405 per dollar for buying and selling rates, respectively.

Senator Ahmad Abdulhamid Malam Madori, representing Jigawa North-East Senatorial District, has flagged off the construction of a 1,200-capacity international-standard multipurpose conference centre in Hadejia, Jigawa State.

The project, located at the old prison premises in Hadejia, is expected to provide a modern platform for conferences, seminars, workshops, training programmes, professional engagements and other large-scale activities.

Speaking during the foundation-laying ceremony, the senator, represented by the former Deputy Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly and Special Adviser to Governor Umar Namadi on Small Town Water Supply, Hon. Adamu Ibrahim Gira, said the project was part of efforts to deliver meaningful dividends of democracy to constituents.

He explained that the intervention was designed to upgrade Hadejia with modern facilities that would meet international standards and enhance the city’s capacity to host major events.

According to him, ‘This infrastructure intervention is aimed at strengthening the town’s capacity to host conferences, professional engagements, community programmes and other large-scale activities.’

The facility is designed as a multifunctional centre comprising a 1,200-capacity main conference hall, a 682-square-metre main hall, stage and auditorium seating, 12 accommodation rooms, VIP lounge, mini conference room, reception courtyard, entrance porch, prayer and ablution facilities, offices and other functional spaces.

Madori said the conference centre was one of several development projects being facilitated under his constituency representation in Jigawa North-East Senatorial District.

He said the projects were in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and aimed at addressing some of the infrastructure and socio-economic needs of the people.

The senator also highlighted other constituency interventions, including projects relating to security, education and water supply, saying his priority was to ensure that his representation translated into tangible benefits for the people.

He assured the people of Hadejia that the conference centre would be completed within five months and made available for use.

The Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maji, represented by the Galadiman Hadejia, Alhaji Usman Abdulaziz Zakar, commended the senator for initiating the project.

He described the centre as a people-oriented intervention that would provide Hadejia with a modern venue for conferences, seminars, capacity-building programmes, community engagements and other important activities.

The emir called on other elected representatives to emulate initiatives capable of delivering lasting benefits to their constituents.

He prayed for the successful and timely completion of the project, noting that the conference centre would add to the growing number of development interventions attributed to Senator Madori across the Jigawa North-East Senatorial District.

Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State, Hon. Abdullahi Dukuma, commended Madori for supporting development priorities that complement the 12-point agenda of the state government under Governor Umar Namadi.

Dukuma described the project as an example of development-oriented representation and reaffirmed the party’s commitment to initiatives aimed at improving the welfare and socio-economic prospects of the people.