Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Lagos State Government has warned husbands that having sex with their wives without their consent could attract life imprisonment under the state’s criminal law.

The warning was given by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Dr Babajide Martins, during a press briefing to kick off the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month.

Martins gave the clarification while responding to questions on whether a married woman could take legal action against her husband for having sex with her without her consent.

He explained that although Nigerian law does not recognise forced sex between spouses as marital rape, Lagos State law provides for sexual assault by penetration, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

The DPP said a husband who forces his wife to have sex after she has refused could therefore be prosecuted under the provision.

He stressed that being married does not give a man the right to force his wife into sexual relations, especially when there is a disagreement between them.

‘Any man that feels because he paid his wife’s dowry, nobody can challenge him for domestic violence, the wife should report such a man to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency,’ he said.

Martins also explained how the law treats forced sex between married couples.

‘Under Lagos State criminal law, a man cannot be accused of raping his wife if they are together and are in good terms.

‘However, once there is an issue between them and the wife refuses to have sex with him, the husband cannot force her. If the husband forces her and the wife reports him, we will not charge him for rape but for sexual assault by penetration, and the punishment is life imprisonment,’ he said.

He urged women experiencing domestic or sexual violence to report such cases to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency for appropriate action.

The press briefing marked the beginning of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month, an annual campaign aimed at increasing awareness, encouraging victims to report abuse and strengthening support for survivors.

LAST year, an announcement by the Federal Government that it was imposing a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education was greeted with approval by stakeholders and sundry watchers of the country’s education sector. In that announcement, the government also placed a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, with the exception of those that met the new operational standards. At the time, the Federal Government had predicated its decision on the tripod of ‘the proliferation of underutilised institutions, overstretched resources, and a drop in academic quality.’ Echoing the relief of stakeholders that something was being finally done to impose some measure of order on a sector that was growing exponentially without a corresponding rise in quality, this newspaper published an editorial in August 2025 in which we applauded and endorsed the Federal Government’s move.

Recently, though, the government sanctioned the establishment of new private universities across the country. The most recent universities indicated on the website of the National Universities Commission (NUC) are Abdulfatai Durojaiye University, Abeokuta; Jigawa State University of Medical and Allied Health Sciences, Majia; Sani Bello University, Kontagora; and Omega University, Kaduna. The universities were given provisional licences following approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

It is possible that these universities are among those that ‘met the new operational standards,’ as the NUC stated in its August 2025 announcement. That would mean that, technically, the NUC has not violated its moratorium, but there is something unsettling in this episode of endless approvals of new institutions when many of the existing ones are barely surviving. It is extremely difficult to come up with any sound reasons for this other than the fact that the government most probably acted under pressure from influential individuals who care the least about quality public education. Back in February, it was reported that Nigeria’s higher education sector had expanded significantly following the approval of 33 new universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC), bringing the total number of licensed universities in the country to 309 and making the country one of Africa’s largest higher education systems. The newly approved institutions comprised seven federal universities, six state-owned universities, and 20 private universities. The expansion was reportedly aimed at ‘increasing access to tertiary education, addressing admission shortages, and promoting specialized learning across the country’s geopolitical zones,’ seemingly contradicting the same NUC’s earlier directive in which it decided that the country had had enough for now.

We concede that there is a growing demand for university education in Nigeria, and that hundreds of thousands of qualified candidates fail to secure admission each year due to limited spaces in existing institutions. That said, we see little upside and plenty of downside in establishing more institutions without the requisite investment in infrastructure, funding, research, academic staffing, and quality assurance. If the aim of tertiary education is to produce graduates equipped with the knowledge, practical skills, and innovative capacity needed to support national development and economic growth, the kind of radical expansion the country is witnessing is hardly the way to go about it.

As it is, the country is back to where it was this time last year when many public universities were inadequately funded and private universities did not have students, even though a good number of them typically lower the bar so that students can gain admission. As for the quality of instruction in those universities, public or private, the less that is said, the better.

Both the Federal Government and the NUC deserve a large portion of blame for the depressing situation they have created in the country’s tertiary education. They have sent conflicting signals at the precise moment when the country needs clarity and resolve.

The Kogi State Police Command has explained how 15 National Youth Service Corps members and six other victims were rescued from kidnappers after they were abducted in the state.

The victims were rescued from a kidnappers’ camp in Egume Forest, Ofu Local Government Area, following a joint operation by security agencies and local hunters.

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, gave the account on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday.

According to him, security agencies began working on the rescue as soon as the abduction was reported. The operation involved the military, police, Department of State Services operatives, local vigilantes and hunters.

‘As soon as we were alerted, we put all necessary measures in place to ensure they were rescued and returned to their families. An emergency meeting was convened by all the service commanders: the Brigade Commander, the Commissioner of Police, and the Director of DSS,’ Kankarofi said.

He said the security commanders mapped out a plan and began searching the area immediately.

‘We fashioned out a search-and-rescue operation, which commenced immediately. As the situation unfolded, we narrowed down to a particular spot and sought the support of local vigilantes and hunters who know the terrain very well.’

The search eventually led security forces to the kidnappers’ camp, where they engaged the suspects in a gun battle on Monday afternoon.

‘The operation commenced in earnest on Sunday. To God be the glory, around 4:00 p.m. yesterday, we arrived at the camp of the kidnappers. There was a serious gun battle; they were eventually overpowered, and all the corps members were rescued.’

Kankarofi said two of the victims were injured during the operation.

‘Unfortunately, two people suffered gunshot injuries to their right legs: one corps member and one civilian who was abducted from the second vehicle.’

He explained that the corps members were travelling from Bayelsa when the kidnappers attacked them after they entered Kogi through the Itobe-Ajaokuta Highway.

‘When they entered Kogi along the Itobe-Ajaokuta Highway around 5:00 p.m., they were attacked and abducted into the bush alongside passengers from another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.’

The police commissioner also disclosed that four suspected kidnappers were killed during the gun battle, while some others escaped with injuries.

‘Four of the kidnappers were killed during the exchange of fire, and several escaped with bullet wounds. A search-and-rescue operation has been going on since yesterday to mop up the area and arrest the fleeing suspects.’

He said security personnel were still searching the area for the fleeing suspects.

‘As I am talking to you now, all our officers-military, police, DSS operatives, and hunters-are still at the operational theatre, and we are awaiting outcomes.’

Kankarofi added that the police command had contacted security authorities in neighbouring Enugu State to prevent the suspects from escaping through the state.

‘This morning, I also linked up with the neighbouring command in Enugu State because that area leads into Enugu, and arrangements have been made to ensure their forces block their end of the region.’

The victims’ rescue followed their abduction in Egume Forest, Ofu Local Government Area.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, had earlier confirmed that the victims were rescued through a joint operation by security agencies.

Kankarofi urged residents and travellers not to panic over the incident, saying it was an isolated case.

‘These are just isolated cases.’

He said the state remained generally peaceful and that security agencies were responding to threats when they occurred.

‘Kogi State has been generally peaceful and calm. The security forces here are very effective and respond promptly; that’s why when such situations happen, you get to know about them.’

The commissioner also advised travellers to continue using roads across the state, assuring them that security personnel were on the ground.

‘But generally, the state is calm. You can feel free to travel through Kogi State with nothing to worry about.’

Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has said President Bola Tinubu has lost some of the public sympathy he enjoyed during the 2023 presidential election, while criticising his administration’s performance in governance.

Duke made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed Tinubu’s political standing ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The PRP presidential candidate said he did not believe Tinubu was politically stronger than he was in 2023, arguing that the President’s performance in office had affected public perception of his administration.

‘I don’t think so, I think his governance has exposed the weakness of the contraption called. I don’t think he has the sympathies he had in 2023,’ Duke said.

He linked the shift in public sentiment to the economic difficulties faced by Nigerians, saying the situation had left many citizens dissatisfied with the administration.

‘Things have gone harder for people, a lot of people are disillusioned by his style of governance, hope has turned into despair. Yes, you talk about structures and all that but I think on the election day they will be fighting for their own survival,’ he said.

Duke, however, acknowledged Tinubu’s political strength, separating the President’s political ability from his assessment of his performance in office.

‘Give it to him, he is a formidable politician, my issue with him is governance not politics. He is weak on governance, from what we have seen over the last three years he is very weak on governance,’ he said.

He argued that Tinubu should not be given another term, warning that further deterioration in living conditions could create more challenges for the country.

Duke also said the opposition would need to resolve its internal differences and prepare for possible challenges on election day if it hopes to defeat the incumbent.

He warned that failure to unite could give Tinubu an advantage, even if the President secured only a minority of the votes cast.

‘The reality is that things are bound to happen on that (election) day, how to mitigate those things should be the major concern of the opposition. I don’t like people who cry wolf after it has happened and all that. We have done this several times over, we should anticipate it, and united we stand if we do it, if we don’t, then we will only have ourselves to blame because it has repeated itself,’ Duke said.

He also expressed his willingness to withdraw from the presidential race if opposition parties agree on another candidate they believe is better positioned to challenge Tinubu.

Asked if he would step down for such a candidate, Duke said: ‘Absolutely. First of all, once we have commonality in objective, the next question is who is best suited for this? You need some voice of reason amongst the lot of them.’

A Canada-based Nigerian woman, LifewithSjay, has recounted how her desperate search for a child exposed her to what she described as a ‘very dark world’ in Nigeria, where women struggling with childlessness can become vulnerable to exploitation.

In a video posted on her Instagram page, she detailed some of the encounters she had while searching for a child.

‘I wanted a child so badly that I accidentally discovered a world, a very dark world in Nigeria,’ she said.

‘When women are desperate to have babies, there are people who are willing to take advantage of that. I know this because I was one of those desperate women.’

According to her, her childlessness was no secret, as people around her knew she had been married for years without children.

‘Everybody knew I’ve been married for a long time without children. Everybody knew that I wanted children,’ she said.

‘And so everybody came to me with solution.’

She said people constantly referred her to pastors, places and individuals who supposedly had solutions for women struggling to conceive.

At one point, she contacted a pastor in Abuja after someone she knew told her he had helped another woman have a baby.

She said the pastor told her that the reason she had no children was a ‘marine spirit’ and instructed her to undergo dry fasting.

He allegedly also instructed her to find a sleeping snail at the market, rub it over her body and go outside naked at midnight to pray.

‘And I thought, ‘What kind of prayer is this? What kind of pastor is this?” she recalled.

However, after speaking to the woman who referred her, she said she was encouraged to follow the instructions.

‘She said, ‘Women have gone to that man’s altar and they have naked themselves on the altar to pray! So what are you saying?”

Eventually, she said, ‘the next day I went to the market to look for the snail that was sleeping.’

After buying the snail, she followed the pastor’s instructions.

‘At midnight, I opened the snail and I rubbed the whole thing around my body, and I took the bowl of water, and I went outside naked to go and pray.’

But the experience left her questioning what she had done.

‘When I came back inside, I felt so stupid, and I thought, ‘What kind of stupid nonsense is this?’ So I stopped after that day.’

She said her interactions with other women searching for children exposed her to even more disturbing stories.

‘There was one particular woman that told me how a pastor told her to come to his church and do the fasting. After the fasting, she will be stark naked, then he will bathe her before she can have a child.’

Reflecting on the vulnerability of women desperate to become mothers, she said, ‘Desperation is a very dangerous place to be.’

‘People know exactly how vulnerable you are, and they can use that vulnerability against you because they know exactly what to tell you to get you to do what they want you to do, or sometimes exploit you for money.’

She said prolonged childlessness could also lead to social isolation, making the desperation even more intense.

‘Just imagine looking for a child for years, you’ve watched other women get their children, and you are there 10 years, 12 years has passed, you’ve not gotten your own kid.’

‘Somehow society has excluded you from life because they no longer invite you for birthday parties, because Nigeria can be very cruel to women who are looking for children.’

She also recalled being told about an alleged arrangement in Port Harcourt where a woman could pay N4 million to obtain a newborn.

According to her, the prospective adopter would go to a hospital on a particular day, remain in another room and receive the baby immediately after birth, without meeting the biological mother.

When she asked whether there would be legal documentation, she said she was told:

‘No, no document o! Just carry the child and just leave, and leave Port Harcourt immediately!’

‘I questioned myself like, ‘What is that?” she recalled.

She later attempted to pursue a more formal adoption process before relocating to Canada.

She said she was told she would receive documentation from the relevant authorities and would pay N70,000 for the documents and N1.2 million to obtain the baby quickly.

She selected a baby girl from photographs sent to her and became excited about finally becoming a mother.

‘I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to get a baby!”

However, she said repeated requests for the adoption documents were met with excuses.

She also became suspicious when she was told the baby would travel from Kaduna to Port Harcourt, where she would collect her.

‘They said, ‘Oh, she will go from Kaduna to Port Harcourt, and then you will go to Port Harcourt to pick her because we don’t want the people who are bringing her to know that you live in Calabar.”

‘Hmm? Question mark!’ she recalled.

She said she initially tried to convince herself that she might simply be overthinking the situation.

But when she continued insisting on seeing the adoption papers, she said someone eventually revealed information that made her withdraw from the arrangement.

Looking back, she said people outside the experience may struggle to understand why desperate women accept questionable claims and practices.

‘When people who are standing outside that desperation start to ask, ‘But why would she think that that is true?”

‘Wait until you stand inside that desperation, then you will know exactly how that woman feels.’

Rescue operations are currently underway, involving personnel from the state Fire Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and local residents.

Officials from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) are also present at the site to assist with the rescue efforts.

While officials from the Fire Service, NSCDC, and the police command have not yet granted interviews on the incident, they said they will issue an official statement later today to clarify the number of casualties.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that the reported withdrawal of about 200 United States personnel from Nigeria will not affect the country’s security cooperation with the US.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. S. Uba, made the clarification on Tuesday during the joint security spokespersons’ briefing.

Uba described the development as a routine, mission-specific adjustment linked to particular operational and counterterrorism objectives, stressing that it should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the longstanding Nigeria-US security partnership.

‘The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to clarify that the reported withdrawal of about 200 United States personnel should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the Nigeria-United States security partnership,’ he said.

He said the relationship between both countries remained ‘strong, enduring, and mutually beneficial’, adding that intelligence cooperation, training and information sharing would continue.

According to him, Nigeria remained primarily responsible for defending its territory and protecting its citizens, while US support was aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the Nigerian military.

‘Our cooperation with the United States is designed to strengthen our capabilities through intelligence sharing, training, technical assistance, and other forms of professional military cooperation,’ he said.

Uba added that where Nigeria and the US jointly determined that additional interventions, including joint strikes, were necessary, such operations would be undertaken.

He said the partnership had continued to produce positive results in the fight against terrorism and other transnational security threats.

The defence spokesperson urged the media and the public not to interpret the adjustment in US military presence as evidence of weakening security cooperation or Nigeria’s defence capability.

The clarification followed reports that most of the additional US forces deployed for the Lake Chad operation had returned to the United States after completing their mission, while intelligence sharing and broader security cooperation with Nigeria would continue.

People living with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of serious infections, hospitalisation and death, with experts warning that infection remains an overlooked health threat in diabetes care.

The warning follows a major study published in Diabetes and presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

Researchers at City St George’s, University of London, said infections should be treated as a major health hazard across the diabetes spectrum, including among people with Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

The study, one of the largest of its kind, found that people with diabetes had a higher risk of infections requiring treatment in primary care, hospital admission and, in some cases, death.

Infection was also identified as the third most common underlying cause of death among people with Type 2 diabetes, after cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The researchers are now calling for infection prevention, early recognition and prompt treatment to be given greater prominence in diabetes guidelines in the United Kingdom and globally.

Using anonymised general practice records linked to hospital and mortality data, the researchers examined more than 800,000 people in England over five years.

The study included 33,829 people with Type 1 diabetes, 527,151 with Type 2 diabetes and 273,216 with prediabetes. Their outcomes were compared with those of more than one million people without diabetes who were matched for age, sex and ethnicity.

The risk was highest among people with Type 1 diabetes. Compared with people without diabetes, those with Type 1 diabetes had an 81 per cent higher risk of infections diagnosed and treated in primary care and a 337 per cent higher risk of being hospitalised because of infection.

People with Type 2 diabetes had a 51 per cent higher risk of infection managed in primary care and a 91 per cent higher risk of infection-related hospitalisation.

Even people with prediabetes were at increased risk, with a 35 per cent higher risk of infection managed in primary care and a 33 per cent higher risk of hospitalisation.

Professor Julia Critchley, Professor of Epidemiology at City St George’s, University of London, who led the study, described infections as a major but largely overlooked threat.

‘Infections are a major health hazard across the diabetes spectrum and are hiding in plain sight. They are common, serious and often preventable, yet they are mostly absent from clinical guidelines,’ she said.

Critchley warned that the growing number of people living with diabetes worldwide makes it increasingly important to address infection risk as part of routine diabetes care.

Lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, were the most common infections requiring hospitalisation among people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Among people with Type 2 diabetes, sepsis and lower respiratory tract infections were the leading causes of infection-related death.

The researchers also found a link between blood sugar levels and infection risk.

Among people with Type 1 diabetes, higher blood sugar levels were associated with a greater risk of infection.

For people with Type 2 diabetes, however, fluctuations in blood sugar over time were linked to serious infections requiring hospitalisation.

This suggests that some patients whose average blood sugar levels appear acceptable may still face a higher infection risk if their blood sugar levels fluctuate significantly.

The researchers said infection prevention and early treatment should therefore receive greater attention alongside cardiovascular and metabolic complications in diabetes management.

They called for diabetes guidelines to include clearer advice on infection risk, better blood sugar control, stronger patient education on early symptoms, and changes to primary care triage systems to ensure that people with diabetes receive rapid assessment when infections are suspected.

Critchley said stronger guidance could help healthcare workers recognise infections earlier and intervene before they become life-threatening.

The researchers said recognising infection as a core part of diabetes care could help reduce the growing burden of preventable illness and deaths among people living with diabetes.

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of offering ‘political anaesthesia’ ahead of 2027, saying the real issue is not him but why Nigerians can no longer afford basic living costs.

In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu’s latest remarks attacking his economic proposals exposed a contradiction in government policy.

‘Only last night, President Bola Tinubu devoted a substantial part of his latest statement, released on X, attacking the economic position of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, yet declined, rather theatrically, to mention him by name, claiming that he would not ‘dignify’ opposition leaders,’ Shaibu said.

‘Bola, Nigerians know exactly whose policy you were attacking. You were responding to Atiku Abubakar because he has chosen to stand with millions of Nigerians being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis.’

Shaibu faulted Tinubu for condemning proposals to reduce energy costs while simultaneously promising relief measures ‘in the next few weeks.’

‘You condemn Atiku’s proposal to reduce the cost of energy as a return to the past, yet in the same breath promise that, ‘in the next few weeks,’ your government will provide cheaper transportation, increase food production and introduce relief for vulnerable Nigerians. Bola, why now?’ he asked.

‘For more than three years, Nigerians have endured punishing transport fares, soaring food prices, crippling energy costs and wages that buy less every month… Why did Nigerians have to suffer for more than three years before your government discovered that economic growth must reach ‘the dining table and the pocket’?’

The statement cited petrol prices in other oil-producing countries to argue that Nigeria’s ?1,400 per litre was unsustainable.

‘Atiku is ashamed on your behalf that Nigeria, one of Africa’s major oil-producing nations, has reached the point where ordinary citizens pay significantly more for petrol than citizens of several other oil-producing countries with substantially higher incomes,’ Shaibu said.

He listed Saudi Arabia at about ?778 per litre, Kuwait at ?872, Algeria at ?475, Angola at ?441, the UAE at below ?1,400, and Libya at roughly ?34 per litre.

‘A Nigerian earning the ?70,000 statutory minimum wage requires ?56,000 merely to buy 40 litres of petrol at ?1,400 per litre. That is 80 per cent of an entire month’s minimum wage. Before that worker buys food, pays rent, electricity, school fees or medical bills, four-fifths of his monthly wage can disappear into just 40 litres of petrol,’ Shaibu added.

Shaibu said the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan (AERP) proposes targeted support for Nigerian crude supplied to domestic refineries within a ‘capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited framework’ to bring down pump prices.

‘Reduce fuel costs and you reduce pressure on transportation. Reduce transportation costs and you reduce the cost of moving tomatoes, rice, yam, livestock and manufactured goods… That is structural relief,’ he said.

He dismissed Tinubu’s use of NELFUND to counter the proposal, describing it as ‘witchcraft economics: create the burden with one hand, offer debt with the other, and demand applause for the intervention.’

‘Atiku has reviewed the current student-loan policy and believes education should not begin with a mountain of debt hanging over a young Nigerian’s future. His approach will reduce the underlying cost of education and, after review, provide forgiveness for qualifying student debts,’ Shaibu stated.

Demands transparency on ?15.8trn, ?30trn, ?34trn

The Atiku camp also demanded accountability on major government revenue figures.

‘We have repeatedly demanded a comprehensive reconciliation of the nearly ?30 trillion identified across Federation Account revenues, deductions, savings, transfers and related entries,’ Shaibu said.

‘Your government says subsidy removal mobilised about ?15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025… So what measurable improvement reached the average Nigerian household in exchange for that sacrifice?’

‘There is equally the disclosure that Import Duty Exemption Certificate approvals covered about ?34 trillion worth of imports in 2025. Nigerians deserve to know who benefited, the values attached to those exemptions, their legal basis and the measurable public benefit they delivered.’

He concluded: ‘When you return, bring answers. Reconcile the Federation Account figures of ?30 trillion Naira. Provide full transparency around the duty exemptions of over ?34 trillion Naira. Explain what Nigerians concretely received for the ?15.8 trillion your government says subsidy removal mobilised. And explain why intervention is supposedly backward when Atiku proposes it, but miraculously becomes Renewed Hope when you announce it.’

Tinubu: ‘Renewed Hope Agenda is working’ as Q2 GDP hits 4.43%

On Monday, President Tinubu said the Renewed Hope Agenda is delivering results, with Nigeria’s economy growing by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026 and key economic indicators showing significant improvement.

In a post on his X handle, the President said the Q2 growth was up from 4.23 per cent recorded in the same period last year and reflected expansion across agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas, and services.

‘Our economy grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, up from 4.23 per cent in the same period last year,’ Tinubu said.

‘Growth was recorded across agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas, and services, which now make the largest contribution to our GDP.’

In nominal terms, the President said GDP reached ?119.27 trillion, representing an 18.43 per cent increase from ?100.7 trillion in Q2 2025.

‘Three years of difficult reforms’

Tinubu said the figures show the payoff from ‘three years of difficult but necessary reforms’ aimed at stabilising the economy.

‘In the past three years, we tried to do the hard part by implementing the necessary reforms to stabilise the economy. Now the economy is stabilised, and we have laid the foundation for a prosperous nation,’ he said.

‘We didn’t do the reforms to create challenges, but to ensure prosperity reaches all our people. The results are becoming very clear.’

The President listed trade surpluses, foreign reserves at their highest level in 17 years, an improved credit rating and the return of investors as evidence of progress.

He also noted rising oil and gas production, ongoing infrastructure projects and stability in the education sector.

‘In our universities, for the first time in a long time, there are no strikes. Our children are in class. Through NELFUND, student loans are putting education within reach, while affordable credit is going to our civil servants through CreditCorp,’ he said.

‘We will not turn back’

Tinubu warned that despite the positive trends, some opposition figures are promising to reverse the reforms.

‘Yet, at precisely the point when the evidence shows that our reforms are beginning to work, some in the opposition are promising Nigerians that they will reverse them. We will not turn back,’ he declared.

‘We will not return Nigeria to the policies and distortions we inherited and have spent the last three years correcting. I will not dignify the leaders of the opposition who now seek to take Nigeria back to their dark past by mentioning their names. They know themselves.’

Next phase: translating growth to citizens’ welfare

The President said the next focus of government is to ensure economic growth translates into improved living standards.

‘Our responsibility now is to ensure that these improving numbers translate more quickly into the lives of our people,’ Tinubu said.

‘In the next few weeks, we are addressing some of the challenges facing our vulnerable population by providing cheaper means of transport, ramping up food production and implementing relief programmes that will touch lives at the grassroots.’

He added: ‘The economy is on an irreversible path towards even stronger growth, but growth must be something every Nigerian can feel at the dining table and in their pocket. That is the next phase of our work, and we are not resting on our oars. The Renewed Hope Agenda is working.’

A Federal High Court in Abuja began hearing a case on Tuesday aimed at stopping local government elections in Oyo State.

During the hearing, the presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, instructed the plaintiff to serve the originating summons to the defendants involved in the case.

The plaintiff, Akinloye Olusegun Oyeniyi, has named the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the first and second respondents, respectively, in the suit.

He is requesting the court to prevent the local government elections from taking place in the state.

Justice Egwuatu has scheduled the next appearance for September 10, 2026, to check on the status of service of the originating summons to the two defendants.

In the suit filed by the Plaintiff, through his Counsel, Ayo Omoleaupen, Esq., he is praying the court to determine whether by virtue of sections 1(1), 7(1), Paragraph 4 (a) of Part II of the third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and section 153(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026 the power of the 1st Defendant is not limited to the ‘Verification of the Documents of Nominated Candidates’ and does not extend to ‘Verification/Screening of Candidates’?

He is also praying the court to determine whether Items 6 and 9 of the 1st Defendant’s Revised Time Table and Schedule of Activities for 2026/2027 Local Government Election in Oyo State issued on the 4th day of March, 2026 are not inconsistent with the provisions of section 1(1), 7(1) and Paragraph 4(a) of Part II of Third Schedule and of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and section 153(1) of the Electoral At, 2026 and thereby infringes the Plaintiff’s right to contest and or vote for candidates of his choice in the 2026/2027 Local Government Local Government Election in Oyo State.

The Plaintiff also wants the court to declare that the 1st Defendant’s constitutional duty is limited to the ‘Verification of documents of nominated candidates’ by political parties in compliance with the provision of 4(a), Part II of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended). And section 153(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

He is also praying the court for a declaration that the 1st Defendant lacks the power of ‘Verification/Screening of Councillorship and Chairmanship candidates’ or ‘Screening of Substituted Candidates’ by virtue of paragraph 4(a) Part II of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and section 153(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

He prays the court for, ‘An order restraining the 2nd Defendant whether by itself, its servants, agents or privies from releasing to the 1st Register of Voters containing a register of voters in Oyo State, namely the official register of voters certified by the 2nd Defendant, for use by the 1st Defendant for the conduct of Local Government Councils Election in Oyo State until the 1st Defendant strike out, cancel and or annul Items 6 and 9 of the Revised Time Tale and Schedule of Activities for the 2026/2027 Local Government Councils Elections in conformity with Paragraph 4(a) Part II of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and section 153(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

‘An order of the Honourable Court striking out, cancelling and or annually Items 6 and 9 of the Revised Time Table and Schedule of Activities for the 2026/2027 Local Government Councils Election which is in contravention to Paragraph 4(a), Part II of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and section 153(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026’.

The Plaintiff, a businessman and politician from Ogbomoso in Oyo state said if the court allows the elections to be conducted, his interest will be gravely affected.

He said in the affidavit attached to the originating summons, which he deposed to, that the Defendant/Respondents will not suffer any injustice, if the relief(s) sought by the Plaintiff/Applicant in this application are granted, for it will assist in upholding the rule of law and strengthening of democracy.

He said, ‘That the Defendants/Respondents will not lose anything by the grant of this application.That I do know that the balance of convenience in this application is in favour of the Plaintiff/Applicant.

‘That I do also know that by the violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and the Electoral Act, 2026 by the Defendants/Respondents, the Defendants/Respondents cannot adequately compensate the Plaintiff/Applicant by damages. That the grant of this application will not in anyway prejudice the interest of the Defendants/Respondent’, he stated.