Category: Nigerian Tribune

A block of three dilapidated classrooms at Islamic Mission Primary School, Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State, has received a major facelift, following an intervention by the New Jersey chapter of the Ibadan Descendants Union (IDU), USA.

The renovated classrooms were inaugurated on Monday, amid excitement among pupils, teachers, community leaders and education stakeholders.

Speaking at the ceremony, the representative of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairman, Dr Nureni Adeniran, an Executive Secretary at the board, Dr (Mrs) Kemi Adeosun, described the project as an investment in the future of the pupils.

She said the classrooms had previously provided an unconducive environment for effective teaching and learning.

She said: ‘A conducive learning environment is not a luxury. It is the foundation upon which literacy, numeracy, confidence and a child’s sense of dignity are built.

‘By providing this facility, the IDU has done more than renovate classrooms. It has opened doors of opportunity that will shape lives for generations to come.’

Also, Education Secretary, Akinyele Local Government, Comrade Adewale Adesina, expressed appreciation to the union for investing in its community despite the rising cost of construction.

‘We are truly happy and grateful for what you have done for our people. We know the cost of building materials and construction work these days, and we appreciate the resources you have committed to providing this facility,’ he said,

The IDU representative and chairperson of the occasion, Alhaja Saidat Iyabo Azeez, urged other diaspora chapters to emulate the initiative.

She said: ‘We are not affiliated with any political party or person. Whatever we do is not for politics; we are merely giving back to the community and society.

‘The New Jersey chapter has opened the way and shown us what is possible. We will therefore look at how we can emulate this initiative and contribute our quota to the development of our schools and communities.’

One of the union’s representatives, Alhaji Ademola Yusuf, said the project formed part of the IDU’s wider interventions in education, healthcare and community development.

He urged the school and community to protect the facility, saying, ‘This facility should be treated as if it were our own personal property. We must protect it, maintain it and ensure that it remains in good condition.’

The head teacher, Mr Abdulrasheed Agbaje, and the community representative, Mr Akintunde Tajudeen, assured the union that the renovated classrooms will be properly maintained

Africa’s widening energy investment gap presents one of the continent’s biggest opportunities for global investors, with the continent requiring more than $200 billion annually in energy investment by 2030, according to the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Adegbite Falade.

Falade, who spoke on Africa’s upstream outlook, set the strategic tone at the opening ceremony of AOW: Energy 2026 in Accra, Ghana.

He said that Africa’s enormous oil and gas resources, expanding domestic energy demand and growing role of indigenous operators offered investors a compelling opportunity to participate in the continent’s next phase of industrialisation.

The theme of the summit is ‘Investing in African Natural Resources,’ with core discussions directed at accelerating exploration, unlocking upstream partnerships, and aligning policy, infrastructure, and markets.

Falade, however, warned that the opportunity could be lost unless governments, investors and industry players move urgently to close the continent’s financing and infrastructure deficits.

According to him, Africa holds more than 125 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves and over 620 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, representing about nine per cent and eight per cent of global oil and gas reserves respectively.

Yet, the continent attracts only about six per cent of global exploration spending and upstream capital, exposing what Falade described as a huge gap between Africa’s resource endowment and the capital deployed to develop it.

Falade said Africa’s paradox was that it remained simultaneously the world’s most energy-endowed and most energy-poor continent.

Africa produces approximately eight million barrels of crude oil daily but refines barely half that volume, leaving the continent spending more than $60 billion annually on refined fuel imports.

Similarly, while Africa produced about 262 billion cubic metres of gas in 2025, domestic consumption stood at roughly 185 billion cubic metres, meaning a significant portion of the continent’s gas production is exported instead of being deployed to address domestic energy shortages.

The consequence, he said, was the enormous energy-access deficit, with close to 600 million Africans lacking access to electricity.

For global investors, Falade argued, the statistics point not simply to Africa’s challenges but to a sizeable pipeline of potential investment opportunities spanning upstream exploration, gas processing, pipelines, power generation, refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy.

‘Reserves without pipelines are simply stranded molecules benefiting no one,’ he said, stressing that upstream investment must be matched by investment in midstream infrastructure.

Stressing that indigenous operators are emerging as new investment partners, Falade positioned Nigeria’s indigenous oil and gas companies as evidence that Africa’s energy assets can increasingly be developed by local operators in partnership with international capital, technology and expertise.

He said indigenous Nigerian companies, which accounted for less than three per cent of national production just over three decades ago, now contribute more than half of the country’s crude oil and gas output following the divestment of several onshore and shallow-water assets by international oil companies.

According to him, about 200,000 barrels of oil per day have been added to Nigeria’s national production by just three indigenous operators over the past year.

Falade said the transition had demonstrated that indigenous companies could revive mature and previously underperforming assets through technical competence, capital deployment and faster decision-making.

For international investors, he said, the changing ownership structure should be viewed as an opportunity for new partnerships rather than as a retreat from Africa.

‘The divestment era is not an exit. It is an invitation to a new kind of partnership – technology, capital and capability alongside local ownership and local urgency,’ he said.

He emphasised that a major plank of the IPPG’s investment proposition is the Africa Energy Bank (AEB), established through a partnership between the African Petroleum Producers Organisation and Afreximbank.

Falade said the bank, headquartered in Abuja, has an initial capital base of $5 billion, with an ambition to mobilise up to $10 billion in its first phase and grow towards $15 billion by 2030.

He described the institution as a potentially critical vehicle for bridging the upstream and midstream financing gap created by the retreat of some traditional international financiers from African oil and gas projects.

But he stressed that the bank’s success would depend on African producers generating commercially viable, bankable projects capable of attracting capital.

Gas infrastructure: the trillion-dollar opportunity

Falade identified gas infrastructure as another major investment frontier.

Although natural gas already generates around 40 per cent of Africa’s electricity, he said the continent’s pipeline infrastructure remains inadequate to fully monetise its vast gas reserves.

Africa has less than 50,000 kilometres of gas pipeline infrastructure, compared with more than 200,000 kilometres of interconnected oil and gas trunk pipelines in Europe, according to the keynote.

The IPPG chairman therefore called for investment in pipelines, gas processing facilities, power grids and export infrastructure to transform Africa’s gas reserves into productive economic assets.

One African market for energy investors

Falade also urged investors to look beyond individual African markets and take advantage of deeper regional integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He cited the West African Gas Pipeline, which has transported Nigerian gas to Benin, Togo and Ghana for 15 years, as evidence that cross-border energy infrastructure can work on the continent.

He proposed a dedicated AfCFTA Energy Services Protocol to facilitate intra-African hydrocarbon trade, cross-border pipelines and infrastructure, as well as a Pan-African Technical Exchange Programme to accelerate the movement of skills and expertise across producing countries.

For investors, such integration could create larger regional markets for gas-to-power, refining, petrochemicals and energy services, reducing the limitations imposed by fragmented national markets.

The Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Dr Tanimu Turaki, has explained that its participation in the G100 opposition summit was aimed at forging a united opposition front capable of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

The PDP said it joined the G100 process because of the need for opposition parties and other political forces to unite and rescue Nigeria from what it described as the failures of the APC-led Federal Government.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ini Ememobong, conveyed the position of the PDP National Chairman, Turaki, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Ememobong, quoting Turaki, said the PDP, as a responsible opposition party, had endorsed the G100 process of creating an all-opposition platform capable of challenging the APC in the 2027 elections.

He said the decision was informed by what Turaki described as the ‘wailings of Nigerians groaning under the repressive Bola Tinubu APC-led Federal Government’ and the need for credible political forces to join hands in the search for the country’s redemption.

According to Turaki, ‘Our participation is anchored on the promise that the process will be hinged on the philosophical underpinnings of transparency, equality, data-driven decisions and egalitarianism.’

He added, ‘Any result birthed by a process midwifed by these virtues will certainly offer Nigerians a credible leadership capable of alleviating the skyrocketing poverty and rising insecurity in the country.’

The PDP chairman said the party’s participation was also consistent with its earlier position on working with like-minded political parties and organisations committed to salvaging the country from what it described as the vices associated with the APC-led administration.

The G-100 Summit was held in Abuja on Monday and brought together opposition political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), National Democratic Congress (NDC), PDP and Social Democratic Party (SDP), among others.

The participants deliberated on strategies for coordinating their activities ahead of the 2027 elections, with the stated objective of wresting power from the APC.

Among the political actors who attended the summit were ADC National Vice-Chairman, North-East, Daniel Bwala; ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi; Allied Peoples Movement (APM) Vice-Presidential Candidate, Lawal Daura; Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Agbedi Fred; PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Secretary, Dr Babangida Aliyu; Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Dr Donald Duke; PRP National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed; PRP Vice-Presidential Candidate, Ambassador Kabiru Rabiu; SDP National Chairman, Professor Sadiq Abubakar Umar Gombe; SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo; and SDP Vice-Presidential Candidate, Usman Bugaje.

Turaki said the PDP’s participation in the first G100 meeting demonstrated its readiness to contribute to the formation of an all-opposition platform that could defeat the incumbent administration and, thereafter, rebuild the country for the benefit of Nigerians.

The country has an estimated 195,000 kilometres of roadway coverage. Only South Africa has more roads in Africa, with 750,000 kilometres.

Nigeria’s position puts it ahead of Ethiopia and Kenya, which rank 30th and 32nd globally respectively.

Ethiopia has 180,000 kilometres of roadway coverage, making it the third-largest road network in Africa. Kenya follows with 161,452 kilometres.

The Democratic Republic of Congo ranks fifth in Africa with 152,373 kilometres, while Tanzania is sixth with 145,203 kilometres.

Mali takes seventh place with 139,107 kilometres. Algeria ranks eighth with 112,696 kilometres.

Zimbabwe, with 97,267 kilometres, is ninth, while South Sudan rounds off the top 10 with 90,200 kilometres.

According to Global Firepower in its 2026 publication, the figures measure total usable or useful roadway coverage. They are included as part of the organisation’s 2026 logistics ranking.

The organisation said roadways reflect a country’s infrastructure maturity and provide access to industrial sectors, terminals and ports.

Outside Africa, the United States has the world’s largest road network, covering 6,586,610 kilometres.

India is second globally with 6,371,847 kilometres, followed by China with about 5.2 million kilometres.

Brazil ranks fourth with about 2 million kilometres, while Russia occupies fifth place with 1,283,387 kilometres.

South Africa is the only African country in the global top 20, ranking 11th worldwide.

Nigeria’s 195,000 kilometres place it at 28th globally, ahead of Ethiopia and Kenya.

The ranking is based on the total length of usable roadway coverage. It does not assess the quality or condition of roads, nor does it show the percentage of roads that are paved.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and member of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s legal team in the United States, Wole Afolabi, has said Tinubu would have been indicted, arrested and prosecuted in the US if authorities had evidence linking him to drug trafficking.

Afolabi made the assertion while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he discussed the legal dispute surrounding records held by the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration concerning Tinubu and previous investigations.

The lawyer argued that the absence of an indictment against the president was significant, particularly in light of the actions taken by US authorities in other cases involving alleged drug offences.

He cited former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega and former British Virgin Islands Premier Andrew Fahie, as well as cases involving Venezuelan officials and Nigerians extradited over alleged drug trafficking, to support his argument.

‘So the question that should be asked reasonably is this: what’s so special about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he would be coming into America and leaving America without being arrested, detained or interviewed for anything?’ he asked.

Afolabi also maintained that the principle of presumption of innocence applied to Tinubu and said the available evidence did not establish the allegations being made against the president.

Asked directly whether he was saying Tinubu had never taken drugs, had never been caught with heroin and had never been involved in drug trafficking, Afolabi responded that he was relying on the evidence available.

‘What the evidence shows,’ he said.

The comments came amid an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking access to documents concerning Tinubu and past investigations from US government agencies.

According to Afolabi, thousands of pages of records have already been released, while some portions remain redacted because the US government says disclosure could expose law enforcement methods, sources and agents.

He explained that Tinubu’s legal team was challenging the release of the redacted material because US law provides grounds for such legal action, rather than because the team was attempting to suppress incriminating evidence.

‘This matter has been going on for quite some time, as you rightly said, and the DEA and other government agencies have produced documents and made available to Mr Greenspan.

‘Now Mr Greenspan is asking that documents should be unredacted before they are handed over to him. The way the system works is this: it’s not what you want, it’s what the law stipulates.

‘So precisely what we are doing is going under the coverage of the law. It’s what the law gives us the right to do. It would amount to professional malpractice on our part if we don’t take advantage of what the law offers,’ he said.

Afolabi further rejected the suggestion that the US government was withholding the documents to shield Tinubu.

He pointed to a recent Department of Justice filing, saying the stated concern was the protection of investigative techniques and the identities of sources and agents.

‘In one of the recent filings that was made recently by the Department of Justice, it was stated in the footnote at page 24 that their concern is about the methodology by which information is gathered.

‘No mention was made of any protection being offered to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ he said.

The discussion also touched on the $460,000 forfeited to US authorities in the 1990s and the civil forfeiture proceedings connected to the funds.

Afolabi argued that the civil nature of the forfeiture did not establish criminal culpability against Tinubu, stressing that a finding of criminal wrongdoing would have resulted in an indictment.

‘If he was culpable, he simply would have been indicted. There’s no shortcut around it. He would have been indicted,’ he said.

However, the lawyer declined to provide further details about Tinubu’s account of the matter, citing attorney-client confidentiality and the professional obligations attached to his role.

‘I’m acting as his lawyer, and as a lawyer, there is what you call attorney-client privilege, and it’s taken very seriously over here. One can lose one’s licence very easily.

‘Unfortunately, I can’t divulge any information that my client had disclosed to me confidentially. I’m sorry,’ he said.

The Federal Government will begin blacklisting schools, authors, and publishing houses that use or distribute unapproved instructional materials starting this September.

This harsh sanction coincides with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session in two weeks, marking the official enforcement of an aggressive new national textbook ranking policy.

Under the new directive, standard licensing from the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) no longer guarantees a textbook’s entry into classrooms.

Every instructional resource from primary to senior secondary school must now pass a rigorous national evaluation, securing a minimum score of 70% to qualify for the official national ranking.

Speaking recently with education stakeholders-including state commissioners, private school owners, and administrators-the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, emphasized that the policy is central to making Nigeria’s education sector globally competitive.

According to the policy statement obtained by Nigerian Tribune, the government is capping the final approved list to a maximum of six to 10 titles per subject to prevent an overcrowded market.

Once a textbook makes this elite list, it will remain standard for a minimum lifespan of three years to ensure educational stability.

While unranked textbooks are strictly banned in all public primary and secondary schools nationwide, the Federal Government strongly recommends that private institutions adopt these exact standards to maintain uniform educational quality.

This policy aims to transform Nigerian education by standardising textbook quality across all states, eliminating substandard schoolbooks, and giving students access to top-tier learning resources to drastically improve academic performance.

To ensure total compliance, the Federal Ministry of Education and the NERDC will deploy nationwide monitoring teams to track down violators. Any educational institution, author, or publisher caught using unapproved materials will face immediate blacklisting.

Despite the introduction of this new quality control tier, the NERDC will continue its statutory responsibility of basic textbook licensing alongside the new ranking framework.

Katsina State Government has intensified efforts to contain a fresh outbreak of diphtheria, with 67,670 eligible persons vaccinated within the first three days of a reactive immunisation campaign.

The government has also secured an additional 650,000 doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines to strengthen the emergency response and protect residents in communities considered to be at high risk.

The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Shemau Abba Kabir, disclosed this on Sunday at a press briefing on the diphtheria situation in the state.

Kabir said the state had recorded more than 1,000 suspected cases of diphtheria between January and August 2026, with preliminary figures indicating that about five per cent of the suspected cases may have resulted in deaths.

‘The state has recorded over 1,000 suspected cases of diphtheria between January and August this year, and preliminary indications suggest that about five per cent of the affected persons may have died,’ Kabir said.

She explained that the figure was based on suspected cases and would require further verification.

According to her, diphtheria has spread to 29 of the state’s 34 local government areas, with Funtua, Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura recording the highest number of suspected cases.

‘The disease has so far been identified in 29 out of the 34 local government areas of Katsina State, with some local governments recording significantly higher numbers of suspected cases,’ she said.

Kabir said the concentration of cases in the affected areas had prompted the government to intensify disease surveillance and deploy targeted interventions to prevent further transmission.

She said reactive vaccination had commenced in 15 high-risk wards across Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia local government areas.

She explained that the exercise was targeted at communities considered particularly vulnerable to the spread of the disease, especially children.

‘Our immediate priority is to interrupt transmission in the high-risk communities through reactive vaccination, intensified surveillance and prompt case management,’ Kabir said.

The agency has also established three isolation centres in Daura, Katsina and Funtua to improve the state’s capacity to manage suspected and confirmed cases and reduce the risk of further transmission.

Kabir said the government had provided essential medicines, medical consumables and infection prevention and control materials to support health workers responding to the outbreak.

‘Government has provided essential drugs and medical consumables, as well as infection prevention and control materials, to strengthen the response in affected areas,’ she said.

She added that case-management drugs were being pre-positioned in affected communities to ensure that health facilities could respond promptly whenever suspected cases were identified.

The Executive Secretary further disclosed that health workers were being trained on diphtheria surveillance and case management to improve early detection, reporting and treatment.

She said strengthening the capacity of frontline health workers was critical because early identification and appropriate management could significantly reduce complications and deaths associated with the disease.

‘Case-management drugs are being pre-positioned in affected areas, while health workers are receiving training on diphtheria surveillance and the management of suspected cases,’ Kabir said.

Diphtheria is a contagious bacterial infection that can cause severe breathing difficulties and other serious complications, particularly among children who are not adequately vaccinated.

Kabir therefore appealed to parents, caregivers and community leaders to ensure that children receive all recommended routine vaccines, describing immunisation as one of the most effective ways of preventing the disease.

‘Vaccination remains one of the safest and most effective ways of preventing diphtheria, and parents and caregivers must ensure that their children receive all recommended vaccines,’ she said.

She urged parents and caregivers to seek immediate medical attention if children develop symptoms associated with diphtheria, including sore throat, fever and difficulty in breathing.

‘Parents and caregivers should immediately report to the nearest health facility if their children develop symptoms such as sore throat, fever or difficulty in breathing,’ she said.

She also called on community leaders to support health authorities by encouraging families to participate in the vaccination exercise and promptly report suspected cases.

The Executive Secretary stressed that community cooperation would be essential to containing the spread of the disease, particularly in areas where the highest number of cases had been recorded.

A Tribune Correspondent in Katsina reports that the development comes as the state continues to strengthen disease surveillance and emergency response measures amid concerns over the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases across parts of Northern Nigeria.

However, the competition on global freelance marketplaces is intense. Thousands of skilled professionals across the world bid for the exact same high-paying jobs every single day.

Many freelancers send dozens of proposals daily without receiving a single interview invitation. The main reason for this struggle is often not a lack of talent, but a weak and unconvincing portfolio display.

High-paying clients do not have the time to read lengthy cover letters or guess what you can do. When they open your profile, they make a hiring judgment within seconds based on visual proof and past performance.

If your portfolio looks disorganised or treats your past jobs like basic homework submissions, premium clients will scroll past your proposal and hire someone else.

Building a high-converting portfolio requires a strategic approach where every sample clearly communicates value, problem-solving ability, and measurable return on investment.

In this article, Tribune Online examines the essential step-by-step strategies needed to structure a winning portfolio that commands high rates and wins global USD contracts.

Choose single profitable niche

A major mistake many freelancers make is trying to showcase every skill they have all at once. Presenting yourself as a graphic designer, content writer, and virtual assistant on one profile confuses serious clients.

Premium international clients rarely hire generalists for high-budget projects because they want dedicated specialists. When a business owner has a critical problem, they search for an expert who understands their specific industry inside out.

Specialised profiles with niche-relevant work samples consistently achieve higher proposal view-to-hire conversion rates than generic accounts.

Focusing your portfolio on a clear niche positions you as an authority. It assures prospective clients that you have handled similar projects successfully in the past and can deliver top-tier results without hand-holding.

Frame past work as problem-solving case studies

Uploading raw images, uncontextualised screenshots, or plain text links without explanation does not convince high-paying clients. Premium buyers want to understand your thought process and how you navigate business challenges.

Structure every portfolio entry as a mini case study by clearly defining the client’s initial problem, the specific strategy you executed, and the final impact achieved.

When you explain the background of a project, the client sees that you are a strategic partner who cares about their business goals, rather than just a task-doer waiting for instructions.

Highlight measurable data and real results

International clients invest in freelancers to save time, increase revenue, streamline operations, or build brand reputation. Demonstrating real numbers is the fastest way to prove your worth.

Whenever you showcase a completed project, include specific metrics that reflect the project’s success. Numbers cut through skepticism and provide undeniable evidence of your competence.

Instead of writing that you wrote blog posts for a brand, specify that your articles increased organic website search traffic by 45 percent over three months.

If you are a web developer or designer, state how your redesign reduced page load time by two seconds or boosted checkout conversions. Measurable outcomes instantly justify higher hourly rates and project fees.

Use clean high-resolution visual previews

First impressions happen visually in a fraction of a second. When a client scrolls through your Upwork profile, your portfolio thumbnail images determine whether they will click to see more details.

Poorly cropped screenshots, blurry graphics, or cluttered mockups make even outstanding work look amateurish. High-budget clients associate visual polish with overall work quality and professionalism.

Utilise free graphic design platforms like Canva or Figma to place your work into clean device mockups, modern slide templates, or well-aligned grid presentations.

A visually appealing gallery shows clients that you take pride in your craft and maintain high presentation standards across all client deliverables.

Add client testimonials and social proof

Nothing builds trust faster with a prospective client than the positive words of other business owners who have hired you. Social proof removes the perceived risk of hiring a new contractor online.

Whenever you upload a project sample, embed a short, impactful quote from that client within the project description or directly onto the preview image.

Even if you are new to Upwork, you can legitimately include screenshots of positive feedback, recommendation letters, or LinkedIn endorsements received from previous off-platform jobs to establish instant credibility.

Keep your best work at the top

Quality always outperforms quantity when presenting your portfolio to high-value prospects. Having four thoroughly explained, high-impact project samples is far more effective than cluttering your profile with fifteen mediocre tasks.

Review your portfolio regularly and eliminate outdated work that no longer reflects your current skill level or target pricing. Keep your most impressive and relevant projects positioned right at the top where they are seen first.

By consistently updating your profile with relevant case studies, clean visuals, and verifiable results, you transform your Upwork portfolio into an automated sales tool that attracts premium USD clients on demand.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Gombe State, over the weekend, received a political boost following the resignation of Honourable Usman Sule Dauda (popularly known as Kalala) as the state chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and his subsequent return to the PDP.

He joined the party alongside Hon. Shehu Abubakar Durbi and their numerous supporters.

Shehu Abubakar Durbi is a respected political leader, who served twice as Commissioner for Lands and Survey in Gombe State, just as he also previously represented Gombe North Constituency in the Gombe State House of Assembly.

Usman is also an experienced grassroots politician who served two terms as a member, representing Kaltungo West Constituency in the Gombe State House of Assembly.

He also previously served as PDP Chairman of Kaltungo Local Government Area. Until his recent resignation and return to the PDP, he was the Gombe State Chairman of the Labour Party.

Speaking during their formal reception into the PDP, the two political leaders attributed their decision to the outstanding credentials, proven competence, and extensive leadership experience of the party’s governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

They expressed confidence in Professor Pantami’s capacity to provide purposeful leadership, promote inclusive governance, and deliver sustainable development across Gombe State.

Hon. Durbi and Hon. Kalala also declared their full support for the former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo and pledged to mobilise extensively for the victory of all PDP candidates in the 2027 general elections.

Their return to the PDP, together with their numerous supporters, further demonstrates the party’s growing appeal, expanding grassroots strength, and renewed unity across Gombe State.

The PDP family warmly welcomed Hon. Shehu Durbi, Hon. Usman Kalala, and their supporters and assured them of fairness, as contained in a statement signed by Professor Suleiman Mohammed, made available to journalists on in Gombe.

Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has explained why he stopped attending church 13 years ago, saying he no longer agreed with the idea of limiting worship to a particular day.

The 66-year-old actor disclosed this during a recent interview on Curiosity Made Me Ask, where he spoke about his faith, relationships and how he views public perception.

Solade said his decision to stop attending church does not mean he has abandoned his faith, maintaining that his relationship with God remains important to him.

‘God created me in His image. I stopped going to church 13 years ago because I was not finding it funny any longer. Though I am a child of God,’ he said.

‘My life is not orchestrated towards a particular day. There is no Sunday in the Bible. Without God, I will not be alive.’

The actor said he believes worship should not be restricted to a specific day, adding that his faith goes beyond attending a formal place of worship.

‘I know God too well. If you get close to me, you will know that God lives in me,’ he said.

Solade also discussed his relationship with other people, revealing that he prefers to avoid close friendships and intimacy.

‘I do not have a friend. I do not roll with anybody, but I move with the world because God has instructed me to do that for myself,’ he said.

‘I am loved by a lot of people, and I love a lot of people. But I do not have intimacy with people. It is good for me.’

Speaking about how people perceive him, Solade said public discussions about him show that he remains relevant.

‘You will only speculate. You have heard things about me; most of them are not true. If I am not important, people will not talk about me,’ he added.