Category: Nigerian Tribune

Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, founder of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano, has donated N10 million to the 2026 PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship (PYCF).

Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR)-publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential, and organisers of the fellowship and National Spokespersons Awards-praised the gesture in an appreciation letter dated August 29, 2026.

Managing Director of IMPR, Yushau A. Shuaib, described the financial aid by Prof. Gwarzo as an extraordinary contribution that reaffirms his enduring dedication to education, mentorship and youth empowerment.

‘We deeply value this partnership and look forward to strengthening our collaboration in a manner that reflects transparency, mutual respect, and shared commitment to developing the next generation of communication professionals,’ Shuaib said.

The letter, which was conveyed by the General Manager of IMPR, Mr. Saad Yushau, indicated that the donation will help sustain this year’s edition of the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship across its centres in Abuja, Kano, and Ilorin.

In his response, Gwarzo said his philanthropic work in education and youth development is driven by a commitment to nurturing a new generation of competent and responsible leaders through mentorship, learning and practical skills acquisition.

Noting investment in young people is one of the ways to build a better society, the scholar stressed that funding is impactful when beneficiaries acquire knowledge and get opportunities needed to become self-reliant and contribute to national development.

‘My passion has always been to support initiatives that prepare young people for the responsibilities of tomorrow,’ he said. ‘When we provide quality education, relevant skills, mentorship and opportunities to realise their potential, we are investing in the future leadership of our society.’

Gwarzo had earlier offered a property in Lugbe, Abuja, for use as the PRNigeria Academy and Studio, in furtherance of his benefaction towards youth development, journalism and professional communication training.

Reiterating its gratitude, IMPR has proposed that the property be formalised as a renewable lease donation rather than an outright transfer in line with the organisation’s governance and sustainability framework.

The media firm also proposed that Gwarzo’s support for the fellowship and academy be formally acknowledged under the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo (AAG) Foundation in recognition of his philanthropic contributions.

Gwarzo’s latest intervention adds to his long-standing support for youth-oriented and capacity-building initiatives, including the Campus Journalism Awards, Arewa Stars Awards, internship schemes and special publications.

Launched in 2024, the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship is a youth development programme that equips emerging journalists and communication practitioners with practical skills, mentorship and professional exposure.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has congratulated Vice President Kashim Shettima on his 60th birthday, describing him as a visionary, loyal and dedicated public servant committed to the progress of Nigeria.

Shettima, who will clock 60 on Wednesday, 2 September, was also commended by the governor for his contributions to the country’s political and governance processes.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu described the Vice President as a reliable, competent and selfless public servant who had distinguished himself in both private and public service.

The governor particularly praised Shettima’s loyalty and commitment to President Bola Tinubu, saying his efforts had contributed to the realisation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Sanwo-Olu said: ‘On behalf of my wife, Ibijoke, family, the government, and the entire people of Lagos State, as well as leaders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in our dear state, I congratulate Vice President Kashim Shettima on his 60th birthday.

‘Vice President Kashim Shettima is a visionary and passionate leader who has distinguished himself in both private and public office. He had a successful career as a lecturer and banker for about two decades before entering public service.

‘He served his state, Borno, diligently as Commissioner, Governor, and Senator representing Borno Central before he assumed office as Vice President of Nigeria on May 29, 2023.

‘Vice President Kashim Shettima is a committed and selfless public servant whose vision aligns well with that of President Bola Tinubu in ensuring economic stability, social development, and political cohesion.

‘He has, over the years, demonstrated pragmatic leadership in various areas at both state and national levels, across private and public sectors.’

The governor wished Shettima good health, wisdom and strength as he continues to serve the country.

‘On this occasion of his 60th birthday, I wish Vice President Kashim Shettima good health and wisdom as he continues to serve our dear country, Nigeria,’ Sanwo-Olu said.

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the release of documents allegedly held by the United States government could jeopardise his ambition to seek a second term in office.

Ayodele, in a statement issued Tuesday by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, claimed that powerful interests were behind efforts to have the documents released and that their publication would have serious political consequences for the President.

The cleric’s warning comes amid ongoing legal proceedings in the United States over access to records relating to Tinubu, with former Vice President and opposition figure Atiku Abubakar among those seeking the release of the documents.

Ayodele said Tinubu was underestimating the seriousness of the matter, alleging that some people working to prevent the release of the records were misleading him.

‘If those documents come out, it will end Tinubu’s second term because the power behind it is heavy. Tinubu is just playing around it; people working to stop it are only deceiving him,’ he said.

The cleric further identified the United States as one of what he described as Tinubu’s major challenges, claiming that the documents could be released whenever the US government decided to do so.

‘If America is ready, they will release it, and that’s why I said America is one of Tinubu’s problems. The documents are there, and there are plans to release it,’ Ayodele said.

He urged the President to take what he described as extra steps to prevent the documents from being made public, claiming that there were already plans for their release.

Ayodele also predicted that the release of the documents could trigger significant political consequences ahead of the 2027 general elections.

‘If this document comes out, an interim government is imminent, and there will be a serious effect on the election,’ he said.

The cleric’s claims about the contents of the documents and their potential political consequences could not be independently verified.

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.