Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (ODSUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), has concluded a five-day capacity-building workshop for over 200 teachers and education stakeholders under the Greening Schools and Climate Change Education Initiative (GSCCEI), culminating in the official launch of the Greening Schools Tree Planting Campaign and the distribution of tree seedlings and agricultural inputs to participating schools across the state.

The five-day workshop, held at the Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute, Conference and Retreat Centre, Igoba-Akure, equipped participants with practical and theoretical knowledge in climate change education, environmental sustainability, agricultural entrepreneurship, and climate-smart agricultural practices.

The programme culminated in the launch of the Greening Schools Tree Planting Campaign at St. James’ Mega Primary School Hall, Irowo, Akure, where beneficiary schools received tree seedlings and agricultural inputs to commence the establishment of tree nurseries, school gardens, and other environmentally sustainable projects.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, described the initiative as timely and strategic, noting that climate change remains one of the greatest global challenges requiring practical and collective action.

Professor Ajibefun, in a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity Unit of ODSUBEB, Banjo Egunjobi, stressed that schools have a vital role in nurturing environmentally responsible citizens, adding that climate education must go beyond classroom instruction to practical activities such as tree planting, environmental conservation, and sustainable school gardening.

He urged beneficiary schools to make effective use of the tree seedlings and agricultural materials provided under the programme, emphasising that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of school administrators, teachers, and pupils to nurture the trees to maturity.

In her address, the Permanent Secretary of ODSUBEB, Princess Abike Bayo-Ilawole, described the initiative as a major milestone in the Board’s determination to build environmentally friendly schools while equipping learners with practical knowledge and skills required to tackle climate change and environmental degradation.

She explained that the programme, formerly known as the Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP), has been repositioned and rebranded as the Greening Schools and Climate Change Education Initiative (GSCCEI) in line with global best practices and contemporary educational priorities.

According to her, the initiative integrates climate action, environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture, food security, ecological restoration and green entrepreneurship into the basic education curriculum.

Princess Bayo-Ilawole observed that climate change remains one of the greatest environmental challenges confronting humanity, with its effects evident in rising temperatures, flooding, prolonged drought, biodiversity loss, declining agricultural productivity, food insecurity, desertification and erosion.

She stressed that schools occupy a strategic position in preparing future generations to become environmentally responsible citizens capable of promoting sustainable development and building resilient communities.

The Permanent Secretary disclosed that participants received intensive practical and theoretical training on climate change mitigation and safeguard measures, tree nursery establishment and maintenance, orchard development, school gardening, vegetable production, poultry farming, fisheries and aquaculture, alongside other environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.

She urged participants to replicate the knowledge acquired by establishing school gardens, tree nurseries, environmental clubs and viable agricultural enterprises capable of promoting food production, entrepreneurship education, environmental sustainability and community economic development.

Princess Bayo-Ilawole expressed appreciation to Governor Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa for his unwavering commitment to educational development and the timely release of counterpart funds that facilitated the successful implementation of the programme.

She also commended the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, for her visionary leadership and sustained support towards improving the quality of basic education through impactful interventions such as the GSCCEI.

Expressing optimism about the programme’s long-term impact, she said the initiative would contribute significantly to greener schools, increased environmental awareness among learners, improved agricultural productivity and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the education sector.

Delivering her goodwill message, the Ondo State Coordinator of UBEC, Mrs Olanike Adams, described the Greening Schools and Climate Change Education Initiative as a strategic intervention designed to integrate climate change education into the basic education curriculum while promoting environmentally responsible attitudes and sustainable practices among pupils and students.

She stated that the programme reflects UBEC’s commitment to equipping young learners with the knowledge, values and practical skills required to address environmental challenges and contribute meaningfully to sustainable national development.

Mrs Adams noted that schools remain one of the most effective platforms for nurturing environmentally conscious citizens from an early age, adding that education remains the most effective tool for promoting environmental awareness, behavioural change and environmental stewardship.

One of the resource persons, Professor Gideon Adedayo of the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), who delivered a lecture on Climate Change Mitigation, Resilience and Safeguards, described climate change as one of the most critical environmental challenges confronting the world today.

He explained that increasing extreme weather events, rising temperatures, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation continue to threaten agriculture, food security, water resources, public health, infrastructure and economic development.

Professor Adedayo advocated sustainable forest management, renewable energy adoption, climate-smart agriculture, biodiversity conservation and responsible natural resource management as practical solutions to mitigate climate change, while urging governments, educational institutions, private organisations and citizens to work collaboratively in protecting the environment.

Earlier, the Director of Academic Services, ODSUBEB, Mrs Foluke Fajana, described the workshop as a practical and result-oriented capacity-building programme designed to equip participants with the technical knowledge and hands-on skills required to successfully implement the Greening Schools and Climate Change Education Initiative in their schools.

She disclosed that each beneficiary school is expected to establish a functional tree nursery, develop a school garden and initiate at least one viable agricultural enterprise capable of serving both educational and economic purposes.

Speaking on behalf of participants, Dr Aina Benjamin expressed appreciation to the Ondo State Government, UBEC and ODSUBEB for organising what he described as an eye-opening and impactful training programme.

He assured that participants would effectively apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the workshop to promote environmental sustainability, establish climate-friendly practices in schools, educate learners on responsible environmental behaviour and contribute meaningfully to reducing the effects of climate change across Ondo State.

The workshop attracted participants from across the education sector, including Education Secretaries from the various Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs), head teachers of public primary schools, school administrators, classroom teachers, agricultural instructors and other key stakeholders in basic education.

The Federal Government has pledged to remove longstanding barriers preventing Nigerian health professionals abroad from contributing to the country’s healthcare system, as it promised to simplify licensing procedures, facilitate temporary practice arrangements and expand investment opportunities for diaspora experts.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, made the commitment on Saturday at the 2026 National Diaspora Merit Award and Closing Ceremony of the Nigeria Diaspora Health Impact Initiative (NDHII) held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

Salako said the success of this year’s initiative demonstrated that Nigeria’s diaspora should no longer be viewed through the lens of ‘brain drain’ but as a strategic partner in rebuilding the nation’s health sector.

He disclosed that over the past several weeks, Nigerian doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, laboratory scientists and other healthcare professionals from across Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, South Africa and the United States returned home to provide specialist medical services, conduct surgeries, train health workers and mentor local professionals across the six geopolitical zones.

‘You did not merely come home to attend a programme; you consulted, treated, operated, trained, mentored, and gave freely of skills built over years abroad. That is patriotism made visible, and on behalf of the Federal Government, I say thank you,’ the minister said.

According to him, diaspora medical teams worked in teaching and general hospitals across Lagos, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Nasarawa, Gombe and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said UK-based specialists trained more than 1,000 frontline healthcare workers in Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto under the Safer Births Bundle of Care programme, while members of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas conducted about 4,000 medical consultations, performed over 500 surgeries and trained 350 health workers alongside 150 community responders in Enugu, Imo and Abia States.

Salako added that the Nigerian Australian Medical Doctors Association organised specialist training on ultrasound diagnosis of endometriosis in Benin City, while members of the Nigerian Doctors Forum South Africa carried out more than 70 advanced procedures in interventional radiology, neurosurgery and endoscopy in Lagos hospitals while transferring the skills to local practitioners.

He also said the Concerned Medics Foundation screened thousands of secondary school students for sickle cell disease in Borno and Gombe States, while the Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists and the Nigerian Medical Association Germany supported telemedicine, family medicine and point-of-care diagnostic services across the FCT and Nasarawa State.

‘Across all six geopolitical zones, in a single season, our diaspora healthcare family have touched close to ten thousand Nigerian lives directly and trained more than two thousand frontline health workers, multiplying that impact for years to come,’ he said.

The minister assured diaspora professionals that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would continue working to simplify professional licensing and locum arrangements, facilitate customs and visa waivers for medical missions and encourage investments in hospitals, diagnostic centres and pharmaceutical industries.

‘Let me reaffirm our commitment to continue to work with you, ease the path home: simplifying licensing and locum arrangements for diaspora clinicians, securing the customs and visa waivers your missions need, and expanding opportunities for you to invest in building hospitals, diagnostic centres, pharmaceutical industries and other healthcare investments on Nigerian soil,’ he said.

Salako argued that the migration of Nigerian health workers resulted from years of inadequate investment, poor remuneration and unfavourable working conditions rather than an unavoidable ‘brain drain.’

‘For too long, we have spoken of ‘brain drain’ as though it were a natural disaster. The reality is more complex. This administration is committed to rebuilding our health system from its foundations to save our country an estimated ?4.8 trillion a year currently lost to preventable disease and medical tourism,’ he said.

He said the Federal Government had introduced a Diaspora Health Registry and data mapping exercise, alongside the Nigerians in Diaspora Advance Health Programme (NiDAH-P) portal, to match diaspora expertise with healthcare needs across the country.

The minister urged Nigerian health professionals abroad to register on the platform and remain actively engaged beyond periodic medical missions.

‘There are many areas where we see room for deeper collaboration. Through telemedicine and digital health, our diaspora specialists can extend consultation and mentorship to Nigerian facilities year-round. Through structured training partnerships, joint clinical research, technology transfer and public-private partnerships, we can modernise our health infrastructure and strengthen our health system,’ he said.

Salako commended the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), led by its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, for driving the initiative, while thanking President Bola Tinubu for supporting the programme.

He also praised the governments of Edo, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Nasarawa and Gombe States for partnering with the Federal Government to host the diaspora medical teams.

Describing the programme as the beginning of a sustained partnership rather than a one-off event, the minister urged diaspora professionals to continue contributing their expertise to Nigeria’s healthcare development.

‘Nigeria’s health system will ultimately be built by Nigerians, wherever in the world they reside. Let this evening not be a farewell, but a renewal of that partnership to secure the health, wellbeing and prosperity of every Nigerian,’ he said.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the Tinubu administration has finally adopted a policy direction he first advocated more than two decades ago, after nearly three years of what he described as ‘poor planning and misplaced priorities’ in the power sector.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the recent admission by the Minister of Power that Nigeria can no longer depend solely on large, centralised power plants amounts to a belated endorsement of the decentralised electricity model he championed since 2005.

‘It should not take a government three years in office to discover what was obvious more than two decades ago,’ Atiku said.

He criticised the administration for increasing electricity tariffs before implementing structural reforms.

‘A government that thinks before it acts would have fixed the system before asking citizens to pay more. Unfortunately, this administration has done the exact opposite-raising tariffs first and only now beginning to think about the reforms required to justify those increases.’

Atiku recalled that during his tenure as Vice President, he consistently urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to decentralise electricity generation by harnessing hydro, solar, gas and other viable sources.

He disclosed that when President Obasanjo set up the Power Sector Reform Committee based mainly on gas-fired generation, he was appointed Chairman but declined to preside.

‘This has been my position for over two decades. When President Obasanjo established the Power Sector Reform Committee based primarily on gas-fired generation, I was appointed Chairman. However, because I fundamentally disagreed with the policy direction, I declined to preside over the committee. I believed then, as I do now, that Nigeria’s electricity future lay in a diversified and decentralised energy mix-not an overdependence on a single source.

‘Unfortunately, billions of dollars contributed by the Federal Government, states and local governments were committed to that approach, yet the expected results never materialised. Contracts were awarded, huge sums were paid upfront, but much of the promised work was never done. The National Assembly subsequently investigated the power sector reforms and held President Obasanjo accountable for the outcome. I was never invited by the investigators because I had declined to chair the committee despite being formally appointed.’

Atiku said he restated the position in a 2022 interview with ARISE News and made it a central pillar of his presidential campaigns from 2007 through 2023.

‘For more than two decades, I have consistently argued that Nigeria’s overdependence on a centralised generation system was economically unsustainable and technically inefficient. Today, the Tinubu administration is merely acknowledging what I proposed years ago.’

The former Vice President lamented that instead of coherent reforms, the current government has spent almost three years ‘experimenting with the livelihoods of Nigerians.’

‘The result has been higher electricity tariffs, struggling businesses, collapsing manufacturers and households paying more for less power.

‘The greatest tragedy is not that this government has finally embraced the right idea. The tragedy is that it took three years of policy drift, higher tariffs and prolonged darkness to discover what could have transformed Nigeria’s power sector more than two decades ago.’

Atiku said an ADC administration under his leadership would pursue a diversified and decentralised electricity generation strategy driven by hydro, gas, solar and other viable sources.

He added that the plan would also include expanding transmission infrastructure, strengthening distribution networks, and encouraging private sector participation to guarantee stable and affordable electricity.

‘Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of ideas. It suffers from a shortage of leaders willing to act on the right ideas at the right time. It is never too late to embrace the right policy, but Nigerians should never have had to pay the price for a government that spent three years learning what should have guided its actions from day one.’

A United States lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has renewed its campaign for the release of records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s decades-old US case, while announcing plans to engage anti-drug organisations and victims of heroin abuse in the United States.

The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, made the announcement in a statement posted on its official X account on Saturday, alleging that US law enforcement agencies under former President Joe Biden refused to release documents relating to Tinubu despite multiple Freedom of Information Act requests.

According to the firm, the requests were filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It identified the requests as FOIA numbers 1588244-000, 1593615-000, 22-00892-F, 24-00201-F and EOUSA-2023-002028.

The lobbying firm claimed the refusal by the agencies prompted US District Judge Beryl Howell to order the release of the records in 2025, adding that the documents have yet to be made public.

‘The FBI, the Justice Department, and the DEA under President Joe Biden refused FOIA requests to release records concerning Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s alleged heroin trafficking from Nigeria to Chicago.

‘The FOIA requests were made by Aaron Greenspan, an American transparency activist. The refusal and stonewalling by the Biden Administration led to US District Judge Beryl Howell ordering the Biden Administration in 2025 to release the files. Yet, no files have been released. This is going to change,’ the statement said.

It added that the alleged delay in releasing the documents ‘is going to change.’

The firm also announced plans to meet with anti-drug organisations, religious leaders and victims of heroin abuse in the US.

‘As President Donald Trump has rightfully shown, US agencies must never protect foreign leaders accused of having links to drugs smuggled into the United States.

‘Next week, we will be engaging with anti-drug organisations, religious leaders, and victims of heroin abuse and deaths regarding President Tinubu’s alleged link to heroin trafficking in Chicago,’ it stated.

The renewed demand follows a series of exchanges between the former vice president and the Presidency over Tinubu’s US legal records.

Earlier this week, Atiku, through his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, faulted the Presidency’s response to petitions reportedly sent by his US lobbying team to President Donald Trump and the US State Department seeking further scrutiny of Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case.

He argued that the government’s defence of the President had instead reignited public interest in the decades-old matter.

The Presidency rejected the petitions, insisting that US authorities had confirmed there were no pending criminal cases against Tinubu. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga also defended the President and accused Atiku of corruption during his time as vice president.

Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case, which involved funds connected to bank accounts linked to him, has repeatedly resurfaced in Nigeria’s political discourse. While the Presidency maintains that the matter ended without a criminal conviction, opposition figures have continued to press for the release of additional US records, making the issue a fresh point of political contention ahead of the 2027 general election.

A senior finance operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State alongside two male children.

The Nigerian Army announced the development in a statement issued late Saturday, describing it as another significant operational success in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the North East.

According to the acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, the terrorist surrendered to troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade at about 6:45 a.m. on July 25, 2026, along the Ladari-Jegarawa-Tunokalia axis of the Gamboru-Wulgo Main Supply Route in Borno State.

The statement reads, ‘Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have recorded another major operational breakthrough with the surrender of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) finance operative, underscoring the sustained impact of ongoing kinetic and intelligence-driven operations across the North East.’

Goni said the latest surrender adds to the growing number of terrorists abandoning the insurgent group, noting that about 46 terrorists and their family members had voluntarily surrendered to troops in recent days.

He attributed the surrender to sustained coordinated land and air offensives carried out by Operation Hadin Kai against terrorist hideouts.

‘The terrorist surrendered to troops of 3 Battalion under 24 Task Force Brigade at about 6:45 a.m. on 25 July 2026 along the Ladari-Jegarawa-Tunokalia axis on the Gamboru-Wulgo Main Supply Route,’ he said.

‘Preliminary profiling indicates that the terrorist served as the Chief Finance Operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he was responsible for managing the group’s financial activities and logistics. He surrendered alongside two male children,’ he stated.

The Army spokesperson said troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one motorcycle and ?40,000 from the surrendered terrorist.

‘The individual is currently undergoing detailed profiling and interrogation to exploit actionable intelligence that will support ongoing operations and facilitate the targeting of remaining terrorist elements across the Theatre,’ he stressed.

Goni said the surrender of a senior finance operative marks another major blow to ISWAP, adding that it demonstrates the continued weakening of the group’s leadership, operational strength and support network due to sustained military operations.

‘Coupled with the increasing number of recent surrenders, this development confirms deepening disillusionment within terrorist ranks and points to an accelerating wave of defections from terrorist camps,’ he emphasised.

He reaffirmed that Operation Hadin Kai remains committed to restoring lasting peace, security and stability across the North East.

‘The Theatre Command therefore calls on all remaining terrorists to take advantage of the Federal Government’s non-kinetic initiatives by laying down their arms before it is too late,’ he added.

Goni also appealed to the public to continue supporting security agencies with credible and timely information to strengthen ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

AS Nigeria counts down to the first round of the 2027 general election on January 16, 2027, political candidates have already begun campaigning more than 150 days before that date, alarming election integrity and fairness advocates. While stakeholders commonly believe the premature campaigns violate the law, PHILIP IBITOYE reports that this may not necessarily be the case and that the electoral umpire is powerless either way.

BY the sea of political campaign billboards on almost every major road in the country, one could be forgiven for believing that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had greenlit public campaigning. But that is not so.

One then begins to get the impression that politicians who already have their billboards up more than 150 days before the election day are either unaware that this practice is ostensibly prohibited by the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines or they just do not care about the rules. Or maybe they are aware that the laws on the book are a paper tiger that could not bite and they have intentionally engineered the process to make it so. Legal analysts who spoke with Sunday Tribune wager that the latter is likely the case.

According to INEC’s current timeline for the 2027 elections, public campaigns by political parties do not start until August 19, just over three weeks away. Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act mandates that public political campaigns begin 150 days before polling day. On that basis, Presidential and National Assembly campaigns commence Saturday, August 19, 2026, 150 days ahead of election day on January 16, 2027. Campaigns for Governorship and Houses of Assembly begin September 9, 2026, 150 days ahead of the February 6, 2027 polls.

Despite these restrictions, election campaigning is in near-full swing across the country. Most politicians have yet to hold full-scale rallies or take to the airwaves, but billboards soliciting voters’ support are already up in strategic locations. Legal analysts and other stakeholders generally agree that such billboards amount to campaigning.

In an interview with Sunday Tribune, the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, an influential non-profit advocating for election integrity in Nigeria, Samson Itodo, said that where the dominant purpose of a billboard is to solicit electoral support, it falls within the realm of campaigning, regardless of how it is framed.

‘My view is that campaign billboards urging voters to support a candidate before the official commencement of campaigns amount to premature campaigning,’ Itodo said.

A Sunday Tribune investigation found that across most state capitals in the country, there are billboards asking voters to back the presidential candidates of all the major political parties: All Progressives Congress (APC), President Bola Tinubu; African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar; Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi; Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, among others. There are also billboards of other politicians seeking other elective positions in the national and state assemblies.

Notably, while these billboards indicate the political parties sponsoring the candidates, they are mostly put up courtesy of support groups and third parties. According to legal analysts who spoke with Sunday Tribune, that distinction is decisive. Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which governs the pre-election campaign timeline, states: ‘For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.’

The plain text of the law is directed explicitly at ‘every political party’ and no other entity. According to Abuja-based lawyer Ibrahim Eleja, that means the law applies only to political parties, excluding candidates and their support groups. ‘The express mention of a thing is to the exclusion of another. The Act specifically provides for every political party. So, me as an individual can put up a campaign billboard, and nothing is going to happen because the law does not prohibit me from doing so,’ Eleja told Sunday Tribune.

Without a law prohibiting political candidates and third parties from campaigning early, legal analysts say, they are violating no law, leaving stakeholders who consider the practice harmful to the democratic process without recourse.

Failure of the lawmaking process?

Nearly a year ago, on September 10, 2025, then-INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, described the trend of premature campaigning as ‘disturbing,’ but explained that the commission was handicapped in dealing with it.

Speaking at a roundtable on the challenges of premature political campaigns, held at the Electoral Institute in Abuja, Yakubu noted that the commission was then operating under the Electoral Act 2022, whose Section 94(1) prescribed no punishment for political parties that campaigned earlier than 150 days before an election. Section 94(2) of that now-defunct Act did prescribe a ?500,000 fine for campaigning during the 24 hours before election day.

‘However, there is no sanction whatsoever concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election. Here lies the challenge for the commission in dealing with early campaigns by political parties, prospective candidates and their supporters,’ he said at the time.

Yakubu stressed that criminalising premature campaigns was necessary to safeguard the country’s electoral process.

He added: ‘As the National Assembly is currently reviewing our electoral laws, the Commission has also invited the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters. I am confident that they will give due consideration to actionable recommendations by experts, leaders of political parties, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which regulates the broadcast media, and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), which regulates advertising, including outdoor advertising.’

By October 7 – less than a month later – Yakubu was out of office, replaced by Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, a professor of law, complicating the prospects of the reforms he had sought. When the National Assembly passed the amended Electoral Act 2026 in February, the only notable change to the provisions on premature campaigns was in the new Section 98(2), which raised the fine for campaigning during the 24 hours before polling day from ?500,000 to ?2,000,000. The new Section 98(1), meanwhile, remained as toothless as its predecessor, Section 94(1), prescribing no punishment for campaigning earlier than 150 days before election day.

According to Eleja, lawmakers must have been aware of this gap: they raised the fine for campaigning in the final 24 hours before polling but left early campaigning unpunished. ‘Politicians are wise. They know what they are doing. They know that there is a lacuna in the statutory statement, and they are taking advantage of it. And they are not ready to make amendments to it,’ he said, suggesting lawmakers left the provision toothless deliberately.

Eleja noted that the implication is that even political parties explicitly barred from premature campaigning face no punishment for doing so, because the law prescribes none. He cited the landmark 1961 case Aoko v. Fagbemi, which established the constitutional principle that no person can be convicted of a criminal offence unless that offence is defined, and its penalty prescribed, in a written law. ‘The law must stipulate punishment for an offence,’ Eleja said.

Another Abuja-based lawyer, Najib Usman, said the electoral umpire is not currently equipped to prevent or punish premature campaigns, since the law does not extend that authority to the commission.

Is INEC toothless or just complicit?

In an interview with Sunday Tribune, APC national spokesperson, Felix Morka, said INEC is a regulatory body. ‘We in APC, we don’t second-guess INEC. We respect the authority of INEC to do what it thinks is in the best interest of the process and of the parties,’ Morka said.

But what is a regulatory body with incomplete-at-best regulatory powers? Even INEC concedes it is powerless to stop candidates and their agents from campaigning prematurely, because lawmakers have determined it unworthy of that power. The commission believes prohibiting premature campaigns serves the process, but it can do nothing to enforce that belief.

The commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said the commission was aware of the rise in political activity but acknowledged that INEC lacks the legal authority to stop parties or aspirants from erecting billboards or holding consultations ahead of the official campaign period.

Eta-Messi disclosed that the issue had featured prominently at a recent stakeholders’ summit involving political parties, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), media organisations, and other relevant bodies.

According to the INEC spokesperson, while the commission fixed the campaign timetable in line with the Electoral Act, ‘the enforcement of activities regarded as premature campaigns remains outside the commission’s statutory powers.’

But should enforcement be outside INEC’s statutory powers as a regulator? Most lawmakers – and President Tinubu, who assented to the governing law – appear to think so. Many stakeholders do not.

The costs of premature campaigning

In April, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Femi Falana, called for the immediate suspension of ongoing political campaigns, warning that premature politicking was undermining governance and worsening insecurity across the country.

‘We are compelled to call on the relevant authorities to halt further political campaigns in strict compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act,’ Falana said, addressing INEC, the Nigeria Police Force, and the State Security Service. He relied on Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, though other legal observers see no enforcement mechanism in that provision.

Beyond governance costs, Yakubu noted that premature campaigns undermine INEC’s ability to track campaign finance limits, as politicians, prospective candidates, and third-party agents spend large, effectively unmonitored sums before the official campaign period begins.

Itodo told Sunday Tribune that premature campaigning also undermines the principle of a level playing field, giving some candidates, especially incumbents, an unfair advantage in visibility, name recognition, and voter influence ahead of the legally prescribed campaign period.

‘It also weakens respect for the electoral legal framework. The law exists to ensure that all candidates begin the formal contest on equal footing, and compliance should be expected of everyone, irrespective of political status or resources,’ he said.

A loophole nobody is in a hurry to close

What emerges from all this is a regulator that can name the problem but not touch it; not for lack of will, but for lack of law. INEC did not write the Electoral Act 2026; the National Assembly did, with the president’s assent.

And when lawmakers had the chance to close the gap the former INEC chairman had publicly called ‘disturbing’, they instead raised the fine for the one violation that was already the easiest to enforce: campaigning in the final 24 hours. They, however, left the far more consequential one – months of unregulated spending and incumbency advantage – without any penalty at all.

Whether that omission was oversight or design is a question for the National Assembly to answer. Its practical effect, though, is not in dispute: billboards will keep going up, incumbents will keep converting public office into greater name recognition, and INEC’s campaign calendar will remain, for all official purposes, more suggestion than law. Until lawmakers write a penalty into Section 98(1), Nigeria’s premature campaign season will simply be politics as usual; premature and entirely legal.

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, recently issued a statement warning residents and visitors to Ibadan, particularly women, to avoid the most popular masquerade in the city, known as Oloolu.

The monarch, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Ayoade Olugbemiga, the annual Egungun Oloolu festival will commence on Monday, 27th and end on Thursday, 30th July 2026, with the masquerade coming out every day for that period.

Tribune Online gathered that the Oloolu masquerade will be out every day by 4pm till dawn from Monday till Thursday.

However, the palace in the statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Ayoade Solomon Olugbemiga, and made available to Tribune Online, warned that it’s a taboo for women to see or cross paths with Oloolu.

‘It is a taboo for women to see Oloolu Masquerade; consequently, women are thoroughly advised to avoid the Masquerade at all costs and not cross his paths in their own interest,’ the palace warned.

Ahead of this popular Egungun festival in the ancient city of Ibadan, Tribune Online takes a look at the places the popular masquerade will visit during the period of the festival.

Oloolu will on Monday offer prayers for Olubadan, his council members, indigenes, residents and Ibadanland as a whole, and later visit the Otun Olubadan Oba (Sir)) Eddy Oyewole’s residence at Foko Area of Ibadan the same day.

On Tuesday, Oloolu will visit His Excellency the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde at Government House, Agodi, Ibadan; he will later visit Aliiwo, Yemetu, Oje Market, Isale -Afa, Oke Aremo, Popo – Yemoja, Bode Market, Molete, Isale-Ijebu, Elekuro, Kobomoje and then to Oranmiyan.

On Wednesday 29th July, Oloolu will visit Ojagbo, Alafara Olubadan, Ita-Bale, Ogboriefon, Labo, Kobomoje.

On Thursday 30th July, which is the last day of the Oloolu Masquerade festival celebration for this year, the masquerade will visit Ile – Aperin, Agugu, Iyana Idi-Iroko, Awotunde Jegede, Itamerin-Gangansi, Babanla.

The monarch cautioned Oloolu and its worshippers against violence, while also calling on the law enforcement agents to be alive to their responsibility of safety of life, property and reduction of crimes that used to characterize Oloolu Masquerade Festival.

The statement further described the Oloolu Masquerade Festival as an Ibadan annual event to entertain and appease the gods and goddesses of Ibadanland to bless, guarantee peace, promote unity, and progress of Ibadanland.

Three persons have been killed, and two others injured in separate attacks allegedly carried out by suspected armed herders in Elulu and Agadagba communities of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue.

The attacks, which occurred between Friday and Saturday night, have heightened concerns over renewed violence in the area.

A resident of Agadagba, who identified himself simply as Ameh, told journalists in a telephone interview on Sunday that suspected armed herders first attacked Elulu community on Friday before invading Agadagba the following night.

According to him, the attackers attempted to rustle cattle in Agadagba but met resistance from local youths.

‘The Fulani herdsmen attacked our community yesterday night and attempted to rustle cows. Some youths repelled them, but the attackers, who were heavily armed, opened fire on them and two of the youths died. We later learnt that the same group had attacked Elulu village the previous day and killed one person,’ Ameh said.

The Chairman of Ohimini Local Government Area, Gabriel Adole, confirmed the incidents in a telephone interview on Sunday.

He said the attackers first struck Elulu community, where they killed one resident, injured another and carted away the victim’s Bajaj motorcycle.

‘They first attacked Elulu village and killed somebody, attacked another person and collected his Bajaj motorcycle,’ Adole said.

‘They also went to Agadagba village that same day to rustle cows, but the people repelled them. They shot one person in the leg after failing to take the cows. On Saturday, they returned and killed two persons in Agadagba.’

Adole said three people lost their lives in the attacks, while the two injured victims-one shot during the attempted cattle rustling and another attacked in Elulu-were receiving treatment in hospital.

The council chairman disclosed that security personnel, including local security operatives and police officers, had been deployed to the affected communities to prevent further attacks.

He added that normalcy was gradually returning following the increased security presence.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Benue State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, could not be reached. Calls to her telephone line were not answered.

Ohimini Local Government Area has witnessed repeated attacks in recent weeks, with some residents linking the renewed violence to the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Risku Mohammed, on June 24, 2026.

THE Yoruba establish a direct causal relationship between tragic news and emotional grief. They observe that if the ears are not fed with rotten news, the mind will not be consumed by grief. Whatever his motive for publishing his book, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, retired Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) Dennis Amachree has reawakened an unpleasant yet momentous chapter in our national history. In doing so, he proves right the ancient adage that a twenty-year-old pounded yam can still burn one’s fingers as though it were fresh off the mortar. Through his book, Amachree resurrects the narrative surrounding the sudden, gladsome news of the demise of Nigeria’s former Commander-in-Chief and military dictator, General Sani Abacha.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the libido of men in power is a critical factor we must reckon with when analysing the mechanics and texture of political authority. Even previously, I undertook a broader analysis of what I called the s3xual history of the Nigerian presidency. It was a salacious narrative of the perceived s3xual exploits of occupants of Dodan Barracks and Aso Rock, the two residences of Nigeria’s power. Amachree’s DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield underscores why this dimension of power cannot be brushed aside or taken for granted. In it, the author posits that on June 8, 1998, General Abacha did not die from a poisoned handshake from former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but from cardiac arrest during an intimate encounter with a paramour at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa Guest House in Abuja.

On a social media platform, a commentator questioned whether Amachree was acting as an interloper, whether he had breached official secrecy rules, and why he chose to release this account at this particular time. My response focused on the formal process of declassifying official information and documents – the administrative procedure for removing security markings from secret government records to make them accessible to the public. Typically, declassification occurs through three main mechanisms: automatic declassification over time, systematic review by government agencies, and mandatory requests by interested members of the public.

Declassified records do not always tell the absolute truth, as governments often hold back unverified or raw intelligence from public disclosure to prevent panic. This appears to be what occurred in the Abacha episode. Generally, when official records reach a certain age – frequently 25 years – they are unsealed, provided they do not fall under specific exceptions whose release could compromise national security or trigger widespread public unrest. Sensitive national security files often remain classified indefinitely to protect state interests.

Because Abacha died 28 years ago, the public has spent decades navigating competing theories. One popular claim alleged that he ate apples laced with a lethal potion prepared by foreign intelligence agencies. His ADC, from whom authentic fact could have come, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, propounded another theory, claiming Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was used to assassinate him. He further noted that Abacha began exhibiting unusual physical traits immediately after a handshake.

However, Al-Mustapha cannot be held to be a witness of truth if, indeed, Abacha died this way which, in African context, was a taboo. Again, he is the abore (Yoruba traditional male priest who assists in performing rituals, making offerings, and serving as a spiritual intermediary) of the Abacha shrine from whose mouth evil narratives are never expected to ooze out. By waiting for the required passage of time, Amachree fulfilled the standard criteria for declassifying information, granting him the administrative leeway to disclose what he knew about Abacha’s final hours.

However, whistle-blowers and former intelligence officers are sometimes deployed to divert public focus from pressing national issues or distract from an unfolding, unpleasant political reality. That could also possibly be Amachree’s assignment.

Expectedly, pushback and denials followed Amachree’s revelations. They are however a healthy development for public discourse. In an engaging opinion piece in the Vanguard newspaper, Tony Eluemunor challenged Amachree’s narrative using medical and situational evidence. Eluemunor argued that while Abacha suffered from diabetes and cirrhosis, he was severely ill on the night of June 8, despite the presence of two foreign paramours with him.

Of a truth, the whole country knew, prior to his expiration, that Abacha was ill. A few days before his passing, he appeared on national television looking gaunt, his lips unusually coloured and his goggles seemingly hiding critical information about his visage. The fact that he had two Filipinos with him on the night of his death, according to Eluemunor, presents a stark, troubling paradox: a ruler fiercely resisting Western influence and railing against America whom he called ‘global policemen of democracy’, while simultaneously permitting foreign liaisons unhindered access into the innermost sexual and territorial borders of Nigeria›s power base.

Since Abacha’s era, numerous Nigerian public officials – governors, ministers, legislative leaders, and political aides – have compromised the dignity of public office through personal indulgences. Former Governor Adams Oshiomhole recently courted controversy regarding a widely circulated video involving a South African lifestyle influencer (euphemism for prostitutes) Ms. Leshaan Dagama, aboard a chartered aircraft. Such conduct appears to be a recurring pastime among powerful men.

Upon reading my previous piece, someone reminded me that all men, regardless of their situation in places of power, remain complicit in the borderless irritancy of the male member. Malawian feminist scholar and former government minister, Dr. Jessie Kabwila, noted this during a public address in June 2025. There, she stated candidly: «All men are weak before women.» Centuries prior, in his seminal History of Sexuality, philosopher Michel Foucault similarly challenged Western society’s understanding of sex, power, and discipline, demonstrating how carnal desires intersect with structures of institutional control.

What has largely kept the full truth of Abacha’s final moments shrouded from public scrutiny is religious sensitivity. Till date, no one knows what ailed and probably killed Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari. I strongly advocate that Nigerian leaders ought to be exempt from religious boundaries from the moment of their ascension to office up until their death. Upon assumption of office, they should totally become the collective property of the Nigerian state. Consequently, the full, unvarnished facts surrounding their final days should belong strictly to the public record, free from religious taboos, hypocritical cover-ups, or selective official secrecy.

Big Brother Naija (BBN) Season 11 officially kicks off in a few hours, and fans across Nigeria are eager to follow all the house drama as it unfolds.

In this article, Tribune Online highlights things to know before BBNaija season eleven goes live.

Premiere time and broadcast channels

The grand opening performance kicks off by 7:00 PM Nigerian time. You can watch the live opening event on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv channel 151) and Africa Magic Family (DStv channel 154 and GOtv channel 7).

For streaming, you can make use of mobile phones and laptops, as the show will also air live on the DStv Stream and GOtv Stream applications. Once the launch show ends, the 24-hour non-stop feed will move to DStv channel 198 and GOtv channel 49.

Return of host and show duration

Media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu returns as the main host for this season.

The show will run for ten weeks of daily drama, Head of House games, arena tasks, and Saturday night parties.

Record-breaking grand prize

According to official reports from MultiChoice Nigeria, this new edition comes with the highest reward package in the history of the reality series.

The ultimate winner will walk away with a total grand prize valued at ?160 million.

This reward includes ?100 million in cash, a brand-new luxury SUV, and other exciting items. With this massive prize at stake, viewers should expect intense rivalry and top-notch strategy right from the first day inside Biggie’s house.