Category: Nigerian Tribune

Jigawa State Government has launched an ambitious ?7 billion dairy development programme that will introduce improved cattle breeds from the United Kingdom and India through artificial insemination as part of efforts to diversify the state’s economy and transform livestock production.

Commissioner for Livestock Development, Prof. Abdulrahman Salim Lawal, disclosed this at a one-day sensitisation workshop on artificial insemination and dairy production for Fulani leaders drawn from the 27 local government areas of the state.

He said the programme, initiated by Governor Malam Umar Namadi, would commence with the artificial insemination of 6,500 cattle using improved breeds from the United Kingdom and India before expanding to cover 25,000 cattle, with a target of producing over 60,000 genetically improved cattle.

According to the commissioner, the initiative aims to increase milk production, improve the quality of indigenous cattle breeds, create jobs, and position Jigawa as a major dairy-producing state in Nigeria.

Lawal disclosed that the government had already committed ?3.3 billion to the dairy programme. At the same time, another ?4.5 billion would be invested in restoring and developing grazing reserves, bringing the total investment to over ?7 billion.

He explained that the state plans to reclaim and rehabilitate its 362 gazetted grazing reserves by planting high-yield pasture grasses and legumes to support modern livestock production.

The commissioner said the programme was inspired by successful dairy development models in countries such as India, where improved cattle breeds produce significantly higher milk yields than local breeds.

‘We are changing the narrative from quantity to quality. Instead of keeping large numbers of low-yield cattle, our focus is on fewer but highly productive breeds capable of meeting Nigeria’s growing dairy needs,’ he said.

To ensure sustainability, Lawal said 13 scientists from Jigawa would travel to India next month for specialised training at the National Dairy Development Board on artificial insemination and dairy management.

He added that the experts, on their return, would train 350 youths recently recruited by the state government as artificial insemination technicians to drive the programme across the state.

The commissioner expressed optimism that the initiative would not only improve pastoral livelihoods but also reduce conflicts associated with open grazing by encouraging settled and more productive livestock management.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Ferrado Agro and Bioforms, Mr. Chendu, said the company was partnering with the state government to implement the one-year programme through baseline surveys, digital documentation, animal identification and farmer tracking.

He explained that the intervention is expected to increase the average daily milk yield per cow from about one litre to between eight and 15 litres, thereby improving farmers’ incomes, creating employment opportunities for youths and women, strengthening food security and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported dairy products.

Experts at the workshop described the initiative as a major step toward modernising livestock production and building a sustainable dairy industry capable of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s agricultural and economic diversification agenda.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of creating the impression that ‘some victims of insecurity matter more than others,’ and demanded timelines for the rescue of 176 residents abducted from Woro community in Kaiama, Kwara State, who have remained in captivity since February 3, 2026.

Speaking on Sunday through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the President’s celebration of recent rescues in Oyo State has raised questions about the fate of victims still being held in Kaiama, Borno, Zamfara and other parts of the country.

‘The African Democratic Congress is concerned by what is becoming an unmistakable pattern in the Tinubu administration’s response to insecurity: some victims receive swift presidential attention, while others are left to languish in silence,’ the statement said.

‘Every successful rescue of abducted Nigerians deserves to be celebrated. But the President must ensure that his actions do not create the impression that the value of a Nigerian life depends on where the victim comes from or whether the tragedy attracts national headlines. Leadership demands equal compassion for every citizen, because no country can build national unity on the basis of selective empathy and selective attention.’

‘On Friday, July 24, 2026, residents of Kaiama Local Government Area in Kwara State staged a peaceful protest over the fate of 176 residents of Woro community abducted on February 3, 2026.

‘More than 170 days later, their families are still asking the same questions: Where are their loved ones? What has the government done? When should they expect them home? Their protest was not political. It was the cry of citizens who fear that their loved ones have been forgotten,’ the ADC said.

The party also cited fresh incidents of insecurity: the recent abduction of no fewer than 40 residents from 11 communities in Mayanchi District, Maru LGA, Zamfara, mostly women and children; attacks in Benue’s Sankera axis on July 24; and the early hours of Sunday abduction of Kebbi State High Court Judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza.

It added that communities in Borno continue to endure insurgent attacks and mass displacement.

‘These are not isolated incidents. They are reminders that insecurity remains a daily reality for millions of Nigerians.’

Following the public celebration of the rescue of abductees in Oyo State, the ADC asked: ‘What is the status of those still being held elsewhere? What progress has been made in securing the release of the 176 abductees from Kaiama? What is being done to rescue the women and children taken in Zamfara? What efforts are underway to secure the release of Justice Bunza? What updates are available on victims in Borno and other affected communities?’

‘The President owes Nigerians more than broad assurances. He owes them regular updates, timelines and evidence that no Nigerian community has been abandoned.’

The party referenced President Tinubu’s assurance on Thursday, July 23, 2026, that insecurity in the North would soon end.

‘We sincerely hope that promise becomes reality. But hope cannot survive indefinitely on declarations alone. There comes a point when repeated assurances, unaccompanied by visible results, cease to reassure. They simply become another headline in a long cycle of official optimism and public disappointment.’

‘That is why many Nigerians no longer receive presidential statements on insecurity with the confidence they once did. The administration has become remarkably consistent in making reassuring pronouncements but far less convincing in delivering outcomes. On one of the defining challenges of this government, the President is increasingly seen as a professional statement-maker, while communities continue to bury their dead, search for the missing and wait for rescues that never seem to come.’

The ADC called on President Tinubu to demonstrate through action that every Nigerian life carries equal value.

‘The people abducted in Woro on February 3 matter. The women and children abducted in Mayanchi, Zamfara matter. The families living under siege in Borno matter. The victims of fresh attacks in Benue matter. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza matters. They deserve the same urgency, the same empathy and the same presidential attention that every rescued Nigerian rightly receives. Leadership is not measured by how quickly government celebrates a rescue; it is measured by whether no Nigerian is left behind or forgotten.’

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Olayemi Cardoso, and the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will headline the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum, taking place at the CBN Headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday, 29 July, and Thursday, 30 July 2026.

Hosted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Emerging Markets Forum (EMF) and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum will convene senior policymakers, central bankers, ministers, development partners, private-sector leaders and leading economists from Africa and around the world to examine practical policy responses to an increasingly uncertain global economic environment.

Held under the theme ‘Building Resilience Amidst Geoeconomic Uncertainties,’ the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum will be headlined by the Cardoso-Okonjo-Iweala fireside dialogue, which will explore how African economies can build resilience, sustain reform momentum, deepen regional integration and unlock long-term growth amid an increasingly fragmented global economy.

According to a statement by CBN, the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum will also feature ministerial keynote addresses by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, and the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kingsley Udeh, underscoring the importance of coordinated fiscal, monetary and innovation policies in advancing Africa’s economic transformation and long-term resilience.

‘Other distinguished participants include Indermit Gill, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics at the World Bank Group; Harinder Kohli, Founding Director and Chief Executive of the Emerging Markets Forum; Professor Adamu Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University; alongside senior policymakers, academics, development partners and business leaders from across Africa and beyond.

‘Over two days, participants will examine a wide range of issues critical to the future of emerging markets, including macroeconomic stability, regional economic integration, cross-border payments, financial technology, infrastructure, foreign direct investment, technology transfer, artificial intelligence, and the interconnected challenges of food price volatility, inflation and monetary policy transmission in fragile and post-crisis economies’

The statement noted that the organisers of the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum aim to foster open dialogue on issues of strategic importance to emerging markets and developing economies while identifying practical policy solutions that can be adapted to the unique circumstances of individual countries.

‘The Forum underscores the shared commitment of the Central Bank of Nigeria and its partners to strengthening regional cooperation, advancing evidence-based policymaking and promoting innovative solutions that enhance Africa’s resilience and support sustainable, inclusive economic growth,’ the statement added.

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.