Category: Nigerian Tribune

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the renewed reference to past allegations against him is a distraction from the economic challenges Nigerians are currently facing.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the return to issues from the Obasanjo era reflects a lack of answers to pressing concerns such as the rising cost of living, food prices, transportation, electricity, education, healthcare and insecurity.

‘When those defending the government can no longer explain the difficulties ordinary families face, they turn to old political arguments. This does not address the concerns of Nigerians today,’ the statement said.

Atiku noted that the matters being referenced were previously examined by relevant institutions during his time in office.

‘These issues went through the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts. No court convicted me on these allegations. That is the record,’ he said.

He added that anyone with credible evidence should present it through lawful channels.

‘Anyone with credible evidence should bring it forward and test it before the law. I have made this point before and I repeat it today,’ he stated.

On calls for openness, Atiku said public officials should be open to scrutiny and that institutions must be allowed to operate without interference.

‘The EFCC belongs to Nigeria. It should investigate genuine wrongdoing wherever it finds it. State institutions must not be used for political purposes,’ he said.

He urged that public discourse be centred on governance and the welfare of citizens.

‘You cannot address hunger with old allegations. You cannot restore purchasing power or make life more affordable by revisiting past political disputes. Nigerians deserve answers on the economy and on policies that affect their daily lives,’ he said.

Atiku said the 2027 elections would provide an opportunity for Nigerians to assess leaders based on their records and plans for the future.

‘In 2027, Nigerians will judge us by our records, the lives they are living and the future we offer them. We remain focused on engaging with the Nigerian people,’ the statement added.

Nigeria Customs Service, Kano/Jigawa Area Command, says it has intercepted and detained smuggled and prohibited goods with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ?2.159 billion in the last two months.

Also, the Command recorded significant progress in revenue generation, with its year-to-date collection standing at ?88.925 billion, compared with ?63.079 billion recorded during its half-year briefing.

The Acting Customs Area Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller Usman Adamu, disclosed this on Friday, September 4, 2026, during a press briefing at the Customs House, Bompai, Kano.

Adamu said the seizures were part of the Command’s sustained enforcement operations aimed at curbing smuggling, protecting the economy and national security, and ensuring compliance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

He said the Command generated more than ?14 billion in July 2026, describing it as the highest monthly revenue collection in the history of the Command.

On enforcement, Adamu listed several items intercepted by the Command, including 1,491 cartons of foreign spaghetti with a DPV of ?38.74 million and 2,928 packs of foreign macaroni valued at ?280.73 million.

Other seizures included 35 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 19 bags of expired foreign parboiled rice, 3,000 jerry cans of foreign refined and packaged vegetable oil valued at ?431.85 million, and 514 cartons of assorted soaps valued at ?38.07 million.

The Command also intercepted eight suspected diverted transit truck heads with a DPV of ?300.91 million and seven smuggled vehicles valued at ?410.54 million.

Adamu disclosed that Customs officers also intercepted 712,690 tablets of unregistered pharmaceutical products, alongside 17,470 vials and ampoules.

He said the pharmaceutical products had been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further action.

A major highlight of the enforcement operations, according to the Acting Controller, was the interception of 48 endangered wildlife species on August 25, 2026.

The animals comprised 15 primates, including chimpanzees, gorillas and bush babies; four wild cats, including civet and caracal cats; 25 wild birds; two albino crocodiles and a honey badger.

Three suspects were arrested in connection with the wildlife trafficking and handed over to the Special Wildlife Office at the Customs headquarters for further investigation.

Adamu described the seizure as potentially the largest and most diverse single wildlife seizure in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service and possibly the West African sub-region.

He said the interception demonstrated the Command’s determination to protect Nigeria’s biodiversity and enforce international obligations as well as relevant provisions of the NCS Act 2023.

The Command also seized 6,072 counterfeit agro-packaging materials valued at ?1.82 million and five 40-foot diverted transit containers with a DPV of ?645.16 million.

Two suspects were further intercepted with 993.9 metres of vandalised high-voltage aluminium conductors, valued at ?2.88 million. Adamu said the suspects would be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for further action.

On anti-money laundering operations, the Acting Controller said Customs officers intercepted undeclared foreign currencies above the permissible threshold.

The currencies comprised $73,300, £15,975 and 827,800 Saudi Riyals.

He said the currencies and two suspects were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, for further investigation.

Adamu also raised concern over the use of government service official plate numbers on some smuggled vehicles, allegedly as an attempt to evade Customs control.

He warned that the Command would continue to monitor and take action against such practices.

The Acting Controller urged legitimate traders to comply with Customs laws and procedures,

assuring them that the Command would continue to support lawful businesses through trade facilitation initiatives, including the Authorized Economic Operator scheme, Advance Ruling and One Stop Shop.

He said the Command remained committed to balancing enforcement with the promotion of legitimate trade, stressing that compliance would reduce delays and create greater predictability for businesses.

Adamu commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the management team for their support, while also appreciating Customs officers, sister security agencies, stakeholders and the media for their cooperation.

He assured that the Kano/Jigawa Area Command would build on its achievements through professionalism, vigilance, collaboration, and strict adherence to the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has taken Nigeria’s community pharmacy reform to the global stage with the presentation of its Community Pharmacists Assessment and Career Progression Institute (CPACPI) framework at the 84th FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Montreal, Canada.

The National Chairman of ACPN, Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, presented the framework between August 30 and September 2, 2026, placing Nigeria’s workforce development model at the centre of international discussions under the theme, ‘One Health, One Pharmacy – Bridging science, practice, and education.’

Speaking during the presentation, Ezeh said CPACPI, launched in 2025, was the first structured, competency-based career progression pathway for community pharmacists in Nigeria.

According to him, the initiative was designed to address a longstanding gap in the profession, particularly the absence of clear advancement opportunities for pharmacists working outside hospital and academic settings.

He said a study presented in Montreal, titled ‘The Implementation Gap: Perceived Barriers and External Threats to Community Pharmacists’ Participation in a Career Advancement Scheme in Nigeria,’ surveyed 182 practising community pharmacists across the country.

Ezeh said ACPN had incorporated measures into the framework to address the barriers identified by the study.

Among the measures, he said, were tiered and subsidised professional development grants for younger pharmacists, as well as flexible, self-paced digital learning modules that would enable pharmacists to undergo training without disrupting patient care.

He also called for stronger multi-agency enforcement against unaccredited medicine outlets to protect professional standards and patient safety.

The ACPN national chairman explained that career advancement under the framework would be based on measurable competencies in areas including clinical care, mentorship, digital health integration and continuous quality improvement.

Beyond career progression, Ezeh said ACPN was advocating for accredited community pharmacies to be designated as private-sector primary healthcare facilities and integrated into Nigeria’s national health insurance system.

The association argued that such integration could expand access to healthcare, improve health outcomes and reduce pressure on overstretched public facilities.

Ezeh said the Nigerian model could also provide lessons for other low- and middle-income countries seeking to maximise the role of community pharmacists in primary healthcare, Universal Health Coverage and medicine safety.

‘Our mission through CPACPI is not merely to create an academic milestone, but to build a resilient, sustainable workforce capable of delivering world-class primary healthcare.

‘Researchers from CPACPI Lagos, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, found that more than three-fifths of respondents said daily practice demands limit participation in professional development.

‘The study also revealed that younger and mid-career pharmacists with fewer than 20 years’ experience cited the financial burden of training and certification as a major concern. Weak enforcement against illegal medicine outlets and competition from patent medicine vendors were identified as the biggest systemic threats to professional practice.

Ezeh said, ‘At the core of CPACPI is a five-band progression ladder intended to end career stagnation in community practice. The bands are: Band 1: Community Pharmacist; Band 2: Senior Community Pharmacist; Band 3: Community Pharmacy Specialist; Band 4: Community Pharmacy Senior Specialist; and Band 5: Community Pharmacy Consultant.

‘There is a pressing need for government authorities, policy-makers, and national health authorities to identify and designate qualified community pharmacies as official primary healthcare facility providers in the private sector,’ Ezeh said, noting that pharmacies are often the most accessible point of care for millions of Nigerians.

‘The long-term success of the CPACPI framework rests on our collective ability to bridge the gap between policy design and real-world execution,’ he said.

Four weeks in the Big Brother house, what would you describe your experience as?

Well, my experience in the Big Brother house was intriguing. Very interesting, unpredictable, fun; sometimes it can be tiring. But I enjoyed every moment of it, to be honest. It was very interesting meeting different personalities from different parts of the world, different cultures, different backgrounds, and different perspectives of life.

I liked the arena games. It was very challenging and I like things that are challenging. In the Big Brother house, you find yourself testing your limits. It pushes you beyond your limits and brings out certain parts of you that you didn’t know existed. So, it was a wonderful experience, something I don’t regret going for.

Many people go to BBN for different reasons. Some is to push their brand, some is visibility to themselves. what was your major reason though?

I would say it was to add value to my life. And for the platform, it’s a way to also give back to society, show myself, like the season says, and also build my personal brand. To tell people who I am just expose myself more again. So, it’s something wonderful for me.

What would you say was the most challenging of that experience?

If I tell you the most challenging, it would probably be shocking. It’s not the regular thing that anybody would probably think about. For me, it was my hair. Making my hair myself is tiring and time-consuming. Because there’s a lot of things, activities going on, you barely have time for yourself. The other things, I easily adapted to. I didn’t have a bed until I left Big Brother’s house. Especially the first week. The beds were not enough.

Even when there wasn’t food, I didn’t necessarily eat every time. So, when I want to eat, I eat. For me, it was fun and interesting. It was a social experiment, an activity as a social experiment. To see what my limits are, to test how I react or how people react to certain things. It was intriguing; the only challenge I would say is maybe just getting my hair in order. That’s all.

If you could go back into the house, what do you think you’d do differently?

If I could go back to the house right now? I wouldn’t do anything different. I would just continue the plan I had in mind. Because, obviously, to an extent, I didn’t necessarily unfold every aspect of personalities I have. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say I would do anything basically differently. If I wanted to do anything differently, maybe it’s to speed up my unfolding process.

Would you say you had a strategy coming into the show?

I did not have a strategy. I basically just entered to be myself. There was no point in time where I was trying to act or trying to go out of character. It was just me. That’s literally what you saw there. That’s literally how I live my life here.

If you noticed in the house, I was trying to form a shirt. Because I’m someone that likes to plan my results. I like to have a routine. I didn’t come in with any strategy, per se.

And I saw a lot of that with other housemates. The whole strategy thing. Sometimes, it takes them out of their character. It’s good when your strategy is in regards to or relating to your character.

If you want to play a strategy, play it well. Play it in a safe way that doesn’t necessarily take you out of who you are.

What were the unexpected events? Can you tell us some of the events that shocked you?

When I say unexpected events, it’s in regards to how unpredictable this house can be. The first eviction shocked me. I didn’t expect Mercedes to go that early. I didn’t know there was an alarm. The first day I got into the house, that was one of the first things that shocked me. We were all just sleeping in the morning and an alarm went off, a dog barking. There were so many shouts.

Also, the games, one minute Big Brother is telling you to do something, another minute you think you know the routine and it’s not what you thought. It’s just a lot of twists and turns how the game is being played in Biggie’s house. That’s what I understand by how unpredictable the house is.

How did you feel when your name was called for eviction?

That week was my highest point or my climax in the house. That was literally when I started to get my mood right. I legit simmered into the house that week.

It was when I started being Cassi; My character, inner man was starting to show up. I was starting to enjoy being in the house. I was starting to win. Unfortunately, that was when I got my sudden eviction. I feel like if I was in the house this week, I would definitely win head of house because I was starting to be on my winning streak.

You were in the house with 23 other persons. Which housemates were most memorable?

Frankly speaking, of course, I had many housemates that made the house very bearable for me. Some of my favourites, obviously, was Nomy and Tram. Tram is my boy, he’s a very loyal friend and someone that will always have your back. And there was Barry. Barry is a very funny guy. I find him very interesting. He’s my guy. I started talking to him briefly.

He’s a very interesting personality. Sultex and I became close in the third week. Sultex is a very genuine, loyal person. Sultex is a very frank guy and he tells you what it is he doesn’t like straight on. And there’s Gerald. He is a very nice person. These are people I feel I would roll with outside. And there’s Neche. I like her. She has a beautiful soul and is beautiful on the outside as well. My least favourite? I don’t know. I’ve never really considered encountering a least favourite.

During the anonymous game, Temi Nkem was asked who she would love to see leave the house and she mentioned your name, saying you get into her business too much. How would you describe your relationship with Temi? And was her response a shock to you?

That’s an interesting question. I like that you’ve given me the opportunity to respond. So, I’m going to give you a bit of background story with the genesis of that. I was mostly quiet, so Temi Nkem coming out to say she doesn’t like me and wishes I left the house, was no shocker. The shocker was her saying the reason was because I’m always in her business. I found that very surprising because I barely interact with the housemates. This is someone I barely interact with or discuss with and I keep her at arm’s length because of her erratic behaviour.

What’s next for Cassie?

Research. Basically, it’s just the same thing I’ve been doing before I got into the house. I’ll take my acting career more seriously. I’m a commercial model. I do more of commercial modelling as well. I’m a forex and crypto trader. I’m heavy on trading as well. It’s just what I’ve been doing.

I want to be the greatest trader in the world. So, those are the things I have in mind. I have a short-let apartment in Lagos. I hope to open more and make more money. It’s meant to be booming, booming. I’m open to exploring other things that might be positive, like directing.

I really love to direct. Those are the things I plan on doing now that I’m outside the house.

Did that reaction make you feel like you made an impact in the house?

Cassi: I believe I made a real impact in the house because I had, like, lots of people I was talking to, and I necessarily did not have the personal advantage I would have with anybody. So, it may seem I still had a lot of friends in the house because I don’t know what led to what, what the natural cause was of the gambits. And a lot of housemates believed that I was a gambit, and for some reasons, that might have had a heavy impact on them.

And it’s shocking when you thought someone was a gambit and they’re not. So, I felt like that was where the major impact was coming from. I wonder why they thought I was a gambit.

Interviewer: Did you think that Aikou and Flora were gambits? Did you guess in any way that they were gambits?

Cassi: Of course, if you watch the show, if you actually watch the show, anyone who watches the show would have seen that. I mentioned the names a couple of times. I had a theory that whoever was very much impressionable the first week was who was going to be the gambits.

Now, that theory, stay with me, that theory led me to certain suspicions and certain names.

And some of those names I had in mind were Nomy, Rikky, Tram, Temi Nkem, Neche, Flora, and Aikou

Now, why did I mention all these names? Well, what was the reason for talking about these names? So, first and foremost, I started doing a plus and minus, like I started doing a head count and I was trying to be very analytic about it. I looked at Nomy and Rikky because they were very impressionable at first, Aikou fought in the house and I felt like that got a lot of attention from the outside world; I felt like I had a lot of traction from that. It could be up for being gambits. And I also thought about Tram.

Tram was pretty loud and also very impressionable because he was flirting with a lot of girls. Temi Nkem is a naturally entertaining person because of her accent and how oblivious she can be to certain things, yeah?

Neche was based on beauty because Neche is astoundingly beautiful. I just took her as gravity naturally because of how pretty she is. So, all these things were what led to my suspicion about her.

The reason why I also thought about Aikou was because Aikou is also impressionable because of his accent and how he speaks eloquently. People would love that. I loved that.

So, I felt like people would love that as well. The housemate loves that. So, that’s quite an entertaining character.

And Flora, Flora, I did not think any, I did not think heavily about Flora. The only thing I thought about Flora was she’s an accent of the house. I don’t know if you understand what I mean by accent of the house.

I also thought the same thing about Temi Nkem. They were the two accents of the house, Temi Nkem and Flora. So, having both of them in the house was what I saw.

What I decided to do now is to remove people to reduce my suspicion list because I always knew there were two gambits Everybody was saying there was going to be one gambits ,I’m like, no, there are two gametes and it’s going to have to be a boy and a girl.

Do you understand what I’m saying? Because most of the things we were doing that season was boys and girls, boys and girls. So, ideally, it was just going to be two gambits , a girl and a boy. And those, I’m pretty sure those gambits don’t know that they are both gametes.

I have, for some reason, I have a feeling that they do not know. They have no idea that both of them are gambits. So, this was my theory and people are not taking it seriously.

But the thing about these guys I’ve mentioned now, especially the first five, that they are too loud to be gambits and people would easily gravitate towards them. Yes, they’re not discreet enough, but inside my list I saw Aikou, Aikou was my number one. Aikou is a very major suspect to me as a gambit because he is impressionable.

He’s loud, but he’s not loud. I don’t even know if you understand what I’m saying. If Aikou speaks, the room listens to him.

Like, if he does something, everybody pays attention to him. It’s easy to notice when he’s being out of character or doing something that he’s not known for. So, he was very impressionable.

So, I made an attempt to ask him who he thought the gambit was. And I asked him, who do you think is the gambit? He mentioned a couple of names and I smiled and I looked at him. I’m like, are you not the gambit? And he looked at me and he’s like, no.

I said, oh, this guy. The laugh was quite insincere. And Aikou is not good at lying.

But he shook that off. But I knew deep down, he was. But obviously, everybody is still stuck.

But for Flora, she came out of the diary session and she was crying. And we were trying to find out why she was crying. She said she can’t talk about it.

And everybody’s like, don’t ask her why she was crying. she doesn’t want to talk about it.

I’m like, okay. So, I left a couple of these things. I saw she was getting aggressive about people talking about gambits and mentioning her.

And I asked her, are you the gambit? She was like, no, I’m not the gambit. That means I can’t win the money. The money I can’t win.

I looked at her. I said, are you the gambit? Jokingly, she was like, no, I’m not the gambit.

And I said, hmm. So, I was reading her expression and her mannerisms. And that led me to read her expression.

I still suspected Tram because Tram was always erratic.

Tram does things that are not chronologically aligned. Like today, tomorrow, next tomorrow. He is just doing these actions that are not correlated.

And there was one thing I had in mind when I was picking out gambits. I was looking for people that were acting in different patterns. They were not aligned.

But definitely, I know they were giving tasks to do things. I knew it would affect the house either positively or negatively. But I was leaning towards negative aspects.

Interviewer : you had said that you want to make a lot of money and become like the biggest trader or something of that nature. What does financial success look like for you?

Cassi : I want to do that, actually.

Interviewer : if you had won the $160,000 prize, would that have been enough to make you feel financially secure?

Cassi : I feel like financial security is very important…

It’s enough to kickstart you and skyrocket you to a certain point in your life, if you know what you’re doing, you’ll figure out actually… So, it’s not about winning the money. It’s about knowing how to use the money to make more money.

That’s literally one of the first rules of business. Knowing how to use your capital to make more money. So, the $160,000, particularly $100,000 grand prize, would be… That’s if you’re still giving the remaining $100,000 before they leave the house.

Because there’s the whole inflation thing of winning $5,000,000 every week. So, there’s a whole thing of how the money drops now. But whatever money they’re making at the end of the day, the last… I see that as the capital to double.

So, you must know how to double your capital. So, that’s literally how I see it. So, if you know what you’re doing, you should be able to double your capital.

Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, has welcomed ongoing efforts to review the Oyo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2020.

The Speaker described the move as a significant step towards strengthening the legal framework for preventing and responding to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the state.

The lawmaker gave the assurance on Wednesday while hosting Henry Odeh, a member of the newly inaugurated ESGBV (End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence) Media Corps in Oyo, in his office at the Parliamentary Complex, Oyo Assembly, Secretariat, Ibadan.

The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Media Corps had earlier undergone an intensive 2-Day Workshop organized by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) with support from the European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme implemented by International IDEA.

The overall objective of this assignment is to strengthen public engagement on SGBV in the FCT and the States of Benue, Kaduna and Oyo by improving the quality, ethics, and coordination of media and community-based communication.

The training aims to shift SGBV reporting and public discourse from sensationalist, fragmented coverage to a more professional, survivor-centered, evidence-based, and action-oriented approach that promotes prevention, expands access to trusted information, strengthens referral pathways, and supports positive social norm change while also enhancing community-level information-sharing structures relevant to SGBV prevention and response, including opportunities related to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-SGBV), in the FCT, Benue, Kaduna and Oyo States.

Speaking, Ogundoyin stated that reviewing the law was necessary to address emerging realities, close existing gaps and ensure that victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence receive adequate protection and access to justice.

The Speaker reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to legislation that protects vulnerable persons and promotes justice, dignity and accountability across the state.

He noted that although the 2020 VAPP Law represented an important milestone in the state’s efforts to combat violence against persons, changing social realities and challenges in implementation made periodic review imperative.

According to him, an improved legal framework would strengthen institutional responses, clarify responsibilities among relevant agencies and enhance mechanisms for the protection of survivors.

He said the Assembly would give the proposed review the attention it deserved, and expressed optimism that stakeholders will contribute constructively to the process to ensure that any amendment in the legislation reflects the realities and needs of people across the state.

Ogundoyin also emphasised the importance of collaboration among the legislature, executive, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, the media and other stakeholders in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.

He called for increased awareness of the provisions of the law, noting that legislation could only achieve its intended purpose when citizens understood their rights and institutions responsible for enforcement were adequately equipped.

The Speaker commended organisations and individuals working to end sexual and gender-based violence in Oyo State, assuring them of the Assembly’s readiness to support initiatives that would strengthen prevention, reporting, prosecution and survivor support.

He stressed that ending violence against women, children and other vulnerable persons required not only legislation but sustained enforcement and collective action.

Earlier in his address, Odeh had identified the need to examine areas of the existing law that could be strengthened to make it more responsive to contemporary forms of violence and improve access to justice for survivors.

He expressed confidence that the review and necessary amendments will provide an opportunity to harmonise provisions, address implementation challenges and strengthen safeguards against sexual and gender-based violence in Oyo.

National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) is pushing to transform Nigeria’s insurance landscape and position the sector as a more inclusive, innovative, resilient, and trusted contributor to national development.

Speaking at the launch of Insurance Sector Strengthening Programme (ISSP) on Thursday, in Abuja, Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, said the event marks an important milestone in the journey to build an insurance industry that responds effectively to the evolving needs of the economy.

He said that the regulator of the NAICOM is clear in its mandate to protect policyholders, preserve market stability, enforce sound market conduct and promote the orderly growth of the industry.

He explained that sustainable growth cannot be achieved by regulation alone, while growth without discipline, transparency, and accountability cannot serve the public interest. He noted that it requires collaboration, innovation, consumer confidence, professional competence, and a shared commitment to deepening insurance penetration across every segment of society.

‘The importance of this initiative is clear when viewed against the realities confronting our industry.

Despite Nigeria’s large and growing economy, insurance penetration remains significantly below its potential.

‘Many citizens remain uninsured or underinsured, public understanding of insurance products and benefits is still limited, and opportunities among women, youth, and small businesses are not yet fully harnessed. Issues of trust, capacity gaps, and fragmented distribution channels also continue to constrain industry growth.

‘These challenges should not be viewed merely as obstacles. Rather, they point to the need for innovative solutions, stronger industry coordination, and deeper stakeholder engagement to unlock the enormous potential of Nigeria’s insurance market,’ he said.

Omosehin stated further that the ISSP provides a structured and strategic response to these priorities. Built around six critical pillars-Advocacy and Policy, Awareness and Education, Capacity Building, Gender Inclusion, Youth Engagement, and MSME and Value Chain Development-it offers a comprehensive framework for advancing the growth and sustainability of the insurance sector.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, has urged women whose husbands prevent them from voting for the party to divorce them, saying he would pay their dowries.

Gadaka made the controversial statement on Thursday at an APC campaign rally in Nangere, Yobe State.

In a video shared by News Central, the Yobe APC chairman called on women to oppose their husbands if they were prevented from supporting the party at the polls.

‘If your husband won’t allow you to vote for APC, stand up to him and seek a divorce. If you leave the marriage, I will pay your dowry and marry you,’ he said.

The comment has drawn criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described it as reckless and provocative and warned that such remarks could have implications for family values.

Amid the backlash, Gadaka apologised for the statement and withdrew it.

In a video posted on the Facebook page of Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, on Friday, the APC chairman said his words had been misunderstood.

He said the statement was made as a joke and was not intended to encourage married women to end their marriages.

‘My statement was just a joke and does not in any way represent the ideals I stand for or intended to encourage divorce among married people.

‘I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,’ he added.

The controversy comes days after the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, also came under criticism over a threat to flog people who refused to support the APC in the 2027 election.

Kaduna State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Sadiq Mamman-Lagos, has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will retain the state in the 2027 general elections, saying there is no strong opposition capable of dislodging the ruling party.

Mamman-Lagos, who spoke in an interview with journalists on Friday, attributed the expected victory to what he described as visible developments across the state under Governor Uba Sani, as well as the growing political acceptance of the administration among residents.

He cautioned politicians against relying on social media activities, saying social media trends, online followers and crowds at political rallies do not necessarily translate into votes during elections.

According to him, the majority of Nigerian voters, particularly women in rural communities, are not active on social media and remain the critical factor in determining the outcome of elections.

He said: ‘Politics, you don’t do politics on social media, and you don’t do elections on social media. Ninety-five per cent of the electorate don’t even have phones like this. They are the ordinary people who go and queue and vote, especially women.’

Mamman-Lagos said women play a decisive role in Nigerian elections, stressing that their turnout, particularly in rural areas and local government communities, could determine whether a candidate wins or loses.

He also dismissed large crowds at political rallies as insufficient evidence of electoral strength, citing the experience of the Osun State election, where, according to him, a large rally did not translate into the expected votes for the political platform involved.

On Kaduna, Mamman-Lagos said the state had witnessed significant changes under Governor Uba Sani, particularly in the areas of unity, infrastructure, education, healthcare and inclusiveness.

The commissioner identified Southern Kaduna as an important political bloc whose support could be decisive in the 2027 elections, noting that developments in the area had helped improve the relationship between the people and the state government.

Mamman-Lagos said the appointment of a prominent Southern Kaduna indigene as Minister of Defence was among developments that had strengthened the sense of inclusion in the area, alongside road construction, renovation of hospitals and other projects.

He particularly cited Chikun and Kajuru local government areas as critical components of Southern Kaduna’s political equation, saying developments in the two areas could influence the wider political direction of the region.

Mamman-Lagos said the APC had also made significant political inroads into areas previously regarded as strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that several political office holders had moved into the APC.

He attributed the administration’s ability to promote unity to Governor Uba Sani’s background and exposure, describing him as a Kaduna-born politician who had interacted with people across ethnic and religious divides.

According to him, the governor’s approach had helped create a more inclusive political environment in which people from different parts of the country could live, work and contribute to the development of Kaduna State.

Mamman-Lagos also highlighted infrastructure projects undertaken by the administration, including road construction, renovation of primary schools and rehabilitation of hospitals, saying the projects were evidence of what he described as the government’s commitment to development.

He said the administration had also invested in waste management and employment-generating initiatives, including the engagement of thousands of people in sanitation operations, which he said had helped improve the environment and reduce idleness among youths.

Mamman-Lagos further disclosed that the state government had strengthened support for traditional institutions by reviewing the salaries and allowances of traditional rulers and village heads, following what he described as years of neglect.

He said the review covered traditional rulers across the state, from village heads to emirs, adding that the government was also working towards providing vehicles for traditional rulers who require them for official duties.

The commissioner said the traditional institution remained important to governance, peace and security because traditional rulers had close knowledge of their communities and could assist government in identifying strangers, resolving disputes and providing early warning on security threats.

Mamman-Lagos urged Kaduna residents to continue supporting the administration, saying citizens should encourage leaders when they see evidence of good governance while also remaining peaceful and law-abiding.

He said the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians were not created by the present administration alone, stressing that governments at all levels were working to address the challenges and improve the living conditions of the people.

The Ohimegye Igu of Koton Karfe, Alhaji Saidu Akawu Salihu, has called for federal intervention on the Lokoja-Abuja highway to avert worsening traffic congestion, accidents and possible fatalities during the Ember months.

The traditional ruler made the call when he visited the Federal Ministry of Works office in Lokoja to draw attention to the deteriorating condition of critical sections of the highway.

He noted that the visit followed a resolution of the Koton Karfe traditional council mandating him to personally engage relevant authorities over the challenges confronting motorists and communities on the corridor.

Salihu appealed to the ministry to urgently address several critical sections between Lokoja and Abaji, particularly around Chikara, Aseni-Omoko, Idu Bridge, Gegu Egba-Ahoko, Koton Karfe and Iziho.

He called for repairs on the first and second bridges, as the affected sections had become major sources of concern for motorists and residents.

While acknowledging that the completion of the Lokoja-Abuja highway remains the ultimate expectation of road users, the monarch said immediate repairs on the worst-affected sections will help reduce gridlock, prevent accidents and ease the hardship faced by motorists.

‘Every day, we live in fear of mishaps that lead to calamity. Which is why the traditional council asked me to personally visit and express our concern over the state of the Lokoja-Abuja highway,’ he said.

Responding, the acting Federal Controller of Works in the state, Owoniya Bankole, acknowledged the concerns raised by the traditional ruler and described the Koton Karfe-Abaji axis as a major hotspot.

He said measures had been activated to reduce the hardship being experienced by communities and road users on the corridor.

Bankole explained that some of the delays were linked to the Federal Government’s decision to convert the highway from asphalt to concrete pavement.

Although, according to him, concrete construction takes longer to execute, it offers greater durability, a longer service life and reduces maintenance requirements.

He assured the monarch that the problematic sections will receive priority attention, apologising to residents and motorists for the inconvenience caused by the ongoing works.

The controller disclosed that the ministry will strengthen collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other security agencies to tackle factors contributing to traffic congestion and improve safety on the Lokoja-Abuja highway.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it will remove double registrations, dead persons and other ineligible names from the voters register ahead of the 2027 General Election, and will ask Nigerians to help identify underage registrants during the claims and objections period.

This was disclosed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune.

Haruna said the commission stopped the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to enable it to carry out backend processes, including the cleanup of the register through the Automatic Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

‘We have to confirm first if there are underage. That is why we have to stop the CVR. You know some people were saying we must extend it. But there are backend need that we need to do, including this cleanup,’ he said. When asked to provide an update on voters register cleanup and speak about what the Commission was doing about questions around the underage in the register,’ he said.

‘You know we have ABIS where we clean up if somebody has registered more than once. Of course, we will publish the list. When we publish the list, we expect members of the public to make claims and raise objections.’

He explained that the public will have about one to two weeks to scrutinise the register after publication.

‘For instance, if you are aware that someone is underage and is on our voters register, you draw our attention to it so that we clean it or a situation where someone is dead. This takes a week or two so that people can respond, raise objections and make claims,’ Haruna stated.

‘Underage are not the only category of people that should not be on the voters register. Foreigners too should not be on the voters register and somebody who has registered more than once. In the process of that cleanup, that is where we raised those questions,’ he added.

Voters register cleanup ongoing

The INEC Commissioner said the commission is still running the ABIS to detect multiple registrations before publishing the register.

‘We are still doing ABIS, that is Automatic Biometric Identification System. When we complete that, then we will publish the list of voters register. That is, after we have removed those who have registered more than once – double registration or multiple registration – we now publish it. We are still in the process of that,’ he said when asked to speak about the period when the commission would publish the list of voters register,’ he said.

INEC to set up voting camps for IDPs

On eligible voters displaced by insecurity in parts of the North, Haruna said INEC has a policy to ensure Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are not disenfranchised.

‘As for the IDPs, we have an IDP policy. We have a whole policy on internally displaced persons. We go to their camp. For instance, if the whole community has moved to the camp, we go there,’ he said.

‘If they are not close to the election, we can create one so that those who are living in houses of other families can go to that camp and vote,’ he added.

The INEC official said the commission remains committed to delivering a credible register for the 2027 polls by cleaning it of multiple registrations and other ineligible entries before it is made public on Tuesday, 18 August, 2026.

Haruna projected that Nigeria’s voter register will cross the 100 million mark ahead of the 2027 general elections during a joint implementation meeting of the Departments of Voter Education and Publicity and Gender and Inclusivity.

He said the last register stood at over 93 million voters, and the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration exercise is expected to push the total above 100 million.