Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, has applauded Nigeria’s re-election into the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council with 163 votes, describing it as a resounding endorsement of the nation’s leadership in global aviation.

In her remarks, the FAAN MD/CE commended the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, for his dynamic stewardship and foresight, which she said played a decisive role in consolidating Nigeria’s international standing.

‘This overwhelming vote of confidence from the international community reaffirms Nigeria’s strategic importance in aviation. Under the Honourable Minister’s leadership, Nigeria has not only safeguarded its seat but also deepened its influence in shaping the future of global aviation,’ she said.

The MD/CE emphasized that Nigeria’s presence on the ICAO Council provides a powerful platform to align domestic reforms with international best practices in safety, security, infrastructure, and environmental responsibility.

‘At FAAN, we see this renewed mandate as a call to action. We are determined to leverage Nigeria’s place on the ICAO Council to fast-track our ambition of making Nigeria the aviation hub of West Africa. By translating this recognition into world-class airport infrastructure, smarter operations, and elevated passenger experience, we will ensure that our airports remain gateways of national pride and regional competitiveness,’ she added.

She also congratulated Egypt and South Africa on their re-election, stressing that Africa’s strengthened representation at ICAO will amplify the continent’s voice in aviation safety, connectivity, and innovation.

The MD/CE concluded by assuring stakeholders and the flying public that FAAN will continue to embody the spirit of excellence that has earned Nigeria the trust of 163 ICAO member states.

THE founding father of indigenous shipping in Nigeria, Chief Isaac Jolapamo has said that even if all indigenous shipowners get the $700m Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) today, there are no jobs because all the lucrative jobs are in the hands of the foreign ship-owners.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively in Lagos, the first President of the Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISA) lamented that the foreigners have taken over most of the jobs and the Federal Government has, over the years, lacked the will power to enforce a ‘Nigerian first’ policy in the nations cabotage industry.

According to Chief Isaac Jolapamo: ‘There is nothing to celebrate in the Nigerian maritime industry after 65 years of independence. The people that conceived the industry 65 years ago and handed it over to us, it is not the way they are running theirs that we are running ours.’

When reminded that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has appointed Primary Lending Institutions (PLI’s) for the disbursement of the CVFF and that the banks have even started writing to indigenous shipowners to come and access the fund, Chief Jolapamo stated: ‘But we have been buying ships long before the advent of the Cabotage Act which birthed the CVFF.

‘The Cabotage Act was intended to give us more leverage, and that was why we fought for it. But as it is today, the Cabotage Act is not achieving the purpose for which it was enacted years ago.

‘I make bold to say that we had better access to job opportunities than what is available today, since the Cabotage regime began. Today, the foreign vessel owners are first choice when it comes to job opportunities in the Nigerian cabotage space.

‘When you look at the trend, the number of Nigerian owned ships that were in existence before the Cabotage Act was enacted has reduced. If government gives indigenous shipowners funds today, what will they use the funds for? The jobs in Nigeria’s shipping industry is still in the hands of the foreign vessel owners as at today.

‘Until the Federal Government enacts a law barring foreign vessel owners from competing with indigenous shipowners for jobs in the Cabotage industry, CVFF funds disbursement will be a waste of time.

‘Without such law, any shipowner that goes and take money from the CVFF will just run into problems.

‘Job availability is the soul of shipping globally. Every shipowner can always get funds. When I left NNPC in 1985 and Mobil asked me to do a job for them, what I did was to walk into a bank in London with the contract letter from Mobil. The name of that bank is BCCI. The bank provided funds for the job the moment they sighted the contract letter, and the job was done.

‘Once you have a job and you know how to run a ship, you will make money. So, job availability is key.’

The National Vice Chairman (Northwest), African Democratic Congress (ADC) , Mallam Jafaru Sani has said his party can and will defeat the ruling APC in Kaduna and other states in the zone with unity, displine and grassroots mobilization.

In a statement titled ‘ Nigeria at 65: A Call for Collective action ‘ issued by the National Vice Chairman of ADC in North West Mallam Jafaru Sani and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday noted that the party is building a formidable coalition in the seven states in the zone to defeat the ruling APC.

‘ In Kaduna State and across the Northwest, the ADC is building a formidable coalition of leaders and citizens committed to real change.

‘ Iam proud to announce that the leadership of ADC in Kaduna and Northwest comprising of people of proven integrity and competence, are united in their vision of a future where we can achieve our dreams of a prosperous nation with equal opportunities to all citizens. ‘Together, we will work tirelessly to defeat the APC in 2027, both in Kaduna and at the national level.

‘We acknowledge the concerns raised by Salihu Lukman in his recent press release, where he questioned ADC’s capacity to unseat the APC in Kaduna. His caution is valid but it is not a verdict. It is a challenge. And we accept it.

‘ The truth is simple, ADC can and will defeat APC if we work together. Unity, discipline, and grassroots mobilization will be our tools.’ He said

‘We call on all ADC supporters, members, and sympathizers to rally around our leadership. Let us strengthen our structures, deepen our engagement, and amplify our message.

‘The rescue mission is not just about Kaduna it is about Nigeria. It is about restoring dignity to governance and giving power back to the people.

‘Let this Independence Day be a turning point. Let it be the day we recommit ourselves to building a Nigeria that works for all.

The Director-General of the Cross River State Lotteries and Gaming Agency, Mr. Michael Eja, has projected that the newly introduced reciprocity licensing framework of the Federation of State Gaming Regulators of Nigeria (FSGRN) will significantly expand revenue streams for state governments while boosting investor confidence in Nigeria’s gaming sector.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Eja explained that the federation, which currently has 25 member states, designed the reciprocity system to remove duplication of licensing requirements, improve regulatory efficiency, and foster a unified investment climate for operators.

According to the DG, under the new framework, any license issued must be jointly endorsed by all member states.

This allows gaming operators to run businesses seamlessly across the federation without applying for multiple licenses in different jurisdictions.

Eja said the revenue-sharing arrangement ensures that all states benefit financially while still retaining their powers of regulation, monitoring, and enforcement under state laws.

‘The real innovation here is in the revenue model,’ he stated. ‘By harmonising licensing and sharing revenues, states will see a measurable increase in internally generated revenue (IGR) while providing clarity and certainty to investors.’

The DG noted that the framework has the potential to transform the gaming sector into a multi-billion-naira revenue source for sub-national governments, given the industry’s rapid growth and strong investor appetite.

He urged state governors, attorneys-general, and lawmakers at both the state and federal levels to give their full support, stressing that the initiative could position Nigeria as one of Africa’s leading regulated gaming markets.

The Agency also reminded stakeholders that compliance with the law remains non-negotiable. Eja specifically called on banks, telecommunications companies, and food and beverage firms planning promotional campaigns during the festive period in Cross River State to obtain the necessary license from the Agency before commencing such activities.

‘This measure,’ he said, ‘is to guarantee proper regulation, safeguard consumer interests, and prevent avoidable litigation.’

Industry watchers believe the FSGRN reciprocity license could attract substantial foreign and local investment into Nigeria’s gaming sector, reduce operational bottlenecks, and provide a more sustainable model for state-level revenue mobilisation.

A section of the Zazzau royal family has dragged the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, before the Kaduna State High Court over an interview he granted to Radio France Internationale (RFI), alleging that a leaked succession information was leaked to their late father.

Recall, their late father was earlier announced by the kingmaker to have emerged as the new Emir following the death of the late Emir Shehu Idris.

However, Nasiru Bashari Aminu, son of the late Iyan Zazzau, Bashari Aminu, had filed a suit before the court alleging defamation.

In his petition, Nasiru had alleged that the Emir falsely suggested during the RFI interview that confidential details of the succession process had been leaked to his late father by the then-Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu.

He told the court that the family insist the remarks of the monarch were false, defamatory, and an assault on the dignity and memory of the late father, who was a Prince of the emirate.

The case has been slated for hearing on November 4, 2025, at the Zaria Judicial Division of the High Court of Kaduna State.

The Emir now faces two separate suits arising from the same interview. In addition to Dr Nasiru’s case, former Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, has also sued the Emir for defamation, challenging his description of him as ‘arrogant’ and for insinuating that he leaked sensitive information during the 2020 succession battle.

The suits, brought by two of the emirate’s most senior figures and their families, highlight the gravity of the Emir’s comments. Both plaintiffs argue that his words, aired internationally, carried the weight of authority but inflicted reputational damage on respected elders of the emirate.

For the family of the late Iya Bashari Aminu, the issue is especially sensitive. Though he secured the highest votes from kingmakers during the 2020 succession, he was not selected. Yet, the family notes, he never maligned the institution, instead urging his children and kinsmen to pledge loyalty to the newly installed Emir while he sought legal redress in court.

To now cast him in the light of impropriety, years after his death, they insist, is an injury too grave to ignore.

The Kogi State Government has announced that it will begin strict enforcement of the ban on trailer parks across the state with effect from October 29, 2025, in line with the directive of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, who disclosed this in Lokoja, said the decision followed credible intelligence reports that some trailer parks in the state, particularly those located at Zariagi and Osara, have become hideouts for criminal elements.

According to him, the government cannot fold its arms while such facilities are used to compromise the security of lives and property in the state.

‘The directive of His Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, is clear. From October 29, 2025, the state will begin full enforcement of the ban on trailer parks. Intelligence at our disposal shows that some of these parks, especially those at Zariagi and Osara, harbour criminals who threaten the peace and security of our people. This is a proactive and preventive measure. We have decided to move ahead of the criminals instead of lamenting that lives might have been lost. Government will not allow that to continue,’ Fanwo said.

He revealed that security agencies across the state have been strictly briefed to enforce the order without compromise, stressing that violators will face the full weight of the law.

The Commissioner further noted that the enforcement is backed by law, as Governor Ododo has already signed into law a bill banning the movement of articulated trucks during the day.

Fanwo urged operators to comply before the enforcement date and called on residents to support the government’s action, stressing that protecting lives and securing communities remain the top priority of the present administration.

THE boundary between superstition and criminality is thin. That explains the case in Bauchi State where recently, a housewife, Zuwaira Ibrahim, was alleged to have inflicted severe burns on her seven-year-old sister-in-law over allegations of witchcraft. The victim was inflicted with severe burns around the lower part of her body, particularly her private parts. Media reports said the helpless girl was brutally burnt by her brother’s wife. After the housewife had successfully caught ‘the witch’, the victim of this criminality, and subjected her to extreme cruelty, life became a nightmare for the girl. Medical personnel handling the case at the emergency ward of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) have been battling to save her life. She is said to be currently writhing in pain. The scary but unfortunate incident occurred in Magama-Gumau in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

In her warped thinking, Zuwaira Ibrahim investigated and convicted the victim of witchcraft, then embarked on the process of extracting confession which led to the severe burns. According to a resident of the area, Kabiru Mohammed Abdulkadir, ‘Zuwaira’s child told her that she saw the victim amongst a group of witches and was taken to a man to confirm whether she really belongs to a witchcraft group. The man told them that she was not a witch but Zuwaira disagreed with the confirmation. They returned home and she then used a hot knife removed from the fire to burn her private parts, believing that if she is a real witch she won’t feel pain. However, it was the girl’s loud cries that attracted neighbours and when we got there, we saw the situation and insisted that the case be reported to police immediately.’ Pictures and videos of the little girl’s badly burnt body are scary to look at. Medical personnel at ATBUTH indicated that the wounds might have been infected.

This case is yet another one in a long list of crimes committed by persons who are too engrossed in the metaphysical to bother with the precepts of modernity. The Bauchi incident is a vivid case of trial by ordeal, a crime punishable under the law. The incident is bestial and should ideally never be replicated in any human society. What makes the case more ludicrous is that it is almost impossible for Zuwaira Ibrahim to demonstrate that the young girl is a witch. The question is, what method of verification did she use? How empirical was it? Even if she could prove this obviously unverifiable claim, who appointed her as the trial judge in this matter?

When people are at a loss on the particular provinces of the physical and the supernatural, it is this manner of contradiction that comes to play. Zuwaira Ibrahim is apparently unable to delineate the boundaries of the two very consequential provinces. Because she appointed herself unto a task that modernity does not give her, she necessarily has to face the music. No one is allowed to take the law into their own hands and punish people they unilaterally consider evil or wicked. If any society allows this level of absurdity, that society is on the verge of collapse.

We plead that the medics attending to the young girl should do everything in their power to ensure that she recovers from her grievous ordeal. Her future must, as it were, be retrieved from Zuwaira Ibrahim’s flaming fire. Also, the witch-catcher should be made to face the full wrath of the law so as to serve as a deterrent to other lawless persons who might want to appoint themselves as accusers, trial judge and officers of the penitentiary in similar cases. Come to think of it, how is such grievous punishment inflicted on the young girl the cure for witchcraft? What is witchcraft and how does a witch get verified as one? How does anyone convincingly link witches with cases of evil deeds? These questions may never be clearly answered. The entire scenario points to acute ignorance and gross criminality. The suspect caged herself in the prison walls she built for her mind, and must be held accountable for her crime. Justice must be done and be seen to be done in this case.

We suggest that in communities where there is still a nostalgic connect to stone age thinking like Zuwaira Ibrahim’s, the government, especially local governments, must make serious attempts de-radicalise people’s minds from such crippling thoughts. This will go a long way in purging such people of their warped mindset and free society from the violent grip of people who lend their minds to the devil in committing such heinous crimes. Modern society cannot afford to harbour such persons.

FORMER Health Minister Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole has been elected as the President of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine (NAMed), a body established to enhance the quality of healthcare through education.

Prof. Adewole was elected to take over from the outgoing President of the Academy, Emeritus Prof. Samuel C. Ohaegbulam, at the NAMed’s annual lecture, Induction Ceremony, and Scientific Conference in Abuja.

Adewole, in his acceptance speech, pledged to lead the Academy to greater heights and ensure that his tenure would consolidate on the achievements and successes of his predecessor.

A guest speaker, Dr Francis Ukwuije, who is a WHO health economist, while speaking on ‘Healthcare Financing in Nigeria: Are We Getting It Right?’ recommended that greater efforts needed to be made in financing healthcare to prevent catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses.

The second scientific session included a panel discussion with Dr Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority; Dr Sir Frank Odafen, a medical entrepreneur; Dr Joyce Barber, an HMO provider; Dr John A. Onyeokoro, a public health physician; and a health insurance expert as panel speakers.

The discussion focused on health insurance in Nigeria, its progress since inception, challenges, and prospects, with emphasis on the way forward.

They suggested that the Academy should intensify advocacy to redirect and expand health insurance, which currently covers only 10 per cent of the population.

Earlier, Emeritus Prof. Samuel C. Ohaegbulam, the immediate past president, said that the academy purposefully selected ‘Emerging and re-emerging diseases’ as the conference’s theme because of the rise in illnesses in the nation.

The induction ceremony had 20 new fellows, among who are eminent physicians, distinguished professors, and medical scientists who hold critical positions, such as chief medical directors of tertiary health institutions and vice-chancellors of universities.

THE Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has declared that finance remains the decisive factor in transforming Nigeria’s bold new vision for its marine and blue economy into tangible impact, stressing that without sustainable investment, the country risks leaving its vast marine resources underutilised.

Oyetola recently made this call in Lagos at the 3rd Quarter Citizens’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement of the Ministry and its agencies.

Addressing an audience of industry leaders, policymakers, investors and interest groups, the Minister described the event’s theme, ‘From Policy to Impact: Finance is Key,’ as both timely and urgent, noting that the Federal Executive Council’s approval of Nigeria’s first-ever National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy in May 2025 had created a clear roadmap for growth, but that the next critical step lay in mobilising the capital needed to achieve results.

According to him, the new policy envisions economic growth across a wide range of sectors, including shipping, fisheries and aquaculture, marine tourism, coastal infrastructure, renewable energy, and ocean research.

However, he reminded stakeholders that ‘vision without financing remains no more than a dream’. He pointed out that government alone cannot shoulder the immense responsibility of modernising Nigeria’s ports, sustaining maritime security, expanding aquaculture, or building climate-resilient infrastructure. It would take innovative partnerships, international financing mechanisms and strong private sector engagement to translate policy into measurable outcomes.

Oyetola drew attention to the Ministry’s proven record of discipline and results, recalling that in the first quarter of 2025, the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU) awarded the Ministry a performance score of 96 per cent, while in 2024 the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council named it the best performing ministry in the country. These achievements, he said, demonstrate the government’s capacity to deliver, but scaling up requires unlocking far greater resources.

The Minister cited recent examples where financing has already yielded impact. Nigeria, he noted, has sustained a piracy-free record for more than three years in the Gulf of Guinea, a feat made possible through investments in the Deep Blue Project. Rehabilitation and modernisation of Lagos ports are underway, designed to attract larger vessels, cut down turnaround time, and create thousands of jobs, with similar initiatives planned across the country.

Sokoto State Government has suspended the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SSPHCDA), Dr Larai Aliyu Tambuwal, with immediate effect.

Her suspension was conveyed in an official letter dated October 2, 2025, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Ibrahim Haliru Dingyadi, on behalf of the Commissioner for Health, concerning the PHC Executive Secretary role.

According to the letter, Governor Ahmed Aliyu approved the decision and directed Dr Bilyaminu Sifawa to assume office immediately as Acting Executive Secretary of the agency.

‘Dr. Bilyaminu Sifawa will take over the office with immediate effect as Acting Executive Secretary,’ the letter read in part, indicating a temporary replacement for the PHC Executive Secretary position.

Although no reason was given for Dr. Tambuwal’s suspension, the move signals a major shake-up in the leadership of the state’s primary health sector by changing the PHC Executive Secretary.

The SSPHCDA is pivotal to delivering quality primary health services, especially in rural communities across Sokoto.

Stakeholders say the leadership change could impact ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery and improving access for residents.