Category: Nigerian Tribune

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has condemned the reported abduction of about 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling to their orientation camp, describing the incident as another troubling sign of worsening insecurity in Nigeria.

Obi, in a statement posted on his Facebook page, said the victims were young Nigerians preparing to serve their country but were unable to travel safely on the nation’s roads.

He expressed concern over the growing fear among families that their loved ones could become victims of kidnapping while travelling within the country.

According to him, the continued occurrence of abductions should not be treated as an ordinary feature of life in Nigeria, stressing that the protection of lives and property remains the foremost responsibility of government.

‘Protecting lives and property is the government’s foremost responsibility. We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted,’ Obi said.

The NDC presidential candidate called for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attack.

He said Nigeria must urgently restore confidence in the safety of its roads and communities, particularly for young Nigerians travelling for education, employment, national service and other legitimate activities.

Obi said the country must become one where young people can travel, work and serve their nation without fear, warning that the continued insecurity poses a serious threat to national development and the future of Nigerian youths.

As Nigeria marks 66 years of independence, Christian leaders have offered prayers, warnings and prescriptions for national renewal, focusing on economic hardship, insecurity, leadership, corruption, unity and the responsibility of citizens, SEYI SOKOYA reports:

AT 66, Nigeria’s challenges have become a recurring burden for its citizens, but Christian clerics across the country believe the nation’s story can still change.

In their Independence-season messages, the clerics combined prayers with strong calls for responsible leadership, economic relief, security, integrity, unity and a change of attitude among Nigerians, insisting that rebuilding the country requires both divine intervention and human responsibility.

Tribune Church chronicles the positions, demands and messages of the Christian bodies and clerics across the country for a better nation after the celebration.

CAN: Prosperity must reach every Nigerian home

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), through its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, placed the welfare of ordinary Nigerians at the centre of its Independence Day message.

CAN welcomed the Federal Government’s declared shift from economic reforms to an era of prosperity but said the real test of progress should be whether the gains of those reforms are reflected in the daily lives of citizens.

The Christian body said prosperity should not be measured by economic statistics alone, but by whether families could afford food, young people could secure decent jobs, communities could live safely and children had fair opportunities to build their futures.

It consequently called for lower food, transportation and energy costs, stronger social protection for vulnerable households, improved access to education and healthcare, and affordable credit.

CAN also linked economic prosperity with security, stressing that Nigerians cannot fully benefit from economic opportunities if they are afraid to farm, trade, travel or sleep peacefully.

It urged the government to sustain efforts to protect lives, secure communities and restore public confidence.

The association also sounded a warning as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, cautioning politicians against presenting themselves as the ultimate solution to Nigeria’s problems or using Christianity as a political weapon.

CAN reaffirmed its commitment to remaining a non-partisan moral voice, speaking when citizens are hurting and holding public office holders to the principles of justice, accountability and compassion.

Wale Oke: Confront insecurity, hardship

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), through its National President, Archbishop Francis Wale Oke, used the 66th anniversary to call for deeper reflection on Nigeria’s journey and the challenges confronting the country.

Oke called for stronger action against banditry and terrorism, including efforts to identify and prosecute those financing criminal activities.

He also expressed concern about economic hardship, arguing that Nigeria’s vast human and natural resources should benefit the wider population rather than a privileged few.

The PFN president advocated industrialisation and policies capable of strengthening businesses and expanding the country’s productive capacity.

Corruption, he added, remained a major obstacle to development, while the illicit drug trade posed another threat, particularly to young Nigerians.

Despite the difficulties, Oke urged Nigerians across ethnic, religious and social lines to unite and recommit themselves to building a nation founded on peace, justice, love and righteousness.

Sam Adeyemi: A new Nigeria needs functional systems

For Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, the question of Nigeria’s future goes beyond who occupies political office.

In his Independence-season reflection, Adeyemi urged Nigerians to look beyond the 2027 elections and recognise that elections alone cannot create the new Nigeria many citizens desire.

His central argument was that the country needs functional systems and institutions capable of producing consistent results, regardless of the individuals occupying political positions.

Adeyemi’s position introduces a broader dimension to the Independence conversation: national transformation should not depend solely on finding the right political personalities.

Rather, Nigeria needs systems that work, institutions that endure and citizens who understand their responsibility in sustaining those systems.

The pastor’s intervention therefore shifts the conversation from simply asking who will lead Nigeria to asking what kind of structures should govern the country and produce better outcomes.

It also places responsibility on citizens to demand functioning institutions rather than limiting their expectations to electoral change.

Bakeni: Church leaders must speak truth to power

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno State, Most Rev. John Bakeni, used the Independence anniversary to challenge religious leaders to examine their own role in Nigeria’s development.

Bakeni said religious leaders must remain voices of truth and justice and should not become too closely associated with political interests at the expense of their moral responsibility.

He urged pastors and other Christian leaders to speak truth to power and draw the attention of government to policies and actions that undermine the common good.

Reflecting on Nigeria at 66, he described the occasion as one requiring sober reflection, particularly in view of the hardship and insecurity confronting citizens.

Bakeni argued that Nigeria had sufficient resources to cater for its people, but that proper management remained a major challenge.

Achudume: Nigeria needs a change of heart

Apostle Lawrence Achudume, Lead Pastor and General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church International, used the Independence anniversary to call for transformation in the attitude of both leaders and citizens.

Achudume urged Nigerians to stop speaking negatively about the country and instead recognise the enormous human capacity and resources available to Nigeria.

He said national renewal requires leaders and citizens to place the national interest above personal gain.

For the cleric, Nigeria’s development challenge is not simply a question of resources but also of character, integrity, sacrifice and responsible citizenship.

He, therefore, called for a change of heart, stressing that the country cannot be rebuilt without a corresponding transformation in the values and priorities of its people.

Abiara: Rebuild and restore the nation

Pastor Isaac Abiara brought the message of national renewal to the heart of Nigeria’s Independence reflection, calling on Nigerians to embrace the responsibility of rebuilding the country.

Speaking at a special Independence Thanksgiving Service at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Lagos, Abiara drew from Isaiah 61:4 to speak about rebuilding and restoring what had been broken.

He said the task of national renewal could not be left to government alone, stressing that the government, Church and citizens all have roles to play.

Abiara urged Nigerians to move beyond individual interests and embrace compassion, truthfulness, love and responsibility towards one another.

He also called on leaders to see public office as a sacred trust rather than personal ownership and urged citizens to remain hopeful despite the difficulties confronting the country.

For the cleric, Nigeria’s history should not determine its future. Rebuilding the nation, he maintained, requires faith, integrity and purposeful action.

Beyond the celebration

At 66, the Christian response to Nigeria’s Independence anniversary is therefore neither simply celebratory nor pessimistic.

It is a call for reflection

The clerics acknowledge Nigeria’s enormous potential while drawing attention to the gap between that potential and the realities confronting millions of citizens.

Their messages place responsibility on all sides: government must govern responsibly; citizens must contribute positively; religious leaders must maintain their moral voice; institutions must work; and Nigerians must resist ethnic, religious and political divisions.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State branch, on Sunday gave the Oyo State Government a two-week ultimatum to resolve the lingering welfare and remuneration crisis that medical doctors are being confronted with.

The Association submitted that it might not be able to guarantee continued industrial harmony in the health sector beyond 12th October, 2026 if the government fails to heed the warning.

The ultimatum was contained in a joint statement signed by the State Chairman, Dr. Olufemi Aworinde and the General Secretary, Dr. J. O. Moharson-Bello, with the theme ‘Doctors’ Welfare Is Patients’ Welfare: NMA Oyo and made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Ibadan.

The statement called for urgent Government Action to avert a Deepening Health-Sector Crisis’ in the state.

It said the Association views with grave concern the worsening welfare and manpower challenges confronting doctors in the service of the state government.

According to the statement, ‘The difficulties facing members of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, and the Association of Medical and Dental Officers of Oyo State, AMDO, must not be treated as isolated labour disputes, but as ‘warning signs of a health system under increasing strain, with direct consequences for patient safety, quality of care and the State’s capacity to retain skilled medical professionals.’

The NMA explained that at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, resident doctors were forced to embark on industrial action after the expiration of an earlier eight-week ultimatum without resolution of critical welfare concerns.

It noted that the strike, which has now entered its 38th day, has serious implications for patient care, emergency services, residency training and the overall functioning of the state-owned tertiary health institution.

The association listed the immediate priorities of the ARD to include completion of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund, MRTF, payment, implementation of the approved Professional Allowance Table, PAT, and resolution of other outstanding welfare issues that precipitated the industrial action, adding that these are matters requiring urgent, concrete and verifiable action.

In a similar vein, the NMA said AMDO, comprising medical and dental officers in secondary healthcare and other state establishments, after its Annual General Meeting of 17th September, 2026, formally notified the state government of unresolved welfare and conditions-of-service issues affecting its members.

It said the notice provides a 21-day window for satisfactory resolution and demonstrable implementation, failing which AMDO has given notice of strike commencing Monday, 12th October, 2026.

Among its immediate demands, the NMA said, are completion of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund payment, implementation of the approved Professional Allowance Table and payment of the outstanding Accoutrement Allowance.

Arising from its Emergency State Executive Council meeting of 26th September, 2026, the NMA said it resolved to issue the state government a two-week ultimatum to take concrete and demonstrable steps to resolve the remuneration disparity arising from the non-implementation of the PAT and to address the welfare concerns underlying the industrial action at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital.

That ultimatum, it stressed, expires on 12th October, 2026, same date as that of AMDO.

The state branch of the medical body, while acknowledging the efforts of the Oyo state government and relevant officials who have engaged the medical community on some of these concerns, and recognising the partial payment of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund, said such steps, though appreciated, must be followed by timely and demonstrable implementation of the outstanding commitments.

It warned that delay in addressing approved remuneration, allowances, career progression, recruitment and retention has placed doctors under considerable pressure and continues to fuel the loss of skilled medical manpower.

‘When experienced doctors leave, vacancies remain unfilled, residency training is disrupted and emergency services are stretched, the consequences extend far beyond the medical profession. Patients and families ultimately bear the burden,’ the statement said.

The association maintained that as the Pacesetter state, Oyo must aspire to a health system in which the conditions of service are sufficiently competitive to attract, motivate and retain the professionals upon whom safe and effective healthcare depends.

Reaffirming its solidarity with its affiliates, the NMA said it stands firmly with ARD LAUTECH and AMDO in the legitimate pursuit of their demands, and called on Governor Seyi Makinde and all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to move with urgency from engagement to implementation.

‘What is required at this stage is not another cycle of promises, but measurable action capable of restoring confidence among doctors and bringing stability to the health system,’ the association said.

The NMA, however, said it remains committed to constructive dialogue and industrial harmony, with its overriding concern being the health and safety of the people of Oyo State.

‘Yet there can be no sustainable patient care without a supported, adequately remunerated and sufficiently staffed medical workforce. Should the outstanding issues remain unresolved within the respective stipulated periods, NMA Oyo cannot guarantee continued industrial harmony in the State health sector,’ it warned.

Nasrul-Lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and Fountain University Osogbo have warned the Ummah and youths against drug abuse and other forms of social vices if they must lead good lives and leave enduring legacies.

The warning was made at the NASFAT National Counselling Conference held on Saturday at Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, with the theme: ‘Legacy of care: A strategic plan to serve the Ummah, 2027-2032’.

NASFAT’s Vice President, Ajiroba Moroof, said that the essence of the conference was to rally various Islamic organisations and stakeholders together to curb the menace of hooliganism, drug abuse, and other social vices in society.

The conference was designed to equip counsellors with the proper orientation to guide the Ummah and youth against bad habits and to encourage them to imbibe the spirit of good deeds.

The chairman of the NASFAT counselling committee, Dr Koyumu Abiodun Oladiipo, in his remarks, charged the participants to take the message from the conference to their various branches and zones.

Dr Oladiipo assured that they are committed to assisting people who need support in overcoming challenges within the committee’s thematic area of work.

In his keynote address, the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, appealed to youths to shun drug abuse and cultivate good character.

Represented by the Kwara State Commander of NDLEA, Fatimah Popoola, Gen. Marwa warned that drugs destroy morality and prevent young people from achieving their goals.

The NDLEA’s chairman said the Federal Government, through the agency, is already intensifying sensitisation against drug abuse across the country.

He noted that the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme cuts across all strata of society, from communities to schools and parents.

‘Youth are the leaders of today. My message to young people is to shun drug abuse,’ Marwa said.

The Vice Chancellor of Fountain University, Professor Olayinka Ramota Karim, commended NASFAT and NDLEA for their interventions in drug abuse and social vices, which she said are a menace to people and society.

The Vice Chancellor said that the university has put mechanisms in place to monitor students and prevent them from indulging in drug abuse and other related vices.

WHEN President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua departed the shores of Nigeria for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009, I served as Chairman of the Editorial Board of the National Life newspaper. The publication was owned by then Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN) and today the President of Nigeria.

Official releases claimed Yar’Adua suffered from acute pericarditis, compounded by a chronic renal condition. What was framed as a brief consultation stretched into an agonizing, month-long absence. In February 2010, Yar’Adua was clandestinely smuggled back at nocturne, shielded from the citizens he was elected to govern. Barely three months later, on May 5, 2010, his passage came like a rude awakening. He was said to have caved in to the Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma disease.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo later vehemently denied deliberately imposing a terminally ill candidate. Yet, he conceded a critical truth: he was fully aware of Yar’Adua’s severe health challenges prior to handpicking him. Yar’Adua’s declining health was never a state secret. During the presidential campaign in early March 2007, his health failed dramatically, necessitating an emergency evacuation to Germany.

I recall seeing him in person during that turbulent period, sitting just a few seats away from him. It was on his visit to then governor of Enugu State. Yar’Adua bore the unmistakable visage of a deeply frail man, his left hand bearing cicatrix of an engrafted flesh. He was accompanied by a stockily built aide carrying a shoulder pouch of essential medications.

As the man who wore a single lapel of dual attributions as Katsina State governor and PDP presidential candidate spoke, that aide decanted drugs into his palm, handed him water and Yar’Adua swallowed them. Whoever drafted a man in such a fragile state into the grueling marathon of governing a nation of over 200 million people could not possibly have had his best interests or those of the nation at heart.

As public anxiety deepened, Obasanjo orchestrated a live, televised telephone conversation, making that famous rhetorical question, ‘Umoru, are you dead or alive?’ From his hospital bed, Yar’Adua offered a feeble response of, ‘I am not dead, I am alive.’ Yet, weeks before his inauguration, he was again flown to Germany for urgent treatment. Aso Rock consistently denied the severity of his condition, while political opportunists and religious charlatans issued passionate calls for national fasting and intercession.

It was amid this cacophony of deceit that I wrote in my National Life column a piece with the title, ‘Why We Must Neither Fast Nor Pray for Yar’Adua.’ In it, I invoked that foundational Yoruba proverb: ‘A kìí jí apiroro – No one wakes the cunning actor who merely simulates sleep; it is only the person who is genuinely asleep that can be awakened. How could a nation genuinely offer prayers for a leader whose inner circle perpetually lied about his physical condition?

Around that same period, the owner of National Life, Bola Tinubu, joined me in what lawyers call consensus ad idem on the Yar’Adua ailment roulette. He launched a scathing verbal assault on the ailing president. In a press release, he declared that ‘the country is now drifting and groping in the dark, like a ship without a captain, in a stormy ocean.’ Tinubu then demanded that Yar’Adua honour Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution by transmitting a written declaration to the National Assembly, empowering Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to act as President.

Fast-forward sixteen years later, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finds himself embroiled in exact same constitutional transgression he once fiercely condemned. He recently went AWOL from his official duties for 30 consecutive days on an undisclosed European sojourn, grossly violating same Section 145, without transmitting power to his Vice President.

This tragic irony brings to mind the classical Yoruba proverb on historical reciprocity: ‘Tí o bá máa sin ègbón r? ní ìhòhò, rántí mú àw?n àbúrà r? l’ówó – If you intend to strip your elder brother naked at his burial, remember to bring your younger siblings along to witness the horrifying spectacle. Its moral imperative is timeless: the standard of fairness, empathy, or constitutional integrity you extend to those ahead of you today sets the exact template for how you will be judged when your turn arrives. Today, Nigerians are roiling in unprecedented hunger; petrol sells at a perilous price and hundreds of Nigerians are in kidnappers’ den, yet Tinubu said he enjoyed himself on his Europe vacation and was kicking.

The precedent of national anxiety over the failing health of Nigerian presidents is deeply rooted in our modern political history. Beyond the Yar’Adua era, similar dark clouds hovered during the military dictatorships of Generals Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Sani Abacha. Babangida was eventually forced to admit he was suffering from radiculopathy – a painful nerve root compression in the spine caused by an old shrapnel wound – requiring extended medical treatment in Germany.

Similarly, in the final days preceding General Abacha’s sudden demise in June 1998, the dictator appeared in public looking exceptionally gaunt and hollowed out. Investigative publications, most notably TELL magazine, meticulously documented Abacha’s physical decline, noting his strained posture, ashen complexion, drawn features, and hesitant gait. On June 8, 1998, Abacha passed on inside the Presidential Villa.

Nearly two decades after Abacha’s death, Nigeria entered yet another debilitating cycle of presidential health secrecy under President Muhammadu Buhari. Between 2015 and 2021, Buhari spent hundreds of days in London hospitals undergoing treatments for undisclosed ailments, while his media aides churned out euphemistic press statements that insulted the intelligence of the electorate.

In African political culture, the physical health of a sitting president is almost universally treated with the paranoid secrecy of an Ilédì – the sacred, highly restricted conclave of the traditional Ogboni fraternity. In mature constitutional democracies, however, executive health is recognized as a foundational pillar of political and economic stability. When a leader is incapacitated, executive decision-making stalls, creating dangerous power vacuums, administrative paralysis and governance by unelected cliques.

Modern financial markets thrive on predictability. When a president is incapacitated or shrouded in health rumours, national economies face immediate headwinds: currency volatility, capital flight and stock market declines. Furthermore, in a constitutional democracy, fitness for office is a public trust, not a private matter. When an elected leader lacks the stamina required for daily governance, the presidency devolves into a hollow symbol and the president, a figurine.

Scholars have noted that the instinct of presidential minders to conceal illness stems from traditional African concepts of royalty. In Yoruba traditional political philosophy, it is a deeply rooted taboo to publicly associate a reigning king (Oba) with human frailty, bodily infirmity or physical decay. The very cognomen of imperial power – Kábiyèsí (K’á bi ó ò si) – ‘He who cannot be questioned’ – derives from the premise that the king, as Alá?e Èkeji Ori?à, embodies the collective vitality of the realm. To publicly admit that an Oba is sick is to suggest spiritual vulnerability, implying that the kingdom itself is exposed to harm.

Because direct reference to a king›s illness is prohibited, Yoruba culture developed sophisticated euphemisms. To describe a king›s ill health, they say, ‘Ara Oba ò dájú’ – « The King’s body is not completely firm». To announce his passing, one never says he died; rather, Oba wàjà – ‘The King has ascended into the vault, the arctic’ or, Erin wó, Àjànàkú sùn bí òkè! – ‘The mighty Elephant has fallen, sprawling endlessly like a huge mountain!’ In two previous essays I did: ‘The President is a Sick Man: Buhari’s Secret Therapy Inside the ‘Oneida” (April 4, 2021) and ‘The President is a Sick Man’ (October 20, 2024) I drew a direct historical arc from 19th century American presidential health cover-ups, to modern Africa. I argued that stealth medical trips disguised as ‘working vacations’ mirror the Yoruba idiomatic phrase of ‘Ó jo gáté, kò j? gàté, ó fi esè méji tiro gáte-gàte.’ This descriptive phrase captures an awkward attempt to conceal an obvious impairment, where the effort to hide a physical limp only makes the uncoordinated gait more conspicuous to onlookers.

The Senate of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, has approved the results of the 2025/2026 second-semester examinations, with 44 students graduating with First-Class Honours.

The university Senate also approved the withdrawal of 56 students for poor academic performance, failure to register for two consecutive semesters and other academic deficiencies, while one student was expelled for gross examination misconduct.

The decisions were reached during the 168th Regular Meeting of the Senate held on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, following consideration of the second-semester examination results presented by the various faculties and departments.

Among the 44 First-Class graduates are students from Agriculture Economics and Extension, Forestry, Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences, Computer Science, Physiology, Economics, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Anatomy, Animal and Environmental Biology, Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Accounting, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Public Administration, Business Administration, and Banking and Finance.

The Senate also considered the report of the Results Verification Committee on students’ academic standing.

According to the university, 11 students were withdrawn for poor academic performance, while 38 others were withdrawn for failing to register for two consecutive semesters.

Another seven students from the Department of Medical Laboratory Science were withdrawn over failed modules and course deficiencies.

The university said the disciplinary actions were taken in line with its extant Academic Regulations.

In a related development, Senate considered the report of the Examination Misconduct Committee on the case involving Jude Ojoajogwu Itodo, with matriculation number 26PL1068, of the Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology.

Following consideration of the committee’s findings and recommendations, Senate approved his expulsion from the university for gross examination misconduct.

The Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of Senate, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, commended members of the Results Verification Committee and Examination Misconduct Committee for what he described as their diligence, objectivity and commitment to maintaining the university’s academic standards.

Prof. Usman congratulated the 44 First-Class graduands, describing their achievement as a product of hard work, discipline, dedication and sustained commitment to academic excellence.

He urged the graduands to remain worthy ambassadors of the institution and uphold the values of integrity, hard work and excellence that earned them the distinction.

The Vice-Chancellor also encouraged other students to draw inspiration from the achievement of the First-Class graduands, stressing that academic excellence remained attainable through focus, discipline and consistent effort.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the university management and Senate to sustaining academic excellence, discipline and quality assurance.

Prof. Usman further urged students to take advantage of the conducive environment provided by the university for teaching, learning and research while complying with its academic regulations.

Meanwhile, all withdrawn and expelled students have been directed to surrender university property in their possession, including identity cards and other official items, to the Security Unit before leaving the institution.

Three persons were reportedly killed within 12 hours after youths took to the streets in protest, blocking the Minna-Bida Highway leading to a traffic gridlock in Minna, Niger State.

The protest, which began on Saturday night, reportedly continued into Sunday morning as the situation escalated in parts of the state capital.

It was gathered that hundreds of youths took to the streets following an alleged shooting of one of them by a member of vigilante group during an altercation while on night patrol.

The situation reportedly became tense following the death of two other persons during the protest, triggering another round of unrest in the Gbeganu area of Minna.

A resident of the area, Mallam Baba, told the Nigerian Tribune that the youths mobilised shortly after news filtered in that one of their members, identified as Aliyu, had been killed.

According to him, the youths began the protest at about 10pm on Saturday and continued into Sunday morning, during which two more persons were reportedly killed.

He said the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two other persons remained unclear as the situation had become increasingly chaotic.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, saying, ‘On 3rd October 2026 at about 10.30pm, vigilante men mobilised to Kpakungu area to arrest some miscreants and in the process, one of the vigilant members shot one Aliyu dead. This led to some protests within the area.

‘Police were mobilised to the location and normalcy was restored, while effort to arrest the vigilante man is ongoing. Unfortunately at the early hours of the following day, being 4th October 2026, some of the miscreants mobilised and blocked Bida-Minna road in the name of protest, also moved to Gbeganu area and attacked residents in the area.

‘In the course of the attack, it was reported that two persons lost their lives. Police were drafted to the area, the rioters were dispersed and the road was cleared for free flow of traffic.’

The Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Oyo State Chapter, has empowered wives of serving police officers and members of the Late Police Wives Association (LAPOWA) with business equipment, food items, and financial support to boost their livelihoods.

The empowerment programme, held on Saturday, featured the distribution of 112 items, including 10 freezers, 10 sewing machines, five grinding machines, 20 gas cylinders, 15 dryers/straighteners and 52 bags of rice.

In addition, 20 beneficiaries received cash assistance to support their businesses and other livelihood activities.

Addressing the beneficiaries, the wife of the Commissioner of Police and Chairperson of POWA, Oyo State Chapter, Mrs. Bukola Abimbola, expressed appreciation to the National Chairperson of POWA, Mrs Mutiat Funmilola Disu, for her continued support and commitment to the welfare of police families.

Mrs. Abimbola said the initiative was designed to provide beneficiaries with practical means of strengthening their businesses, increasing their income and improving the economic stability of their families.

She stressed that supporting police families remained crucial to strengthening the home front and enhancing the welfare and morale of police personnel.

The initiative, she added, was also in line with the welfare-oriented vision of the Inspector-General of Police, which places emphasis on the well-being of serving personnel, their families and the wider police community.

The programme attracted representatives of wives’ associations from other security and law enforcement agencies, including the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) and the Nigeria Immigration Service, highlighting inter-agency collaboration and mutual support.

The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola, while addressing the beneficiaries, urged them to make judicious use of the items and financial assistance, stressing that the empowerment should be channelled towards strengthening their businesses and improving their families’ welfare.

He noted that a stronger family support system would contribute to improved morale, welfare and effective service delivery by police personnel.

The beneficiaries, in separate remarks, expressed appreciation to the leadership of POWA, particularly Mrs Disu and Mrs. Abimbola, describing the intervention as timely and valuable.

They said the support would help them expand their businesses, improve their livelihoods and provide better support for their families.

The programme, according to POWA, represents another step towards empowering police families and complementing ongoing efforts to improve the welfare, morale and effectiveness of personnel of the Oyo State Police Command.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu, has intensified efforts to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s education system through the upgrade of infrastructure, teaching facilities and learning environments in Command Schools across the country.

The Acting Corps Commander Education, Brigadier General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, disclosed this during an assessment tour of Command Secondary Schools in Benue and Katsina states.

According to a statement made available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja by the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Col Appolonia Anele, the tour, which commenced on September 24, 2026, was aimed at assessing the state of infrastructure, teaching and learning facilities, administration and other requirements critical to effective educational delivery.

At Command Secondary School, Makurdi, Brigadier General Ahmed inspected classrooms, students’ hostels, the dining hall, library and projects executed under the COAS intervention initiative.

He also interacted with staff, students and key stakeholders, including representatives of the Benue State Ministry of Education, the Parent-Teacher Association and the Old Students’ Association.

The statement said the assessment revealed notable improvements in the school’s infrastructure and learning environment following the intervention by the COAS.

Ahmed commended the sustained commitment of the Chief of Army Staff to repositioning Nigerian Army schools for improved educational outcomes.

He urged the school authorities to ensure proper maintenance, security and optimal utilisation of the upgraded facilities to sustain the gains recorded.

As part of the visit, the acting Corps Commander Education and his delegation also paid a courtesy call on an elder statesman, Alhaji Shaibu Dahiru, in recognition of his longstanding support for the development of Command Secondary School, Makurdi.

The engagement featured prayers for the Chief of Army Staff, presentation of a souvenir, and a group photograph.

The assessment tour also covered Command Secondary School Boys, Faskari, and Command Secondary School Girls, Barkiya, both in Katsina State.

The respective commandants briefed Ahmed on academic activities, administration, infrastructure and areas requiring further attention, after which he conducted on-the-spot assessments of the facilities and interacted with personnel of the schools.

The Army said the tour formed part of the Nigerian Army Education Corps’ efforts to consolidate ongoing reforms and ensure that investments in Army schools translate into improved teaching, learning and academic standards.

It added that findings from the assessment would guide further interventions to address identified gaps and strengthen educational delivery across Command Schools.

The ongoing interventions, the statement said, underscored the COAS’ commitment to building a modern, functional and sustainable Army education system capable of supporting quality education, character development and academic excellence.

Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has stepped up efforts to remove bottlenecks hampering Nigeria’s non-oil exports, with a renewed push to expand export channels, improve cargo processing and boost foreign exchange inflows into the economy.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, disclosed this over the weekend during the 21st Abuja International Trade Fair, which was held under the theme, ‘Resilient Trade, Taxation, and the Economy.’

He said the authority was strengthening port infrastructure and extending maritime logistics into the hinterland to enable exporters to access global markets more efficiently.

Dantsoho spoke at the NPA Special Day at the 21st Abuja International Trade Fair, organised by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), where he said trade resilience required efficient infrastructure, predictable fiscal frameworks and seamless supply chains.

According to him, Nigeria’s economic resilience could no longer depend largely on imports and oil revenues, stressing that expanding non-oil exports and integrating businesses across the country into global value chains remained critical to sustainable economic growth.

He said the recent approval by the Federal Government for the transfer of Inland Dry Port (IDP) management and development functions to the NPA would bring port efficiency closer to businesses operating far from the coastal ports.

Dantsoho explained that the development would particularly benefit exporters in northern and central Nigeria, including Abuja, by reducing the need to transport raw commodities to coastal ports before completing port clearance and documentation.

He said, ‘By bringing Inland Dry Ports under the operational purview of the NPA, exporters in northern and central Nigeria, including right here in Abuja, no longer need to move raw commodities to coastal ports before undergoing port clearance and documentation.’

The NPA boss added that the authority had also introduced targeted interventions to eliminate bottlenecks confronting non-oil exporters, including the operationalisation of dedicated Export Processing Terminals.

In his words, the terminals serve as one-stop centres where sorting, packaging, quality certification and customs documentation can be completed before export cargo is moved to port terminals.

He said the interventions were already supporting the growth of non-oil exports, particularly agricultural commodities and solid minerals, while helping Nigerian producers meet international delivery schedules.

Dantsoho noted that agricultural products such as cocoa, sesame seeds, cashew nuts and hibiscus, as well as solid minerals, had recorded increased export activity over the past two years.

He said the streamlined export channels would enhance foreign buyers’ confidence in Nigerian products and increase foreign exchange inflows into the domestic economy.

The NPA chief executive therefore urged businesses in agriculture, manufacturing, processing and solid minerals to take advantage of the emerging export infrastructure and expand their presence in international markets.

‘To our prospective businessmen and entrepreneurs, now is the time to embrace export trade,’ he said.

He said the integration of Inland Dry Ports with seaport operations would make exporting from different parts of Nigeria more accessible and commercially viable.

Dantsoho further assured exporters that the NPA remained committed to providing efficient port services and extending maritime logistics to different regions of the country.

He said the authority’s objective was to create a trade-enabling environment where exporters, regardless of their size or location, could access reliable logistics support and compete more effectively in global markets.

The NPA boss said a resilient Nigerian economy depended on a thriving trade ecosystem, adding that the authority would continue to support initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s position in international trade.

Also speaking, the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) called for stronger collaboration with NPA to facilitate trade, unlock investment opportunities and strengthen the link between Nigeria’s maritime sector and the wider business community.

Director General of ACCI, Agabaidu Jideani, made the call at the NPA Day organised on the sidelines of the 21st Abuja International Trade Fair (AITF) in Abuja.

Jideani said closer engagement between the NPA and the organised private sector was critical to improving the ease of doing business, strengthening supply chains and enhancing Nigeria’s participation in domestic, regional and international trade.

He said the efficiency, accessibility and competitiveness of the nation’s ports had direct implications for importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors, logistics operators, retailers and other businesses.

‘The efficiency, accessibility and competitiveness of Nigeria’s ports have direct implications for importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors, logistics operators, retailers and numerous other businesses across our sectoral groups,’ he said.

According to him, ACCI was particularly interested in strengthening the connection between businesses in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the wider national and international trade ecosystem.

He said the Chamber could provide a structured platform for businesses to share their practical experiences with the NPA, while the Authority could use such platforms to enlighten the business community on port operations, trade facilitation initiatives, procedures and opportunities within the maritime sector.

‘We therefore commend the Nigerian Ports Authority for participating in this year’s Abuja International Trade Fair and for using the NPA Day to engage directly with the organised private sector,’ Jideani said.

‘We see this participation not merely as an exhibition opportunity, but as an important platform for dialogue, stakeholder engagement and partnership.’

The ACCI DG said the Chamber was ready to deepen its engagement with the NPA through policy dialogues, business forums, sensitisation programmes, capacity-building initiatives and other mutually beneficial engagements.

He said such collaboration would contribute to more efficient trade and stronger economic linkages.

‘ACCI remains ready to work with the NPA through policy dialogues, business forums, sensitisation programmes, capacity-building initiatives and other mutually beneficial engagements that can contribute to more efficient trade and stronger economic linkages,’ he stated.

Jideani said the partnership was particularly important as businesses continued to seek improved market access, stronger supply chains and a more conducive environment for trade and investment.

He noted that the Abuja International Trade Fair, held under the theme, ‘Resilience, Trade, Taxation and the Economy,’ provided an appropriate platform for strengthening interaction among businesses, government agencies, investors, financial institutions, diplomatic missions and development partners.

He said the AITF remained a practical expression of the Chamber’s mandate to promote trade, investment and sustainable economic development.

‘The AITF is a practical expression of this mandate. It brings together businesses, investors, government agencies, diplomatic missions, financial institutions, development partners and other stakeholders to showcase products and services, establish business connections, explore markets and discuss issues affecting the economy,’ he said.

Jideani added that stronger collaboration between institutions such as the NPA and the organised private sector was essential to improving Nigeria’s trading environment.

‘As we celebrate the 21st edition under the theme ‘Resilience, Trade, Taxation and the Economy,’ we recognise that stronger collaboration between institutions such as the NPA and the organised private sector is essential to improving the ease of doing business, strengthening supply chains and enhancing Nigeria’s participation in domestic, regional and international trade,’ he said.

He commended the NPA for identifying with the 21st AITF, describing its participation as an opportunity to deepen understanding and promote dialogue between the maritime sector and the broader business community.

Jideani said ACCI looked forward to building an even stronger and sustained relationship with the NPA that would support businesses, facilitate trade and create new economic opportunities.

‘We look forward to building an even stronger and more sustained partnership that will support businesses, facilitate trade, create opportunities, and contribute to the growth and competitiveness of the Nigerian economy,’ he said.