Category: Nigerian Tribune

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.

All does not seem well within the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, the lineage next in line to produce the Awujale of Ijebuland, as a new faction identifying itself as the ‘Original Fusengbuwa Ruling House’ has emerged.

The faction’s coordinator, Chief Fassy Yusuf, disclosed this on Thursday at the Oba Adesimbo Tunwase Museum and Hall, Agunsebi, Ijebu-Ode. He explained that the faction comprises the Jadiara Royal House, Bubiade Royal House, Tunwase Royal House, and the Fusengbuwa Royal House.

According to him, the term ‘Original’ was adopted only as a means of distinction and not to exclude other family members. He further noted that the mourning period of the late Awujale, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, GCON, who passed away on July 13, 2025, will officially end on Sunday, October 11, 2025-paving the way for the commencement of the succession process.

Yusuf, who is the Bagbimo of Ijebuland, read from the Declaration made under Section 4 (2) of the Chiefs Law 1957, which states that the four ruling houses entitled to present candidates are Gbelegbuwa, Anikinlaiya, Fusengbuwa, and Fidipote, with Fusengbuwa being the next in line.

He clarified that aspirants to the stool must belong to the ruling house and trace their descent through the male line, except in cases where succession devolves through the female line under the Abidagba principle.

Responding to claims by the Folagbade Adenuga group, Yusuf stressed that Folagbade is not listed as a ruling house in the declaration and therefore must align with one of the recognized branches.

The coordinator added that a family database and Expression of Interest forms for aspirants to the throne would be released in due course, noting that the forms would be free of charge. However, he said voluntary contributions of ?2,000 were encouraged to support the database exercise.

He also explained that, for now, the group is represented by himself as coordinator and Pastor Prince Bola Salami as secretary, while a formal family head will be announced later.

The event was attended by Otunba Odedina Emmanuel, Oloriebi of Jadiara; Prince Adewale Jadesinmi, Oloriebi of Bubiade; Prince Bolarinde Salami, Secretary; Chief G.A. Sanni, Balogun of Esugbon; and Oba Prof. Titilayo Hassan, Elesugbon of Esugbon, alongside other representatives of the four branches.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, dismissed a suit filed against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu challenging the March 18, 2025 proclamation of state of emergency in Rivers state.

The declaration of the state of emergency by Tinubu led to the suspension of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and members of the Rivers state House of Assembly for six months as well as the appointment of a Sole Administrator who took charge of running the affairs for the period.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by Belema Briggs and four others against the emergency rule, Justice Omotosho held that, the five plaintiffs lacked the legal power to Institute the case. The Judge held that, such case as constituted can only be determined by the Supreme Court only.

Justice Omotosho held in the judgement that, none of the five plaintiffs claimed to be members of the State Executive Committee, members of the House of Assembly or suffered any injury greater than the rest people of Rivers state.

Worse still, the court held that none of the plaintiffs claimed to have the fiat of the Attorney General of the State to initiate the case.

Besides, Justice Omotosho said that the claim of President Tinubu that he imposed state of emergency to avoid looming break down of law and order was not challenged or disputed by the plaintiffs.

The Judge held that, the claim of breach of fundamental rights by the plaintiffs by Tinubu did not hold water because the appropriate law on emergency rule order was invoked by Tinubu to save unpleasant situation.

Justice Omotosho said the case was frivolous and baseless because the mandate of other people of Rivers was not obtained before instituting it on their behalf.

Residents of Lagos and Ogun communities on Wednesday, experienced scarcity of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, popularly known as cooking gas.

Most vendors that opened shops in some neighbourhoods jacked up the price by selling at N1,600 per kilogram instead of N1,150 per kg sold last week.

Lamenting the situation, Mrs Joke Banjo, a trader at Agege, said she was searching everywhere to refill her 12kg cylinder, but could not find any until she got to Ojodu.

According to her, most of the gas stations refused to open shops, assuming that it might be connected to the industrial action ordered by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

She said that the outlet she later discovered around Ojodu sold for most customers at N1,600 per kilogram.

Another woman, Mrs Adejoke Ibikunle, said there was a long quene for cooking gas in one of the gas stations in Ibafo despite the fact that it was sold for N1,500.

She said she managed to refill her 6kg cylinder before the station stopped selling due to long queue.

She expressed displeasure over the issue, wondering what would have happened to the supply of cooking gas.

Meanwhile, energy industry analyst, Yemisi Olagunju, has also raised the alarm that Nigeria may be on the verge of a domestic LPG supply crunch.

However, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr Oladapo Olatunbosun, has expressed concern over the continued export of cooking gas from Nigeria despite the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas) pronouncing a ban on the practice, particularly by International Oil Companies (IOCs).

Speaking during the 2025 National LPG Conference and Exhibition in Lagos, Olatunbosun insisted that the minister’s directive must be enforced to stop the outflow of LPG from Nigeria.

‘The domestic market does not have sufficient volumes of gas, so there is no justification for exporting the product out of the country by the IOCs,’ the NALPGAM president said

He said IOCs have consistently argued that they lack the facilities to separate propane from butane, a requirement for making the product more suitable for domestic use.

According to him, these companies had previously requested a timeframe to put such facilities in place, yet there has been no enforcement or monitoring by government agencies to ensure compliance.

‘Companies prefer to export these products abroad to make more money,’ he said, stressing that the practice undermines Nigeria’s domestic LPG market, which still struggles with insufficient supply.

Olatunbosun, therefore, urged the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Minister of State for Gas to compel the IOCs to establish the required infrastructure for propane-butane separation.