Category: Nigerian Tribune

It used to be sad tales of farmers losing every pod from their cowpea to the devastating maruca vitrata, also known as pod borer insect which has the capacity to destroy over 70 percent of cowpea pods while on the field. The story always ends in misery as rural farmers lose their money and investment.

But for Ogenomor Emmanuel, each leaf, each pod, is a testimony against pests, doubt, and fear that innovation can change the story of beans in Nigeria. For him, what was once a modest yield has become exportable quality, and with it, the promise of better nutrition, income, and a country less dependent on imports.

Cowpea is more than staples in Nigerian homes, they are among the cheapest sources of protein, rich in essential nutrients which include protein, fibre, iron, folate, and other minerals. For many households, cowpeas cushion against hunger, especially this period when meat prices have skyrocketed.

Yet Nigeria’s cowpea story remains regrettable. According to data from FAO and other studies, cowpea/dried cowpea production was around 4.3 million metric tons in 2023 yet demand and consumption deficits is still prevalent.

Nigeria is experiencing a deficit not just domestic. Poor quality, contamination (by pesticide residues, insects, pathogens), storage losses, and insufficient yields have meant that Nigeria often fails to capitalize on export markets or fully meet its own needs.

As Dr. Rose Gidado, Director of Agriculture biotechnology at National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) argues, Nigeria imports hundreds of millions of naira’s worth of beans annually to fill its own shortfall.

Estimates place Nigeria’s cowpea import bill at about N10 billion annually. Furthermore, export revenue is lost when standards are not met. The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) reports that failure to meet phytosanitary and pesticide-residue requirements costs the country some US$362.5 million annually in potential export revenue.

On nutrition, UNICEF data show that 32 percent of children under five in Nigeria are stunted, over 2 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, and more than 11 million children face food poverty.

This scary data means that improving access to affordable, nutritious legumes like cowpea (with high protein, minerals, and relatively inexpensive cultivation) could have major public health impacts.

At the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, a team of Scientists, led by Professor Mohammed Ishiyaku developed Bt Cowpea, a variety genetically engineered to resist the Maruca pod borer, a major insect pest that can ravage cowpea yields.

This move is in response to the need to address the ravaging effect of pod borer, increase yield, improve rural farmers’ livelihoods and drive economic prosperity for the nation at large.

With fewer pesticide sprays required and better resistance to insect damage, Cowpea can help raise yields, improve quality, lower costs, reduce environmental, health and residue risks, and support export compliance.

In 2023 Emmanuel began farming with 5 hectares of Cowpea; by 2025 he is also cultivating 7.7 hectares. He recounts how with local varieties he got 3-4 bags per hectare, often losing 60-70 percent of pods to insects despite spraying 7 or 8 times. With Cowpea, he sprays once every 15 days, and the plant endures.

‘This is my farm. It is about 7.7 hectare of land. I Started the farming business in 2023, I started with five hectares, and from five hectares is where we are today. As you can see, the crop is exceptionally doing well’, Emmanuel said as he wears a smile.

Today, he gets 19 to 22 bags per hectare from the Bt cowpea variety, roughly 5-7 times what local varieties would yield under similar circumstances.

Beyond yield, Emmanuel emphasises quality: ‘There’s one thing about this particular Cowpea, maybe because of the gene it contains, when it is being cooked, it takes less time to get done, unlike the normal cowpea variety that will take up to three hours, before it gets ready, but this new variety takes about 35 to 40 minutes before it gets ready’, he said.

Emmanuel, who is also an out-grower for seed companies, has been exporting Cowpea since October 2024, to buyers in the United Kingdom and the United States, fetching double what he would make in local markets because of purity. The export opportunity has been catalytic, not just for Emmanuel’s income, but he says it offers a model that can scale.

‘I have people who I export to in the United Kingdom and the United States, I sold it at double of what I usually sell in the local market. I started exporting beans in October 2024, the people that buy it from me talk about the purity of the particular Cowpea that was what made them actually key into doing business with me.

‘And it’s a kind of variety. The gene is so pure, the one I planted for the rainy season got me 19 bags and half bags per hectare’, he explained.

For the UK market, standards are strict, the regulatory agency there looks out for pesticide residues, traces of insect damage, moisture content, and overall purity are monitored.

Many Nigerian beans fail these tests, or are rejected, costing farmers and exporters. The NAQS figure of US$362.5 million in lost revenue annually reflects how big a prize is being missed.

But because of its pest resistance, reduction on the risk of insect damage and the need for lesser pesticide application, the Bt Cowpea can meet export criteria more reliably.

Also, the UK is a stable market, often willing to pay premiums for quality, clean, certified produce. For Emmanuel, the double value he gets for export versus local market underscores how much extra income is possible.

When Emmanuel visits his farm and sees the flourishing pods and leaves, his strides animate something larger than farming, his life has shifted. Where local cowpea variety gave him just enough, Cowpea has given surplus, export markets, dignity.

He recalled the pains of waiting, spraying eight times, losing half of the pods, then barely making enough to feed family and pay local bills. But now he sprays once every two weeks, the plants stand strong, the pods fill, the beans are clean.

He sells some locally, but more are packed for export. Buyers in the UK notice purity, no damage, minimal waste, grains that pass residue tests.

For Emmanuel, that means not just business, but also hope. Hope that other farmers in Nasarawa and beyond will follow. Hope that Nigeria can reduce imports and lose revenue. His farm is not just a plot of land, it’s a pilot, a beacon.

Cowpea may not solve Nigeria’s malnutrition overnight. But it is a powerful tool that bridges technology, markets, nutrition, and lives. For Emmanuel, for his neighbors, for thousands beyond the borders of Nasarawa, this seed is more than cowpea. It is a seed of change.

As the export boxes move toward the UK, they carry not just beans, but hope that innovation, when paired with support, can feed a nation, elevate its farmers, and heal its children.

LAUNCHED under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Government, through Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), and private investors, is coming up to address the chronic shortage of accommodation in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

The initiative aims to deliver 38,400 modern hostel bed spaces across 24 tertiary institutions, encompassing 12 universities, six polytechnics and six colleges of education.

Each site will feature 1,600-bed hostels equipped with ensuite rooms, study areas, reading rooms, cafeterias, and essential amenities.

According to report, pilot projects are already underway in six institutions, three in the North (Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, and FCT College of Education Zuba) and three in the South (AkwaIbom State University, College of Education Warri, and SikiruAdetona College of Education, Ogun).

The hostels in Warri and AkwaIbom are nearing completion and set for commissioning, according to FHFL Managing Director, Abdul Mutallab Mukhtar.

He said the upcoming commissioning would mark a landmark achievement in transforming student welfare nationwide. He said the programme ensures that students ‘have the right environment to live and learn while reducing the risks of inadequate accommodation.’

With construction soon expanding to eight additional institutions, the project is expected to boost local economies, attract private investment, and provide safer, more conducive housing for students across all six geopolitical zones.

DETAILS of how the South-West caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may adopt a preferred candidate for national secretary ahead of the national convention of the party coming between November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital emerged on Monday.

Nigerian Tribune recalls that the battle for the position, which is zoned to the South-East in the outgoing dispensation, was mired on controversy and litigation between two tendencies, which left the PDP almost in limbo for about two years.

The PDP eventually settled for one of the claimants to the post, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, in a seeming compromise at the 100th National Executive Committee of party.

Some main stakeholders in the party told the Nigerian Tribune that the leaders from the South-West were holding extensive consultations on how to come up with a consensus candidate since the position is already ceded to the geopolitical zone ahead of the elective convention.

A source said two bigwigs of PDP from the South-West have in London as more party faithful intensified lobbying for their preferred choice from Ogun State, which is micro-zoned with Lagos State.

Incidentally, the current deputy national secretary of PDP, Architect Setonji Koshedo, hails from Lagos.

Other party chieftains informed the Nigerian Tribune that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State would be given the right to put forward a possible preferred candidate because of the status and strategic position of the two-term governor in PDP caucus in the South-West.

But his choice, according to the leaders, would not be automatic as it will be subject to due process since, in the words of one the PDP elders; PDP is not a one-man show.

The stakeholders also ruled out the possibility of either Oyo or Osun getting the privilege to present candidates for the post of national secretary, since both states currently hold the posts of deputy national chairman and national vice chairman/zonal chairman respectively.

In a memo dated September 1, 2025, addressed to the PDP national chairman through the deputy national chairman (South), the zoning committee for the Southern Region zoned the positions opf national auditor, and deputy national organizing secretary along with national secretary to the South-West.

The committee recommended the posts of national financial secretary, deputy national secretary, national women’s leader and deputy national leader to the South-East, while the offices of deputy national chairman (South), national publicity secretary, deputy national treasurer and deputy national legal adviser were proposed for the South-South.

Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune on the phone on preparations for the PDP convention as regards national offices, a former deputy national chairman of PDP, Chief Bode George, emphasised the issue of privileged that would be given Governor Makinde in making a greater input into who emerges as the consensus candidate of the South-West as national secretary, in consultations with other elders and leaders of thought of the party.

George, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, said: ‘The governor should have an interest in who emerges as the candidate for the position given his position in the South-West PDP caucus. Though it is not automatic, we must able to concede to the governor. We will share whatever is left.

‘If there are certain things we observe that needs a collective action, we will settle them. He knows what he wants in consultations with elders.

‘Whatever he brings, we will approve and if there are issues, we will address them and move forward. That’s the way the PDP works, once it is something that will bring comfort, unity and progress to the South-West.

He said the PDP was ‘not like the other political party because there is no room for arbitrariness; we have had all congresses at the ward, local and state levels.’

‘The position they gave us, we will have to call a meeting and work with the elders. We will network and get the support of everybody. It is a collective responsibility. It is not a private property,’ Chief George said.

A former national vice chairman of PDP, Chief Eddy Olufeso, said that all processes that will culminate into the national convention remain seamless, citing the conduct of congresses from ward to the local and state levels so far.

He said the leaders do not envisage any form of hiccups because of the ongoing collaborative efforts of the critical stakeholders in the PDP to guarantee the emergence of formidable structures.

Similarly, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Senator Olu Alabi, told the Nigerian Tribune that there are concerted efforts by the leaders to produce a consensus candidate for the post of national secretary.

LAUNCHED under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Government, through Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), and private investors, is coming up to address the chronic shortage of accommodation in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

The initiative aims to deliver 38,400 modern hostel bed spaces across 24 tertiary institutions, encompassing 12 universities, six polytechnics and six colleges of education.

Each site will feature 1,600-bed hostels equipped with ensuite rooms, study areas, reading rooms, cafeterias, and essential amenities.

According to report, pilot projects are already underway in six institutions, three in the North (Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, and FCT College of Education Zuba) and three in the South (AkwaIbom State University, College of Education Warri, and SikiruAdetona College of Education, Ogun).

The hostels in Warri and AkwaIbom are nearing completion and set for commissioning, according to FHFL Managing Director, Abdul Mutallab Mukhtar.

He said the upcoming commissioning would mark a landmark achievement in transforming student welfare nationwide. He said the programme ensures that students ‘have the right environment to live and learn while reducing the risks of inadequate accommodation.’

With construction soon expanding to eight additional institutions, the project is expected to boost local economies, attract private investment, and provide safer, more conducive housing for students across all six geopolitical zones.

The Federal Government has reconstituted and inaugurated the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee to accelerate ongoing discussions with academic and non-academic unions across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

The negotiation committee, inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, is seen as a knee-jerk response to avert the looming strike following the two-week strike notice issued on Monday last week by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Already, the leadership of ASUU has commenced mobilisation of its members across all the universities in the country ahead of an indefinite strike that would be preceded by a warning strike at the expiration of the ultimatum.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Yayale-led committee, the Minister of Education, Dr Alausa, said the new committee was designed to harmonise all negotiation processes under one coordinated framework that reflects institutional memory and sector-wide inclusiveness.

Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Mrs Folasade Boriowo, in a statement on Tuesday, said Alausa was joined by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmed.

Alausa explained that, unlike previous fragmented negotiations, the expanded committee will engage all unions collectively to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable agreement. ‘The membership of the committee has been carefully chosen to represent the full spectrum of the education sector, ensuring that no group is left behind,’ he said.

The Minister disclosed that the committee has been provided with a well-equipped and functional secretariat to enable it to carry out its mandate effectively, adding that its inaugural meeting will hold at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 7 October.

He urged all academic and non-academic unions to cooperate fully and respond promptly to the committee’s engagements.

According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given full political backing to the process, with a clear directive that all negotiations be concluded swiftly, fairly, and in the spirit of mutual respect.

‘President Tinubu’s mandate is that all our children must be in school. This is renewed hope in action,’ Dr Alausa emphasised, expressing appreciation to all unions for their patience and commitment as the government works towards a final and comprehensive agreement.

In his remarks, the Minister of Labour and Employment commended the Ministers of Education for their exemplary leadership and inclusive approach in the ongoing negotiation process.

He emphasised that true and lasting peace can only be achieved when all stakeholders are involved, noting that excluding any party would only breed division and undermine collective progress.

He further urged members of the expanded committee to act as impartial reconciliators, upholding justice, fairness, and stability while mediating between employers and employees.

The Minister reminded them that their early participation will ensure effective implementation of the final agreements, fostering transparency and mutual understanding.

He called for dedication to the process and continuous engagement with all parties, acknowledging both the limitations of government and the legitimate concerns of workers.

Reaffirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to fair and lasting resolutions, he stressed that dialogue, consultation, and open communication remain vital to preventing future industrial actions and ensuring sustained peace and progress in the education sector.

Chairman of the committee and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, in his response, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the confidence reposed in them to steer such a crucial national assignment.

He assured that the committee will approach its task with openness, inclusiveness, and integrity, listening to all stakeholders, fostering trust, and working towards agreements that promote industrial harmony and strengthen the nation’s tertiary institutions.

He pledged that the committee will not only negotiate but also ensure that the recommendations and agreements reached are practical, realistic, and capable of sustaining long-term peace and productivity within the education sector.

The Federal Government reiterated its unwavering commitment to restoring stability and trust across the tertiary education landscape. Through inclusive dialogue, fair negotiation, and decisive leadership, the Ministry remains resolute in delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-where every student stays in school, every teacher is valued, and every institution thrives in an environment of peace, progress, and shared prosperity, the statement added.

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued an order restraining Comrade Ademola Gbenga, Comrade Okechukwu Nnamene, and others from conducting the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) election slated for October 7, pending the determination of the substantive suit before the court.

Justice J. E. Obanor, in an order dated October 6, 2025, in suit no: FCT/HC/CV/3803/2025 and motion no: M/12204/2025, sighted by our correspondent, directed the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to enforce the court’s order.

The claimants/applicants in the case are the Incorporated Trustees of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, representing the existing leadership of the Council.

The defendants include Comr. Ademola Gbenga, Comr. Okechukwu Nnamene, Comr. Abel Abaji, Comr. Alex Allen Akin, Comr. Hassan Mamman, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Department of State Services.

It would be recalled that the NYCN, during its National Elective Convention held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, from September 20 to 22, re-elected Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo as President alongside other executives.

However, dissatisfied with the Sukubo-led leadership, Gbenga and his allies formed a parallel group and planned to conduct another election in Abuja on October 7.

Consequently, the court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo regarding the leadership of the NYCN, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The order read in part: ‘Upon hearing the motion ex parte and the accompanying affidavit of Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, and listening to P. Ulofu Esq., counsel to the applicants, praying this Honourable Court for the following:

‘An order of interim injunction restraining the respondents (Gbenga and others) or any person(s) acting through them or on their behalf from conducting the scheduled election of the 7th day of October 2025 or taking any further step concerning the subject matter of this suit, respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

‘An order of interim injunction directing the respondents to maintain the status quo with respect to the leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

‘An order directing the 6th (IGP) and 7th (DSS) defendants/respondents to enforce the order of court restraining the 1st to 5th (Gbenga and others) defendants, their privies, agents, or howsoever called, from conducting the scheduled election of the 7th day of October 2025 or taking any further step concerning the subject matter of this suit respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

‘And for such further or other orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this suit and/or application.

‘The court ordered as follows: Application is hereby granted and order made as prayed. Case is adjourned to 16th October 2025 for hearing of motion on notice.’

The United Nations Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism) and the Eko Tourism Foundation (ETF) have announced plans to establish a tourism academy in Lagos, as part of efforts to position the state as Africa’s leading tourism hub.

The decision was reached during a roundtable meeting between both organisations in Lagos. The initiative is aimed at promoting Lagos as a global destination and supporting the realisation of ETF’s objectives, which include showcasing the state’s rich tourism potential.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former Minister of Information and Culture and Chairman of ETF’s Board of Trustees and Governing Council, led the foundation’s delegation to the meeting.

The UN Tourism delegation was headed by its Secretary-General, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, who highlighted Lagos’ strengths as a tourism hub.

He noted that the city’s fashion, music, festivals, gastronomy, and nightlife give it a unique edge, adding that UN Tourism would collaborate with ETF to develop Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) infrastructure in Lagos.

Pololikashvili also accepted an invitation to serve as Patron and honorary member of the Eko Tourism Foundation, in recognition of his contributions to sustainable tourism development worldwide.

In his remarks, Mohammed said the issue of insecurity in Nigeria had been exaggerated, stressing that many tourists who visited recently expressed regret for believing false narratives about the country.

He cited ‘Detty December,’ a popular cultural phenomenon, as evidence of Lagos’ growing global recognition and vibrancy, noting that the city hosts over 20,000 events monthly. This, he said, underscores the need for modern event centres and related facilities to accommodate its dynamic entertainment and creative industries.

Mohammed added that such infrastructure would enable Nigerian music stars like Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid to host major concerts locally, rather than taking such opportunities abroad.

He explained that the Eko Tourism Foundation was established to create an inclusive platform for government and private sector collaboration, promote Destination Lagos, and, by extension, Destination Nigeria, as drivers of sustainable socio-economic development.

Other members of the ETF delegation included Erelu Abiola Dosumu, Dr Tunde Lawrenson, Mr Karl Hala, Ms Abiola Adelana, and Ms Sharon Ashinze. The UN Tourism Secretary-General was accompanied by Elcia Grandcourt, Shirin El Tayan, and Kojo Bentum-Williams.

Justice Azeez Fimisola of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja, on Tuesday struck out a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Magodo Residents Association against the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CSP Abimbola Oyewole, Chief Adebayo Adeyiga, Chief Yusuf Ogundare, and Owokoniran Adeyiga.

The judge made the decision following the continuous absence of the applicants and their refusal to respond to the processes filed by the sixth respondent/applicant, who sought to set aside the service of court papers on the fifth and seventh respondents.

Before the court’s ruling, counsel for the sixth respondent/applicant, Deji Fasusi, had informed the court of the applicants’ persistent absence and failure to respond.

He therefore urged the court to strike out the matter for want of diligent prosecution, noting that the suit was a fundamental rights action requiring prompt pursuit.

Justice Fimisola agreed with the argument and consequently struck out the entire suit, awarding a cost of ?50,000 against the Incorporated Trustees of Magodo Residents Association.

In the Motion on Notice brought pursuant to Order 5 Rule 9 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, the respondent/applicant sought an order setting aside the substituted service granted on April 20, 2022, as it related to the fifth and seventh respondents.

The said service involved pasting court processes at the entrance of the sixth respondent’s residence at No. 1, Mutairu Street, Shangisha, Lagos.

The sixth respondent/applicant argued that he and his family were the sole occupants of the property, and that the fifth and seventh respondents were unknown to him.

He contended that they were neither relatives, associates, nor acquaintances, and thus, his residence could not be considered their last known address.

He further maintained that the substituted service was obtained by misrepresentation of material facts, as the property in question was exclusively his family home and bore no connection to the other respondents.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has flagged off the rehabilitation of the Old Keffi Road, stretching from Kado Village to Dei-Dei in Abuja.

Wike, who disclosed this during the flag-off ceremony on Tuesday, recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, upon assuming office in 2023, approved several emergency road projects across the FCT, including the Saburi 1 and Saburi 2 roads.

He noted that the rehabilitation of the Old Keffi Road was a fulfilment of the promise made to traders and residents during the commissioning of the Saburi roads, adding that the project demonstrates the administration’s resolve to match words with action.

‘Today, to the glory of God, we are here to fulfill that promise made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I made a commitment to the traders and residents that it was not just a promise in words but one that would be fulfilled,’ Wike said.

The minister explained that the 15km road project was awarded to Lubrik Construction Company, the same firm that handled the Saburi roads, due to its proven competence and quality of work.

Commending the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu, for his effective representation, Wike said Maikalangu’s advocacy for projects such as the Old Keffi Road, Ketti-Kabusa, and Kabusa-Takushara roads exemplifies true leadership.

‘That is what representation means – choosing people who know your needs and are committed to pursuing them. A good representative doesn’t talk about themselves but about the needs of their people,’ Wike noted.

Wike further assured residents that the completion of the project would transform the area, improve accessibility, and boost economic activities.

He urged the community to continue supporting President Tinubu’s administration, which, according to him, is redefining governance through action-driven leadership.

The minister also highlighted other ongoing developmental initiatives, including the total rehabilitation of Government Secondary School, Dei-Dei, and the construction of new schools across the FCT.

He cautioned residents against being deceived by political actors who failed to deliver in the past, urging them to recognise the visible progress under the current administration.

‘We gave them a first chance, they failed. We gave them a second chance, they failed again. If we make the mistake of giving them a third chance, they will destroy everything,’ Wike warned.

He disclosed that the FCTA has lined up 27 project flag-offs in the coming days – an unprecedented development in the history of the nation’s capital.

Wike also directed the contractor to engage local youths, men, and women from the host communities for both direct and indirect employment opportunities to ensure they benefit economically from the project.

In her vote of thanks, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, commended President Tinubu for his unwavering support towards infrastructure renewal and for prioritising projects that improve the living conditions of ordinary citizens.

While describing the project as a vital economic link, Dr Mahmoud noted that the rehabilitation of the Old Keffi Road would significantly enhance connectivity, reduce travel time, improve road safety, and stimulate socio-economic growth across the axis.

‘This road is a lifeline that serves thousands of commuters daily, linking communities, reducing travel time, improving road safety, and stimulating socio-economic activities across the axis,’ she stated.

Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has condemned in strong terms the worsening insecurity in Kwara and Kogi states, on account of persistent genocidal attacks by organised terrorists in Kwara and Kogi states.

The group expressed dissatisfaction with the manner the Federal Government had been handling the security situation in the country.

Afenifere gave this stand in a communique issued and signed by its Leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan and National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, at the end of its meeting, which held in Osun State, and attended by delegates from Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.

The group, while condemning what it observed as the government’s non-proactive measures over the continued attacks and killings in Kwara and Kogi states, noted that the clues to the attacks tilted towards an agenda to occupy and enshrine their socio-economic and political ideology in the land.

This was just as it disclosed that reports indicated that the series of attacks on Oke-Ode and other parts of Kwara South that recorded casualties, remained the height of sufferings to which the people of the two states had been persistently subjected.

Afenifere pointedly declared that the Nigerian state had failed in the primary duty of the collective defence of its constituent nationalities and protection of life and property of its citizens as the fundamental essence of its existence, noting that successive governments in the country ‘have been held hostage by this minority invaders obsessed with the belief of the ownership of Nigeria of over 250 million indigenous ethnic nationalities.

‘Afenifere declares that the Nigerian state has failed in the primary duty of the collective defence of its constituent nationalities and protection of life and property of its citizens as the fundamental essence of its existence.

‘As is the case in other parts of the Middle Belt, the marauders have continued to kill and generally make life difficult for the people of Kogi and Kwara states, who can no longer move freely within their territories, and their economy is being strangulated without access to their farms.

‘The unrelenting attacks by the marauding invaders are in pursuit of an agenda orchestrated by elites to conquer and occupy territories of other Nigerian ethnic nationalities as a social, economic and political ideology which must stop,’ the communique said.

‘The overwhelming majority of Kwara State citizens are indigenous Yoruba who speak the language. The people of Kwara South, particularly, have been subjected to permanent attacks, making them desert their homes. The communities include: Ologomo, Ajegunle, Agban, Owode, Alasoro, Alawan, Bankole, Oreke, Ganmu, Babanla, Ayetoro, Budo, Arifowomo, Apata Olosun, Oreke Isale, Sagbe, Olohun Tele, Oke Ode, and Ilu Agunjin.

‘The Yoruba-speaking Kogi West Senatorial District has witnessed no respite in the hands of these terrorists in most parts, which include: Eruku, Okoloke, Okunran, Egbe, Oke-ere, Odo-eri, Ejiba -Idofin, Ife-Olukotun, Itakete-Ide, Isanlu, Otafun, Igbo-ele, Itakete-Ide, Akutupa, Ofere, Odo-Ape, Obajana, Abugi, Ilafin-Isanlu, Ife-Olukotun, Ponyan, Igbo-ele, among others.’

Speaking further, Afenifere condemned in all ramifications what it termed these festivals of killings of Nigerians by organised terrorists, urging the Federal Government to consider it as the greatest assault on the continued corporate existence of the Nigerian state.

The pan-Yoruba group, while making the call, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot continue to prevaricate or be apologetic on the issue of State Police which implementation was being delayed by pretences of national consensus.

The group affirmed that ‘multilateral security architecture is sine qua non in a federation, particularly of entrenched and diverse nationalities like Nigeria, urging that the president should ‘consider that security is at such a state of emergency that urgent steps be taken to introduce state and community policing NOW.’

Besides, Afenifere equally called on every ethnic nationality to rise to the defence of its people by procuring adequate apparatuses for the protection of its members and against invasion of its territory, including a resort to its traditional means of territorial defence.

‘Afenifere called on every ethnic nationality to rise to the defence of its people by procuring apparatuses adequate for the protection of its members and against invasion of its territory, including a resort to its traditional means of territorial defence,’ it urged.

The pan-Yoruba group, however, commended the governments of the South West states on the Amotekun Security Network and urged the governors to take all measures, including procurement of adequate weapons in the defence of the people and not allowing the Yoruba land submit itself for annihilation on the altar of one Nigeria.

On the issue of corruption in public governance, Afenifere observed increasing allegations and published evidence of corruption in government, even to the embarrassment of Nigeria internationally, calling on President Tinubu, ‘on whose table the buck stops,’ to commence a fair and transparent investigation of those allegations to clear the government of allegations and redeem the image of the country.