Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) USA Mega Region 2 is set to take its evangelical outreach to a new level with major church property dedications and deliverance crusades scheduled for North Carolina and Florida in September.

The programmes, which will feature the General Overseer of MFM, Dr D.K. Olukoya, are expected to attract worshippers, Nigerians in the diaspora and other Christian faithful from across the United States.

Principal Regional Overseer of MFM USA Mega Region 2, Pastor Olumide Oni, said the programmes were designed to impact positively on the spiritual lives of Christians in the United States and, in the language of the ministry, ‘depopulate the kingdom of darkness.’

Oni said the crusades would provide an opportunity for people burdened by what he described as satanic yokes to seek deliverance, while many others would encounter what he called ‘the God of uncommon power.’

He said the programmes were open to people of all nationalities, including Nigerians both at home and abroad, particularly those residing in or travelling to the United States during the period.

According to him, the events would also provide an opportunity to rally prayers and support for the continued expansion of the ministry’s evangelistic work in the United States.

The North Carolina Church Property Dedication and the Great North Carolina Deliverance Crusade will hold on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at The Alliance Convention Center, 1214 Turrentine Street, Burlington, North Carolina.

The Florida Church Property Dedication and the Great Florida Deliverance Crusade will follow on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. at the Yuengling Center, Entrance Gates A and C, University of South Florida (USF), 12499 USF Bull Run Drive, Tampa, Florida.

Oni described the two events as significant milestones in the expansion of MFM’s ministry and its evangelistic mission in the United States, urging members and Christian faithful to support the programmes with prayers.

He said the crusades would feature worship, prayers and deliverance ministrations, with participants expected from different parts of the United States and beyond.

The events, he added, underscore the ministry’s continuing commitment to advancing the Gospel and providing spiritual support to people seeking freedom, restoration and a deeper relationship with God.

Former Senator and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ayo Arise, has called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s political parties, warning that democracy cannot thrive when parties seeking to govern the country fail to practise democracy within their own ranks.

Arise made the call at the 2026 Annual Lecture, Awards and Launching of Digital Journalism Tools organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Internal Party Democracy, Good Governance, the Media, and the Future of Nigerian Democracy’, the former lawmaker said the survival of Nigeria’s democracy depended not only on periodic elections but also on what happens between elections, particularly the quality of political parties, governance and the media.

According to him, internal party democracy must guarantee members genuine opportunities to participate in the selection of party officials, candidates and policies.

He warned that the manipulation of party primaries by powerful individuals was undermining democratic development.

Arise identified godfatherism, money politics, weak party institutions, lack of transparency and political defections as some of the major challenges confronting internal democracy in the country.

He argued that political parties should not become personal properties of influential individuals, stressing that politics must create opportunities for competent young people, women and professionals who might lack enormous financial resources but possess the capacity to contribute meaningfully to governance.

On good governance, Arise said democracy would remain largely theoretical if citizens could not feel its impact in their daily lives.

He identified access to quality education, healthcare, security, employment, infrastructure, electricity and affordable food as some of the practical indicators through which citizens judged the success or failure of democratic governance.

The former senator also charged the media to remain independent, professional and courageous in performing its watchdog role.

He urged journalists to continue investigating public affairs, exposing wrongdoing and providing citizens with credible information without fear or favour.

Arise, however, warned of the growing danger of misinformation and political propaganda on social media, urging journalists and citizens to verify information before publishing or sharing it.

‘Freedom of expression does not eliminate the responsibility to tell the truth,’ he said, stressing that an uninformed electorate was vulnerable to manipulation.

Arise said internal party democracy, good governance and a strong media were interconnected pillars of a healthy democracy, adding that credible parties were more likely to produce better candidates while responsible governance would strengthen public trust.

He called on political parties to respect their constitutions, maintain credible membership registers, conduct transparent primaries and create greater opportunities for young people, women and persons with disabilities to participate in politics.

He also urged citizens to reject vote-buying and political violence, participate actively in democratic processes and seek information from credible sources.

The former senator, who was honoured with an Award of Excellence at the event, maintained that despite its shortcomings, democracy remained Nigeria’s most viable system of government because it provided room for adjustment, improvement and constant vigilance by citizens and the media.

He said the future of Nigerian democracy would ultimately depend on whether political parties could respect their members, governments could respond to citizens, institutions could uphold the rule of law and the media could perform its responsibilities independently.

‘Democracy does not promise perfection, but it is surely a system that gives room to adjustments, improvements and eternal vigilance from citizens and the media,’ Arise said.

Arise acknowledged the hardship being experienced by Nigerians but said there were positive economic indices suggesting that the country was moving in the right direction, citing the declining inflation rate and growing confidence in the economy.

‘Despite the hardship Nigerians are experiencing, there are positive indices showing that the economy is on a positive trajectory. Inflation is coming down and Nigeria is gradually regaining the confidence of the international community.

‘President Bola Tinubu has fulfilled about 95 per cent of his campaign promises and deserves another four years term to consolidate on these achievements for the overall benefit of Nigerians’, he added

The Chairman of the Ekiti State NUJ, Kayode Babatuyi, commended Arise for accepting the invitation to speak at the event, describing his tenure as a significant period in the development of legislative activities in the state.

He said Arise had continued to support media practitioners after leaving political office, noting that his contributions to journalism had extended beyond his tenure in the Senate.

Babatuyi called on governments at all levels and private organisations to improve journalists’ remuneration, welfare and access to working tools, stressing that adequate support was necessary for media practitioners to effectively discharge their responsibilities to society.

On his part, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Raphael Ogbonnaiye, said the event provided an avenue to examine issues affecting society and discuss possible solutions.

Ogbonnaiye also called for greater support for journalists, stressing that access to adequate resources and improved working conditions would enable media practitioners to discharge their responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to addressing societal challenges.

The Planter of the Christ Apostolic Church Adamimogo, Grace of Mercy Prayer Mountain Worldwide, Prophet Sam Olu-Alo, reaffirmed his support for journalists, describing the media as an indispensable partner in the development of society.

Olu-Alo, who is the Patron of the Chapel, said his association with the chapel had been anchored on his appreciation of the sacrifices journalists make in informing the public, holding leaders accountable and giving voice to issues affecting society.

The founder of Adamimogo FM, represented by Deji Ogunbusuyi, said he had consistently identified with the Correspondents’ Chapel and supported journalists in their professional and personal growth.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Yinka Oyebode, lauded members of the Correspondents’ Chapel for their support for the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in projecting the activities of the government positively to the public.

Represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media (Print), Odunayo Ogunmola, the governor’s spokesman reiterated the administration’s commitment to press freedom and the provision of an enabling environment for media practitioners to thrive in the state.

Troops of the COAS Special Intervention Battalion 7, Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have dislodged terrorists from their hideouts in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, recovering a PKT machine gun, AK-47 rifles, ammunition and motorcycles.

The operation, according to a statement issued on Sunday, was carried out as part of sustained military offensives aimed at clearing terrorist enclaves across the North-West.

The troops reportedly moved through suspected terrorist strongholds around Manu, Alkasim and Kandam villages before advancing towards the Magarya forest.

The statement said the troops encountered the terrorists in the forest, where they engaged them with superior firepower.

‘Upon making contact with the terrorists within the Magarya forest enclave, troops engaged the terrorist elements with superior firepower, forcing them to abandon their positions and flee into the deep forest,’ the statement said.

Following the encounter, the troops conducted a follow-up operation and searched the surrounding areas, recovering one PKT machine gun, AK-47 rifles and a large quantity of 7.62 x 54mm belted ammunition.

Several motorcycles and other logistical and miscellaneous items were also recovered during the operation.

The military said the operation had disrupted the terrorists’ activities in the area, while troops remained deployed to prevent them from regrouping.

It added that the troops were maintaining a strong operational presence and continued to dominate the area ‘to ensure the total security of surrounding communities.’

The Gethsemane Prayer Ministries International (GPMI) is set to host the 33rd edition of its annual International Prayer Academy (IPA), a six-day programme aimed at deepening believers’ understanding of prayer and equipping them with biblical insights for overcoming life’s challenges.

The 2026 edition, with the theme, ‘Prayer Insights to Move From Frustration to Jubilation,’ will hold from September 14 to19, at the Gethsemane World Prayer Center, Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo State, while it will culminate in a thanksgiving service on September 20.

The opening ceremony will hold by 5 p.m. on September 14 as the president of the Prayer School and General Overseer of GPMI, Reverend (Dr) Moses Olanrewaju Aransiola, expected to declare the programme open.

The academy is expected to attract prayer ministers, church leaders, Christian workers, intercessors, prayer teachers and other believers from across Nigeria.

Speaking on the theme, Aransiola said the focus was not merely on teaching participants how to pray but on helping them understand the principles and dimensions of effective prayer.

He said prayer remained a fundamental means through which Christians communicate with God, seek divine direction, overcome challenges and strengthen their relationship with Him.

According to him, the 2026 Academy was designed to provide deeper insights into effective prayer and equip believers to navigate seasons of uncertainty, disappointment, delay and adversity with renewed faith, hope and thanksgiving.

Among the ministers billed to speak at the academy are Apostle Emmanuel Kure, Apostle Leke Sanusi, Pastor Kayode Pitan, Bishop Theodore Effiong and Apostle (Dr) Seth Akhilele.

The programme will feature teaching sessions, intensive prayers, spiritual impartation and other activities designed to strengthen participants in their Christian walk and prayer lives.

Also speaking, the Director of the Prayer School, Pastor Bayo Owoseni, urged participants to take full advantage of the 33rd edition to deepen their understanding and practice of prayer.

‘I want to encourage our participants in the 2026 International Prayer Academy to seize the opportunity of the 33rd edition to acquire prayer insights to move from frustration to jubilation,’ Owoseni said.

The International Prayer Academy, which has over the years served as a platform for prayer training and spiritual development, is also committed to raising prayer leaders and teachers within the Nigerian Christian community and beyond.

As believers converge on the Gethsemane World Prayer Center from September 14, the Academy is expected to provide an avenue for spiritual renewal, fellowship and practical prayer training, with the theme pointing participants towards a journey from adversity to hope and ultimately from frustration to jubilation.

One of the easiest mistakes in political communication is to begin a politician’s story from the day he receives an appointment.

It creates an obvious credibility problem. Suddenly, every previous action is repackaged as evidence that the individual was always destined for the new responsibility.

The stronger case is chronology. In the case of Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, that chronology is particularly relevant to his appointment as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign.

Months before the Presidential Campaign Council was announced, Yari had already publicly associated himself with political mobilisation for Tinubu.

In March 2026, reports announced the establishment of the Renewed Hope Network, a political movement associated with Yari and designed to mobilise support across different constituencies for the administration and the President’s re-election project.

According to reports at the time, the organisation emerged following consultations with political stakeholders, youth organisations, women’s groups, grassroots leaders and former elected officials across the country.

Later that month, the Yari-backed organisation mobilised supporters around the APC national convention in Abuja.

These developments occurred well before August 22, when Yari was formally announced as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

That sequence matters. It provides a factual basis for discussing continuity rather than manufacturing retrospective loyalty after an appointment.

Politics inevitably generates friendships of convenience. Individuals who had displayed little interest in a political project can suddenly discover extraordinary enthusiasm once appointments become available.

Consequently, one useful measure of political commitment is what happened before there was an office to occupy.

This does not mean loyalty should replace competence as the defining consideration for an important campaign position. Indeed, unquestioning loyalty without organisational ability can become a liability.

But the combination of prior political identification and relevant organisational experience is legitimately worthy of examination.

Yari’s own position is particularly interesting because he is not coming into the campaign organisation exclusively as a presidential loyalist.

His political CV predates the Tinubu presidency by many years. He has been a party administrator, federal legislator, two-term governor, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and senator.

The significance of his pre-appointment mobilisation, therefore, lies in how it intersects with this longer political experience. Campaigns require trust because substantial political authority must be delegated.

A director-general will interact with governors, senators, ministers, party leaders, regional coordinators and support organisations, often taking decisions or resolving disagreements without the presidential candidate being personally involved.

The candidate must consequently have confidence not only in the DG’s competence but also in his commitment to the political enterprise. This is where the chronology of Yari’s recent political activities becomes important.

His association with the Renewed Hope mobilisation effort offers documentary material for a credential-based examination of that relationship.

Rather than repeatedly proclaim that Yari is ‘loyal’, a credible communication strategy should simply put the timeline before the public.

Dates are more persuasive than adjectives. Photographs are stronger than slogans. Contemporaneous newspaper reports carry more credibility than retrospective testimonies.

Statements made before an appointment are usually more useful than extravagant declarations made afterwards. That should be the governing philosophy in documenting this aspect of Yari’s political story.

Nigeria already has enough personality cults. What serious political communication requires is an accessible record from which citizens can draw their own conclusions.

The case for documenting Yari’s relationship with the Tinubu political project should therefore not be built around emotional declarations of devotion.

It should rest on evidence of what he supported, when he supported it, the organisations he established or backed, the engagements he undertook and the political resources he committed.

In political communication, chronology can be a formidable witness. And in Yari’s case, the chronology began speaking before the appointment arrived.

Dolly Parton was just simply a singer, a country musician; she was a force of nature that held her own niche against the most formidable of stars. At 80, she had lived a most meaningful and significant life. And that significance will be measured in the imprint her life, and most importantly her music, have left in the lives of millions all across the world. She was not a musician that was constrained by the limitation of country music, compared to, say, hip-hop or rap in the American music scene. Dolly Parton had a space of influence that reached far and wide.

The root of country music provides the beginning reflection about the depth of connection anyone could have with a country musician and the contents of her songs. With many traditional elements ranging from American folk music and African-American spirituals, to Irish gospel music and vaquero western music, country music combined critical components that make it a unique genre all by itself. It is a genre that is well-suited to the elevation of family values which Dolly Parton benefitted from. She grew up within a family that took music seriously as both a valuable and spiritual endeavour. She grew up singing folk songs that carry the burdens of family and communal aspirations and virtues, as well as the reckoning of what life means and brings. And yet, she had to make a decision to stay grounded in country music that does not appeal to the vast majority of people the same way other genres do. And yet, Parton not only stayed with that genre, but also revolutionised how people will take her own brand of country music.

That brand had to undermine not just the baggage of racism that country music was initially made for. It also had to challenge the thematic trope of love and the patriarchal perception of women that the male-dominated genre was working with. Dolly Parton changed all that. From her first album, Hello, I’m Dolly to ‘Jolene,’ Parton began to systematically design her own understanding of country music that would make her one of its biggest stars. Indeed, she became so successful that millions who did not like country music love Dolly Parton’s version of it. And this is in no small measure due to her dogged commitment to deepening the scope and nuances of the thematic issues that characterise country music. She consistently reconfigured the image of the woman as exemplified in one of her evergreens, ‘Just Because I’m a Woman.’ With ‘Jolene,’ one of Dolly Parton’s most memorable songs, we come face to face not only with Parton’s creativity and humour, but also her ability to turn normal feeling-of joy, jealousy, envy, fear and anxiety-into universal concerns that everyone listens to in song and can relate with. There was actually a red-haired bank teller who became interested in Dolly Parton’s husband, but her name was not Jolene. That name belonged to an eight-year-old red-haired girl who asked for Parton’s autograph. The combination of the girl’s name, the bank teller flirting with her husband, and the similarity in red hair gave birth to one powerful song that many women-and men-could understand as not just an uncommon experience in love affairs but as an emotional burden that must be endured.

I arrived at Dolly Parton from a deep connection with her lyrical narration of faith, family, country life, love and root. I had reasons to relate with memorable hit tracks like ‘The Seeker,’ ‘Sacred Memories,’ ‘Don’t Make Me Have to Come Down There,’ ‘Hello God,’ ‘In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad),’ ‘Poor Folks’ Town,’ ‘9 to 5,’ ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ ‘Jolene,’ and more. My favourites are definitely ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ ‘Hello God,’ ‘Sacred Memories,’ and her many ballads to love and loving. These were songs that resonate with my own trajectory of coming of age in a small town like Aáwé and my abiding connection with it; my sense of the deep awareness of my parents raising us as children; their determination to give us the best education rooted in values despite their grounding poverty, and my own attempts to understand the emotion of love, and more. There is also the rhythmic angle that Dolly Parton added to my search for the mystery of God and the Christian faith.

From her music, her background, her faith and other trajectories of living, Dolly Parton demonstrated the struggles of a woman who would make something tangible out of her life and become a success against all the odds that life could put on her path. From the context of crippling poverty and a lowly family upbringing in Tennessee, Parton began life with a deficit. Music could have become not just a measure of temporary joy but the framework for future aspirations that has God as a constant source of hope. Poverty and destitution would inevitably not be too significant a challenge to override her dignity and capacity to keep surging forward.

When I first heard ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ I had a moment of instant connection with Dolly Parton’s poor background and the deep philosophical essence of the track. Wealth, joy and worth are not what we often think them to be, says the song. The worth of that coat, for Parton, derives from the care, affection and love with which her mother weaves and lightens an old rag with many colours. Wealth is not due to the economic scale that society places on material possessions and the validation that comes with it; rather, for her, it derives from the state of one’s spirit, and the choice one has to make about one’s state and status in life: ‘One is only poor if they choose to be.’ And with this core message, it does not matter anymore whether her friends at school made fun of her or created a framework of social exclusion. It was sufficient for her that her mother sewed the rags of many colours into a suitable garment with love and devotion.

The universal theme of marginalisation is one I found relatable, especially growing up as I did in a small town and not having the best that the world and one’s parents could possibly want to offer. With the track titled ‘My Tennessee Mountain Home,’ it feels like I could swap childhood stories of a humble beginning with Dolly Parton. My homes at Okeho and Aáwé were both similar to her family’s small cabin apartment in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Her humble beginning mirrors my own postcolonial upbringing in a town that suffered huge infrastructural deficits with reliable electricity, modern highway, good water system and other significant elements that could have made the growing up of a child memorable in a different way. And yet, that growing up for me, and for her, was as memorable as what an idyllic country environment could afford in terms of peace, pure joy and an environment to develop mental, physical, spiritual and cultural characteristics without the ills of urbanisation and modernity.

I suspect that Dolly Parton’s sense of the divine emerged from her rural coming of age. ‘Sacred Memories’ and ‘Letter to Heaven’ are just two of some of Parton’s memorable articulations of her awareness of divine influence and direction. The beauty of this awareness, expressed in ‘The Seeker,’ is her ability to find the divine in a spiritual commitment to self, family and community. Dolly Parton’s understanding of the divine and the spiritual finds resonance in her commitment to her roots and the philosophical insights that such a commitment brings. You will look in vain for any hard theology about faith, heaven, hell, sacrament, etc. that clutter the mind. Sacredness is not a function of organised religious and institutional dogmas. On the contrary, it comes from a life imbued with humaneness, empathy, compassion and communal spirit of oneness and service. In other words, Parton’s spiritual songs connect to a secular vision of the relationship between an individual and the community that enables us to see how her religious upbringing allowed her to grow her own understanding of what it means to be a spiritual being growing up within a family and communal setting where love, devotion, dignity and commitment constitute the hallmark of the manifestation of God’s presence and move.

In Dolly Parton’s corpus of singles and albums that spans over six decades, we have been blessed with a songwriter-or more precisely a songteller, to copy the title of her autobiography-whose songs and tracks chart several ‘simple little songs’ that tell simple stories about the life, death, joy, emotions, family, religion, God, love and other crucial events and incidences in the everyday life of humans. With the guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins and a great voice and charismatic personality, Dolly Parton turned songs into stories and spoke to the challenges, aspirations and experiences of millions of people across continents. She challenged us all to live simply, spiritually and with a deep sense of our commitment to parents and community. This, for me, constitutes her truest legacy, beyond the millions of copies that her many songs and albums sold over the decades she was active in music. She did not only cling to country music in defiance of its rejection, she forces us into an intimate consciousness of its capacity to force us to reflect about life, about death and about the afterlife. Rest well, dear Dolly.

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) neutralised 152 terrorists, arrested 142 suspects and recorded the surrender of 219 terrorists during operations across the North-East in August.

The Acting Information Officer of the North-East Theatre Command, Capt. Goni Isa, disclosed this in an operational update on the activities of the command during the month.

Isa said the operations, which involved ground offensives, intelligence-led actions and air operations, targeted Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram elements across the theatre.

He explained that the troops conducted 10 air interdictions and neutralised nine improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during the period.

According to him, 58 weapons and explosive items were recovered, including AK-47 and AK-49 rifles, locally fabricated firearms, a hand grenade and an RPG bomb.

Isa said the troops also recovered 1,184 rounds of ammunition, 16 mobility assets, 44 mobile phones, a Sony video camcorder and N1,794,910 in cash.

He said the operations disrupted the movement and logistics of terrorist elements across the theatre.

Isa added that the surrender of 219 terrorists provided security agencies with information on the activities, movements and logistics of the insurgent groups.

He said the recovery of weapons, ammunition and other items would support efforts to disrupt terrorist supply networks and identify collaborators.

According to him, the neutralisation of nine IEDs also reduced the threat posed to troops and civilians using major routes and rural pathways.

The operations are part of the military’s ongoing campaign against ISWAP and Boko Haram in the North-East.

As political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it will not be pressured into inaugurating a presidential campaign council simply because other parties have already done so.

The party said it had the sole discretion to determine when and how to organise its campaign structure, insisting that it would not copy the approach adopted by other political parties.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, stated this in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune amid growing activities by parties ahead of the 2027 polls.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) opened the window for campaign activities about three weeks ago, but the PDP is yet to announce a formal presidential campaign council or unveil its campaign programme.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), whose presidential candidate is President Bola Tinubu, has already unveiled its campaign council, while the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), which has Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, commenced campaign activities weeks ago, although an elaborate campaign council has yet to be announced.

Explaining the PDP’s position, Mohammed said the party would take decisions based on its own assessment and timing rather than respond to the activities of other political parties.

‘The PDP does not take decisions simply because of what people think or say. We make decisions when it is right for us to do so and, more importantly, when the time is right.

‘It is not about how early we act, but about how well we act and the outcome we achieve,’ he said.

Mohammed added that the party would communicate its plans to Nigerians at the appropriate time.

‘At the appropriate time, we shall speak to Nigerians,’ he added.

The PDP’s position comes amid uncertainty over its direction ahead of the election, particularly following the decision of the party’s national leader and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.

There are also questions surrounding the future of the party’s presidential candidate, Senator Sandy Ojang Onor, with sources claiming that the National Working Committee, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, is awaiting further directives from the party’s leadership.

A source within the party told the newspaper that little progress had been made on the campaign because of the ongoing political calculations involving Wike.

‘I think the party is waiting for that critical moment for things to be sorted out.

‘It may be that the PDP will downplay its own presidential interest, while fully backing Tinubu, but will contest all other offices; governors, National Assembly and so on,’ the source said.

APM begins campaign Monday

Meanwhile, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has announced the formal commencement of its 2027 presidential campaign, with its candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, scheduled to inaugurate the party’s presidential campaign office in Abuja on Monday (today).

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, disclosed this, saying the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Office would serve as the national coordinating hub for the campaign.

Yusuf said the campaign would be issue-based and people-driven, with emphasis on Makinde’s policy choices and record in governance.

Makinde is contesting the presidency alongside Alhaji Lawan Daura, the party’s vice-presidential candidate.

‘The Makinde/Daura campaign will focus on solutions while presenting the candidate’s policy choices and proven record of governance to the electorate,’ Yusuf said.

He said the APM was commencing its campaign with ‘confidence, humility and an unwavering commitment’ to provide Nigerians with what he described as a credible alternative capable of restoring hope, security, prosperity and national pride.

According to him, the emergence of Makinde and Daura as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates had triggered increased membership and support for the APM.

Yusuf attributed the development to what he described as growing confidence in the candidates’ records of integrity and public service.

He described Makinde’s candidacy as a combination of ‘competence, youthful energy, administrative experience and broad public acceptance’ required to build a safer, prosperous, united and functional Nigeria.

The APM spokesman said Makinde had also embarked on consultations with political leaders, stakeholders and communities across the country ahead of the campaign.

He said the consultations were aimed at understanding the concerns and aspirations of Nigerians and developing a comprehensive national agenda to address the country’s challenges.

Yusuf added that the party would soon unveil a policy blueprint containing practical and measurable solutions to the problems confronting Nigerians and outlining Makinde’s vision for the country.

LP adopts ‘lethal’ campaign strategy

In the Labour Party (LP), preparations are also underway for the unveiling of its presidential campaign council, although the exact date for the launch was not immediately known.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, confirmed that preparations were ongoing and that the party would soon commence its campaign.

Asogwa said the LP would adopt a conservative but ‘lethal’ campaign strategy aimed at securing victory in the 2027 elections.

‘This campaign model will be unveiled alongside the campaign council when the fine details in the organogram are conclusively sorted,’ he told the Nigerian Tribune.

National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has cancelled the operating licence of NICON Insurance Limited and appointed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chukwuma Machukwu Ume, as Receiver/Provisional Liquidator of the company.

The regulatory action involves the cancellation of the company’s Certificate of Registration, RIC-049, following its failure to meet prescribed regulatory requirements.

The Receiver/Provisional Liquidator has subsequently issued a public notice directing policyholders, creditors, business partners, as well as the Federal, state and FCT governments and land registries to channel all matters relating to the affairs, assets and business of NICON Insurance Limited (In-Liquidation) to his office.

The notice also warned that transactions, contracts, commitments or other dealings purportedly undertaken on behalf of NICON Insurance Limited (In-Liquidation) would not be recognised or honoured without the ratification of the Receiver/Liquidator.

The development effectively transfers control of the company’s affairs to the appointed Receiver/Provisional Liquidator, who is expected to secure its assets and records, establish its liabilities and oversee the winding-up of its operations in accordance with applicable laws.

NAICOM’s action is linked to the enforcement of the new capital requirements introduced under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.

The commission had directed insurance operators to meet the revised minimum capital requirements within the stipulated recapitalisation period.

NICON Insurance was among the operators that failed to satisfy the prescribed requirements within the regulatory deadline, leading to the cancellation of its licence.

With the appointment of the Receiver/Provisional Liquidator, the next stage will involve taking control of the company’s assets and records, determining legitimate liabilities and ensuring that the winding-up process is conducted in an orderly manner.

The Receiver is also expected to liaise with NAICOM on matters arising from the liquidation and submit periodic reports on the progress of the process.

The liquidation exercise is expected to focus on protecting the interests of policyholders, creditors and other stakeholders, particularly through the verification and settlement of legitimate claims and liabilities.

The appointment of a Receiver/Provisional Liquidator constitutes a significant regulatory intervention, as it removes the affected company’s affairs from normal management and places them under the control of an officer mandated to preserve and realise its assets for the settlement of lawful obligations.

The move is also intended to prevent unauthorised dealings in the company’s assets and ensure that transactions carried out during the liquidation process are properly controlled.

NAICOM has maintained that enforcement of the recapitalisation requirements is aimed at strengthening the financial capacity of the insurance industry and ensuring that only adequately capitalised operators remain in business.

The commission recently announced that 43 insurance and reinsurance companies had successfully met the new minimum capital requirements at the end of the recapitalisation exercise.

The cancellation of NICON Insurance’s licence therefore marks the commencement of the formal process of winding up the company’s affairs, subject to applicable legal and regulatory procedures.

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has said one of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s most consequential contributions to Nigeria was his determination to keep the country’s political space open.

Sani recalled that the late pro-democracy activist spearheaded the legal battle against stringent conditions introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political associations seeking registration as political parties.

The governor stated this on Saturday in Kaduna at the public presentation of a book titled, Gani Fawehinmi And Uba Sani, A Tale Of Mentor And Mentee.

He recalled that many human rights and pro-democracy activists became deeply disillusioned with the democratic process at the time, but Fawehinmi refused to allow frustration to turn into despair.

”At a serious meeting, we told Chief Fawehinmi, our leader, that we were beginning to lose faith in democracy. But he would not permit frustration to become despair.

” He told us to have faith in the judiciary, faith in the rule of law and faith in democracy itself. Rather than abandon the democratic process, we would use the democratic process to defend democracy,” he argued.

According to Sani, Fawehinmi and Alhaji Balarabe Musa subsequently approached the court, with the legal battle lasting more than two years before the Court of Appeal delivered judgment.

”I recall that the ruling was delivered by Justice Dahiru Mustapha in 2002. INEC appealed to the Supreme Court, but in January 2003, the Supreme Court again ruled in our favour,” he added.

The governor said the court victory had far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s political development.

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State pointed out that the verdict ”opened the political space in Nigeria and paved the way for the emergence of more political parties.”

He urged Nigerians to remember the contributions of those who fought for political plurality and citizens’ right to organise politically.

”Therefore, whenever we celebrate political plurality in Nigeria, whenever new parties emerge and whenever citizens exercise their rights to organise politically, we should remember those who fought to make that space possible.

”Many of those proudly identifying with all sorts of political platforms today, may not know that the freedom they exercise was secured through difficult struggles by people like Chief Gani Fawehinmi. Democracy has a history, and every freedom has a cost,” he said.

Sani advised activists, politicians across different parties and academics to periodically come together to honour those who fought and made sacrifices for democracy in Nigeria.

He described Fawehinmi as more than a fighter for political freedom, saying the late activist was ”a profoundly committed pan-Nigerian who believed that the greatness of Nigeria depended on the development of every part of the country.”

According to him, Fawehinmi also believed in ”the empowerment of every citizen, regardless of region, ethnicity, religion or social standing.”

The governor said education was another of Fawehinmi’s deepest convictions, which informed the establishment of the Gani Fawehinmi Scholarship Foundation, where he was entrusted with the responsibility of serving as Northern Coordinator.

”I persuaded him to institute a major scholarship programme for brilliant but indigent university students in Northern Nigeria because educational deprivation was particularly severe in our region at the time,” he added.

Sani disclosed that the scholarship programme awarded assistance to more than 1,000 indigent students across Northern Nigeria.

He recalled that officials travelled across universities in the region to identify deserving beneficiaries.

”Many of those beneficiaries have since become medical doctors, lawyers, academics, engineers and professionals who are contributing meaningfully to national development,” he said.