Category: PM News

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Federal Government of attempting to cover up yet another scandal following the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.

Nnaji stepped down on Tuesday after a Premium Times investigation alleged that he submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to the Senate during his ministerial screening in 2023. Both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps reportedly disowned the documents.

Reacting in a post on X on Wednesday, Atiku described the resignation as an ‘attempt to whitewash a national disgrace,’ saying Nnaji should have been dismissed and prosecuted instead of being allowed to ‘quietly exit through the backdoor.’

He wrote, ‘The resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has once again exposed the deep moral crisis in this government. What should be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a voluntary resignation-an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this administration.

‘Let the truth be told: Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification. By permitting him to quietly exit through the backdoor, the government has again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.’

Atiku also criticised the Department of State Services (DSS), saying it cleared Nnaji despite glaring discrepancies in his credentials, while it had previously screened out former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai over ‘security concerns.’

‘What makes this even more embarrassing,’ he added, ‘is that the same DSS which screened out El-Rufai is the very agency that cleared Uche Nnaji.’

The PDP chieftain linked the controversy to what he called a ‘pattern of deceit that begins from the very top,’ referencing past controversies surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic and identity records.

Atiku further called for an independent probe into the credentials of all Federal Executive Council members, including the President, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those in power.

‘Until this cleansing is done,’ he said, ‘Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin, and global embarrassment.’

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by four more days.

The extension, announced after the Commission’s Third Quarterly Meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja, pushes the exercise deadline from Wednesday, October 8, to Sunday, October 12, 2025.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, the decision followed a review of field reports showing impressive turnout and improved participation across the six Area Councils.

‘As of 7th October 2025, a total of 55,346 new voter registrations had been recorded in the FCT, comprising 38,528 online pre-registrations and 16,818 completed physical registrations,’ the statement read.

Eta-Messi described the turnout as ‘a reflection of growing civic awareness and the impact of bringing voter registration closer to the grassroots.’

She reaffirmed that the online pre-registration portal remains suspended in the FCT, urging pre-registered voters to complete their process in person at designated centres in line with the Electoral Act 2022.

INEC also warned against multiple registrations, describing it as a punishable offence under the law.

The electoral umpire encouraged eligible residents yet to register or those seeking to transfer their registration within or into the FCT to take advantage of the extended timeline.

The list and addresses of all registration centres, according to the Commission, remain available on its website and social media platforms.

Meanwhile, campaigns have kicked off ahead of the FCT Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

A total of 68 elective positions, six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats will be contested across Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abaji councils.

Seventeen political parties are fielding candidates, following the final list published by INEC last month.

The Senate on Wednesday swore in two newly elected senators, Joseph Ikpea and Emmanuel Nwachukwu, representing Edo Central and Anambra South senatorial districts, respectively.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio presided over the ceremony while the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Ojo, administered the oath of office and allegiance to the new lawmakers.

The swearing in follows recent by elections conducted to fill two vacant Senate seats, one previously held by Monday Okpebholo, now Governor of Edoe and the other by the late Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah, who died in July 2024.

Akpabio in his remarks congratulated the new senators and reminded that they have been called for national duty.

Akpabio urged them to focus their representation on the generality of Nigerians and not their political parties.

He urged them to imbibe the contents of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended and the senate standing rules to be acquainted with the workings of the senate.

Nwachukwu polled 90,408 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Azuka Okwuosa, of the All Progressives Congress, who scored 19,847 votes.

Sen. Ikpea of All Progressives on his part was declared winner of Saturday’s by-election for the Edo Central Senatorial District in Edo.

He polled 105,129 votes to defeat his closest rival, Joe Okojie of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), who scored 15,146 votes.

The Kogi State Government has set a target of reaching nearly two million children aged between 9 months to 14 years in its current campaign against two highly infectious and deadly diseases, measles, and polio.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director, Kogi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, KSPHCDA, Dr. Muazu Musa Omeiza at the flagoff of the campaign in Lokoja, the state capital on Tuesday.

Omeiza noted that the indepth campaign against Measles Rubella (MR), including novel Oral Polio Virus (nOPV), Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination, and Routine Immunization (RI) is specifically targeted at One Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy -one (1,988,371) children.

The campaign runs from the 6th to the 15th of October and enjoys support from the United Nations Children Emerhency Fund, UNICEF. The exercise is tailored towards providing access and increasing vaccine availability and use by children. It is also a major step to the protection of young girls against cervical cancer through the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

While inaugurating the campaign in the office of the KSPHCDA at Old Market, Lokoja, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo commended the development partners and urged traditional and religious leaders not to relent in mobilising women and children to participate in the program.

He pledged his administration’s commitment to health care delivery.

‘Routine immunisation is a powerful tool to end avoidable ailments and to preserve our state. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every child is reached.’

The representative of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Ishola Abdulrazaq, in a goodwill message, praised Kogi State for achieving 100 per cent coverage in previous immunization rounds. He called for the recruitment of more hands in the health sector.

There was excitement on the faces of nursing mothers and guardians whose wards were beneficiaries of the scheme.

Researchers at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) have found that while most herbal medicines sold in Nigeria are safe to use, they are not effective in treating diseases.

This was revealed during a media briefing by the Centre for Research in Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIMR. The Deputy Director of Research in Biochemistry and Nutrition, Dr. Oluwagbemiga Olanrewaju Aina, said that although the herbal products tested were not harmful, none of them proved to work for the illnesses they claimed to cure.

‘All the 46 herbal products we tested over the past six years were safe in animal studies, but none showed real medical benefits,’ Aina said.

Since 2019, the Centre has tested herbal products used for pain relief, malaria, COVID-19, cancer, and arthritis. Some of the products tested included Kampe Bitters, Divine Herbal Eye Medicine, and Yusram Colon Cleanser. They were found to be safe when used in normal amounts.

Other well-known products, such as Madagascar’s COVID Organics Herbal Tea and Vernonia Antiviral Herb, were also tested and found to cause no harm when used repeatedly.

‘Just because a product doesn’t hurt you doesn’t mean it works,’ Aina warned. ‘Many herbal sellers make false claims or even mix their products with regular drugs.’

He explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre also tested several herbal and drug treatments, including Virucidine and Ivermectin. None of these showed better results than normal medical treatments.

Aina urged herbal medicine producers to prove scientifically that their products actually work, not just that they are safe. He called for more funding, better laboratory equipment, and standard research facilities.

‘We want herbal medicine makers to identify the active ingredients in their products and show how they work. A safe drug that doesn’t cure anything is still a public health issue,’ he said.

He also advised Nigerians to be careful about what they consume. ‘People should not believe every claim made about herbal medicine. Science must support tradition with evidence,’ he added.

Over the past six years, the Centre has studied 46 herbal products, trained hundreds of students and researchers, and worked with universities in Nigeria and abroad. However, Aina said the Centre still faces problems like poor funding, lack of modern labs, and the growing challenge of drug resistance.

He concluded that traditional medicine remains important in African culture, but scientific testing is necessary to make sure the remedies are not only safe but also effective.

‘Herbal medicine has a place in our health system but it must be backed by evidence,’ he said.

The Benin Traditional Council has emphasized that the concept of ‘Iyaloja’ in market leadership is alien to Benin culture’.

The Council said this while issuing a stern warning against the politicisation of market leadership in a statement signed by Mr Frank Irabor, Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council, and five other top chiefs of Benin Traditional Council on Wednesday.

Recall that there have been controversies over the plan by Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, Iyaloja General of Nigeria to install Iyaloja -General of Edo State.

Oba of Benin, Ewuare II had during recent visit to his palace by Tinubu-Ojo and some leaders of market women in Edo warned against the plan to install Iyaloja-General in Edo as he noted that the concept is strange to the culture of the people of the state.

The Benin Traditional Council affirmed the assertion of the Oba of Benin in its statement on Wednesday.

It also also expressed disapproval of the use of trade associations to run open markets and engage in partisan politics, describing these practices as inimical to the essence of Benin market tradition.

Breach of peace

The BTC said that contrary to the plan of the President’s daughter, the Iyeki, a traditional market leader in Benin culture, emerges among market women and is chosen by them.

The Iyeki is then brought to the palace for confirmation and installation.

The palace emphasised that every Iyeki is independent and has a direct functional relationship with the Palace.

The statement read, ‘We strongly advise that the function of Iyeki should not be politicised.

‘Any deviation from this age-old cultural system may lead to a breach of peace.’

The palace noted that it had observed the markets becoming a tool for partisan politicians and unscrupulous individuals, and appealed to market women and politicians to eschew dragging the sanctity of the Oba’s name into partisan politics.

The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, explained the authentic role of Iyeki in Benin culture, stating that every Iyeki has a spiritual function she performs for the Palace and for the well-being of the market.

The palace emphasised that there was no honorary Iyeki title in Benin culture and that every Iyeki was culturally, spiritually, and religiously tied to the Palace.

The palace also summoned all Iyekis of every market to appear before it for further clarifications, scheduled for Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 12 noon.

The Palace reiterated its support for the state government’s administration and commended the governor and the president for their work, appealing to them not to allow market women politics to distract them from their divine work.

President Bola Tinubu has called on local and foreign investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s growing economy, declaring that there is ‘no better time to invest in Nigeria than now.’

Speaking at the maiden Bauchi Investment Summit on Wednesday, themed ‘Revealing a Resilient Economy: Optimising Investment Partnerships,’ the president, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria’s external reserves have risen to $43 billion as of September 2025, reflecting renewed investor confidence and stronger economic fundamentals.

Tinubu stated that his administration had worked to reduce the nation’s debt service-to-revenue ratio from 100% to below 50%, while the GDP growth rate climbed to 4.23% and oil revenues rose by 411% in the last quarter.

‘We came to office promising to turn around the fortunes of the country. Today, we are pleased to share that our reforms are yielding results. I assure investors that there is no better time to join Nigeria than now,’ the president said.

He emphasized that Bauchi State, with its vast arable land and natural resources, has the potential to drive climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and tourism development, all of which align with the Federal Government’s vision for sustainable economic growth.

Tinubu encouraged investors to partner with state governments and relevant federal ministries, departments, and agencies to explore public-private opportunities.

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, host of the summit, pledged to ensure a safe and conducive environment for investors.

‘We will make you and your investment safer than us. Every local government in Bauchi will soon have access to affordable solar-driven water systems,’ he said.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who was also in attendance, urged Nigerian leaders to strengthen good governance and ensure that the outcomes of such summits translate into real development across the northern region and the nation.

Anambra governor, Chukwuma Soludo said resuscitation of public school system in the state has yielded remarkable results in literacy, numeracy and school enrolment.

Soludo made the assertion at the 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebration and endorsement march organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Tuesday, in Awka.

The World Teachers Day is held annually on Oct. 5, and the theme for this year’s commemoration is – ‘Together for Teachers, Together for Tomorrow ‘.

‘Literacy and numeracy levels in public schools have increased by over 40 per cent, while public school enrolment have risen by over 45 per cent since the state resuscitated its public school system.

‘Anambra now has almost zero per cent of out-of-school children in Nigeria. This is a testament to our commitment to quality education.

‘Our administration recognises that education and human capital are our greatest assets, and we will do whatever it takes to make our public schools rise again.

Highlighting the pivotal role of teachers in achieving the reforms, the governor emphasised that no education system can thrive without quality teachers.

‘No school system survives without teachers. If you want to evaluated the future of a society, you look at the quality of its teachers,’ he stated.

The governor commended the teachers for their excellent work and for positioning the state’s public schools to win numerous national awards.

‘One of our schools emerged overall best in Nigeria, with eight other awards across various categories at the 2025 President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Awards.

‘You have won an 18-seater bus and laptops, but I want to add a cash prize of N10million for the overall best school and N5million each for the other award categories.

‘Also those who won various awards since 2022 when I assumed office will also get N5 million each.

‘WAEC recently named Community Secondary School, Eziowelle, as the best science school in Nigeria.

‘I’m very happy that our huge investment in education is yielding great results and you deserve to be celebrated,’ he said.

Also speaking, Mrs Chika Chukwudozie, state Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), thanked the governor for his support to the education sector.

‘We appreciate the governor for regular payment of salaries, promotions, continuous teacher training and recruitment of 8,315 teachers.

‘Renovation and upgrade of schools to smart schools, free education policy and payment of long-overdue teachers’ gratuities,’ she said.

In her remarks, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, Commissioner for Education, said the event was to thank and endorse Soludo ahead of the Nov. 8 governorship election, to enable him to continue his remarkable strides in the education sector.

As the nation grapples with multiple security breaches, a private security expert, Seyi Babaeko, has advocated for a strong synergy between private security operatives and government security agencies as an enduring way of safeguarding lives and properties of the citizens.

Babaeko, the Chief Executive, CEO, Absolute Security, and Advance Protocol Ltd, made the suggestion in a paper titled ‘The Role of private security companies in strengthening national security.’

He opened the paper with a highlight of the security challenges confronting Nigeria. He identified terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and vandalism as crimes, creating enormous problems for people in the country.

‘Private firms fill a vital gap by securing homes, businesses, estates, banks, schools, and critical infrastructure. This allows government forces to focus on large-scale threats while communities and institutions remain safeguarded by trained operatives. By working at the grassroots, private security personnel are also well placed to observe unusual patterns, detect risks, and provide early warnings that often prevent crimes from escalating. Their close relationship with local communities makes them an indispensable source of intelligence for official agencies.

‘The economic stability of the nation also depends heavily on the services of private security. Oil pipelines, power installations, communication hubs, and financial institutions are prime targets for theft, sabotage, or vandalism. Without strong protection, these assets would be vulnerable, and the country’s development could be severely disrupted. By guarding such assets, private firms ensure that the foundations of the economy remain secure.

‘The industry has also emerged as one of the largest employers of young Nigerians. Beyond simply providing jobs, many companies now invest in advanced training, modern equipment, and global best practices. This focus on professionalism has raised standards across the industry and positioned private security as a respected partner in national development.

‘?Under the regulation of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, private security companies maintain accountability and proper coordination with state forces. This partnership strengthens the national security framework and ensures that public and private efforts are aligned toward the same goal.

‘The future of security in Nigeria rests not only on manpower but also on technology. CCTV systems, drones, biometric access controls, cyber defence solutions, and artificial intelligence are becoming central to protection strategies. Private firms are driving this shift by adopting advanced tools that deliver real-time surveillance and rapid response, offering a level of efficiency that traditional approaches can not achieve.

‘Securing Nigeria is a shared responsibility. It requires the combined strength of government agencies and private operators working together as partners. When this collaboration is effective, it multiplies the country’s capacity to protect lives, secure assets, and sustain peace.

‘At Absolute Security and Advance Protocol Ltd, our mission is simple. We stand as your shield in an unpredictable world, committed to protecting communities, safeguarding critical assets, and supporting the security of the nation.’

Manchester United legend, Paul Scholes, has tipped Liverpool to defeat his former club when both sides clash in their highly anticipated Premier League encounter after the international break.

Liverpool, led by new manager Arne Slot, will host Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at Anfield in what promises to be a tense and emotional battle between two of England’s fiercest rivals.

The Reds will be seeking redemption after suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in their last outing.

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes expressed little confidence in Manchester United’s ability to turn their fortunes around, describing their current form as deeply concerning.

‘Amorim needs to try and get something from Liverpool at Anfield,’ Scholes said.

‘But honestly, I can’t remember the last time Manchester United won a big game. This group of players are in such a bad rut that you have no confidence they can get out of it. It’s almost predictable that they’ll go to Anfield and get beaten.’

The former England midfielder’s comments reflect the growing frustration among Manchester United supporters, as the team continues to struggle for consistency despite a change in management.

United’s defensive frailties and lack of creativity in midfield have raised serious questions about their ability to compete with top clubs this season.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have shown flashes of brilliance under Slot, maintaining their trademark attacking intensity and fluid passing style.

The Anfield faithful will be expecting a strong response from their team as they aim to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City.

As both teams prepare for the showdown, pundits and fans alike agree that the match could be a defining moment for Amorim’s reign at Old Trafford.

Anything short of a spirited performance could increase pressure on the Portuguese tactician, whose future has already become a topic of heated debate.

With pride, history, and crucial league points at stake, all eyes will be on Anfield where Paul Scholes believes the result is all but certain: Liverpool to beat Manchester United once again.