Category: PM News

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo says his administration has not borrowed any money since he assumed office.

Soludo disclosed this on Monday while speaking at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor also argued that the Nigerian economy had stabilised and was beginning to recover.

‘Nigeria has stabilised and is on the rise. I haven’t borrowed a dime since I became governor,’ he said.

Soludo maintained that prudent management of public resources could help state governments deliver development without accumulating unsustainable debts.

He also urged Nigerians to patronise locally manufactured products, warning that the country could not create the desired number of jobs while depending heavily on imports.

‘We cannot create the kind of jobs we want with all of us using foreign or imported goods,’ Soludo said.

‘I look in this room, and I see suits from Europe, America and China.’

The governor estimated that Nigeria could create more than 10 million jobs if its population deliberately embraced locally produced clothing and other goods.

‘If all 247 million Nigerians wear only made-in-Nigeria, more than 10 million jobs will be created,’ he added.

Soludo has consistently promoted locally manufactured products, particularly textiles, as part of efforts to strengthen domestic industries and generate employment.

Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has condemned the persistent killings across Nigeria, declaring that he would pray against the perpetrators and their sponsors.

Oyedepo spoke during a church service while reacting to the July 27 attack in Kaduna, where gunmen reportedly killed at least 30 people, including women and children.

The cleric described those behind the violence as destructive agents and warned that judgment awaited them, whether they were in government or outside it.

‘Woe to all destructive agents in Nigeria. Whether in power or out of power, judgment has finally come,’ he said.

Oyedepo rejected calls for religious leaders to pray for the attackers, arguing that those responsible for killing innocent people should face consequences.

‘You can’t slaughter members of my family and want me to pray for you. I pray against you, against your household, against your generation, in the name of Jesus,’ he said.

The bishop also alleged that the gunmen were being sponsored by powerful individuals.

‘Everybody knows that these wicked people are being sponsored. Anyone who doesn’t know that, that’s a problem,’ he said.

He subsequently pronounced a curse on those allegedly financing the attacks.

‘Every sponsor of killers in Nigeria, you come under a curse today,’ Oyedepo declared.

The cleric also questioned the Federal Government’s response to the recurring killings, saying he had not heard a strong official condemnation of the latest attack.

‘You mean they kill people every day and government is pretending not to know what to do?’ he asked.

‘I have not heard any statement from government quarters against the killings. I’m yet to hear one, sir. Is human life not of value anymore?’

Oyedepo warned that the continued violence and perceived silence of the authorities could provoke divine judgment.

‘When you see God keep quiet at the wickedness of the wicked, it is because the bubble is about to burst,’ he said.

‘As the Lord lives, this bubble will burst. Go and hide anywhere. The bubble will burst.’

Some northern youth groups in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have threatened to withdraw their support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election if their concerns over alleged marginalisation are not addressed.

The warning followed a meeting between the North-West APC Youth Stakeholders Forum, led by its Coordinating Chairman, Bashir Ruma, and the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum.

In a statement signed by the forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Salawudeen Shaibu Planner, the group claimed that northern youths have been excluded from important political appointments, youth leadership positions and decision-making within the APC and the Federal Government.

The group said it would begin mobilising APC support groups across the North to oppose what it described as unfair treatment and sectional politics.

It also announced Haruna Sardauna as coordinator for the North-East and Idiriss Jibrin as coordinator for the North-Central, with the responsibility of engaging APC support groups and stakeholders in their regions.

According to the forum, many APC support group leaders are ready to join a campaign against what they described as tribal discrimination. They insisted that political opportunities should be open to all young Nigerians, regardless of where they come from.

The group said it had directed 1,378 registered APC support group leaders across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory to begin consultations on whether to withdraw support for Tinubu’s second-term bid if their complaints are ignored.

A major part of the group’s allegations was directed at Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son. The forum accused him of influencing youth political appointments and leadership positions in ways that favour people from the South-West, especially the Yoruba ethnic group.

The forum claimed that this has left many northern youths feeling excluded. It also questioned the support allegedly given to some South-West based youth groups while northern-led APC support groups were allegedly overlooked.

The group specifically mentioned the Ministry of Youth Development, the APC youth leadership structure, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and other youth organisations as areas where it believes the imbalance exists.

It also alleged that the City Boy Movement and the Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria Movement have received special recognition because of their links to Seyi Tinubu. According to the forum, northern support groups have been pressured to work with these organisations.

The forum described the situation as unfair and called on APC leaders to ensure equal treatment for all support groups across the country.

It argued that northern voters played a major role in Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election and deserve equal political opportunities and representation.

Despite its criticism, the group urged northern youths to remain peaceful while demanding fair treatment. Bashir Ruma said the goal is to strengthen democracy by ensuring every region has a voice in youth affairs.

The forum warned that if the concerns of northern youths are ignored, it could affect APC unity, grassroots mobilisation and President Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 election.

It called on the APC leadership and President Tinubu to address the issues by ensuring political appointments and opportunities reflect Nigeria’s regional diversity.

As of the time this report was filed, the Presidency, the APC national leadership and Seyi Tinubu had not responded to the allegations.

The Kano State Censorship Board has shut down Kausar Unique Empire Ltd., popularly known as ‘Back-to-Back,’ for allegedly using indecent language and explicit illustrations in advertisements circulated on social media platforms.

This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Kano by the board’s spokesman, Abdullahi Sani-Sulaiman.

The board said the action followed intelligence reports and complaints from residents concerning the shop’s marketing content, which authorities described as inappropriate and offensive.

Sani-Sulaiman said the shop was sanctioned for allegedly using indecent language and explicit illustrations in advertisements circulated on social media platforms.

According to him, the promotional materials breached cultural values, moral standards and regulations governing commercial advertising activities within Kano State.

‘The advertisements violated the cultural values, moral standards and established regulations guiding commercial promotions in the state,’ he said.

He said the board acted after receiving numerous complaints from concerned citizens over the nature of the advertisements and their potential impact on society.

Sani-Sulaiman warned business operators against using digital platforms to disseminate offensive, immoral or objectionable content to the public.

‘We will not tolerate the circulation of materials that offend public decency or undermine the moral fabric of society,’ he said.

The spokesman reaffirmed the board’s commitment to sanitising public spaces and online platforms through sustained monitoring and enforcement activities.

He urged traditional medicine vendors and other business owners to conduct their operations in line with the law and accepted societal ethics.

Sani-Sulaiman noted that the board had taken similar enforcement actions against other erring shops in recent months.

He said the measures were aimed at promoting responsible advertising practices and ensuring compliance with established regulations across the state.

The spokesman added that the board would continue collaborating with relevant stakeholders to curb unethical promotional activities and protect public morality.

Ogun State government has flagged off a remediation exercise aimed at freeing industrial town of Ogijo of any form of Lead contamination.

The followed completion of detailed process audit of a Used Lead Acid Battery, ULAB facilities and series of tests carried out on soil, water, air and blood of residents of the the town over the alleged lead poisoning,

Flagging off the remediation exercise, the General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, OGEPA, Kehinde Bello said the state government as part of the exercise has begun to evacuate slag dumped in various communities within the town due to their hazardous nature.

‘The evacuation of this slag will take us weeks to complete because lots of them are illegally dumped in many communities surrounding the ULAB facilities as the state government determined to evacuate them in the overall public interest and well-being of the residents’.

He therefore assured those living in those communities and the entire Ogijo residents that the era of illegal dumping of slag is over.

This, according to him was because the state government has directed all the ULAB facilities to upgrade their technology by deploying automatic battery breakers to their system which will reduce slag generation to the barest minimum.

He added that they have also been directed to obey the state government’s standard procedures on slag management.

Also speaking, the Director of Hazardous Material Management, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency OGEPA, Mr Babatunde Lawal said aside from the evacuation of slag in those communities, there will be a bio-remediation exercise through planting of materials that will take-off the Lead that might have gone to the soil so that the places where the slag were dumped and now been evacuated will be free from lead contamination.

He, however, urged the ULAB facilities to run their operations responsibly and sustainably for the betterment of the environment and safety of the public.

The Director, Inspectorate and Compliance, OGEPA, Mr. Tunde Bolarinwa assured that the agency will continue to monitor the ULAB facilities to ensure they comply with the state government’s new standards operational guidelines as anyone of them that fails to comply with the new order will be sanctioned.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has urged President Bola Tinubu to take seriously the concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria over the state of the country.

Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District, described the Catholic bishops as the conscience of Nigeria, saying their intervention was intended to help the government improve.

The former Abia State governor spoke while reacting to the recent meeting between Tinubu and the leadership of the bishops at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The clerics had raised concerns about economic hardship, insecurity and the worsening living conditions of Nigerians.

‘To me, the Catholic bishops are the conscience of the country. Once they give advice, their advice is not for or against anybody,’ Kalu said.

‘Their advice is for any sitting president or leader to see things the way they should be.’

Kalu acknowledged that Nigerians were experiencing economic hardship but argued that the situation could not be blamed entirely on the Tinubu administration.

He said the government had made progress at the macroeconomic level, although many citizens had yet to feel the benefits in their daily lives.

‘There is difficulty in Nigeria, there is no doubt. And it is not the fault of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ he said.

‘We have been able to capture the macroeconomy, and the micro is where we are having problems.’

Kalu said the bishops had a responsibility to present the true situation to the president, even when politicians and government officials might offer more favourable assessments.

‘Even if we politicians are lying to him and saying things are good everywhere, the Catholic bishops can never say that,’ he said.

He urged officials working with the president to carefully examine the bishops’ concerns and develop measures that would improve the lives of Nigerians.

Kalu also clarified that Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, is not the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.

Armed bandits have intensified attacks on communities in Katsina State, killing one resident, injuring at least seven others and abducting 31 people in the latest assault on Shuwaki community in Bakori Local Government Area, raising fresh concerns over worsening insecurity and mass displacement.

The attack, which occurred on Saturday night, according to Premium Times, is the latest in a string of raids targeting communities in Bakori, where residents have faced repeated killings, kidnappings and livestock theft in recent weeks.

Former Chairman of Bakori Local Government Area, Aminu Magaji, said the attackers invaded Shuwaki between 9 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., operating for nearly two hours. He said the gunmen killed one person, wounded at least seven others, rustled cattle and sheep, and abducted 32 residents.

According to him, the attackers later released one of the abducted women near Doma village after she became too ill to continue the trek into the forest, leaving 31 people still in captivity. Most of the remaining hostages are women, some reportedly carrying infants.

Magaji said security agencies were alerted while the attack was underway. He explained that police officers, soldiers and members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps mobilised in an attempt to intercept the attackers but failed to rescue the victims or prevent their escape.

He added that the assailants also stole residents’ mobile phones and devices from charging centres, while no ransom demand or communication had been received from the kidnappers as of the time of his interview.

The latest raid followed attacks on Unguwar Dogo and Alhazawa communities, where residents were injured and livestock stolen. Local sources said repeated attacks since late July have forced many families to flee their homes for safer areas, while others remain gripped by fear.

The renewed violence comes days after a major confrontation between suspected bandits and security forces in Guga community, where the Katsina State Government said more than 40 suspected bandits were killed during a reprisal attack involving over 200 assailants.

Community leaders warned that the persistent attacks are threatening farming activities during the rainy season, as repeated cattle rustling has deprived many farmers of the animals used for cultivation.

They called on the Federal Government, Katsina State Government and security agencies to strengthen security across the affected communities, warning that continued attacks could trigger further displacement and deepen the humanitarian and economic crisis in the area.

The Katsina State Police Command had yet to officially comment on the latest attack or provide an update on efforts to rescue the abducted victims as of the time of filing this report.

The Federal Government has launched a seven-week roadmap for the development of the proposed National Policing Bill, inviting Nigerians to submit memoranda and policy proposals as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive legal and operational framework for state policing.

The initiative is being driven by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, who made the announcement on Monday after the group’s meeting at the State House, Abuja.

According to Gbajabiamila, the Working Group is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other relevant laws to develop a modern, effective and accountable policing system capable of addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.

He explained that the proposed legislation will establish national minimum standards for policing, define the requirements for state readiness and certification, clarify the jurisdictional responsibilities of federal and state police formations, strengthen independent oversight, safeguard human rights, guarantee sustainable funding and provide an orderly transition to a dual-policing structure.

As part of the legislative process, the Working Group has opened a two-week window for the submission of memoranda, giving citizens, professional bodies, civil society organisations, security agencies, state and local governments, academics and other stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the proposed legislation.

The submissions will be reviewed and incorporated into the draft bill, which will undergo further nationwide consultations before its final presentation to the National Assembly.

The Working Group has adopted a seven-week implementation timetable spanning July 27 to September 14, 2026. Under the schedule, the draft Executive Bill is expected to be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, 2026, ahead of broader national consultations and final approval.

The proposed National Policing Bill will also provide detailed provisions on recruitment, training, oversight, funding mechanisms and transition arrangements aimed at ensuring credible, effective and accountable policing across the country.

Highlighting the standards expected of any prospective state police organisation, Gbajabiamila said:

‘A proposed State Police Service must demonstrate that it has credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, custody, complaints, discipline, data, firearms control, independent oversight and financial sustainability before it begins policing.’

Also speaking, the representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, described the proposed establishment of state police as one of the landmark reforms of the Tinubu administration.

Addressing concerns over possible federal interference, Abiodun maintained that the proposed legislation was not intended to place state police under federal control but to provide a uniform operational framework that would guide its establishment and operation nationwide.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, said the proposed National Policing Bill is designed to strengthen the protection of lives and property while ensuring that state police structures are not abused for political persecution.

He added that states unable to immediately establish their own police services would continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force until they satisfy the prescribed operational and institutional requirements.

Other participants at the meeting included the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman, Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman (rtd); Professor Olu Ogunsakin, Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, representing the National Security Adviser.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said he is confident of winning a second term in the August 15 governorship election.

Speaking on Monday during a town hall meeting with state workers organised by the Osun State Joint Labour Movement, Adeleke said he was not under pressure because he believed God and the people of Osun were with him.

‘I am not under pressure because I have God on my side. I also have the people of Osun on my side. I am fully prepared,’ the governor said.

Adeleke urged residents not to allow fear or intimidation to stop them from voting. He alleged that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been involved in acts of intimidation, including violence, but insisted that democracy would prevail.

He encouraged eligible voters to come out on August 15 to perform their civic duty and vote for the candidate of their choice.

The governor also advised voters to remain at their polling units after casting their ballots to help ensure that their votes were counted and protected.

Earlier, Osun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Christopher Arapasopo, praised the Adeleke administration for improving workers’ welfare.

He said the governor fulfilled his promises by paying salary arrears inherited from the previous administration, adding that workers and pensioners would support him in the election.

Arapasopo also declared that organised labour would not accept an inconclusive governorship election or the cancellation of votes in any polling unit. He said workers would ensure that every valid vote counted during the election.

President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has vowed that Christians will continue preaching inside commercial buses despite the restriction under Nigeria’s road traffic laws.

Oke challenged the National Assembly and law enforcement agencies to prepare enough prisons to accommodate millions of Christians if the provision is enforced.

The PFN president spoke while addressing worshippers in a video that circulated on social media on Monday.

He described the restriction as an evil decree and urged Pentecostal Christians not to obey any directive preventing them from preaching in buses and taxis.

‘We will break that law because our master told us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature,’ Oke said.

‘You sit somewhere there and say we should not preach in buses? We will preach in buses, and we will preach everywhere.’

Oke claimed that the PFN represents more than 65 million people and directed Christians to continue spreading the gospel in public transportation.

‘I lead over 65 million people. Everybody, go into every taxi, go into every bus and preach,’ he declared.

‘Let them arrest us and turn the National Stadium into a prison. Let them build more prisons.’

The cleric accused lawmakers of targeting peaceful evangelists while failing to effectively confront kidnappers, bandits, armed groups and other violent criminals.

‘You don’t go after killers, those beheading people, rapists, kidnappers and bandits unlawfully carrying arms, but you are going after us preaching the gospel of peace,’ he said.

‘We won’t listen to you. You are not God. You are there for a tenure.’

Oke further warned that Christians would openly resist the restriction and could march on the streets if arrests were carried out.

‘Bring it on and see how you will imprison 65 million people,’ he said.

The Senate had earlier clarified that the provision against preaching, hawking and trading inside commercial vehicles was not newly introduced by the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission Act.

It said the offences had existed under the FRSC Act since 2007 and were aimed at preventing distractions and protecting commuters.

The Senate also maintained that the provision does not prohibit preaching on streets or in other public places.