Category: The Nation – Nigeria

Nigeria’s public primary school system is carrying a burden that is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal: too many children, too few teachers and classrooms that are often too crowded to support meaningful learning.

The latest education data put the scale of the challenge in stark figures. Some 31.8 million learners are being served by 592,077 teachers in public schools, translating to a reported national learner-teacher ratio of 53.8 to one.

Behind that seemingly dry statistic is a classroom reality that education experts argued could have profound consequences for the quality of learning, particularly in the foundational years when children are expected to acquire reading, writing and numeracy skills.

The situation is even more disturbing in some states. Kano reportedly records a learner-teacher ratio of 88:1, Katsina 87.4:1 and Imo 82.2:1.

But experts warned that the national average itself may conceal an even deeper crisis because the available data are based on schools that reported their information.

Of 108,016 public schools covered by the Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), only 84,177, representing 77.9 per cent, submitted data.

According to critical stakeholders, the situation is beyond the dearth of teachers, but how overcrowded classrooms, poor deployment, weak professional incentives, inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent policy are combining to undermine foundational learning.

Analysis of a crisis

For President of the Association of Childhood Education and Basic Education Instructors of Nigeria (AECBEIN), Dr. Sunday Simeon Fowowe, the figures should be treated as a serious warning, but not reduced to a simple headcount of teachers.

‘The central issue is not merely that Nigeria needs ‘more teachers’. Nigeria needs the right number of professionally prepared teachers, in the right places, teaching manageable classes, with decent working conditions, adequate classrooms and a credible career structure,’ he said.

That distinction is central to understanding Nigeria’s teacher crisis.

A pupil-teacher ratio of 53.8:1 does not necessarily mean that every classroom contains exactly 54 children. It is a system-wide indicator. But where the ratio translates into actual classroom numbers, the consequences are immediate.

When teaching becomes crowd management

Imagine a Primary Two teacher with 54 pupils.

If the teacher spends just one minute checking each child’s reading during an assessment, 54 minutes would already have disappeared-before a lesson is taught, scripts are marked, behavioural issues addressed or struggling learners given additional attention.

For Fowowe, this is why the ratio cannot be dismissed as a statistical abstraction.

A teacher handling 25 to 30 pupils has a greater opportunity to observe individual children, identify learning difficulties, differentiate instruction, provide feedback and support children with special educational needs.

With 54 pupils, those possibilities shrink considerably.

‘The teacher is likely to become a classroom manager before becoming an instructional specialist,’ Fowowe said.

Professor of Early Childhood Education and Head, Department of Educational Foundations and Counselling Psychology, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Babajide Abidogun, agrees that the 53.8:1 figure should be seen as more than a staffing problem.

‘It is fundamentally a question of teacher quality, teacher deployment, workload, professional status, infrastructure, instructional time and the capacity of the education system to give every child meaningful attention,’ he said.

According to him, a teacher confronted with 54 pupils cannot easily give every learner the attention required for effective foundational education.

‘The danger, therefore, is that the teacher gradually moves from teaching to crowd management,’ Abidogun said.

Multidimensional shortages

The temptation in a crisis of this magnitude is to conclude that the solution is straightforward: recruit more teachers.

But the experts insisted the problem is more complicated.

Abidogun identified three distinct dimensions of the crisis: numerical shortage, distribution shortage and competence shortage.

There are schools that genuinely lack teachers. There are others where teachers exist somewhere within the system but are concentrated in locations where staffing conditions are relatively favourable. And there is the question of whether the people standing in front of classrooms have the qualifications, training and professional support necessary to teach effectively.

Fowowe similarly warned against chasing a national average.

‘Nigeria needs teacher deployment ratios, not merely teacher recruitment numbers,’ he said.

The forgotten question of teacher welfare

At the heart of the crisis is another uncomfortable question: why would talented young Nigerians choose teaching and remain in it?

For Isaac-Joseph Olanrewaju Oluyemi Amb, Team Lead, NCAssociates-EdTech Consulting Services, the answer lies partly in how Nigeria has valued its teachers.

‘Nigeria’s teacher shortage is not accidental; it is the predictable outcome of decades of underinvestment and systemic neglect,’ he said.

He argued that teachers are expected to shoulder enormous responsibilities while operating under conditions that make the profession increasingly unattractive.

‘Nigeria must learn that you cannot build a world-class education system on a foundation of exploited and demoralized educators,’ Oluyemi said.

The work of a teacher extends far beyond standing before a classroom.

Abidogun describes the problem as a status crisis.

‘Nigeria has historically treated teaching as indispensable in speeches but sometimes as expendable in policy,’ he said.

A crisis that began long ago

For Venerable Elijah Olufemi Amiola, a retired Principal Tutor at the University of Lagos, Nigeria’s teacher shortage is not a new phenomenon.

He recalled that the country once confronted a similar challenge with deliberate policy interventions.

‘It was this problem that made General Olusegun Obasanjo start UPE and five years of training of primary school teachers in 1976 to meet the shortage of teachers and give an appreciable pupil-teachers ratio then,’ he said.

But programmes have come and gone, often depending on the priorities of successive administrations.

Amiola blamed inconsistent government policy as one of the reasons the country has failed to sustain solutions.

‘One of the reasons for the shortage of teachers is the inconsistency of policy in the country, where a government starts a project and another one comes and stops the programme,’ he said.

He also pointed to corruption and inadequate funding.

‘Money meant for education is diverted to other things or total inadequate funds for education,’ he said.

His concern is grounded in what he has seen at school level.

‘There are schools with four teachers in a whole primary school. Tell me, how will four teachers be effective in managing the school? It is totally impossible,’ Amiola said, citing examples from Osun State.

The classroom shortage nobody can ignore

Even if the government were to embark on a massive recruitment drive tomorrow, another problem would remain: where would the new teachers teach?

The DNEMIS figures indicate that the 31.8 million learners are being served by about 394,836 classrooms, producing a reported learner-classroom ratio of approximately 60.1:1.

That means the teacher shortage cannot be separated from the infrastructure deficit.

‘We cannot solve a teacher shortage by placing additional teachers into schools that do not have adequate classrooms,’ Abidogun said.

As Fowowe puts it, Nigeria must stop treating the teacher as an isolated component of the education system.

‘Teacher recruitment must be tied to teachers, classrooms, instructional materials, water, sanitation, electricity, safety, digital infrastructure, and professional development,’ he said.

The learning crisis beneath the teacher crisis

Perhaps the most troubling dimension of the problem is what happens to children when overcrowded classrooms become normal.

UNICEF data cited by the experts indicate that 73 per cent of Nigerian children aged seven to 14 struggle to understand simple sentences, while 75 per cent struggle with basic mathematical problems.

Oluyemi puts it bluntly: ‘When one teacher is responsible for nearly 54 pupils, the classroom ceases to be a place of learning and becomes a crowded holding pen.’

He warned that the consequences were already evident, arguing that only a small proportion of Nigerian pupils attain minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics.

A child who leaves primary school without basic reading and numeracy skills is likely to carry that learning deficit into secondary school and beyond.

The consequences eventually surface in higher dropout rates, poor employability, unemployment, poverty, low productivity and inequality.

Abidogun, therefore, argued that teacher investment should be understood as human-capital investment.

Recruitment necessary, but not enough

The experts agreed that Nigeria needs more teachers.

But none believes recruitment alone can solve the crisis.

Fowowe proposes a simple sequence: Recruit, Prepare, Deploy, Retain and Support.

That means the government must know exactly where teachers are needed before recruitment begins.

A national teacher workforce strategy, he argued, should capture the number of learners in every school, existing teachers, their qualifications, subjects and grade specialisations, retirement projections, vacancies and special-needs requirements.

Abidogun advocated a National Teacher Workforce Mapping System.

Every teacher, he argued, should be mapped according to qualification, specialisation, experience, location, enrollment, classroom size, vacancy, retirement projection and professional-development needs.

‘Recruit where the child is, not merely where the vacancy appears on paper,’ he said.

That would represent a major shift from conventional recruitment practices.

Instead of announcing a national number of, say, 100,000 new teachers, the government would determine school by school where the shortage actually exists.

Making teaching a career, not a fallback

The experts also agreed that teacher recruitment will remain difficult unless the profession itself is made more attractive.

Oluyemi proposed three immediate reforms: better and timely pay, enforcement of professional standards, and improved school infrastructure.

‘Pay teachers a living wage, on time, and eliminate the discriminatory pay gaps between state and local government teachers,’ he said.

He also called for enforcement of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) certification and continuous professional development.

For Abidogun, however, the reform must extend to the entire career structure.

The traditional pathway of teacher, senior teacher, head teacher and retirement is too narrow.

Nigeria, he argued, should create multiple professional pathways, including Master Teachers, Lead Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Specialist Teachers and Teacher Educators.

The rural teacher problem

Abidogun proposed a Hard-to-Staff School Allowance for teachers serving remote, insecure or severely disadvantaged communities.

Such incentives could be combined with housing, transportation, health insurance and security arrangements.

The objective is not simply to recruit teachers, but to make it possible for them to stay.

‘Recruit, deploy, forget’ must give way to ‘Attract, select, prepare, induct, support, develop, reward, retain, renew,’ he said.

What the govt should do

The experts’ prescriptions converge around a few central priorities.

First, the government must establish an accurate, continuously updated national teacher workforce database.

Second, recruitment should be based on actual school-level shortages rather than arbitrary national targets.

Third, teachers must be better paid, supported and protected.

Fourth, hard-to-staff communities should receive targeted incentives.

Fifth, teacher education must become more practical and closely connected to classroom realities.

Sixth, career progression must allow teachers to advance without abandoning classroom practice.

Seventh, teacher recruitment must be accompanied by classroom construction and rehabilitation.

And finally, foundational learning must become the central measure of success.

Fowowe proposed a National Foundational Learning Guarantee under which every child should, by the end of Primary Three, be able to read age-appropriate texts with understanding, communicate ideas orally, write simple sentences, perform foundational mathematical operations and demonstrate basic social-emotional competencies.

Amiola believes the country must return to deliberate teacher preparation and stronger institutions.

‘Urgent steps are taken by the government at all levels to revert to establishments of teachers training colleges, more colleges of education and of course more funds to be injected into education,’ he said.

He also called for substantial increases in teachers’ salaries and improvements in the school environment.

For Fowowe, the diagnosis is broader.

‘Nigeria does not merely have a teacher shortage. Nigeria has a teacher workforce crisis, a teacher deployment crisis, a teacher quality crisis, a teacher welfare crisis and a learning-resource crisis occurring simultaneously,’ he said.

Abidogun reached a similar conclusion: ‘Nigeria does not merely have a teacher shortage. Nigeria has a teacher-system problem. Nigeria needs more teachers. But it also needs better prepared teachers, better deployment, better classrooms, better pay, better professional development, better leadership and better data.’

Oluyemi perhaps captured the urgency most starkly: ‘The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of reform. Nigeria must choose whether it wants to build a future or simply manage its decline.’

The Federal Government has processed over N12 billion in five months from the first phase of the National Single Window (NSW) project which commenced on March 27, 2026.

Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Dr. Olajumoke Oduwole made this disclosure in Abuja yesterday.

Oduwole said: ‘The NSW platform has processed about N12 billion in regulated payments, more than 224,600 licences and permits and registered over 11,000 importers and agents since it went live on March 27, 2026.’

Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement on the export component of the NSW project in Abuja, the Minister said more than 8,000 users had also been trained on the platform, providing evidence that the system was gaining acceptance among businesses and government agencies.

She said the experience from the first phase would be used to strengthen the second phase, which is expected to begin in November 2026.

The minister said the Federal Government was determined to use the second phase to remove the delays, duplication and poor coordination that have continued to make it difficult for Nigerian exporters to move goods from production centres to local and international markets.

She said every agency involved in the project must work towards a system in which exporters could complete their regulatory requirements through a coordinated government platform rather than having to deal separately with several institutions.

According to her, the NSW must make it possible for exporters to submit information once, track their applications, make payments and obtain the necessary approvals without repeatedly supplying the same information to different government agencies.

‘Trade does not happen at the border alone. It depends on the system connecting production to market, standards, finance, logistics, regulation, order processes and regional platforms,’ Oduwole said.

She said making the entire system work efficiently was critical to Nigeria’s efforts to diversify the economy, increase non-oil exports and create more jobs.

The minister said an export consultation organised by her ministry in November 2024 identified seven major barriers affecting exporters, with more than half linked to fragmentation, duplication, weak coordination and inconsistent regulation.

She recalled the experience of one exporter who complained that a container had been inspected repeatedly by different government agencies, describing the situation as the kind of unnecessary friction the National Single Window was designed to remove.

Oduwole said Phase Two would therefore bring export permits, certificates, licences, inspections, payments, free-zone procedures and other critical processes into a coordinated end-to-end system.

For exporters, she said, the objective was simple: fewer government interfaces, less paperwork, greater transparency and faster movement of goods from production to market.

She said government agencies would continue to perform their statutory responsibilities, but businesses should not be forced to navigate the internal complexity created by the multiplicity of government institutions.

‘That complexity is ours to solve, not theirs to carry. They should experience the Nigerian government as one,’ she said.

The minister said the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment had begun by reviewing its own processes and the systems operated by its agencies and other relevant institutions.

She said the ministry was working with agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders to align processes, identify areas where systems depend on one another and establish the milestones required to build an integrated export process.

Oduwole gave the participating agencies a firm assignment, saying each institution must know what it was expected to deliver under Phase Two, where it stood against agreed milestones, what remained outstanding and which agency or system was responsible for the next action.

She fixed the end of November 2026 as the deadline for the required deliverables.

‘By the close of this engagement, we must know what we own in the Phase Two journey, where we stand against agreed milestones, what remains outstanding, which institutions or systems we depend on and who owns the next action with a firm date,’ she said.

The minister also warned agencies against using vague descriptions of progress, insisting that every outstanding task must have a clear owner and completion date. ‘Ongoing is not a delivery status,’ she said.

She directed that technical and policy problems should be dealt with quickly, saying incomplete application programming interfaces, pending process decisions and policy issues requiring escalation should all be assigned timelines and resolved early.

Oduwole also called for government systems to be able to exchange information securely where one agency already holds data required by another.

She said the objective was not to take responsibilities away from individual institutions but to remove unnecessary duplication and make the overall process easier for businesses.

The minister said the real test of Phase Two would not be the number of government systems connected to the platform but the experience of exporters using it.

‘An exporter should know what is required, submit information once, track an application, make payment, obtain approvals and move a complete Nigerian product, a compliant Nigerian product, to market with greater speed,’ she said.

She warned that simply putting existing processes online would not be enough. ‘If exporters must still move between disconnected systems, enter the same information or carry approval between agencies, we may have digitised businesses, but we will not have transformed trade,’ she said.

Oduwole said the NSW should become a major infrastructure for improving the competitiveness of Nigerian exports.

She linked the project to President Bola Tinubu’s target of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030, saying such an ambition would require a trade system capable of moving goods efficiently and transparently from producers to markets.

She said the expected benefits included increased production, higher export earnings, more value addition and job creation.

The minister said the country’s trade reform agenda must therefore move the export process ‘from fragmentation to flow’ through clear responsibilities, firm deadlines and disciplined implementation.

Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, directed all stakeholders involved in the export component of the second phase of the National Single Window to coordinate their activities, establish clear timelines and meet agreed milestones ahead of the November 2026 take-off.

Adedeji gave the directive at the stakeholders’ engagement on the NSW export project in Abuja on Wednesday, saying the November deadline required every participating institution to understand its responsibilities and deliver them on schedule.

‘In order to meet the November deadline, every stakeholder should know what they’re expected to do, when to deliver on their respective assignments and the expected deliverables ahead of the take-off date,’ he said.

The NRS chairman said the directive applied to all institutions and private-sector participants whose activities form part of the export process.

They include the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), importers, freight forwarders and clearing agents, airlines, shipping lines, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Adedeji said effective coordination among the stakeholders was necessary to ensure that the second phase did not suffer delays caused by disconnected processes or uncertainty over institutional responsibilities.

He said the export component of the National Single Window was particularly important because of its potential to make it easier for Nigerian businesses to access international markets and improve the efficiency of the country’s trade system.

The project is therefore expected to bring together the different regulatory and operational processes involved in exporting goods, reducing the need for businesses to deal separately with multiple agencies.

MTN Nigeria has launched a new broadband solution, FlyX, aimed at expanding internet access to homes and small businesses through a range of Outdoor Units (ODUs).

The telecommunications company announced the product on Monday, in Lagos, saying it is built around ODUs with an indoor component, powered by its 4G and 5G network capabilities.

According to the company, the units are designed to capture stronger signals in areas where indoor reception is weak and fibre infrastructure is not yet available, extending high-speed internet to more locations.

MTN said the offering was in response to growing demand for consistent connectivity among households, entrepreneurs and remote workers as Nigeria’s digital economy expands. The company described FlyX as a plug-and-play solution requiring minimal installation, allowing users to get connected quickly for streaming, remote work and everyday digital activities.

MTN Nigeria’s Chief Broadband Officer, Egerton Idehen, said the company’s focus was on building solutions that respond to real connectivity challenges.

‘FlyX is an example of how we are using our network strength to rethink broadband delivery, making it faster to deploy, easier to access, and more responsive to the needs of Nigerians,’ he said.

He added that the solution would allow the company to bridge critical gaps, particularly in areas without fibre, while still delivering the speed and reliability required for modern digital lifestyles.

MTN said the FlyX portfolio supported use cases ranging from streaming and gaming to remote work and business operations, with scalable options tailored to different needs. It said the addition of ODUs further improves signal reception and stability.

The initiative, the company said, was part of its broader strategy to deepen broadband penetration and drive digital inclusion across the country. The outdoor units, the company said, were available nationwide at authorised MTN stores or via flyx.mtn.ng.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has warned leaders and members of the Accord Party against engaging in anti-party activities ahead of the 2027 National and State Assembly elections.

Adeleke specifically cautioned party members against sponsoring, supporting or working for legislative candidates of opposition parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Party (APP) and All Progressives Movement (APM).

According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Wednesday, Adeleke gave the warning at a closed-door meeting, where the party leadership resolved to strengthen unity and discipline ahead of the elections.

The governor’s warning followed reports that some Accord members were allegedly backing candidates of other political parties in their constituencies.

He warned that members found engaging in such activities would face severe disciplinary action.

Rasheed said stakeholders at the meeting also resolved that disagreements arising from the selection of legislative candidates should be addressed internally, urging members to unite behind candidates fielded by the party.

The meeting stressed that no member of Accord should sponsor or work for candidates of other political parties under any circumstances.

It also directed a committee to identify constituencies where alleged anti-party activities were taking place and take appropriate measures to halt the trend and sanction culpable members.

‘I task us to support our party candidates in the forthcoming legislative elections. We must avoid anti-party activities. Severe sanction awaits any party member who works against the candidates of the party.

‘I have also tasked our candidates to reach out to all segments of the party. We must run an inclusive campaign. All shades of opinion must be mobilised for resounding success in future elections.’

The leadership of the party in the state was equally directed to activate monitoring mechanisms to identify members involved in acts considered inimical to the party’s interest and call them to order.

Adeleke expressed appreciation to party leaders and members for their support during the recent governorship electioneering process.

‘I am deeply grateful to our party members for their depth of loyalty and courageous disposition throughout the democratic struggle. Osun people trusted us and they fought for us under the divine direction of God Almighty.

‘We praise God Almighty, the courageous people of Osun State, the electoral commission and you, our loyal party members and leaders. I will remain steadfast in my commitment to the people, the party and God Almighty.’

Kano State is set to benefit from a proposed metropolitan railway project estimated at more than N1 trillion, in what political stakeholders have described as a major dividend of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s collaboration with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The rail project is expected to transform transportation in Kano, ease persistent traffic congestion and boost commercial activities in the state, which remains one of Nigeria’s major commercial centres.

A statement by Abdulmalik Suleiman said: ”The project is being cited as one of the most significant outcomes of the governor’s constructive engagement with the Federal Government under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Supporters of Yusuf said the development underscored the importance of cooperation between the state and Federal Government, arguing that such collaboration could attract large-scale infrastructure projects capable of transforming the lives of residents.

The N1 trillion-plus railway investment is expected to strengthen Kano’s transportation infrastructure and improve connectivity across the metropolitan area when completed.

The development comes amid increased federal interventions in the state, including projects and programmes in road infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture and social investment.

Yusuf, who recently joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been working with President Tinubu and other political stakeholders in Kano, a development his supporters said had helped create a more favourable environment for attracting federal projects to the state.

The governor has also been credited with building bridges across political divides, with former governors Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Ibrahim Shekarau, as well as serving and former senators and other political figures, increasingly aligning with the APC and supporting Tinubu.

According to political observers, the governor’s approach represents a shift from confrontation to cooperation between the state and the centre, with Kano positioned to benefit from closer ties with the Federal Government.

They argued that the proposed railway project could have far-reaching economic implications, particularly for traders, commuters and businesses operating within the Kano metropolis.

Beyond transportation, the investment is expected to stimulate economic activities by improving movement of people and goods and opening up opportunities for businesses along the railway corridor.

The statement credited Yusuf’s administration with supporting the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and seeking to domesticate its programmes in Kano.

It said the governor had demonstrated that political differences should not be allowed to stand in the way of projects and policies capable of improving the welfare of citizens.

‘Governor Yusuf has demonstrated that true statesmanship lies in placing the interest of the people above partisan sentiments,’ the statement said.

With the 2027 general elections approaching, supporters of the governor believe the railway project and other federal interventions could further strengthen the political relationship between Yusuf, Tinubu and the APC in Kano.

For Kano residents, however, the most significant measure of the partnership is expected to be the delivery of the promised infrastructure and the extent to which the proposed N1 trillion-plus rail investment improves mobility, commerce and economic opportunities across the state.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it generated N1.38 trillion in July and August while intercepting smuggled goods with a combined Duty Paid Value exceeding N61.3 billion.

The National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, DCC Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this yesterday at the Joint Security News Briefing by security and law enforcement agencies, in Abuja.

Maiwada said the revenue comprised N784.66 billion generated in July and N595.58 billion collected in August.

He said the Apapa Area Command recorded N323 billion monthly revenue in July before setting a new single-day record of N28.1 billion on Aug. 18.

According to him, the latest daily record surpassed the previous benchmark of N20.1 billion set in September 2025.

Maiwada said Customs processed 90,985 Single Goods Declarations and 8,873 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports during the two-month period.

He said the service also sustained its fight against smuggling, arms trafficking, narcotics, money laundering, terrorism financing and wildlife trafficking.

The spokesman said enforcement operations by Area Commands and Federal Operations Units yielded seizures valued at more than N61.3 billion.

He said a major breakthrough was recorded on August 17, when Customs intercepted 399 Jojef pump-action rifles and 535 firearm components at Tin Can Island Port.

Maiwada said the recovered firearms were formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for further action.

He said two suspects connected with the arms consignment were remanded for further investigation.

‘This operation underscores the Service’s expanding role in preventing the movement of illicit arms and other security-threatening commodities through Nigeria’s ports and borders,’ he said.

Maiwada added that Customs also intercepted 3,300 cartridges of explosives at the Seme border and handed them over to the Nigeria Police Force.

He said the Kano/Jigawa Command intercepted 827,800 Saudi Riyals, 73,300 dollars and 15,957 pounds allegedly concealed in footwear.

‘The recovered foreign currencies and a suspect were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation,’ he said.

Maiwada said Customs also intercepted goods worth N3.24 billion in Zone A, recovered N728.98 million in lost revenue and seized 1,439.9 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis.

He said other seizures included controlled tablets, rice, sugar, cannabis, expired noodles and 310,000 sticks of cigarettes.

The spokesman said the Apapa Command also handed over nine containers of narcotics and unregistered pharmaceuticals valued at N53.39 billion to NDLEA and NAFDAC.

On wildlife protection, he said Customs rescued two lion cubs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and a baby gorilla in Kano.

He said four suspects linked to wildlife trafficking networks were arrested, while 220 kg of pangolin scales and 74 kg of ivory were among other recovered wildlife products.

Maiwada said the Service would continue to leverage technology, intelligence sharing, risk-management systems and inter-agency collaboration to secure Nigeria’s borders.

Proceedings before a Federal High Court in Abuja stalled yesterday in a suit filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar seeking to disqualify President Bola Tinubu from the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

Atiku, by his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1888/2026, filed in his name and that of his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also listed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

At the commencement of proceedings, Atiku’s lawyer, Mr Joseph Onu Silas, told the court his client was yet to serve the suit’s originating documents on President Tinubu personally, and sought an order to serve him through substituted means.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Omosanya Popoola, who led the legal team for President Tinubu and the APC, volunteered to accept service on the President’s behalf.

He urged the court to order Silas to hand him the documents in open court.

Silas objected, insisting Popoola first provide a written undertaking that he had Tinubu’s mandate to receive the documents.

A similar intervention by another SAN, Mr Alex Izinyon, representing INEC, was also declined.

Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the case till September 28 for further mention, to allow Atiku and his party ‘put their houses in order.’

The suit challenges provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, which restrict who may question a candidate’s qualification at the pre-election stage.

It argues that such restrictions cannot override Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution, which bars a candidate who has presented a forged certificate to INEC.

Atiku and the ADC want the court to invoke Sections 137(1)(j), 139(1)(a)(i) and 285(14)(c) of the Constitution, alongside the Electoral Act, to determine whether Tinubu and the APC should be disqualified.

In a supporting affidavit, Atiku alleged that President Tinubu submitted to INEC an NYSC discharge certificate bearing the name ‘Tinubu Bola Adekunle,’ which he said differs from the President’s name, and that the same document was resubmitted for the 2027 election.

He asked the court to determine whether the certificate belongs to Tinubu.

INEC has also been put on notice to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 for the 2023 and 2027 elections.

‘These are questions that deserve answers, not political insults or presidential silence,’ Atiku said in the affidavit.

Omokri: No FBI criminal record against Tinubu

Separately, Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Mr Reno Omokri, said President Tinubu has no criminal record with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), citing what he described as a 2003 FBI communication clearing the President of any arrest record or warrant.

Speaking on the City Boy Movement Media programme with Otega Ogra, Omokri, a former presidential spokesman and one-time Tinubu critic, argued that a distinction should be drawn between the FBI holding records on an individual and that person having a criminal record.

He read from the document, saying a check of the FBI’s National Crime Information Center in 2003 returned negative for any arrest records or warrants against Tinubu.

He dismissed suggestions that a current US legal matter amounted to a fresh criminal case, saying it stemmed from a Freedom of Information Act request by transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan relating to a 1993 investigation that did not target Tinubu.

If you asked me whether he is the same Dauda Lawal I knew five years ago, I would definitely answer with a NO.

On his 55th birthday in 2020, I wrote a tribute titled, ‘the dauda lawal I know’ in which I described him as a symbolic interactionist: a retired banker seeking a quiet, private life. What the Hausa would describe as ‘ba hayaniya’

As fate would have it, in 2021, despite all the character assassinations and many campaigns of calumny against him, he responded to a very difficult distress plea from his people in Zamfara State: ‘Help us, Dauda’.

The Dauda Lawal of 2018 to 2023 can be viewed as someone who sees society from a micro perspective, who understands how people create and shape social reality, informed by his previous role as a banker who had reached the zenith of his profession.

Since May 29th 2023, I have seen the evolution of an entirely different Dauda Lawal, who, if not for his educational background at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, I would have assumed had learnt from the founding fathers of Sociology, such as Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, as well as contemporary structural functionalist scholars.

Over the three years we have been in government, during Dauda’s tenure as Governor of Zamfara State, I have witnessed him govern not in a rush, but with precision and a clear focus on results. It is, indeed, the mighty sociological theory of Functionalism at play.

I have witnessed a deep sense of commitment in a governor who appears to understand Auguste Comte very well, prioritising the idea that society is an integrated organic whole, where institutions such as security, education, healthcare, and the economy are deeply interconnected and mutually dependent in keeping the social system functioning smoothly, much like organs in a living body.

You can argue, but I have seen a governor who appears to have mastered Comte’s Positive Philosophy. He governs Zamfara by applying empirical observation and evidence to understand social realities, rules, and collective behaviour, moving away from mere speculation. He did so and succeeded. Under his leadership, the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) rose from ?90 million to over ?5 billion monthly.

One day, I must invade Governor Dauda’s library to satisfy my curiosity and confirm whether he owns Émile Durkheim’s The Rules of Sociological Method and George Ritzer’s Sociological Theory.

I spent many years studying Talcott Parsons, and I see in Dauda’s leadership a refined application of Structural Functionalism, in which the AGIL scheme has been strategically applied to the governance of Zamfara State.

According to Parsons, every society must fulfil four basic functional imperatives to survive and maintain stability: Adaptation, Goal Attainment, Integration, and Latency (AGIL).

For Dauda Lawal, Adaptation began with his efforts to reach out to international development partners who had withdrawn from Zamfara due to concerns over transparency and accountability. Among these was the World Bank. By rebuilding trust and restoring confidence, his administration succeeded in bringing development partners back to the state and securing resources for critical projects.

For him, Goal Attainment means setting clear public goals from the very beginning and determining how those goals can be achieved across ministries, departments, and agencies.

For effective Integration, he maintains internal cohesion and coordinates ministries and agencies in ways that help manage conflicts and sustain cooperation across the government.

With a deep understanding of Parsons’ concept of Latency, Dauda Lawal’s administration, grounded in a rescue mission, preserves, transmits, and renews the core values and beliefs that underpin its purpose: rescuing and rebuilding Zamfara.

I wish I could write more, but in the years to come, In sha Allah, every 2nd of September, I will return to the areas I may have missed in previous years, as I continue to celebrate a man whom I no longer see merely as a boss, but as a father.

Happy 61st birthday to Governor Dauda Lawal, whose leadership has transformed the trajectory of Zamfara State and helped alter the negative narrative surrounding the state.

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has extended birthday felicitations to the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

The Governor particularly commended Shettima’s call for a low-key celebration, which he said portrays the VP’s known traits of humility, selflessness, and a resolve to focus on the serious national cause.

Zulum, in a statement he personally signed and which was published in the two national dailies, said, ‘I am mindful, Your Excellency, of your recent appeal for a low-key celebration. This request reflects your characteristic selflessness and your conviction that public attention must remain focused on the serious work of national development. However, for us in Borno, it is too personal to forgo this auspicious occasion without celebrating.’

Zulum further said, ‘On behalf of the Government and the good people of Borno State, I extend heartfelt congratulations to the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, on the joyous occasion of his 60th birthday.’

‘Your Excellency, this milestone offers a profound moment to reflect on a life defined by immense sacrifices for democracy and a lasting legacy of impact in both Borno State and the nation at large.’

‘Your remarkable commitments and track record continue to inspire us to build further and strive for excellence for our people. We deeply honor your courage, wisdom, and steadfast dedication to democratic principles.’

‘As you mark this special day, we wish you many more years of happiness in sound health, great accomplishments, and a better life for all Nigerians, while earnestly praying that Almighty Allah (SWT) continues to guide, strengthen, and bless you with boundless wisdom as you support the push to elevate Nigeria to even greater heights’

Evicted Big Brother Naija Season 11 housemate Sultex has said he believes he should have stayed in the house longer than some of his fellow housemates.

In a post-eviction interview with Pulse, Sultex mentioned Ricky, Nomy and Bells, questioning why they were still in the game while he was evicted.

‘How will some housemates like Ricky, Nomy, and Bells still be on the show while I was evicted? What are they doing there? What are they bringing to the show? How is that even possible? Well, it is all in the past now,’ he said.

Sultex also addressed his altercation with Yusuf in the house.

During the argument, he threatened to get people to ‘deal’ with Yusuf in Lagos.

He said the comment was made ‘in the heat of the moment’ and clarified that he has no plans to fight Yusuf outside the house.

Evictions on Big Brother Naija are determined by public votes each week.