Category: The Nation – Nigeria

The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has announced that Nigeria will not be submitting any film for the International Feature Film category at the 2026 Academy Awards.

Although six films were submitted for consideration, the committee ruled that none met the standards required for global competition.

In a statement, NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus cited a lack of creative and technical intentionality in Nigerian films as the reason for the decision.

She, however, acknowledged the progress made so far and the growing awareness of international standards, while stressing the need for further development in the industry.

‘While Nigerian films have no doubt shown significant improvement and growing awareness of IFF standards, there is still a deficit in creative and technical intentionality that will improve their competitive potential for global awards,’ she said.

The committee plans to take proactive steps to encourage filmmakers to create with the Oscars in mind.

‘This is why the NOSC will be taking more proactive steps to encourage filmmakers to create with the Oscars in mind,’ Linus stated.

Linus encouraged Nigerian filmmakers to study previous International Feature Film-nominated works to deepen their understanding of the category’s expectations and strengthen future submissions.

The NOSC has formally communicated its decision to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, expressing regret that no Nigerian film was deemed suitable for the category this year.

The International Feature Film award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains at least 50 per cent non-English dialogue.

Three people, including a commercial motorcyclist and his two passengers, have lost their lives in a fatal accident near the Ogba River Bridge in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State.

Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred on Monday night when the driver of an SUV lost control and rammed into the motorcycle, killing all three victims instantly.

The incident sparked protests by fellow Okada riders along the Airport Road, who decried recurring fatal accidents in the area.

They alleged that the SUV driver was involved in advance fee fraud, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo.’

One of the protesters, Abdullahi Usman, identified the deceased Okada rider as their union secretary, lamenting the recklessness of so-called ‘Yahoo Boys’ on the roads.

‘The accident was very severe. It was the Divisional Police Officer at the Estate Police Station who calmed the situation,’ Usman said.

Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Cyril Matthew Zango, was unavailable for comments as of press time.

A foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has faulted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over its criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s push for Nigeria to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja ahead of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, Okechukwu described Nigeria’s quest as a bold and visionary move, aligning with Vice President Kashim Shettima’s call at the UN for fairness, African representation, and institutional reform.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s contributions to global peace, including its role in World War II, justify its claim for a permanent seat and representation on behalf of Africa.

Okechukwu urged political stakeholders to support the initiative as a unifying national aspiration rather than framing it around domestic challenges.

‘In the 2023 presidential election, they erroneously breached zoning, an unforced error, hoping to harvest northern voters they quarantined in a dormitory. They paid dearly with voters’ punishment.

‘Penultimate week again, ADC recklessly dismissed the time-tested convention of rotation of the presidency – a glue that binds our fragile 4th Republic democracy. Even when their mother party, PDP recanted.’

He also cited the false claim of Tinubu’s Life Presidency Agenda, recalling, ‘Last week, they hallucinated by alleging that Mr. President was plotting for a life presidency, as if Nigeria operates in a banana republic without a constitution or institutions to check such excesses.

‘Yesterday, they incongruously derided Nigeria’s push for a permanent UN Security Council seat, speaking as though the seat is President Tinubu’s personal property, instead of a lifetime strategic gain for Nigeria and Africa.’

Reacting to ADC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi’s vile statement condemning the country’s request for a UN permanent seat, Okechukwu stressed that asymmetrical security challenges should not be used to undermine Nigeria’s hard-earned international seat, noting that every great nation balances political parties’ ambition with patriotic goals.

‘Methinks that this UN Security Council seat is not for Bola Tinubu’s Emilokan, but a strategic asset for Nigeria and Africa. Albeit a step towards resorgimento, where our voice is heard and we participate in shaping global peace and security.

‘For ADC to ridicule such a quest is not only a short-sighted, unforced error, but purely unpatriotic to our collective national interest.’

Okechukwu concluded by appealing to ADC leadership that instead of divisive tendencies and unforced errors, to as a matter of urgent national importance, apologise to our sister political party – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), they demolished.

‘Sincerely, we in APC, in the interest of viable democracy in our dear fatherland, we want ADC to unite with PDP and form a formidable opposition party before they start playing blame games.’Okechukwu submitted

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to prioritize national interest in its dispute with the Dangote Group, warning that any strike at this sensitive time would damage Nigeria’s fragile economic recovery.

Umahi made the appeal on Monday during an inspection of Sections I and II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Lagos, according to a statement by his media aide, Uchenna Orji, stressing that any industrial action would derail the progress the nation is beginning to record.

He also used the occasion to dismiss as ‘fraudulent’ a claim by Stella Okengwu, Chief Executive Officer of Winhome, who alleged she invested $250 million in a parcel of land affected by the highway construction.

The Minister described her allegations as a scam and warned that she risks being invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if she fails to provide evidence of the investment within seven days.

According to Umahi, Okengwu must show proof that she purchased the land in 2022 for ?50 million and obtained development approval, let alone committing $250 million to it.

‘Where is the money? If it was not invested in a rickety gate on the land, then she should declare where it went,’ he said, adding that the Lagos State Government had already revoked the property to make way for the Federal project and offered her monetary compensation.

The Minister further urged her to account for the funds she claimed to have raised from diaspora investors or submit herself for investigation by anti-graft agencies.

Civil society groups that initially supported her protests have since withdrawn, describing her claims as unfounded and misleading.

Umahi explained that his inspection tour was part of a periodic performance evaluation of ongoing federal road projects across the country and to verify additional works being executed by the project’s contractor, Hitech Construction Company Limited.

The entourage included Segun Sowunmi, public affairs analyst and former Atiku presidential campaign spokesperson; the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adebomehin; senior directors of the Federal Ministry of Works; and representatives of civil society organizations.

Umahi said the presence of figures across party lines and civil society groups was deliberate, providing independent voices to assess the project’s quality and pace.

He commended Hitech Construction for its commitment to national development, noting that the firm is constructing what will become Nigeria’s largest flyovers to connect Sections I and II of the highway.

He dismissed social media reports portraying the unprotected shoulders of the highway as signs of failure, describing them as ignorance or mischief by those unfamiliar with phased engineering processes.

He urged Nigerians to disregard such uninformed and mischievous social media activists, while assuring that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a transformational project that will not be derailed by distractions, but will stand as a backbone for national development.

Sowunmi, who also spoke after the tour, praised the project as a masterpiece and lauded President Bola Tinubu’s infrastructure vision under the Renewed Hope agenda.

He urged Nigerians to rise above partisan politics and support projects that secure the nation’s future.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the planned arraignment of a politician and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore, for making false claims against President Bola Tinubu to October 27.

Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters and serial presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), was to be arraigned on Tuesday on a five-count charge brought against him and two others by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The two other defendants listed in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, are X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.

At the mention of the case on Tuesday, lawyer to the prosecution, Mohammed Abubakar, noted that the matter was scheduled for arraignment and applied that the defendants’ plea be taken.

Lawyer to Sowore, Marshall Abubakar objected, noting that one of the defendants – X Incorp – was not represented by either a lawyer or an official.

Abubakar claimed that his client had not yet been served with the charge. He also noted that X was not represented.

The defence lawyer contended that, in a criminal case, it is mandatory that all the defendants are present in court for a proper arraignment to take place.

At that point, the judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, looked through the case file and confirmed that X and Meta were served with the charge electronically, through their email addresses.

On noting that Sowore was yet to be served personally (as required), the prosecuting lawyer sought the court’s permission to serve Sowore (who was in court) during the proceedings, a request the judge granted.

Sowore’s lawyer, however, prayed for an adjournment to allow his client, who was just served the charge, adequate time and opportunity to prepare for his defense as provided under Section 282(6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

Justice Umar then adjourned till October 27 for arraignment.

The charge was filed on September 16, a few days after an earlier request by the DSS on Facebook and X, the platforms allegedly deployed by Sowore for his said false claim, to pull the misleading message down.

In the charge, Sowore, the presidential candidate of the AAC in 2019, is accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Criminal Code Act.

Counts in the charge read:

*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, did use your official X handle page, @Yele Sowore, to send out a message/ tweet as: ‘This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly,’ which you know the said message to be false but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals, who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and CommanderinChief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.

*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025, did use your official Facebook page, Omoyele Sowore, to send out a message/ post as: ‘This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly,’ which you know the said message/post to be false, but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.

*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, using the instrumentality of X, via your official X account @Yele Sowore, did knowingly publish defamatory material on your online platform viz: ‘This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly, against the personality and reputation of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.

*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025, using the instrumentality of Facebook, via your official Facebook account Omoyele Sowore, did knowingly publish defamatory material on your online platform viz: ‘This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly,’ against the personality and reputation of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), and thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.

*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025 with intent to cause public fear and disturbance, published false information on your official X and Facebook accounts @Yele Sowore, respectively, against the personality and reputation of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act and punishable under the same Act

Tributes have continued to pour in for 29-year-old ARISE TV anchor and Lawyer Somtochukwu Maduagwu who died in a robbery attack in Abuja on Monday.

In a fresh statement by ARISE News, Maduagwu had joined the media firm in September 2024 as a news anchor, producer, and reporter, where she made significant contributions.

‘In September 2024, she joined the ARISE NEWS team, where she has made her voice count as a News Anchor, News Producer, and a Reporter,’ the statement reads.

The deceased fondly called ‘Sommie’, was known for her advocacy work, particularly in promoting the rights of out-of-school children and campaigning against s3xual and gender-based violence.

In a video shared on Tuesday, one notable example of her advocacy was her involvement in submitting a memorandum for the Reserved Seats for Women Bill at the National Assembly.

‘There, Sommie, alongside millions of other Nigerian women, advocated for a stronger representation for Nigerian women at the National Assembly,’ the station said.

Maduagwu’s background includes winning the Miss Tourism Nigeria pageant, which led to her appearance on ARISE TV, and representing Nigeria at the Miss Tourism World pageant in Quanzhou, China, in 2023.

‘Through a blend of her legal dexterity and reportorial vigour, Sommie advocated for out-of-school children and campaigned energetically against sexual and gender-based violence.

‘Sommie’s voice is now silent, but her spirit, passion, and legacy will endure as part of our collective memory’, the station added.

The FCT Police have confirmed that an investigation into the incident has begun.

Maduagwu’s untimely death has sparked widespread grief and renewed calls for action against insecurity in Nigeria.

Her colleagues at ARISE Television described her as ‘delectable, intelligent, and bold,’ noting that her contributions to the station and the nation will not be forgotten.

Governors Alex Otti (Abia State), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) are among the distinguished leaders and organisations set to receive the 2025 Nigeria GovTech Public Service Awards.

The Nigeria GovTech Conference and Awards, organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), has become a landmark event that brings together participants from across Nigeria and the international community.

This year’s edition will be held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on October 9 and 10.

In a statement on the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, emphasised the significance of the theme: ‘Redefining Possibilities: Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Public Service Delivery and Socio-Economic Development.’

He noted that the theme is not just a call to innovation but a strategic response to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at leveraging technology to transform governance, enhance service delivery, and stimulate sustainable socio-economic development.

The conference will bring together senior government officials, technology innovators, development partners, civil society groups, and academia.

Participants will deliberate on how emerging technologies can be applied to strengthen governance, modernise public administration, and expand Nigeria’s socio-economic opportunities.

Giving an overview on the award, the Director-General of the Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Dasuki I. Arabi, explained that the GovTech Public Service Awards recognise individuals and organisations who have championed innovation and transformation in Nigeria’s public sector over the past year.

He said this year’s awardees were carefully selected through nationwide nominations and voting across multiple media platforms.

‘The awards are designed to celebrate excellence and to encourage leaders who have pioneered reforms that strengthen institutions and enhance service delivery to Nigerians,’ Arabi added.

Now in its third edition, the Nigeria GovTech Conference and Awards has become the foremost platform for recognising and promoting technology-driven governance in Nigeria.

Singer Seyi Shay has revealed why the presence of a father in a girl child’s life is immeasurable.

In an interview on Honest Bunch podcast, Seyi said having a father figure can significantly contribute to a child’s stability and access to better opportunities.

She argued that father figures provide guidance, moral values, and set standards for relationships and friendships, which can positively impact a child’s development and future.

Seyi Shay expressed concerns about the narrative that men are not important in the home, calling it an agenda that creates disparity and division within families.

She opined that this can lead to more broken individuals and emphasises the value of having a father figure in a child’s life.

She said: ‘Most women that have a father figure are generally more stable growing up. They have a lot more access to a lot more things like good education, good moral values and there’s a bar when they want to get married or when they choose male friends and stuff like that.

‘All this agenda pushing of men are not important. You can do this. I think it’s bullshit because that’s just an agenda placed for there to be more disparity and more division in a home so that we can churn out more broken souls or more lost females and males’.

The mother of one credits her life experiences and the timing of her motherhood for allowing her to be a better parent to her daughter.

According to her, she sees herself as her daughter’s ‘cheat code,’ able to provide guidance and share her experiences to help her daughter avoid some of the challenges she faced.

‘Look at me. I’m just so very lucky that I didn’t have a child when I was like 20 or 23 because my daughter would probably grow up to be a mess. Like, having her at this age means that I’m her cheat code.

‘It means that I’m able to, like, put her on to certain things and she can avoid certain routes that I took. Because I’ve done them. I’ve been through them. I can tell her all about guys, all about certain friends and how and why and be real and honest with her, and hopefully she will be 10 million times better than me without having to also go through the tribulations and trials that I’ve been through.

‘And there are a lot of women like that, you know, today. And there are young mothers as well that are entrepreneurs,,’ she added.

President Jonathan’s last Thursday close-door meeting with David Mark, the ADC chairman in Abuja, was reported by The Nation and a couple of other newspapers. Jonathan wanted to be reassured he could secure the ADC presidential ticket before joining the party. Jonathan’s current gamble must have been encouraged by his several years of political engagement during which he has always had his palm kernel cracked for him by a benevolent spirit (apology to Chinua Achebe).

Jonathan is a man who has always had all his battles fought on his behalf. He has never been called to take responsibility even for his follies. He was minding his business as a fishery lecturer in the university when he was summoned to come and become deputy governor. Not long after, with the impeachment of his principal, he became governor by providence. Just as he was settling down in his new position, he was named vice president by Olusegun Obasanjo.

And when the Yar’Adua front led by Chief James Ibori raised the question of propriety about his becoming acting president following Yar’Adua’s illness , Pastor Tunde Bakare and a host of other civil society groups took over the street of Lagos and Abuja, forcing the National Assembly to come up with the ‘doctrine of necessity’. He became president in spite of resistance from the north because Obasanjo was on ground to carry him on his back across the north probably to assure them Jonathan would do only one term. Of course, the south rallied round him because they saw in Jonathan an underdog being bullied by an overbearing north with their usual sense of entitlement. If Jonathan made any contribution at all, it was his almost inaudible s shriek cries ‘I am a shoeless school boy from Otuoke village; I know your pains because I have been there’.

In a nation where the national question has been compounded by the dominant ethnic groups, their political parties and their politicians who insisted no one gets what they cannot get, Jonathan changed the paradigm. He secured an electoral victory without having to be adopted by any of the dominant groups. Obasanjo his godfather had little or no electoral value in his home base where he could not win in his polling booth. On their part, the owners of PDP in the north- Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Aliyu Gusau, Adamu Ciroma and Atiku Ababakar built an alliance of opposition against Jonathan on the eve of an election. Of course the age-long rivalry between the southeast and south-south affected his level of support in the two zones. Added to these challenges was PDP, Jonathan’s platform which had become more of a liability than an asset, having misgoverned the country for 12 years. There was no doubt Jonathan won the election in spite of PDP.

Unfortunately because others have always fought Jonathan’s wars, he was unable to manage victories that came his way so cheaply. His first political debacle was his appointment of secretary to government. It did not take time for his government to start taking an ethnic colouration. Even the ministry of finance office of our revered Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was taken over by one ethnic group and when confronted, she said her people got their positions on merit.

President Jonathan unfortunately was unable to manage or confront the hijackers of his government. He could not do more than writhe his hands as Diezani Alison-Maduekwe, his minister of petroleum stole the country blind. There were institutional reports that questioned the aviation minister’s handling of the $360 subsidy to the airlines and the $500m Chinese loan out of which 30 brand new aircraft were to be bought for the ailing airlines. But to President Jonathan, Princess Stella Oduah who later accompanied him on a pilgrimage to Rome, remained untouchable.

Depending on whose figure you are adopting between President Yar’Adua, Speaker Dimeji Bankole, Power Minister Lyel Imoke, government spent between $6billion and $16billion on unbundling of PHCN. Under Jonathan administration, the unbundled companies were sold as discos to PDP stalwarts including his serving minister of power and others who knew next to nothing about electricity. A bank owner who later donated N3b to Jonathan’s presidential campaign fund bought one of the discos. Another went to a professor of Geography who had spoken for every government in power since Shehu Shagari’s 1979 presidency. He served as the head of delegation of new disco owners seeking bail-out and equity participation from a government that had just privatized the discos while setting aside $500m for support.

It is also on record that President Jonathan only paid lip service to fighting corruption. He had in fact dismissively said ‘if they have succeeded in fighting, corruption, corruption would not have been with us today’.

It is therefore not difficult to understand why James Ibori who sponsored the Yar’Adua and Jonathan’s presidential ticket in 2007 served jail terms in London for the same offence over which he secured reprieve from an Asaba High Court; why Edo governor, Lucky Igbinedion got a slap on the wrist for running the finances of Edo State aground and why a convicted felon who converted 70% of his state resources to personal use got presidential pardon in order to, in the words of Doyin Okupe ‘make more contributions to the development of his fatherland’.

Under Jonathan, KPMG’s report on NNPC; the report on fuel subsidy regime; pending cases against prominent PDP members in the banking sector, those of oil subsidy fraudsters; the $10b NNPC missing fund President Jonathan said would be unravelled through forensic inquiry and the $30b from excess crude account consistently raised by governors Adams Oshiomhole and Rotimi Amaechi remained stalled because the ‘wheel of justice according to the president grinds slowly’.

Jonathan who has always overcome challenges through luck must have taken note of all the above personal failings before convincing himself that that today, fate beckons on him as the only one who can bring back PDP years of the locust. Although all those earnestly praying for the return of President Jonathan including Bauchi governor Bala Mohammed and the embattled disco owners who for lack of technical knowhow and financial muscle, have lost their cherished discos to banks, have not denied being driven by self-interest. Jonathan however believes he is the one ordained to bring back the glory PDP lost as a result of their endless violent family dispute over the sharing of our resources.

But just as Jonathan who is now convinced he has been called upon by destiny to trade his earned status of African statesman to joining the current toxic Nigerian political environment where an unthinking mob called ‘Obidients’ threaten to visit violence on critics of their leader who daily mouth democracy without a demonstration of democratic ethos such as congratulating a victorious opponent, let me call his attention to the implication of his rejection of the voice of reason.

He will be haunted by the legacies of his five years of maladministration covering incompetence, his alleged sponsorship of militant groups as governor of Bayelsa and his mishandling of the power sector privatization which according to Punch newspaper ‘transferred most of the generation and distribution companies to untested, incompetent domestic consortia that have saddled Nigeria with a legal quagmire’.

There was the report of an international judicial probe that claimed that Nigerian government was defrauded to the tune of $1.1bn through the Malabu oil field scam. The case of Jonathan’s unconstitutional removal of Lamido Sanusi as CBN governor for alerting Nigerians of missing $20b from NNPC account and the heavy price Nigeria paid for replacing him with unqualified, incompetent and a man without character like Godwin Emefiele .Of course, Jonathan will be reminded as soon as he joins the political fray that he an ethnic jingoist who came to Lagos to appeal to non-Yoruba residents to vote out the resourceful Lagos State governor; traded Obasanjo he had earlier described as ‘after God and his father, Obasanjo is the next’, for Chief Edwin Clark, his fellow Ijaw man, and his deployment of the leadership of the Ijaw militant groups he had empowered through award of multibillion dollar contracts to unleash ‘verbal terrorism’ on the leadership of the Hausa Fulani.

Finally, Jonathan will be haunted by his failed attempt to write his own account of his ‘five years of corrupt-ridden administration’ dismissed by a Punch newspaper editorial as ‘a potpourri of falsehoods, hypocrisy and lame excuses’. And of course there was the London Economist’s damning verdict that Jonathan was the ‘most corrupt, most clueless government in Nigeria’s history’.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on yesterday’s celebration of his 63rd birthday.

The President described the celebrant as a consummate administrator and dedicated public servant.

In a statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President joined the Badaru family, friends, and associates in celebrating the former governor of Jigawa State.

Badaru, who was Jigawa State governor from 2015 to 2023, currently holds the traditional titles of Sardauna Ringin and Walin Jahun.

President Tinubu hailed him for his years of leadership, particularly his interventions in security, agriculture, and infrastructure while in office.

He offered prayers for the minister’s well-being, asking Almighty Allah to grant him many more years of good health and strength to continue serving the country.

‘President Tinubu commends the minister for his dedication to service, recalling his leadership in Jigawa State, where he led security, agriculture, and infrastructure interventions.

‘The President prays that God Almighty will grant the former governor more years of good health and strength,’ the statement said.