Category: The Nation – Nigeria

Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has begun its congress in Ibadan, the capital city, with Governor Seyi Makinde casting the first vote to kick off the electoral process.

Governor Makinde, who serves as the number one delegate from Ibadan North East Local Government, was among the early voters in the peaceful and well-organised exercise.

Delegates from 33 local governments are participating in the congress.

It marks the culmination of the party’s internal electoral process, following successful ward and local government congresses held across the state.

The exercise is aimed at electing new state executive officers, who will steer the party’s affairs over the next four years.

The election is being monitored by former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, officials of the party from the national headquarters, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security operatives, among others.

The Electoral Panel Chairman from the party’s national secretariat, Senator Austin Akobundu, is leading other officials to conduct and coordinate the congress.

Governor Makinde said the task before the would-be elected executive members of the party would be to deliver the party from the presidency to the councillorship positions in 2027.

Sen. Akobundu lauded the organised arrangement he met on ground, especially among the delegates, noting that the congress held great significance to the party.

He said: ‘There’s no report that anything untoward happened to our delegates. We are all here in large numbers. Thank you and welcome.

‘I want to point to the fact that today’s event has great significance to our party. Your state has been one of the strong corners of our party in the country. I have had to undertake many assignments here over the years and I’m glad to note that under the famed leadership, able leadership of the leader of the party, Engineer Seyi Makinde, this party has grown from strength to strength.

‘The testimonial is the recent by-election conducted, off-season election, where PDP took the seats and returned all our candidates to National Assembly and other seats. I want to thank you, your excellency, for the strong leadership you have provided and for the growth our party has witnessed. Today we expect nothing different from what we have done before.

‘Most congresses here have been very, very seamless and I can see that today we are well organised. The crowd that we have here is a reflection of the acceptance of PDP as a solid platform and I want to advise that we remain orderly as we walk through this process.

‘Be reminded also that we are working towards 2027 election where PDP will return all our candidates.

‘Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank God for giving us a governor like Seyi Makinde in Oyo State today. One of the best governors, performing governor who has transformed Oyo State. I was telling him that when I got into Ibadan, because I used to visit Ibadan a lot in the past, that I couldn’t find my way around the city.

‘The city is so well transformed as well as our rural areas and I pray that God will continue to grant him grace to complete the job and as he prepares to go for higher assignment by the special grace of God, I pray that God Almighty will also give us a successor with steady hands that will also be handsome and passionate about the development and growth of Oyo State. I believe God will do so for us.

‘I will continue to pray that the rest of this administration that will lead to next one will be progressive, will be rewarding, will see more development. So, for our party to come back we have to work very hard. This exercise is going to be very fast because I can see that you are well organised.’

The event attracted several high-profile dignitaries, including the Deputy Governor of the state, the PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; federal lawmakers like Abass Adigun Agboworin (Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency), Stanley Adedeji Olajide (Ibadan North-West/South-West), and Shina Peller, a former member of the House of Representatives.

Also in attendance are local government council chairmen across the state, party stakeholders and supporters, who are witnessing the congress proceedings.

The outcome of the congress is expected to shape the direction of PDP in Oyo State, as it prepares for future electoral contests.

As at press time, voting was still ongoing by delegates across the three senatorial district of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said 6,232,673 eligible Nigerians have completed the pre-registration process on its online registration portal at the end of the sixth week of the exercise.

The commission said 3,250,338, representing 52.15 per cent, are women, while 2,982,335, representing 47.85 per cent, are men, and 137,865 are persons living with disability.

INEC said 1,004,132 Nigerians have so far participated in the physical (in-person) registration. Of the figure, 555,077 registrants, representing 55.28 per cent, are women, while 449,055, representing 44.72 per cent, are men.

The figures are contained in the statistics on the registration, which INEC released yesterday in Abuja.

The statistics revealed that the Southwest and the Northwest have maintained the lead in the Online Continuous Voter Registration and the in-person registration.

It also showed that while Borno State took the lead in the online registration with about 682,805 eligible voters registering online at the end of Week Six, Osun State took the lead in the in-person registration at the end of Week Five (the online exercise began one week before the in-person exercise) with 107,012 voters completing their registration.

According to the statistics, the Southwest has 1,924,072 eligible voters who registered online, followed by the Northwest with 1,728,144 eligible voters; the Northeast is third with 1,197,510 registrants; and the Northcentral is fourth with 967,518 eligible voters.

The Southsouth is fifth with 334,578 eligible voters, and the Southeast is sixth with 81,478 eligible voters.

The Northwest tops the list of the in-person registrants with 277,786 eligible voters completing the exercise, followed by the Southwest with 252,281; the Northcentral with 155,953; the Northeast with 144,437; the Southsouth with 105,108, and the Southeast with 67,745 eligible voters.

The state-by-state breakdown of the online registration revealed that Borno has registered 682,805, followed by Osun with 599,363 voters, Lagos with 555,442 voters, Kebbi with 472,662, while Ogun and Kaduna have registered 450,897 and 376,054 voters .

Osun State is first in the physical registration with 107,012 voters completing their registration, followed by Lagos with 58,460; Borno with 56,828; Kano with 54,145; Sokoto with 48,430; Imo with 47,083, and Kogi with 41,257 voters.

The statistics for Anambra State are not included in the two exercises since the state will be part of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) until after the November 8 governorship elections.

Barau FC head coach, Ladan Bosso, has praised his players for their resilience and determination following the club’s first-ever victory in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

In the battle between two newcomers, Barau defeated Kun Khalifat 3-1 in a Matchday 6 clash at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, to register their maiden win of the season.

An elated Bosso lauded the collective effort behind the result.

‘Actually, I am so happy with the result. Our club proprietor, the general manager, my coaching staff, officials, and players all did well to secure this victory,’ he said.

He added that the team would build on the performance, remain focused, and prepare strongly for their next challenge.

The win lifts Barau FC to 18th place on the table with five points from as many matches.

They will next host Warri Wolves on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofarmata, in Matchday 7.

Women’s national team wrestling coach, Purity Akuh, has pledged total commitment to the development and growth of wrestling after securing a seat as the South West zone representative seat in the board of Nigeria Wrestling Federation(NWF).

Speaking to journalists after the election, Purity vowed to support wrestling in the South West after he pulled the available six votes from the six states in a dominant fashion.

The UWW Educator noted that sports is a veritable instrument of reducing crime and unemployment if optimally pursued, hence his total drive to see it develop in the South West.

‘As you know, sports generate big foreign exchange for countries all over the world. This and many other embedded issues surrounding and affecting sports, particularly in wrestling, will be addressed passionately and with all sincerity of purpose,’ he stated.

He thanked the President Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Honourable Daniel Igali, who was his national team coach in his wrestling days and the entire wrestling family for counting him worthy to be elected as NWF board member.

Purity also appreciated the governor of Ondo state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and the state Honourable commissioner for Sports Development for their overwhelming support

Assuring that the experience he acquired as a wrestler and having gone through technical trainings to be certified as UWW Educator will be made manifest, bringing to the NWF board technical insights among other qualities.

‘I want to thank the governor of my state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the commissioner and my mentor, Daniel Igali, for the tremendous support I have received and the people of South West in supporting this mandate. Gratitude is not enough to express how elated I am to serve at this capacity.’

‘I’m not coming to the NWF board to make up numbers, but to offer technical support and inputs. I have acquired a lot of experience during my days as a wrestler under my mentor, Honourable Daniel Igali, and also, I have gone through a lot of international professional courses and I believe these qualities will be put to work,’ he said

The Ondo State born technician assured to engage appropriate stakeholders to thoroughly and painstakingly look into all the challenges contending wrestling development in the South West with a view of overcoming them, and providing grassroots programs for the purpose of raising more talents for the nation

‘I have envisaged a sustainable development plan, detailing grassroots programs, training plan with tenacity, zeal, and dedication to reach out to raw talents in our villages with the support of every stakeholder’. Purity concluded.

There will be no economic growth in the absence of the rule of law, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Lawrence Fubara Anga, has said.

The Founding Partner at AELEX, a commercial and dispute resolution law firm, said the rule of law goes beyond governance.

‘The rule of law is not just a political or human rights issue.

‘It is the foundation of economic growth, investor confidence, and sustainable prosperity.

‘Without it, the aspirations for positive transformation cannot materialise,’ Anga said.

He spoke during a briefing on the firm’s 19th Annual Lecture, billed for October 14, 2025, with the theme ‘Rule of law and economic development: the Nigerian experience.’

The flagship intellectual forum, which has become a fixture on Nigeria’s legal and business calendar, will feature former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as keynote speaker.

Anga said the lecture serves as part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility and provides government, business leaders, and the public with critical insights into national challenges.

He further noted that: ‘People don’t always agree, but they generally engage honestly. That credibility is what makes this forum unique.’

He added that AELEX intends to compile a summary of discussions from the lecture and make them available to government institutions for policy consideration.

Managing Partner, Mr. Adedapo Tunde-Olowu (SAN), described the annual lecture as a platform dedicated to fostering dialogue at the intersection of law, governance, economics, and society.

‘Over nearly two decades, the AELEX Annual Lecture has earned its reputation as one of the most respected intellectual gatherings.

‘It has provided a space for rigorous debate, shaping conversations that influence both national and continental development,’ he said.

Since its inception, the lecture series has hosted global thought leaders, including Judge Mervyn King S.C., Prof. Patrick Lumumba, Mr. John Githongo, Professor Frederic Jenny, and Dr. Kwabena Donkor.

This year’s panel of discussants will bring together leading voices across law, business, and public affairs. Confirmed participants include Dr. Chinyere Almona, Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), Chairman of Bi-Courtney Group; Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Ltd.; and Dr. Reuben Abati, journalist and public affairs analyst.

The 2025 edition will also address pressing issues such as property rights, sanctity of contracts, regulatory powers, and dispute resolution mechanisms, all of which are central to Nigeria’s economic revival efforts.

To extend participation beyond the physical venue, proceedings will be streamed live on the firm’s YouTube channel, @AELEXPARTNERS, allowing a global audience to engage in the dialogue.

The AELEX Annual Lecture has grown into a non-partisan platform where diverse voices exchange ideas without fear of partisanship.

The Edo State Executive Council has approved a supplementary budget of N125 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, representing 18 percent of the N675.2 billion budget earlier signed into law.

Governor Monday Okpebholo presided over the emergency executive meeting, where the supplementary spending plan was adopted.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Commissioner for Finance Emmanuel Okoebor said the supplementary budget includes about N12 billion (5 percent) for recurrent expenditure and N113 billion (25 percent) for capital expenditure.

He noted that the adjustment reflects the government’s commitment to infrastructure development, with the revised 2025 budget now allocating 70 percent to capital projects.

According to him, ‘It clearly shows that the government is concerned about infrastructural development, making Edo people happy. We have done about 254KM of road across the state, and many more construction works are ongoing.

‘Recurrent expenditure has about a 5 percent increment as the increase in minimum wage necessitated that increment, including a lot of employment that the present administration did in the hospital management board for over 1000, and it needs to be captured.

‘The budget has been increased by N125 billion, which is about 18 percent, and capital expenditure by about 25 percent, from N450 billion to N563 billion.’

Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paul Ohombamu, said the supplementary budget would be forwarded to the Edo State House of Assembly for legislative consideration and passage.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of three new heads of federal agencies, underscoring his administration’s commitment to strengthening key institutions across different sectors.

In a statement on Tuesday by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen, the President named Bello Bawa Bwari from Niger State as the new Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency.

His appointment is for an initial term of four years, effective September 18, 2025, in line with the provisions of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015.

Also, Hon. Barr. Aminu Junaidu from Zamfara State has been appointed Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Investment and Security Tribunal.

He will serve a five-year term beginning September 18, 2025.

Also appointed is Olayiwola Awakan, who will head the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) as Director-General for an initial four-year term with effect from September 2, 2025.

According to the statement, the appointments reflect President Tinubu’s determination to reposition strategic agencies to deliver effectively on their mandates.

The President tasked the new appointees to bring their expertise to bear in advancing the growth and development of their respective institutions, stressing that their performance would contribute significantly to the nation’s progress.

Former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, has called on Nigerian leaders at all levels, to rise to the responsibility of delivering on the long-deferred hopes of citizens, saying the burden of failed leadership continues to weigh heavily on the people.

In his Independence Day message to Nigerians on October 1, 2025, Kachikwu reflected on the country’s journey since independence, urging a sober evaluation of its achievements and failings.

‘Independence Day is our national day of individual and collective evaluation of our nationhood. We look at how far we have come and the whys and wherefores of our mistakes and missteps,’ he said.

Kachikwu lamented that the sacrifices of Nigeria’s founding fathers had yet to translate into the nation they envisioned.

‘On this day, I can’t help but think of the sacrifices of our heroes past and wonder what they would say if they saw the Nigeria they laboured and sacrificed for in the here and now of October 1st, 2025,’ he noted.

He further praised ordinary Nigerians for their resilience despite years of unfulfilled promises, saying, ‘The majority of our people who are helpless and hapless are the burden bearers of decades of mostly failed leadership.

‘In their voicelessness they continue to carry the weight of our nation’s many problems, for were they to ever vent their collective frustrations, our country would implode’

‘As they search fruitlessly for their inheritance in the promise that was and is Nigeria, they continue to sacrificially tolerate and forgive the many failed promises of our leaders.

Today, I celebrate the heroism and patriotism of the Nigerian people who have kept the peace in spite of hope deferred. The good book says hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).’

While wishing Nigerians a peaceful celebration and renewed hope in the nation, Kachikwu emphasized that many Nigerians were questioning whether current leaders could truly deliver the Nigeria of their dreams.

‘The question most Nigerians are asking of their leaders today is when will their desires come? When will the Nigeria of their dreams emerge? When will this nation work for everyone irrespective of tribe, tongue and religion?

‘From generation to generation, father after father has sold the promise of a better Nigeria to son after son. Today, they collectively ask their leaders; are you the ones to usher in a better Nigeria or should we look to another?,’ he noted.

The federal government and major players in the agricultural sector have launched a crackdown on breeders, wholesalers, and retailers involved in the sale of substandard seeds.

According to them, seed security is fundamental to achieving food security, stressing that fraudulent dealers often deceive farmers into purchasing seeds they claim are high grade, but which in reality are inferior.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Abdullahi Sabi, speaking on Tuesday in Abuja while hosting the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Evaluation Mission Team, warned that Nigeria cannot achieve food sufficiency with poor-quality seeds despite heavy investment in the sector.

‘If we must guarantee food security, farmers must have access to quality and affordable seeds at all times. That is the reason behind this initiative,’ Sabi said.

He added that Nigeria is eager to strengthen global collaboration, noting that the country’s current yield gap is troubling.

‘We believe we can do better. Sometimes, the failure to meet our yield potential is because what farmers plant as seeds are not truly seeds, and even when they are, their quality is questionable.’

Director-General of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Fatuhu Mohammed, also vowed to end the malpractice, noting that the circulation of fake seeds has cost Nigeria millions of dollars in lost food production.

He lamented that, unlike countries such as the United States and Israel, where seed councils are regarded as vital national institutions, Nigeria has failed to give its council the same priority.

‘In the U.S., the seed council is considered a national asset. In Israel, they do not joke with seed quality. Unfortunately, here we take it lightly,’ he said.

Mohammed disclosed that weekly inspections will be carried out across the six zones of the country to prevent adulterated seeds from reaching farmers. The monitoring exercise, he said, will involve agro ranchers, 36 state coordinators, and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He further urged the public to report anyone selling fake seeds, stressing that the campaign requires collective responsibility.

‘We are strengthening compliance monitoring and enforcement. If you see someone trading fake seeds and fail to alert security agencies, you are not only harming yourself but also the country,’ he said.

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to align its actions with judicial directives and provide clear, consistent communication to prevent further confusion and unrest among constituents in Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.

The group noted that the situation emphasises the importance of accountability in electoral processes and the necessity of adhering to legal frameworks established by higher courts.

The national spokesman of IYC, Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill, noted in a statement on Tuesday, that there is a notable discord between statements issued by INEC officials, with reports of the delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency being both suspended and not suspended.

He said this inconsistency raises questions about the internal communication and hierarchy within the INEC.

The IYC spokesman expressed concern over the apparent lack of clarity in INEC’s policies and the potential for public misinformation.

He recalled that a landmark ruling on December 2, 2022, declared the current delineation in Warri Federal Constituency as fraudulent and ineffective, mandating a comprehensive re-delineation by INEC. The IYC posed a critical question regarding the legality and appropriateness of INEC’s continuous voter registration in an area where the Supreme Court had deemed the electoral wards and units non-existent.

Princewill said, given the tension arising from INEC’s inconsistent handling of the re-delineation and voter registration process, the IYC is advocating for clarity in communication from INEC and adherence to the Supreme Court’s ruling.

He argued that until INEC implements its field report regarding the re-delineation in Warri Federal Constituency, it lacks the authority to conduct any voter registration in that area.

Princewill asserted, ‘Let it be known that the delay tactics employed by INEC in implementing its draft report won’t work, as it must not take the commission an eternity to put things together in Warri Federal Constituency. The Ijaw Youth Council will surely resist it with every fibre of its being.

‘INEC’s intentional delay and extension of the continuous voter registration exercise to Warri Federal Constituency is nothing short of contempt of court and an affront to the Nigerian judiciary in particular. If the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot fix an issue with a legal backing in just one federal constituency in Nigeria, what then will be the hope of Nigerians putting their trust in a credible election in Nigeria by the same INEC?

‘While we have continued to preach peace and the unity of Nigeria, the relevant authorities must be seen doing the right thing by not throwing this lovely and peaceful nation into another form of unrest on account of this.’