Category: The Nation – Nigeria

Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, has assured the United Nations that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not delegitimise or suppress opposition in Nigeria.

Ibrahim gave the assurance on Tuesday while delivering his address at the ongoing Global Parliamentary Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the Prevention of Violent Extremism in Istanbul, Turkey.

New platform, Camera Hubs, is set to launch Africa’s marketplace for cameras, audio equipment, broadcasting gear, and stage lighting, on December 1.

The lead; Eugin Joachin, businessman with 20 years of experience in photographic equipment, said the inspiration came from decades of watching creatives struggle.

‘I have seen photographers cry after discovering they bought fake gear or find it difficult to get what they want. I have seen churches spend months trying to bring in basic microphones, Trusses, stage lights and other equipment. I have seen middlemen inflate prices. CameraHubs is the big break Africa’s creatives have been waiting for,’ he said.

He said the target audience are photographers, cinematographers, content creators, churches, clubs, broadcasters, and entertainers, adding creatives don’t just need equipment; they need guidance, inspiration, and opportunities.

‘The platform will connect buyers to different distributors, retailers and manufacturers Buyers can browse multiple shops, compare prices, and choose what suits them, ,’ he said in Lagos.

‘This is not just another online store. It is a hub where industry players, manufacturers, retailers, and professionals come together in one space. If you are a photographer a filmmaker , club owners , churches you will find exactly what you need without stress,’ he added.

Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River has assured that the state is fully prepared and safe to host the 2026 edition of the Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA).

He gave the assurance on Tuesday when he led a NUGA delegation and the management team of the University of Calabar on an inspection tour of facilities at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

The governor described Calabar as a youth-friendly, peaceful, conducive, and welcoming city with a serene and green environment that makes it ideal for hosting national and international sporting events.

‘The field we are standing on today has produced some of Nigeria’s greatest football icons, including Uwenm Ekarika, Etim Essien, and John Okon, among others.

‘The first captain of the national football team was a Calabar man, who led the team to England for competitive matches,’ Otu said.

Expressing gratitude for the return of NUGA to Calabar after 35 years, Otu said he was confident the event would be a huge success.

He expressed optimism in the capacity of Dorncklaimz Enamhe, Executive Secretary of NUGA 2026 Local Organising Committee (LOC), to deliver memorable games.

The governor highlighted Calabar’s deep historical connection to sports, noting that it was the first city in Nigeria where football was played.

‘Enamhe is known for his dedication and commitment to any responsibility entrusted to him. I have no doubt he will deliver on this national assignment,’ he said.

Otu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sports development, saying that in the past two years, the state government has significantly promoted sporting activities and restored their pride of place in Cross River.

Enamhe said that Calabar has the greenest stadium in Nigeria, the best basketball court, and a world-class Olympic-size swimming pool, among others.

He said that Calabar is home to table tennis, with world-class champions.

‘Calabar is home to the biggest carnival in Africa, where youths will properly interact. Unical hosting NUGA after the 35th is huge for the state,’ he said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate reduction in the 2026 Hajj fare to reflect the recent appreciation of the naira against the dollar, a major determinant of pilgrimage costs.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who conveyed the President’s directive yesterday during a meeting with the management and board members of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, gave the commission two days to produce a new and affordable fare structure.

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, VP Shettima said the directive was necessary to ensure that Nigerian pilgrims benefit directly from the positive effects of the ongoing economic reforms, particularly the strengthened value of the naira.

Shettima called for closer collaboration among NAHCON, state governments, and other relevant agencies to harmonise the revised fares and ensure smooth coordination of the 2026 pilgrimage.

He also emphasised the need for prompt payments and remittances to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to guarantee a seamless Hajj operation.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadeija, said the meeting was convened to finalise preparations for the 2026 Hajj and review the cost structure in light of the improved exchange rate.

‘Rates have continued to improve steadily with the appreciation of the naira, based on the effects of government reforms. If pilgrims paid N8.5 million to N8.6 million last year due to a weaker exchange rate, the improvement in the economy should now reflect in the new fares. The Vice President made it clear that the benefits of the stronger naira must be passed on to the pilgrims,’ Hadeija explained.

NAHCON’s Secretary, Dr. Mustapha Mohammad, welcomed the President’s directive, saying it would make the spiritual journey more accessible to Nigerian Muslims.

‘It is a welcome development. The lower the Hajj fare, the better for Muslim faithful intending to perform Hajj. As directed by the Vice President, we will work tirelessly between today and tomorrow to reduce the cost to the barest minimum and make it affordable for every Muslim,’ he said.

Also, the Chairman of the Kebbi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and Deputy Chairman of the Forum of Chief Executives of Pilgrims Boards, Alhaji Faruk Aliyu Yaro, praised the President and the Vice President for their intervention.

‘We are very happy because the President and the Vice President have already intervened. We thank God for what they have done, which will bring down the cost of Hajj fare. We are delighted’, Yaro said.

President Bola Tinubu has explained why his administration established the N200 billion intervention fund to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and manufacturers.

Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, stated this in Abuja on Monday at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit, organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.

The president said it had become necessary to assist them in boosting competitiveness and addressing structural challenges.

He said beyond the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 4.23 per cent recorded in September 2025, the economic reforms spearheaded by his administration had started yielding tangible results across sectors.

According to him, it has surpassed projections from multilateral agencies and indigenous economic experts.

The president maintained that all the decisions taken by his administration had been ‘guided by the pursuit of balance between economic logic and public expectation.’

Tinubu restated his administration’s resolve to rekindle hope for poor, vulnerable and jobless Nigerians by creating corridors for them, especially the youth, to access loans, grants and equity investments.

He said, ‘ As a people-oriented government, our priority remains restoring hope to the unemployed, the poor, the excluded, and the vulnerable.

‘ We have created pathways for young Nigerians to access grants, loans, and equity investments of up to 100,000 dollars to scale their enterprises, innovate, and build sustainable livelihoods.

‘We established a N200 billion intervention fund to support micro, small, and medium enterprises and manufacturers, helping them overcome structural challenges and enhance competitiveness.

‘Our expansion of digital micro-loan access has improved financial inclusion, empowering small businesses and stimulating community-level productivity.

‘These efforts underline our commitment to an economy that works for all Nigerians.’

The Nigerian leader attributed the significant progress his administration has made so far in stabilising Nigeria’s economy and rescuing public finance to the patience and sacrifices made by Nigerians.

‘As experts in the economy, you know more than the average citizen that the stability in our foreign exchange market is not accidental.

‘ It reflects deliberate choices guided by the same economic wisdom that gatherings such as this embody.

‘Along with subsidy removal, these decisions have rescued our public finances, stabilised the economy, and reassured investors at home and abroad.

‘ We owe this progress to the sacrifices of Nigerians, whose patience and understanding have been the bedrock of our endurance.

‘To them, I say: the better days we promised are already within sight,’ he stated.

Tinubu acknowledged what he described as a ‘resounding consensus’ that ongoing reforms by his administration had stabilised the nation’s macroeconomic environment, with the economy ‘expanding to N372.8 trillion in 2024, up from N309.5 trillion in 2023.’

Tinubu said, ‘Our total revenue collection also rose from N19.9 trillion in 2023 to N25.2 trillion in 2024, and as of August 2025, it had reached N27.8 trillion, surpassing the revenue target of N18.32 trillion.

‘These triumphs and projections are guided by the promise we have made to the nation – to grow Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio from 97 per cent, where we met it, to a sustainable level.

‘Aside from the good news that this ratio has now reduced to less than 50 per cent, I am proud to share that this performance, in our early days in office, inspired Fitch to upgrade Nigeria’s sovereign rating to B, with a stable outlook, and Moody’s to lift our issuer rating to B3 with a stable outlook.

‘Both praised our improved economic foresight and clearer policy direction as their barometers.’

For non-oil revenues, the president said it grew by 411 per cent year on year in August this year, with tax-to-GDP ratio now nudging 13.5 per cent, up from barely seven per cent a few years ago.

The president assured that the four Tax Reform Acts he recently signed into law would boost domestic revenue mobilisation, reduce dependence on oil, and simplify compliance.

‘These reforms protect low-income earners, ensure fairness in corporate taxation, and strengthen digital innovation in tax administration.

‘ By promoting transparency and coordination among all tiers of government, we are laying the foundation for a fairer and more prosperous Nigeria,’ Tinubu added.

The Chairman of the NESG, Mr Olaniyi Yusuf, advised the relevant stakeholders and authorities to address security as an enabler of reforms.

He said that without peace, reforms cannot take root, investors cannot take risks, and Nigerian youths cannot find opportunities for prosperity.

‘Tackling insecurity in rural and urban areas alike is vital to unlock productivity and restore confidence,’ he added.

A federal lawmaker from Lagos State, Dr. Adesola Adedayo, has said the ongoing nationwide voter registration was crucial to favourable outcome in the 2027 general election.

Adedayo, who represents Apapa Constituency in the House of Representatives, tied the expected success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election project to the exercise in the state and nationally.

He appealed to chieftains of All Progressives Congress (APC) to mobilise the grassroots for the President, starting with getting those constitutionally-qualified to vote, to register.

Adedayo, a former two-term chairman of Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), said he had been on the field with his team since the beginning of the exercise, mobilising his base and constituents to go out and register.

The first-termer at the National Assembly said his involvement with the grassroots mobilisation had shown him there were countless potential Tinubu voters in the state, who just needed to be guided through the process of being able to vote in 2027.

Describing the President as a war-time leader in the mould of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Saladin, Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower, the lawmaker said besides insecurity gripping the country, which was almost at war-front proportion, the President was also fighting economic battles to rescue the commonwealth from cannibals sucking it for decades.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the administration, saying at the President’s age and the quantum of material blessings he had received from God, ”what is paramount to him now is a legacy of service to his fatherland.”

He assured Nigerians that President Tinubu would deliver.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Tuesday clashed with Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni during a tense on-air interview on The Morning Show.

The heated exchange, which quickly went viral after clips surfaced on X, occurred when Oseni questioned Umahi’s use of the title Professor of Engineering and accused him of previously reporting him to President Bola Tinubu over his critical comments on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project.

Visibly irritated, Umahi rebuked the presenter, insisting on being addressed properly and defending his professional credentials.

The confrontation briefly disrupted the interview before it continued amid visible tension between both men.

The visibly angry minister fired back at the presenter, stating, ‘Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything.

‘I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.’

He added, ‘You are too small for me to report to the President. Stop saying I reported you to the President, you’re too small.’

Oseni also refused to back down, stating, ‘Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.’

Weighing into the issue, Lere Olayinka, the Spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Minister, recalled schooling the presenter about ways and manners of addressing guests, especially in their official capacity.

Olayinka further accused Rufai of ‘self-pride’.

Olayinka wrote on X, ‘I listened to @ruffydfire addressing the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi as you guys.

‘I once lectured this man that in journalism, there are words you don’t use to address people, especially in their official capacity.

‘Obviously, self-pride won’t let Rufai Oseni do the needful.’

In a follow up tweet, Olayinka wrote, ‘You invited a Minister to your TV station to speak on issues, and you are telling him to keep quiet?

‘Only animal something something can do such.’

Mainstream Global Insurance Brokers has been officially announced as the Title Sponsor of the highly anticipated Oke Ogun Open Tennis Tournament 2025, set to take place in Ado Awaye, Oyo State between November 18 and 20 2025.

The partnership marks a major boost for the fast-growing tennis event, which continues to attract top talents and sports enthusiasts from across the Oke Ogun region and beyond.

As title sponsor, Mainstream Global Insurance Brokers reaffirms commitment to supporting youth development, sports excellence, and community engagement through meaningful corporate social responsibility initiatives.

According to the project Coordinator of OkeOgun Tennis Club, Oloye Bola Olalere, the organisers of the tournament, the 2025 edition promises to be the most exciting yet, featuring a lineup of competitive matches, community tennis clinics, and dedication of ‘ our brand new tennis court built at the foot of Ado mountain with special attractions highlighting the scenic beauty of Ado Awaye – home to the famous Iyake Suspended Lake, one of Africa’s natural wonders.’

The Oke Ogun Open Tennis Tournament 2025 will serve as a platform for emerging talents and a celebration of unity, fitness, and regional pride.

It will also feature the induction of about 100 Young Players into the presitigious OkeOgun Tennis Club.

With Mainstream Global Insurance Brokers leading the way as title sponsor, the event is set to reach new heights of professionalism and excitement.

Leaders from the Three Ibie/Okpekpe zone in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State have dismissed the allegation of political marginalisation of ‘North Ibie’ region, describing the claims as false, misleading, and mischievous.

The clarification followed a publication credited to Abdullahi Shuaibu, accusing political leaders in Etsako East council area of sidelining the ‘North Ibie’ area in the sharing of political positions since 1999.

In a statement by the Chief Administrator of the People of Imiegba Village Square (Home and Abroad), Three Ibie, Etsako East, the leaders said that there was no officially recognized area known as the ‘North Ivie’ in the local government.

According to him, the correct structure consists of the three Ibie Clans namely the Imiegba, Itsukwi, and Imiakebu and the Okpekpe Clan.

Ekiogwe expressed concern that the claims of marginalization was capable of creating tension and disunity among the people of Etsako East, noting that the allegations were purely self-serving and intended to mislead the public.

‘The so-called Abdullahi Shuaibu is unknown to our political, traditional, and community leadership structures. His purported representation of the zone is false, fraudulent, and does not reflect our collective reality,’ the statement read.

He added that the zone had benefited immensely from political inclusion over the years, producing several prominent figures who have held strategic elective and appointive positions at both local and state levels.

Ekiogwe noted that the zone has, over the years, produced prominent political figures who have made significant contributions to governance at various levels.

Among them are two members of the Edo State House of Assembly, the late Hon. J.B. Momoh and Rt. Hon. Engr. Abubakar Momoh as well as a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abubakar Momoh, who currently serves as a Federal Minister.

He added the zone has also produced two substantive council chairmen, Engr. Abubakar Momoh and Hon. Benedicta Attoh; an acting chairman, Hon. Attoh; and four vice chairmen,Edward Imanobe, Haruna Yaro Yaro, Benedicta Attoh, and Charles Dagana all of whom have played key roles in advancing the development of Etsako East.

Ekiogwe further said zone also produced the current Etsako East APC Chairman, Mr. Okponokhe, further proving that the

Three Ibie/Okpekpe zone has not been marginalized in political participation or representation.

He noted that APC in Etsako East had consistently upheld equity and fairness in political zoning, adding that the party’s recent decision to zone the Edo State House of Assembly seat to the Three Ibie/Okpekpe zone further demonstrated inclusiveness.

He cautioned individuals against using the media to propagate divisive narrative or to seek political recognition outside established party structures, stating that ‘loyalty to one’s political party and due consultation with leaders remain the only credible path to elective offices, not media propaganda’.

Former housemate of Big Brother Naija Season 10, Isabella Georgewill has reunited with her son, Jason, after weeks of separation.

The emotional reunion was captured on video, showcasing the deep bond between the mother and her 14-year-old son.

Throughout her time in the Big Brother house, Isabella frequently spoke about how much she missed her little boy.

As Isabella entered the room, her face lit up with joy upon seeing Jason.

‘The only reunion that truly matters’, she captioned the post.

She dropped everything, including a cup and a jar of plantain chips, to give her son a warm hug.

The tender moment showed Isabella gently fixing Jason’s hair and collar while whispering to him.

The video, shared on Instagram and X, garnered a lot of attention, with fans praising Isabella’s love and dedication to her son.