Category: The Nation – Nigeria

Here’s to every Nigerian we have been a Padi of Life to, who has had the will to Fire On,

the joy to Taste The Ahmazing and the motivation to stay Thirsty For More.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

SEVEN-UP BOTTLING COMPANY (SBC)

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced on Wednesday that it would begin nationwide enforcement against persons who overstayed in the country in violations of visa amnesty granted by the government.

The expiration of the Federal Government’s three-month visa amnesty programme begins on October 1, 2025.

The crackdown targets foreign nationals who failed to regularise their immigration status during the grace period.

A statement by the spokesman of the NIS, Akinsola Akinlabi, warned that offenders would face fines, deportation, or lifetime entry bans.

‘With the expiration of the amnesty period, effective October 1, 2025, enforcement actions will commence nationwide against foreign nationals who have overstayed their visa or violated their entry conditions,’ Akinlabi said.

The enforcement covers a wide category of foreigners, including those with expired Visa on Arrival (VoA), expired single- and multiple-entry short visit or business visas, as well as holders of expired Comprehensive Expatriate Residence Permit and Automated Cards (CERPAC).

According to the NIS, foreigners who have overstayed by less than three months risk removal, a $15 daily fine, or a two-year entry ban.

Those who have overstayed between three months and one year face removal, a $15 daily fine, or a five-year entry ban. Overstayers of one year and above face removal, a 10-year entry ban, or a permanent ban from Nigeria.

The Service said the measures are aimed at safeguarding national security and ensuring lawful migration.

‘The Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to enforcing the law, protecting national interests, and promoting transparency and efficiency across all immigration processes,’ Akinlabi said.

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the welfare and recognition of teachers in the country.

The government gave the assurance ahead of this year’s World Teachers’ Day, with the theme: Recasting Teaching as a Collaborative Profession. The event is celebrated globally on October 5 to honour teachers and recognise their contributions to education and society.

The day was first proclaimed in 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Education International (EI), and UNICEF, following the 1966 ILO/UNESCO recommendation concerning the status of Teachers.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, spoke at a symposium in Abuja.

Alausa described teachers as the custodians of knowledge, the builders of character, and the architects of the nation’s future.

The minister applauded teachers for being the foundation of every profession, stressing that their sacrifices keep the country alive.

He said: ‘Honestly, you have the most important and the best profession in the country. Who makes a doctor? Who makes an engineer? Who makes a professor? It is the teacher. That is why the government is working assiduously to come up with better packages for you. Light is at the end of the tunnel.

‘For too long, teaching has often been practiced in isolation. But when teachers collaborate, students are the ultimate beneficiaries. They receive richer, more engaging instruction and witness firsthand the power of teamwork and shared responsibility.’

Alausa also assured teachers that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration was determined to provide the recognition, training, and support they needed to thrive.

‘When you want the highest quality of education, what do you need? A high-quality teacher. And when you want a high-quality teacher, what should you do? Give them the recognition, the support, the training, and the cooperation that they need,’ he added.

The minister praised teachers for producing world-class graduates who continue to excel globally.

‘Anywhere in the world, when they say a Nigerian student becomes a professional, they do so well. That’s the output of your work. We know we can’t pay you enough, but be proud of yourselves. On behalf of the President, I commend you for your sacrifices, your diligence, and your commitment to building our nation,’ Alausa added.

Rite Foods Limited has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable innovations in its manufacturing processes.

The spoke while hosting reporters on a tour of its Energy Centre in Ososa, Ogun State, as part of activities that marked this year’s World Ozone Day. The day highlighted the importance of collective global action in protecting the ozone layer-earth’s natural shield against harmful ultraviolet radiation-and reinforces the need for continued efforts to tackle broader environmental challenges such as climate change and pollution.

Speaking during the tour, General Manager, Operations, Olufemi Ajileye, said the company is determined to set the pace in sustainable manufacturing with world-class processes that conserve energy, protect the environment, and cut carbon emissions.

At its factory, the company deployed fully automated systems, energy-efficient technologies, renewable energy, and advanced carbon-free infrastructure-all designed to safeguard the ozone layer and minimize its ecological footprint.

Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Ekuma Eze, explained that sustainability was embedded in the facility’s design. According to him, the company’s unique energy mix-92per cent gas, 6.5per cent diesel, and 1.5per cent solar-alongside low-emission technologies has kept its carbon intensity below 800gCO2/lpb, far lower than the industry average of 1,300-2,500gCO2/lpb.

‘This demonstrates our commitment to cleaner energy sources, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the ozone layer,’ Eze said.

Ajileye added that the factory’s cooling plant is equipped with advanced safety systems that ensure zero ammonia leaks and eliminate harmful emissions. This, he said, not only protects the environment but also guarantees the highest standards of product quality and safety.

Beyond factory operations, the company extends its environmental stewardship through its CSR pillars-Education, Youth Empowerment, Environmental Stewardship, and Community Development (EYEC). Its flagship programme, RiteOnTheBeach, has championed ecological conservation along Lagos’ coastlines by promoting plastic waste recovery, recycling, and community-led clean-ups that generate jobs and fund school supplies for children in underserved communities.

These initiatives, the company noted, reflect its commitment to circular economy practices that reduce waste, empower communities, and protect future generations.

Rite Foods’ efforts have not gone unnoticed. The company was recently named Food Company of the Year 2024 at the Independent Media Awards. Its portfolio-which includes 13 Bigi Carbonated Soft Drink variants, Bigi Premium Drinking Water, Sosa Fruit Drink in five flavours, Nigeria’s No. 1 Fearless Energy Drink, and Rite Spicy Beef and Bigi Beef Sausage Rolls-continues to refresh millions of consumers nationwide, proudly produced to world-class standards.

Activist lawyer , Femi Falana (SAN), yesterday urged the judiciary to urgently determine the constitutional validity of the emergency rule recently lifted in Rivers State.

Falana warned that leaving the matter unresolved would set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.

Falana, in a statement issued yesterday, warned that without a judicial pronouncement, Section 305 of the Constitution-which empowers the President to declare a state of emergency-could be abused to settle political scores.

President Bola Tinubu had on September 17, 2025, announced the cessation of emergency rule in Rivers State and reinstated Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other elected officials. President Tinubu in his broadcast acknowledged the controversy generated by his proclamation.

The President, however, noted that over 40 cases were instituted in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa to challenge the declaration.

‘That is the way it should be in a democratic setting,’ Tinubu said, adding that some of the suits remain pending in court.

Falana, however, insisted that the judiciary cannot sidestep its responsibility as it did in earlier cases involving emergency rule.

He cited that in Attorney-General of Plateau State v Attorney-General of the Federation (2006), the Supreme Court struck out a suit challenging the suspension of state officials on the grounds that the emergency rule had expired, rendering the case academic. Similarly, he said that in Attorney-General of Ekiti State v Attorney-General of the Federation, the apex court declined jurisdiction.

Falana, however, contended that the Rivers’ cases are different because they raise ‘live constitutional issues’ that go beyond the restoration of Governor Fubara and other officials.

He said: ‘the pending suits question the President’s powers to suspend elected state officials, appoint a sole administrator, dissolve state executive bodies, and even conduct local government elections without due process.

‘These matters involve the interpretation of sections 1(2), 5(2), 11, 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the Constitution, and they cannot be dismissed as speculative.’

Falana also cited the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who had earlier described the Rivers declaration as a ‘clear signal’ to other crisis-ridden states, and urged critics to allow the courts to make a final determination.

‘The Bola Tinubu administration has thrown a challenge to the judiciary,’ Falana said.

‘The courts must take it up without further delay. Otherwise, the sword of Damocles will continue to hang over the heads of elected governors’, he warned.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order restraining Prof. Pat Utomi and his associates from proceeding with their plan to establish a shadow government/cabinet in the country.

Justice James Omotosho issued the order yesterday in a judgment on a suit filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) with Utomi as the sole defendant.

Justice Omotosho declared the idea of a shadow government/cabinet is unconstitutional and a concept alien to the nation’s presidential system of government.

The judge held that Utomi and his associates cannot hide under the rights to freedom of association and expression to engage in unlawful activities.

He hailed the plaintiff for filing the suit and held, among others, that it was within the powers of the DSS, being a premier national security agency, to take steps to prevent acts capable of threatening the nation’s internal security.

Justice Omotosho upheld the argument by the lawyer to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), that the move by Utomi and his associates to form a shadow government/cabinet was intended to create chaos and destabilise the country.

The judge also agreed with the plaintiff that not only was the planned shadow government an aberration but that it also constituted a grave attack on the Constitution and a threat to the democratically elected government currently in place.

He held that such a structure, styled as a shadow government/cabinet, if left unchecked, may incite political unrest, cause intergroup tensions, and embolden other unlawful actors or separatist entities to replicate similar parallel arrangements, all of which pose a grave threat to national security.

Justice Omotosho held that although the defendant is entitled to enjoy the rights to freedom of expression and to associate, such rights are not absolute.

He further held that the two rights being claimed by the defendant can legally be violated in some instances, particularly where there is a need to protect society from anarchy and the breakdown of law and order.

The judge held that, in the interest of the security of the country, such rights (freedom of expression and association) do not exist for the defendant, warning that the court would not sit idly by and allow the defendant to cause confusion in the country.

According to him, the planned shadow government/cabinet by Utomi and others portends a danger to the stability and safety of the country.

He said that although Utmi claimed to be running a civil society organisation, his decision to form a shadow government was a nullity.

The judge averred that there are existing avenues through which people could criticise the government, which the defendant could explore, but not to take unconstitutional steps, like forming a shadow government/cabinet.

Justice Omotosho also faulted the forum adopted by Utomi and his associates, noting that Big Tent Limited, a limited liability company under which the defendant claimed to be operating, cannot be used as a vehicle for political purposes, as was done in this case.

The judge said should Utomi and his associates wish to set up a platform to criticise and monitor the government, they should either form a political party or join an existing one, not use a limited liability company for political purposes.

He issued an order declaring the purported shadow government/cabinet being planned by Utomi and his associates as unconstitutional and amounting to an attempt to create a parallel authority not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Justice Omotosho also declared that under Sections 1(1), 1(2) and 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, the establishment or operation of any governmental authority or structure outside the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). is unconstitutional, null, and void.

The judge issued an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, his agents and associates ‘from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a shadow government, shadow cabinet or any similar entity not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

It is not for nothing that Nigerians have generally welcomed the reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) from 27.5 per cent to 27 percent at the committee’s 302nd meeting last week. Although it was something that Nigerians had long hoped for in the last few years, the exigencies of the economy had made it practically unrealistic.

According to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Yemi Cardoso, the MPC decision was underpinned by ‘sustained disinflation recorded in the past five months, projections of declining inflation for the rest of 2025, and the need to support economic recovery efforts.’

In other words, the time was finally right.

Among other reasons, he noted that headline inflation had slowed to 20.12 per cent in August from 21.88 per cent in July. Food inflation, he also reported, fell to 21.87 per cent from 22.74 per cent, while core inflation eased to 20.33 per cent from 21.33 per cent.

On a month-to-month basis, inflation dropped sharply to 0.74 per cent in August compared with 1.99 per cent in July.

There were other notable decisions. The MPC also adjusted the Standing Facilities corridor around the MPR to +250/-250 basis points to improve the efficiency of the interbank market and strengthen monetary policy transmission. The committee further introduced a 75 per cent Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) on non-TSA public sector deposits for enhanced liquidity management.

For commercial banks, this was adjusted to 45 per cent while retaining that of merchant banks at 16 per cent. The Liquidity Ratio was left unchanged at 30.00 per cent.

Said he of the cut in MPR: ‘This reduction is the first under my leadership and the first in five years’; noting that ‘the last time the MPC cut its policy rate was in September 2020 when it dropped from 12.5 per cent to 11.5 per cent.

As would be expected, members of the organised private sector see the reduction as not only ‘marginal but insufficient to ease the credit squeeze on their businesses’. For Nigerians as a whole, it seems unlikely that they would be particularly enthusiastic about any cut short of returning the reference rate to a single digit.

Here, Nigerians would recall occasions in the past where suggestions were actually made in some quarters that the rate be legislated by fiat!

While varied positions on the subject would seem understandable, they merely highlight the misconceptions about the CBN’s role, particularly its dilemma in its statutory role of keeping inflation under control while ensuring unimpeded growth on one hand, and the daily frustrations of economic actors who have businesses to run, and must do it competitively under a constantly looming shadow of foreclosure, on the other.

In all of these, we cannot but commend Cardoso and his team for keeping admirably calm, while keeping their eyes on the ball.

For us, however, good as the trend is, the work has only begun. In fact, there is still much to be done to get the economy back to full recovery. Liquidity management remains a huge challenge even more so now that state treasuries are literally awash with Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) cash.

We expect the apex bank to continue to keep a keen eye on the monster of inflation to prevent a relapse to the immediate past. As for interest rates, we expect things to moderate a bit to reflect the trend.

On the whole, we urge the state governments in particular to focus on those expenditures that could engender real growth in the economy; surely the time for bogus expenditures should belong in the past.

If anything, the expectation is for both the fiscal and monetary authorities to continue to work together to deliver on growth that Nigerians can truly be proud.

Edo State Government said its deployment of technology and innovation would help it to meet targeted N100billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by December ending.

It said it had made gains in the area of increasing the state IGR and being able to manage some of the challenging issues with tax evasion and tax avoidance.

Executive Chairman of Edo Internal Revenue Services (EIRS), Otunba Bamidele Bankole-Balogun, in an interview, said the state was making steady progress through audit processes, assessments and good use of the courts.

He said the state’s IGR at the end of August was N74billion and had hit N79billion at press time.

Bankole-Balogun said the Governor Monday Okpebholo administration inherited a virtually non-existent digitalised system.

The EIRS boss said his team was working assiduously to digitalise revenue collections in Edo State such that in future, cash collections and manual collections would be reduced to the barest minimum.

He said: ‘At the moment, Edo State Internal Revenue Service is making tremendous gains in the area of increasing the state’s IGR. There are many components to our taxation and each and every part of this mix is seeing significant improvement as compared to last year in review.

‘There are other companies that are lined up and individuals lined up somewhere. It has been traditionally difficult, as you say, to come to grips with high net worth individuals. They have all the resources to evade and avoid tax, but we’re on top of it.’

He expressed the state’s preparedness for the new tax regime from January 1, 2026.

‘As you know, the new tax regime that will come in on the 1st of January 2026 places very little emphasis on the low income and places a lot of emphasis on the high income. Our objective is to tap into the high net worth individuals who are able to pay much more than the lower income, so as to harness that group and maximise the potential from the group.

‘Digitalisation is on top of it. Tax bodies are on top of it. The FIRS, which will now be the Federal Revenue Service, is also on top of it. Edo State Internal Revenue Service is also on top of it. Technology will help and as you know TINs, BDNs and NINs are going to be critical to doing any financial transaction in Nigeria from the 1st of January. So all of these mechanisms put together, hopefully, will help us to get more from these people who can pay more actually to give everybody a better life.’

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has inaugurated the committee for the screening of 2026 Hajj Tour Operators at the Hajj House in Abuja.

The committee comprises management workers of the commission alongside other key members, including representatives from the secretariat.

The commission’s Director of Administration, Alhaji Alidu Shutti, who represented the Chairman at the event, described the inauguration as an important milestone in preparations for the Hajj operation.

He expressed the commission’s confidence in the competence and capacity of the committee members to deliver on the crucial assignment.

Shutti urged the committee to thoroughly scrutinise all documents submitted by intending Hajj Tour Operators seeking licences for the 2026 exercise, ensuring validity, accuracy, and compliance with international best practices.

He directed the committee to recommend slot allocations only to qualified and competent operators.

‘You are expected to submit your recommendations to the leadership of the commission for approval or otherwise, and produce a comprehensive report of your findings at the end of the exercise,’ Shutti said.

The director reminded the committee of the urgency of their task, stressing that the assignment must be completed within one week in line with the deadline set by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for the 2026 operations.

Before pouring jeremiads on Nigeria at 65, behold the parallels between Emperor Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (reigned: 605-562 BC) and US President Donald Trump, as America approaches its 250th year in 2026!

Much more than a warrior-king, Nebuchadnezzar was a renowned builder. His neo-Babylonian Empire, of course, provided a surfeit of forced labour.

Trump is a real estate magnate. But with Trump accused as a shark that often shirks payment for work done, duped labour is answer to Nebuchadnezzar’s forced labour.

Nebuchadnezzar drove Jews into exile, among hated Gentiles, in his prized Babylon city, with his 586 BC razing of Jerusalem; and his capture and torture of rebellious Judah King Zedekiah.

In a settler country with neither Jew nor Gentile, Trump is creating fake Gentiles of US illegal immigrants, and dumping them in fake Babylon: in Africa, South America and Asia, where as the ancient Jews in Babylon, they might not even know anyone!

But it’s in preening hubris that the Trump-Nebuchadnezzar parallel is eeriest.

At the zenith of his self-worship – even with a prophetic caution, by Daniel the Jew to humble himself – Nebuchadnezzar crowed: ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built, as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’

Compare and contrast that with Trump’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) September 25 conceit, and you’ll spot the tragic similarity between the two.

Using his native New York and UN base as Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon city, Trump bluffed and blustered, abused and traduced, cursed and smeared everyone in sight.

The United Nations was useless for alleged escalator and TelePrompTer sabotage; and for not aiding him to stop ‘seven wars’ – a brazen lie by the way – even though America picks up the biggest chunk of the UN tab, which is true.

Global science is wrong on climate change, only because a loud Trump – even with combative ignorance – declared it’s ‘the greatest con ever perpetrated on the world.’

Europe earned Trump’s ire, for not herding own ‘illegal immigrants’ into human pens like hens; and, like the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), cart them off to wherever the wannabe emperor damn well pleases!

For shunning that icy savagery, Trump foreswore Europe would go to hell! Besides, having numbed uppity America with his cocktail of bare-faced lies, and pushing his deep vices as high virtues, he pitches such vile claptrap to the globe. What hubris!

Prof. Wole Soyinka just christened Trump ‘Idi Amin of America’: after that odious 20th century military brute, that made Uganda – and Africa – a global laughing stock. By his UNGA huff-and-puff, Trump further branded himself some neo-Nebuchadnezzar.

But it’s all thanks to American democracy, just shy of its 250th year: returning the Idi Amin favour, and delivering America’s own 21st century global laughing stock!

Dolly Parton, that great American country music megastar, with a sweet but haunting voice, once sang ‘It’s my time to cry .’ in one of her fetching numbers.

Africa and the third world, often savagely caricatured by a condescending America and the rest of the West are, in Trump, grabbing their chance to laugh – or even gloat! Indeed, Trump’s bubbly bumbling would have been so sweet, were it not so tragic!

Nigeria is 65. America, 249 years. But its doubtful if a Trump, with his clear flaws, can gain the Nigerian presidency, even with Nigeria’s many challenges!

Which is why, the world leaders at UNGA, condemned to enduring Trump’s tirade – at least the historic-minded among them – would not but wonder if this was not after all a 21st century Nebuchadnezzar eating grass, after burst hubris!

To be sure, core historians claim that was a Jewish biblical fable – for in truth, no hard core historical account recorded Nebuchadnezzar as eating grass. But it’s a powerful metaphor: pride goes before a fall. That might just be America’s fate under Trump. He radically disrupts the world. Yet, his thinking – and whining – are baby-like!

Still, an ambivalence gifts Trump apologists – quite a number! – some cold comfort.

Nebuchadnezzar was the divine rod from Jehovah himself – thus goes the biblical account – to punish the decadence of Judah.

Trump too, might just be the divine rod to conk the Democratic Party, often blamed for the moral decay of America. The grand irony, though: no single person epitomizes that decay more than Trump!

Still, never mind: Trump as divine rod is why America’s White Evangelicals support him – aside the snouting elephant of White racism in the room! Some priggish Nigerians also buy into that ‘divine’ apologia.

Just as well Trump merrily emits raw American wrongs, buried under more than two centuries of – hypocritical (?) – breeding. But it would appear crunch time!

Still, America is famous for self-correcting, after major crises. Might there then be redemption, after profane Divine Rod Trump is long gone? Maybe!

But a chilly video making the rounds, tracking a 250-year empire rise-and-bust cycle, suggests otherwise.

On 4 July 2026, America will be 250 years. Rome: 244 years from republic to empire. Ottoman: 250 years from its rise to its peak. Britain: 251 years from empire to a bust.

What’s more? America suffers socio-economic dissonance that bodes ill. Its rich 0.1%, claims the video, corral more wealth than the rest 90%. Trust in institutions has fallen 54% from 1970. By 2026, it would plunge below 20% – the Soviet Union sank at 19%. America’s political polarization is almost at par with its civil war period. By its 250th year – 2016 – that fissure would reach nadir not plumbed by any modern democracy.

Incidentally, Trump, the unfazed face of this rot, is here bang at the crunch: levying war against Congress and getting away with it, convicted on 34-point felony yet elected president, and whines regularly to divide, not unite, his country.

Now, if he goes to UNGA to play Nebuchadnezzar, after wreaking the system at home, it’s signal to the rest of the world that America’s global awe is dated.

That has started in earnest: Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, at those same UNGA portals, already told Trump to buzz off pushing political outlawry in Brazil, with his daft support for the jailed Jair Bolsonaro who, after defeat, staged a Trump-like siege on Parliament to stay in power. Unlike Trump, however, he just got tossed into the can.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, right there in New York, told American soldiers to, on Palestine, disobey outlawry orders from their commander-in-chief!

Even the French, philosopher-Kings of America’s ‘liberty and fraternity’ credo: their president had to abandon his car, and trek to own embassy, because insecure Trump must project raw power, and seal up the entire New York!

For these diplomatic incivilities, Trump has the mandate of his people. They voted him. So, if they drown, they drown in concert.

The saving grace is America might not remain a global bully much longer, though it can continue ruling or misruling itself in its vast insular territory.

So, how does Nigeria at 65 take advantage of this winking global opportunity? Use natural and human resources to build Nigeria for formidable global trade – and peace.

That – and not stale jeremiads at 65 – should drive Nigerian thinking.