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A socio-cultural group in Osun State, the Odo-Otin Parapo Initiative, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to intensify developmental interventions in the state, particularly by executing more infrastructure and people-oriented projects.

The group, through its chairman, Comrade Saheed Adeyeye, made the call in a statement, saying the Tinubu administration had an opportunity to leave a lasting developmental legacy in the President’s home state.

Adeyeye said the appeal should not be interpreted as criticism of the President but as a sincere call for greater federal attention to Osun before valuable development opportunities were lost.

According to him, the people of Osun deserve to feel the direct impact of the Federal Government’s developmental agenda, particularly given the state’s historical and political connection to Tinubu.

‘We have no cause to criticise Mr President. However, Osun is his home state, and this is the time for development-focused interventions that will positively affect the lives of our people,’ Adeyeye stated.

He said Governor Ademola Adeleke had consistently supported Tinubu and his administration, arguing that such political goodwill should be matched with visible federal projects across the state.

‘To be candid, the Governor of Osun State is wholeheartedly rooting for Mr President. But if support continues to be mobilised while critical developmental needs remain unattended, it may become increasingly difficult to sustain public confidence,’ he said.

The group maintained that although the Federal Government had introduced various initiatives nationwide, many residents of Osun were yet to feel a significant impact of such programmes.

Adeyeye expressed optimism that Tinubu would seize the opportunity to address the state’s pressing infrastructural and socio-economic challenges.

‘With what is currently on the ground, we are not confident enough to point to the direct hand of Mr President in the developmental strides of our state. We believe this can change with deliberate and visible interventions that will improve the welfare of our people,’ he added.

The group urged the Federal Government to strengthen its presence in Osun through strategic investments in infrastructure, job creation, education, healthcare and other critical sectors capable of accelerating the state’s growth and development.

The Federal Government on Wednesday unveiled a target of 6,500 megawatts of electricity supply by the end of December 2026.

According to the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, who announced the targets at the official launch of the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO) in Abuja, the government also plans to raise supply to 8,000 MW by the end of 2027.

He said the country’s current generation capacity stood at approximately 5,000 megawatts.

He said, ‘We will revisit the east and west super grid so that we can build resilience into our grid. We are struggling to wheel 5,000 megawatts today. My target is that by the end of this year, we’ll conveniently be wheeling 6,500. By the end of next year, we will be wheeling 8,000 megawatts.’

He said this, with a further target of 8,000 megawatts by 2027, as it unveiled the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO), a new institution charged with managing the country’s power infrastructure.

He said the ministry was working to close that gap through grid stabilisation efforts, asset optimisation and renewed investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Tegbe said RAMCO would be central to the government’s push to raise generation and improve reliability, describing its establishment as a shift from the traditional model of acquiring and abandoning public power assets to one built on professional stewardship, governance and measurable performance.

‘RAMCO is not going to be measured by how many megawatts it delivers, but the reliability of the delivery and the sustainability of that delivery,’ he said, adding that the company’s success would ultimately be judged by how many assets remained operational, rather than the size of its portfolio.

The minister said Nigeria had, for too long, operated an unbalanced power sector, rich in energy resources and installed infrastructure, yet poor in the availability of dependable electricity.

He said RAMCO was designed to correct that imbalance by treating public power assets as national investments whose value must be preserved, rather than infrastructure to be commissioned and left unattended.

Tegbe said the ministry had identified three priority corridors for grid stabilisation: the Lagos axis, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor, and the Enugu-Onitsha axis. He said technical audits were ongoing across these corridors to assess the condition of towers, substations and other installations, some of which had remained in service for more than four decades, ahead of a planned replacement of ageing equipment.

He said the government was also addressing liquidity challenges within the sector, including the accumulated debt burden, through a framework for sustainable repayment and the closure of tariff shortfalls that have long undermined investment in the sector.

On the scope of RAMCO’s operations, Tegbe said the company’s mandate would not be limited to renewable energy alone, but would eventually extend across the entire grid.

Speaking earlier, the managing director of REA, Abba Aliyu, disclosed that when the agency returned to inspect the first seven solar sites it built under the Energising Education Programme, only three were found in good or usable condition.

He said one of the affected institutions had a management structure in place but was collecting no revenue to sustain its plant.

‘We could have chosen not to look. We looked, because you cannot fix what you are unwilling to name,’ Aliyu said, adding that REA has deployed 82 megawatts of solar-hybrid power worth about N263 billion to 22 universities and three teaching hospitals since 2017, with over 150 megawatts more under construction or planned.

To take over the maintenance and management of publicly funded renewable energy assets after they are commissioned.

He said the agency deliberately chose to confront the failure rather than ignore it.

According to him, at one of the affected institutions, a special-purpose vehicle had been set up to manage the plant, but it was not collecting revenue to sustain it. He said the assets did not fail because of poor engineering, but because REA had not built a system to maintain them, generate revenue from them, or assign clear responsibility for them after commissioning.

Aliyu said REA has, since 2017, deployed 82 megawatts of solar-hybrid power to 22 federal universities and three teaching hospitals under the Energising Education Programme, representing about N263 billion in investment from the Federal Government, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. He said more than 150 megawatts of additional capacity is under construction or planned through TETFund, DARES, the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative and other government-funded programmes, with 70 to 80 more public institutions expected to be powered within the next three years.

He said RAMCO, which is incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act with the Federal Government’s interest held through MOFI, has a clear mandate: to professionally manage renewable assets, contract competent operators, meter and bill consumers, maintain reserves for major equipment replacement, and report transparently on how each asset is performing.

‘If a battery or inverter requires replacement in year eight, we should not return to the Treasury in year eight looking for emergency funding. The money should already be there,’ he said.

Aliyu also appealed directly to vice chancellors and chief medical directors of beneficiary institutions to begin paying a sustainability tariff for the power they consume, saying government has already funded and built the assets, and institutions must now contribute to keeping them running.

He cited Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, where a plant commissioned in 2019 now serves more than 9,500 staff and students, as an example of the value at stake. He said the plant generated about N1.8 billion in combined savings from avoided diesel purchases and electricity bills within its first five years, while cutting an estimated 2,367 tonnes of carbon emissions.

‘That is the RAMCO compact: We provide reliable power. You pay for the energy you consume. Neither side works without the other,’ he said.

He said REA had also invested about N135 billion in grid-extension infrastructure between 2012 and 2024, covering 3,766 transformers and about 9,556 kilometres of network, which he said would equally require a sustainability framework going forward.

On next steps, Aliyu said REA would, by the end of November, complete the valuation and technical assessment of the initial assets to be transferred to RAMCO, work with the Ministry of Power to formally transfer them, onboard long-term operations and maintenance partners for the second phase of the Energising Education Programme, and begin engaging beneficiary institutions on tariff arrangements. He said REA would report its progress publicly.

‘The same honesty with which we went back to examine our earlier assets must become the standard by which RAMCO itself is judged,’ Aliyu said.

The Chief Executive Officer of InfraCorp, Lazarus Agbaso, said the launch reflected a broader national problem: infrastructure is abandoned once commissioning ceremonies end. ‘Infrastructure does not create value simply because it has been commissioned. Infrastructure creates value because it continues to work,’ Agbaso said.

He explained that RAMCO was deliberately structured as a partnership rather than a single institution, with REA supplying technical and sector expertise, MOFI providing the discipline of public asset ownership, and InfraCorp mobilising long-term capital and structuring investable projects. He said the initiative would also create fresh opportunities for private operators, maintenance firms, battery specialists and equipment manufacturers to build a domestic renewable energy supply chain.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, Armstrong Takang, said the initiative was born out of an audit that found the Federal Government could verify only N1.25 trillion of public assets, a figure he said was disproportionately small compared to Nigeria’s debt, which runs into tens of trillions of naira.

Takang disclosed that patients had died at a teaching hospital in Jos because the facility depended on generators for power, recalling incidents where electricity failed in the middle of surgery and while medication was being administered. He said a small renewable asset in Kano, where MOFI separated ownership from management and handed operations to the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, generated more revenue in one year than MOFI earned in 13 years of dividends from its shareholding in the Disco.

‘The amount of revenue we have generated in one year from a small asset is more than the dividends we have collected in 13 years of our shareholdings in the Disco,’ Takang said, describing it as proof that a proper asset management framework was central to getting value from public resources.

All three institutions said RAMCO would run on a ‘no tariff, no sustainability’ compact, under which beneficiary institutions such as universities and teaching hospitals will now be required to pay for the electricity they consume, with the proceeds set aside to fund long-term maintenance and equipment replacement rather than relying on repeated Treasury appropriations.

Agbaso said the real measure of RAMCO’s success would not be the launch itself but whether, in five to ten years, the assets under its management were ‘working better, lasting longer, serving more Nigerians’ and drawing in more private investment.

Explanations abound for the outcome of the Osun governorship election, held on Saturday, August 15, 2026. One set of explanations focuses on why and how the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji, lost the election. Another set focuses on why and how the incumbent Governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, won the election. Woven into the explanations on both sides are also some conspiracy theories. In Part I of this series, the focus is on the first set of explanations: Why did the APC lose?

Ordinarily, governorship elections are viewed as a referendum on the incumbent Governor, especially where such a Governor is seeking reelection for another term. That was the expectation during the Osun governorship election held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, where Governor Ademola Adeleke was seeking reelection.

However, the election turned out to be a referendum on the immediate past Governor of the state and currently Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Isiaka Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress. Although Oyetola was not on the ballot, his party’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, was viewed as his stooge or placeholder for his second term, a view reproduced repeatedly by Adeleke during the campaign. Oyebamiji was the Commissioner for Finance in Oyetola’s government (2018-2022)

Why and how did it come to this?

It all began with a series of inconvenient truths and false starts. First, Governor Adeleke visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 3, 2025, preparatory to defecting to the APC to avoid the impending rupture of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party. The move was resisted and ultimately rejected by the leadership of the Osun APC, apparently for good reason: The image of a ‘dancing Governor’ with questionable educational pedigree, as Adeleke was perceived, was considered an affront on Osun, a state endowed with a high number of seasoned politicians, famous professionals, internationally recognised religious leaders, and a high concentration of higher institutions of learning. But another subtext of the rejection was the fear that, if accepted into the APC, Adeleke, as incumbent Governor, would automatically become the leader of the party in the state. It was believed that this did not go well with Oyetola, the de facto leader of the party.

In the meantime, Oyetola reportedly was preparing to run for another term, having lost reelection in 2022 to the same Adeleke. However, Oyetola officially dropped the venture on July 25, 2025, about a month after Adeleke’s defection overtures.

Then came the APC governorship primary in December 2025. In the name of consensus candidacy, candidate election became candidate selection. To be fair, this method was used in other states by the APC with variable outcomes. For example, it was managed well in Lagos state, but it ended in controversy in neighbouring Ogun state. The process of candidate selection in Osun was messier and much more controversial.

At least seven aspirants were disqualified, including former Deputy Governors, former Senators, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on the argument that they did not provide proof of sponsorship as required by the party constitution. At the end of the day, only Abiola Jimoh and Bola Oyebamiji were cleared for the primary. Subsequently, Oyebamiji was selected by consensus arrangement. This was interpreted by the disqualified aspirants and their supporters as working to answer, that is, that the process was skewed toward the choice of Oyebamiji as the party’s candidate.

When I asked one of the disqualified aspirants whether he sought to inspect Oyebamiji’s application to verify compliance with the constitutional requirements, he looked at me and laughed, saying, ‘Prof, haah, I can’t believe you are asking me this question. But I will answer you, even though I know that you are a supporter of Oyebamiji. As a well-known political consultant, are you telling me that you don’t know that Oyebamiji would have been coached on how to package his application so it would be different from ours? Are you saying that, if I seek to inspect it, they won’t secretly insert what was missing before they show it to me?’

His answer was laced with two interesting features. One is his knowledge of my relationship with the Oyetola administration which Oyebamiji served as Commissioner for Finance. The other is capitalising on the trust deficit in Nigerian politics, politicians, and political processes, by casting doubt on possible verification adventure.

Finally, the appeasement of the most aggrieved candidate, namely, Iyiola Omisore, was left to the last minute, after which he had made up his mind on what he would do, namely, to urge his supporters to work for Adeleke’s reelection. Here was a candidate who (a) was a Deputy Governor, (b) a two-term Senator of the Federal Republic, (c) twice ran for Governor of Osun state on different party platforms, and (d) last served as the National Secretary of the APC. Moreover, he viewed himself, and his supporters agreed with him, as having assisted Oyetola to defeat Adeleke during the rerun in a few polling units in the inconclusive governorship election in 2018. He placed third in that election. After the election, Omisore defected to the APC and Oyetola warmly embraced him, boasting that, unknown to the people, Omisore had been his friend for a long time. To be sure, Omisore’s slate might not have been clean, but he was no mean political figure in Osun politics.

At the end of the day, the above developments were packaged, rightly or wrongly, as an albatross on Oyetola and sold to voters as such by the Adeleke camp. The developments complicated an existing division within the APC, which peaked during the 2022 governorship election, and was partly responsible for defeat in that election. In 2026, the number of aggrieved party members had grown, following the disqualification of many aspirants during the various primaries, especially the governorship primary. Moreover, party members were angry at Oyetola for allegedly loading government appointments with his allies and close associates. A similar accusation intensified the division within the party in 2022. There was a mismatch between the range and intensity of grievances and the party’s appeasement measures.

Unfortunately, many sycophants and media spokespersons screened the candidate and party leaders from the reality on the ground, by obscuring the truth during the campaign. For example, Remi Omowaye, during his media rounds, took a lot of mileage out of the photograph of a crack on the road built by Adeleke, prompting derisive comments from voters, such as, ‘did your administration do anything at all to that road when you were there?’ Similarly, the landmark Lagere Flyover Bridge, built and commissioned by Adeleke in Ile-Ife in 2026, was derided by the APC during the campaign to the chagrin of Ife residents, forgetting that Oyetola’s administration also built and commissioned a Flyover Bridge at Ola-Oluwa junction in Osogbo in 2022.

Alarmed by the level of grievances expressed by party members, I conducted a limited straw poll in April 2026, with even more alarming results. I shared them with some party leaders and Oyebamiji’s friends. I also sent messages to Oyebamiji himself, including, ‘I have seen claims and counterclaims about who will win Osun governorship race. The only useful scientific basis for such claims is a thorough opinion poll. I have been trying to reach you over the need for a poll’ (April 17, 2026) and ‘The result of my preliminary straw poll on who will win in Osun is doubtful for APC and even more so when based on party candidates. Only a comprehensive poll can show necessary gaps to fill. Please get one done soon’ (April 28, 2026). There was no response. But this is only part of the story.

The Nigerian Navy (NN) has inaugurated a multipurpose sports arena in Eziowelle, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, as part of efforts to strengthen civil-military relations and curb youth restiveness.

Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by Chief of Communications and Information Technology, Rear Admiral Semiu Adepegba, said the facility, built under the Special Intervention Quick Impact Project and facilitated by Rear Admiral Emmanuel Anakwe, would provide youths with a social and sporting outlet and support community development. The project included a sports arena, restrooms and a changing-room building.

Abbas urged beneficiaries to protect and maintain the facility to ensure its sustainability.

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, represented by Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Patrick Aghamba, commended the Navy, describing the project as a demonstration of public-private-community partnership. He urged citizens at home and abroad to support government development efforts.

Anakwe said the arena was built in memory of his father, a former captain of Nigeria’s national football team, the Red Devils, from 1956 to 1958, describing it as a way of preserving his father’s values of discipline, teamwork and service. He expressed hope the facility would help young people discover their talents and pursue their dreams.

As the political drumbeat for the upcoming general election reverberates across the southwestern geopolitical landscape, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State is leaving nothing to chance. Recognising, with clinical precision, that a house divided against itself cannot withstand the fierce pressures of an electoral contest, the party’s leadership has embarked on a rigorous, multi-layered reconciliation drive.

This deliberate push is designed to heal the post-primary wounds that recently threatened to fracture its foundational structure from the grassroots to the state executive level.

With strategic interventions spearheaded locally by veteran political actors and elevated seamlessly to the highest corridors of power in Abuja, the ruling party at the centre is methodically stitching together its frayed alliances.

The ultimate objective is clear and non-negotiable: transform the Pacesetter state into a formidable, unified political fortress capable of delivering a sweeping, block-vote victory for President Bola Tinubu and reclaiming the Agodi Government House after years out of power.

Healing the primary rifts: state-level reconciliation efforts

The intense political turbulence that routinely follows internal party primaries is no stranger to major political platforms, and the Oyo State chapter of the APC was no exception. Following the emergence of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s gubernatorial flagbearer, ripples of discontent, bruised egos, and open expressions of dissatisfaction emerged among a section of the eleven aspirants who had aggressively vied for the ticket.

To arrest any potential institutional implosion that could jeopardise its electoral fortunes, the state leadership swung into action by establishing the Governorship Aspirants’ Reconciliation Committee. Chaired by the veteran politician, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, and co-chaired by Professor Taoheed Adedoja, the committee set out with a clear, unambiguous mandate: to listen to grievances, validate genuine concerns, and remind all stakeholders that individual political ambitions must ultimately bow to the party’s collective destiny and supremacy.

The localised peace shuttle led to significant, tangible breakthroughs when the committee brought key stakeholders together in one room. Prominent figures, including a former deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan, alongside other influential aspirants such as Oyedele Hakeem Alao, Prince Musbau Asatola Asanike, and Dr Ololade Usman Bakare, agreed to sheathe their swords.

By pledging to put the primary contest behind them and to throw their weight behind Senator Sharafadeen Alli, these leaders demonstrated that the party’s internal dispute-resolution mechanisms could still successfully prioritise party victory over factional friction.

Moving the battle to Abuja

Realising that localised reconciliation required top-tier institutional backing to achieve absolute stability and enduring peace, the peace train moved swiftly from the portal level to the national stage. The National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, undertook a multi-day visit to Ibadan to meet directly with aggrieved stakeholders and traditional institutions.

Courtesy calls on the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and the broader party machinery highlighted the visit to the state.

He said, ‘We are a family, and it’s a family issue. And it’s normal for children in the same family to have a few challenges, but it’s issues that can be settled within the party.

‘And we are happy that the party is still stable; the party is still good. And from our discussions with the party members, they are prepared to work with us so we can succeed. So, we are good.’

On the reconciliation of aggrieved members in the APC ahead of 2027, the chairman said it is a process and not a one-day affair, assuring that it is ongoing.

The Nation reports that the aggrieved governorship aspirants under the aegis of G6, including Rauf Olaniyan, Akeem Agbaje, Prince Musbau Asatola, Hakeem Alao, Dr Usman Bakare, among others, were not sighted at the meeting. Still, it could not be confirmed if they were invited.

Party accepts the blame

In an unprecedented display of political accountability and leadership maturity at the official launch of the APC Campaign Office along the Mokola-UCH road, Prof. Yilwatda took direct responsibility for the friction and grievances arising from the primary.

Flanked by key members of the National Working Committee (NWC), he offered a public, televised apology on behalf of the national leadership to anyone who felt hurt, injured, or excluded during the candidate selection process.

Yilwatda said, ‘This is not for Oyo State alone. Anywhere anybody makes a mistake in a state, it is our mistake because we set up the committee and they represent us.

‘If anybody is hurt, if anybody is injured, if anybody is prevented or excluded in any form or the other, we take responsibility. On TV, before Nigerians, we take responsibility for all that has happened. I appeal to everybody that we are sorry.’

This rare act of institutional humility resonated deeply across the political landscape, bridging the historical gap between grassroots party members and national arbiters.

Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu waded directly into the complex crisis, convening high-level strategic meetings in Abuja with critical party stalwarts, including former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, Senator Ayo Adeseun, Ambassador Florence Ajimobi, and Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, to solidify the overarching peace architecture.

Lessons from Osun

Behind the aggressive, systematic reconciliation drive in Oyo lies a sobering, highly instructive political reality: the recent outcome of the gubernatorial election in neighbouring Osun state, where the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, secured victory. While the APC national leadership maintained that the party put up a spirited, respectable fight against the formidable machinery and incumbency advantage of the state government, local strategists extracted a profound and unyielding lesson from the exercise.

As Senator Lanlehin aptly noted during committee briefings, the primary takeaway from the Osun experience is that nothing beats internal cohesion, and a major political party can ill afford to take anything for granted. The lesson is simple yet stark-fragmented votes, lingering voter apathy, and unresolved internal grumblings provide easy, unobstructed pathways for opposition victories.

Lanlehin said, ‘Nothing beats unity. Nothing beats working together. Nothing beats the strength of the party as expressed by all its members. What we have learned is that you don’t take anything for granted. It’s better to have more of something than less of it.

‘We have started the reconciliation process, and each day we will continue to have more success. Although the committee might wrap up its assignments at any time, we keep working on election day. We are calling on our leaders, stakeholders, and aspirants: only together can we find strength and victory.

‘We’ve been out of government; this party has been out of government for eight years, and I assure you that members of this party don’t want to be out of government any extra day. I assure you that we will succeed. APC will be in government in this state.

‘The APC will win the three central districts, the APC will win the 14 federal constituencies, and the 32 House of Assembly seats will also be won by the party. Watch us, see us; we assure you.’

For the Oyo APC, which has spent years out of executive government in the state, the Osun outcome serves as a timely and urgent wake-up call. It reinforces the hard truth that political arithmetic relies heavily on synergy and multiplication rather than division. Relying solely on a candidate’s immediate primary supporters is a recipe for electoral miscalculation; only a fully unified political family can successfully navigate the complexities, rigours, and uncertainties of a modern general election.

Internal democracy and

transparency

Independent political observers, civil society watchdogs, and internal party analysts monitoring the fallout from the Oyo APC primary have consistently put forward critical recommendations to ensure long-term stability. Our top priority is to institutionalise absolute transparency, deepen internal party democracy, and establish permanent conflict-resolution frameworks that don’t just react to election cycles.

However, in what could be described as a response to the recommendations, the Oyo APC leadership and the national body have begun implementing what was described as structural adjustments:

Rather than treating reconciliation as a temporary post-primary fire-brigade measure, the party is moving to establish permanent consultative forums where aspirants at all levels-local government, state assembly, national assembly, and governorship-have structured avenues to air grievances well in advance.

Observers noted that top-heavy negotiations often leave grassroots stakeholders feeling alienated. Alongside the recommendations, local chapter executives are empowered to handle ward-level disputes directly, so lower-cadre grievances are resolved before they escalate into major factionalism.

Enhancing transparency in candidate selection: By acknowledging observers’ warnings about perceived irregularities during internal contests, the national leadership’s public apology and assumption of responsibility show a deliberate shift toward transparent, consensus-building structures that protect the party’s collective integrity.

By addressing these independent recommendations, the Oyo APC will show it is willing to evolve and recognise that structural reform is just as important as winning political support.

What are the likely implications of non-alignment for dissident members? We’ve extended the olive branch across political divides, and the party leadership has made it clear that discipline remains a core, non-negotiable pillar of its broader repositioning strategy. Our ongoing peace efforts are designed to be radically inclusive, leaving the door open to every concerned member through platforms such as the Senator Lanlehin-led Reconciliation Committee and parallel legislative panels.

However, observers believe that stakeholders who choose to remain outside the reconciled group may face significant and costly implications.

In modern competitive politics, prolonged recalcitrance and isolation cut political actors off from the mainstream momentum, drastically diminishing their bargaining power, political relevance, and influence in future power-sharing arrangements.

As the national leadership presses forward with aggressive grassroots mobilisation-leveraging federal economic reforms such as targeted tax exemptions for basic food, education, healthcare, and housing, alongside massive infrastructure projects like the ongoing concrete-paved Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Ibadan-Ilorin road network-the party train is moving at breakneck speed.

Those who don’t align with the current reconciliation wave risk losing their grip on the party’s structural evolution in Oyo State and may find themselves politically isolated.

Ultimately, the resonant message echoing from the streets of Ibadan to the chambers of Abuja remains unwavering: from contest to reconciliation, from reconciliation to unity, and from unity to absolute electoral victory in 2027.

Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola SAN, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the deplorable Ado-Ijan-Ilumoba-Ikole Road.

Babalola said the road’s condition continues to cause severe hardship for motorists and commuters, noting that it is hindering access to the university and other critical institutions along the corridor.

The renowned legal icon, who made the appeal in an open letter dated August 26, expressed appreciation to Senator Babafemi Ojudu for consistently drawing the Federal Government’s attention to the poor condition of the road.

Babalola urged President Tinubu to personally visit the road to see firsthand the hardship faced by students, lecturers, parents, patients, workers and other users of the major highway.

Babalola said the road has become particularly important because it serves several strategic institutions, including Afe Babalola University, the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, the Ado-Ekiti campus of the National Open University of Nigeria, the Federal Government-owned silo, the ABUAD Multi-System Hospital and the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport.

‘In support of Senator Ojudu’s well-appreciated position, may I humbly appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to personally visit the road because it would appear that he has not been given the true picture of the deplorable and impassable nature of the road,’ Babalola said.

He described the continued neglect of the road as unacceptable, particularly given the contributions of the institutions and facilities it serves to the development of Ekiti State and Nigeria.

The legal icon said the road was constructed more than 100 years ago during the colonial era and originally served as a major link connecting Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilesa, Ado-Ekiti, Ikare and Lokoja.

‘Between Ilesa-Ado-Ekiti-Ikare in particular, the road has remained long and winding because it was constructed with hoes and cutlasses, which made it a mere expansion of footpaths,’ he said.

‘And so, up till now, nobody cares about the road.’

He recalled that on January 24, 2022, he wrote to the then Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, seeking approval for the university to deploy the resources and personnel of its College of Engineering to repair the road and construct a new bridge, with the Federal Government reimbursing the cost.

‘Most regretfully, there was no acknowledgement or response to that letter/altruistic request,’ he said.

The university, according to him, had also spent billions of naira between 2010 and 2019 repairing and maintaining the road and the old Ureje Bridge as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Babalola said that residents and other road users had initially celebrated when the repair project was awarded to a contractor in 2019, but their excitement was short-lived.

‘When the news of the award of repair works broke out in early 2019, it was jubilation galore among millions of people who ply the road daily. But their joy soon became short-lived as the contractor only ended up compounding matters, thereby leaving the road worse than when it was awarded to him’, he stated.

Babalola said that the contractor subsequently abandoned the road, adding that another contractor awarded the stretch about two years ago had also failed to improve its condition.

‘It is, however, saddening that rather than improving on the extant condition of the road, the contractor has ended up compounding matters by rendering it impassable.

‘Today, many of our lecturers living outside the campus cannot come to the university with their vehicles, a development which makes them report to work late. It is that bad.’

He said the deplorable condition of the road was difficult to reconcile with the supersonic achievements and global recognition ABUAD has attracted.

He noted that the university was rated number one in Nigeria for five consecutive years by the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings, placing second in Africa and 72nd globally in the 2026 ranking.

He also cited the 400-bed ABUAD Multi-System Hospital, which he said healthcare stakeholders had acknowledged as one of the well-equipped hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa.

The ABUAD founder said the road was therefore not merely an access route to the university but a critical infrastructure connecting several institutions and economic assets.

He commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his efforts in attracting goodwill and contributing to the commencement of commercial operations at the airport.

He, however, said that the poor condition of the road remained a major obstacle to the state’s development.

‘Despite our collective efforts to see Ekiti State created and nurtured to become the showpiece among the comity of states in Nigeria, regretfully and up till now, Ekiti State has not achieved the anticipated patriotic objectives of the founding fathers,’ he said.

He described Ekiti as ‘land-locked, motorway-locked, railway-locked, industry-locked, power-locked and airport-locked,’ saying the situation had adversely affected economic development in the state.

Babalola also praised Ojudu for lending his voice to the campaign for the rehabilitation of the road,

‘The persistent voice of Senator Ojudu is well appreciated, particularly as it concerns ABUAD,’ he said.

‘His observations are not only correct, but they are equally apt and timely.’

He said Ojudu’s intervention had given him another voice in the campaign to make the road motorable.

‘At least I now have another voice to join mine over the impassable nature of the road leading to the university despite the honour and dignity it has attracted to the country in the realm of provision of quality, functional and impactful education,’ he said.

The urgency of the appeal, Babalola said, had also increased with the planned conferment of honorary Doctor of Laws degrees on him by Trinity Western University, Canada, and Trinity International University, USA, on October 21, 2026.

The legal icon questioned whether the deplorable road was the image Nigeria wanted to showcase to the international guests expected at the ceremony.

‘Is the deplorable and impassable road what we want to showcase to the international community?’ he asked.

‘Something must be done about this road, and the time is now, bearing in mind that ours is a university which has students from all the 36 states of the Federation, including FCT and some foreign countries’, he added

Babalola further called on Ekiti people, particularly professors, professionals and opinion leaders, to join the campaign for the rehabilitation of federal roads in the state.

‘I equally call on all the people of Ekiti State, particularly our numerous professors and opinion leaders, to join Senator Ojudu and my humble self in this crusade to make Ekiti roads motorable.It can be done and it should be done’, he added.

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, has said mobilising massive support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is within the strategic national interest of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people

He implored Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide to lead the mobilisation of support for Tinubu’s re-election next year.

A statement signed by Otuaro’s Special Assistant, Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, said the PAP boss spoke when the newly-inaugurated 10th leadership of the IYC, led by its President, Dr Doubra Okotete, paid him a visit in his office in Abuja.

He enjoined them to guard against division in the region, and mobilise strongly for President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Otuaro said: ‘My appeal to the IYC is that nothing should divide us, 2027 is already here. Let us back the President and mobilise for him to win a second term.

‘We should not allow anybody to cause division among us or trade us for a new hope. It is within the Ijaw strategic national interest to support the President to secure victory.’

Otuaro lauded the council and other well-meaning stakeholders of the Niger Delta for their cooperation and support for PAP’s peace-building process in the region.

Describing the support as massive and encouraging, he noted that they had always expressed solidarity with his peace efforts and the result-oriented reforms he introduced to reposition the PAP.

Expressing his appreciation for the gesture, he said: ‘Many well-meaning stakeholders of the Niger Delta, including the IYC, are in support of the direction we have taken.

‘Their support and cooperation have been massive and encouraging, working together with the office to sustain peace and stability, and the generations we are preparing for a greater tomorrow in the Niger Delta through huge scholarships.’

He noted that only a few selfish elements had remained unsettled by the sanity that his reforms had achieved, particularly the scholarship scheme expansion and the huge deployments of beneficiaries to onshore and offshore universities.

He told the IYC leaders that 8,700 are currently studying in-country, while over 270 had been sent to offshore institutions, in addition to the 93 deployed in January and May, and the 150 being dispatched this August/September.

Otuaro said President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were happy with what ‘we are doing to consolidate sustainable peace in our region and the enormous scholarships.’

The PAP boss thanked the IYC for the visit, stressing that sustaining the peace and stability of the region was a collective responsibility.

Earlier, the IYC President said the visit was in recognition of the PAP’s ‘unprecedented success in the education and empowerment of Niger Delta youths under Dr Otuaro.”

Okotete lauded the PAP helmsman for his commitment and judicious application of funds, which had helped thousands of the region’s youths to receive quality education.

He expressed the council’s readiness to work with Otuaro and also seek areas of greater partnership between the PAP and the IYC.

A Nigerian youth advocoate and Ambassador of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Michael Obinna Nwabufo, popularly known as Mike Premium, has unveiled the Nationwide Service Delivery Accountability Network (NISDAN) to demand accountable leadership of the proceeds of subsidy removal, ahead of 2027 elections.

Nwabufo, who is the National President of the Practitioners of Content Creators, Skit-Makers, and Influencers Guild of Nigeria (PCCSIGN), called for a new era of accountability in Nigeria’s public sector in a statement in Lagos.

The civil leadership and accountability advocate made the call while speaking at a National Youth Day Conference organised by PCCSIGN and other organisations and companies.

Nwabufo also urged citizens to demand measurable results from governors and local government chairmen, stressing that public office holders were servants of the people.

He said public office holders must demonstrate what they achieved with the public funds entrusted to them.

‘You are servants of the people, not gods or kings. Nigerian governors receive hundreds of billions of naira every year from FAAC. Some collect over ?600 billion in four years.

‘Yet most of them spend only a small fraction of these funds while the rest is mismanaged or diverted.

‘Why do many communities still lack basic infrastructure despite the substantial allocations that go to states and local governments every year?

‘States that should have good roads, functional schools, accessible healthcare, water supply, electricity and security continue to suffer.

‘This is because many governors have placed personal interest above public service,’ the talent and brand manager, said.

Nwabufo said Nigeria’s development challenges could not be resolved without addressing the gap between public funds allocated to governments and services delivered to citizens.

He particularly focused on the 774 local government areas, saying their increased access to public funds should translate into tangible development at the grassroots.

‘There are 774 local government areas in Nigeria. Together they receive between ?400 billion and ?500 billion or more every month.

‘What exactly is being done with these funds?

‘Most of them do barely 10 per cent of the work and share the rest. What did the local government receive? What was budgeted?

‘What was delivered? Where is the evidence?’ he asked.

Announcing NISDAN, Nwabufo said the group remained an independent body comprising bloggers, influencers, content creators, actors, musicians, civil society actors and ordinary citizens.

He said NISDAN would monitor and document government projects across the country, including roads, schools, health centres, water schemes, electricity projects and other public infrastructure.

‘We will visit states and local governments without notice. We will inspect every project.

‘A road that was budgeted for but abandoned will be documented. A health centre announced as completed will be physically inspected.

‘A school reported as renovated will be visited. A water project commissioned for a community will be checked to confirm whether it is actually working.

‘The objective is simple: follow the money to the service,’ he said.

Nwabufo said NISDAN would not only expose failures but would also recognise governments and officials that performed well.

He said the network would use available platforms to inform Nigerians about government performance.

He added that NISDAN would petition relevant anti-graft agencies where evidence of diversion of public funds was established.

‘If you perform well, we will gladly share the good news. If you fail and divert public funds, we will expose the facts.

‘We will use social media, blogs, newspapers and television to inform Nigerians.

‘We will petition the EFCC, ICPC and other relevant agencies. Accountability must not be partisan.

‘A government that performs should receive recognition, while a government that fails should face legitimate public scrutiny,’ he declared.

Nwabufo stressed that NISDAN would not become a political platform for attacking opponents.

He said its credibility would depend on evidence, documentation, transparency and consistency.

He said the initiative reflected a growing demand among young Nigerians for a different relationship with government.

According to him, citizens should remain involved beyond voting during elections.

Nwabufo said voting should only be the beginning of civic participation, with citizens asking what was promised, funded, delivered and what remained outstanding.

Nwabufo also noted that the current leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had recorded visible projects in NDDC states.

He said such efforts should be recognised and protected from attempts by some governors to take undue credit for them.

Nwabufo concluded by reminding public office holders that the era of collecting public funds without accountability must come to an end.

‘Nigeria will be built by Nigerians,’ he said.

Public funds at the state and local government levels, procurement processes, agricultural businesses, construction companies, restaurants and other legitimate businesses are being exposed for different forms of financial crime, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has said.

The NFIU said it had identified serious vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s public financial system, businesses and cross-border transactions.

The discoveries are contained in the NFIU’s 2025 Annual Report, which examined emerging risks and changing methods used to move, conceal and disguise proceeds of crime.

The Unit said its analysis showed an increasingly complex financial-crime environment in which traditional criminal methods are combining with cross-border transactions and weaknesses in the financial system.

The NFIU is responsible for receiving and analysing financial disclosures and passing intelligence to law enforcement, regulatory and other competent authorities for further action.

According to the report, one of the major areas of concern is the vulnerability of state and local government funds to diversion through finance officers and third parties.

The NFIU said its analysis had identified cases in which public funds were moved through the accounts of finance officers and people or entities connected to them.

Such arrangements, it said, create opportunities for money to be diverted away from its intended public purpose.

The NFIU also identified government procurement as a major area of financial-crime risk, saying the process remains vulnerable to corruption and money laundering.

Procurement involves large amounts of public money and, according to the Unit, weaknesses in the process can provide opportunities for illicit financial flows. The use of cash transactions makes the situation more difficult because cash can weaken the trail needed by auditors and investigators to follow the movement of money and identify assets acquired with it.

The report also drew attention to an unusual trend involving agricultural and mechanised farming businesses.

The NFIU said it had detected suspicious transaction patterns involving companies registered as agricultural businesses and mechanised farms. Some of the entities had links to unlicensed foreign-exchange activities, while their apparent foreign ownership and financial activities did not appear to fit the normal pattern expected from businesses operating in the agricultural sector.

The Unit said such patterns suggested that some agricultural businesses could be functioning as fronts for foreign-exchange operations or the movement of money across borders.

The construction industry also came under scrutiny, with the NFIU identifying the use of multiple companies to conceal the true ownership of businesses and assets.

Its analysis found cases where several construction companies appeared to have the same beneficial owner even though they were registered under different names or in different jurisdictions.

The arrangement, according to the Unit, can make it difficult for authorities and financial institutions to establish who actually controls the companies and benefits from their transactions.

The NFIU further identified a cash-laundering pattern involving bakeries and restaurants, with some businesses allegedly being used to introduce large amounts of cash into the formal financial system.

According to the report, suspicious patterns showed large cash deposits being made through hospitality-related businesses before the funds were transferred into the accounts of other companies, including companies in the oil and gas sector.

Part of the money was subsequently moved back into the hospitality businesses as supposed investments.

The NFIU said the pattern was consistent with a method in which illicit cash is first introduced into the financial system and then moved through several accounts or businesses to make its original source more difficult to identify.

Beyond domestic transactions, the Unit said cross-border financial activities are increasingly being exploited to hide where illicit funds come from and where they eventually go.

It identified suspicious international transactions, including foreign inflows and transfers through high-risk corridors, as areas requiring increased attention.

The report said criminals could use international money transfers and trade-related payment arrangements to create layers between illicit funds and their original source or final destination.

The NFIU said some suspicious foreign inflows also showed possible links to organised crime and human trafficking networks, raising concerns about the international dimension of financial crime in Nigeria.

The finding is particularly significant because the movement of money connected to organised crime can cross several countries and financial institutions, making detection and recovery more difficult.

The Unit identified Bureau de Change operators and International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) among sectors facing elevated financial-crime risks.

These businesses handle foreign currencies and international transfers and, as a result, can be attractive channels for people seeking to move illicit funds across borders.

The NFIU said transactions through international money-transfer channels in high-risk corridors continued to present money-laundering concerns, particularly where the purpose, origin or destination of funds could not be properly established.

Another concern raised in the report was the vulnerability of public-sector accounts themselves.

The NFIU’s analysis included cash withdrawals from state and local government accounts, which it considered important enough to warrant a separate thematic review.

The concern is that weak controls around public accounts, particularly where large withdrawals or third-party transactions are involved, can make it easier for public money to be diverted or concealed.

The Unit warned that newer financial institutions and financial services are creating fresh areas of exposure.

The rapid growth of fintech, mobile money and other digital financial services has expanded access to financial services, but it has also created new opportunities for criminals where customer identification and monitoring systems are weak.

The NFIU said financial crime is becoming increasingly interconnected with technology, cross-border activity and new financial products.

The report’s findings come against the background of a wider financial-crime challenge. The NFIU received more than 41.7 million Currency Transaction Reports, 42,082 Suspicious Transaction Reports and 10,513 Suspicious Activity Reports in 2025, according to figures from the annual report.

The Arewa Renewed Hope Ambassadors have described the appointment of former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, as Director-General of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2027 Presidential Campaign as a strategic move to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and political coordination nationwide.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Jabir Aminu Maiturare, the group said Yari’s extensive political experience, nationwide contacts and deep grassroots reach would be valuable to the campaign as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) prepares for the 2027 presidential election.

It said the appointment went beyond recognising Yari’s political credentials, arguing that his emergence provided an opportunity to deepen consultation with stakeholders and build stronger bridges between regions and political constituencies.

According to the organisation, Yari’s background in public service and political mobilisation has positioned him to engage diverse interests and coordinate a broad-based campaign capable of reaching Nigerians across ethnic, religious and regional divides.

The Arewa group particularly welcomed the development as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the North and other parts of the country, stressing that the success of the 2027 campaign would require inclusion, dialogue and respect for Nigeria’s diversity.

It commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for entrusting the responsibility to Yari, describing the decision as a demonstration of confidence in the former governor’s capacity to coordinate a major national political assignment.

The organisation said it was confident that Yari would deploy his organisational skills and political experience to build an effective campaign structure while ensuring that the voices and concerns of different constituencies were accommodated.

It further pledged its readiness to work with relevant stakeholders toward a campaign centred on national unity, continuity, development, youth inclusion, and expanded economic opportunities.

The group urged APC supporters and other stakeholders across the country to give Yari the necessary cooperation as he assumes the responsibility, expressing optimism that his leadership would contribute significantly to the success of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid.

The Arewa Renewed Hope Ambassadors again congratulated Yari on his appointment, describing it as an opportunity to mobilise Nigerians around the ideals of national progress, democratic participation and sustainable development.