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A peace and security campaigner, Ikechukwu Nwabueze, has cautioned candidates of political parties and their supporters against violating the peace accord signed ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Nwabueze, who is the Executive Director of the Orlu Progressive Initiative (OPI), a non-governmental organisation, urged all political actors to uphold the principles of peace, non-violence, and responsible political conduct.

He stressed that adherence to the accord is essential for ensuring credible, peaceful, and violence-free elections in Nigeria.

The ED, in a media chat in Owerri on Wednesday, expressed appreciation for the coming together of candidates across political parties for such a task, describing it as a welcome development.

He advised those involved in the signing of the accord to ensure they keep to it by understanding that an election is not a do-or-die affair.

Nwabueze also cautioned them to desist from campaigns of calumny and name-calling, but rather focus on issue-based campaigns that would promote transparency and peace during the election period.

He urged them to equally hold their supporters accountable to avoid destroying the system, while appealing to them to ensure their values are sustained.

On the use of youths as thugs, the peace and security campaigner cautioned candidates of political parties to avoid using youths as political thugs, with the tendency to snatch electoral materials, ballot boxes, or commit any electoral crimes during elections.

He used the interview to equally appeal to the youth not to allow themselves to be used as political thugs during elections.

The ED cautioned them to resist any attempt by politicians to engage them in violence or commit any form of electoral crimes during the period.

He said: ‘ am pleading with the youths of this country to resist any money presented to them to be engaged in electoral crimes, to shun every violence as election is coming’.

For the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Executive Director, Nwabueze, appealed to the body to keep to its constitutional mandate to conduct credible, free, and fair election in the country.

He said: ‘INEC should not ho contrary to the expectations of the people of the country. They should remain neutral as provided by electoral law’.

According to him, this will make Nigerians continue to have confidence in the commission, as was demonstrated in the just-concluded Osun Governorship election.

While scoring INEC 60% in the Osun Governorship election, Nwabueze said that the election, to some larger extent, was successful but does not mean there is no room for more improvement.

He advised INEC to maintain the same position it took during the Osun Governorship election, which ended with Nigerians applauding the institution for a job well done.

On the planned Orlu Progressive Initiative upcoming summit scheduled to hold in Owerri next month, September 2026, Nwabueze said that the essence of the summit is to bring under one roof people from different strata of society to promote peace and security in the country and the South-East zone.

He said government and security agencies, traditional rulers, captains of industry, business men and women, traders, including market women, and politicians, irrespective of their political parties, have already been formally invited to the summit.

As part of renewed efforts to strengthen disease prevention and promote healthier living conditions across custodial facilities in Delta State, the state Ministry of Health has donated 1,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS).

There are five custodial centres located in Ogwashi-Uku, Kwale, Agbor, Sapele and Warri.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, said the intervention was aimed at complementing efforts to protect inmates from mosquito-borne diseases, particularly malaria, noting that preventive healthcare remained essential in custodial environments where a large number of inmates live in confined spaces.

The commissioner announced the donation when he received the Controller of Corrections, Delta State Command, Mr. Baranaye Spiff, who paid a visit to his office.

‘Correctional centres are important. The objective should not merely be to keep people incarcerated for a period, but to ensure that they are reformed and adequately prepared to return to society as responsible citizens,’ he stated.

He said the government remains committed to partnerships that will improve the welfare of inmates and strengthen healthcare interventions in custodial facilities.

Onojaeme stressed that effective rehabilitation requires attention to the total wellbeing of inmates, noting that a healthy inmate was better positioned to benefit from correctional, educational and vocational programmes designed to facilitate successful reintegration into society.

Earlier, Spiff said the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) is committed to strengthening partnerships with relevant government institutions, particularly the Ministry of Health, to improve healthcare delivery and the overall wellbeing of inmates in custodial centres in the state.

Spiff lamented the severe pressure on available facilities occasioned by overcrowding, noting that the situation had heightened the need for stronger collaboration and external support, particularly in the area of healthcare.

He appealed to the ministry to deepen its partnership with the NCoS by supporting the provision of essential medicines, preventive healthcare interventions and other medical services required to address the health needs of inmates.

He stressed that sustained inter-agency collaboration remained vital to ensuring that inmates received appropriate healthcare while undergoing the correctional and rehabilitation process.

Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress presidential running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, has disclosed that his administration paid pregnant women N10,000 each to attend antenatal care as part of efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.

Amaechi made the disclosure while speaking at the Her Health, Her Power Conference Africa 2026 in Abuja on Tuesday, where he reflected on his administration’s efforts to improve healthcare for women during his tenure as governor.

According to him, Rivers State was ranked second on the maternal-child mortality index at the time, prompting his administration to establish health centres across villages and strengthen their staffing.

‘If you follow what happened in Rivers State when I was a governor, we were rated second on the maternal-child mortality index, and to cure that, we had to establish health centres in every village,’ Amaechi said.

He said each village health centre was staffed with two doctors and nurses, while pregnant women who attended antenatal care were given N10,000.

‘Each village has a medical centre; we employed two doctors and nurses, while we paid N10,000 per woman that went for antenatal, so our health centres were full every Friday because they were sure of going home with N10,000,’ he said.

Amaechi explained that the financial incentive was intended to encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal care, adding that the policy also had an economic dimension.

‘They are not coming there for their health but for the money, and that N10,000 is economy. It’s key that we can’t separate the health of women from economic growth,’ he said.

The former governor also stressed the need for greater investment in women’s health and education, arguing that economic conditions have a direct impact on the wellbeing of women.

‘In a global economy like that of Nigeria, 40 per cent of women are farmers, so we need to do more as politicians to see that women live healthier,’ he said.

Amaechi, who served as Rivers State governor from 2007 to 2015, also said educating women was critical to improving leadership and development outcomes.

‘No matter how much grammar we speak in our different states as governors, we need to do more for our women, and another thing we need to do is to make sure that they get educated; they make better leaders when they are educated,’ he added.

A chieftain of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Usman Austin Okai, has urged Abuja residents earning less than N300,000 monthly to consider exploring additional sources of income amid the rising cost of living.

Okai made the comment in a Facebook post, where he argued that the declining value of the naira had eroded the purchasing power of workers and made it increasingly difficult for many Nigerians to meet their basic needs with their salaries.

According to him, workers earning below N300,000 in Abuja may struggle to maintain a decent standard of living because of the high cost of accommodation, food and transportation in the Federal Capital Territory.

Okai wrote, ‘If your salary is not up to at least 300k in Abuja, the difference between you and Almajiri is just the plate. Business better alternative now. Our currency is destroyed.’

Housing remains one of the major expenses for residents of Abuja, particularly in high-demand areas such as Wuse, Maitama and Asokoro. Residents in districts including Lugbe, Kubwa and Nyanya also contend with high annual rental costs.

Food prices have also placed additional pressure on household budgets, with staples such as rice, eggs, bread, tomatoes, cooking oil and chicken becoming more expensive.

Transportation costs have similarly risen, affecting workers who commute daily to their places of employment.

The increase in petrol prices following the removal of the fuel subsidy in 2023 has contributed to higher transportation costs and fares.

The combination of rising food and transportation costs, naira depreciation, and accommodation expenses has continued to put pressure on household incomes, particularly for low- and middle-income earners in the Federal Capital Territory.

ýThe Director-General of the State Services (DGSS), Mr Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, and the Secretary to Ogun State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, will be honoured on Thursday by the youth constituency of Ogun State.

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ýThis was made known by the youth Chairman of Ogun State, Olóyè Akolawole Shoremi, at the pre-event media hearing convened by the leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ogun State Chapter, in commemoration of the 2026 International Youth Day event and Public Presentation of 2360 Ward Executives for the NYCN.

International Youth Day is a global event set aside to address the challenges of the youth constituency every year.

This year’s theme tagged ‘Different contexts, common aspirations’, highlights that while young people face vastly different local and national realities, they share universal hopes for education, decent work, dignity and a sustainable future.

This year’s celebration in Ogun State, set for Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the June 12 Cultural Centre, is expected to draw a massive convergence of over two thousand youths drawn from all 20 Local Government Areas and various youth-led organisations.

It will also feature the historic Inauguration of 2360 Ward Executives of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.

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ýAddressing pressmen at the June 12 Cultural Center, Abeokuta, earlier today, Shoremi stated Ajayi’s nomination as Ogun State Man of the Year 2025 was in observance of his personality as a proud indigene of Ogun State and his remarkable institutional reforms at the State Security Services, which fundamentally transform operational framework, prioritized citizen-centric security, and have restored the confidence of the young people of Nigeria in the organization.

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ýSimilarly, the youth constituency has also bestowed the Distinguished Statesman of the Year 2025 award on the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi. According to the youth Chairman, Talabi has administered the ISEYA agenda of Prince Dapo Abiodun in fostering enabling environment for the young people of Ogun State.

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ýOther nominees for awardees include Alh. Samsideen Adebayo (Apelogun), Hon. Tope Akintunde Armstrong, Mr. Oluwatobi Ajayi (NORD Motors), among others.

The stakeholders and ward chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kwara Central district have dismissed Senator Saliu Mustapha’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring their continued support for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the APC governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi.

The declaration was made separately by Hon. Ibrahim Sulyman Salah, councillor representing Gambari Ward 1 in Ilorin East Local Government Area, and Baba Gobir Abdullahi, chairman of Gambari Ward II and chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in Kwara State.

It is recalled that Senator Mustapha hails from Gambari Ward 1 in the district.

Salah spoke on behalf of stakeholders from Gambari Ward 1 and other communities across Kwara Central, while Gobir represented the 51 APC ward chairmen in the senatorial district.

According to him, the stakeholders were not driven by political considerations but by what they described as the visible impact of the AbdulRazaq administration across Kwara.

‘We are not here because of politics. We are here because the dividends of democracy are now visible, measurable, and touching the lives of ordinary Kwarans,’ he said.

He cited road construction, urban renewal, healthcare, education and economic empowerment among areas where the administration had, in their assessment, made significant progress.

According to Salah, 113.57 kilometres of roads had been completed in Kwara Central, while another 65.5 kilometres were ongoing.

He said the initiatives had supported businesses, youths and vulnerable residents.

Salah subsequently announced a vote of confidence in AbdulRazaq and called on the governor to sustain the pace of development, particularly by completing ongoing projects and expanding empowerment programmes for youths and women.

The stakeholders also pledged their support for AbdulRazaq, Danladi and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Speaking separately, Baba Gobir Abdullahi, chairman of Gambari Ward II and chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in Kwara State, reaffirmed the loyalty of the 51 APC ward chairmen in Kwara Central to AbdulRazaq and dismissed Mustapha’s defection as incapable of weakening the party.

Gobir described the ward chairmen as the ‘engine room’ of the APC in Kwara Central, saying they were directly responsible for grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement.

He rejected the suggestion that the senator’s 2023 electoral victory was a personal achievement, arguing that it was secured through the collective efforts of the APC, AbdulRazaq’s leadership and grassroots members.

Gobir said Mustapha’s departure was therefore a personal political decision rather than a reflection of the aspirations of voters across Kwara Central.

Gobir also urged the people of Kwara Central not to be distracted by the ‘political tourism’ of individuals who prioritise their personal comfort over the collective progress of the people.

He insisted that the APC remained the party committed to placing the welfare of ordinary Kwarans at the centre of governance, urging voters to remain focused on the development recorded under the AbdulRazaq administration.

‘Do not be distracted by the political tourism of individuals who prioritise their personal comfort over your collective progress. The APC remains the only party that puts the welfare of the ordinary Kwarans at the centre of governance,’ he said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the management of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to do all within its powers to ensure Nigeria derives maximum benefits from its gas reserves rather than allowing them to be flared.

The President said this on Wednesday at the State House, where he received members of the NLNG Board led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Adeleye Falade.

‘I am inspired to understand that you are not limiting yourself to the gradual objective of upgrading.

‘My major concern is the domestic utilisation, where you must be able to take out the flaring and convert potential environmental liability to what could be strategically and economically beneficial to the consumers in the country.

‘Yes, you are doing great to really want the revenue up and taking advantage of international interests so that Nigeria might be deriving benefits, but help us back home.’

He commended the team for maximising and increasing the organisation’s capacity, adding that the company was ensuring a good return on investment.

President Tinubu assured the team that he would do whatever is within his power to incentivise them to maximise the organisation’s potential for Nigerians’ benefit.

‘I enjoy the teamwork and the way the NLNG is going, and you all, as team leaders, are giving value to what was the initial objective of the company. If any other incentive is needed to stimulate growth and expand your capacity, I will be willing to do that.

‘We look straight far into the future, and I believe that this country has what it takes; but whatever asset that we have in the ground is nothing unless it’s brought up to service the economy, the people, and realisation of a good return on investment.

‘I think that is the primary focus. But think of people, the need for domestication of some of these energy requirements and pricing mechanisms so that the ordinary man will feel it,’ the President said.

In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Engineer Adeleye Falade, told the President that the board was at the State House to brief the President on the company’s operations since assuming office in April this year.

He said NLNG has generated over $150 billion since inception, with shareholders, including Nigeria, receiving about $47 billion as dividends. Nigeria has a 49 per cent stake in the organisation.

The Managing Director said NLNG was earlier operating at about 60 per cent capacity because the country could not produce crude optimally, resulting in the use of only four of the six available trains.

He told the President that for now, all LPG production, commonly known as cooking gas, is concentrated on the domestic market.

Engineer Falade, however, informed the President that, due to increased oil production from positive developments in the oil and gas sector, capacity has been increased to five trains, with more improvements expected.

He told the President that NLNG is keen to inaugurate Train Seven, which will boost its capacity by 35 per cent and further increase its current capacity, adding that Nigeria LNG has a five per cent share of the global LNG market.

The Managing Director also told the President that the shareholders eulogised the stability in the country’s fiscal environment, adding that this stability is attracting more investment.

He lauded the security agencies and the regulators in the oil and gas industry for the stability enjoyed so far.

Engineer Falade also informed President Tinubu that the construction of the Bonny-Bodo Road and Bridge project, financed by NLNG, has been completed and is awaiting official commissioning.

Other members of the NLNG team include: the Deputy Managing Director, Olakunle Osobu; Board Director/MD TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited and Country Chair TotalEnergies, Mr Matthieu Bouyer; Board Director/Vice Chairman/Managing Director, Nigeria Agip Exploration, Mr Maurizio Pinna; and General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall.

Manager, Government Relations and Regulatory Compliance, Abdul Umar; Head, Government Relations, Tonbrafa Nanaghan; and Senior Government Relations Advisor, Rufai Mohammed Lawal, were also present.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Energy Transition, Yasmin Mohammed, attended the event.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dared the President Bola Tinubu administration to investigate him over allegations of wrongdoing in the $16 billion power sector fund, saying recycled accusations should not be used to avoid accountability for subsidy savings.

Reacting on Wednesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the sudden revival of old allegations on power, privatisation and public assets as a ploy to divert attention from pressing questions about the management of public resources.

‘The National Assembly investigated the power projects. I was never invited to answer any allegation of wrongdoing,’ Atiku said.

‘Yes, I chaired the National Council on Privatisation as Vice President. But on the power project, I disagreed with its concept and did not preside over its implementation. The responsible minister did. The same applies to the Aluminium Smelter matter.’

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said he had consistently called for investigation into any claim against him since leaving office in 2007.

‘I have repeatedly asked to be investigated. I left office in 2007 and have spent much of the period since then opposing governments in power. If there is evidence that I stole public money, why has no government produced it before a court?

‘It is still not too late. Investigate me. Invite me. Produce the evidence. Prosecute me if you have a case. But propaganda cannot substitute for evidence,’ he said.

Atiku argued that the attacks intensified because he has been demanding transparency on the funds saved from fuel subsidy removal.

‘They removed subsidy from the poor and promised that the sacrifice would free resources for development. Nigerians accepted extraordinary pain on that promise.

‘Today, petrol is more expensive, transportation is more expensive, food is more expensive and the purchasing power of the Nigerian worker has been devastated.

‘Meanwhile, government revenues have increased, while fiscal incentives, waivers, tax credits and concessions continue to be available to powerful economic interests.

‘So our question remains brutally simple: Where is the people’s money?’ he asked.

According to him, government cannot withdraw relief from ordinary Nigerians while granting concessions to the wealthy and then claim that intervention for the poor is ‘economically irresponsible.’

‘You cannot take relief away from the poor, celebrate the resulting revenue and then tell the same impoverished citizens that government intervention on their behalf is economically irresponsible while interventions benefiting powerful interests are called incentives. That hypocrisy is precisely what we are challenging,’ Atiku stated.

He said no amount of ‘sponsored social-media mudslinging’ would silence him from demanding accountability.

‘The people who removed subsidy from the poor cannot frighten us into silence by resurrecting allegations that governments with all the investigative machinery of the Nigerian state have had nearly two decades to establish.

‘If you have evidence against Atiku, bring it. If you have a case, prosecute it.

‘But if you have neither, stop manufacturing distractions and answer Nigerians: You removed the subsidy. You collected the savings. Where is the money?’

African health ministers have endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026-2035, committing to plan, educate, employ and retain three million additional health workers by 2035 to address critical workforce shortages and expand access to quality healthcare across the continent.

The move comes as Africa has only about 46 per cent of the health workforce it needs. Although the continent had an estimated 5.72 million health workers in 2024, it could face a shortage of more than six million by 2035 without urgent action.

Yet Africa faces a paradox: while health facilities struggle to find enough workers, an estimated one million trained health professionals are unemployed. In several countries, more than half of newly qualified nurses, doctors and midwives struggle to secure jobs soon after graduation.

The new Agenda seeks to close this gap by going beyond training. It focuses on workforce planning, quality education, job creation, sustainable financing and retention, with coordinated action across the health, education, finance, labour and public service sectors.

‘Educating health workers is only the beginning,’ said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. ‘We must also create the opportunities, the support and the conditions that enable them to serve, grow and thrive where they are needed most.’

The investment could also deliver major economic gains. Closing Africa’s health workforce gap is estimated to require an additional US$4-6 per person annually, while every dollar invested in health workers could generate up to US$10 in economic returns and around 30 times its value in broader social benefits.

The Agenda builds on the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter and provides countries with a shared roadmap to build a skilled, supported and equitably distributed workforce.

The goal is clear: more health workers, more jobs, stronger health systems and millions more Africans able to access quality healthcare when and where they need it.

Okin Biscuits has announced its production after 17 years, with biscuits rolling off one of its rehabilitated production lines at its factory in Offa, Kwara State.

The company announced the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, describing it as a major milestone in its efforts to revive the brand.

‘After 17 years… the line runs again,’ the company said.

According to Okin Biscuits, the production line had to be rebuilt after cables, frequency drives, contactors, motors and other electronic components were stolen.

The company explained that the first production was a technical trial run and not a product trial, adding that the exercise was aimed at determining whether the production line could be brought back to life after years of inactivity.

‘At this stage, we were not concerned about colour, appearance or achieving the final Okin recipe. The objective was simple: Can we bring this line, silent for 17 years, back to life? And we did!’ it said.

Okin Biscuits also announced that the factory was officially connected to a 33kVA Band A electricity grid by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The company, however, said more testing, calibration and rehabilitation are still required before its biscuits return to the market.

It added that efforts were ongoing to restore the familiar Okin taste and quality.

‘But today, we celebrate progress.

‘The machines are turning.

‘The ovens are firing.

‘The biscuits are beginning to roll out again.

‘One step at a time. Okin is coming back,’ the company said.

Okin Biscuits was founded in 1980 in Ilorin, Kwara State, by Chief Emmanuel Olatunji Adesoye, an industrialist, educationist and traditional titleholder from Offa.

At its peak from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, Okin became a pioneer in Nigeria’s indigenous confectionery industry, with popular products including Okin Shortcake, Okin Cabin, Okin Digestive and cream-filled sandwich biscuits.

Although market competition and economic changes affected production in the late 2000s, Okin remained a nostalgic Nigerian brand for generations.