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Kaduna State has officially eliminated trachoma, a leading infectious cause of blindness, marking a major public health milestone achieved through the partnership between the Kaduna State Government, the Federal Ministry of Health, and Sightsavers.

The announcement was made during the close-out ceremony of the Trachoma Trichiasis Intervention in Kaduna, where stakeholders celebrated the successful elimination of the disease after more than a decade of concerted efforts.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Teyil Wamyil- Mshelia, Country Coordinator for Trachoma at Sightsavers, described the achievement as ‘a day of celebration and a testament to years of commitment and collaboration.’

‘Today, we are marking the close-out ceremony for trachoma elimination in Kaduna State,’ she said.

‘Kaduna is one of the first states where Sightsavers began its work not only in Nigeria but globally. It’s been 73 years of partnership, and we are proud to see the progress that has been made.’

According to her, Sightsavers has worked closely with the state and local communities to ensure that trachoma is no longer a public health problem. ‘With the elimination of trachoma in Kaduna State, we have successfully removed one of the major public health challenges in the state,’ she said. ‘We have met all the World Health Organization (WHO) requirements to ensure that trachoma is no longer a threat here.’

Dr. Wamyil-Mshelia noted that Kaduna’s success was achieved through intensive awareness campaigns, local capacity building, and community ownership. ‘We began by raising awareness because if people don’t know, they won’t participate,’ she explained. ‘Community leaders, district heads, and traditional institutions played a crucial role. They took ownership and ensured that community members understood that services were available and beneficial.’

She added that the intervention also focused on sustainability. ‘The Kaduna State Government provided strong support to ensure that these systems continue to function effectively beyond the project,’ she said. ‘We trained ophthalmic nurses, surgeons, and community volunteers to identify and manage trachoma cases, ensuring that future outbreaks can be handled immediately.’

Earlier in her remarks, Dr. Aisha Abubakar Sadiq, Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, described the achievement as a ‘significant public health milestone’ for Kaduna and Nigeria.

‘Trachoma, a preventable bacterial infection and one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, has long been a burden in areas with poor access to clean water and sanitation,’ Dr. Sadiq said. ‘Through the SAFE strategy Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement we have made trachoma ancient history in Kaduna State.’

She disclosed that over 558,000 residents benefited from mass drug administration, while 683 individuals across 11 endemic local government areas received sight-saving surgeries. ‘Ten ophthalmic nurses were trained as trichiasis surgeons, 122 boreholes were constructed, and more than 10,000 community case finders were deployed,’ she added.

Dr. Sadiq commended Governor Uba Sani, the Federal Ministry of Health, Sightsavers, and community volunteers for their commitment to eliminating trachoma. ‘Your constant dedication has brought hope to hundreds of families and moved Kaduna State closer to the goal of eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases,’ she said.

Groups under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP) have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take a decisive action against individuals and groups allegedly sabotaging efforts to achieve local refining of petroleum products in the country.

The groups, which converged on the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, before marching through major streets, accused a powerful oil cartel of frustrating Nigeria’s economic progress by undermining local refinery initiatives – particularly the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Speaking during the rally, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta and Comrade Dahiru Umar Maishanu, both leaders of PANEP, said the call to President Tinubu was a patriotic effort to rescue Nigeria from a cartel that profits from fuel importation and scarcity.

Ude-Umanta said, ‘This is not about Dangote alone; it’s about Nigeria’s economic survival. Mr. President must rise to the occasion and stamp his feet. He must crush those sabotaging our march toward self-reliance in refining.’ The PANEP leader said their rally themed ‘National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,’ was part of a nationwide movement to defend local refining from what he called ‘economic terrorists’ determined to keep Nigeria dependent on fuel importation.

He alleged that some oil unions and importers were colluding with foreign interests to frustrate the Dangote Refinery’s operations, warning that failure to act decisively could scare away future investors.

‘If they succeed in killing Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever bring money here again,’ he cautioned.

Ude-Umanta also condemned the recent actions of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), against the Dangote Refinery.

He urged President Tinubu, who also serves as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure that local refineries such as Dangote’s are supplied crude oil at the same rate as foreign refineries to sustain their operations and boost investor confidence.

On his part, Comrade Maishanu said their protest was a patriotic call to end decades of economic enslavement caused by fuel importation.

Maishanu commended Dangote Refinery for positively impacting domestic fuel prices, noting that costs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) have begun to drop.

He said, ‘Nigerians are beginning to breathe fresh air from this refining revolution. This is the time for the President to prove that local investors matter.’

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s departure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the expiration of his second term in office.

The President has also honoured the outgoing chairman with the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.

Yakubu was first appointed in November 2015 as the 14th chairman of the commission for an initial term of five years. The appointment, which was renewed in 2020, has now expired.

President Tinubu thanked Professor Yakubu for his services to the nation and his efforts in sustaining Nigeria’s democracy, ‘particularly through the organisation of free and fair elections throughout his two-term tenure.’

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement said in recognition of Yakubu’s dedicated service to the nation, President Tinubu has bestowed on him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger(CON).

Onanuga had also said that in the letter dated October 3, 2025, Professor Yakubu had thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the commission since 2015.

President Bola Tinubu has withheld assent to two bills recently passed by the National Assembly, citing several fundamental flaws in their provisions.

They are the Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (Amendment) Bill and the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2025.

President Tinubu conveyed his decision in two separate letters read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on Tuesday.

Tinubu expressed concerns over a clause in the Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (Amendment) Bill authorising the institute to collect 1% of all import and export freight levies-a measure the President described as unfair to businesses, and incompatible with the federal government’s tax policy.

The President also said the provision in the bill, authorising the institute to borrow up to ?50 million without presidential approval and to invest public funds, even though the agency is not designed to generate revenue, violates existing fiscal discipline framework and could lead to serious financial mismanagement. He said, ‘Such clauses pose serious fiscal and governance challenges and, if allowed, would set a dangerous precedent.’

The President also withheld assent to the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill 2025, citing conflicts with existing laws and policies.

The president said the proposed legislation contradicted core government policies related to the funding of public agencies, taxation, public service remuneration, age and tenure limits for public servants.

He argued that assenting to the bill as transmitted could create an ‘unsustainable precedent’ against the public interest. ‘I hope that the Senate will take the necessary steps to fix the identified issues with this legislation,’ Tinubu said.

After reading the letter, Akpabio said, ‘This is a demonstration of the President’s steady hands and attention to detail. It now falls on us to re-examine the bills and ensure they are in line with national policy and fiscal responsibility.’

Akpabio referred the two bills to relevant Senate Committees for further legislative action.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has been asked to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election or any future presidential race in Nigeria.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, is seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan from ‘presenting himself to any political party in Nigeria for nomination as its candidate’ for the 2027 poll or any future election.

Jideobi also wants the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate, and to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to ensure compliance with the court’s decision. INEC and the AGF are listed as the second and third defendants.

In his supporting affidavit, deposed to by one Emmanuel Agida, the plaintiff described himself as an ‘advocate of constitutionalism and the rule of law.’ He argued that Jonathan, having completed the tenure of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and subsequently served a full four-year term after winning the 2011 election, had already exhausted the constitutional limit of two terms.

Jideobi said he filed the suit after reading reports in the media about Jonathan’s alleged plan to contest again in 2027. Citing Section 137(3) of the Constitution, he contended that allowing the former president to run would breach the supreme law of the land.

He recalled that Jonathan was sworn in on 6 May 2010 to complete the tenure of the late President Yar’Adua, who died on 5 May 2010. Jonathan was later elected in 2011 and sworn in on 27 May of that year, serving until 2015.

‘I know that if the first defendant eventually wins the forthcoming 2027 general election as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria-which is for a term of four years spanning 2027 to 2031-he will have exceeded eight years being the cumulative maximum years a Nigerian President is to stay in office,’ Jideobi said.

He maintained that the suit was filed in the public interest and prayed the court to declare that Jonathan ‘is ineligible to stand for or occupy the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’ and that INEC lacks the constitutional power to accept or publish his name as a candidate in any presidential election.

He also sought an order directing the AGF to enforce any order the court may make in the matter. ‘It will be in the interest of justice for this Honourable Court to grant the prayers contained on the face of this originating summons,’ the affidavit reads.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

A similar case was filed in 2022 when Justice Isa Dashen of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state dismissed the suit for lacking merit, ruling that Jonathan was eligible to contest because Section 137(3) of the Constitution, which limits the tenure of anyone who completes another’s term, came into effect after Jonathan had left office. The judge held that the law could not apply retroactively to disqualify him.

That ruling effectively cleared the former president to contest, although he ultimately chose not to join the 2023 race.

Why Jonathan’s name keeps resurfacing ahead of 2027

Jonathan’s name has continued to feature in political circles amid speculation that some political blocs, particularly in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC), have been considering him as a potential consensus candidate for the 2027 election.

Calls for his return have recently grown, particularly from the North, as coalition efforts to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027 intensify. Several PDP leaders, including former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, have publicly urged him to run. At the weekend, former Information Minister Professor Jerry Gana went further, declaring that Jonathan would contest and defeat the ruling APC in 2027.

Penultimate week, Jonathan visited National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark at his Abuja residence. Mark, a former Senate president, served during Jonathan’s administration between 2010 and 2015. While the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, told Daily Trust the visit was private, observers believe it was tied to 2027 permutations, with the ADC said to be weighing Jonathan’s acceptability.

Jonathan, who lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, is believed to be showing renewed interest in politics. Though he has yet to declare formally, his appeal, according to insiders, lies in the constitutional term-limit provision that allows him to serve only one more term – a prospect viewed as a strategic option in balancing the power rotation debate between North and South.

The speculation about his return began in the buildup to the 2023 polls when some northern political leaders and interest groups were reported to have approached him to run under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, citing his perceived neutrality and national appeal. Although he distanced himself from the move at the time, his continued engagement in peace-building efforts and participation in governance reform dialogues have kept him in the national conversation.

Political analysts say the renewed legal challenge reflects both the lingering ambiguity surrounding the constitutional interpretation of presidential tenure and the strategic calculations of interest groups ahead of the 2027 contest.

A Shari’a Court in Kofar Kudu, Kano Municipal, has sentenced one Sadiq Turaki, a resident of Kofar Naisa, to nine months in prison for conspiracy, intimidation, and theft.

Turaki pleaded guilty to all charges after the prosecution, led by Barr. Aliya Aminu Yargaya, told the court that he conspired with eight others (still at large) to vandalize gutter slabs and steal iron rods from Sagagi Quarters.

He was later arrested with some of the stolen items in his possession.

Presiding Judge, Shamsuddeen Ado Abdullahi Unguwar Gini, sentenced him to three months imprisonment and 20 strokes of the cane on each of the three counts, totaling nine months and 60 strokes of the cane.

Eighty years ago on October 24, 1945, the United Nations formally came into existence following the ratification of its Charter by the five members of the Security Council namely, the United States of America, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, the People’s Republic of China and 46 other nations.

At the formation of the UN, the world lay in utter ruins as a consequence of the Second World War pitting the allied forces made up of the US, Soviet Union, Britain, France and China against the axis powers composed of Nazi Germany and Japan. Over 100 million people had perished in the war and whole cities, settlements and infrastructure had been destroyed in the process. Millions more had been rendered homeless and hunger, starvation, diseases ravaged the world.

The Second World War happened in 1939, 21 years after the First World War ended in 1918. Due to the unprecedented devastation wreaked by that war, world leaders and statesmen met and decided to set up the League of Nations as a global forum for the resolution of conflicts between nations.

But in the intervening years, as the League of Nations proved incapable of achieving the task of global conflict resolution, war again broke out resulting in even more devastating consequences than the previous one.

Thus, the UN established in 1945 against the background of the massive destruction and havoc wreaked by both sides during the war, set up robust institutions that would ensure peaceful co-existence among the peoples of the world. The World leaders and statesmen who lent their influence to the formation of the UN were alarmed that within the space of three decades, the world had been engulfed in two devastating wars. They reasoned that if the trend to resolve differences among nations through wars was not checked, humanity was likely to be wiped out especially with the development and deployment of nuclear weapons during the war.

Therefore, looking back after 80 years of its formation, it must be recognised that through its mechanisms for global conflict resolution, the UN has been able to prevent a global war on the scale that happened between 1939 and 1945.

It must also be stated that the UN organs like UNESCO, FAO, WHO and others have been able to bring help and succour to millions of global citizens in the poorer regions of the world thereby lessening their plight. In many areas of the world where crises and other forms of humanitarian disaster occur, the UN readily renders assistance to victims in the form of food, medicines, shelter and safe passage out of danger areas to safety. Where necessary also, the UN had intervened with peace keeping forces to separate and protect the vulnerable affected by international and regional conflicts.

Also, through its numerous intervention programmes in the past 80 years, the UN had been able to lift millions out of poverty, diseases and starvation across the world.

In many instances in these years, the UN had deployed its institutions to pro-actively prevent wars and to immediately ensure peaceful resolution among protagonists when wars break out, thereby preventing escalation. In many ways, the UN has become to most people around the globe a beacon of hope.

But, it must also be stated that despite all these instances of constructive achievements and inclusion, the UN still labours under the long shadow of the ideological and geo-political competition of the major powers. Indeed, in some instances, the UN had proven to be either complicit in some of tragedies that had occurred in some parts of the world or had stood helpless while human atrocities are being committed. A perfect example of this is on the on-going genocide being perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian residents of Gaza.

It is a matter of great concern that in the past few decades, the vision of statesmen, which led to the formation of the UN and its sustenance over the past 80 years, is now being rendered asunder by the dangerous brinkmanship of the leadership of the major countries. By their actions, they are leading people around the world to not only question the relevance of the UN in today’s world but also to wonder whether the world is once again on the brink of another global conflict which will likely result in the end of humanity.

That is why the theme of the celebration ‘UN at 80: Shaping our Future Together’ could not have been more apt. It serves to remind us that having reached a state of mutually assured destruction of mankind, the only path to secure the future is through constructive multilateralism and collaboration among the people and nations of the world. Having come this far, what the UN needs is a renewed vision to strengthen and continue its task of fostering enduring peaceful co-existence in the world.

All around the world, the oil and gas industry is regarded as a strategic asset for many reasons. It is a source of massive employment across its streams, revenue generation, technology and whatever else. Indeed, the oil and gas industry is so much at the core of modern life that 70 per cent of the foundation of modern life is centred around it.

The concept ‘Energy Security” in which countries build the survival of their way of life, is built around securing oil wherever it can be found and controlling its entire spectrum.

An overarching example of the strategic significance of oil to global geopolitics will suffice. The underpinning of the dollars we use in international trade is on the so-called ‘petrodollars” which the United States of America secured through an arrangement with Saudi Arabia to designate global oil trade in the American currency. This move, which was secured in the mid-1970s, proved to be the saving grace and spur for the revival of the American dollar following the decision in 1971 by the Richard Nixon administration to remove the dollar as world reserve currency. By the 1970s, the dollar had lost its strength as global reserve currency following the economic recovery and emergence of several countries, thereby challenging the global economic dominance of the United States of America.

It is from this context that the dispute between Dangote Refinery and the labour unions can be understood.

For years, since the discovery of oil in the late 1950s to date, we have managed our oil industry in ways that have fallen far short of our expectations. We cannot refine our crude to satisfy our domestic markets. We have not been able to adequately tap the abundant gas reserves in the country. We have not been able to utilise the by-products of our crude oil production to establish a thriving petrochemical and pharmaceutical industry. We have not been able to solve our energy requirements from our gas reserves. Even the revenues we make from our crude oil exports have been squandered without reinvestment to expand and grow not just the oil and gas industry but our economy. We have not been able to use oil effectively as a strategic factor in our regional global interactions. We have not been able to take advantage of our location on the global shipping lanes for the supply of oil and its products to Europe, the Americas and Africa. In short, over the years, we have not been able to develop the capacities for the growth of our oil industry domestically and to use it as a strategic platform for regional and global economic and political engagement.

In this context, the coming of the Dangote Refinery was supposed to help address some of the anomalies in the Nigerian oil industry in the short and long run. But what has been the reception and experience of the refinery since it came into being?

First, the hostility from the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, while expected against a potential rival, has been quite beyond the pale. From the questions about the supposed low quality of the product refined at the refinery to the refusal to supply crude oil and the runaround as to whether the crude will be supplied in naira or in dollars.

The latest in the rigmarole with the Dangote Refinery is the dispute with the labour unions representing the workers, the National Union of Petroleum Engineering Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Following the refinery’s decision to sack thousands of its Nigerian workers, whom it accuses of sabotage, the two unions have picketed and threatened not just to close the refinery but to declare a nationwide strike.

Issues that have come up in respect of the dispute are whether the unions have any locus to determine for the refinery, a private concern, how to run its operations and whether it is within its rights to suspend, redeploy or sack its staff. Before the dispute with the workers, the Unions had questioned the rationale of Dangote Refinery’s decision to distribute its products directly to customers using its own tankers and marketers bypassing the unions and independent marketers in the process.

The impression this has created and the questions being asked by many Nigerians are, why is the Dangote Refinery, which has ventured into the territory of oil operations in which both the government and other operators have failed to close the gap, be subjected to these tactics? Many Nigerians are realising that what is happening to the refinery is a gang-up by powerful local and foreign interests to scuttle its operations. It is not lost on Nigerians that over the years, powerful interest groups have turned the Nigerian oil industry into a cash cow. Tales of moribund refineries, fraudulent Turn Around Maintenance and other contracts and other opaque operations have become the stock in trade of the oil and gas industry. Nigerians ask questions as to how the NNPC still has to rely on Joint Venture operations with foreign oil companies rather than develop the technical capacity to extract, refine and distribute petroleum products. A critical question is why the International Oil Companies (IOCs) have not set up refineries in Nigeria despite being here for over sixty years?

I think the unions should realise that the brand of unionism they are practising now is outmoded. The world over, trade unions have become strategic partners in industry and manufacturing. Trade Unions in most countries practice the co-determination mode, where representatives of workers sit on the board of corporations, helping to define and implement the strategic goals of major corporations. The best example of this is in Germany, where the IG Metall Labour Union sits on the board of Mercedes, Volkswagen, etc. Variants of this model also exist in many countries. Rather than see the companies as targets for labour disruptions on account of employee/management issues, Labour unions should now work out arrangements with management and boards of companies on how to set strategic goals and take responsibilities in delivering them, taking into account the rights and responsibilities of the workers they represent. The frequent resort to strikes and as the only option for settling disputes is counterproductive.

Dangote Refinery has stepped in to square the circle in our oil industry at great cost and risk, which the government and other private players have refused to invest in. We keep saying that we want private sector participation in the oil and gas industry. Dangote Refinery is a strategic step in that direction. The operations of the refinery may not be totally up to our expectations, but as a pioneer, greenfield project in the private sector, it needs to be encouraged to succeed for the glory of the country rather than to be booby trapped by unfair and unnecessary actions.

In celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2025, the British Council is set to bring together thousands of educators from around the world for what will be its largest global gathering of teachers.

From 9-11 October 2025, the Council’s Teaching English programme will host a free, three-day online conference themed ‘Global voices, future focus’.

Designed primarily for English language teachers and teacher educators, the event will also welcome educators from other disciplines who seek to develop their professional practice.

Over three days, participants will connect with peers from every continent, share classroom experiences, and gain practical skills they can immediately apply in their teaching.

The conference will offer an immersive learning experience that goes beyond theory, blending innovative ideas with real-world classroom application.

Sessions will explore digital teaching, multilingualism, sustainability, and 21st-century skills-all led by experienced teachers who understand the challenges of today’s education landscape.

The event will unfold across three thematic days: Professional development and digital tools (9 October), Multilingualism and 21st-century skills (10 October), and Sustainability and language skills (11 October).

Donna McGowan, Country Director, British Council Nigeria, said, ‘This event is a fantastic opportunity for teachers in [country] to access global thought leadership on English language teaching. From AI innovation to sustainability in teaching, all for free. We especially encourage educators to register, learn, and connect with peers internationally. All attendees will receive a professional development certificate from the British Council.’

Michael Connolly, Director of English and School Education, added: ‘At the British Council, we’re proud to connect, inspire, and empower English teachers around the globe. This conference, themed ‘Global voices, future focus’, is a celebration of our shared commitment to professional growth, inclusivity, and innovation in the classroom.’

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a suspected drug peddler in the state.

The suspect, Dennis Uruma, was reportedly arrested with large quantities of illicit drugs by the police.

The command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, said the suspect was intercepted by police while on patrol in the state.

He explained that a patrol team from the Eagle Net Special Squad, working in synergy with the office of the Executive Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Illicit Drugs and Human Trafficking, intercepted a truck with registration number 3BGT 18LG driven by the suspect, who hails from Kogi State.

According to the spokesperson, a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of large quantities of suspected illicit drugs.

He added that the suspect is currently in police custody and investigation is ongoing.