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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has begun its congress in Ibadan, the capital city, with Governor Seyi Makinde casting the first vote to kick off the electoral process.

Governor Makinde, who serves as the number one delegate from Ibadan North East Local Government, was among the early voters in the peaceful and well-organised exercise.

Delegates from 33 local governments are participating in the congress.

It marks the culmination of the party’s internal electoral process, following successful ward and local government congresses held across the state.

The exercise is aimed at electing new state executive officers, who will steer the party’s affairs over the next four years.

The election is being monitored by former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, officials of the party from the national headquarters, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security operatives, among others.

The Electoral Panel Chairman from the party’s national secretariat, Senator Austin Akobundu, is leading other officials to conduct and coordinate the congress.

Governor Makinde said the task before the would-be elected executive members of the party would be to deliver the party from the presidency to the councillorship positions in 2027.

Sen. Akobundu lauded the organised arrangement he met on ground, especially among the delegates, noting that the congress held great significance to the party.

He said: ‘There’s no report that anything untoward happened to our delegates. We are all here in large numbers. Thank you and welcome.

‘I want to point to the fact that today’s event has great significance to our party. Your state has been one of the strong corners of our party in the country. I have had to undertake many assignments here over the years and I’m glad to note that under the famed leadership, able leadership of the leader of the party, Engineer Seyi Makinde, this party has grown from strength to strength.

‘The testimonial is the recent by-election conducted, off-season election, where PDP took the seats and returned all our candidates to National Assembly and other seats. I want to thank you, your excellency, for the strong leadership you have provided and for the growth our party has witnessed. Today we expect nothing different from what we have done before.

‘Most congresses here have been very, very seamless and I can see that today we are well organised. The crowd that we have here is a reflection of the acceptance of PDP as a solid platform and I want to advise that we remain orderly as we walk through this process.

‘Be reminded also that we are working towards 2027 election where PDP will return all our candidates.

‘Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank God for giving us a governor like Seyi Makinde in Oyo State today. One of the best governors, performing governor who has transformed Oyo State. I was telling him that when I got into Ibadan, because I used to visit Ibadan a lot in the past, that I couldn’t find my way around the city.

‘The city is so well transformed as well as our rural areas and I pray that God will continue to grant him grace to complete the job and as he prepares to go for higher assignment by the special grace of God, I pray that God Almighty will also give us a successor with steady hands that will also be handsome and passionate about the development and growth of Oyo State. I believe God will do so for us.

‘I will continue to pray that the rest of this administration that will lead to next one will be progressive, will be rewarding, will see more development. So, for our party to come back we have to work very hard. This exercise is going to be very fast because I can see that you are well organised.’

The event attracted several high-profile dignitaries, including the Deputy Governor of the state, the PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; federal lawmakers like Abass Adigun Agboworin (Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency), Stanley Adedeji Olajide (Ibadan North-West/South-West), and Shina Peller, a former member of the House of Representatives.

Also in attendance are local government council chairmen across the state, party stakeholders and supporters, who are witnessing the congress proceedings.

The outcome of the congress is expected to shape the direction of PDP in Oyo State, as it prepares for future electoral contests.

As at press time, voting was still ongoing by delegates across the three senatorial district of the state.

At 65 years of Independence, Nigerians, surely have a tough decision to make. Will the majority go on with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (PBAT) administration’s far-reaching reforms or will they turn to those making a swansong of the challenges associated with the reforms? Historically, reformers like Mikhail Gorbachev of Soviet Union paid a huge price for his Perestroika and Glasnost. Will PBAT pay the price for being a reformer or will he survive?

Nigeria’s economic challenges have been systemic, ranging from inflation, import dependency, foreign exchange crisis, erosion of the value of the local currency, food insecurity, hunger, to abject poverty of the majority of the citizens. Amidst these economic headwinds, Nigerians were literally subsidizing the fuel imports of her neighbours. To compound the situation, her rapacious elites were trading on her currency to the detriment of businesses and other genuine economic activities.

The implication was that while the few elites connected to the seat of power, were making millions by getting direct foreign currency allocations from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and trading on it, those engaged in genuine economic activities were substantially at the mercy of the ravenous economic saboteurs. The most impactful on the country was sourcing foreign exchange for the importation of fuel, as the three major refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna were comatose.

The way out for the immediate past regime, was printing more money by the CBN, euphemistically referred by government officials, as ‘ways and means’. The challenge of sourcing foreign exchange to import fuel was further compounded by the opacity and massive corruption of the process. Nigeria experienced all manner of racketeering, as many so-called fuel importers presented fake documents for non-existent imports, and with the connivance of corrupt state officials got paid humongous sums to the detriment of the already bleeding foreign exchange reserves.

Other businesses, like foreign airline operators, who after collecting the cost of tickets in local currency could not buy foreign exchange at the official foreign exchange rate to repatriate their earnings, either departed the country, or took matters into their own hands. Those that stayed, charged much higher for tickets sold in Nigeria, when compared to prices for similar tickets in neighbouring countries. Travels for students, businessmen and holiday makers became so excruciating that Nigerians went to neighbouring countries to connect Europe and America at huge costs.

Many multi-national manufacturing companies, finding it difficult to access foreign exchange to import needed raw materials, closed shop, and moved to more economically stable countries. As unemployment skyrocketed, and more valueless money chased fewer goods, inflation soared into triple digits, and the national economy was on a tailspin. The impact on food inflation was so devastating that basic essential commodities, some of which were import dependent, were priced out of the reach of the ordinary Nigerians and the country was almost imploding.

The insecurity in parts of the country further drove food prices to a dangerous level. With the north-central states of Benue and Plateau, major food baskets of the country overrun by murderous herdsmen, Nigeria was on the throes of asphyxiation. While the north-central was on the boil, farmlands further north were the grains come from, were in the grips of internecine war, waged by Boko Haram and the so-called bandits. While Boko Haram elements were fighting for their lives in northeast, the bandits were claiming territories in northwest.

On assumption of office in May, 2023, the PBAT administration decided to confront the twin challenge of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange racketeering. The immediate impact was a runaway inflation and further depreciation of the official rate of the Naira, which had been artificially buoyed over the years by the CBN. Many commentators viewed the twin steps as bold, while some considered it reckless. Those who supported the twin policy of the administration argued that it was the only way to bring sanity to the national economy.

Initially, the side effects of the twin policy were so devastating, as the nation witnessed galloping inflation, especially food inflation that even the core supporters of the administration doubted the wisdom of the policies. But the administration stayed course, and presently while Naira is gaining value by the day, inflation is tending downwards. The removal of the subsidy also made the nation buoyant enough to increase the minimum wage and for sub-nationals to have money to engage in infrastructural projects.

The implicit deregulation of the price of fuel has seen the price of that national economic driver now determined by marketers. Recently, the price of fuel has been moving up and down without Nigerians and especially labour unions pointing fingers and threatening the industrial peace of the country. Luckily for the Tinubu administration and indeed for Nigerians, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals came on stream to fill the huge gap left by the bumbling and incompetent Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL).

But at the cusp of Nigeria’s 65th anniversary, the apparent redundancy that private sector-led Dangote has made of the two major industrial unions hegemons in the oil sector, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, rears its ugly or beautiful head, depending on which side, the commentator belongs. The two industrial unions were made nationally popular during the war for democracy in Nigeria, after the annulment of June 12 general election, which Chief M.K.O Abiola won, particularly under the leadership of late Chief Frank Kokori of NUPENG.

But like NNPCL, the two unions appear to have fallen into disuse with the private sector dominating the downstream oil sector. Considering the alleged underhand tactics of the leaders of the union to make themselves wealthy at a huge price to ordinary Nigerians, the two unions have a herculean task to convince Nigerians that their ongoing tango with Dangote Refinery is not for private gain. Unfortunately for them, their relatively recent antecedent with respect to the federal government’s sale and repurchase of the three earlier named refineries makes them complicit in the economic sabotage of the oil industry in recent decades.

While it would be unfair for Dangote Refinery to deny workers their rights under section 40 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), to belong to Trade Unions; the arbitrary, unconscionable and buccaneer trade practices of NUPENG and PENGASSAN, cannot cohabit with private capital, without their internal reforms. Of note, most of their officials live like oil Sheiks, from illegal dues, and the fallout of those practices, is on the ordinary Nigerians. As the country celebrate her anniversary, this column wonders which way Nigerians will go?

Will Nigerians follow through with the Tinubu reforms, or will they fall for the antics of the rapacious elites mocking the ordinary citizens with their new swan song of ‘I am hungry’, when the humongous wealth the cheerleaders display, are far beyond what they could have gotten from their honest labour?

Jose Mourinho insists he will receive a warm welcome from the Chelsea fans who once turned on him when the former Blues boss returns to Stamford Bridge with Benfica tonight.

Mourinho is back in west London for a Champions League group stage clash that has turned into a trip down memory lane.

The 62-year-old, who famously announced his arrival in the Premier League by labelling himself a ‘special one’, led Chelsea to three English titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup across two spells that etched him in the club’s history forever.

Fuelled by the financial backing of then owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho turned Chelsea from underachievers to serial winners.

But those triumphs did not stop Chelsea fans chanting ‘you’re not special anymore’ at Mourinho and jeering him when he returned as manager of Manchester United and then Tottenham.

Now in charge of Benfica after his recent sacking by Turkish club Fenerbahce, Mourinho started his pre-match press conference at Stamford Bridge by claiming he was ‘not a blue anymore’.

But aware that he risked more abuse from the stands on Tuesday, Mourinho quickly backtracked, saying he still loved the club and expected to be treated with affection by the fans that used to idolise him.

‘Of course I will always be a Blue. I am part of their history and they are part of mine. I helped them become a bigger Chelsea and they helped me become a bigger Jose,’ he told reporters.

‘It was a happy marriage. It was a fantastic decision I made. The reason I came the second time is of course I was so happy the first time.

‘When I say I am not a blue I am talking about the job I have to do tomorrow.

‘I don’t think Chelsea fans will boo. At least on the street Chelsea fans are the ones that disturb me for autographs and pictures.’

Photos of Mourinho celebrating some of his greatest Chelsea moments were hung on the walls of the Ted Drake Suite to make the Portuguese coach feel at home.

It was a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Mourinho, who said: ‘There are not many clubs that do this. In many clubs it looks like there is a fear of what happened in the past.

‘Sometimes it looks like they want to delete people who made history. It shows Chelsea is really a big club.’

Mourinho, who still has a family home close to Stamford Bridge, opted against piling pressure on Chelsea’s current boss Enzo Maresca, who has come under fire after successive defeats against Manchester United and Brighton this season.

Maresca led Chelsea to Champions League qualification and won the UEFA Conference League last season.

‘There was a sad period where even me from the outside, I was putting some question marks. It looked like Chelsea lost their identity but what happened in the last season has put things back on track,’ he said.

But Mourinho couldn’t resist pointing out his own achievements with Chelsea whenever the opportunity arose.

Asked if he still ranked himself as the best manager in Chelsea’s history, Mourinho said: ‘I am the biggest one until someone wins four (titles).

‘Chelsea won something before my time. Then they stopped winning, and then my team kept winning.’

And in typically waspish fashion, he played down the two trophies won by Maresca.

‘The Conference League is an easy competition for a big club to win. I did it with Roma. Champions League is much more difficult to win than the Club World Cup but Chelsea has the potential of course,’ he said.

It is a decade since he lifted a league title but even if Mourinho’s managerial star is on the wane, he remains a box-office attraction.

After answering the last question of the press conference, Mourinho made a point of embracing several familiar faces among the British media.

He even posed for a selfie before wrapping a long-serving member of Chelsea’s media team in a warm embrace.

‘You know how I am. I love it,’ he said with a smirk before leaving the stage.

TODAY’S FIXTURES

Atalanta vs. Brugge

Kairat vs. Madrid

Atletico vs.Frankfurt

Bodø / Glimt vs. Tottenham

Chelsea vs. Benfica

Inter vs. Slavia Prague

Marseille vs. Ajax kick

Pafos vs. Bayern Munich

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will today present the book ‘A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance In Nigeria’ written by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma in Owerri.

The President is on a one-day visit to the ‘Heartland of the Southeast’.

Governors, business leaders, senior figures of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and many influential Nigerians are expected in the Imo State capital for the event.

Other assignments of the President include inauguration of key developmental projects undertaken by Governor Uzodimma, who is the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) and a major ally of the President.

Among the projects are roads, the iconic Assumpta Flyover, and the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, venue of the book presentation.

The book is to showcase the achievements of the APC led federal government in the last 10 years – spanning the eight-year tenure of the late President Muhammadu Buhari and two years of President Tinubu.

Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Declan Emelumba told reporters that APC governors were expected to give solidarity to their chairman.

According to him, the APC national chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, will lead the National Working Committee of the party as well as the state chairmen to the event.

The Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife and the Obi of Onitsha will lead revered Nigerian traditional leaders to Owerri while the Chairman of Imo State Council of Ndi Eze ,Eze Godwin Okeke will be on hand to receive them.

He said captains of industry, academia, labour leaders, market women, and students will also attend the ceremony as a reflection of the broad acceptance of the author by a spectrum of the Nigerian society.

He explained that security agencies are fully prepared to guarantee the security of the lives of guests before, during, and after the ceremony.

Emelumba enjoined Imo citizens to troop out in their numbers to welcome President Tinubu and accord the guests the famed hospitality of the people of the state.

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is one of the options on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) shopping list for presidential candidate in 2027, the party said yesterday.

It also said that it was too late for the allies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in and outside the PDP to stop its convention billed for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The party spoke yesterday through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, who doubles as the secretary of the Publicity Sub-Committee of PDP’s National Convention Organising Committee.

He told reporters in Abuja that the PDP extended the deadline for submission of nomination forms so that further consultations can be conducted for states to take final decisions on micro-zoning of positions.

Saying he is neither the spokesman for Prof Jerry Gana nor Dr. Jonathan, who Gana recently described as PDP’s likely choice for presidential candidate in 2027, Ologunagba said the party boasts of performing governors and other excellent personalities, who may be considered for the party’s ticket.

He said: ‘I don’t speak for Prof Gana or former President Jonathan but our party has many worthy personalities and we shall cross the bridge when we reach there.’

On reports that a faction backed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT Minister), Nyesom Wike, has successfully conducted a state congress and re-elected PDP’s former National Publicity Secretary, Venatius Ikem as its chairman, Ologunagba dismissed such perceptions as ‘mere hallucination’.

He said the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by Umar Damagum, had postponed the state congress and decided that Southsouth Zonal Caretaker Committee, led by Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, will oversee affairs in the Cross River state chapter until a decision is taken to notify INEC and conduct proper state congresses in Cross River, Plateau and Kebbi states, where the exercises have been postponed.

Ologunagba said: ‘Emphatically, there was no PDP state congress in Cross River State; we are getting into the season of carnival in Calabar and those people only went there to do their carnival and it is okay because Calabar is a friendly place where people have a nice time, drink and have a jolly time.

‘This party has its due process and for those who think they can gather people to have drinks and call it a party congress, that’s mere hallucination; as for anyone who seeks to bring the party into disrepute, we will follow them up with proper and due process.’

Commenting on reports about conflicting letters sent to INEC by Damagum and the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Ologunagba said the Damagum-led NWC is the sole body that decides for the party and not any individual.

‘There are people in our fold who are working with APC; we know that but we are united as a political party and we are strongly focused,’ he added.

He also dismissed the possibilities that someone from any state or group can sabotage the party’s national convention plans, saying the PDP train has reached Ibadan while the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) office at Legacy House in Abuja (which he unveiled on Monday), will serve as a hub for all relevant party activities.

On why the party’s micro-zoning process has not been concluded, Ologunagba said talks were still on in parts of the country.

He said: ‘Out of the need to allow for more consultation and consensus-building, the NCOC few days ago approved an extension of deadline for completion of forms as well as the date for screening of aspirants because we want more people to be involved so that we can have a contention-free national convention in Ibadan.

‘The new dates are to be announced later in line with party guidelines but 15 sub-committees have been appointed for a hitch-free convention and these include the screening sub-committee, venue sub-committee, and other committees for transportation, publicity, accreditation, security and intelligence, entertainment and welfare sub-committee, protocols, medical, accommodation and the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.

‘We also have a Constitution Amendment and Technical Committee because there is need to look into our constitution again.’

Ologunagba elaborated further on other issues: ‘We have concluded state congresses in Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Borno, Niger, Kogi, Adamawa, and in the next few days, the PDP NWC will receive a report on the conduct of those congresses but the NWC has approved the postponement of congresses in Cross River, Plateau and Kebbi states.

‘As far as we are concerned, there was no state congress authorised by this party or consistent with its processes and procedures in Cross River, Plateau and Kebbi states where the congresses have been postponed.

‘In the case of Cross River and Plateau states, the NWC will consider a Caretaker Committee for Cross River State chapter under the direct supervision of the Southsouth Caretaker Committee, led by Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, until the date for a congress because the tenure of the exco in that state expired on September 18.

‘The Ogidi committee will continue to oversee party affairs in Cross River until we give statutory notice to INEC for the conduct of state congresses in Cross River, Plateau and Kebbi states.’

‘In Ekiti State, we have five aspirants who have bought governorship nomination forms with three men – Olumayokun Oluwole Oluyede, Dr. Funso Ayeni and two women who did not need to pay for Nomination Forms because of our party’s effort to boost women’s participation.

‘Their screening will take place on October 2 at the NCOC Conference Hall at Legacy House, Abuja.

‘PDP’s scheduled national convention will be very significant for Nigeria’s democracy; that is why you see APC jittery and it is understandable because we have a history of 16 years’ record of prosperity that was unlike APC’s years of scarcity,’ he said.

Baytur-Rahmah Orphan Foundation has paid fees of N3.8 million to orphans for the first term of 2025/26 academic session.

Speaking at the New Session event at As-Siddiq Schools, Ketu, Chief Executive, Sherifah Yusuf-Ajibade, said N6 million was spent in 2024 on the welfare and education of orphans.

She said most of the fees were paid into the schools’ account

She said the intervention was continuous to ensure orphans are not denied quality education that will mould them into better members of society.

‘This journey is not one-off. It is a commitment to support orphans until they get the requisite education to ‘fish’ for themselves,’ she said.

She added the intervention run is for basic and tertiary.

‘We support 34 orphans from 20 families. Ten are in tertiary schools, while others are in nursery, primary, and secondary’, she said.

She said sponsoring orphans is one of the deeds that benefits Muslims after death.

‘Part of what continues to benefit a Muslim after death are benefits they brought to others. Sponsoring an orphan is one of such,” she said.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot challenged his players to give their all when they take on Turkish champions Galatasaray in Istanbul on match day 2 of the Champions League tonight.

Liverpool edged Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a fiery Champions League opening day win in the 36-team league phase, but lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the weekend.

The Premier League champions have overhauled the squad that cruised to the title last season and won their first five games with Slot’s new-look set-up.

The Dutch coach warned Galatasaray presented a major challenge, despite their opening day 5-1 drubbing at Eintracht Frankfurt.

‘If you want to compete for trophies, let alone if you wear a Liverpool shirt, (you must) give everything you have, and combine that with the best football you can play,’ Slot said.

‘They are a very, very good team and have a very good manager,’ Slot said at a Monday night press conference in Istanbul.

‘The 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt was either the quality of Frankfurt, or a little bit of bad luck for Galatasaray,’ he said.

‘They know what it takes to win the league and know what it takes to win a game of football, so we have to be prepared for that,’ said Slot.

Slot has the weapons to win the club’s seventh Champions League crown this season and one of those is assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who coached Galatasaray’s rivals Besiktas in 2024.

‘Gio is one of my assistant coaches so he is part of the set-up if we discuss or talk about the team we face, if that is Palace or Everton or Atletico Madrid or, in this situation, Galatasaray.’

‘He has knowledge about Turkish football, he knows these players.’

Slot said that at this level set pieces were crucial.

‘We knew Galatasaray were also strong on set-pieces, but I can tell you we won our last Champions League game because of a set-piece,’ he said of Virgil Van Dijk’s late winner over Atletico.

Despite cruising to the Premier League title last season, the Reds invested nearly £450 million ($614 million) in transforming their squad during the summer transfer window.

Forwards Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike were part of the recruitment but in their opener against Atletico it was old hand Mohamed Salah who delivered by scoring one and making another with a deflected free-kick.

TODAY’S FIXTURES

Atalanta vs. Brugge

Kairat vs. Madrid

Atletico vs.Frankfurt

Bodø / Glimt vs. Tottenham

Chelsea vs. Benfica

Inter vs. Slavia Prague

Marseille vs. Ajax kick

Pafos vs. Bayern Munich

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen has said the era of envelope budgeting in the country will soon come to an end when the tax reform of the Tinubu government takes off.

He explained that the envelope system of budgeting was being practiced in the country because the government does not have enough resources to meet the needs of all agencies in the country.

Speaking at an informal engagement with Nigerian youths, organised by the Office of the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he said President Bola Tinubu was working in collaboration with the National Assembly to tackle insecurity and engender economic prosperity in the country.

While emphasising the inadequacy of Nigeria’s annual budgets, he expressed optimism that the tax reform initiatives of Tinubu will substantially raise the revenue profile of the country.

He said: ‘I want to assure you that this present administration is doing its best. If you look at the historical figures in budgetary provisions particularly for education and for health, you will see that there has been a reasonable appreciation of the figures that we have recorded in the last two budgets.

‘One thing I want you to go home with is that Mr President and the National Assembly have been able to cross a major hurdle that has been bedeviling our budgets. And what is that? Paucity of revenue. If you remember the 2025 budget was increased significantly. But even with that, we are not where we ought to be.

‘But the good news today is that both the National Assembly and Mr President have come up with a revolutionary initiative that within the next one to two years, we will substantially increase the revenue profile of Nigeria several-fold. That is the tax reform initiative brought by Mr President.

‘Once it comes into effect, I sincerely believe that Nigeria’s budget will improve at a minimum by five times what we have today. And that will be the time when we will say we can look at sector by sector, agency by agency, to give them what they require.

‘But as of now, the revenue we have is simply inadequate to satisfy any agency. And that’s why we have what is called the Envelope System. ‘just make do with whatever that’s given to you.’ But I assure you that, with Mr President in the driver’s seat, that era will soon come to pass. That will be the time we can provide for each agency what they actually require, and that will be the time we can start talking about what the international standard is, what they are supposed to get as against what they are getting today?’

He said the president is his role model due to his ability to network across the country and maintain relationships for over four decades.

The Speaker was accompanied by his wife, Hajia Fatima Tajudeen, and his children who watched as the APC Youth Wing honoured him with the ‘Legislator of the Year (National Category)’ award.

The event, which was organised to commemorate Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, saw the Speaker inspiring the youth with his life as a teacher, accountant, and politician.

He stated that the Tinubu-led administration is working hard towards ensuring the security of lives and property, as well as creating an enabling environment that will make crimes and criminality unattractive to the youth.

He said: ‘There’s no country in the world that can achieve any meaningful progress without adequate security. The President and the National Assembly, I’m sure if you observe, have worked very hard to put non-kinetic measures in place to ensure that security around the country is improved.

‘Like my own state, (Kaduna) just two weeks ago, the UK Ambassador to Nigeria gave my Governor (Senator Uba Sani) an award for the improved security within the state.

‘I believe within the next two years, and certainly the next four years of this administration – God willing, we will no longer be talking about insecurity, because the government will do whatever is necessary to ensure that we create more than any other thing the enabling environment that will mitigate and prevent insecurity.’

He also attributed the unity and peace in the House to the overwhelming support from members, noting that they are according their due rights and benefits irrespective of political, religious, and ethnic differences.

Speaking on the lessons he had learned on his journey, which he will pass to his children, the Speaker advised youths to be honest and transparent in their dealings, saying these virtues attract public trust and success.

He said: ‘Be open and honest in whatever you do. Once you are open and honest, you can never get it wrong. Even when you make mistakes, people will understand that it is a mistake.

‘I believe that the youth of Nigeria need to really learn this little – little – that when they imbibe this in whatever they do in their life, not necessarily politics or leadership in any way, even in their daily life, they will see tremendous results, they will get the support of the people. That is my message to the youth.’

Abbas also explained why President Tinubu is first among his mentors.

He said: ‘I have so many role models. Asiwaju is one of them, definitely because of his antecedents in being able to support people right from the time he was a senator to governor. I have seen him with a set of people over a journey of 40 years, and he is still with them. Not too many Nigerians – not too many – will be able to sustain relationships for such a very long time. So, he is my role model as far as that is concerned.’

He noted that his proudest moment as a legislator was when President Muhammadu Buhari assented to a record 22 of his bills under the last Assembly (out of the record 74 sponsored by him).

Abbas stated that it was an ‘unprecedented achievement’ for a lawmaker to have 22 of his bills signed into law, as law-making is the core responsibility of a legislator. ‘I was very proud and happy,’ he said.

On the gender bills under consideration by the National Assembly in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution, Abbas recalled how the youth successfully pushed for the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill, which led to the reduction in the age qualification for elective public offices.

‘If we achieve that, we are further pushing the agenda of inclusivity to all Nigerians. So many things need to be done but we need to do them one at a time. I am very optimistic that the 10th Assembly provides a golden opportunity for the women of Nigeria to actualize their dreams in the democratic and electoral processes of this country.

‘I will be there to ensure that those aspirations succeed for the benefit of mankind.’

Tributes have continued to pour in for 29-year-old ARISE TV anchor and Lawyer Somtochukwu Maduagwu who died in a robbery attack in Abuja on Monday.

In a fresh statement by ARISE News, Maduagwu had joined the media firm in September 2024 as a news anchor, producer, and reporter, where she made significant contributions.

‘In September 2024, she joined the ARISE NEWS team, where she has made her voice count as a News Anchor, News Producer, and a Reporter,’ the statement reads.

The deceased fondly called ‘Sommie’, was known for her advocacy work, particularly in promoting the rights of out-of-school children and campaigning against s3xual and gender-based violence.

In a video shared on Tuesday, one notable example of her advocacy was her involvement in submitting a memorandum for the Reserved Seats for Women Bill at the National Assembly.

‘There, Sommie, alongside millions of other Nigerian women, advocated for a stronger representation for Nigerian women at the National Assembly,’ the station said.

Maduagwu’s background includes winning the Miss Tourism Nigeria pageant, which led to her appearance on ARISE TV, and representing Nigeria at the Miss Tourism World pageant in Quanzhou, China, in 2023.

‘Through a blend of her legal dexterity and reportorial vigour, Sommie advocated for out-of-school children and campaigned energetically against sexual and gender-based violence.

‘Sommie’s voice is now silent, but her spirit, passion, and legacy will endure as part of our collective memory’, the station added.

The FCT Police have confirmed that an investigation into the incident has begun.

Maduagwu’s untimely death has sparked widespread grief and renewed calls for action against insecurity in Nigeria.

Her colleagues at ARISE Television described her as ‘delectable, intelligent, and bold,’ noting that her contributions to the station and the nation will not be forgotten.