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It may not be an easy task to peddle fair argumentations in such times of sheer authoritarian craze without pandering to overarching sentiments of state. When results of a mix of mindless policy missteps have unfurled their consequences in severe outcomes, how not to dish out worded logics in patterns primed at sating personal pockets of speech potentates or placate perverse predilections of potentates to power would be tasks for saints and angels. Pen and power must often come to dagger’s drawn over latter’s penchant to legitimise, even obliterate, signatures of illegitimacies as inhere in schemes to misappropriate and arrogate. But, as instances do occasionally valorize, whichever side one chooses or is programmed into as ‘assessor’ of performances, one must know there may be consequences that often share similarities in their content and colours of severity – whether ‘left’, ‘right’, ‘centre’, others! While primary purpose of power may not always be to corrupt, it should be admitted, privileges and perquisites of power, most specifically across enclaves of ‘black destiny’, may tumble down quite overwhelmingly to enforce unwitting disavowals of sanity.

There are always options even in this, and, as briefly adverted earlier, the coin may turn out to have more than just two sides! On one side of the bloc are those who could and often do choose to look entirely away from, pretending not to see, the rot as do prevail, and engage in other things, possibly trusting the tidal wave of error would soon roll away, to pave way for rationality – what people sometimes agree is ‘common sense’ – in the corridors and bedrooms of power. These are not always sitters on the fence, the reader should know. In muted or agitated exchanges across informal gatherings – office settings, living quarters, beer parlours/relaxation joints, and the houses of God, they can be the habitually vociferous variety, railing against officially packaged and distributed misdeeds in acerbic lampoons. But, coming into the open – locations from which the media/third eyes and ears can access the critics and critical contents – to deliver diatribes is ever outside their operations. They are everywhere, and can be everyday people! To use the street idiom, they only know and see evil, they don’t ever ‘talk’ it!

There is another family of deaf, dumb and blind of life’s happenings, especially in the arena of politics and public policy deliveries. They are individuals whose demeanours or placidity are never challenged by dominant events, whatever their obtuseness! Here are those who studiously mind their businesses rather than lose their peace or commit to any cause/course outside ‘self’! Why is government not properly handling the criminals and their feats and foists? Why so many ‘this’, why so many ‘that’? These special humans don’t ask such questions, and the answers are therefore to them irrelevant! Here, nothing is wrong about anything – the world is peaceful, we thank God! Expressed another way, they are individuals who don’t know or see evil, and don’t ever ‘talk’ it! Their class is neither on the left or right, or even at the centre; they belong nowhere! The stoics are classless!

The most popular camp in the socially desirable category are left-wing inhabitants – ones who frequently endow scientific eyes upon the land and so-called land owners, and in their openly conducted surgeries, they habitually throw caustic comments on policies and executive fiats perceived as unwelcome in their consequences. Often threatening to bring down the heavens on perceived architects of peoples’ terrible fate, these are a clan frequently dismissed as ‘doomsday prophets’ or purveyors of fear. They are the readily agitated individuals who assess public misconducts – errors of omission and/or commission – of whatever nature as undesirable, and seek adjustments through criticisms. And precisely as they war against the offices, not particularly the officers, they have been targets of state-sponsored repression.

There are centrists too – a band that belongs neither on the left or on the right: they argue both positions, but don’t take sides. They are often the disagreeable block of sophists who have perfected the art of laying the issues so well that no one would know where they stand! To them, government is doing well and bad same time. Rather than coming hard and clear, they do satires and burlesques, and make blatant evil quite tolerable in their misplaced parodies!

Oh, a brainwave: I remember the AGIP also, yes – camp of any government in power! They are the least popular though, those whose entire lives revolve about defending noxious charges of power, whatever these. They apply criticisms only as ploy to attract attention, not really to elevate country or change anything. They are ready hirelings and willing complicitous tools who trade reproaches as means to self-actualisation – appointments, preferments, sponsorships, others. Applying pretense as procedure, what they say is never what they mean, and vice versa. Too worldly to be principled, they are end-time adventurers who drool unrelentingly. You know them, much as I do! Closely aligned and sharing similarities are individuals who criticise as of nature, however well an administration is performing, and there are individuals that must wax plaudits for executive/assembly members who have gone overboard and broken records in the extremeness of their illogicality. They can be here for a while and the very minute following, they are there, doing and saying the opposite, and they shift grounds on flimsy excuses.

I almost forgot the ones who shifts sides based on objective assessment of conducts. They support leaders only so far as performances are positively connected to peoples’ aspirations. They change tunes immediately the leader reverses on honour! They are the few honourable critics who permanently camp on side of the people.

A phase there was in our Nigeria when such task of dissecting events was met with terrifying outcomes. As wonted of despots, it is their dark side that must be blackened out, perhaps even a thick concrete slab mounted on a decay oozing repulsive odours that were their conducts. But the urge for critics, especially of the ‘left’ stock, is to promote this same side. The titans clashed, and daily media relays harvested the debacle: The News headquarters have been shut, its editors on the run; Gani Fawehinmi, arrested, moved to Gashua Maximum Prison; Force Headquarters have invited so, so, and so for interrogation; Dele Giwa parcel bombed in his Ikeja home! Indeed, Nigeria’s democracy journey has been fraught with challenges, not least a perilous landscape for those who dare to speak/write the truth. Journalists, human rights activists, and social critics have found themselves in the vortex of intrigues and crosshairs of powerful interests. Some of these, aside Dele Giwa, including Kudirat Abiola, BagaudaKaltho, Alfred Rewane, Chris Igbokwe, Godwin Agbroko, AbayomiOgundeji, Jesse Aruku, EmenikeIbe, among others, paid the ultimate price! Their assassinations, which remain unresolved still, continue to signal a phase already recorded as ‘dark’ in the annals of the country.

But times of tyranny are not necessarily referent of reigns by despotic autocrats who openly and unrestrainedly commandeer citizens away from their rights. Even, such can be periods in which the citizenry is simply corralled into multidimensional lacks – economic, social, health, educational, governmental, security, a condition of insanity that must be tolerated and endured, period in which deception games are played up across media houses and political campaign grounds in alluring sophistries. He that is down truly does not need to fear a fall! Indeed, when quislings turn leaders, pipers, accepting pays, turn hirelings! Indeed, corridors and bedrooms of power are settings where so-called ‘common sense’ remain ever scarily scarce and uncommon! To declare devotion to conscientious penmanship at such times and places is vicarious puritanism, and may be condemnable in a world wherein ‘darkness’ is fad and wrong right! Whichever point people camp, history does records, a process which cannot be doctored! Regardless the extremeness of depravity across entire spectrum, the world continues to watch, posterity shall endure still.

The people of Edo State now have a Praecursor as governor. Governor Monday Okpebholo’s sycophancy has become the exemplum primarium. By his recent order to his commissioners, aides and acolytes on the cap they must wear should they wear one, his servility has now hit the main road. He has jumped ceremoniously on that Sycophancy Road which many in our political space had been skillfully avoiding. In this current journey of political sycophancy in Nigeria, many have been treading on the sidewalk. But Governor Okpebholo shed all garbs of pretense by that instruction and threat, and decided to brazenly walk on the main road tactfully avoided by others in this group.

Governor Okpebholo is a trailblazer of some sort, but we would still class him only after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. These men act like they would gladly follow suit if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decides to transform his dressing to the soutane. And, that time, they would definitely go beyond changing just their respective headgears. This might be symbolic or, if you like, symptomatic, but it also points to a narrative similar to what we had during Ahmed Lawan, who once boasted that whatever Muhammadu Buhari brought before his Senate would be expressly approved.

Senator Akpabio is among those walking on the pavement of unalloyed sycophancy. By his headgears, he is not treading on the main road like Okpebholo, and through this technique, he has created the façade that he is a man of his own in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber. The posturing is that the Nigerian legislature is independent. Akpabio also recruited the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umoh Eno. Through a tactic similar to Akpabio’s, Governor Eno is maintaining his outer visage but the whole world knows that inside, his true colour is unmitigated Tinubu.

The Tinubu-fawning by Okpebholo has heightened interest among the people of Edo State. A lot of the people in and outside of Edo State are seething, and this is even among those who stoutly support Okpebholo. They are wondering where this new road would lead both their man and the state in the immediate and near future. There are worries in parts of Edo State that if their dear governor had been dressing the way he does now before his election, there would not have been any form of complaint. His visage would have been registered in their minds.

However, a look at Okpebholo’s official portrait tells a different story, and now there are suggestions that he might also need to change that photograph. Also caught in the web of that suggestion are all those who have chosen to maintain their looks but alter everything else about themselves in a bid to appear more suitable as a preferred sycophant.

Governor Okpebohlo, in his magisterial sycophancy, is the same man who has triggered some kind of revolt in some markets in Edo State. He has willfully done this through both his action and inaction on the shenanigans going on in the hitherto quiet markets in the capital city of his state. The governor implicitly aided the current chaos in that sub-sector of the state’s economy through giving Pastor Mrs Josephine Ehis Ibhaguezejele the wings to fly above the instructions of the Oba of Benin. Pastor Ibhaguezejele has been emboldened to go against the instructions of the Oba by Okpebholo’s sycophancy.

The Omo n’Oba n’Edo Ewuare II had to speak by himself on the matter. He told how they do there as per the culture and tradition of the Edo people. He reiterated that there is nothing like Iyeki-general in his kingdom and told his visitor, the ‘Iyaloja-General of Nigeria’ to ask questions. Despite that, Mrs. Ibhaguezejele went to kneel before Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, to receive a crown as the Iyeki-General of Edo State, leading thirty-one other women. She said she was carrying out the instruction of the governor of Edo State to bring all the market leaders under one umbrella and make them comply with the political dictates of the party in power in Edo State. Governor Okpebholo, therefore, has completely jettisoned the culture and tradition of the people he is governing. He has chosen to damn all the consequences of standing against a people for ephemeral sycophancy.

While the Edo stew is cooking, the Nigerian Senate is about to decide on who among its 109 distinguished members it would send to the United States to interface with their colleagues in that country. It is all about a bill – Senate Bill 2747 – currently before the US Senate, which would have serious economic and sundry implications for Nigeria and, more profoundly for some Nigerians.

But Senator Akpabio, in a bid to help this move to formally react to that contentious bill by Senator Ted Cruz, left the leprosy to treat the ringworm. Rather than stick to the grave allegation of Christian genocide in Nigeria as raised by the US senator, Akpabio resorted to unwholesome comparison of killings in the country. He went as far as citing an example of IPOB and its activities in the South East. His argument isn’t that killings are happening but that it is happening to everyone everywhere in the country – Christians and all.

This isn’t a good comparison, and it left the issue to highlight sycophancy. What are the facts? What the facts say are better than a blanket comparison of our episodes of insecurity. Nigeria has meandered for too long from one argument to another on insecurity, and we have constantly transited from one name to another in a bid to define what the American senators named what suits them. Should we now resort to sycophancy in dealing with the insecurity that has dragged us out in the most unpleasant manner? Our representatives can surely do better.

One argument that has ringed very loud is that the frantic reaction by top Nigerians has a lot to do with the recommendations made in the bill by the American senator. When one thinks deeply about the bill, can we say with that the whole issue about the bill starts and ends with the proposed embargo of the government officials if implicated in the alleged Christian genocide? For me, it is a no. The sanctions, etc. have not ruffled the feathers of our leaders as much as the proposition that the president of the United States shall impose sanctions prescribed in Executive Order 13818. That executive order signed by Trump in his first tenure in 2017 says the US shall impose visa ban, freezing of accounts of those listed or identified in a report captured by that law.

The proposed actions could bite really hard, and they require more than mere propaganda and sycophancy to explain. The US officials claim to have a report upon which Cruz’s bill is based. While this has unsettled many Nigerians, it also calls for a serious action on the part of those who had something to do with the government in the last 10 years. They have to do a lot more than sycophancy to prove that indeed, there hasn’t been Christian genocide in Nigeria. Our officials are fighting tooth and nail to kill that bill. If it cannot be killed, the bill must be brought into disrepute – and by extension, its sponsors and the US Senate.

While we whine and complain about what they have indirectly called us, we must also remember that both the name and the reputation of Ted Cruz on the one hand, and the reputation of the American Senate on the other hand, are also on the line in this venture. As we expect a serious blight on many people who have influence in Nigeria, if the Americans have their way, there would also be the same consequence if they fail. Thus, the bill has dire consequences for both the promoter and the target. That is why we must eschew sycophancy in the fight to restore our reputation in the raging fight. It might also halt whatever progress we are making under President Bola Tinubu.

But are we sincere in all of these? The UAE convicted some Nigerians for terrorism in their country. What did we do with the conviction and its aftermath? Sheikh Ahmad Gumi was denied entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hajj recently. Why was he deported? Why was the deportation treated as if it has no meaning? President Tinubu is indeed a very lucky man. He has a complete array of bootlickers to choose from. But he must be careful because some of them might drag his government through the mud as they are currently dragging themselves.

Kano State Deputy Governor Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo has assured the adequate security of lives and property for embassies, cultural organizations, both local and international, that will grace the occasion of the Kano Festival (KANFEST), slated for three days.

He also said that arrangements have been put in place within and around the festival venues to ensure a peaceful and successful event.

Comrade Gwarzo stated this while briefing newsmen as part of activities marking Kano Festival (KANFEST) 2025.

He then reaffirmed government’s commitment to preserving and promoting the state’s rich cultural heritage, traditions, and values for the benefit of future generations.

According to him, ‘the festival aims to revive and reignite Kano’s cultural identity, connecting younger generations with the past while showcasing the state’s heritage to people within and outside Nigeria.’

He added that the Kano State Government recognises culture not merely as a form of entertainment but as a driver of economic growth, social development, and peacebuilding.

Comrade Gwarzo noted that the festival was organized to rediscover the traditions, creativity, and craftsmanship that have distinguished Kano for centuries, describing the state as ‘a beacon of civilization and scholarship.’

Comrade Gwarzo emphasised that the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf remains committed to creating job and investment opportunities through cultural promotion, with the ultimate goal of positioning Kano as a global cultural destination.

The Deputy Governor also called on the media to support the government’s efforts by providing positive coverage and sensitization, emphasizing that KANFEST is not just for Kano, but for Nigeria and the world at large.

The maiden edition of KANFEST (Kalankuwa), a grand festival celebrating arts and culture, is scheduled to hold from October 25th to 27th, 2025.

Nigeria’s fastest path to reliable, affordable electricity does not lie in more oil or diesel. It lies in a law-driven shift toward decentralised renewables, mini-grids, rooftop and captive solar, using tools already on the statute books. The United Kingdom’s electricity market shows how clean energy can be turned into bankable, dependable kilowatt-hours. Nigeria can translate that logic into its own laws and regulations without importing anyone’s playbook.

Energy security should mean power where people actually use it, not just megawatts on paper. For most Nigerians, it is the light that stays on in a clinic, the fan that cools a classroom, or the current that keeps a small factory running. Yet the lived reality is a fragile grid, chronic load-shedding, and a costly reliance on petrol and diesel generators. That is not security. It is a drain on productivity, health, and foreign exchange.

A better route is hiding in plain sight. Decentralised renewable systems, solar mini-grids, rooftop photovoltaics with batteries, and embedded generation within estates or industrial parks, can be designed, financed, and built in months. They bypass transmission bottlenecks, ride through grid disturbances, and once fuel and maintenance are counted, they are cost-competitive with small generators. Most importantly, they deliver reliability at the point of use, the only reliability that truly matters. This transformation does not demand new laws, only the disciplined use of those already in force and the political will to turn rhetoric into bankable rules.

Nigeria’s electricity framework is far more enabling than many assume. The Electricity Act 2023 authorises states to create their own electricity markets, regulators, and licences for generation and supply, while inter-state/international remain under federal/NERC. Governors need not wait. They can already regulate captive and embedded projects, recognise net-billing for rooftop power, and procure clean generation within their borders. The Mini-Grid Regulations of 2016, updated in 2023, provide a transparent system for developing small-scale, community-linked power networks. The Energy Transition Plan places off-grid renewables at the centre of Nigeria’s net-zero pathway, while the Climate Change Act 2021 establishes a national fund that can co-finance local electrification and attract private investment. Even Nigeria’s sovereign green bonds, issued under SEC’s Green Bond Rules, prove the country can raise climate finance credibly. The architecture is already there. The challenge is to use it.

Why, then, does the system still cling to hydrocarbons? The answer is incentives, not ignorance. Oil exports bring foreign exchange and fiscal relief. Institutions and rent streams built around hydrocarbons are powerful and deeply entrenched. Developers and lenders still face tariff uncertainty, collection losses, and currency risk, driving up financing costs. Transmission constraints choke off new centralised plants, while government procurement defaults to diesel because no rule forces lifecycle cost comparisons. The ‘oil lock-in’ is therefore a rational response to existing incentives. Change the rules, and behaviour will follow.

The UK offers lessons in how to do so without abandoning market discipline. Its Contracts for Difference mechanism guarantees low-carbon generators predictable, inflation-linked revenue-reducing capital costs. Nigeria can adapt that principle by offering state-backed power purchase agreements with clear indexation and curtailment clauses for mini-grids and renewable plants. The UK’s Smart Export Guarantee compels suppliers to pay small producers for exported electricity; Nigeria can mirror this through transparent net-billing and interconnection standards, enabling homes and SMEs to monetise surplus power safely. As renewable shares grow, the UK pays for flexibility, storage and demand response, to stabilise the grid. Nigeria can replicate this logic through feeder-level flexibility payments that reward storage and controllable loads where the grid is weakest. Like the UK’s Local Area Energy Planning, states can map weak circuits, identify anchor public loads such as clinics and schools, and pre-approve sites for mini-grids and rooftop clusters. The common principle is simple: energy markets thrive when cash flows are predictable, flexibility is valued, and planning happens close to where electricity is used.

The economics of diesel generators are no longer convincing. They may appear cheap upfront, but once fuel, maintenance, downtime, and pollution are counted, distributed renewables win on lifetime cost. Predictability, not subsidy, defines true energy security. A clinic’s vaccine fridge does not care about rhetoric-it cares that the power stays on.

Turning ‘promising projects’ into scalable pipelines requires not more money but better rules. Results-based grants should reward delivery, not promises. Green bonds should fund ring-fenced, transparent solar programmes. Standardised contracts for mini-grids and energy service agreements reduce negotiation time and help banks price risk. Tariff realism, paired with targeted support for low-income households, stabilises utility finances without harming the poor. Predictability turns capital from cautious to confident.

Speed, however, must go hand-in-hand with legitimacy. Communities need a voice in how projects are sited and benefits shared. Participation reduces conflict; benefit-sharing, such as tariff discounts for local clinics or apprenticeships for young people, builds trust; while simple grievance processes keep projects on track without clogging courts. These safeguards are not red tape, they are accelerants for faster, fairer deployment.

In the near term, success will look like fewer blackouts on weak feeders because interconnected mini-grids stabilise them; fewer fumes at clinics and schools because solar and batteries power critical loads; longer operating hours for small factories; and lower lifetime energy costs for households long trapped in the generator economy. This is not an anti-gas argument, Gas will remain part of the transition. But doubling down on big, centralised projects and perfect transmission will only delay reliability. The UK’s experience shows that predictable revenue for large renewables, fair payment for small producers, flexibility incentives, and local planning deliver results. Nigeria can do the same, within Nigerian law and Nigerian realities.

Waiting for sweeping national fixes will keep households paying diesel premiums. The decisive move is legal and regulatory: empower states through the Electricity Act, apply the mini-grid rulebook, mobilise the Climate Change Fund and green bonds, and translate proven finance principles into clear Nigerian contracts. Do that, and the lights will stay on-clinics will keep vaccines cold, and small factories will run longer, not years from now but starting today.

The real lesson from the UK is not to copy another country’s market, but to adopt the discipline that turns clean electricity into reliable, bankable power. Nigeria already has the tools. Energy security, in the end, is not a miracle. It is a legal choice.

Omotola Osude is a legal researcher who focuses on international environmental law, ESG, sustainable development, and climate governance

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for its ongoing policy interventions aimed at restoring price stability and rebuilding investor confidence in the Nigerian economy.

The commendation was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Forum’s fifth meeting, held in Abuja, and signed by its Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State.

According to the communiqué, the governors received a detailed briefing from the CBN Deputy Governor in charge of Economic Policy, Dr Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, on recent monetary policy measures designed to strengthen macroeconomic stability.

Dr Abdullahi highlighted key initiatives, including the tightening of monetary policy to combat inflation, the unification of exchange rate windows, and the ongoing recapitalisation of banks to improve liquidity management and financial sector resilience.

Following the presentation, the governors commended the CBN for its coordinated approach with fiscal authorities, stressing that such synergy was essential to achieving sustainable growth and ensuring state-level fiscal sustainability.

‘The Forum underscored the importance of continuous collaboration between monetary and fiscal authorities to safeguard economic recovery, strengthen the financial system, and enhance citizens’ welfare,’ the communiqué stated.

In addition to economic discussions, the NGF also received a comprehensive security briefing from the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, focusing on emerging threats and proactive strategies to address them.

Mr Ajayi’s presentation centred on countering violent extremism, managing inter-communal conflicts, and tackling security challenges linked to economic pressures and political transitions.

The governors expressed appreciation to the DSS for its proactive intelligence sharing and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing collaboration with federal security agencies to promote peace and stability across the states.

‘The Forum commended the DSS for its intelligence-led initiatives and pledged to strengthen coordination at the subnational level to prevent threats and foster a secure environment for economic growth,’ the statement added.

The meeting also deliberated on legislative developments, particularly the forthcoming vote on the Reserved Seats for Women Bill (HB 1349), scheduled between November 4 and 6, 2025.

The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to create special constituencies exclusively contested by women in the National and State Assemblies as a temporary measure to boost female political representation.

The Forum urged governors to engage actively with their senators, members of the House of Representatives, and state assembly lawmakers to support the passage of the bill, describing it as a milestone toward gender equity and inclusive governance.

‘The NGF recognises that greater inclusion of women in governance strengthens democracy and improves policy outcomes,’ the communiqué noted.

With key discussions spanning monetary policy, security coordination, and legislative advocacy, the governors reaffirmed their collective commitment to fostering economic resilience, good governance, and national stability.

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has dismissed as false a social media video alleging that the institution was involved in developing a Nuclear Weapon for Nigeria.

Malam Auwalu Umar, Director Public Affairs Directorate of the university disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Zaria.

The director described the viral AI-generated video as misleading, aimed at misinforming the public about Nigeria’s peaceful nuclear energy programme.

He said the video falsely claimed that Nigerian scientists in the 1980s secretly enriched weapons-grade uranium in Kaduna and that ABU researchers obtained centrifugal equipment from the AQ Khan network in Pakistan.

The institution’s image-maker added that the information was baseless, unfounded and unsubstantiated.

Umar said most of the ABU scientists at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) were still undergoing training abroad as at 1980s and could not have participated in uranium enrichment.

The director said ABU had no connection with the AQ Khan network and had never received any equipment for the construction of a centrifuge or nuclear device.

He added that by 1987, the only nuclear facility at the university was a 14 MeV Neutron Generator, which became operational in 1988.

‘Nigeria’s first nuclear reactor (NIRR-1) was established much later in 1996 under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Cooperation Programme and commissioned in 2004,’ he said.

Umar said Nigeria’s nuclear activities had always been open and pursued strictly for peaceful purposes, in line with the country’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Pelindaba Treaty, which prohibit the development of nuclear weapons.

He reaffirmed that: ‘The Centre for Energy Research and Training, established in 1976, operates in collaboration with the IAEA and international partners from the U.S., Russia, and China.’

Umar further explained that the center has never engaged in any secret weapons programme.

‘ABU has always pursued peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology for national development.

‘ABU’s founder, Sir Ahmadu Bello, had demonstrated early interest in peaceful atomic research following his visit to the Museum of Atomic Energy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the U.S. in 1960, two years before ABU was established.

‘The management, therefore, restated its commitment to advancing science and technology for the benefit of humanity and to upholding Nigeria’s international obligations on the peaceful use of nuclear energy,’ he said.

The leadership of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Saturday expressed fully committed towards maintaining the highest ethical financial standard in all its governance and resolve to uphold a culture of transparency, accountability and integrity.

The NGF Chairman, Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq gave the assurance via a statement titled: ‘Nigeria Exits From Financial Action Task Force Grey List’, issued by Director, Media and Strategic communications, Mr. Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi.

While applauding the feat, he observed that the full removal of Nigeria from the FATF grey list is ‘coming after years of thorough investigation and review of Nigeria’s financial systems.

He averred that the remarkable result was predicated on the diplomatic and political efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governors of the 36 states of the federation, notable institutions like the Federal Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU.’

Recall that in 2023, Nigeria was placed on the Financial Action Task Force grey list after the global body found deficiencies in Nigeria’s anti- money laundering and counterfeiting the financing of terrorism in West Africa Framework.

‘Since then, through a combination of legislative reforms, institutional strengthening and enhanced inter-agency coordination, Nigeria has demonstrated sustained political will to achieve full compliance.

‘Within that period, key reforms have been achieved including operationalization of the beneficial ownership register, improving of corporate transparency and accountability.

‘Also, enhanced capacity of intelligence, law enforcement and regulatory agencies in detecting, analysing and prosecuting complex crimes has been achieved,’ he noted.

In his remarks, NGF Chairman, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara State said: ‘We are very pleased with this outcome and proud to see Nigeria formally welcomed back into the global transparency community.

‘Nigeria has handled this difficult situation with enormous grace and integrity and this green light attests to the trust and confidence in our financial systems and our leaders both at the national and sub-national levels.

‘Throughout this period, the NFIU, CBN, the NGF, representing the sub-national government, Ministry of Finance availed FATF all the necessary support in providing information to all inquiries which led to this clearance.

‘The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF is fully committed to maintaining the highest ethical financial standard in all its governance and will continue to uphold a culture of transparency, accountability and integrity,’ he assured.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he turned down a suggestion to endorse former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor.

Speaking on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the annual Ajibosin Platform symposium themed ‘Importance of Leadership in Governance’, Obasanjo disclosed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had recommended El-Rufai for the presidency, but he rejected the idea.

Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address at the event, had earlier narrated how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at the age of 34, an encounter that led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Addressing the audience, Obasanjo took a playful jab at Chidoka for leaving out the El-Rufai story.

‘Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that. He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor,’ Obasanjo said.

Turning to Chidoka, who was seated among the panelists, he asked, ‘No be so (Is that not true)?’ The former minister nodded in agreement.

Obasanjo explained that he dismissed the suggestion because he believed El-Rufai still needed time to grow politically.

‘I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?

‘When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature.”

The former president, however, commended Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other former aides for their ‘special attributes,’ which he said contributed to the success of his administration.

Speaking further on leadership, Obasanjo emphasised character, exposure, experience, and training as essential qualities of effective governance.

Obasanjo said, ‘It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship.

‘But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.’

El-Rufai served under Obasanjo’s administration as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) before becoming the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007. When Obasanjo was leaving office in 2007, he instead backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his preferred successor.

In his address, Chidoka blamed Nigeria’s development setbacks on excuses and what he described as the politics of alibi.

‘Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind.

‘Moral conviction must translate into the everyday machinery of governance-rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult.

‘Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,’ he said.

He urged leaders to prioritise accountability and measurable results.

‘We must therefore make leadership accountable not to rhetoric but to results: measure by building national dashboards and accountability systems that track every promise, every budget, every outcome. Monitor by strengthening the institutions that evaluate government performance and expose complacency,’ he said.

Kano Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has signed an Executive Order officially permitting the four additional emirate councils-Rano, Gaya, Karaye, and Bichi-to host the annual Durbar Sallah Festivities.

This order effectively ends the tradition where only the Emir of Kano was allowed to organise the grand Durbar celebration during festivities, meaning all five emirate councils in the state will now organise their own Durbar.

The Governor’s announcement was made while declaring open the first edition of the KANFEST 2025 (publicly known as Kalankuwa), a grand festival celebrating arts and culture designed to connect younger generations with the state’s traditional heritage.

Governor Yusuf noted the order is aimed at sustaining the state’s traditional cultural heritage. He emphasized that the Kalankuwa festival will showcase the state’s heritage to people both within and outside Nigeria.

‘We officially flag up the first edition of KANFEST publicly known as Kalankuwa, to serve as a platform to celebrate who we are, a proud people of history, proud people of culture, and proud people of creativity,’ Governor Yusuf stated.

He also highlighted Kano’s heritage, noting, ‘We are also proud that the famous Kano Dubar, which has been inscribed by UNESCO among the world’s intangible cultural heritage.’

In recognition of this honor and the Durbar’s significance, the Governor declared, ‘I hereby grant an Executive Order to the four Kano Emirates, namely Kano, Rano, Gaya and Karaye, to continue organising the annual Daba festivals in their respective Emirates.’

He affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the tradition, stating, ‘The Kano state government, as well as all the chairmen of the 44 local government areas, will continue to support you fully to ensure all the tradition is preserved and can be showcased to the world.’

The announcement came during a colourful event at the Kano International Trade Fair complex, which was graced by the presence of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. The Emir’s arrival was a major spectacle, as he stormed the complex followed by no fewer than 2,000 horses in a vibrant procession.

Royal Guards, dressed in traditional red and green attires, greeted the Emir Sunusi’s arrival with heavy gunshots in the air, drawing applause from spectators who gathered for the maiden edition of KANFEST.

Governor Yusuf concluded by stressing the importance of culture to the state’s identity and economy.

‘The craftsmanship of our people, the richness of our traditions and the resilience of our forefathers are what made Kano the pride of the Sudan region and a reference point in Africa’s map,’ he said.

He added that the administration’s blueprint is committed to ‘revive and reposition the culture, information and culture not merely as a matter of right but as a means of restoring the dignity of our people, strengthening our identity and recreating economic opportunities through cultural interfaith.’

The Presidency has announced a sharp decline in food prices across Nigeria, describing the development as a major achievement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms.

Special Adviser, Media and Public Communication to the President, Sunday Dare, disclosed this in a statement on Friday titled ‘Nationwide Food Price Drop – A Testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Economic Impact.’

According to the statement, the prices of major food items have dropped significantly between February and September 2025, reflecting the positive impact of government policies aimed at stabilising the economy and boosting local production.

Data released alongside the statement by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications claims that a big bag of dry onions, which sold for ?202,500 in February 2025, now sells for ?25,000, while a 50kg bag of local rice has dropped from ?95,000 to ?40,000. Similarly, imported rice now sells for ?70,000, down from ?106,000 earlier in the year.

Other major staples have also witnessed considerable reductions – maize fell from ?90,000 to ?30,000 per 100kg, brown beans from ?210,000 to ?50,000 per 100kg, and tomatoes (big basket) from ?130,000 to ?25,000. Palm oil (25 litres) also dropped from ?35,000 to ?28,000, while yam (medium tuber) now sells for ?3,600 down from ?4,125 in February.

The Presidency stated that the downward trend in food prices demonstrates the effectiveness of ongoing agricultural and economic reforms.

It explained that ‘the fall in prices reflects better harvests, improved logistics, and greater support for local farmers,’ adding that the development has enhanced food affordability, reduced inflationary pressure, and improved the purchasing power of citizens.

The statement noted that major staples have recorded between 45 and 52 percent price reduction nationwide, with stable food supply and improved local production contributing to the trend.

The Presidency added that the progress has also strengthened market confidence, enhanced economic stability, and demonstrated tangible results of government-backed agricultural policies.

‘The drop in food prices is more than just a market adjustment – it is proof that the economic direction under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is yielding measurable results. The reforms are restoring stability, boosting local productivity, and putting Nigeria firmly on the path to sustainable growth and prosperity.’