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The At-Tanzil Islamic Foundation of Nigeria has been commended for sustaining its charitable activities translating the teachings and dictates of Allah into practical acts of service and compassion among Muslims and members of the wider community.

The commendation was given by the House of Representatives candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ondo East/West Federal Constituency in the forthcoming general election, Dr. Michael Akintomide Ajilo, while congratulating the organisation on its 20th anniversary.

He spoke during the annual Islamic lecture, organised by the Islamic organisation in Ondo City, which coincided with the anniversary.

Dr Ajilo specifically lauded the founder and renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abdulrafiu Ajiboye (Lagbaji), on his remarkable versatility and deep knowledge of Islamic ethics and practices, which he has consistently deployed in teaching, counselling and guiding the Muslim community over the years.

He reaffirmed his commitment to identifying with the foundation and supporting initiatives that promote religious harmony, coexistence and unity in Ondo Kingdom.

Two suspected members of a criminal gang operating in Bununu, headquarters of Tafawa Balewa LGA of Bauchi State, have been arrested by the State Police Command over alleged criminal conspiracy, assault and thuggery.

The disclosure was made by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, in a statement made available to journalists on Friday.

According to him, the Bununu incident occurred on 17 August 2026, when police operatives on routine patrol sighted a group of hoodlums attacking three residents aged 30, 31 and 28, who were variously injured in their heads and other parts of their bodies.

He stated, ‘Following the timely intervention of the Police patrol team, two of the attackers were arrested. They were identified as Ibrahim Hassan, 23, and Bilal Hassan, 22, both of Bununu Town. The other members of the gang fled the scene,’

The PPRO added that the police recovered a sharp knife and a sharp-edged animal horn, locally known as kaho, from the suspects.

He added that the suspects confessed to the crime during interrogation, while the injured victims were evacuated to the General Hospital, Bununu, where they received treatment and were in stable condition.

Nafiu Habib said normalcy had returned to the community, noting that additional personnel had been deployed to the area to sustain monitoring and forestall any breakdown of law and order.

In another development, the PPRO stated that a 30-year-old resident of Luchambi Village, Gargawa District, in Dambam LGA, reported at the Police Divisional Headquarters, Dambam, that three armed men broke into his residence at about 2 a.m. on 8 August 2026, allegedly intending to rob him.

He said the hoodlums inflicted an injury on the hand of the complainant’s five-year-old daughter before fleeing without stealing anything after the victim raised the alarm, which attracted neighbours.

He stated that, ‘Acting on credible information, a team of Police operatives swung into action. On 16th August 2026 at about 1800hrs, the complainant identified one of the suspects as Abdullahi Ahmed, a 25-year-old of Lamba Village, Dagauda District, Dambam LGA. He was promptly arrested.’

He said Ahmed confessed to the crime during interrogation and named two other accomplices, identified as Idi and Bappayo, whose other names were unknown.

According to him, the two accomplices, both from Potiskum, Yobe State, remained at large as police continue efforts to apprehend them.

Nafiu Habib said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Bauchi, for discreet investigation and prosecution.

He highlighted that the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has ordered thorough investigations into the cases, with a view to charging the suspects to court.

According to the PPRO, the Commissioner warned that the Command would not tolerate acts of thuggery, hooliganism or any violent conduct capable of threatening public peace.

The Command therefore urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the nearest police formation.

AGAIN, congratulations to Governor Ademola Adeleke. By winning a second term, he has secured a place among the most loved Governors the State has known. Anyone who now attempts to repaint the story of his first term in colours different from those with which the people themselves have painted it is only trying to darken a portrait the people have already illuminated with their affection. The people have spoken, and the warmth with which they have embraced him is now plainly painted across the canvas. Yet, as the old saying goes, to whom much is given, much is expected. A fresh mandate is more than a garland handed to a champion. It is a crown. And where a garland rests lightly for a season, a crown is not set down until the reign itself is spent. Still, there lies Governor Ademola Adeleke’s chance to move from being merely a two-term Governor to becoming a name history remembers on its own terms, long after the term itself has ended. From the vantage point of an ordinary citizen, may I leave these thoughts at His Excellency’s doorstep for the journey ahead.

Do not Let Baba Hafusa have a second face. One of the great dangers that comes with a second term is the temptation to believe that the people have nowhere else to go. God forbid that such a thought should ever find a home in Osun State, a State whose people are among the most educated, sophisticated, well-read and politically discerning in the country. There was a season, not long ago, when a second mandate was given in this same State, and trust was handed over like a rhythm the people had composed together with the government. They led, and the whole room danced. But somewhere within that season, the government began to call the steps alone, paying the band in half its due for a tune the band still had to play in full. The same feet that had danced him into office found themselves waiting to be told when to move, and how. Before long, the people who had once filled the floor with him began to dance apart, for they knew the room no longer felt like theirs. A government that believed it could dance alone soon found the room emptied of music. That must not be the tune this government asks its people to dance to. A room once emptied of trust is slow to fill again. If Governor Adeleke desires a political life that extends beyond the expiration of his second term, and wishes to learn how political capacity can be built beyond the life of an office, he need not look far.

Governor Seyi Makinde, his counterpart in neighbouring Oyo State, offers a worthy study, a governor who has built beyond the mere calculation of acquiring office. Whether one agrees with him or not, Governor Seyi Makinde has become a formidable hand on the political chessboard of Oyo State, and his influence is bound to count when the question of who eventually occupies that seat after him is asked.

The worker is not a footnote. Governor Adeleke must also resist the temptation to listen too much to those who say Osun is not a civil-servant State. On paper, perhaps it is an argument. But it is one that suffocates on contact with the street. Yes, Osun must diversify its economy. I am, in fact, a firm subscriber to that school of thought. A State must aspire to an economy where industry, investment, agriculture and enterprise can give it other legs to stand on, rather than waiting for a monthly allocation before it can take its next breath. But until that transformation fully arrives, thousands of families depend, directly and indirectly, on workers. And it must be said: Governor Adeleke has done well in the area of workers’ welfare. But if there is ever a season to climb higher, this is that season. There are still gratuities that have waited nine years to be paid, a wait he did not begin, but one he can still shorten. There are still pension obligations to be cleared. Today’s worker becomes tomorrow’s pensioner. Whatever shade he currently stands under, he knows his retired colleagues are still waiting, and that one day he will be standing where they now stand. The worker will never be ‘mere.’ He is a parent to a student. A customer to the trader. A client to the mechanic, tailor, and other artisans and craftsmen. When you worry the worker, the ripple travels through the market. And when the market begins to hum a different tune, every government should learn to listen before it becomes a chorus.

Don’t stop on infrastructure! Without doubt, infrastructural development played a significant role in Adeleke’s re-emergence. Many towns in Osun State saw roads that had been abandoned for years suddenly shed their years of neglect. Schools and hospitals were not left wanting either, and it is a record the administration should be proud to build on rather than rest on. Infrastructure is only as good as the ground it is yet to cover. Osun people are enlightened, discerning, politically conscious and well-informed about the affairs of government. Yet they are not the type to ask for the moon. We are not yet so industrialised that the average Osun man wakes up every morning demanding a new economic miracle. Give the people the basics. Good roads. Functional schools. Healthcare that works. Salaries and legitimate entitlements paid as and when due. Agriculture made easier and safer for those who want to farm. Security that allows people to sleep without wondering who may come knocking at the door. More opportunities for young people to work and earn a living. A government whose presence is felt as relief and not obstruction, one an ordinary man can live under without asking what fresh hardship the government is bringing next.

Governor Adeleke has now been handed a privilege history in Osun has rarely handed anyone: a second seat at the same table. But the just-concluded election is also a reminder of what that privilege actually means, and how quickly it can expire. Political glory is a borrowed garment; it is taken back when the season ends. Several former governors and political heavyweights who brought their influence to bear in the election suffered defeats in places where they once held considerable sway, and even those who held on to their immediate territories watched the larger political tide carry the State elsewhere. This is his chance to decide what his time in office will leave behind. He can leave Government House as another former Governor, one among the many the records will hold. Or he can become a standard the years do not easily erase. More than congratulations, and more than the few words a passerby dares to leave behind, there is also a prayer to offer: may God give His Excellency the wisdom to guide us aright, and may Osun under his watch know a peace that deepens and a progress that does not stall. May the good he does outlive the government that bears his name.

Congratulations once again, Your Excellency. The second term has been won. Now, win the history. May your light outlive the shadows.

A Kaduna-based Christian cleric, Yohanna Buru, has honoured a Muslim scholar, Sheikh Usman Mohammed Mai-Mota (Gwalli), for dedicating more than five decades to imparting Islamic knowledge and training over 10,000 almajiris.

Pastor Buru, General Overseer of Christ Evangelical and Life Intervention Ministry, led a delegation of Christian clerics to Sheikh Usman’s school, where they presented him with an award in recognition of his contribution to Islamic education and community development.

Speaking, Buru said Sheikh Usman had spent more than 50 years teaching the Qur’an, Hadith, Tafsir, Arabic and other aspects of Islamic studies to children and youths from different parts of Northern Nigeria.

He said many of those who passed through the school had gone on to become Islamic scholars, Arabic teachers and lecturers in various schools, centres and institutions across the country.

Buru said the recognition was intended to encourage Usman to continue his efforts to educate young people despite his advancing age.

He described the scholar’s contribution as a significant service to humanity, stressing that individuals, who dedicate their lives to educating thousands of young people, deserve to be recognised and encouraged.

He added that the recognition was part of efforts to promote peaceful coexistence and strengthen relationships between Muslims and Christians in the state.

Pastor Buru, who was recognised during the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week in 2022, said Usman’s work had contributed to producing generations of Islamic teachers and scholars.

Also speaking, Pastor Emmanuel John described Sheikh Usman’s contribution as remarkable, saying his commitment to educating young people in Islamic knowledge has made a lasting impact.

He said the visit was not only to honour the scholar, but also to strengthen mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Muslims.

Responding, Sheikh Usman expressed gratitude to the Christian delegation for the honour, describing it as the first award he had received in his more than 50 years of teaching.

He said although he was now advancing in age, the recognition has renewed his commitment to continuing to educate young Muslims.

He thanked the Christian clerics for honouring him and prayed for God to bless them for their efforts to promote peace and understanding between the two faith communities.

Investigations into TikTok prison streams, deepfake scams, and INEC impersonation presented as evidence of Nigeria’s growing digital accountability gap

Participants at a multistakeholder dialogue on online safety and platform accountability held in Abuja on Wednesday have called for stronger scrutiny of technology platforms operating in Nigeria, warning that the growing influence of digital companies over what Nigerians see, share and believe has created an accountability gap that neither platforms nor regulators are adequately addressing.

The dialogue, convened by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) at Bon Hotel Octagon, Abuja, brought together newsroom leaders, investigative journalists, regulators, civil society actors and other stakeholders to examine Nigeria’s response to emerging digital harms while safeguarding freedom of expression.

Setting the tone for the dialogue, Dapo Olorunyomi, Chief Executive Officer of CJID, said the concentration of consequential power has increasingly shifted beyond governments to private technology companies whose platforms now influence communication, commerce, politics and access to information across Nigeria and globally.

He said these platforms determine what becomes visible, what disappears and what spreads widely, while making important decisions through algorithms that are often difficult for citizens and regulators to scrutinise.

‘They write rules for participation, enforce those rules, adjudicate our nations, and increasingly make consequential decisions through algorithms that most citizens cannot see,’ Mr Olorunyomi said.

He warned that the growing influence of technology companies requires a rethink of the traditional understanding of accountability, which has largely focused on governments and public institutions, and that a digital environment without meaningful accountability could expose citizens to fraud, exploitation, manipulation and privacy violations.

However, he cautioned that the push for stronger platform accountability must be balanced against the risk of regulations being weaponised to enable surveillance, censorship and restrictions on civic freedoms.

‘Our task cannot simply be between one or the other. The more difficult question is how societies create institutions capable of constraining power without unnecessarily restraining freedom,’ Mr Olorunyomi said.

The Executive Director of CJID, Akintunde Babatunde, said the growing influence of technology platforms had created a new form of digital citizenship, with Nigerians increasingly subject to decisions made by companies they have no role in electing or governing.

‘People have effectively become citizens of a digital world governed by platforms whose owners they never elected,’ Mr Babatunde said.

Investigations put evidence behind accountability concerns

To ground the dialogue in documented evidence, four investigative journalists supported under CJID’s Platform Accountability Fellowship presented findings from investigations that illustrated how digital platforms can create or amplify real-world harm.

This reporter presented findings from an investigation published jointly by the Saturday Tribune and Premium Times, exposing how Elijah Oyebode, a convicted murderer serving a death-by-hanging sentence at Ibara Custodial Centre, Abeokuta, operated TikTok Live sessions from inside his condemned cell, received monetary gifts from thousands of viewers, and described a facility where over 2,000 smartphones circulate among approximately 1,000 inmates.

The investigation triggered a formal response from the Nigerian Correctional Service within five days of publication, resulting in the removal of the Officer-in-Charge of the facility, the suspension of two principal officers, the seizure of the contraband device, and the transfer of the inmate to another facility under enhanced security.

Abubakar Abdulrasheed of Premium Times presented findings on how fraudsters exploit TikTok’s advertising system using deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated content to defraud Nigerians at scale.

Toheeb Babalola exposed a fraudulent United States-based website that impersonated the Independent National Electoral Commission to harvest personal data from Africans without consent. Simbiat Bakare’s investigation examined how Telegram’s regulatory failures and the spread of misinformation are fuelling prostitution networks in Nigeria.

Taken together, the four investigations illustrated the dialogue’s central concern: that online harms are not merely virtual problems but produce documented, measurable consequences for individuals, communities and institutions.

Platforms ignore journalists – Managing Editor

During a panel session moderated by Tracy Keshi, Project Manager for CJID’s Tech Justice and Digital Governance programme, Premium Times Managing Editor Idris Akinbajo said journalists investigating technology companies routinely encounter difficulties obtaining information from both platforms and regulators, even when approaching them with documented evidence.

‘Access to information, both by the platforms themselves and also by Nigerian regulators, and improving the knowledge of journalists who report on tech issues and AI issues, are the key issues that need to be attended to,’ Mr Akinbajo said.

He urged journalists to think beyond publication when investigating digital harms and to sustain engagement with regulators, civil society and relevant institutions until identified problems are addressed. ‘Until the issue is resolved, the story cycle around that issue must not stop,’ he said.

Miriam Kadiri, representing the National Human Rights Commission, stated that online violations should increasingly be treated as human rights issues requiring prompt and proactive institutional response. She noted that the commission’s legal services and enforcement department maintains a unit that monitors digital rights violations and can take up cases even without a formal complaint, often working in collaboration with civil society organisations and other regulatory bodies.

However, she acknowledged that digital rights remain an evolving area in which regulators, lawyers and citizens are still developing deeper understanding.

Jessica Eni, representing Techsocietal, argued that platforms should be held accountable not only for the content users post but for the systems through which harmful content is created, distributed, amplified and reported. She said platforms should conduct proper risk assessments before introducing new features and provide meaningful remedies when users report violations.

She raised particular concern about the inability of automated moderation systems to understand Nigerian languages, slang and cultural contexts, warning that harmful content easily recognisable to Nigerian users may escape platform moderation entirely.

‘AI moderators are not trained to understand our language. They are not trained to understand our context,’ Ms Eni said.

Filani Funso, a data protection officer at the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, said Nigerians have enforceable rights over their personal information and can lodge complaints with the commission when those rights are violated. However, he acknowledged that public awareness of those rights remains inadequate despite sustained outreach efforts.

‘One of the major challenges is that the awareness is still not enough,’ Mr Funso said.

Prince Godwin, an IT specialist with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, said enforcement in the digital economy is further complicated when companies operate through complex cross-border structures that span multiple countries, limiting the reach of Nigerian regulatory authority.

Muslim women under the aegis of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) will today begin the 2026 Annual National Conference in Umuahia, Abia State, with over 600 participants expected to attend.

The conference, with the theme: ‘Faith, Resilience and Responsibility: Muslim Women Responding to Challenges,’ will bring together women leaders, scholars, professionals, entrepreneurs, youth representatives, development practitioners, policymakers and community stakeholders from across the country.

Addressing journalists in Umuahia, on Thursday, the 11th National Amirah of FOMWAN, Dr Sumaye Fadimatu Hamza, said the theme reflects the realities of the country and the need for collective action to address challenges confronting Nigerians.

She said Nigeria continued to face insecurity, economic pressures, youth unemployment, social fragmentation, climate-related challenges and humanitarian crises affecting millions of citizens.

Hamza said: ‘These realities call for renewed commitment, collective responsibility, and purposeful leadership.’

She added that Muslim women, guided by faith and inspired by service, believed challenges should not lead to despair but should inspire resilience, compassion, innovation and constructive action.

‘Faith provides moral direction, resilience enables us to persevere, and responsibility compels us to contribute meaningfully to the wellbeing of our communities and nation,’ she said.

According to her, the conference will provide a platform for dialogue, reflection, learning, networking and collective action on issues including faith and national uncertainty, resilient families, women’s role in peacebuilding, education and economic empowerment, security, climate change, humanitarian crises and youth mentorship.

Hamza said the discussions are expected to produce practical recommendations aimed at strengthening families, communities and institutions.

She said FOMWAN had, for more than four decades, contributed to education, healthcare, humanitarian services, women’s empowerment, youth and family development, peacebuilding, gender and human rights, research and community development.

The organisation called for increased investment in education and skills development, mental health and psychosocial support, women’s empowerment and leadership, youth mentorship, family strengthening, peacebuilding, climate adaptation and humanitarian assistance.

FOMWAN also called for stronger partnerships among stakeholders to address the challenges confronting vulnerable populations and promote sustainable development.

The one-day programme, organised by Catalysing Strengthened Policy Actions for Healthy Diet and Resilience (CASCADE), held at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHCC), Tudun Wada, as part of activities to commemorate the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week.

The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: Strengthening what works.’

Project Manager of CASCADE), Isaac Ishaya Audu, said the programme was organised to also strengthen awareness among pregnant and lactating women.

‘I work for CARE International in Nigeria, and we are here in Tudun Wada, Warji Local Government Area, to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week 2026,’ he said.

He explained that the exercise was part of the project’s commitment to expanding awareness among pregnant and lactating mothers, particularly through healthcare facilities, to encourage the adoption of exclusive breastfeeding and promote proper child upbringing.

He said social and cultural norms in some rural communities often discourage women from practising exclusive breastfeeding, a situation that can negatively affect the wellbeing and development of children.

‘Particularly, in terms of supporting cognitive development for children, exclusive breastfeeding contributes significantly to child development, we feel it is a practice that we have to emphasise more among women and ensure that it is taken more seriously,’ Audu said.

He added that CASCADE was working alongside government and other stakeholders to strengthen community-level awareness of exclusive breastfeeding and encourage pregnant and lactating mothers to adopt the practice.

Speaking on nutrition, Audu said breastfeeding should be complemented with appropriate nutrition, noting that CASCADE adopted a facility-based approach over the past four years.

According to him, the organisation has been working closely with the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency across its states of implementation, particularly by leveraging primary healthcare facilities to support pregnant and lactating mothers attending antenatal care (ANC) sessions.

‘We leverage most of these ANC sessions to facilitate complementary feeding sessions as a way of engaging women on multiple recipes that they can produce using locally available food sources. These can help bridge nutrient gaps in children and equally improve access to healthy diets among women and children,’ he said.

In his remarks, the village head of Tudun Wada, Ibrahim Sarki Ahmed, commended the organisers of the programme and the government for ensuring the provision of quality healthcare services.

He also stressed the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in giving children the opportunity to live healthy lives and achieve their full potential. He further noted that education was essential to enabling people to live productive and useful lives.

THE Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday engaged in a war of words over a possible return of the nation to a fuel subsidy regime.

While Atiku said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, that he would introduce targeted subsidy regime that would accelerate domestic refining if elected in 2027, the Presidency, in a statement by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said that the former vice president was simply desperate for power, accusing him of volte-face.

Atiku, in the statement released on Thursday, said that he would implement what he called the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan (AERP), if elected into power, adding that the policy would replace the nation’s import-subsidy architecture and be imbued with a targeted, capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited production subsidy, which he said would be designed to lower energy costs and accelerate domestic refining.

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said in the statement that his AERP would recognise that ‘the choice before Nigeria is not simply between subsidy and no subsidy, but between an opaque intervention that breeds waste and a disciplined economic instrument that delivers measurable benefits to citizens.’

Atiku further said: ‘My proposal is not to resurrect the old subsidy regime. We will move subsidy from importation to production, from middlemen to Nigerian refineries, and from unverifiable claims to verifiable barrels.

‘The principle is simple: the subsidy will follow the barrel.’

He added: Under the AERP, qualifying public and private Nigerian refineries would receive domestic crude at a preferential price, subject to strict production, efficiency, transparency and domestic-supply conditions.’

But in a statement by presidential spokesman, Onanuga, the presidency said that Atiku’s proposal showcased a man who least comprehends current national realities, adding that he spoke: ‘like a man from archaic past.’

Onanuga wrote: ‘Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and perennial candidate for the presidency of Nigeria, has finally revealed his economic plans to Nigerians, should he be elected as President by January next year.

‘Against expectations that he would announce a more creative and ingenious alternative to the programme being executed by the Tinubu administration, Atiku Abubakar behaved like a man from an archaic past who least comprehends the present economic dynamics and suggested that he would restore the much-abused, wasteful, pillaged, corruption-ridden fuel subsidy regime, which the Petroleum Industry Act made illegal from the end of June 2023.’

The presidency stated that even though Atiku used to believe that the subsidy regime must be eliminated, and canvassed the same point in the build-up to the 2023 election, ‘he has now opportunistically recanted the major plank of his economic doctrine and turned a renegade.’

‘It is not difficult to explain why Atiku has latched onto the abandoned subsidy regime, five months to the election. Desperate for power, he needed to make a promise that he knew, if he were candid with our people, does not make fiscal sense, is regressive, and is against the genuine interest of the people. But before his suggestion hoodwinks the people, we must quickly subject the promise to a serious examination, especially in the context of Nigeria’s present economic and petroleum realities,’ the statement read.

The presidency added that while it respects Atiku Abubakar’s constitutional right to propose alternative policies, it believes that it was wrong for him to seek the support of Nigerians and recant a major policy prescription. It added that the former vice president, however, deserves to let Nigerians understand what the content of his proposed subsidy restoration plan would amount to, how it would be funded, and whether it would be compatible with the legal and structural changes that have taken place in the petroleum sector.

The presidency said: ‘First, we must clear some ambiguities about the so-called subsidy. It is not some money sitting in the treasury to be disbursed to offer cheap fuel to Nigerians. It is the massive discount the NNPC offered the Nigerian government: selling fuel it bought at N100 at N50 at the pump, leading to under-recovery of costs and massive losses.

Somewhere in the NPO books are still trillions of Naira in subsidy costs that the Nigerian government has not paid. Contrary to Atiku’s claim in his interview, no N30 trillion subsidy windfall or savings exists anywhere except in his imagination.

‘The petrol subsidy regime that Nigerians knew before May 2023 was dismantled as part of the country’s petroleum-sector reforms. The Petroleum Industry Act established a new framework for the downstream petroleum market. It removed the subsidy, as was previously done for diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel, ending a system that had placed a substantial and often unpredictable burden on public finances.

The PIA scheduled the subsidy removal by the end of June 2023. President Tinubu only accelerated it by weeks to stop further bleeding before the due date.

‘Restoring the old arrangement therefore cannot simply be presented as a matter of announcing that government will once again pay part of the cost of petrol. It would require a clear legal, fiscal and administrative framework, including identifying the source of the funds and determining how such a policy would be implemented under the present petroleum-market structure.

More importantly, Nigeria’s petroleum landscape has changed significantly since May 2023. For many years, the country relied heavily on imported petrol, with the government bearing the consequences of the gap between the regulated pump price and the cost of supplying the product.

Today, the emergence of substantial domestic refining capacity has fundamentally altered that equation.

The Dangote Refinery has become a major source of locally refined petrol. Indeed, the Dangote Refinery would not have kickstarted production for local consumption were the subsidy regime operative. This is an important point that Atiku deceptively ignored.’

The presidency said that Atiku’s proposal portends a reversal of current local production, adding that it could spell bankruptcy for smaller local refineries, leading to attendant job losses and a loss of foreign exchange.

It stated that because the sector is now market-driven, Nigeria now exports refined products to Europe, Asia, and the United States, adding that such a development has restored national pride

‘The N15 trillion that would have been borrowed and spent on selling discounted petrol has now significantly gone into the coffers of the three tiers of government Now all states are fiscally stable and can pay salaries regularly and embark on infrastructure projects.

In July, the three tiers shared about N3 trillion, a record, from the federation account. That is a major achievement, since the abolition of petrol price discount and distortions in the foreign exchange regime,’ the presidency said.

The presidency further said that the Nigerian system was increasingly moving from a model in which scarce foreign exchange is used to import refined petrol to one in which crude oil is largely sold in Naira, processed locally, and supplied to the domestic market.

‘That transition creates opportunities for greater energy security, foreign-exchange conservation, industrial development and ultimately a boost to employment generation.

The subsidy debate must therefore be grounded in the realities of today’s market rather than treated as though Nigeria’s petroleum sector has remained unchanged,’ the government said.

In his submission contained in the statement by Shaibu, Atiku said several proposals, indicating that there would be no cheaper crude without cheaper products.

According to him, the AERP would specifically prevent refinery owners from pocketing the benefit of preferential crude without passing it to consumers.

‘No refinery would receive subsidised crude without a corresponding, independently verified quantity of petroleum products being supplied to the Nigerian market under a transparent pricing formula reflecting the benefit of the preferential crude price,’ the statement said.

It added that crude allocation, refinery intake, production yields, inventories and domestic deliveries would be reconciled to ensure that every subsidised barrel can be followed from allocation through refining to the Nigerian consumer.

‘No phantom cargoes. No fictitious imports. No unverifiable under-recoveries. No retrospective claims.

‘If you receive subsidised Nigerian crude, you must refine it in Nigeria, supply the agreed products to Nigerians and pass the benefit to Nigerians. Otherwise, you do not qualify,’ the statement read.

It also indicated that the AERP would eliminate favouritism, adding that eligibility would be open and rules-based for all public and private refineries, such that the system would prevent a situation where any particular refinery or politically connected operator is enriched.

‘Allocation would be based on independently verified capacity, efficiency, domestic supply and compliance rather than political discretion.

‘The programme would also contain strict safeguards against arbitrage.

Subsidised crude and products benefiting from the intervention could not simply be diverted to more profitable foreign markets while Nigerian consumers bear the fiscal cost.

‘Any operator that diverts subsidised crude or products, manipulates production records, violates domestic-supply obligations or fails to pass the prescribed benefit to consumers would lose eligibility, refund the subsidy benefit and face applicable regulatory and legal sanctions.

‘Nigeria will not subsidise anybody’s private profit.

Public support must produce a measurable public benefit,’ the statement further read.

While claiming that the plan would entail a ‘target it, cap it, audit it’ programme, Atiku said that the production subsidy would operate within a predetermined annual fiscal ceiling approved through the federal budget, and end what he called the culture of open-ended subsidy liabilities.

He said: ‘No refinery gets unlimited support. No marketer brings the government a surprise bill. No agency manufactures an under-recovery after the transaction.

‘The National Assembly will see the appropriation.

Nigerians will know the maximum exposure. Independent auditors will see the barrels. And the public will see what was produced for every naira of support.’

The statement further noted that where oil revenues exceed the budget benchmark, a predetermined and legally appropriated portion of the additional revenue may be deployed within the established fiscal ceiling, adding that no windfall would be assumed before it materialises.

The statement by Atiku also said that his AERP was meant to ensure that subsidy disappears from the system, stressing that the AERP intervention would carry statutory sunset and periodic review provisions.

The statement noted: ‘As domestic refining capacity expands, utilisation improves, competition increases and production costs decline, support per barrel would progressively reduce according to predetermined benchmarks.

‘Our objective is not permanent subsidy. It is to use temporary and disciplined support to build a refining industry strong enough eventually not to need subsidy.

‘We will measure the fiscal cost against refinery output, domestic prices, jobs, investment and benefits delivered to consumers. If the policy is not delivering value greater than its cost, it must be adjusted or terminated.’

He further noted that his approach would reduce petrol and diesel costs and transmit the benefits throughout the economy.

‘Lower transportation costs would benefit commuters and farmers; lower energy and logistics costs would support manufacturers and traders; and falling production costs would help moderate inflation and restore purchasing power.

‘The ultimate objective is not merely cheaper petrol. It is cheaper transportation, cheaper food, stronger businesses, more Nigerian jobs and greater purchasing power.

‘Nigeria’s crude should first help build Nigerian refining capacity and Nigerian prosperity.’

Atiku questioned the transparency he said was supposed to be built into the subsidy removal policy of President Tinubu, questioning what the president removed in May 2023.

He said: ‘President Tinubu stood at Eagle Square on May 29, 2023 and declared that ‘subsidy is gone! Nigerians were immediately handed the bill.

‘Petrol prices exploded, transportation costs multiplied, food prices soared, and households were told that their suffering was the necessary price of reform.

‘But after Nigerians paid that price, the government’s own accounts created questions that President Tinubu has still not satisfactorily answered.’

He cited what he called NNPCL’s audited financial statements recording approximately $4.84 trillion in Energy Security Expenses in 2023 and N7.13 trillion in 2024, saying Nigerians deserve a precise explanation of the economic substance of those expenses and the extent to which they incorporate under-recoveries, pricing differentials or other costs associated with petroleum supply.

‘We are not interested in playing games with accounting terminology. If government continued absorbing differences between the economic cost of petroleum products and what was recovered from the market, then Nigerians are entitled to ask how that differs economically from the subsidy they were told had disappeared.

‘You cannot abolish subsidy at Eagle Square and allow subsidy-like costs to resurface in government accounts without explaining the contradiction,’ he said.

He equally raised a controversy around N30 trillion federal revenues, saying that ‘Our reconciliation of published Federation Account figures has identified approximately #30 trillion in revenues, deductions, savings, transfers and related funds requiring transparent reconciliation.

‘Let nobody misrepresent the argument. We are not saying #30 trillion is fuel subsidy or that #30 trillion has been proven stolen.

‘We are saying that approximately #30 trillion reflected across Federation revenues, deductions, savings, transfers and related classifications requires a complete, month-by-month public reconciliation. The distinction is important – but so is the question,’ he said.

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to unfreeze the Osun State government’s statutory allocation account shortly before the August 15 governorship election doused political tension and created a more conducive environment for a peaceful poll, the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Center in Africa (PAACA) and Legis360, have said.

The organisations also said the president’s intervention boosted his democratic credentials, particularly given the politically sensitive timing of the EFCC’s decision to freeze the account.

Presenting the findings of their independent assessment of the election in Abuja, Executive Director of PAACA, Chief Ezenwa Nwagwu, said Tinubu’s decision to reverse the account freeze was significant in calming tension in the state ahead of the election.

The EFCC had frozen the state government’s account about 10 days before the poll over alleged mishandling of approximately N11 billion in public funds, a development that generated political controversy because of its proximity to the election.

Nwagwu said the president’s intervention helped lower the political temperature in the state and contributed to a more peaceful electoral environment.

According to him, the decision demonstrated Tinubu’s commitment to democratic principles and strengthened his democratic credentials.

He said the timing of the account freeze had heightened political sensitivities in Osun, making the subsequent directive to unfreeze the account particularly important in restoring calm ahead of the election.

The assessment, however, identified voter inducement, low turnout, violence and inadequate accessibility provisions for persons with disabilities as major concerns arising from the election.

PAACA and Legis360 reported that voter inducement or interference by party agents was recorded at about two in five polling units observed during the election.

They said the finding made vote-buying the major conduct concern arising from the poll, despite the near-universal availability of essential election materials at polling units observed.

The principal challenge was, therefore, not widespread administrative failure but the persistence of voter inducement.

‘The principal threat to this election was not administrative failure, but the quiet commercialisation of the ballot, which persists largely because it is so rarely prosecuted,’ they said.

The observers also reported that only about 43 percent of registered voters were accredited to vote, meaning that roughly three in five registered voters stayed away from the election.

Despite the concerns, the organisations said their independent review of polling-unit results published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed the outcome declared by the commission.

Nwagwu said the independent verification demonstrated that the result announced by INEC was supported by the underlying polling-unit records.

‘The good news for Osun’s voters is that this result can be independently verified, and it holds,’ he said.

He, however, cautioned that the credibility of the final tally should not be confused with the overall quality of the electoral process.

A youth-led non-governmental organisation, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), on Thursday launched the SheBuilds AI Fellowship, a six-month intensive programme that will train young women in Kaduna State in artificial intelligence, data science, and digital entrepreneurship, with funding from the Government of Canada through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

The launch, held at a press conference in Kaduna, also featured the public presentation of the organisation’s new issue brief, titled ‘Bridging the Gender Digital Divide: Artificial Intelligence as a Safe Driver of Economic Growth in Nigeria,’ which warns that the country’s fast-growing digital economy is leaving women behind.

Speaking at the event, the Global Director of BBYDI, Mr Olasupo Abideen Opeyemi, said the fellowship attracted 473 applications, out of which 52 candidates were shortlisted for interviews and 20 young women finally selected as the pioneer cohort. A second cohort of 20 will follow, bringing the total number of direct beneficiaries to 40.

‘This number alone is evidence that demolishes a dangerous myth, the myth that young women in northern Nigeria are not interested in technology. They are interested. What they lack is not ambition; it is access,’ Abideen said.

Citing figures from the organisation’s issue brief, Abideen noted that although the information and communications technology sector contributed 11.31 per cent of Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter of 2026, Nigerian women remain 26 per cent less likely than men to use mobile internet, one of the widest gaps in the world, while women hold fewer than one in five technology jobs in the country.

‘Analysts have warned that if this exclusion continues, Nigeria risks a gendered recession, a future in which the sectors driving growth draw on only half the nation’s talent. Nigeria does not face a choice between growth and inclusion. It faces a choice between inclusive growth and diminished growth,’ he said.

The BBYDI boss also raised the alarm over the safety of women online, referencing projections that as many as 70 million Nigerian women and girls could be exposed to AI-facilitated online abuse annually by 2030 if current trends continue. He stressed that ‘digital inclusion that is not safe is not sustainable.’

According to him, the fellows will learn Python programming, data analysis, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI over six months, before building and pitching working AI solutions to real Nigerian problems in areas such as health, agriculture, education, and governance. He added that the curriculum was rigorously validated by AI practitioners and industry experts.

Beyond technical training, Abideen said the programme includes leadership development, communication skills, personal branding, CV writing, mental health support, excursions to technology hubs, and a rotating ‘Class Governor’ system designed to give every fellow hands-on leadership experience.

He further disclosed that after graduation, the organisation and its partners would connect the fellows to internships, jobs, and remote work opportunities within and outside Nigeria, sponsor their attendance at technology conferences and hackathons, and link them to national and international programmes for which their new skills qualify them.

In the issue brief, the organisation called on the Federal Government and the Kaduna State Government to embed clear gender targets, budgets, and sex-disaggregated reporting in the implementation of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme; urged the National Assembly to strengthen laws against technology-facilitated gender-based violence; and challenged technology companies to audit their algorithms for gender bias and set measurable targets for hiring women.

The organisation also appealed to parents, community leaders, and religious leaders to support the digital participation of their daughters, declaring that ‘every girl kept offline is a national asset kept idle.’

Abideen expressed gratitude to the Government of Canada and the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria for funding the project, and gave special appreciation to the Yandytech Community and other technology stakeholders for their support to the initiative and for the technology ecosystem in northern Nigeria.

Highlights of the event included the unveiling of the 20 selected fellows, goodwill messages from government representatives and stakeholders, remarks by the fellows, and a question-and-answer session with journalists. The fellows had earlier participated in an orientation programme on Monday, where they met their facilitators and mentors ahead of the commencement of classes.