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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has said that the Green Chamber will continue to foster ethno-religious unity in the country.

The Speaker, who made this known when hosting Multi Faith Network US, a religious body that promotes interreligious unity and harmony across the world, noted that the House, christened ‘The People’s House,’ truly represents the diverse ethnic and religious groups in the country.

He noted that Nigeria needs to be better understood by the global community.

While agreeing with the group’s stance that ethno-religious unity can only succeed with the involvement of people at the grassroots, the Speaker stated that lawmakers are representatives of the people in every nook and cranny of the country and relate directly to constituents at the lower level of society.

The Speaker Tajudeen added that lawmakers have been working together regardless of religious, tribal, and ethnic divides and are achieving great results. He noted that this is possible through mutual respect and tolerance within the legislative chambers.

‘The Deputy Speaker is a staunch Catholic-he is a staunch Christian-and we have never, since over three and a half years of working together, had any issues relating to tribe or religion,’ he said.

Speaker Tajudeen stressed that the approach deployed by Multi Faith Network US is similar to what the House has adopted.

Earlier, Leader of the delegation Evangelist Roberts, who was accompanied by Daniel Langford, Terry Crist, Joel Rainey, Brian Lightsey, and Dan Carlton, said Multi Faith Network US is apolitical and focuses on diplomacy and advocacy.

While noting that the group is partnering with several global organisations including USAID, he said the membership is made up of pastors and diplomats who seek to address religious issues across the world.

In Africa, he said, Multi Faith Network US works with the Gates Foundation, visiting hospitals and engaging with doctors, nurses, and patients.

The delegation leader noted that Multi Faith Network US approaches religious freedom from two angles-law and culture-both of which are hinged on sensitisation at the grassroots.

Speaking on religious persecution, Evangelist Roberts said the group had organised meetings and engagements between Christians and Muslims until ‘they started loving one another.’

While stating that the group’s approach is ‘trying to humanise religion,’ he said Multi Faith Network US ensures that people of different faiths execute community projects together. He added that the approach has led to them ‘standing up for one another during crisis.’

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has extended the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) food outreach scheme to Osun State, with Ogun and Akwa Ibom states named as the next beneficiaries of the programme targeting vulnerable Nigerians.

The initiative, which provides food items to persons with disabilities, widows and other vulnerable groups, was launched in March 2024 to provide nutritional support to disadvantaged citizens and improve the welfare of families across the country.

The First Lady, represented at the presentation in Osun by the wife of the Vice-President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, formally handed over the food items to the wife of the Osun State Governor and state coordinator of the RHI, Mrs Titilola Adeleke, for distribution to beneficiaries.

Tinubu said the scheme was designed to complement President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by ensuring that vulnerable citizens received support regardless of their circumstances.

According to her, the programme had been sustained through the support of two partners who provide two truckloads of food items to the initiative monthly, enabling it to extend assistance to two states every month.

The partners are the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and an anonymous donor, whose contribution supplied all the food items presented to Osun State.

‘This particular supply we are distributing today in Osun is entirely from our anonymous donor,’ the First Lady said, while expressing appreciation to both partners for their continued support.

‘I thank both partners for their deep generosity and sustained commitment to supporting vulnerable populations in Nigeria,’ she added.

With the inclusion of Osun, the food outreach scheme has now covered 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory, bringing the total number of beneficiary states to 31.

Tinubu also disclosed that Ogun and Akwa Ibom would be the next states to benefit from the programme, signalling plans to extend the intervention to more vulnerable households.

She commended Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, for the reception accorded the delegation and praised the governor’s wife for her commitment to implementing the initiative’s programmes in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the governor, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Teslim Igbalaye, described food intervention as a humanitarian measure that could help address the needs of disadvantaged citizens.

He said the food bank concept and other support systems were worth adopting at all levels of government to strengthen assistance for vulnerable populations.

Igbalaye added that the food outreach scheme complemented other programmes introduced by the First Lady since 2023 and assured the delegation that the Osun State Government would support efforts to sustain the initiative.

In her welcome remarks, Mrs Adeleke said the programme had added another chapter to the history of Osun State, expressing gratitude to the First Lady for extending the intervention to the state.

She said other RHI programmes had supported vulnerable older persons, petty traders, agriculture and food security, education and healthcare in Osun.

The food outreach scheme is part of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s broader social intervention efforts aimed at promoting inclusion and providing humanitarian assistance to Nigerians facing economic and social challenges.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has said no political permutation will save President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that widespread hunger and hardship will determine the outcome.

Momodu stated this on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, anchored by Seun Okinbaloye.

According to him, Nigerians across all regions and ethnic lines are united by economic hardship, which no amount of money or political calculation can overcome.

‘The common factor now is the hunger in the land. No permutation can beat hunger. The Yorubas are suffering, the Hausas are suffering, the Igbos are suffering, everybody is suffering,’ he said.

He argued that President Tinubu cannot buy the entire country, even if he was able to deploy money effectively in Lagos State politics in the past.

‘Tinubu believes he can buy the whole of Nigeria, but my personal belief is that if he could buy the whole of Lagos, I doubt if he can use money to buy the whole of Nigeria,’ Momodu stated.

The Ovation publisher said Nigerians had become wiser and would collect any money offered to them during elections but still vote according to their conscience.

He cited the Osun State governorship election as a case study, noting that, despite the huge funds allegedly deployed, the people voted for Governor Ademola Adeleke.

‘And a lot of people will take the money like they took it in Osun State. People’s eyes are wide open now. They brought a lot of money to Osun State, but they still lost the election to Ademola Adeleke,’ he said.

Momodu also recalled that Tinubu lost Lagos State to Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, which he said proves that incumbency and financial muscle do not guarantee victory.

He maintained that President Tinubu would not win in 2027, claiming that many Nigerians could not imagine a second term for the administration.

‘If you ask an average Nigerian today, do you trust Tinubu to conduct a free and fair election? 90 per cent will say no. Nobody trusts Tinubu, including his own supporters,’ Momodu said.

On the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Momodu described him as a ‘prisoner of conscience’ who is being persecuted because of his political influence.

‘Nasir El-Rufai is a lion. They caged him because he is a lion. Even when a lion is caged, it is still a lion. They want him locked up until after 2027 because they fear his influence,’ he said.

He disclosed that El-Rufai’s appointment as Deputy Chairman of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council was in honour of his sacrifice and resilience.

‘It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails are quite political in nature. That is why Nasir has become a prisoner of conscience. He is in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife,’ Momodu added.

He said the 2027 election would be a referendum on hunger, hardship and governance, and not on political permutations.

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communications, Engagement and New Media Strategy, O’tega Ogra, has faulted Momodu’s comments.

Reacting to the interview, Ogra accused the opposition of embracing ‘perpetual negativity’ and opposing government policies without objective assessment.

He said Momodu’s assertion ignored ongoing reforms and improvements recorded in key economic indicators, including foreign reserves, power generation and inflation management.

Ogra urged opposition figures to offer constructive criticism rather than painting a picture of total failure, stressing that President Tinubu would ultimately be judged by his reforms and track record.

Twelve professors and one PhD holder in the field of medical sciences across Nigeria will be conferred with the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria (AMSN) this year.

This follows the induction of 15 and 13 fellows in 2025 and 2024, respectively, further expanding the numerical and professional strength of the body.

The new entrants will be inducted during the academy’s sixth scientific conference and annual general meeting, scheduled to take place in Lagos from Friday, October 30, to Saturday, October 31.

The academy will also inaugurate Professor Joseph Eberendu Ahaneku, a renowned consultant chemical pathologist and former Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, as its new President. He will serve a four-year term, succeeding Emeritus Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie.

The outgoing President, Emeritus Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie, a consultant endocrinologist, disclosed this on Thursday in Lagos during a pre-event media briefing.

He stated that all nominated inductees are experts in their various fields who have contributed immensely to medical science, the healthcare sector and humanity.

The new fellows include Professor Sunday Akintoye (Oral Medicine), Professor Emmanuel Balogun (Enzymology and Molecular Biology), Professor Rasheed Balogun (Nephrology), Professor Ene Ette (Clinical Pharmacology/Pharmacometrics), Professor Okechukwu Ogah (Cardiology), Professor Omonike Ogbole (Pharmacognosy/Phytomedicine), Professor Anthony Okorodudu (Pathology/Clinical Chemistry), Professor Olusola Olawoye (Ophthalmology), Professor Adebola Orimadegun (Paediatrics and Child Health/Clinical Epidemiology), Professor Bamidele Owoyele (Physiology/Neuroscience), Professor Wellington Oyibo (Medical Parasitology), Professor Musa Yakubu (Biochemical Toxicology/Reproductive Biochemistry and Ethnopharmacology) and Dr Abiola Adeniyi (Dental Public Health).

Giwa-Osagie noted that the event would feature a keynote lecture by Professor Azeez Butali, a specialist in craniofacial genetics at the University of Iowa, USA.

He will speak on the topic: ‘The joy of the human genome: discovery to clinical care.’

Another highlight of the conference will be the presentation of the academy’s highest honour, the Nobel (Golden) Prize, to Professor Okechukwu Ogah, a renowned consultant cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Professor Ogah will receive a ?10 million cash prize alongside a medal.

The event will also host the second edition of the Augustine Ohwovoriole Lecture, named after a founding member of the academy’s Board of Trustees to immortalise his contributions.

In his remarks, the founding President of the academy and President of the Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS), Professor Oladapo Ashiru, noted that AMSN was established in 2019.

He added that the body is dedicated to promoting excellence in medical research, education and mentorship, ensuring that research is actively applied to medicine to enhance human health and welfare, and that it also performs advisory roles to the government on national medical issues.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has commissioned Anchorage Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a multi-billion naira pharmaceutical company in Trans-Ekulu, Enugu.

The inauguration, which took place on Thursday, is expected to boost local drug manufacturing, create jobs and strengthen healthcare delivery in the country.

This was even as the Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke (Rtd), commended Mbah for creating an investment-friendly environment in the state, describing Anchorage as a legacy project conceived to generate employment, develop local talent and contribute to economic development.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Mbah said the facility represented more than a pharmaceutical business, describing it as an investment in public health, economic growth and the future of young people in the state.

The governor congratulated the company’s founder, board and management, noting that establishing a manufacturing enterprise required substantial commitment and confidence in the state’s economic prospects.

He said the facility would provide employment opportunities, offer internship placements and facilitate skills transfer, while supporting healthcare delivery across Enugu State.

Mbah disclosed that the government would explore commercial partnerships with the company to supply medicines to its central medical stores and primary healthcare facilities.

The governor further noted that the state was building 260 Type-2 primary healthcare centres, adding that the facilities would require reliable supplies of essential medicines to function effectively.

‘We are interested in made-in-Enugu, and that’s what you’re doing here,’ he said, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to partnering with private enterprises beyond providing an enabling environment.

Mbah added that private capital remained central to the state’s economic growth strategy, emphasising the need to retain skilled young people by creating opportunities for them to build their careers in Enugu.

Earlier, Madueke said Anchorage was the practical expression of his longstanding conviction that private enterprise could create jobs, broaden economic opportunities and improve prosperity.

The former Chief of the Naval Staff as well as ex military governor of old Anambra and Imo States said the company would prioritise product quality, patient safety, regulatory compliance and sound corporate governance, while acknowledging the role of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in safeguarding public health.

Madueke expressed confidence that Anchorage would contribute to the development of Enugu State, the South-East and Nigeria, while thanking Mbah for commissioning the facility and building a resilient business-friendly infrastructure.

In his closing remarks, the Managing Director of the company, Engr. Chima Madueke, said the company was founded on quality and wellness, encapsulated in its slogan, ‘Anchored in Quality, Committed to Wellness.’

According to him, the company had obtained the necessary approvals and clearances from NAFDAC and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), reaffirming its commitment to quality assurance.

He added that Anchorage would help tackle fake and substandard medicines in Nigeria, adding that it was open to direct supplies to hospitals, healthcare institutions and pharmacies.

Meanwhile, the commissioning underscores the growing role of private-sector investment in the Mbah administration’s drive to expand Enugu’s economic base, with the governor assuring investors of continued government support to improve the business environment and enhance returns on investment.

The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has dismissed the large number of presidential candidates for the 2027 general elections, saying many of them are content creators and not serious contenders.

Olayinka made the remarks on Thursday while appearing as a guest on TVC’s flagship political programme, Beyond the Headlines.

Speaking on the state of the opposition ahead of 2027, he argued that the presence of 19 presidential candidates did not translate to a competitive race against President Bola Tinubu.

He said only a few of the candidates were running with a genuine intention to win, while others were in the race to stay relevant and create social media content.

‘Stop calling them opposition. Some of these people are not opposing government, they are opposing retirement. Some of them are just content creators,’ Olayinka said.

According to him, politics has become a platform for some individuals to maintain visibility, with elections used to generate online engagement rather than offer alternative ideas.

‘So it is not everybody that contests elections that wants to win. There are people that contest elections just to register their presence,’ he stated.

He said the 2027 contest could not be judged by the number of candidates alone, stressing that President Tinubu remained the candidate to beat based on performance and national spread.

‘In this 2027 election, we have 19 presidential candidates. Can we honestly say all 19 are contesting with the mindset of winning? The answer is no,’ he said.

Olayinka singled out former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for criticism, describing him as a perennial contestant.

‘Atiku has been pursuing Aso Rock for so long that even Google Map must be tired of giving him directions. Maybe his doctors prescribed the presidency to him as a drug he must use,’ he said.

He also said Atiku was the only holder of the title of ‘Contestant General of the Federal Republic’ and that, if presidential ambition were a university course, he would be a professor emeritus.

‘Look at Atiku, Peter Obi, and Rufai; one is looking for the presidency, another is looking for a political miracle, and the third is looking for somebody to interrupt on television,’ he added.

He said the opposition had failed to present a coherent alternative to the Tinubu administration, with campaigns built on sentiments and social media trends rather than verifiable achievements.

Olayinka cited road construction, urban renewal and reforms in the FCT under Minister Nyesom Wike as evidence of the administration’s commitment to development.

He expressed confidence that President Tinubu would secure a second term, saying Nigerians would not repeat what he called the political mistake of 2023.

On the Rainbow Coalition unveiled in the FCT, Olayinka said there was no confusion about its purpose.

He said it was a deliberate effort by the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to unite politicians across party lines in support of President Tinubu’s re-election.

‘There is no confusion about the Rainbow Coalition. It is very clear. It is a coalition of people who love the FCT and who love President Bola Tinubu, irrespective of political party,’ Olayinka said.

He cited Osun and Anambra states as case studies, saying what was happening in the FCT was not strange and was already happening nationally.

He said that in Osun, Governor Ademola Adeleke, a PDP member, was now serving as Osun State Coordinator for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

‘In Osun, you have an Accord governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is coordinating President Tinubu’s campaign. Is there confusion there? No. It is about interest and development,’ he stated.

He said the same logic applied in Anambra, where Governor Chukwuma Soludo, an APGA member, had been named Anambra State Coordinator for the Tinubu campaign.

‘In Anambra, you have Governor Soludo, who is APGA, but he is coordinating for Tinubu. That is exactly what Rainbow Coalition is about. It is about serious leaders putting national interest above party interest,’ he said.

Olayinka recalled that, during an interactive session in Bwari Area Council on Thursday, the FCT APC Chairman, Tanko Yamawo, and the PDP Chairman, Ismaila Dogara, both spoke in support of the coalition.

He assured that the coalition would be replicated in all area councils of the FCT, including AMAC, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji, to ensure total victory for President Tinubu in 2027.