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Niger Delta fishermen and affected coastal communities have rekindled their demand for the immediate release of a $1 billion indemnity fund they claim was paid by an insurance company as compensation for victims of the December 2011 Bonga oil spill.

The fishermen said the prolonged delay in disbursing the fund had deepened economic hardship, unemployment, food insecurity and poverty among artisanal fishermen and coastal communities in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo states.

In a statement signed by community representatives, Omogbemi Jeremiah and Jeje Olamiyeye, and made available to journalists on Friday, the group said the oil spill occurred on December 20, 2011, following a rupture at Shell’s Bonga Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility.

They said the incident resulted in the discharge of about 40,000 barrels of crude oil, estimated at 6.4 million litres, into the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the affected fishermen, fishing was their primary source of livelihood before the incident, but the environmental damage severely disrupted fishing activities and left many families struggling to survive.

They alleged that Britannia Steamship Insurance Association Limited paid the indemnity to provide compensation and relief to communities affected by the spill, but claimed that the money had not been released to the legitimate beneficiaries.

The fishermen said they had petitioned several government agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over the alleged diversion of the fund, but had yet to receive a satisfactory response.

They also said they had written several letters and reminders to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, seeking intervention in the matter.

The group further alleged that the

Federal Government had constituted a 10-member committee to facilitate the disbursement of the fund to the affected communities.

However, they expressed disappointment that despite the committee’s activities, the compensation had yet to reach the victims.

The fishermen appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and direct the immediate release of the fund to the affected communities.

They also called on First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, whom they described as a daughter of the Niger Delta, to intervene and ensure that the affected fishermen receive justice.

The fishermen recalled that Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos had delivered an earlier judgment relating to the Bonga oil spill, adding that Mrs Tinubu, who was then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment, had welcomed the judgment.

They expressed concern that more than a decade after the disaster, the compensation process remained unresolved.

«Your people are suffering. The money meant to restore the livelihoods of the affected fishermen is somewhere, while the people continue to struggle and die in silence,» they said.

The fishermen further alleged that the insurance policy, identified with Certificate Number 0492900, was connected to pollution indemnity involving MT Nothia, with IMO Number 9399480.

They claimed that information allegedly provided by a whistleblower suggested that the fund had been diverted to an undisclosed account.

The group therefore called for a transparent investigation into the whereabouts of the money and urged the Federal Government to ensure that all verified victims receive appropriate compensation.

They said the prolonged delay had compounded the hardship caused by the 2011 oil spill, stressing that affected communities could no longer afford to wait indefinitely.

The fishermen urged the Federal Government to make the release of the indemnity fund a priority and ensure that the process was transparent, accountable and accessible to all legitimate beneficiaries.

They maintained that the release of the fund would provide much-needed relief to thousands of people whose livelihoods were disrupted by the environmental disaster.

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has appointed the Emir of Rano, Ambassador Muhammad Isa Umar, as the Amirul Hajj for the 2027 pilgrimage.

The governor announced the appointment on Friday during his visit to the Rano Emirate, where he witnessed the wedding and turbaning ceremony of the Emir’s first son, Muhammad Abubakar Isa.

The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mustapha Muhammad.

Governor Yusuf said the decision was based on the need to rotate the leadership of the state’s Hajj delegation among the traditional rulers, noting that the Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Dr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, led the delegation for the previous pilgrimage.

‘Next year’s Hajj 2027, the Emir of Rano, Alhaji Ambassador Muhammad Isa Umaru, is going to be the Amirul Hajj,’ the governor confirmed.

The appointment makes the Rano Emir the leader of the Kano State delegation for the 2027 Hajj exercise.

The Emir of Rano, Ambassador Muhammad Isa Umar, and members of the emirate expressed appreciation to Governor Yusuf for the honour and confidence reposed in him.

They pledged to support the state government in ensuring effective coordination and a successful Hajj operation in 2027

Recently, I watched a woman complain bitterly because an Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) official had stopped an Okada rider from parking by the roadside. The woman was angry. According to her, the official did not fear God. He was making transportation harder for ordinary Nigerians and making them take the long route. But the OYRTMA official was simply doing his job.

And this is one of Nigeria’s biggest contradictions. Nigerians like the idea of a working country. We just don’t always like what a working country requires from us.

We want functional hospitals, but we prefer to patronise unregulated ‘chemist’ shops.

We want safe food, but we look away when food is adulterated to increase profit.

We want government agencies to enforce standards, until those standards inconvenience us.

The average Nigerian is driven by a greed that doesn’t allow him to put into perspective the consequences of his action on his nearest neighbour as long as it serves his own interests. And this greed leads us to compromise everything as long as it brings in profit and this is slowly killing us as a nation.

Millions of Nigerians consume store-bought food and farm produce from the market and 95.5% of these items are compromised. From the point of manufacturing, dangerous chemicals are added as fertilisers to farm produce so as to influence supply. The market also does not spare in this compromise chain; dyes are added to palm oil to make it redder, preservatives are injected inside farm produce to make them look fresh even after spending weeks in the coldhouse.

But it is not only about the market seller, brands whose products we sometimes have to pay expensively for in hopes to get quality deliberately hide important nutritional information on products so they aren’t visible enough.

In June 2026, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare disclosed that unsafe food causes nearly 50 million illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths every year in Nigeria.

Compromised food contains bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemical contaminants.

Years of daily consumption lead to higher risk of diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancer.

Our popular Agege bread is perhaps a classic example.

Agege bread remains one of the cheapest and most accessible foods in the country. For many, it is breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Yet studies have repeatedly found evidence of potassium bromate in bread at concentrations above safe despite its prohibition by NAFDAC. Interestingly, potassium bromate is not key to making great bread but manufacturers add it to make low-quality bread feel like high-quality despite it causing a health risk.

But the damage does not always announce itself immediately, it accumulates. Nigeria’s health burden is already enormous. In 2024, cardiovascular disease deaths in Nigeria increased to 235,862.

But the frightening thing is when the hospital is not safe either. At least one in ten medicines is substandard or falsified which can worsen an illness or ultimately lead to death.

But it is not limited to food and drugs, cosmetics, household products and sometimes, even the information consumers need to make safe choices are compromised at grand scales. Cosmetics and household items are infused with chemicals that increase risk of cancer, kidney disease are used in products.

This is what happens when profit is placed above human life.

The question is: What will be the fate of the average if we continue compromising everything for profit?

As of 2023, Nigeria’s life expectancy at birth was 54 years and we keep consuming compromising food and products which might cut it short.

Children under five account for more than 80% of the country’s foodborne disease burden.

That is not a food safety problem. It is a national development problem. We suffer from nutritional deficiency, yet food cost keep increasing without proper regulation of the manufacturing and production process.

Do we have to become forensic scientists before buying soap?

Do we all have to become backyard farmers simply because we no longer trust the food system?

Nigerians should not have to gamble with their life and health to tell an original product from a fake one.

When regulation goes beyond a public announcement, producers know that compromising safety standards will cost them more than they could ever make from cutting corners.

The trader adulterating a product only thinks about his profit. The manufacturer cutting corners only cares about cutting production costs. But like the angry woman mentioned at the beginning of this story who wanted to board an Okada where she wished, millions of individual decisions made in pursuit of personal convenience eventually become a national problem.

We pay for our greed, masked with street smartness with shorter and poorer lives.

What will we feed on when everything kills us slowly?

What will we feed our children when we can’t trust the labels on a product?

Nigeria’s unregulated food, drug and consumer products system is costing a Nigerian per hour. A family man has to quit his job because of a terminal illness that could have been prevented. A child is diagnosed with a disability. A family has to spend more money on healthcare. A young promising youth has lost his life because he got symptoms caused by food poisoning from fake drugs.

We cannot build a future by poisoning the people who are supposed to live in it.

This is how a country kills its future.

A joint investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered an unapproved agency operating within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

TRIBUNE ONLINE gathered the body, styled as the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, established an extensive administrative framework across 20 Nigerian states, three geopolitical zones, and two foreign representative offices without executive authorisation.

Executive Directive and Key Suspects

Following a briefing by ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Aliyu, President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate arrest of the entity’s chief promoter, Hon. Nwabueze George (who also operated under aliases including George Nathan Nwabueze, George Buchi Nwabueze, and Prince George Buchi Nwabueze).

President Tinubu also ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries-M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah-to facilitate ongoing investigations into how the unauthorised group secured office space within the OSGF complex.

Uncovered Organisational Structure

According to details retrieved from the entity’s public portal, the organisation claimed the following leadership and regional network:

National Leadership and Zonal Directors

Executive Director / National Coordinator: Hon. Nwabueze George

Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary (Political and Economic Affairs, OSGF): Dr. Bassey B. Unaowo

Director, National Administration: Dr. Hajara Njidda Amoni

Zonal Director, South-West: Mr. Oladunjoye Musiliua

Zonal Director, North: Hafsat Sahabi Dange

Zonal Director, South-East: Mrs. Ugochi Akudo Nwosu

State Coordinators

Abia: Hon. Mrs. Nwosu Chinyere R.

Anambra: Hon. Chiamaka Nnake

Bauchi: Hon. Farouq Siyi

Benue: Hon. Orduen Andrew Ikon

Delta: Hon. Dr. Godwin Adolor

Kaduna: Hon. Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim

Kano: Hon. Abubakar Ahmad Bichi (Khalifa)

Katsina: Dr. Babangida Kabir Ruma

Kebbi: Hussaini Abdullahi, Esq., FSI

Kogi: Hon. Olorukooba Bidemi

Nasarawa: Hon. Osolafia Muhammed, PhD

Niger: Haj. Zainab Mohammed

Ogun: Hon. Engr. Kehinde Akintonide, FNSE

Ondo: Amb. Orioye G. Benedict

Osun: Hon. Olugbemi Adetola Adelowokan

Oyo: Alhaji Bello Kolawole Ghaffar, FCA

Plateau: Mrs. Salome Audu Bidda

Sokoto: Hon. Ibrahim Umar Aliyu

Taraba: Hon. Justin Aondoaseer Tyopuusu

Zamfara: Hon. Ibrahim Bello Marafa

International Representatives

United States: Hon. Emmanuel Enemali Achema (Country Rep./Coordinator)

China: Hon. Ameh Enedugbojo Glory (Country Rep./Coordinator)

Investigative Findings

Checks on the listed personnel indicate that several individuals held prior public appointments or established political connections in their respective states. However, listing on the group’s portal does not independently confirm active participation or prior knowledge of the entity’s lack of legal authorisation.

Attempts to reach the office via its listed contacts yielded no response, with all phone lines powered off.

The ICPC confirmed that this crackdown forms part of a broader crackdown on fictitious public entities, following prior interventions against unauthorised bodies such as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and the FCT Investment Promotion Agency.

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s refusal to publicly release certain records relating to President Bola Tinubu, arguing that citing ‘danger to lives’ cannot justify withholding potentially disclosable information from public scrutiny.

The FBI had filed a motion seeking permission to submit ex parte and in camera declarations explaining why it withheld some investigative records concerning allegations of drug trafficking involving Tinubu.

In an application dated August 20, the agency told the US District Court for the District of Columbia that it could not publicly disclose all the reasons for withholding certain records, hence its request to make the declarations privately before the court.

Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questioned the FBI’s justification for secrecy, arguing that Nigerians were already bearing the consequences of the government’s economic policies.

‘The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives. Which lives? Nigerians are already dying,’ he said.

Atiku linked the hardship to the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy had triggered increases in transportation costs, food prices and production expenses while putting pressure on jobs and household incomes.

‘Fuel affects transportation. Transportation affects food prices. Energy affects production. Production affects jobs. All of them determine whether an ordinary Nigerian family can survive until the end of the month,’ he said.

The former Vice President also reiterated his pledge to reverse the fuel subsidy removal if elected, describing his proposed approach as one that would be accountable and protected against abuse.

On the FBI records, Atiku said he was not demanding the release of sensitive information that could compromise investigations, including the identities of undercover agents, confidential sources or investigative techniques.

‘Protect your agents. Protect your sources. Protect legitimate investigative methods. Redact whatever American law genuinely requires you to redact. But do not stretch those protections until they become a bulletproof vest for Tinubu,’ he said.

Atiku described his position as a democratic appeal rather than an attempt to interfere in Nigeria’s internal affairs, insisting that Nigerians had a right to know the background and character of the person leading the country.

The question ‘Who should teach the child sex education?’ is intriguing and necessary in our time, especially now that society is exposing children to uncontrolled sexual content in the streets, on television, and on the internet. In some cultures and homes, the matter is treated like taboo. In other scenarios, it is treated like a frivolous matter. Should the father, the mother, the schoolteacher or religious houses be the ones to spearhead this kind of special education? OLUWAFEMILOYE OLADEJI sampled the opinions of some people on this matter. Their views:

Bunmi Okokon

The mother should be the one to take up such responsibility. The mother is the closest to the child, and always at home. Sex education should be mainly focused on the girl. The mother knows the daughter well and can teach her chastity. For the son, it should be taught by both parents.

Ojo Abiola

Everyone should teach the child. Although the father is not always available, the mother can always teach the child. In cases where the mother cannot be available due to work, the church and the school should teach the child. The child should always hear it everywhere. That way, they are more conscious. Besides, as long as sex education is concerned, the child can be freer to learn about it in church or at school than at home.

Dorcas Ogundokun

It should be the mother because she is the best friend of the child. She knows 80 per cent of the child’s character. Although a few fathers are available, the mother remains the best person to teach a child sex education. Also, it should be something taught from home, not learnt from third parties.

Folorunsho Oluwatimileyin

The mother is the one who can teach a child sex education. She can be vulnerable enough with the child and let him or her be more aware. Although the father can try, the mother is the one in the best position to do so.

Oladipupo Olonade

It should be a general thing. We are in the era of social media, and the child should be properly sensitised. Majorly, the mother is closer to the children than the father. So, children tend to confide more in their mothers, unless in rare cases. In churches as well, sex education should be taught. Keeping immorality in check is part of the church’s duty. Schools should also include sex education in their curriculum.

Mary Iyiola

It should be the mother. The mother is attentive, and likewise, her experiences will help her to teach her children in the right way.

Mrs Odekunle

Everyone should be involved, but mothers specifically, because children are more drawn to their mothers.

Thomas Olumogba

I do not think the responsibility should rest on only one institution. The primary responsibility belongs to the parents – the father and the mother. The school has a supporting role to play by providing age-appropriate biological and health education, while the church should provide moral and biblical guidance regarding sexuality, purity, identity, and God’s design for sex and marriage. The healthiest outcome is when all three work together, with parents leading the conversation.

Asatola Victor

I feel it should be dependent on the gender of the child. If it is a female, the mother should teach her. If it is a male, the father should take up the responsibility.

Samuel Ayo-Olakojo

I do not want anyone to teach my children sex education before I do. Whatever any system or anyone else teaches my children as sex education will be received by them based on my already established, well-taught teaching about the subject. Both parents are of different genders, and they know better how their body does and operate. Thus, both should teach the child about it. The man teaches his female child how men feel when certain things catch their eye, how they respond to certain things and conversations, etc., and also teaches his male child how to react to some things and some feelings, etc.

Indigenes of the South-South states resident in Kogi State have reaffirmed their total support for Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a press release signed by Kingsley Oshilime, the Forum’s Acting Secretary, issued on Saturday, the group expressed appreciation to Governor Ododo for the warm reception accorded them during an audience at the Banquet Hall of the Kogi State Government House, Lokoja.

The South-South community in Kogi, comprising people from Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, described the Governor as ‘a perpetual promise keeper’ and a true friend of the South-South people.

‘Your Excellency has once again proven that you are a leader who walks the talk. Your open door and fatherly disposition to the people of South-South extraction in Kogi State show that you are truly a friend indeed,’ the statement read.

The group recalled the conferment of the traditional title of ‘Oshio’ on Governor Ododo by South-South stakeholders, noting that the honour was deliberate and well-deserved.

‘That title was not by accident. It was to recognize a man who has demonstrated uncommon commitment to unity, inclusion and development. You have justified the confidence reposed in you,’ the group stated.

Reiterating their political stand, the South-Southerners declared that ahead of 2027, they have no alternative but the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its leaders.

‘Come 2027, the people of South-South States resident in Kogi State have only one option: APC, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo. We are solidly behind you,’ the statement added.

The group further assured the Governor of their unwavering loyalty, saying: ‘Come rain, come shine, wherever you turn, the South-South community in Kogi State will stand with you. We will continue to mobilize massively for peace, unity and the success of your administration.’

They pledged to remain ambassadors of peace and to support policies that promote harmony among all ethnic groups in the state.

Three persons have been arrested for allegedly creating illegal U-turns along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and collecting money from motorists who used the unauthorised openings.

The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Engr. Olufemi Dare, disclosed this while representing the Minister of Works, David Umahi, at a joint press briefing with the Lagos State Police Command in Lagos.

Dare said the three suspects were among 12 people arrested over alleged vandalism and other unauthorised activities along the coastal highway.

According to him, nine suspects were arrested in connection with alleged vandalism of infrastructure, while the remaining three were apprehended for allegedly creating illegal U-turns and collecting money from motorists.

He said five of the suspects had already been charged to court, while investigations were ongoing into the others to identify the wider network allegedly involved in receiving and disposing of stolen government property.

Dare said the authorities were determined to trace those receiving vandalised infrastructure materials, stressing that efforts to curb the destruction of public facilities would not stop at the arrest of those allegedly removing them.

He also warned motorists and other road users against engaging in activities prohibited along the Coastal Road, including the use of tricycles and bicycles.

According to him, trailers are also prohibited from parking on the highway, which he described as a major route connecting Lagos with Calabar.

He added that the rearing of goats, sheep and cattle, as well as the presence of destitutes, was not permitted along the road.

Dare further advised motorists whose vehicles break down on the Coastal Road to contact the police or road safety officials for assistance, warning that vehicles abandoned on the highway would be towed away.

He said, ‘We have another three, three of them here that created illegal U-turns on the Coastal Road. They were like collecting money. They give U-turns to people and then they collect money from them.

‘All of this is not tolerated on the Coastal Road. And let me use this medium also to announce to Lagosians and Nigerians. We don’t want trailers to park on Coastal Road.

‘Coastal Road is not a trailer park. It is a superhighway. You enter it from Eko Atlantic and you go straight to Calabar.

‘If you are dropping in Ogun State, you stop. You are dropping in Akwa-Ibom, you are dropping in all directions qthe nine states that this road is going to pass. So there’s no keke on the Coastal Road.

‘It’s very, very important. If you drive bicycle, if you drive tricycles, you will be arrested. You will be arrested and it will be confiscated and you will never see it again.

‘Destitutes, we don’t want them on Coastal Road. Rearing of animals, rearing of goats and sheep and cows is banned on Coastal Road. These are all that we don’t want.

‘If your vehicle breaks down, call on the police. They can easily help us. We have road safety there that will help you.

‘But if you leave it there, that vehicle will be towed away.’

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has assured that the state will deliver massive votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Aiyedatiwa gave the assurance on Friday when he received the leadership of the Ondo State chapter of the City Boy Movement, a pro-Tinubu group, at the Governor’s Office in Akure.

The delegation, led by the state coordinators of the movement, Mr Oluwafemi Ayejusunle and Hon. Tomide Akinribido, briefed the governor on the activities, structure and grassroots mobilisation efforts of the group ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group also sought the governor’s support and collaboration with the state government in carrying out its activities across the state.

Aiyedatiwa commended the group for its commitment to the ideals of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its advocacy for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the state had declared its support for the President’s re-election through his proclamation, ‘Ondo for Tinubu 2027’, adding that the government would deploy its machinery towards mobilising support for the President.

According to him, the achievements of his administration in infrastructure, job creation, youth employment and empowerment programmes would provide a strong basis for mobilising the people to support Tinubu in 2027.

‘Our people are seeing and feeling the impact of good governance. From road projects to health, education and empowerment, we are building a foundation that makes it easy to sell the Renewed Hope message in Ondo State.

‘Every action we take that impacts the people positively is a vote for the President. Every one of the 6,000 jobs we have created is a vote for the President. Every road we build attracts votes for the President.

‘Every political appointment we make has multiplier effects that translate to more votes for the President. The President’s vision aligns with what we are doing here, and our people will reward that with their votes in 2027,’ he said.

The governor assured the City Boy Movement of his administration’s support, saying all groups working for the re-election of Tinubu in the state would be carried along and given the necessary backing to achieve their objectives.

Earlier, Ayejusunle commended the governor for what he described as his exemplary leadership and alignment of Ondo State with the progressive agenda of the President.

He said the movement would intensify grassroots sensitisation and mobilisation across the state to ensure victory for Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 elections.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti; and Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr Abiola Olawoye.