Author: Farouk Abbas

GOVERNOR Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has outlined reforms undertaken in the state’s healthcare sector, with a focus on strengthening primary healthcare delivery since assuming office in 2019. The governor spoke as a panellist alongside Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates at the 2025 Goalkeepers event hosted by the Gates Foundation in Lagos on Wednesday. Yahaya highlighted increased immunisation coverage, wider access to care, and improved infrastructure as key markers of progress. “Today, immunisation coverage has improved to around 50 percent, and access to primary healthcare has risen to between 40 and 45 percent. In addition, we now have the required infrastructure…

FORMER Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has disclosed why he made Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, his Chief of Staff, during his time as Governor of Rivers State. Amaechi said he appointed Wike his Chief of Staff instead of Commissioner for Finance so he could monitor him closely. Earlier, Wike had dismissed Amaechi’s remark, “We’re all hungry”, made during his 60th birthday celebration last week, claiming the former Rivers governor is not hungry for food, but for political relevance. But Amaechi also disputed Wike’s imputation that he was instrumental to him (Amaechi) becoming governor, stressing that…

THE Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, on Tuesday, cleared the air that no water release from Kainji and Jebba Dams caused the flooding and deaths in Mokwa, Niger State. Utsev made the statement during a press conference held in Abuja on Tuesday where he said the cause was basically by lack of adherence by people in the state to flood warnings. He said, “The Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation extends its heartfelt sympathy and solidarity to the government and the good people of Niger State, especially the affected communities in Mokwa, who have experienced losses,…

BANDITS have released Yakubu Dada, who was abducted alongside his youngest wife, Lami, along Kontagora Road in Niger State on October 31, 2024. Dada was reportedly freed on Monday, June 2, 2025, after his family paid an additional N20 million ransom, bringing the total amount paid to N30 million. The kidnappers had initially collected N10 million in November 2024 but later demanded an additional N20 million and four Bajaj motorcycles, threatening to kill Dada if their demands were not met. Tragically, in early May, the bandits killed his wife, Lami, to pressure the family. This newspaper reported that Yakubu Dada,…

Directs NMDPRA To Remit To FERMA THE Ad-hoc Committee constituted by the Nigerian House of Representatives on Monday, began an investigative public hearing on the implementation and remittance of the 5% user’s charge on pump price of Petrol and Diesel. The FERMA Act, 2007 provides for a 5% user’s charge on the pump price of petrol, diesel and of which 40% will accrue to FERMA and 60% to be utilized by the established State Roads Maintenance Agencies. The Ad-hoc Committee had earlier invited the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and other stakeholders…

THE Federal Government has warned Abuja automobile dealer, popularly known as Alamin Sarkinmota, against taunting civil servants in the country about their inability to acquire most of the cars he put up for sale in his advert videos. This was disclosed by the National Orientation Agency in a letter signed by its Director-General, Lanre Issa-Onilu, on Monday. According to Onilu, the agency is not pleased with the recent advert put up by Sarkin-Mola in a video to promote a Mercedes Benz 2023 C300 with Artificial Intelligence functionalities, where he asked the question “Can civil servants afford you?” and the AI…

SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has advised second-term governors to be circumspect in selecting their successors. According to the Senate president, governors who settle for successors simply because they kneel before them might be setting themselves up for betrayal when they finally leave office. The former Akwa Ibom governor stated this on Saturday at the commissioning of the first 30 kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in the Lekki area of Lagos. Akpabio stressed the place of vision in leadership, urging second-term governors, especially those in the All Progressives Congress (APC), to prioritise visionary leadership over patronising loyalty. The event was…

AT least 150 million Nigerians have been affected by insecurity, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said on Friday. Ribadu disclosed this in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Counter Terrorism Centre and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. The agreement aims to promote agribusiness and livelihood empowerment for communities impacted by terrorism and violent extremism. Ribadu said insecurity had had a devastating impact on agriculture, which remains the primary occupation for most Nigerians. He said, “Insecurity is the biggest problem we are facing in all sectors but the biggest victim of insecurity is…

TROOPS of Operation Hadin Kai have killed 60 insurgents in a fierce overnight encounter in the Bita area of Borno State. The Nigerian Army, in a statement on Friday, described the operation as “decisive and coordinated”. It said the attack started around 1:09 am on Friday when the insurgents assaulted troops of the 26 Task Force Brigade, noting that a land and air assault obliterated the terrorists. “In a decisive and coordinated operation, gallant troops of Operation Hadin Kai launched a simultaneous land and air assault on terrorist positions in Bita, Borno State, in the early hours of today,” the…

AS President Bola Tinubu celebrates his second year in office, a report by Amnesty International Nigeria seems to cast a shadow on celebrations, as it shows that at least 10,217 people have been killed since he assumed office in 2023. The human rights organisation stated that the deaths were caused by attacks from gunmen, bandits and other armed groups, with Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara affected. It said Benue State accounts for the highest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau State, where 2,630 people were killed. The organisation said the failure of the Nigerian government to…

ONE hundred thousand serving and former councillors of the All Progressive Congress (APC) under the umbrella of the National Progressive Councilors’ Forum (NPCF) are billed to gather in Abuja to endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the Forum’s National Convention scheduled to take place in July this year. This is disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the National Organising Secretry of the Forum, Rt. Hon. Waziri Umar, to “affirm loyalty to Mr. President of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu and endorse him to continue in 2027.” The statement reads, “The National Progressive Councilors’ Forum (NPCF) wish…

MEMBERS of staff of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin have rejected the purported reappointment of Mr ISSA Aremu as Director-General of the premier labour institute citing serious alleged financial misappropriation, neglect of staff welfare, verbal abuse, and flagrant abuse of public service rules. Leaders of the three in-house unions comprising of the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), Senior Staff Association of Universities,Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRAI), and the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) made this appeal during a joint action meeting to update their members on…

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, and transport minister for the two terms of his administration on the attainment of the milestone of 60 years. The former president described Governor Amaechi as a “golden fish,” an asset to his administration. Buhari in a statement by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, was quoted as saying: “Amaechi shared with me the aspiration of strengthening infrastructure, bridging the nation’s long-delayed gaps through the railway, a vital component, leading to its revival from a comatose state, completion of abandoned projects, turning them into major transit hubs,…

THE Nigerian Army (NA) said it detained a senior female soldier, Corporal Amina Maidoki, following allegations of theft and misconduct. In a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lt-Col Appolonia Anele, the Army said Maidoki has since been subjected to investigation in connection with “allegations of conduct inconsistent with the core values of the Nigerian Army, including but not limited to the allegation of theft”. “As a professional military institution, the NA is guided by extant provisions of the Armed Forces Act (Cap A20 LFN 2004), internal regulations, and the highest standards of military ethics. Consequently,…

SENATOR Orji Kalu representing Abia North Senatorial District has dismissed suggestions that the growing endorsements for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid stem from concerns over opposition alliances. Addressing Senate correspondents before plenary on Tuesday, Kalu maintained that the wave of support for the President is a direct result of his performance and policy direction, not political anxiety. “The APC is not afraid of any opposition coalition. We are the ruling party and we love Nigeria. That is why many of us are investing in industries across the country to create jobs beyond government efforts,” he said. The former Senate…

THE Nigeria Police Force has commenced investigation into the explosion that rocked the outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) along the Mararaba-Nyanya Bypass, on Monday. Confirming the incident, the FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the Police command received a distress report on May 26, 2025 at approximately 2:50pm, regarding an explosion along the bypass. “Upon receipt of the report, officers of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit were immediately deployed to the scene. The affected area was swiftly cordoned off for clearance and analysis to ensure the safety of commuters and residents,” SP Adeh said. Adeh added…

THE Wole Adesina-led Social Democratic Party (SDP) has firmly declared that the party is neither for sale nor lease to any political coalition or movement. In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Alfa Mohammed, stressed that the SDP would not be used as a platform for launching attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or to promote any coalition that lacks a credible alternative agenda for Nigeria’s transformation. “The SDP National Executive Committee unequivocally states that the party is not for sale or lease to any group, and will not be part of any…

A GROUP of heavily armed kidnappers have invaded Grow Homes Estate in the Chikakore area of Kubwa, Abuja’s largest suburban town, holding residents hostage for over an hour. According to terrified residents, the incident occurred between 12am and 1:30am early Monday morning. One of the residents said he witnessed a man and a woman being taken away by the kidnappers. However, by daybreak, the woman was found within the estate, having been released by her captors for reasons that remain unclear. At the time of filing this report, the exact number of abducted victims is still unknown. “The incident happened…

A HIGH-LEVEL coalition meeting involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and others descended into chaos as delegates from Jigawa State disrupted the proceedings. The ongoing coalition meeting at the Abuja Continental Hotel, organised by the National Political Consultative Group (North), was briefly disrupted following a disagreement over representation for Jigawa State. Tensions rose when former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, announced a delegate to speak for the state. In protest, several Jigawa delegates stormed the stage, blocking the individual from speaking and insisting they would not…

THE Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has issued a warning to Nigerians to be wary of crooks and fraudsters exploiting the recent takeover of the 753-unit housing estate linked to former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. The Ministry clarified that no process has yet begun for the sale of the estate, and anyone claiming otherwise is a scammer. In a Saturday press statement titled “Confiscated 753-Unit Housing Estate Not on Sale Yet, Beware of Scammers”, signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Badamasi Haiba, the Ministry stated on X: “The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development…