With 23 Nigerian lawmakers preparing for another costly foreign training trip in two weeks, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Director-General, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, is urging a rethink: Why keep flying our leaders abroad when Africa can be its own classroom? Speaking at an ECOWAS Parliament workshop in Abuja, Sulaiman dismissed the value of many overseas programmes, arguing that Ivy League and European courses often ignore Africa’s real governance challenges. “We have the expertise, the facilities, and the resources here,” he said, warning that the coming trip will drain a hefty—but undisclosed—sum from public coffers. Instead of exporting…
Author: National Update
***Urges him to drop the Passport, Pick Up the Problems Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has launched a stinging attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing him of treating Nigeria like a layover stop while the country faces deepening crises. In a fiery post on X titled “Again, Our President Moves as the Nation Bleeds,” Obi slammed Tinubu’s decision to embark on a 12-day, two-nation trip—his latest journey pushing his tally to over 200 days abroad in just 806 days in office. The President’s itinerary takes him from Abuja to Dubai, then Japan for the TICAD9 summit (August…
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged a show of force in Jigawa State on Wednesday as a massive crowd welcomed its campaign train for Saturday’s Babura/Garki Federal Constituency by-election. Party leaders, including 2023 governorship candidate Mustapha Sule Lamido, State Chairman Babandi Ibrahim, Senator Mustapha Khabeeb, and other chieftains, stormed Babura to present the party flag to PDP candidate Alhaji Auwalu Isah Manzo. The campaign tour passed through several villages before culminating in a rally where Lamido urged voters to translate their enthusiasm into decisive votes. He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plunging Jigawa…
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja The Federal University Lokoja (FUL) has attracted nearly 2,000 applicants for just 350 vacancies in its ongoing recruitment drive, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi revealed on Thursday. Speaking to journalists in Lokoja, Akinwumi said the recruitment, approved by the Federal Ministry of Education’s budget office, covers both academic (253 slots) and non-academic (89 slots) positions. Academic roles include 45 Professors, 14 Readers, 60 Senior Lecturers, and other teaching cadres, while non-academic openings span technologists, administrative officers, medical personnel, and support staff. He stressed that the process is open and transparent, with no shortlist prepared to avoid bias.…
***Former President warns public to beware of impostor profile Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disowned an Instagram account operating in his name, warning that it is the work of fraudsters. In a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan said he does not own or operate any Instagram account. The fake handle, goodluck_ebelejonathan, has been posting content—some copied from his verified Facebook page—while falsely claiming to represent him. “Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account… pretending to represent the former President,” the statement read. “Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account. The…
The Federal Government has announced a renewed economic strategy aimed at stabilising the macroeconomic environment, driving private sector-led investment, and improving public services. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, said the plan focuses on two key goals: creating a stable environment for private sector growth and boosting government savings for investment in education, health, and infrastructure. Director of Information and Public Relations, Muhammed Manga in a statement quoted Edun thus, “Our task is to deliver tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians through more and better-paying jobs, alongside improved public services,” Edun stated. Nigeria’s…
The management of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police Force a seven-day ultimatum to issue a public apology and pay ₦3.5 billion in damages over a recent raid on its premises. Addressing journalists on Wednesday, OOPL Managing Director, Vitalis Ortese, condemned the August 9–10 operation, describing it as an invasion that left over 100 patrons brutalised, vehicles seized, and business activities within the complex disrupted. He said tourism and investment operations at the facility had been severely affected. Ortese revealed that security personnel recovered 12 expended…
***Blocks Ex-Chieftain’s Asylum Bid A Canadian Federal Court has delivered a landmark judgment branding Nigeria’s two dominant political parties the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organisations under international law, while rejecting an asylum plea from a former insider. Justice Phuong Ngo upheld an earlier Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) decision that found Douglas Egharevba inadmissible to Canada over his decade-long membership in both parties, ruling that affiliation alone — even without direct involvement in violence — meets Canada’s threshold for links to terrorism and subversion of democracy. Egharevba, a PDP founding member in 1999…
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse Jigawa State is doubling down on its investment in young people, pledging fresh resources and initiatives to shape them into competent leaders and catalysts for economic reform. Governor Malam Umar Namadi made the pledge at the 2025 International Youth Day celebration in Dutse, telling a packed Banquet Hall at the Government House that the future of both the state and the nation depends on the energy, creativity, and leadership of its youth. “Our commitment is evident in our 12-Point Agenda, which prioritizes youth development through massive investments in education, skills training, empowerment, and mentorship over the…
By Fred Itua When the chronicles of Edo’s educational history are written, the chapter on Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, under Governor Monday Okpebholo will stand as a masterclass in purposeful leadership. In less than a year, a once-prestigious institution teetering on the brink of collapse has been pulled back from academic oblivion and set on a trajectory towards a new golden era. The state of affairs when Governor Okpebholo assumed office in November 2024 was nothing short of dire. Years of neglect had reduced monthly funding to a paltry ₦41 million, accreditation for core programmes had been lost, scores…