***Applauds Unity for National Progress By Fatima Ndagi Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has called on Northern political leaders to rally behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid, describing him as a unifying figure with a proven commitment to inclusive national development. Speaking at the 2025 Dialogue Session of the Northern Caucus of the National Forum of Former Legislators, held Thursday in Abuja, Gbajabiamila urged the group to throw its full weight behind Tinubu’s leadership and vision. He emphasized that Nigeria’s future depends on unity, political stability,…
Author: National Update
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Niger State has announced full readiness for the conduct of a bye-election to fill the vacant seat in the Niger State House of Assembly. The election follows the passing of Mr. Joseph Haruna Sduza, the member representing Munya Constituency, who died after a brief illness in September last year. Until his death, Sduza, a retired Air Force officer, served as Chairman of the House Committee on Security and Intelligence. Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at INEC’s state headquarters in Minna, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Ahmed Yushau Garki, confirmed that political parties had…
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State has dismissed reports alleging that Governor Umar Namadi spent ₦1.8 billion on luxury cars for himself, describing the story as false, misleading, and politically motivated. In a statement signed by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Bashir Kundu, and made available to National Update in Dutse, the party said Governor Namadi remains committed to development and has not purchased any new luxury vehicles for personal use. “Governor Namadi is not buying luxury cars. He is focused on transforming Jigawa State through massive development projects,” the statement read. “The report…
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja Kogi State Polytechnic has confirmed the arrest of one Abdulaziz Yusuf Okadigbo, who allegedly used the institution’s name and logo to fraudulently solicit funds from international bodies and corporate organizations. In a statement issued Thursday in Lokoja, the institution’s Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Uredo Omale, said Okadigbo had been impersonating the Polytechnic through a fictitious outfit called the Environmental Resource Information Centre (ERIC)—a non-existent body allegedly created to deceive organizations. According to Omale, Okadigbo, along with an accomplice believed to be an insider, had reached out to prominent institutions like Dangote Cement, as well…
Hope is rising along the Abuja–Lokoja corridor as Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rekindling long-lost momentum on one of Nigeria’s most strategic highways. Speaking during an impromptu stop at the project site in Koton-Karfe, Governor Ododo described the ongoing reconstruction as a defining moment in Nigeria’s push for infrastructure renewal and national unity. “This is no longer a forgotten road. Under President Tinubu, it has become a path to progress,” the Governor said. “This is what the Renewed Hope Agenda looks like when it’s alive and working.” Governor Ododo hailed the…
The horror in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, has shaken the nation. More than 35 innocent Nigerians were murdered—after their families paid ransoms in desperate hope of securing their freedom. Now, the Northern Senators Forum is demanding answers—and action. In a solemn but blistering statement issued Wednesday, Forum Chairman Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua described the attack as “an unforgivable tragedy and a national shame.” “This is not just another statistic. These were human beings—fathers, mothers, children—slaughtered after pleading for their lives. That cannot become our normal.” The Forum offered heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and the people of Zamfara, but…
By John Akubo In the often theatrical world of Nigerian politics, Senator Jibrin Isah, fondly known as Echocho, is a paradox. Not given to propaganda or flamboyance, he remains an enigma to many, quietly defining a new era of leadership—one grounded in substance over showmanship. While others shout promises from campaign stages, Echocho builds quietly, persistently, and purposefully. His political journey—from a celebrated banking career to a heartbreaking betrayal in his 2011 governorship bid, and now as one of the most impactful legislators in the red chamber—paints the portrait of a man defined not by victories alone, but by unwavering…
By Fatima Ndagi Faced with rising youth unemployment and a widening skills gap, the House of Representatives is taking bold legislative steps to reposition technical education as a gateway to job creation and economic self-reliance. At a public hearing held in Abuja on Wednesday, lawmakers rallied behind three key bills that aim to establish specialized technical and vocational institutions across Nigeria. The goal: to equip the country’s teeming youth population with hands-on skills and entrepreneurial tools for the 21st-century economy. Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda (APC–Lagos), described the effort…
A storm is gathering within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and it is not from the opposition. It is from within. Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a founding member and outspoken chieftain of the party, has unleashed a searing critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent political maneuvers, warning that they reflect a growing desperation to cling to power ahead of the 2027 general elections. At the heart of the controversy is the appointment of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, a former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official, as the new APC National Chairman — a move Eze describes as a “prelude…
The Edo State Judiciary has declared unwavering support for Governor Monday Okpebholo’s security agenda, commending his bold legislative steps and pledging judicial cooperation to tackle cultism, kidnapping, and rising insecurity across the state. The declaration came during a courtesy visit by the Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa, accompanied by a high-powered delegation of judges and legal practitioners, to the Governor at the Government House, Benin City. Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Fred Itua in a statement quoted Justice Okungbowa to have praised the Governor’s recent enactment of laws targeting cultism and kidnapping, describing…