By Chief Peter Ameh, Former National Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and 2019 Presidential Candidate Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its journey to assert itself as a key player on the global stage. As a nation endowed with vast human and natural resources, our ability to project influence, attract investment, and forge strategic partnerships is fundamentally tied to the strength of our foreign policy and the institutions that support it. Unfortunately, the 2025 Federal Budget’s allocation of just ₦353.77 billion—roughly $221.1 million USD at the prevailing black-market exchange rate of ₦1,600 to $1—to the Ministry…
Author: National Update
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited is considering selling off the country’s state-owned refineries after years of expensive but largely unproductive rehabilitation efforts. Despite a $3 billion investment approved between 2021 and 2023, the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna continue to underperform or remain non-operational. Speaking at the OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, said the company is now reviewing its refining strategy and may take a new path focused on efficiency and private sector participation. The review is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Ojulari described the…
Nigeria has reaffirmed its leadership role in Africa by championing sustainable financing within the African Union (AU), as the Union records marked improvement in member-state contributions to its 2025 Regular Budget. Speaking at the 47th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council held at the Sipopo Conference Centre, Malabo, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, presented the Report of the Joint Sitting of the Ministerial Committee on Scale of Assessment and the Committee of Fifteen Ministers of Finance (F15). Represented by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Mr. Edun disclosed…
Labour Party (LP) national leader and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has declared Dr. George Moghalu as the best candidate to govern Anambra State, urging citizens to rally behind him ahead of the November election. Obi, who led other top party leaders to the official campaign flag-off in Onitsha on Friday, said Moghalu possesses the right temperament, experience, and compassion to lead the state effectively. “Dr. Moghalu is well-prepared for governance. He understands the needs of the people and will not fail them,” Obi said, addressing a crowd of party supporters. “Governance is about compassion, about caring for the petty…
By Muhammed Danjuma Ogwu, Lafia A bandit attack in the Kadarko community of Keana Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, has left one civilian dead and a police inspector injured following a foiled ambush on a night patrol team. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Nasarawa State Command, SP Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Friday and made available to journalists in Lafia. According to the statement, the assailants—believed to be armed bandits—laid an ambush along the Kadarko Road, a volatile border corridor between Nasarawa and Benue States. The attackers reportedly opened fire on police…
In a rare show of moral force and legislative clarity, the Nigerian Senate on Thursday took decisive action on two deeply troubling cases—one involving the tragic death of a toddler during a botched NDLEA raid, the other a betrayal of national trust by a top WAEC official. The chamber heard the haunting details of two-year-old Onosereba Omhonria, killed by a stray bullet on July 13, 2023, during an anti-drug operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Okpanam, Delta State. His younger brother, infant Eromonsele, survived but was left with severe facial injuries that now threaten his sight.…
A Certified True Copy (CTC) of the July 4, 2025, judgment of the Federal High Court has cleared the air on the scope of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s contempt punishment—confirming that the embattled lawmaker is to apologise to the court, not to the Senate. The clarification comes amid growing controversy following her suspension from the Senate and conflicting public statements suggesting that she was required to apologise to the National Assembly as a condition for reinstatement. Justice Binta Nyako, in her ruling delivered in Abuja, found the senator guilty of contempt over a satirical Facebook post deemed to have violated an…
In a fiery showdown between judiciary power and political defiance, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken the battle to the Court of Appeal, challenging a ₦5 million contempt ruling handed down by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The senator, who represents Kogi Central, was convicted of contempt over a satirical Facebook post referencing sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a respondent in her pending suit. Justice Nyako ruled that the post breached a gag order and directed Natasha to pay the hefty fine and issue a public apology in two national dailies and on her…
By: Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse The Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bulangu State Assembly Constituency, Jigawa State, Mr. Abubakar Gossima, has been arrested by police operatives for allegedly making a disparaging comment on social media against a fellow party member and House of Representatives aspirant, Alhaji Aliyu Suleiman. Sources disclosed that Mr. Gossima was picked up along the Bulangu–Kafin Hausa highway while returning from Kafin Hausa Town. The arrest was reportedly carried out by officers from the Special Investigation Unit, Abuja, who intercepted the commercial vehicle he was traveling in and singled him out. A close associate…
By: Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse The Chairman of Salem Schools Group, Chief Ojo O. Flex, has called for the reintroduction of Guidance and Counseling units in both public and private schools to help harness and develop the potential of children from an early age. Speaking to National Update during the Salem Schools Career Day held at Takur Aduwa in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, Chief Ojo stressed the urgent need to bring back professional counseling structures within schools. He said this would support students in identifying and pursuing future career paths based on their talents and interests. He explained that the…