In a moment of striking candour, the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Professor Tukur Mohammed-Baba, has said what many Nigerians have only whispered: electing Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2015 was a national blunder. Appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show, the professor pulled no punches. With the kind of bluntness rarely heard from Northern elders, he declared that Nigerians were taken in by Buhari’s almost messianic appeal — only to be left with disappointment and disillusionment. “It was a monumental mistake. We were deceived by his cult-like followership. But in the end, what did we get?…
Author: National Update
In a moment of historic pride and strategic opportunity, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday expressed delight in the election of the Nigeria’s Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi as the Chairman of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council, marking a global milestone in trade and customs leadership. The upper legislative chamber applauded the move as a diplomatic breakthrough with Nigeria now providing leadership for 186 countries on global customs policy. It also described the feat as a “transformational moment,” crediting Nigeria’s digital reforms, anti-smuggling efforts, and improved revenue performance adding that under Adeniyi, the NCS has consistently beaten revenue…
***Lawmakers demand crackdown, accountability, justice after CBEX collapse wipes out life savings The Nigerian Senate has declared an all-out war on Ponzi schemes and digital investment scams, following the catastrophic collapse of CBEX, a controversial investment platform that reportedly swindled Nigerians out of over N1.3 trillion. In a tense and emotionally charged session on Tuesday, lawmakers described the situation as a national crisis, comparing the unchecked rise of fraudulent schemes to an economic plague crippling the most vulnerable citizens. “This is not just fraud—it’s economic terrorism,” thundered Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), who led the motion. “It’s sending people to…
Kogi State is taking bold steps to overhaul its pension system with a planned migration from the Defined Benefits Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), set for full implementation in 2025, according to the State Pension Commission (PENCOM). The Director General of PENCOM, Hajia Mariam Abedo, disclosed the development during a strategic engagement with Ismail Isah, Special Adviser on Media to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, at the Commission’s headquarters in Lokoja. Abedo said the Commission has already launched the pre-implementation phase, which includes staff data collation and registration with Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), laying the groundwork for a seamless…
By Augustine Eigbe, Ph.D The Nigerian political ecosystem is structurally distorted by the vicious synergy of sycophancy, clientelism, neo-patrimonialism, and paternalism, institutionalising a predatory cycle of misgovernance. This toxic combination has created a political culture where power is maintained not through democratic ideals or meritocratic principles, but through intricate networks of blind loyalty, patronage, and patriarchal control. At both federal and sub-national levels, this system manifests in governance patterns that prioritise personal allegiance over public good, political survival over national development, and paternalistic control over genuine democratic participation. The culture of sycophancy remains the grease that keeps the country’s political…
Barely one month into a whirlwind infrastructure push, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is drawing praise from an influential coalition of digital media leaders for what they call a “bold, unapologetic transformation” of Nigeria’s capital. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Network of Digital Newspaper Editors (NDNE) described Wike’s performance as “a masterclass in urgency and execution,” pointing to the commissioning of 17 landmark projects in 30 days — including roads, bridges, community linkways, and the newly completed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, a modern architectural marvel already redefining Abuja’s skyline. “The speed and scale…
Hon. Julius Adamu, former Speaker of the Bwari Legislative Arm, has officially received the Certificate of Return as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairmanship candidate for the 2026 Bwari Area Council election, promising inclusive leadership, party unity, and continuity of development strides. Adamu emerged from a keenly contested primary held on June 23 at Bwari Town Hall, where he secured 19 of 30 accredited votes, defeating five other aspirants in what party leaders described as a free, fair, and transparent process. The certificate was presented to him on Tuesday at the PDP FCT Secretariat, Wuse Zone 4, by the party’s…
Two of Nigeria’s most formidable forces in the oil and gas industry, Chief Uju Ifejika and Mrs. Winifred Akpani, are set to headline the Indigenous Oil & Gas Investors Summit, taking place July 23–24, 2025, at the Bickley Park Waterfront Hotel in Lekki, Lagos. Themed “Local Vision, Global Impact: The Future of Oil and Gas Investment in Nigeria,” the summit will convene stakeholders, investors, and policymakers to explore pathways for sustainable indigenous participation in Nigeria’s energy sector. Ifejika, Chairperson/CEO of Brittania-U Nigeria Limited, and Akpani, Managing Director of Northwest Petroleum & Gas Company Limited, will co-lead a keynote session titled…
Sixty-five years after its establishment, the Nigerian Army still cannot manufacture its own weapons—and the consequences are becoming harder to ignore. That was the sobering message from Major General Kelvin Aligbe, Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADDOC), as he declared open the 2025 Doctrine Development Workshop in Minna, Niger State, on Tuesday. Delivering a keynote titled “The Soldier First in Focus”, Aligbe described the Army’s failure to achieve local production of military equipment as a glaring weakness in its operational architecture—despite decades of investment in training and tactical development. “We have one of the most trained forces in…
The Nigerian Senate has dismissed claims that it is deliberately delaying bills passed by the House of Representatives, affirming its unwavering commitment to legislative harmony, cooperation, and national interest. Speaking during Tuesday’s plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele jointly addressed concerns over alleged delays in concurring with over 140 House-passed bills. The duo emphasized that the red chamber remains diligent, not dismissive. “It takes two hands to clap,” Akpabio said. “We have consistently attended to concurrence bills from the House and will continue to do so. There’s no contest here—only cooperation.” Bamidele followed with specifics, disclosing…