By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja N-HYPPADEC Managing Director Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa has called effective communication the backbone of organizational efficiency and a crucial link between government and the people. Yelwa made the remark on Monday in Lokoja while declaring open a five-day workshop on “Official Communication Skills in Public Service Holdings”, organized by the Commission in collaboration with Oyereyi Consult at Riverton Hotels. He said the training was designed to equip N-HYPPADEC administrative staff with the skills needed to improve interactions with colleagues, stakeholders, and the communities the Commission serves. “In our work at N-HYPPADEC, communication is not just about…
Author: National Update
Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has called for a stronger framework for parliamentary diplomacy between Nigeria and Cuba to translate historic ties into measurable gains in health, education, trade, and culture. Receiving a Cuban delegation led by Hon. Fernando González Llort, President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and national hero of Cuba, Abbas—represented by Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR—stressed that collaboration must go beyond goodwill to “tangible outputs” such as signed MOUs, ratified agreements, and funded programmes. “Nigeria’s foreign policy, anchored on African solidarity and South-South cooperation,…
Senator Natasha H. Akpoti-Uduaghan has moved to quash criminal defamation charges filed against her, accusing the Federal Government of weaponising state power to settle political scores for Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello. In Preliminary Objections filed simultaneously at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal High Court, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers branded the prosecutions unconstitutional, politically motivated, and a misuse of public resources. The charges—one under the Penal Code and another under the Cybercrimes Act—stem from petitions by Akpabio and Bello, who claim her statements defamed them personally. But the Senator’s legal team,…
A sweeping coalition of Nigerian women’s rights organisations has taken its fight for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the United Nations, accusing the Nigerian Senate of retaliating against her after she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment. In a complaint filed Monday with UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, the Womanifesto network—representing more than 350 advocacy groups—warned that the Senate’s actions violate Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and send a chilling message to women in politics. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, alleged on…
The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, has fixed September 29 to hear a motion by the Osun State Government challenging the court’s jurisdiction over a suit on withheld local government funds. At Monday’s proceedings, the state, through its lead counsel Musibau Adetumbi, SAN, argued that with the court vacation ending on September 16, the case should be transferred back to the Osogbo Division for proper hearing and determination. Adetumbi’s motion was based on two grounds: first, that the fiat granted by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) for the matter to be heard in Abuja during vacation had lapsed;…
By: Ashahabu Lawal Rafukka In every generation, there emerges a leader who carries the hopes of the downtrodden not as a burden but as a sacred trust. For northern Nigeria, and indeed for millions across the country, that leader has been Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. His politics, often misunderstood by the elite, has always been about service, loyalty, and an unrelenting commitment to the ordinary man and woman whose voices are often drowned out in the noise of partisan struggle. When news broke in Kano that Kwankwaso had declared, “We are ready to join APC… if,” many rushed to interpret…
2027 poll: As Jonathan confronts betrayals, rotation, eligibility By Ehichioya Ezomon An Esan proverb says, “You don’t ask a sensible child to leave a smoke-filled place.” Another idiom says, “A person does not see dirt and allow it to enter their eyes.” If that happens, in both cases, it means the child or person has no common sense, or that something is wrong with them. As confusion reigns in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over zoning of its presidential ticket to the South or North of Nigeria for the 2027 General Election, a recent controversial meeting of the party…
At the heart of New York City, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, delivered a stirring call for global action to economically empower women—describing it as one of the most powerful levers for ending poverty, fostering equity, and securing lasting peace. Standing before an audience of world leaders, industry giants, and policy innovators, Mahmoud praised the forum’s theme—“Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment: Financing Inclusive Growth for Peace, Development, and Human Rights”—as both timely and transformative. Her Special Assistant, Media, Austine Elemue in a statement quoted…
By Umar Muhammed, Lafia Suspected kidnappers on Saturday night abducted Dr. Muhammed Egye Osolafia, widely known as Deedat, Senior Special Assistant on Humanitarian Services to Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule. Osolafia was reportedly taken at his Tudun Amba residence in Lafia shortly after returning home. Witnesses said the assailants arrived firing indiscriminately before seizing their target and fleeing the scene. Confirming the abduction on Sunday, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, said the state government has directed security agencies to secure Osolafia’s unconditional release. “The government is not relenting. We are working with security agencies…
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse The Buji Local Government Council in Jigawa State has declared a state of emergency on education and commenced extensive repairs and renovations of primary and junior secondary school buildings damaged by recent windstorms. Council Chairman, Hon. (Arch.) Najibullah Falalu, announced the initiative in an interview with National Update, saying the measure is aimed at restoring safe, conducive learning environments and advancing universal basic education for the next generation of leaders. Falalu said the intervention aligns with Governor Malam Umar Namadi’s 12-point agenda, which prioritizes quality basic education. “As earlier promised and directed, the emergency intervention and…