The post-primary crisis rocking the Niger State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened, with more than 200 members of the ruling party dumping the party for the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC). The latest wave of defections, which cuts across the 12 wards of Bosso Local Government Area, came despite a series of reconciliation meetings initiated by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago to pacify aggrieved party members and aspirants who lost out in the APC’s controversial consensus arrangements. The defectors, comprising youths, women and prominent APC chieftains, were led by a former commissioner in the immediate past administration,…
Author: National Update
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed as “nonsense borne out of ignorance” allegations that former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, deliberately continued to collect government salary months after his resignation. HURIWA, reacting to a petition by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said Nnaji neither put himself on the government payroll nor authorised the continued payments. The rights group said the former minister, upon discovering that salary and emolument payments had continued after his exit from office, promptly notified the Secretary…
The Senate has moved to douse growing controversy over the proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, clarifying that the bill does not seek to ban street preaching or introduce a fresh prohibition on hawking. The clarification followed public concerns over provisions in the proposed legislation relating to preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles. The Senate’s position was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Leader of the Senate. According to the Senate, the practices being referenced were already prohibited under existing laws and regulations, long…
Former Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, is taking his decades of experience at the centre of Nigeria’s security establishment into the political arena, declaring that he wants to use the Senate to push stronger security measures and deliver what he described as “quality representation” to Jigawa South-West. Abba made the declaration when he visited the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Hameem Nuhu Muhammad Sanusi, to formally announce his intention to contest the Jigawa South-West Senatorial District seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. The former police chief’s bid comes at a time when insecurity remains one of the most…
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has urged Arewa students and young Nigerians to take active responsibility for Nigeria’s political future by voting for credible, competent and patriotic leaders in the 2027 elections. The party’s National Chairman Professor Abubakar Sadiq Gombe who spoke while receiving the leadership of the Arewa Students Forum at the party’s national headquarters, Abuja, said young Nigerians could no longer afford to remain passive as the country grapples with worsening socio-economic and political challenges. He urged the students, who he said represented about 2.1 million people, to recognise the strategic importance of their votes and deploy them…
Three passengers remained in captivity on Monday after suspected bandits intercepted a commercial bus on the Jos-Kano highway in Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano State, even as a police response led to the rescue of nine others. The incident has renewed concerns over the security of one of the major road links between Kano and Plateau states, after the attackers reportedly stopped the Toyota Hiace bus around the Folgore Forest axis on Sunday evening. The Kano State Police Command said five suspected bandits attacked the bus, which was travelling from Jos to Kano, and abducted 13 of the 20…
The National Social Investment Programme Agency has commenced an eight-day nationwide skills acquisition and vocational training programme aimed at equipping thousands of Nigerian youths with practical skills to tackle unemployment and promote self-reliance. The programme, which began on Monday, is being conducted simultaneously across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. In Jigawa State, the training was launched at centres in Dutse, Birnin Kudu, Gumel, Hadejia and Ringim, with hundreds of beneficiaries participating in the exercise. The beneficiaries are being trained in various vocational fields, including electrical installation, welding and fabrication, masonry, baking and confectionery, plumbing, agricultural technology and…
From Umar Egbunu Muhammed, Lafia The National Orientation Agency has raised the alarm over the growing “get-rich-quick” mentality among Nigerian youths, blaming the craze for instant wealth for the rising cases of banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, internet fraud and ritual killings across the country. The agency warned that the desperation to acquire wealth without legitimate means was not only fuelling criminality but also driving young Nigerians away from education, skills acquisition and productive livelihoods. The Director-General of NOA, Mr Augustine Akwe-doma, stated this at the graduation and prize-giving ceremony of You-Nik Academy, Lafia, Nasarawa State. Akwe-doma, who was represented by…
The Presidency has hit back at the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, over his criticism of the Bola Tinubu administration, insisting that the achievements of the Renewed Hope government are visible across the country. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Obi’s latest criticism as a product of what he called the “high of his rabid movement.” Onanuga, in a post on his verified X account on Monday, said Obi needed to look beyond his political supporters and acknowledge what he described as the impact of the administration’s policies…
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Jonathan Vatsa, has said Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has “shamed” President Bola Tinubu and Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, by opting for a Christian running mate ahead of the 2027 governorship election. Vatsa, a former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and former Special Adviser on Media and Communication to Governor Bago, said Sani’s decision to choose a Christian from Southern Kaduna as his running mate demonstrated political sensitivity lacking in the same-faith tickets adopted by Tinubu and Bago. Speaking in Minna on Monday, the former APC publicity secretary said…