The Obidient Movement has changed its national leadership ahead of the 2027 general election, with Dr Moses Paul, popularly known as Dr Mo, taking over as National Coordinator from Dr Yunusa Tanko. The leadership change followed a virtual meeting of the movement’s national leaders and state coordinators with the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, on September 30, 2026. Tanko, who led the movement for about three years, has been reassigned to work with Obi as Special Adviser/Political Adviser on Northern Nigeria. In his new role, Tanko is expected to focus on political engagement, mobilisation and coordination…
Author: National Update
A Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded a man accused of posing as the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Segun Aina, over an alleged attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public through a fictitious government contract. The defendant, Arinze Nwogba, was ordered to remain in Kuje Prison after he pleaded not guilty to a six-count charge filed by the police. Justice Salim Ibrahim gave the order on Friday while hearing the defendant’s bail application. The court fixed October 7 to rule on the bail application, while October 19 was set for the commencement of…
Traders at the Kugbo Furniture Market in Abuja are counting losses running into hundreds of millions of naira after an early morning fire destroyed shops and furniture materials estimated at over ₦500 million. Beyond the scale of the latest destruction, the fire has renewed concerns among traders over repeated outbreaks at the busy market and what they describe as inadequate measures to prevent them. The blaze started before most traders arrived on Friday, sweeping through a section of the market occupied by dealers in foam, wood, boards and furniture accessories. Chairman of the Kugbo Wood Machinist Association, Godswill Ndukwe, said…
Police operatives in Sokoto State have repelled a suspected bandit attack on Tsabre Village in Isa Local Government Area, recovering two rocket launchers and other items reportedly abandoned by the attackers. The attack occurred around 1am when the assailants allegedly opened sporadic gunfire to create panic among residents, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i. Rufa’i said the Divisional Police Officer in Isa mobilised tactical teams, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Violent Crime Response Unit, after receiving a distress call. The operatives reportedly engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat into a…
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja A Professor of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Strategy, John Olatunji Alabi, has called for increased investment in entrepreneurial education, innovation and enterprise development to drive economic transformation and tackle unemployment in Nigeria. Alabi said universities must move beyond producing certificate holders and become “engine rooms” for entrepreneurship, innovation, research commercialisation and youth empowerment. The don made the call while delivering the 46th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) at the institution’s Felele Campus, Lokoja. The lecture was titled, “Entrepreneurial Leadership through Entrepreneurial Education and Empowerment: Building an Entrepreneurial Economy in VUCA World.” Alabi described entrepreneurial…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove serving heads of federal government agencies who have joined efforts to mobilise political support for his 2027 re-election bid. HURIWA said the reported formation of a coalition of federal agency chiefs to support Tinubu’s campaign raises serious questions about the separation between public administration and partisan politics. The group was reportedly launched by the Forum of Chief Executives of Federal Parastatals, which has pledged to mobilise at least 10 million votes for Tinubu and establish a complementary structure to the All Progressives Congress…
The arrest of the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr Ben Smith, after he reportedly went to seek the release of another detained coordinator has escalated a confrontation between the movement and the Akwa Ibom State Police Command. Smith was reportedly taken into custody at Ikot Akpan Abia after accompanying supporters to facilitate the release of Elijah Noah, the state coordinator of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, who had been arrested during a planned Independence Day march in Uyo. The development has now triggered a fresh demand by the Obidient Movement for the immediate release of both coordinators and…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has challenged Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, to take urgent action to address insecurity following the reported abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps members along the Owerri–Onitsha Road. HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, on Thursday, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the corps members. It also urged security agencies to deploy all available resources to locate and rescue the victims and arrest those responsible. Reports indicate that the corps members were travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to various NYSC…
Germany has cut petrol and diesel prices under a new emergency fuel subsidy, but the biggest test of the intervention may be whether the full benefit reaches motorists or is absorbed by energy companies. The German government’s latest move took effect Thursday as the country grapples with a sharp energy shock linked to disruptions in Middle Eastern fuel supplies amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Average petrol prices fell by about 14 cents to €2.06 per litre, while diesel dropped by roughly 15 cents to €2.20, according to automobile association ADAC. The government has set the subsidy at 17 cents per…
By Douglas Baye-Osagie _dbayeosagie@yahoo.com_ Another non-qualification now looms over Nigerian football. The 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau was not merely a bad result; it was a warning about the complacency that has followed the Super Eagles for too long. Guinea-Bissau scored through Franculino Dju, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló to hand Eric Chelle his first competitive defeat within 90 minutes as Nigeria coach, leaving the Super Eagles on three points after two matches while Guinea-Bissau moved to six. After missing the 2026 World Cup, Nigeria cannot afford another major tournament failure. The most troubling part is that this was…