**Rejects Kalu’s explanation, says rebranding church allocation does not cure illegality The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has launched a blistering attack on what it described as the “gross misplacement of national priorities” following the allocation of N140 million by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development for the construction and rehabilitation of emir palaces and mosques in Kaduna State. The rights advocacy group demanded the immediate withdrawal and review of the allocation, insisting that a federal ministry established to drive livestock production and national food security has no legitimate developmental reason to divert its resources into the construction…
Author: National Update
By Douglas Baye-Osagie _dbayeosagie@yahoo.com_ Great sportsmen leave behind a reputation. When the goals stop coming, when the trophies become memories and the boots are finally hung up, what remains is the story. For Victor Osimhen, that story may not be only about the goals he scored, the trophies he won, or the heights he reached. It may also be remembered for something more complicated — his constant charging into fights that don’t concern the ball. For a striker whose goal-scoring talent measures up to the very best in the world, he is meant to be a global star with a…
Opposition leader and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has demanded the immediate suspension and arrest of Senator Francis Fadahunsi over alleged inflammatory remarks capable of triggering violence ahead of the 2026 Osun State governorship election. Frank said the alleged comments, contained in a video circulating online, constitute a serious threat to electoral peace and should not be dismissed because they were allegedly made by a serving senator. He therefore challenged the security agencies to immediately investigate the senator and, where the allegations are established, prosecute him in accordance with the law.…
The ₦144.86 billion Safe Schools programme has come under fierce political attack as former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain why terrorists and bandits are still deciding whether Nigerian children go to school despite billions of naira committed to protecting educational institutions. Atiku described reports that schools across about 40 local government areas have been forced to close because of insecurity as a damning indictment of the administration, asking a blunt question: where is the Safe Schools money when the schools it was meant to protect are being shut…
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja The Kogi State House of Assembly has called for the immediate disbandment of a hybrid vigilante group comprising Fulani herders in Lokoja Local Government Area following the killing of 12 people in Kupa community. The Assembly also urged the state government to dismantle all existing vigilante structures in Kupa, recover firearms in their possession, and deploy Forest Guards to the area to prevent further bloodshed. The resolutions followed the adoption of a matter of urgent public importance raised by the Speaker and member representing Lokoja II Constituency, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, during Tuesday’s plenary in…
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria’s greatest threat to democracy may no longer be the politicians alone, but the institutions and influential professionals expected to restrain political power. Obi said the country was witnessing a dangerous erosion of democratic safeguards, with sections of the judiciary, legislature, legal profession and religious establishment allegedly helping to normalise practices that undermine elections and accountability. He spoke on Tuesday at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi, where political leaders, constitutional experts and civil society actors examined the future of democracy in Africa. The…
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has rejected claims that he asked Nigerian soldiers to reject salary increases until after the 2027 elections, but used the controversy to unveil what could become a major pillar of his presidential campaign — a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s military welfare and security architecture. Obi, in a statement made available on Tuesday, dismissed the report as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it. “I never said military should reject salary increase,” Obi said. But beyond the denial, the former Anambra State governor used the controversy to make a broader case…
Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, has backtracked on his controversial “Kill Accord” remark, saying the expression was not a call for violence but a directive to All Progressives Congress supporters to defeat the Accord Party at the ballot box. Fadahunsi’s clarification came after a video of his remarks, made while addressing APC supporters in Ilesa ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, sparked controversy and drew calls for police intervention. In the viral footage, the senator was heard speaking in Yoruba and reportedly accusing Accord Party members of attacking APC supporters before urging those at the…
The campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has raised the alarm over an alleged call for retaliation against Accord Party supporters by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, urging the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene before the August 15 governorship election. The campaign said the alleged remarks, contained in a viral video purportedly showing Fadahunsi addressing All Progressives Congress supporters in Ilesa, could inflame political tensions and threaten the safety of voters ahead of the poll. Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, was reportedly speaking to APC supporters when he allegedly accused members of the Accord Party of attacking…
The Senate on Tuesday drew a constitutional battle line with government agencies and oil companies accused of disregarding legislative summons, as Senator Abdul Ningi declared that the National Assembly was “not an appendage of the Executive” and warned that those summoned must respect its authority. Ningi, representing Bauchi Central and a member of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, issued the warning during a stormy session in which the committee gave Seplat Energy Plc, Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited and Aradel Energy Limited 48 hours to appear and answer queries arising from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 audit…