WHALEXTRA

The African Democratic Congress , ADC, on Wednesday faulted President Bola Tinubu over his declaration that he was prepared to ‘fight to the finish’ politically, saying the President should direct that resolve against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers instead of the opposition. With killings and kidnappings continuing across parts of the country, the opposition party said Nigerians are looking to the President for decisive action against insecurity, not another political showdown with his opponents. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it found the timing of Tinubu’s remarks troubling, noting that they came during a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, only hours after gunmen reportedly killed at least 30 people in Naridon village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The ADC said: “Nigerians did not elect a Commander-in-Chief to become the nation’s chief iss...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will conduct the 2027 general elections in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Plateau. Prof. Sam Egwu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, disclosed this during a one-day workshop on Wednesday in Jos. Egwu said that the commission was committed to ensuring that no eligible Nigerian, including those displaced by conflict, was disenfranchised. “INEC is making provisions for elections to hold in IDP camps in 2027. “We have learnt from previous experiences that displacement should not mean the loss of voting rights,” he said.

The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels. In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company. According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts. The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance. YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal informat...

  Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed how he put his life at risk in his bid to ensure peace in the Niger Delta region. Jonathan disclosed that he went into a militant camp in the Niger Delta without armed security to negotiate peace, at the risk of his life. He made the disclosure on Monday while delivering the chairman’s address at the De Mangrove Conversation, organised in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Renaissance Africa Energy and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation at the NCDMB Conference Hall in Yenagoa. Jonathan said his experience as a scientist, governor, vice president and president gave him a unique perspective on the challenges facing the region. He recalled that as vice president, he personally led negotiations with militants and insisted on visiting one of their camps without armed escorts despite objections from security officials.

  Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to either resign or abandon any plans to seek re-election in 2027, citing the worsening insecurity across the country. In a statement released on Monday, Obi expressed concern over the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo State more than 50 days ago. Following a visit to Governor Seyi Makinde, he said the prolonged delay in rescuing the victims reflects a failure of leadership and governance. The former Anambra governor revealed that he was surprised to learn that President Tinubu had allegedly not contacted Makinde over the abduction. Obi said previous presidents, including Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, regularly reached out to state governors during major security crises.

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru , has approved a major cabinet reshuffle, and redeployed commissioners in a move aimed at strengthening governance and improving service delivery. The changes were announced on Monday by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebe, while briefing reporters after the State Executive Council meeting at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Abakaliki. Omebe said the reshuffle followed the swearing-in of two new appointees into the administration—Prof. Omari Omaka (SAN), who was inaugurated as Commissioner for Tertiary Education, and Njoku Onyekachi Felix, who was sworn in as Special Assistant to the Governor and subsequently assigned as Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation. Under the new arrangement, Hon. Chidi Onyia has been redeployed from the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. Mrs. Dr. Ngozi Obichukwu moves from the Ministry of Aviation to the Mini...

  The member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure an easy victory in the 2027 general election. Oseni, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant for Oyo South Senatorial District, said the achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration over the past three years have positioned the President for re-election, insisting that no opposition party can prevent Nigerians from returning him to office for a second term. The lawmaker spoke in Ibadan during an empowerment programme he facilitated for farmers in his constituency, where more than 7,000 beneficiaries received farm inputs, agrochemicals and farming tools. Oseni, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), also reaffirmed his commitment to mobilising support for the President through the Remi Oseni Committee of Friends (ROCOF...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) recorded sweeping victories across four states in Saturday’s by-elections, winning key senatorial, House of Representatives and state assembly seats in Ondo, Nasarawa, Kano and Kebbi, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) retained the Rivers South-East Senatorial District seat. Results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday showed the APC consolidating its electoral strength ahead of the 2027 general elections, with decisive victories in most of the contests. In Ondo State, INEC declared Prof. Dayo Faduyile, a former National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Special Adviser on Health Matters to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, winner of the Ondo South Senatorial District by-election. The Returning Officer, Prof. Gbenga Solomon-Ibileye, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, announced that Faduyile polled 68,474 votes to defeat Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), ...

  The Senate on Wednesday abandoned plans to use its electronic voting system for consideration of the constitutional amendment bill on the establishment of state police after the voting machines failed to function. Following unsuccessful efforts to activate the electronic system for more than 30 minutes, senators resolved to adopt a manual voting process, with members required to indicate their votes by raising their hands. The decision was taken as the Senate commenced voting on the report of the Constitution Review Committee on the Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for the establishment of state police and related matters. The switch to manual voting followed a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), who argued that the chamber should proceed manually after repeated attempts to use the electronic system proved unsuccessful. The motion was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader...

  West Africa’s leading airline, Air Peace , has launched scheduled flight services connecting Lagos with Douala (Cameroon), Libreville (Gabon), Bamako (Mali), and Conakry (Guinea), effective August 1, 2026. The airline said the new routes would operate four times weekly on the Lagos–Douala–Libreville–Douala–Lagos service every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Flights will depart Lagos at 8:00 am, arrive in Douala at 9:30 am, depart for Libreville at 10:10 a.m. and arrive at 11:30 am. The return flight will leave Libreville at 12:10 pm, arrive in Douala at 1:30 pm and depart for Lagos at 2:10 pm, landing at 3:40 pm. The Lagos–Bamako–Conakry–Bamako–Lagos route will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flights will depart Lagos at 7:00 am, arrive in Bamako at 8:30 am, depart for Conakry at 9:10 am and arrive at 10:50 am. The return service will leave Conakry at 11:30 am, arrive in Bamako at 1:10 pm and depart for Lagos at 1:50 pm, arriving at 5:20 pm. Through its Lagos ...

  The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on party members, supporters, and candidates on the platform of the party not to despair over the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which purportedly ordered the deregistration of the ADC and some other political parties. This was disclosed by Kola Ologbondiyan, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. Senator David Mark, in a swift reaction while receiving a delegation of the party’s candidates who paid him a visit in Abuja on Monday, described the judgment as “an arrow fired at the heart of Nigeria’s democracy,” assuring party faithful that the decision would be overturned by superior courts. He recalled that the Court of Appeal had earlier ordered a stay of proceedings in the matter and adjourned further hearing to October 27, 2027. He therefore questioned how a judgment could validly be delivered while the subsisting order of the appellate court remained in f...

The Senate on Tuesday called for a total ban on the importation of textile products into Nigeria as part of efforts to revive the country’s struggling textile industry and create jobs. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung and co-sponsored by several lawmakers, including Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Adams Oshiomhole, Mohammed Monguno, Ibrahim Khalid and Mustapha Khabeeb. Leading the debate, Katung lamented the decline of an industry that was once one of Nigeria’s largest employers of labour. He recalled that the first large textile manufacturing mill in Nigeria was established in Kaduna in 1957, while government policies in the 1960s and 1970s helped the sector flourish. According to him, Nigeria had about 167 textile mills in the late 1970s and 1980s, employing nearly 500,000 workers.

President Bola Tinubu has commissioned the main carriageways of the Outer Southern Expressway, linking Ring Road 1 Junction to Ring Road 2 Junction in the Federal Capital Territory, describing the project as part of efforts to expand infrastructure and drive economic development in the capital. The commissioning ceremony took place on Tuesday, along the OSEX–Wasa Road. In his address, Tinubu, represented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the administration had remained focused on delivering projects that translate into visible improvements in citizens’ lives. He said his administration had prioritised hard work and practical results over quick fixes, noting that governance must deliver tangible benefits. “Fellow citizens, when we took the oath of office to lead this great nation, we didn’t promise shortcuts. We promised hard work.

Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN), Polaris Bank and Keystone Bank may have been granted a leeway by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to complete their recapitalisation. Sources said the apex bank arrived at a conclusion to allow the ‘managed’ banks to complete the process under a regulatory window of three weeks. The deadline given to all banks to recapitalise was March 31 and they all met the deadline. One of the sources said the decision to give special consideration to the three banks was based on the circumstances, including legal and regulatory,  faced by them.  The ‘managed’ banks need no less than N350 billion to retain their national banking licences under the new minimum capital base, which requires banks with a national commercial banking license to have a minimum share capital and share premium of N200 billion.

  The Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), and National Institute for Sports have agreed to collaborate on different areas, including emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction in the sports sector, among others. This was made known yesterday, when the LASEMA team, led by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, met with the Director-General, National Institute for Sports (NIS), Philip Shaibu , in Lagos. LASEMA boss, who praised the NIS boss, acknowledged the turnaround the institute has undergone since Shuaibu assumed duty. He described the DG as “a performer, put him anywhere, he will turn it around.” LASEMA boss, going down memory lane, said the DG played an active role in the establishment of the  State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Edo.

The West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) has called for closer cooperation between the media and tax authorities across Africa. Press freedom the organisation said remains vital to improving tax compliance, strengthening transparency and supporting sustainable development on the continent. In a statement issued to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, the Executive Secretary of WATAF, Jules Tapsoba, said a free and independent media plays a major role in building accountable tax systems and increasing public trust in government institutions. According to him, accurate and responsible journalism helps citizens understand tax policies and public finance issues, while also ensuring that institutions remain accountable to the people. “A free and responsible press is indispensable to transparent tax systems. By informing citizens and holding institutions accountable, the media strengthens trust, improves compliance, and supports sustainable domestic revenue mobilisation,” Tapsoba sa...

  The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, says  President Bola Tinub u is committed to repositioning the   Nigeria Police Force   through strengthened education and training institutions. Alausa said this on Monday in Abuja when the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Tunji Disu, led senior police officers on a courtesy visit to his office. He said discussions focused on the establishment of a southern campus of the Police Academy in Erije, Abeokuta, Ogun, in line with the President’s agenda to improve professionalism and security delivery. “This meeting is in continuation of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to reposition the police to deliver on its core mandate and improve security across the country,” he said. Alausa added that the proposed campus was expected to admit its first set of students between September and November 2026, following expedited resource verification by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has declared  Halimat Adenike Tejuosho , a women leader of the City Boys Movement, wanted. A notice issued by the EFCC on Monday via X said Tejuosho has been declared wanted over an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence. The notice was signed by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity for the EFCC. The anti-graft agency called on members of the public with useful information about her whereabouts to contact any of its offices nationwide. he Commission also urged the members of the public to reach out via its official phone lines or email, or report to the nearest police station or other security agencies.

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared N2.036 trillion among the federal government, states and the local government councils (LGCs). The revenue was shared at the April meeting of FAAC in Abuja. The N2.036 trillion total distributable revenue comprised statutory revenue of N1.320 trillion, Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N515.391 billion and augmentation of N200 billion. A communiqué issued by FAAC indicated that total gross revenue of N2.364 trillion was available in the month of March. It said that the total deduction for the cost of collection was N81.084 billion, while total transfers, refunds and savings were N246.872 billion and an augmentation of N200 billion.

The   Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)   and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday inaugurated a Joint Committee on Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) Portal to tackle the menace of subscriber identity module (SIM)-enabled fraudulent practices in the country, a development they averred threatened the digital economy ambition of the Federal Government. The TIRMS will aggregate data on churned (recycled) phone numbers, as well as numbers flagged within the financial sector; the Financial Services Industry will now have enhanced visibility into the status of phone numbers, one of the most widely utilized resources in the financial services sector. The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida said the MoU provides a structured framework for cooperation in critical areas including payment system integrity, fraud mitigation, digital inclusion, and the protection of consumers, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, wh...