Author: Clement Oluwafemi Abayomi

Nigeria’s Ambassador Designate to Mexico Reno Omokri has publicly challenged Sowore’s promise of a ₦500,000 minimum wage, arguing that the pledge is financially unworkable and would push the country back into borrowing just to pay salaries. Omokri on Thursday in a statement shared on Facebook laid out a straightforward arithmetic case against the proposal. Nigeria currently employs roughly two million civil servants. Add the military, police, and paramilitary services, and that figure climbs to three million. Factor in pensioners, and the total reaches four million people whose pay would be pegged to — or above — whatever minimum wage is…

Morocco has displaced South Africa as Africa’s leading industrial economy as South Africa grapples with a worsening wave of xenophobic violence involving the killing of foreign nationals by vigilante groups. The African Development Bank (AfDB) revealed that Morocco had climbed to the top of the continent’s industrial rankings through sustained investment in manufacturing, export diversification and long-term industrial policy. South Africa, meanwhile, has been convulsed by xenophobic violence that, according to a separate analysis, killed many people for years and displaced around 40,000 foreign nationals, yet left unemployment and service delivery no better afterwards. As Morocco cements its reputation as…

President Bola Tinubu has directed security agencies to intensify rescue operations for abducted children in Oyo and Borno states, as Nigeria marked Children’s Day alongside the Eid-el-Kabir celebration on Wednesday. Tinubu on Wednesday, 27 May, in a statement on X, expressed concern over the plight of children and teachers still being held by kidnappers. He said some families could not celebrate because they were focused on the safe return of their loved ones. He assured affected families that the Federal Government had not abandoned them and promised continued action to secure the release of the victims and punish those behind…

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has ordered the immediate deployment of a multi-agency security operation across schools in the state, citing recent instability in neighbouring states as the primary trigger for the move. Abiodun announced the plan on Wednesday, saying the decision was driven by “recent security developments in neighbouring states” and that implementation would begin straight away. The initiative, according to Abiodun, will bring together the So-Safe Corps, Amotekun Corps, hunters, vigilante groups, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other security agencies in an effort to protect pupils and school communities across Ogun. “This proactive step has become necessary in…

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress government to end what he considered as a systematic campaign of harassment and intimidation against opposition figures, after he was formally adopted as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress. Atiku on Wednesday in a statement on X called out the government directly over the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who he said had been held for three months despite court orders granting him bail. “He has been denied the right to celebrate two important religious holidays with his family in addition to being…

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has rejected the results of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, alleging that the process was manipulated and that the majority of party members were prevented from voting. Amaechi, who contested the primary, made the announcement on Tuesday via his official X account, saying he would not accept the results. He had previously stated that he would only recognise the outcome if the primary was free, fair, and transparent. In his view, it was none of those things. “There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the court case challenging former President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election as unnecessary, following a Federal High Court judgement in Abuja which held that Jonathan can run for office despite having taken the presidential oath twice. The party in a statement on Tuesday, 26 May said the suit should not have been filed because the law does not apply retrospectively, noting that the case amounted to an avoidable distraction at a time when its presidential primary is set to hold on May 28. The statement, which was issued by…

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Osigwe, SAN, at the 2026 NBA Legal Education Summit, has said that Nigeria’s legal education system must undergo urgent reform to remain relevant. A statement published on Tuesday by the NBA on Facebook revealed that Osigwe had called for a major review of how lawyers are trained in the country. As explained in the statement, Osigwe had said that the present system must become more practical, technology-driven and skills-based if it is to prepare lawyers for modern legal practice in Nigeria and beyond. Osigwe also used the summit to examine whether…

Entrepreneur and former mayor Mike Arnold has said he would oppose any presidential ticket that pairs Peter Obi with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, citing concerns over Kwankwaso’s political history, public record and past roles in government. Arnold made the remarks on Monday in a public statement in which he explained why he believes such a political alliance would not be in Nigeria’s interest and urged Obi to choose a different running mate. Arnold said he has an open mind about Obi but made it clear that his support would end if Obi chooses Kwankwaso as a running mate. According to him,…

Senegal’s fuel subsidy crisis is putting pressure on public finances, with spending on subsidised fuel expected to rival or exceed what the government plans to spend on major sectors such as health, agriculture and a large share of education in 2026. The government is spending heavily to keep fuel prices low for citizens, but high global oil prices have made that support increasingly expensive, placing a heavy burden on the country’s already strained finances. Senegal’s 2026 national budget sets total spending at 7,433.9 billion FCFA, almost US$13.2 billion, while expected revenue stands at 6,188.8 billion FCFA, around US$11 billion. This…