Author: Gbenga Olaleye

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has intensified efforts to strengthen accountability and enforcement in Nigeria’s oil, gas and mining sectors by deepening its strategic partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The renewed commitment was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by NEITI’s Director of Communications and Stakeholder Management, Mrs Obiageli Onuorah, following separate courtesy visits by the agency’s leadership to the headquarters of the two anti-graft bodies. According to the statement, the engagement reflects NEITI’s resolve to move beyond transparency disclosures to concrete…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for justice following the killing of seven civilians at a mining site in Wat, Kuru District of Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, on 21 January 2026. In a statement posted on the party’s official X handle on Friday, and signed by the Plateau State Publicity Secretary, Mr Choji Dalyop, the PDP condemned the incident, describing it as a tragic and unacceptable loss of innocent lives. The party also criticised the government for what it termed an “egregious failure” to fulfil its constitutional responsibility of protecting citizens. According to the PDP, the…

The leadership of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, in Ekiti State has reaffirmed its support for Governor Biodun Oyebanji and restated its affiliation with the All Progressives Congress (APC), firmly distancing itself from a group known as Afenifere Ekiti. The Ekiti State Chairman of Afenifere, Mr Jonathan Alade, and the Secretary, Mrs Ronke Okusanya, made the position clear on Thursday, describing members of the splinter group as self-seekers who do not represent the organisation’s ideals or leadership. Their response follows a recent stakeholders’ meeting organised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), during which a group identifying itself as Afenifere Ekiti…

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Chibuzor Simeon Amadi, has declined a request to constitute a seven-member judicial panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Dr Ngozi Ordu, citing binding court orders restraining him from taking such action. In a letter dated 20 January 2026 and addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Martins Amaewhule, Justice Amadi explained that his decision was based on two subsisting court orders served on his office on 16 January 2026. According to him, the orders expressly bar him from receiving, forwarding…

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has commenced a campaign tour of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the forthcoming council elections, leading members and supporters of the African Democratic Party (ADC) in a show of grassroots engagement. Obi, who recently defected from the Labour Party to the ADC, made his first stop on Wednesday at the popular Kugbo furniture market in Abuja, which was devastated by a recent fire. The visit marked his first major public engagement in the FCT since joining the party and was aimed at expressing solidarity with traders while mobilising support ahead…

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said growing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States has moved beyond diplomatic engagement to deliver measurable operational gains in the fight against terrorism and transnational crime. Ribadu made the remarks on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of the US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, describing the partnership as one that has significantly strengthened Nigeria’s security architecture in recent months. “I would like to place firmly on record Nigeria’s appreciation for the depth, quality and impact of US–Nigeria military and security cooperation,” Ribadu said. “Since the November 2025 engagements, this cooperation…

Ondo State Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to partnering with relevant government agencies and private institutions as part of efforts to accelerate economic growth and promote sustainable development in the state. The governor pledged on Thursday while receiving the management team of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) at the Governor’s Office in Akure, the state capital. He said strategic collaboration with credible institutions would enable Ondo State to harness innovation, technology, and investment opportunities critical to long-term development. Represented by his deputy, Mr Olayide Adelami, Aiyedatiwa stressed the importance of science and technology…

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, has said the most significant contribution former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could make to Nigeria’s democratic future is to abandon any plan to contest the 2027 presidential election. Baba-Ahmed made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on The Morning Show on Arise News Television, where he argued that Atiku stepping aside would send a powerful message to Nigerians that a new political culture is possible, rather than a continuation of what he described as the recycling of familiar political figures. The former spokesman of the Northern Elders…

The legal tussle surrounding the suspension of the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has intensified following a fresh move by Senate President Godswill Akpabio to the Supreme Court. Court documents sighted on Thursday reveal that Akpabio has filed an application before the apex court seeking to regularise and sustain his appeal against earlier decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal relating to the controversial suspension. The matter is listed as SC No: SC/CV/1111/2025, arising from Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1107/2025 and Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025. In the application, Akpabio is named as the appellant. At the same time,…

The Enugu State Government has recovered a total sum of ₦1.28 billion from Sujimoto Luxury Construction Ltd following investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the alleged diversion of funds earmarked for the construction of Smart Green Schools across the state. The recovered funds, which represent part of the payments earlier made to the construction firm for projects said to be either abandoned or substantially unexecuted, were formally handed over to the Enugu State Government on Wednesday at the EFCC Zonal Office in Enugu. According to a statement issued by the media office of Governor Peter Mbah,…