Nigeria’s political crisis, according to political activist and scholar, Dr. Usman Bugaje, is rooted in the absence of visionary thinking, as the country is dominated by influential individuals who lack transformative ideas capable of driving national development. Bugaje made the assertion in Abuja while speaking at a public lecture organised to mark the 60th birthday of former Speaker of the House of Representatives and ex-Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. He said Nigeria’s leadership problem is not the shortage of powerful personalities, but the failure of the ruling elite to articulate and pursue a clear national vision. According…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 80-year-old ex-convict who returned to drug trafficking barely three years after serving a prison sentence for a similar offence, alongside several other suspects in coordinated operations across the country. The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja. Babafemi said the octogenarian was first arrested on December 14, 2022, prosecuted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for dealing in illicit drugs. He said NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence,…
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has rejected the continued importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), insisting that local production—particularly from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery—is sufficient to meet national demand. The association also dismissed reports linking the surge in petrol imports recorded in November 2025 to an alleged breakdown in supply arrangements between Dangote Refinery and petroleum marketers, describing such claims as inaccurate and misleading. According to IPMAN, the reports do not reflect the realities faced by its members, noting that the commencement of supply from the Dangote Refinery has significantly improved PMS availability nationwide. Speaking on the…
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International (TI) Nigeria have praised the United Kingdom for recovering $9.5 million in stolen Nigerian assets. In a statement, CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, described the recovery as a strong demonstration of international cooperation in the fight against corruption. He said the action aligns with Nigeria’s Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) 2022, which promotes cross-border collaboration in tracing and recovering illicit assets. According to the organisations, PoCA provides a comprehensive framework for tracing, freezing, confiscating, managing and recovering proceeds of crime, both locally and internationally. They noted that the law remains…
The Federal Government has directed the contractor handling the construction of the Seventh Axial Road, which links the Dangote Refinery in Lagos State to Sagamu in Ogun State, to complete sandfilling on the project by the end of April. The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, gave the directive on Saturday in Lagos during an inspection of the project. “I want to see a situation where we have completed all the sandfilling. After that, we will begin the concrete structure, but not the pavement,” Umahi said. The road is one of the proposed evacuation routes for cargo from the Lekki…
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jets executed a precision airstrike on January 10, 2026, obliterating a terrorists’ camp in the notorious Timbuktu Triangle of Borno State. The operation targeted the Abbaga Jiri enclave, a persistent insurgent stronghold, following credible intelligence on fighter concentrations and supply stockpiles. Ground assessments post-strike confirmed extensive destruction of structures and neutralization of threats converging on the site. ALSO READ DHQ confirms effectiveness of U.S.-backed Sokoto strike, cautions communities against sheltering terrorists The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame detailed the mission’s success in a statement, highlighting seamless integration of air surveillance,…
Authorities in Jersey, a British Crown Dependency in the Channel Islands between the United Kingdom and France, are set to return more than $9.5 million (£7 million) in recovered corruption proceeds to the Nigerian government. The funds will be channelled towards infrastructure projects in Nigeria. The repatriation follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December between Mark Temple KC, the Attorney General for Jersey, and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The agreement builds on two previous deals between the two parties that facilitated the return of over $300 million held in bank accounts on the island. Nigeria’s Minister of…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, before the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly failing to declare foreign currencies amounting to $800,575 and €651,505, valued at approximately ₦2.28 billion. The EFCC prosecutor, Bilikisu Buhari, told Justice Yellim Bogoro that Onal was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Anti-Money Laundering Unit while in possession of the undeclared sums. Buhari said the defendant is facing a two-count charge under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022. Onal, however, pleaded…
The Northwest University Sokoto (NWUS) has reiterated its commitment to developing its Specialist Teaching Hospital into one of the leading medical training and healthcare institutions in Nigeria. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Mukhtar Umar Bunza, gave the assurance on Tuesday when he led members of the university’s management on an official visit to the Northwest University Specialist Teaching Hospital. Speaking during the visit, Prof. Bunza said the tour was undertaken on behalf of the Founder and Pro-Chancellor of the University, Distinguished Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, to assess the hospital’s infrastructure and facilities ahead of the full implementation of the…
Following the push by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments in Nigeria rose to 67.8 million by December 2025, reflecting sustained expansion of the biometric identity database underpinning the country’s banking system. The figures, released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), show an increase from 63.5 million in 2024—an addition of more than 4.3 million new registrations within one year—highlighting continued uptake of biometric identification in financial services. Five-year data from NIBSS indicate steady annual growth in BVN registrations: 2021: 51.9 million 2022: 56.0 million 2023: 60.1 million 2024: 63.5 million December 2025: 67.8…