Folarin Kehinde

Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), has confirmed that the 2025 budget anticipates the return of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other political officeholders following the expiration of emergency rule in the state.

Ibas made the remarks during a budget defence session with the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on the Rivers emergency rule on Wednesday.

He disclosed that the proposed N1.48 trillion fiscal plan was deliberately structured to accommodate officials expected to resume duties once constitutional governance is restored.

“In anticipation of the eventual return to constitutional order, the draft budget prudently retains provisions for the offices and functions of suspended political actors, some of whom have already drawn on allocated resources in the first quarter and are expected to resume their duties at the expiration of the emergency period,” he said.

Governor Fubara was suspended from office in March 2025 following prolonged political unrest and violent confrontations between factions loyal to Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike. The crisis, which had crippled governance led to President Bola Tinubu declaring an emergency rule in the South-South state. He suspended Governor Fubara and dissolved the State Executive Council. A proclamation was subsequently issued placing the state under emergency rule, with Vice Admiral Ibas appointed to oversee governance pending a resolution of the crisis.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Ibas also disclosed that the 2025 budget aims to regularise expenditures made prior to the emergency declaration. He, however, lamented that efforts to ensure a full accounting were hindered by a lack of cooperation from some state officials.

“Before the state of emergency declaration by His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, regrettably, some state officials withheld critical information required to ensure a more complete capture of those expenditures at the time of submission of the budget estimates,” he said.

Ibas clarified that the budget was developed in line with Section 11, Subsection 4 of the Constitution and formally transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative consideration.

Reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to stability and development in Rivers State, he noted that the budget reflects President Tinubu’s directive to maintain governance structures and support grassroots entrepreneurship.

“God willing, every River citizen with a great idea, carefully thought out, and well-planned will find the funding required to turn their dreams into successful ventures, irrespective of tribe, ethnic, or political divide,” Ibas added.

The Federal Government has cancelled the military parade in commemoration of the 26th Democracy Day holding on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Details of the celebration released by the Inter- Ministerial Committee on Democracy Day celebration, stated that President Bola Tinubu will deliver a nationwide broadcast at 7am on Thursday without the Democracy Day parade like the previous years.

Instead, President Tinubu will appear at a special joint session of the National Assembly at 12 noon.

The joint session is expected to feature addresses on the State of the Nation, reflections on Nigeria’s democratic journey, and renewed calls for national unity and reform.

Later in the day, a public lecture is scheduled to be held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, by 4pm.

The event will bring together government officials, political leaders, and stakeholders in civil society to reflect on the country’s democratic trajectory under the theme: “Consolidating on the Gains of Nigeria’s Democracy: Necessity of Enduring Reforms.”

The statement encouraged the public to follow the broadcast and participate in the national conversation on deepening democratic institutions and reforms.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has notified electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) serving the six states in the North East that there will be blackout in the region while some places will witness significant drop in the supply of electricity.

A letter sent to one of the DisCos and signed by TCN’s Regional Operations Manager, Bauchi Region, Engr J.O Joseph, said the reduction in supply is due to the erection of 330kV Turn-In and Turn-Out towers at the new Bauchi 330kV Substation transmission lines.

The notice said the outage which will start on June 10 and end on June 14 will affect the Jos-Bauchi-Gombe 132kV line.

“With respect to the above subject matter, an outage has been scheduled from 1000hrs of 10th-1700hrs of 14th June, 2025 to enable EPC contractor erect new 330kV Turn-In and turn-Out Towers at the new Bauchi 330kV Substation and cross the existing 132kV Line.

“Note that after a review of the contractor’s schedule, the breakdown is as follows; Jos-Gombe SC Line will be out for the stated duration to enable the erection of new towers for the turn-in and out at the new Bauchi 330kV substation. This means that Damaturu, Molai, Yola and Jalingo will be out of supply while Gombe and Biu substations will be fed through Dadin Kowa Hydro power plant and Baga Road substation will be fed by MEPP.

Jos-Bauchi-Gombe 132kV line will be out on the 14th for the crossing of the 132kV line. Please, note that this memo supersedes the earlier one,” it said.

It is no news that Nigeria negotiates with terrorists.  In most cases, hundreds of millions of Naira are parted to terrorists in form of ransom. But asking for national honors and recognition, a demand recently made by Dr. Abdulmalik Attah, for terrorist-negotiators is repulsive for most Nigerians. 

Many believe that the way and manner President Muhammadu Buhari’s has been handling the menace of insecurity in the country has exacerbated it and thus embolden the terrorists more than it has abated it. Just most recently, Dr. Abdulmalik Attah, one of the Presidential Committee members who negotiated and got the abducted Kaduna-trained passengers released has validated the claim that negotiation with terrorists is not new to President Muhammadu Buhari-led Government.  He went as far as considering a national honor and recognition for his committee.

In fact, Dr. Attah praised his members so well and gave account of how the security apparatus of the country aided their mission of getting the abducted passengers released.  He did not stop there, he asked for a national honor for his committee for interfacing, on behalf of the Federal Government, with the terrorists and getting the passengers released. . 

 Dr AbdulMalik Attah went as far as accusing his co-negotiated Malam Tukur Mamu of frustrating previous efforts of the government at releasing the abducted passengers.  He made the clain during an interview with
Channels TV. Atta’s father was among the abducted passengers of the ill-fated train abducted midway by terrorists, popularly called bandits by the Government.

Atta said Mamu did everything within his reach to thwart the federal government’s efforts at rescuing the hostages for his own interest.  Daily Trust had reported that Attah said the families of the abducted passengers have parted with over $200,000 previously to the terrorists without having the passengers released.

“Because of Mamu’s introduction of money into the rescue process, the victims’ families had parted with over $200,000 prior to the chief of defence staff’s intervention.

“The Presidential Committee made life-threatening sacrifices, as we had to go into the forest to meet with the terrorists and even slept in the bush.

“It has been six months and one week, but we thank God everything has come to an end now, thanks to the support from the federal government through the office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). We were able to go into the bush and bring back the remaining of our family members.

“We achieved this not through somebody who betrayed the committee and the government, I am talking about the person of Tukur Mamu who did everything within his reach to thwart the efforts of the government for his own interest. As we all know, he is in the hands of the government now. But we thank God, all our family members are back now.

“The bandits never asked for money ab-initio, Tukur Mamu introduced money into the whole thing and derailed the process and kept everybody for the past six months.

“We parted away with about 200,000 US Dollars. Thank God the CDS took it upon himself and put in place a committee that never asked a kobo. Every sacrifice being done so far has been personal towards ensuring the release of the victims.

“In the committee, I can assure you that I worked with credible people of the highest order. If I have my way, all of them would be given national honors.  We risked our lives, went to the bush, we slept there in the bush.

“We heard the complaints of those people (the terrorists), even though we knew what they have done is wrong, but we had to engage them.

“Going forward, our security agencies must synergize their operations and the government should open more room for further engagements.” 

President Vladimir Putin has declared martial law in the four  of Ukraine where Russia controls territory after Russian officials warned of a looming Ukrainian assault on the key southern city of Kherson.

The Russian president said in televised remarks to members of his security council that: “We are working on solving very complex, large-scale tasks to ensure a reliable future for Russia, the future of our people,”

The law, published on the Kremlin website, gives far far-reaching emergency powers to the Russian-installed heads of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces, which Russia recently proclaimed as annexed after sham referendums.

The Kremlin decree also puts Russia on a stronger economic war-footing. Putin ordered an “economic mobilisation” in eight provinces bordering Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Putin said he was granting additional authority to the leaders of all Russian provinces to maintain public order and increase production in support of Moscow’s war, which is entering its eighth month. The law also limits the freedom to move in and out of eight Russian provinces bordering Ukraine.

In his speech, Putin also hinted at a further escalation of the war, calling the Ukrainian authorities “satanists” who have ignored Russia’s warnings.

“Russia has repeatedly given a chance to the command of the satanists to come to their senses. But we were not heard or ignored. Now everything will be different, we will dictate the terms,” Putin said.

Shortly after Putin’s statements, his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the government was not planning on closing the country’s international borders.