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Tinubu
Headlines

Tinubu Nominates Ibas, Enang, Dambazau, Others as Non-Career Ambassadors

by Nelson Ugwuagbo December 4, 2025
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

President Bola Tinubu has nominated the immediate past Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, for appointment as a non-career ambassador.

Also nominated are a former senator, Ita Enang; former First Lady of Imo State, Chioma Ohakim; and a former Minister of Interior and ex-Chief of Army Staff, Abdulrahman Dambazau.

The nominations come barely one week after the President forwarded the names of Reno Omokri, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmoud Yakubu, among others, to the Senate for confirmation as ambassadors.

December 4, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

BREAKING: Senate Confirms Ex-CDS Christopher Musa as Defence Minister

by Folarin Kehinde December 3, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Senate has approved the appointment of former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Minister of Defence following a five-hour questioning by lawmakers on Wednesday.

General Musa was approved by lawmakers in the Senate chambers after his screening, just a day after President Bola Tinubu put forward his nomination for the role.

More details to follow…

December 3, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

BREAKING: US Imposes Visa Ban on Nigerians Behind Anti-Christian Religious Violence

by Folarin Kehinde December 3, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

The United States has announced a sweeping visa restriction targeting Nigerians believed to be involved in anti-Christian attacks across the country.

The policy, which also extends to the immediate family members of those affected, marks one of Washington’s strongest actions in recent years regarding religious-based violence in Nigeria.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the decision is part of a renewed global campaign aimed at tackling what it describes as “egregious anti-Christian violence.”

American officials say the move follows years of repeated assaults, killings, and destruction of Christian settlements by extremist groups, armed militias, and coordinated criminal networks operating in several parts of Nigeria.

The statement explained that the restrictions fall under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act.

Under this rule, visas may be denied to individuals who directed, authorised, funded, or participated in violations of religious freedom.

The policy may also apply, where necessary, to close relatives of those individuals.

The U.S. government stressed that it would not ignore the rising wave of religiously-motivated attacks.

Officials referenced ongoing patterns of violence in communities repeatedly targeted by radical Islamic terrorists, factions linked to Fulani militias, and other armed groups.

They described these incidents as part of a broader trend that demands urgent international attention.

Washington also reiterated that the protection of religious minorities remains a key part of its foreign policy.

The new visa ban is expected to put pressure on Nigerian authorities to intensify efforts toward preventing sectarian killings, improving security intelligence, and ensuring accountability for perpetrators.

The Nigerian government, however, has often maintained that many of the conflicts are driven by land disputes, banditry, and long-standing economic tensions.

However, critics argue that religious identity has increasingly become a defining factor in several of the recent attacks, especially in rural communities.

 

December 3, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS Christopher Musa As Defence Minister

by Folarin Kehinde December 2, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.

In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu conveyed General Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.

General Musa, 58, on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

 

In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.

In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.

In the letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President,

(Information and Strategy)

December 2, 2025

December 2, 2025 0 comments
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President Tinubu
Headlines

BREAKING: FG Publishes List of 15 Alleged Terrorist Financers in Nigeria [SEE LIST]

by Folarin Kehinde December 1, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has released a fresh list of 15 individuals and companies accused of bankrolling terrorism across the country.

The announcement, which comes as part of Nigeria’s renewed push against extremist networks, marks one of the most decisive actions taken in the ongoing 2024 counter-terrorism campaign.

According to officials, the list emerged from an extensive security review carried out by multiple agencies tracking financial flows, logistics supply routes and cross-border transactions.

According to officials, the list emerged from an extensive security review carried out by multiple agencies tracking financial flows, logistics supply routes and cross-border transactions.

The review identified nine persons and six business entities believed to have provided financial support, material assistance or other enabling resources to terrorist groups operating both within and outside Nigeria.

Those named include Tukur Mamu, Yusuf Ghazali, Muhammad Sani, Abubakar Muhammad, Sallamudeen Hassan, Adamu Ishak, Hassana-Oyiza Isah, Abdulkareem Musa, and Umar Abdullahi.

In addition to the individuals, the government also listed several companies — many of them Bureau De Change operators and general trading outfits — suspected of linking transactions to terror-funding networks.

These firms are West & East Africa General Trading Company Limited, Settings Bureau De Change Ltd, G. Side General Enterprises, Desert Exchange Ventures Ltd, Eagle Square General Trading Company Limited, and Alfa Exchange BDC.

Security officials involved in the investigation described the move as the outcome of “months of intelligence tracking,” during which teams studied suspicious cash movements, analysed communication patterns, and coordinated with international partners.

The aim, according to one senior officer, is to “cut off the oxygen supply” that keeps extremist cells functioning.

Government authorities explained that the action is part of a broader national effort to tighten regulations in the financial sector, monitor high-risk money-changing activities, and reinforce military operations in areas affected by terrorism.

The Federal Government also hinted that this is only the first phase, as more names are being examined and could be added to the sanctions list in the coming months.

The Federal Government also hinted that this is only the first phase, as more names are being examined and could be added to the sanctions list in the coming months.

Officials emphasised that the crackdown does not stop at naming suspects. Agencies are now expected to implement restrictions, freeze accounts where necessary, and track any further movement linked to the identified individuals and firms.

In a related development, the government recently intensified oversight on BDC operations nationwide, following earlier reports exposing how unregulated currency trading has become a soft landing for illicit financing.

This latest announcement appears to be a continuation of that broader effort to block all financial pipelines that enable terrorist activities.

December 1, 2025 0 comments
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Tinubu and Asuu
Headlines

FG Proposes 40% Salary Increase for ASUU Lecturers

by Nelson Ugwuagbo December 1, 2025
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Federal Government has reportedly proposed a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, according to sources familiar with the development in Abuja.

The offer comes as ASUU leadership prepares to return to the negotiation table with the government’s team, led by Yayale Ahmed.

It was gathered that the union’s decision to resume talks followed a consensus reached at its National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja on Sunday.

Branch leaders who attended the NEC meeting are expected to brief their members nationwide on the new proposal and the next steps in the negotiation process.

December 1, 2025 0 comments
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Northern Governors
Headlines

Northern Governors Host Emergency Meeting Over Escalating Security Concerns

by Nelson Ugwuagbo December 1, 2025
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Leaders Council are currently holding an emergency meeting at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna as insecurity worsens across the region.

The high-level session is examining the recent surge in banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, and farmer-herder clashes, which have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of residents in recent months.

The closed-door meeting is chaired by the Forum’s chairman and Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, alongside the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, who is leading the traditional rulers’ delegation. Discussions are said to be focused almost entirely on the escalating security crisis in Northern Nigeria.

December 1, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Tinubu appoints ex-INEC Chair Yakubu, Fani-Kayode, Reno Omokri, others as ambassadors (FULL LIST)

by Folarin Kehinde November 29, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

This was disclosed in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on Saturday.

The new list, which has the names of Chief Feni Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, and Reno Omokri, ex-Presidential aide, is coming days after the President sent the first batch of three names.

In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm expeditiously 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.

four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.

Among the non-career ambassador designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta), former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmud Yakubu, former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo, and former Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Others are Tasiu Musa Maigari, the former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State; Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister from Osun State; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list.

Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.

Among the nominees for career ambassador and high commissioner-designates are: Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi) and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

The other nominees are Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah(Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara) and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. All the nominees will know their diplomatic assignments after their confirmation by the Senate.

Last week, President Tinubu sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation. The nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun). All three are in the pot for posting to the UK, USA, or France after their confirmation.

Tinubu said more nominees for ambassadorial positions will be announced soon.

 

November 29, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Niger Delta Boss Jennifer Adighije Accused of Corruption, Reckless Spending

by Folarin Kehinde November 29, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Some concerned staff of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) have raised the alarm over alleged massive corruption and reckless spending under the leadership of the Managing Director, Jennifer Adighije.

They called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Presidency to launch an urgent investigation.

In an open letter titled “NDPHC Is Bleeding Under Mismanagement”, the workers alleged that despite hopes that Adighije would bring reform and results, the company “has not added a single megawatt” to Nigeria’s power supply during her tenure.

One of the issues raised is a proposed ₦900million budget for a “25-Year Celebration”, which the staff described as “a useless ‘25-Year Celebration’” that “adds zero value to the power sector.”

They claimed the event has “no new project” and “no improved supply,” describing it instead as “a money-siphoning jamboree.”

The letter also accused the MD of “flying private jets on official trips,” questioning whether “this is what the President mandated,” especially at a time when Nigerians face persistent power shortages.

The petition further alleges the use of “expensive media consultants,” stating that “teams of media handlers follow her around — paid with public funds — while the company collapses internally.”

In addition, staff accuse the MD of “promotion exam manipulations,” claiming she “changed the promotion cut-off marks to favour her loyalists.”

In addition, staff accuse the MD of “promotion exam manipulations,” claiming she “changed the promotion cut-off marks to favour her loyalists.”

According to them, workers have already submitted a “Save Our Career” petition to the NDPHC Board headed by Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

They say the situation has led to demotivation, fear and anxiety, high staff exit and a collapse in productivity.

The petition cites a viral video showing the MD giving Nollywood actress Sarah Martins “₦20 million in foreign currency,” which she allegedly said came from Seyi Tinubu.

According to the staff, “Seyi later denied making such a donation,” prompting questions such as “So where did the money come from? Why is the MD distributing massive cash gifts? Who approved it?”

The petition concludes that there has been “Zero Impact. Zero Value. Zero Megawatts,” insisting that there are “no new power project(s), no improvement in generation, no legacy,” only “waste, extravagance and media drama.”

The workers call on the EFCC and the Presidency to investigate, urging authorities to audit the ₦900million event budget, investigate the ₦20million cash giveaway, review private jet expenses, probe HR manipulations, and stop reckless spending.

They stress that “Nigeria cannot allow NDPHC to become another playground for waste and corruption,” adding that “NDPHC belongs to Nigerians — not one individual.”

A now viral video had shown Adighije, presenting a sum of N20million in foreign currencies to Sarah Martins, claiming that the money was donated to her by Seyi Tinubu.

The President’s son, Seyi however denied being behind the donation.

Martins had accused personnel of the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) unit of harassing her by taking possession of her cooking gas cylinder, among other items which were being used to facilitate preparation of free meals for the less privileged.

The controversial incident occured during a charity outreach in the Ikate area of Lekki, Lagos.

Defending its actions, the Lagos government, noted that Martins violated environmental and safety regulations by engaging in unauthorised street cooking on a public road median.

Martins had taken to Instagram to express her gratitude for the N20 million donation.

She had thanked Seyi, the son of President Bola Tinubu, and the Noella Foundation — an organisation directed by his wife Layla.

However, Seyi dismissed the claim that he was the donor.

While commenting on the development, he had clarified that while he was aware of the situation, the donation itself came from a group of his friends.

He explained that his friends, “moved by compassion,” raised the funds to help Martins secure a proper location for her activities after her “encounter with the law”.

However, a viral clip showed Adighije, presenting Martins with US dollars amounting to N20 million.

“Seyi asked me to give this to you. He is out of the country, when he comes back he said I should let you know he will see you and expect you to be able to get a shop with this,” the government top official is heard saying in the clip.

The video also showed Martins becoming emotional while appreciating Seyi.

Seyi however insists that he would not support action that breaks the law, while denying the donation.

November 29, 2025 0 comments
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HeadlinesAfrica & World

India Orders $570 Million Payout in Major Fraud Case Against Nigeria’s Sterling Oil

by Leading Reporters November 27, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

In a sweeping move, India’s Supreme Court has allowed billionaire siblings Nitin and Chetan Sandesara to evade full prosecution in a massive alleged bank-fraud scheme if they settle with a payment equal to about one-third of their assessed debt.

The ruling, which allows the pair to settle for about $570 million on liabilities pegged at $1.6 billion, could end years of criminal proceedings that New Delhi has pursued across multiple jurisdictions.

The ruling could open the way for economic offenders to strike similar settlements, leaving lenders struggling to recover their entire dues, said Debopriyo Moulik, a Supreme Court lawyer in independent practice, told Reuters.

“This is very similar to the approach adopted in foreign countries where fines are an alternative to facing trial,” Moulik said.

For the industrialists, the decision marks the closest India has come to resolving a scandal that has stretched from Mumbai to Abuja and into the offshore oil fields of West Africa.

Yet the brothers’ fortunes have never been brighter.

Far from the Indian courts that have hounded them since 2017, the Sandesaras have built one of Nigeria’s largest independent oil producers, turning a once-minor set of onshore licenses into a sprawling African energy empire delivering tens of thousands of barrels of crude a day.

Their success in Africa, combined with Nigeria’s persistent refusal to extradite them, has long frustrated Indian authorities and underscored how geopolitical and commercial interests have shielded the pair from consequences at home.

Nigeria, Africa’s top crude producer, has embraced the Sandesaras even as India brands them fugitives responsible for what investigators call “one of the largest economic scams in the country.”

Their flagship companies, Sterling Oil Exploration & Production Co. and Sterling Global Oil Resources Ltd, pump roughly 50,000 barrels of crude daily, according to a 2023 Bloomberg report, operating under contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.

The brothers’ rise in Nigeria accelerated after they pivoted away from India in the mid-2010s. What began almost 20 years earlier with two modest onshore licences in the Niger Delta matured into a vertically integrated drilling and crude-export business.

The Sandesaras transferred operations to Lagos, hired the former head of Nigeria’s petroleum regulator to oversee their expansion, and secured major state contracts that cemented their standing in the country’s energy sector.

Their companies now rank among Nigeria’s top oil exporters, and in 2019 the government said taxes and royalties paid by Sandesara-linked entities accounted for 2 percent of national revenue.

According to the Indian Times, their operations have also cleverly sidestepped the endemic sabotage of Nigeria’s pipeline network by shipping crude via barges to a floating offshore storage vessel. The approach has allowed them to keep exports steady even as peers disrupted by oil theft and militant activity scaled back.

Nigeria has also doubled down on the Sandesaras’ involvement in its future oil ambitions. Government officials last year announced the discovery of as many as 1 billion barrels of crude in the country’s arid northeast, part of a multi-billion-dollar hydrocarbons push that relies partly on drilling contractors connected to the brothers.

To New Delhi, the brothers are not pioneers but perpetrators of a sweeping financial fraud. Indian agencies allege the Sandesaras built their now-collapsed domestic conglomerate, Sterling Group, with the help of fabricated documents, inflated valuations, and an intricate network of shell structures designed to siphon overseas cash.

The brothers deny any wrongdoing and say they are victims of political persecution.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claims the group owed more than 140 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) to state-owned lenders, including State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, and Bank of Baroda.

A 2019 charge sheet accused the family of channeling loan proceeds into offshore ventures, including their Nigerian oil operations.

The same banks later pursued the group abroad, winning two UK High Court rulings in 2018 and 2021 that ordered Sandesara-linked companies to repay nearly $60 million after defaulting on obligations related to the Sterling Oil business.

India also sought the brothers’ extradition from Nigeria. But in a blow to New Delhi’s efforts, Nigerian officials in 2018 refused to arrest them, saying India’s allegations “appeared to be political in nature,” according to correspondence published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and reviewed by Bloomberg.

The brothers subsequently applied for Nigerian citizenship, according to CBI filings.

November 27, 2025 0 comments
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