News
Ajaokuta Probe Panel: Ohanaeze Youths fault Kogi traditional ruler’s position
Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has faulted traditional rulers in Kogi State for kicking against the Senate investigative panel on Ajaokuta Steel Company and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe.
The warning came in response to a letter written to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio by the Ebira Area Traditional Rulers Council.
It could be recalled that the Senate had consequent upon a motion sponsored by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP Kogi Central), set up a committee to probe alleged shoddy dealings in the steel company and the Iron Ore mining company.
Senator Adeniyi Ayodele Adegbonmire SAN (APC Ondo Central) is to be the chairman of the investigative panel, while Senator Kawu Suleiman (NNPP Kano South) is to be the deputy chairman.
Presenting the motion, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, said the companies were established in the late 70s by the Federal Government with a potential to put Nigeria on the path of technological and industrial advancement, and establish the country as one of the leading exporters of steel products in the world.
She noted that decades after their establishment, the Ajaokuta Steel Mill and NIOMCO have remained inoperative and unable to produce steel despite seeming efforts by several administrations due to lack of earnest political will and bureaucratic corruption.
However, the Ebira monarchs, who appear to be on a different page, have written a protest letter to the Senate expressing their stand against the resolutions of the Red Chamber.
They said the two companies should not be dragged into controversies, adding that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s motion called for caution.
Reacting to the development on Monday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was right on her motion over the state of affairs in Ajaokuta Steel Company and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, both in Ebira land.
Okwu, who wondered whether the steel company and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, now belonged to Ebira people, and by extension Kogi State, said it was curious that anyone would stand to oppose the Senate’s decision to investigate all the issues surrounding the companies.
“We must state clearly that the investigative panel as constituted by the Senate is very apt and long overdue.
“It is curious that for years now, Ajaokuta Steel and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, which are national assets, have been left moribund, despite interventions by the federal government.
“One cannot take one’s eyes away from the fact that it is a collective asset belonging to the Nigerian people, just like the oil industry and every other national economic asset. It does not belong to Ebira land and by extension Kogi State, so the traditional rulers erred by their opposition to the decision taken by the Senate.
“The motion, sponsored by Akpoti-Uduaghan, which informed the Senate’s decision needs to be applauded and not vilified.
“It is a step in the right direction to salvage what is left of those invaluable assets,” he said.
The Igbo youth group further stated that any lover of the country should not take any step that was tantamount to giving backing to economic saboteurs.
According to the group, “it is clear that the enemies of the country have held the company down for years; they don’t want their age-long fraud to be exposed.
“We are afraid that they could be deceiving the traditional rulers, who may have issued that protest letter out of mistake and for not having the right information.
“What Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has actually done is in the best interest of not just the host community but the entire country and we are solidly behind her and the Senate.
“The probe should be total and thorough; nobody should be spared; anyone standing on the way against the revitalising of that national asset should be exposed and those who may have committed any heist against the country via those companies should be made to pay back.
“There is no doubt that if the companies resume operation, they would guarantee jobs to teeming Nigerian youths and contribute to the nation’s GDP.
“This is why we are solidly behind Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the entire Senate on this,” Okwu declared.
Governors elected under The All Progressives Congress (APC) have reviewed outcome of the party’s primaries and resolved to meet with Prof Netanwe Yilwatda, Chairman of the party, and other leaders.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), said the resolution was reached at the forum’s meeting which ended at the early hours of Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PGF is an umbrella body of all serving APC governors.
Uzodimma while addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting said that the governors also resolved to work to ensure that Nigerians were better off.
He said that the meeting reviewed the outcome of the party’s primaries across the federation, the recent Ekiti governorship election and various by elections in which the APC came out in ”flying colours”.
“We have resolved to work towards solving the problems and challenges facing our democratic space and ensuring that our people are better off.
“We also resolved to meet with the leadership of the party to plan the coming 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. We are ready and good to go,” he said.
The PGF chairman added that the forum further resolved to continue to work with the APC leadership to support and strengthen it and prepare it for future elections.
The meeting was attended by governors of Ekiti, Zamfara, Taraba, Lagos, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom and Borno States among others.(NAN)
One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.
The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court registrar pending the determination of the case.
After granting the application, Justice Umar handed Sowore over to his lawyers and adjourned further proceedings until Monday, July 6, when the defendant is expected to open his defence.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services on allegations bordering on cybercrime, following social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”
He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
The court revoked Sowore’s bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to attend proceedings.
Following the revocation of his bail, Sowore challenged the bench warrant and sought the trial judge’s recusal.
The application was dismissed, after which he was remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his fresh bail application.
Delivering Tuesday’s ruling, Justice Umar restored the defendant’s bail on fresh terms, requiring him to meet the N200 million bail bond and fulfil the conditions attached before regaining his freedom.
Reacting shortly after the ruling, Sowore described the bail conditions as part of the authorities’ continued efforts against him but insisted they would not deter his movement.
He said, “There is no bus on earth that can stop this revolution. We warned them, but they would not listen. But now, it appears a little bit of common sense is returning to them, and as a result, I was granted bail, requiring a traditional ruler, somebody with property in Abuja, and N200m and my international passport.
“They have always been after the passport. So nobody can come after our movement. Nobody can stop the movement. Nobody can stop the idea whose time has come.
“What I want to tell Nigerians is that it is not about my freedom; it is about the liberation of the Nigerian people.”
The United States has described a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria as one of its most significant successes in the fight against jihadist groups, recovering what it calls the largest cache of enemy electronic equipment since the September 11, 2001 attacks.Politics
Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the U.S. National Security Council, made the disclosure in an interview with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit.
Gorka stated that U.S. operatives, in coordination with Nigerian forces, conducted a raid approximately three weeks ago that neutralised 199 jihadists in a single operation.
“That is the biggest neutralisation of enemy killed in action since September 11. Two hundred and ninety-nine jihadists who will not harm Americans again,” Gorka said.
He added that the operation yielded an intelligence haul so substantial that an additional aircraft was required to transport the recovered electronic materials.
“We needed an extra plane to bring home all the electronic material that we captured in those camps. The haul was three times bigger than any enemy electronics haul since 9/11,” he said.
According to Gorka, the recovered materials are being analysed for intelligence on Islamic State (ISIS) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) communication networks, financing, operational planning and international links.
Speaking on how the operation was authorised, Gorka said President Donald Trump approved the mission after being briefed on the threat posed by the targeted militants.
“We told the President, this man has killed Americans and is planning to kill Americans. He ticked the ‘go box’ on the operational orders we had in front of him.”
Gorka also said Africa has increasingly become a focus for ISIS because of vast ungoverned territories where extremist groups can regroup after defeats elsewhere.
He further disclosed that the administration’s current counterterrorism campaign has resulted in the neutralisation of more than 1,000 jihadists globally.
Details of the specific location and exact date of the raid were not publicly specified, although reports have linked it to operations in Borno State targeting ISWAP elements, including the reported elimination of a high-value target.
The announcement underscores ongoing U.S.-Nigeria security cooperation against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel. Nigerian and U.S. forces have collaborated on intelligence sharing, training and equipment support in efforts to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP.Demographics
No independent verification of the casualty figures or the scale of the intelligence recovered had been released by Nigerian authorities as of the time of reporting.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a sweeping reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), marking the first comprehensive restructuring of the scheme since its establishment 53 years ago.
The landmark reforms, approved during Monday’s FEC meeting in Abuja, are aimed at transforming the NYSC into a skills-driven, productivity-focused institution that aligns with the Federal Government’s economic development agenda.
One of the most significant changes is the restructuring of the scheme’s leadership, with the NYSC to be headed by a civilian for the first time, while the military will continue to provide security support for corps members across the country.
To give legal effect to the reforms, the Council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and other relevant regulations.
Announcing the development on Monday, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described the decision as the first holistic review of the NYSC since its creation in 1973.
“We are transforming the Scheme into a platform that not only unites Nigeria but also equips our young people with the skills, experience and opportunities they need to thrive in a fast-changing world,” the minister said.
According to Olawande, the reforms are designed to reposition the NYSC as “a skills-driven, productivity-focused and youth-empowering institution” in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy.
The approved reforms include a technology-driven call-up process, risk-sensitive deployment to enhance the safety of corps members, a redesigned six-week orientation programme with greater emphasis on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and specialised career tracks, as well as skills-based primary assignments aligned with graduates’ academic backgrounds and career aspirations.
Other changes include modern governance with civilian operational leadership, improved orientation camp standards through a national grading and certification system, a new graduation ceremony to replace the traditional Passing Out Parade, and a redesigned NYSC uniform aimed at promoting professionalism and national pride.
Olawande disclosed that the reform process began in 2025 following extensive consultations involving the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination.
“This is more than a reform of an institution. It is an investment in Nigeria’s greatest asset—our young people. The future of the NYSC begins now, and it is brighter, more relevant and more impactful than ever,” he added.
Established in 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War, the NYSC was created to foster national unity by deploying graduates to states outside their regions of origin for one year of compulsory national service.
The latest reforms represent the most far-reaching changes in the history of the scheme, with the Federal Government saying they will make the NYSC more relevant to Nigeria’s evolving economic and youth development priorities.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has approved a cabinet reshuffle that affects all Special Advisers, Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, as well as the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Private Secretary.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the governor’s Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, who described the move as a minor cabinet shake-up.
“Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved a minor cabinet shake-up involving all Special Advisers, Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, and Special Assistants,” the statement read.
According to the statement, the decision was taken to create opportunities for more members of the ruling party and bring renewed energy into the administration.
The statement noted that the exercise also affects the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor.
The reshuffle comes as part of efforts by the AbdulRazaq administration to reconstitute parts of its team while broadening participation within the government.
-
Politics1 day agoUmahi Vs Nwifuru: Gov’s candidate dropped as APC Forwards Approved National Assembly Candidates List to INEC (See List)
-
Foreign4 days agoNOT GUILTY: Parents Seek Review as UK Court Convicts Nigerian Student of Robbery
-
Politics1 day ago2027: APC submits INEC list, drops 8 Senate, Reps Candidates
-
News4 days agoNigerians blast Tinubu’s Wife For Asking Women To Sell Akara, Roast Corn
-
Politics4 days agoTinubu’s Biggest Problem Is Those Around Him, Says Ndume
-
News4 days agoRights Group Demands Evacuation of Nigerians Stranded in South Africa, Seeks N5m Starter Pack
-
Politics4 days agoMbaise 2027 Must Not Be Open: Sir Basil Maduka, Our Only Joker For Owerri Zone Senate
-
Entertainment5 days agoMr Ibu’s Family Faces Eviction, Financial Hardship One Year After Actor’s Death