VP Shettima Joins World Leaders At UNGA 81 Opening, Delivers Nigeria’s Statement Thursday

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday joined world leaders at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the opening of the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA.

VP Shettima, who is representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the global gathering, had earlier attended a welcome breakfast hosted by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for Heads of Delegation and their spouses.

The Vice President arrived at the General Assembly Hall in company of Governors Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.

Also in the Nigerian delegation were the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd); Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, and other senior government officials.

The General Debate, holding from September 22 to 28 under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all,” opened with remarks by UN Secretary-General Guterres and addresses by world leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and United States President Donald Trump.

VP Shettima is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement before the General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, setting out the country’s position on major global issues and President Tinubu’s priorities for reform of international institutions, sustainable development, peace and security, climate action and a more equitable global economic order.

On his way from the United Nations Headquarters, Senator Shettima, accompanied by governors, ministers, presidential aides and other members of the Nigerian delegation, made a brief stop at Nigeria House in New York.

Earlier in his New York engagements, VP Shettima represented President Tinubu at the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, AMSG, where he called for a new continental push to end Africa’s dependence on the export of raw minerals and build processing, manufacturing and value-addition industries around the continent’s critical resources.

Senator Shettima said Africa’s mineral wealth must translate into jobs, industrial growth and improved living standards for Africans, urging countries on the continent to strengthen cooperation rather than compete through concessions that diminish the value of their resources.

The Vice President will also participate in other high-level and bilateral engagements during the UNGA week as Nigeria advances its national interests and strengthens cooperation with international partners.

VP Shettima Joins World Leaders At UNGA 81 Opening, Delivers Nigeria’s Statement Thursday

Alleged Wire Tapping: Court Reserves Ruling on El-Rufai’s No Case Submission

By: Zagazola Makama

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reserved ruling on a no case submission by a former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El’Rufai, on a charge of alleged wiretapping brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The DSS filed an amended five-count charge against el-Rufai following a February 13, 2026, Arise TV interview where he stated that associates had listened to the phone communications of National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu.

The secret police had told the court that El’Rufai’s actions breached the Cybercrimes and Nigerian Communications laws.

At the resumed hearing, on Tuesday, counsel to El’Rufai, Paul Erokoro, SAN, informed the court that they filed a no case application on 26th August 2026.

A. K. Ekere who held brief for Erokoro, urged the Court to discharge the case filed against El’Rufai and award penalties against the DSS, arguing that no prima-facie evidence was before the court to warrant a defence.

Responding, the prosecuting lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution filed its reply to the no-case submission on 6th September, 2026. He urged the court to overrule the no case submission filed by the defence and order El’Rufai to begin his defence.

He added that as there was evidence of El’Rufai’s confession which was tendered as evidence in court. That it duly established a case against the former governor.

After listening to lawyer to the DSS, and to the former governor, the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdullmalik adjourned the matter to October 26, 2026.

Alleged Wire Tapping: Court Reserves Ruling on El-Rufai’s No Case Submission

HOMEF Links Deaths of 37 Young Miners to Nigeria’s Extractive Economy, Demands Independent Probe

By: Michael Mike

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an independent investigation into the reported deaths of 37 young miners in Niger State, warning that the incident highlights the human and environmental consequences of Nigeria’s reliance on mineral extraction.

The environmental advocacy organisation said the deaths, involving young people reportedly aged between 14 and 20, should trigger a broader examination of the economic conditions pushing youths into hazardous mining and the environmental costs of the country’s extractive development model.
The miners reportedly died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after security operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities in the Wushishi-Lukoto area of Niger State.

Although the circumstances and causes of the deaths remain subject to investigation, HOMEF said the incident raises critical questions about the treatment of detainees, youth unemployment, livelihood insecurity and the sustainability of mining activities.

In a statement, HOMEF Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said the tragedy should not be viewed exclusively as a matter of illegal mining and security enforcement, but as part of a wider crisis associated with destructive extractivism.

“We must stop treating extraction as the pathway to development while ignoring the lives, lands and ecosystems sacrificed in the process,” Bassey said.

He warned against replacing the country’s dependence on oil with mineral extraction without addressing the environmental degradation and community displacement associated with resource exploitation.

Bassey specifically cited the experience of the Niger Delta as a warning against pursuing mineral wealth at the expense of local communities and their environments.

He said Nigeria risked reproducing the problems associated with oil extraction if the expansion of mining activities was not accompanied by adequate environmental protection, community participation and safeguards for livelihoods.

“The deaths underscore the urgent need to address the poverty, livelihood insecurity and economic exclusion that push people into dangerous and informal mining, while confronting the environmental destruction associated with unregulated extraction,” he added.

The HOMEF director also cautioned that efforts to curb illegal mining should not simply pave the way for large-scale industrial operations that could create further environmental damage.

He called for a shift towards economic activities that protect ecosystems, restore damaged environments and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities.

HOMEF urged the Federal Government and the Niger State Government to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths and ensure accountability for any violations, negligence or other wrongdoing uncovered.

The organisation also called for measures to address the economic vulnerabilities that expose young people to dangerous mining activities, particularly poverty, unemployment and the loss of sustainable livelihood opportunities.

It demanded stronger environmental monitoring and enforcement in mining-affected communities, alongside restoration programmes and measures to hold mining operators and polluters responsible for ecological damage.

The group further called for restrictions on destructive mining practices affecting forests, farmlands, water bodies and other ecologically sensitive areas.

It said communities whose territories are targeted for mineral extraction should have meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions affecting their land and livelihoods, including determining what happens within their territories.

HOMEF also advocated investment in sustainable, non-extractive economic activities capable of reducing dependence on hazardous mining and strengthening local economies.

The incident has brought renewed attention to the challenges of regulating informal mining while protecting vulnerable workers and communities.

Illegal mining enforcement addresses one aspect of the problem, but HOMEF argued that lasting solutions must also consider the economic circumstances that drive people, including young people, into the sector.

The organisation maintained that environmental protection, decent livelihood opportunities and accountability must form part of any strategy to manage Nigeria’s mineral resources.

It said the reported deaths should serve as a reminder that economic development cannot be measured solely by the volume or value of resources extracted, particularly when communities face risks to their lives, land, water and livelihoods.

HOMEF called for a fundamental departure from what it described as an “extract, exploit and abandon” approach, advocating instead a development pathway centred on ecological protection, environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods.

The organisation maintained that addressing illegal mining without confronting the wider consequences of extractivism would leave the underlying crisis unresolved.

HOMEF Links Deaths of 37 Young Miners to Nigeria’s Extractive Economy, Demands Independent Probe