VP Shettima Departs Abuja to Represent President Tinubu at the 2026 African Union Summit

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, has departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 2026 African Union (AU) Summit.

The Summit, themed “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” will focus on advancing continental commitments toward sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development aspirations encapsulated in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework.

While in Addis Ababa, the Vice President will join other African leaders at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government, as well as the 30th General Assembly, scheduled to hold on February 14 and 15, 2026, respectively.

On the margins of the Summit, Senator Shettima will participate in high-level side events and hold bilateral engagements with political and business leaders aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic, and strategic partnerships across the continent.

The Vice President is accompanied by cabinet ministers and other senior government officials. He is expected to return to Nigeria at the conclusion of his official engagements in Addis Ababa.

VP Shettima Departs Abuja to Represent President Tinubu at the 2026 African Union Summit

Commonwealth Urge Action to Make Rule of Law Deliver for Citizens

By: Michael Mike

Justice ministers and attorneys general from across the Commonwealth have gathered in Fiji for a high-level meeting aimed at strengthening the rule of law and ensuring it delivers tangible benefits for citizens amid growing global uncertainty.

The Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting opened on Monday, February 9, 2026, in Nadi, bringing together more than 250 delegates from the organisation’s 56 member states. The event was formally inaugurated with a traditional Fijian welcome ceremony attended by Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, alongside the Prime Ministers of Tuvalu, Feleti Penitala Teo, and senior government officials from Tonga and other member countries.

Addressing the opening session, Prime Minister Rabuka warned that the rule of law is under increasing strain worldwide, cautioning that its erosion has direct and damaging consequences for ordinary people.

“When the law is weakened or unevenly applied, it is not institutions alone that suffer,” he said. “It is real people and real lives. This meeting must therefore go beyond discussion to produce practical outcomes that strengthen justice systems and public trust.”

He challenged ministers to ensure that legal frameworks remain responsive to contemporary threats, particularly the accelerating impact of climate change, urging justice systems to serve as a protective shield for both people and the environment.

Echoing these concerns, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said the meeting was taking place at a moment marked by political instability, economic pressures and environmental risks that have left many citizens feeling insecure.

She warned that the gradual replacement of the rule of law with the “rule of force” threatens democratic governance and social cohesion, underscoring the critical role of law ministers in reversing that trend.

“The work you do here matters profoundly,” Botchwey said. “Strengthening democratic resilience and restoring trust between institutions and the people they serve is not an easy task, but it is essential.”

She added that the Commonwealth’s new strategic plan reflects this urgency by prioritising targeted action to ensure that the rule of law is experienced not only in courtrooms, but in everyday life.

Over the three-day meeting, delegates will deliberate on a wide range of issues affecting justice delivery across the Commonwealth, including how legal systems shape democratic participation, economic opportunity and environmental protection.

Key discussions will address emerging challenges such as safeguarding maritime rights in the face of rising sea levels, improving access to justice through responsible use of technology, and adapting legal frameworks to respond to climate-related displacement and resource pressures.

The meeting is being chaired by Fiji’s Minister for Justice and Acting Attorney-General, Siromi Turaga, under the theme “Anchoring Justice in a Changing Tide: Strengthening the Rule of Law for a Resilient Future.”

The gathering is expected to conclude on February 11 with the adoption of an outcome statement outlining concrete actions that Commonwealth countries will take to reinforce the rule of law and promote inclusive justice for their citizens.

Commonwealth Urge Action to Make Rule of Law Deliver for Citizens

VP SHETTIMA AT NEC CONFERENCE: Inclusive Growth, Economic Progress Must Filter Down To Everyday Lives Of Nigerians

Urges Council members to remain engine room for consensus-building, coordinated action between FG, states

Says confab demonstrates harmonious relationship President Tinubu has shared with NEC

By: Our Reporter

Following the address of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at the second edition of the National Economic Council (NEC) conference, Vice President Kashim Shettima has implored governors of the 36 states of the federation, ministers and other public officials to work towards achieving the kind of inclusive growth and economic progress that trickle down to the everyday lives of Nigerians.

According to him, the prevailing wisdom among developed economies has moved beyond growth for its own sake to sustainable growth that accommodates all citizens.

The Vice President, who stated this on Monday in Abuja while delivering his keynote address during the National Economic Council (NEC) Conference, described the two-day confab as a continuation of government’s covenant with the Nigerian people.

“The inclusive growth on our radar is not an exercise in sloganeering. We have confronted the macroeconomic obstacles before us. What remains is to ensure that progress filters down to the everyday lives of our people. This is precisely why the National Economic Council remains the most suitable vehicle for delivering the promise of inclusive growth.

“Our mission is incomplete if a child born in Lafia does not have the same chance to thrive as one born in Lagos; if the farmer in Makurdi, the entrepreneur in Aba, and the student in Sokoto cannot all find dignity, opportunity, and hope within the Nigerian dream,” he declared.

Senator Shettima pointed out that while the NEC conference is a moment to take stock of the tasks ahead, the event also demonstrates the harmonious relationship President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shared with NEC through the “memorable years of inevitable and transformative reforms aimed at resetting the foundations” of the nation’s economy.

He applauded President Tinubu for improving Nigeria’s economic fortunes, noting that it would be difficult for anyone to deny the sincerity with which the President “has honoured his promise to insulate the Nigerian economy in a world increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions and rising economic protectionism.”

On what the conference intends to achieve, VP Shettima explained that it “presents a unique opportunity to onboard new Governors” and deepen the shared understanding of NEC’s role in shaping Nigeria’s economic destiny.

Among others, he said the two-day retreat seeks to “align federal and state strategies with the National Development Plan (2021–2025) and the Nigeria Agenda 2050, especially in poverty reduction, job creation, and social protection.”

Senator Shettima outlined the objectives of the confab to include strengthening collaboration across regions through practical frameworks for inter-regional trade, investment, and infrastructure, harnessing the comparative advantages of each geopolitical zone.

He said the conference will also explore “pathways for fiscal sustainability at both federal and subnational levels, reforming tax systems and enhancing internally generated revenue without overburdening our people; and to ensure that NEC’s resolutions translate into legislative and executive action that delivers tangible outcomes at federal, state, and community levels.”

The Vice President urged participants at the conference “to be bold in thought, courageous in questioning the status quo, and resolute in crafting an implementable roadmap that speaks not just to growth, but to growth that is inclusive, sustainable, and transformative.

“History will not judge us by what we discuss, but by the clarity of the actions and the impact inspired by such decisions. May this conference mark another step towards a nation that works for all its people,” he added.

In his welcome remarks, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, lauded the efforts and contributions of NEC to gains recorded in the economy, just as he commended the Vice President for his leadership and state Governors for their commitment to the ideals of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Senator Bagudu expressed hope that the NEC conference will provide the forum with an opportunity to generate the consensus needed to support the creation of the trillion dollar economy.

For his part, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, represented by Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, said the conference was holding at a time where the country is undertaking a deliberate reset targeted at repositioning the economy for sustainable development.

He pledged the support of the states in delivering inclusive growth and sustainable national development as enshrined in the Renewed Hope National Development Plan.

VP SHETTIMA AT NEC CONFERENCE: Inclusive Growth, Economic Progress Must Filter Down To Everyday Lives Of Nigerians