Fili, Prominent Adamawa Politician Denies Ex-Wife Access to Four Daughters for Twelve Years

By: Michael Mike

A prominent political in Adamawa State, Prof. Caleb Fili has continued to use his political influence to deny his former wife, Ms. Zhihwi Mercy Tizhe access to their four daughters for twelve years.

Fili, who was a prominent member of the Labour Party in the state during the 2023 General Election broke up with his ex-wife twelve years ago and had kept the children from Tizhe, which compelled her to take to the court.

The former husband was alleged to have used his position to get the case protracted and kept the ex-women from having access to their four daughters.

The ex-wife thought her ordeal was over when she thought she has had a reprieve from hen granted custody of her third and fourth daughters by the Upper Area Court Yola, under His Justice Buba Abubakar, on January 15, 2024.

However, her former husband thwarted her victory as he continued to refuse to comply with the judgment.

The case entered a new twist on Wednesday when the ministry of justice in Adamawa was alleged to have tried to force Tizhe to sign a paper forfeiting her right to custody of her two younger daughters who are still minors.

Addressing a news conference at the NUJ House in Yola on Thursday, She held a press conference Thursday at NUJ, in Yola, Tizhe, a staff of the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) project, alleged that Professor Caleb Fili, has refused to comply with the judgment, using his influence and connections to frustrate the process.

She decried that she has been denied access to her daughters, who are currently under the care of their paternal aunt.

The said her protestations to the Chief Judge of Adamawa State, the Governor, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, had yielded no positive result.

She equally alleged that the Ministry of Justice in Adamawa State had attempted to compel her to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would nullify the existing court judgment, which she resisted by insisting that no MoU can override a valid court judgment.

Tizhe’s case has sparked concern about the plight of women and children in similar situations. Her story highlights the need for a more efficient and effective judicial system that prioritizes the rights and welfare of vulnerable individuals.

Despite her best efforts, Tizhe has been unable to access her children, who are reportedly being denied parental affection. She appealed at the press conference for intervention from the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society organizations.

She said the Adamawa State government has a responsibility to ensure that justice is served and the rights of citizens are protected, insisting that this case is a test of the government’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the vulnerable.

She lamented that her ordeal since the case started 12 years ago has taken a toll on her health, family, and professional responsibilities.

She said: “I lead a national inclusion programme but has been stranded in Yola for weeks, missing an international conference in Abuja, just waiting for justice that keeps slipping away.”

She added that: “The failure to enforce judgments undermines public confidence in the judiciary. It is imperative that the authorities take immediate action to address my grievances and ensure that justice is done.”

Fili, Prominent Adamawa Politician Denies Ex-Wife Access to Four Daughters for Twelve Years

2026 Budget: A Logical Step in Gombe’s Upward Growth – Commissioner

By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe

The Gombe State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Salihu Baba Alkali, has described the 2026 budget presented by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya as a bold and strategic continuation of the administration’s vision to transform the state into a modern, thriving hub of economic empowerment and security.

Speaking shortly after the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly in Gombe, Alkali said the budget was not merely an annual fiscal ritual but “a powerful statement of intent — meticulously designed to secure the state’s immediate, long-term, and intergenerational well-being.”

According to him, the financial architecture of the 2026 budget “tells a story of developmental ambition,” with a total proposed expenditure of ₦535.69 billion. Of this figure, ₦371.44 billion (69.34%) is allocated to capital projects, while ₦164.25 billion (30.66%) is earmarked for recurrent expenditure.

“This aggressive capital-to-recurrent ratio reflects a government focused on building the future, not just servicing the present. It ensures that the bulk of our resources are channelled into tangible assets and projects that will serve our people for decades to come,” he stated.

The Commissioner highlighted several signature mega projects embedded in the 2026 fiscal plan, including the Three Arms Zone, extensive road dualisation, and the State Industrial Park, describing them as “interconnected components of a master plan” aimed at upgrading the state’s infrastructure and economic capacity.

“The Three Arms Zone will modernise governance, the new road networks will serve as commercial arteries, while the Industrial Park will become the economic engine — attracting investment, creating jobs, and positioning Gombe alongside modern cities like Abuja,” Alkali explained.

He further noted that beyond physical infrastructure, the 2026 budget reflects a deep commitment to human capital development. “Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s administration has ticked all boxes of international best practices,” he said, pointing out that the budget meets the 15% ‘Abuja Declaration’ benchmark for the health sector, reaffirming the government’s commitment to residents’ well-being.

Education, human development, and citizen empowerment also form central pillars of the plan, supported by targeted investments in agriculture and industrialisation to create a synergistic link between agricultural productivity and industrial growth.

Alkali emphasised that the 2026 budget was the product of extensive public consultations, ensuring inclusivity and collective ownership. “Our people were carried along throughout the process. This inclusive approach aligns state priorities with citizens’ needs and fosters trust,” he said.

The Commissioner expressed confidence in the administration’s ability to deliver, noting that Gombe achieved an implementation rate of over 60% in the 2025 budget cycle.

“With that track record, the political will to execute this vision is beyond doubt. The 2026 budget is not just a proposal — it is the next logical step in Gombe’s consistent upward trajectory of growth and development,” Alkali declared.

Nigeria Anticipates Contribution of Livestock Industry to GDP in Ten Years to Hit $94 billion

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has said in the next ten years the contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the livestock industry may reach $94 billion.

The industry according to the government is currently contributing over $32 billion to the nation’s GDP, with great impact on national food security, job creation, and rural income generation.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, speaking at the Policy Dialogue Workshop for the Valuation of PRISMA Project Results in the Regional Agricultural Priorities of West Africa and the Sahel, organised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)’s Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA) on Thursday in Abuja, said that Nigeria’s strategic plan for the livestock sector in the next ten years aims to increase its GDP contribution from the current $32 billion to between $74 billion and $94 billion.

The Minister, who was represented by the

Director, Technical Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Mr. Peter Alike, stated that

the government recognises livestock as a national imperative that cannot be ignored.

He noted that the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Livestock Development by President Bola Tinubu reflects government’s deliberate action towards strengthening the livestock sub-sector and driving national development.

He stated the importance of collaboration between Nigeria, ECOWAS, and other regional actors in achieving shared agricultural and food security goals.

He said: “I have told you already that we have a strategic plan which is going to run from 2025 to 2030. And we have a basket of livestock contribution to GDP which is currently about $32 billion.

“And our mission is, in the next 10 years, we want to take, there is a baseline, a base anticipation of $74 billion and then of course a high expectation of about $94 billion.

“We believe that if you actually look at the entire valuation of livestock in Nigeria here today, we are far even in excess of that.

“In Nigeria, we have over 50 million cattle in the hands of rural dwellers, and these are animals that must be fed. So, for us, feed and indeed food is a national imperative that we cannot even live for tomorrow. It is indeed an emergency because the tangential effect of not being able to provide the necessary feed and food for our animals has a direct effect on our very existence, rural livelihood, and human peace. So, for us, it is a matter of survival.

“This is the time for three things to be done. The first thing to be done is collaboration. The second thing to be done is collaboration. And the third thing to be done is collaboration. This is the time that we need each other the most.”

He cautioned against allowing the PRISMA policy dialogue to become just another routine event without tangible outcomes.

He however cautioned against excluding Nigeria in regional projects.

He said: “We don’t want this to end up as one of those workshops because it doesn’t make sense,” that the ministry is fully committed to ensuring that discussions translate into real progress for livestock development across Nigeria and the ECOWAS region.

He noted that: “If you have a project of this magnitude and you exclude Nigeria, then you are not likely to succeed. Especially, I don’t know of any other country in West Africa and the Sahel that has a dedicated Ministry of Livestock Development.”

On his part, the Acting Executive Director of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA), Mr. Konlani Kanfitin, reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to advancing livestock development and research collaboration in the region.

He expressed appreciation to the European Union (EU) and the Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID) for co-financing the PRISMA Project (Research and Innovation for Productive, Resilient, and Healthy Agro-Pastoral Systems in West Africa), which promotes climate-adapted, research-based innovations in the livestock sector.

He said the PRISMA Project aligns with ECOWAS’ regional agricultural policy (ECOWAP), which seeks to transform agricultural and food systems across the region.

Kanfitin emphasised the importance of policy dialogue as a lever for coherence, strategic orientation, participatory governance, and regional integration.

He said: “The livestock sector occupies a central place in the economies of our member states. It contributes to food security, job creation, and the income of millions of rural households.

“This policy dialogue workshop constitutes a key moment for reflection and collective action; it is intended as a space for discussions and decision-making to improve the policy environment for research and innovation to increase the productivity and resilience of agro-pastoral systems in West Africa and the Sahel,” he noted.

In his remarks, Agricultural Engineer and PRISMA Researcher, Dr. Fernando Escribano, highlighted the project’s focus on tackling aflatoxins in livestock feed.

He described aflatoxins as metabolic byproducts of fungi and bacteria that can grow in the field and during storage when high moisture and temperature conditions allow, stressing the need for standard methods to control their presence in livestock feed.

“This is the scenario that we had when we started this project. We decided to focus because aflatoxins don’t have borders. Environmental impact doesn’t have borders. So, we decided to go with a harmonization exercise. We need to harmonize and define what is equality,” Dr. Escribano explained.

“We need to avoid the presence of aflatoxins in our feeds. We need to know how to sample to detect aflatoxins. We need to know how to measure aflatoxins in a relatively simple way, but in a way that we all agree to be done,” he added.

The PRISMA policy dialogue workshop was organized under the framework of ECOWAS’s regional agricultural policy (ECOWAP) and hosted in Abuja, Nigeria, with active participation and support from the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

The event was co-financed and technically supported by the European Union (EU), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Luxembourg Cooperation, Belgian Cooperation, and Spanish Cooperation, highlighting a strong partnership between regional bodies, national authorities, and international development partners.

Nigeria Anticipates Contribution of Livestock Industry to GDP in Ten Years to Hit $94 billion