National News
EU Says Lot Needs to Improve Nigeria’s Electoral Process

EU Says Lot Needs to Improve Nigeria’s Electoral Process
By: Michael Mike
The European Union (EU) has reiterated its commitment to supporting democratic governance in Nigeria, insisting that a lot still needs to be done to improve the country’s electoral process,
It noted that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) faced enormous challenges, it was able to deliver the 2023 General Election.
The EU, however, stated that a lot still needs to be done to improve the country’s electoral process, particularly as the overall conduct and quality of the last elections did not meet the standards and expectations of INEC.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi, made this known in Abuja, during the inaugural Steering Committee meeting of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme.
Isopi, while urging stakeholders to increase efforts towards strengthening democratic governance in the country, lauded the critical and essential support provided by the EU-SDGN cohort during the elections.
She said: “I think there are important lessons learnt from the elections last year. If I am not mistaken, INEC’s own assessment concluded by saying that the elections, let me just quote, ‘overall, the conduct and quality of the elections did not meet standards and expectations set by the Commission itself.’ I think that this is a conclusion in line with the conclusion of the main domestic and international observation missions. I think this provides an agreed basis, a common ground on which we can build our future work together.
“At the European Union, we look forward to seeing how these reflections can be taken forward. As partners, we are ready to engage not only with all of you but also with relevant stakeholders to take that work forward.”
Isopi explained that the EU considers supporting democracy at home and outside its borders, and working with partners to strengthen democracy worldwide, as essential and important.
“We want to continue to support and invest in Nigeria; to invest in the largest democracy on the continent because this is also a message about the importance and the vitality of democracy in the region of West Africa where democracy is obviously backsliding,” she said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, expressed worries concerning the high number of court cases challenging the conduct of primaries by political parties.
He revealed that while many politicians file their cases in court, about 70 to 80 percent of them end up being withdrawn either before the commencement of trial or soon thereafter.
He noted that this act wastes the time and resources of the Commission, as it would typically engage and pay lawyers for the cases.
Yakubu therefore called for more engagement with political parties to improve their internal democracy and the process of electing and nominating candidates for elections.
He said: “Election is not just about what INEC does, but election is a multi-stakeholder responsibility. There are the responsibilities that other people discharge and perform.
“From the data available in the Commission, we have observedthat there have been more cases challenging the conduct of primaries by political parties than cases challenging the conduct of the election by INEC.
“For instance, with regards to post-election cases in 2023, we had over 1,300 cases, but at the end of the day, only 38 cases were upheld by the court. So, we conducted 38 court-ordered rerun elections. But year-in-year-out, we see 70 or 80 percent of them voluntarily withdrawn by the petitioners.
“Is there a way we can have a conversation with the political parties to improve internal democracy and the process of electing and nominating candidates for elections? They are right in a democracy to go to court, but is there a way we can have a conversation with them so that we can improve on that aspect?”
The Programme Steering Committee is co-chaired by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS and the Chairman of INEC, with membership consisting of representatives of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and the EU-SDGN II beneficiaries.
This Committee provides high level policy support and oversight of the programme and ensures that the programmeremains aligned and compliant with the EU and beneficiaries’ requirements and needs.
EU Says Lot Needs to Improve Nigeria’s Electoral Process
National News
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
By: Michael Mike
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.
The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.
In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.
“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.
“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.
The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.
Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.
Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.
VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution
National News
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
By: Michael Mike
The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.
A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.
“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”
According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.
The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.
Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.
Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting
National News
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp
By: Michael Mike
Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.
Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.
Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.
“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.
“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”
Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.
“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”
She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”
Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People
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