National News
Obasanjo, Sultan advises National Assembly to revisit rejected gender bills

Obasanjo, Sultan advises National Assembly to revisit rejected gender bills
By: Michael Mike
Former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar has supported the ongoing call for the revisit of the gender bills rejected by the National Assembly.
Speaking at the UN Women Officially Launch of New Women’s Political Participation project and Advocates for the Gender Bills in Abuja on Thursday night, both leaders said the bills would further the development plans of Nigeria and should be supported by all and sundry.
Obasanjo, who was represented by the Iyalode of Egbaland, Chief Alaba Lawson at the occasion said Nigeria as a regional and global leader has a standard of setting role to demonstrate democracy and good governance and this must not be jettisoned.
The former president added that: “Sadly today Nigeria has the lowest representation of women in elected office in Africa, under 5 percent in national and state assemblies and this is contrary to African Union standard prescription which is 50/50 representation of women and men in political office.
“The ongoing constitutional review process is an opportunity to revisit this and remove the gender based discrimination that impede women and girls from accessing and enjoying their full rights as citizens in Nigeria.”
He insisted that the five gender amendments proposed in the constitution are very pertinent and should be supported by not only the lawmakers but all Nigerian who want the country not only to maintain it’s position as a regional and continental leader but also want development for Nigeria.
He said this bills will raise a more level playing field for women to participate in politics and public life, noting that: “Nigeria needs all hands on deck for this deep seated development challenges. Evidence confirms that increase women participation in the political sphere and leadership helps build safer and more stable society, and when women are in decision making position more inclusive and innovative decisions are made.”
Lawson said on her part she would want to add that women are not competing with men but rather want to cooperate and collaborate with men to ensure things are working well.
The Sultan of Sokoto who was represented by the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Yamusa III said the Holy Koran granted women and girls rights and also outlaw cruel and unlawful practices against them.
He said there are verses in the Holy Koran and in the books of the Prophets that guarantee rights for women. He emphasized that in the Holy books women are seen as partners to men.
The Sultan, who is the spiritual head of Muslim in the country also noted that this partnership is above matrimonial and extend to the public sphere.
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To buttress his point, he said “one of the longest chapters in the Holy Koran is dedicated to issues of women and girls”, asking “why not in Nigerian constitution?”
He said: “I am calling on members of the Senate and the House of Representatives including the general public to support the bills for they are in our interest and the interest of our country.”
Earlier in her welcome address, the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, said the SDG Goal 5.5 on promoting gender equality is to: “Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life”; requires Member States to ensure implementation and achievement of the set targets of this goal by the set deadline of 2030. Nigeria is signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals and UN Women as part of the United Nations stands resolutely behind Nigeria towards fulfilling the 2030 agenda.”
Lamptey noted that: “The objective of the ADVANCE project is to strengthen Nigerian women’s inclusion and representation in decision-making and public life. Building on the groundwork laid by UN Women and partners in support of legislative reforms, including the constitutional review process, the program will intensify efforts to pass gender-progressive legislation and strengthen the capacities of women aspirants, candidates, as well as women elected to political office. The project will further apply lessons learned from previous political and electoral cycles, to support effective coordination among multiple stakeholders and partners to enhance this work agenda.”
She said: “Recognizing the breadth of Nigeria as a nation and the need to ensure all women and girls are actively engaged in decision-making, particularly as we approach the 2023 elections, the project focuses on six target states: Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kwara as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The significance and timeliness of this program cannot be understated. Nigeria has a standard setting role to play as a leading democracy in Africa. This means that half of its population must have an equal voice in steering this country toward economic, political, and social stability.”
She lamented that: “As it stands, and despite the tireless efforts of women and some critical male allies, Nigeria lags severely behind other African nations for women’s representation in democratic governance. Nigerian women constitute less than 5% of elected members at the National Assembly. In State Assemblies, the figure is 4.43% and for ministerial appointments it stands at 16.2%.”
She said: “The action taken by the House of Representatives under the leadership of the Speaker of the House, to rescind its decision on three gender-related bills is the correct course of action. The bills in question are around: citizenship, indigeneship and, as it relates directly to women’s representation, the bill on affirmative action.”
Lamptey noted that: “Indeed, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Tunisia and Senegal have all adopted constitutions and other national laws that provide for equal rights and opportunities, including the Special Seats or Proportional Representation System.”
Obasanjo, Sultan advises National Assembly to revisit rejected gender bills
National News
DEMOCRACY STRONG AND ALIVE IN NIGERIA; IGNORE ALARMISTS

DEMOCRACY STRONG AND ALIVE IN NIGERIA; IGNORE ALARMISTS
By: Bayo Onanuga
We have read the alarming claims of disgruntled opposition figures, some partisan human rights crusaders and emergency defenders of democracy over recent defections of key members of opposition parties into the governing All Progressives Congress.
The seismic shift caused by Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno’s open declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu, the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the former vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and the principal political actors in Delta and Rivers States certainly threw the opposition and their sympathisers into disarray.
While the opposition elements are understandably heartbroken over the failure of their fabled grand coalition to gain traction, we find it disturbing that they resorted to peddling false allegations of promoting a one-party State against President Bola Tinubu, who is working very hard to reverse decades of economic mismanagement in our country.
Contrary to the false claims in the propaganda materials in circulation across mainstream and social media, democracy is not under any threat in Nigeria. Accusations that the administration is moving towards authoritarianism are baseless and exaggerated.
We must add that no policy, official action, or directive from the Presidency seeks to “dismantle democracy” or “weaken opposition or create a one-party state.” Accusations of bribery, blackmail, and the weaponisation of state institutions only exist in the idle minds of politicians and their agents who have failed in their assigned role of opposition and are fishing for scapegoats.
The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs. It is certainly not part of President Tinubu’s job to organise or strengthen opposition parties.
We find it curious that those who celebrated the defection of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the formation of a regional grand coalition with the sole aim of defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 election are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria’s so-called drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism.
While the latter-day defenders of democracy raised no anxious voice against the disgruntled politicians cobbling an anti-Tinubu, anti-APC coalition along dangerous regional lines, even before INEC blows the whistle for party politicking, they are quick to ascribe the political shifts in some states to “bribery, blackmail, and coercion” without any shred of evidence.
Without any equivocation, freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of choice are part of the cherished ideals of democracy. When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any association or political party of their choice or cannot openly express their views, democracy is imperilled. Those opposed to the Tinubu administration should understand that they can issue diatribes, without fear, against the government because we practice a thriving democracy.
It is hypocrisy writ large when opposition politicians and their collaborators in the ‘human rights’ movement desire that the party of the President should implode so they can gain electoral advantage and cry wolf when their wish does not materialise.
We want to state that democracy is not threatened or undermined simply because politicians exercise their rights to freedom of association. Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will, based on the belief that the reforms being executed are in the interest of Nigerians and the unborn generation. It is a gross disservice to democracy in itself for these emergency defenders of democracy to delegitimise the political choices of some Nigerians while upholding the choices of others to form a coalition against Tinubu and APC.
Under President Tinubu, democracy is strong, and the multiparty democratic system will continue to flourish unhindered. His administration remains resolutely committed to upholding and strengthening the democratic foundations upon which our Fourth Republic has stood since 1999
Politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria. In more advanced democracies, there are ready examples of notable politicians, statesmen and women who changed their parties.
President Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, deserve commendation for making the ruling party viable and attractive to all Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.
President Tinubu is an avowed democrat and a firm believer in multiparty democracy. His political activism and democratic credentials in galvanising and strengthening opposition platforms as a force that defeated a sitting President and the then ruling party attest to his credibility as a tested defender of multiparty democracy.
We urge all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in protecting our democracy by respecting our people’s choices and giving alarmists, who draw their narratives from the pool of fiction, a wide berth.
DEMOCRACY STRONG AND ALIVE IN NIGERIA; IGNORE ALARMISTS
National News
At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda

At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda
** Calls for evidence-based interventions, stronger global partnerships in education, health, labour sectors
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for stronger international collaboration to advance Nigeria’s Human Capital Development 2.0 (HCD 2.0) strategy.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to positioning human potential at the heart of national development.
Speaking virtually at a high-level roundtable on the sidelines of the 2025 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, VP Shettima said the success of HCD 2.0 will hinge on data-driven, evidence-based interventions and sustained political will.
The HCD 2.0 programme is designed to elevate Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and equip Nigeria to face both national and global challenges, including climate change and digital transformation.
The Vice President pointed out that the meeting was necessitated by the urgency to invest in the Nigerian people and by the recognition that true national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.
“This meeting, for us, is not just another item on our global agenda. It is a continuation of a journey whose beginnings I had the privilege of witnessing about seven years ago. True national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.
“We will offer our HCD 2.0 Strategy the political backing it deserves to be the priority of our nation, and His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has never wavered on this,” he said.
The session featured key stakeholders from the World Bank, including Executive Director, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Regional Director for Human Development in the Western and Central Africa, Trina Haque; Senior Social Protection Specialist and Regional Task Team Leader, Africa West & Central region, Tina George, and Chief Economist for Human Development in the World Bank Group, Norbert Shady.
The Nigerian delegation included the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President/ Chair of the HCD Core Working Group, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia and Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council & Climate Change/National Coordinator of HCD programme, Rukaiya El-Rufai.
VP Shettima reiterated the federal government’s determination to ensure the continuity and deepening of the HCD agenda.
“Government is a continuum. Nowhere is this truer than in programmes that demand patience, vision, and long-term commitment—programmes such as our Human Capital Development programme,” he noted.
He revealed that under HCD 2.0, six priority indicators from the health, education, and labour force sectors have been selected as “quick wins” to guide policy interventions and track measurable progress.
“We have carefully curated priority indicators and an HCD Dashboard to track them. This allows us to make informed policy decisions and measure our progress against tangible benchmarks,” Senator Shettima said.
The Nigerian Vice President also reaffirmed the administration’s resolve to remain transparent and results-oriented to achieve measurable outcomes.
“We will continue to hold ourselves accountable and press forward toward our bold goal to elevate Nigeria among the top 80 countries in Human Capital Index rankings,” he said.
Senator Shettima also called on the World Bank and other development partners to support the availability of disaggregated, state-level Human Capital Index (HCI) data to enable more targeted interventions.
Stressing the need for equity and inclusiveness in implementing the HCD 2.0 strategy, he said, “We are leaving no sub-national in Nigeria behind. Some of the states have already set a template for the others, having localised the HCD strategies to align with the peculiarities of their people while, of course, aligning them with the national strategy.”
The World Bank representatives at the meeting committed to strengthening the bank’s partnership with Nigeria to improve the country’s Human Capital Index and proposed senior-level stakeholder engagement to identify optimal areas for technical support.
There were also several speeches from representatives of Nigerian state governments, including Akwa Ibom and Lagos, as well as representatives of other local and international development organisations.
At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda
National News
VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75

VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75
** Says bank has shaped narrative of what African institutions can become
By: Our Reporter
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has extolled what he termed the staying power of the United Bank of Africa (UBA Group) in the past 75 years, describing the financial institution as a pacesetter in innovation, emerging markets and generational ambition.
“Seventy-five years is not something you pick up at a supermarket. It is earned. It’s through risks and calculations, through storms and sunshine, through mergers and acquisitions, and through the brainpower and courage of those who believe in its promise of a new world. That is what leadership means,” he declared.

Senator Shettima, who spoke on Friday evening during the UBA 75th Anniversary Dinner at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, noted that the celebration of an institution like UBA “that has outlived generations and still pulses with the vibrancy of youth” is not something that happens everyday.
He said, “The United Bank for Africa, or simply UBA, is not what it is because of the age of its ideas. It is what it is because of the attention it pays—attention to innovation, attention to emerging markets, attention to shifting dreams, and attention to the changing contours of generational ambition.
“UBA has remained a pacesetter because it is led by people who do not just manage capital, but manage curiosity”.

Applauding UBA for outliving all its contemporaries, VP Shettima attributed its staying power to its passion for relevance, even as he described the bank as a quintessential specimen of what an African institution could become by institutionalizing excellence.
His words: “UBA’s staying power is owed to its pursuit of relevance. It has stood as a reward for new thinking, expanding not just across geography, but across ideas.
“It serves millions, it shapes economies, and it influences the narrative of what an African institution can become when excellence is institutionalised and when well-intentioned dream-makers are in charge.”
The Vice President did not celebrate UBA without acknowledging the leadership ability of the bank’s Chairman, Mr Tony Elumelu, whom he described as one of the finest sons of the African continent, just as he observed that no institution writes its history without the signature of those who believe in it.
According to him, Elumelu has “become a bridge between the old and the new, between the outdated and the emerging,” adding that he “has won the trust of even the Gen Zs, or whatever this brilliant, digital generation calls itself.”
The Gen Zs, VP Shettima noted, have absolute trust in Elumelu “not because of the era he was born in, but because of the attention he pays to theirs,” observing further that he is being heard across generations because he listens across generations.
He continued: “Tony Elumelu is not a dreamer. Dreamers are those who are stuck in the bubble. Mr Elumelu is a dream-maker. He has made true the imagination of those who wish for an empire from the comfort of their homes. He has taught us that it is possible to build without breaking, to lead without losing touch, and to dream without borders.
“One thing that has amused me about Mr Elumelu over the years is that he has cracked a code many still struggle to decipher—the delicate art of balancing the boardroom with the living room, of being a captain of industry and still a commander at home.
“Not many men have managed a balance between building empires and building families, between saving the world and being present at Christmas in their village. But this man, this maverick, this dream-maker, has shown us that you can help move the continent forward without losing touch with home and family.”
The VP also lauded Elumelu’s wife, Dr Awele Elumelu, saying she is not just a spouse, “but an Amazon—a matriarch who gathers the kith and kin under her warm canopy,” as well as the quiet strength behind the force that is her husband.
Earlier, Group Chairman of UBA, Tony Elumelu expressed profound gratitude to the Vice President while acknowledging the bank’s foundational history.
“This is a night of celebration, gratitude to God and to customers and shareholders who have made it possible,” Elumelu stated.
The Chairman emphasised the importance of honouring those who established UBA’s foundation, saying, “We all today are under the shields because someone planted the tree. The foundation of UBA was laid by people before us, we are only taking it further.”
Looking toward the future, Elumelu expressed confidence in the bank’s continued success, tying it directly to Nigeria’s economic environment.
“On the vision of the next 75 years, just keep transforming our domestic economy as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing, and UBA will keep roaring,” he affirmed.
In his welcome address, UBA’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Oliver Alawuba, expressed gratitude to attendees while highlighting the bank’s remarkable journey since its inception.
“75 years ago, UBA commenced operations at Kakawa Street in Lagos as British & French Bank (BFB),” he said.
The GMD emphasised UBA’s impressive expansion over the decades, noting the bank now operates in 24 countries with 1,000 business offices, over 25,000 staff members, and a customer base exceeding 45 million people.
Dr. Alawuba shared financial metrics demonstrating the bank’s robust performance, including a profit after tax of N766.6 billion and total assets reaching N30.4 trillion.
He said shareholders have been rewarded with a dividend of ₦5 per share, representing a dividend yield of 14.5% – the highest among industry peers.
He also pointed out that the group’s shareholders’ funds rose significantly to N3.419 trillion in 2024 from N2.030 trillion in December 2023.
“The 2024 financial performance demonstrated the bank’s continued focus on driving earnings growth, preserving asset quality, expanding business operations and deepening market share,” Alawuba said.
Looking to the future, the GMD outlined an ambitious vision for UBA to establish a presence in every African country and expand to over 100 countries worldwide within the next 75 years.
VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75
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