National News
Protest: Government Priority Should be to Eradicate Poverty

Protest: Government Priority Should be to Eradicate Poverty
By: Michael Mike
ActionAid Nigeria has said the priority of government should be to take suffering far away from citizens, insisting that government policies should tend toward eradicating poverty.
The non governmental organisation (NGO) lamented that the rate of injustice and poverty in Nigeria is an eyesore, noting that the interplay of these factors has not only fractured the nation along ethnic diversity with dire consequences of civil unrest, leading to many of social upheavals the citizens are facing today.
In an effort to put this issue in perspectives, ActionAid Nigeria on Thursday launched its new 10-year Country Strategy Paper (CSP), titled “Citizens’ Action to End Poverty and Injustice 2024-2034.”
Speaking at the event, the Country Director of ActionAid, Andrew Mamedu highlighted the role government needs to play in making sure that citizens enjoy equal right.
He said, “The CSP builds on our many years of work in Nigeria. It is founded on the lessons learnt in implementing previous CSPs and programming in Nigeria. Each of these strategies reflected the context with an appropriate response within the period it operated. Our first two strategies focused on the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty and our analysis of the roles of stakeholders, including citizens and Government in responding to poverty”.
He added: @Our third strategy, Take Action: End Poverty recognised the role of business in influencing and/or deepening poverty. Hence, we prioritised pushing for progressive taxation to support the government’s drive to generate resources to fund social sectors among other actions. In the last CSP, Social Justice to End Poverty, we took our first step in working more with allies and social movements to advance social justice and poverty eradication. We have learnt that poverty is multifaceted and cannot be compartmentalised and requires a more nuanced approach.
“In this CSP, we are deepening our engagement and focusing on responding to multidimensional poverty, seeing how poverty and injustice are weaponised against the poor and excluded.
As a learning organisation, we strongly believe that the current Nigerian context would require us to innovate through a social movement mindset in acting to address the multidimensional poverty that we face as a country.“
Founding Executive Director,
African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Abuja, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, in his keynote address said: “The country is facing huge political, economic and social challenges. Scholars have identified the challenges to include among other things poor leadership; bad followership; poor strategy for development; lack of capable and effective state and bureaucracy; lack of focus on sectors that will improve the condition of living of citizens such as education, health, agriculture and the building of infrastructure; corruption; undeveloped, irresponsible and parasitic private sector; weak civil society; emasculated labour and student movement and poor execution of policies and programmes.”
He noted that: “Inspite of these challenges, the ruling elite have continued with business-as-usual mode. The Federal Government in 2023 inaugurated the largest cabinet in Nigeria’s history. They used N21 billion to renovate the Vice-President’s house. The length of convoy, lifestyle and public posturing of the ruling elite does not reflect the reality of majority of Nigerians.
“Only a few days ago, there was a national protest against bad governance. Despite the best efforts of progressive forces in Nigeria, poverty and injustice remains a huge challenge. This is why there is the need to revisit the path to poverty eradication and social justice.”
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said in his speech that,”In our Constitution fundamental objectives and Directive Principles of state which contain the economic, political and social objective, stated in our Constitution are responsibility of government and that makes our ministry the agency that is responsible for advising how those fundamental objectives can be achieved and to mobilize other stakeholders and groups. Poverty, regrettably, is still a major factor.”
Protest: Government Priority Should be to Eradicate Poverty
National News
Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau

Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Four Nigerian soldiers have sustained injuries in a vehicle accident on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State.
The accident occurred on Thursday while the troops were moving across the mountainous terrain of the area, Zagazola reports.
The Emir of Mambilla, Dr. Shehu Audu Baju, was said to have personally joined in the rescue operation to ensure that the soldiers received prompt assistance.

Following the rescue, the injured personnel were evacuated to the 20 Battalion Barracks in Serti for urgent medical care.
Community members and traditional leaders in the area have expressed sympathy and prayed for the speedy recovery of the soldiers, while also calling for the safety of other security operatives on duty.
Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau
National News
UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series

UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), in partnership with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) have wrapped up a major national initiative to support State-led electricity market reforms.
The State Learning Workshop Series focused on Electricity Market Development, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and energy modelling software.
Workshops in Lagos, Calabar, Kano and Jos have been successfully completed, drawing participants from all the 36 States and the FCT and setting a strong precedent for what lies ahead.

These sessions equipped policymakers, regulators and stakeholders with the tools to design robust, sustainable and investor-ready electricity markets at the State level, in line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.
Reflecting on the significance of this initiative, the Director-Legal/Head Power Desk at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Chijioke Chuku,, stated that: “Nigeria’s electricity future depends on the capacity of our States to lead with vision, clarity, and technical precision. Through the workshop series, we are equipping States not just with knowledge, but with the confidence to take charge of their electricity markets. The NGF is proud to partner with UKNIAF in ensuring that the promise of the Electricity Act 2023 becomes a lived reality across the country.”
The sessions in the State Learning Workshops covered: The legal and regulatory pathways for setting up State Electricity Markets; Commercial models for private sector investment; Integration of State plans into Nigeria’s National IRP;
Practical training on the software platform for energy modelling.
The initiative drew from lessons learned in the course of UKNIAF’s work supporting the Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Oyo State Governments—early movers in electricity market development—in setting up their markets.
It also drew from experience gained in the course of UKNIAF providing technical support to the Federal Ministry of Power in drafting both the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Nigeria’s first National Integrated Resource Plan, both of which were approved very recently.
With States now empowered by the Electricity Act 2023, this series is a timely and strategic effort to ensure capacity, coordination, and sustainability in Nigeria’s decentralised energy landscape.
UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series
National News
Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community

Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have killed three persons and injured three others in an attack on Galadi town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara.
Sources confirmed the incident saying the attack occurred at about 10:50 p.m. on Aug. 27.
The sources said the bandits stormed the town, shooting sporadically, which resulted in the deaths and injuries.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were mobilised to the scene. The corpses and injured victims were evacuated to Galadi Primary Health Care Centre for autopsy and treatment.
Meanwhile, a manhunt for the fleeing culprits has been intensified, as the bandits escaped before the arrival of the joint forces,” the sources said.
Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community
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