News
VP’s New Residence Fulfills Our Promise To Complete Inherited Projects – President Tinubu

VP’s New Residence Fulfills Our Promise To Complete Inherited Projects – President Tinubu
*** Says it’s wasteful to abandon projects after spending heavily
By: Our Reporter
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned the official residence of the Vice President, saying it is in fulfillment of his promises to Nigerians, including completion of inherited projects which is one of the cardinal objectives of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday during the commissioning of the Vice President’s official residence, President Tinubu noted that it was in the government’s best interest as well as that of the public to ensure projects are completed.
The President who was represented at the event by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima , stated categorically that abandoning projects after spending heavily amounts to a huge waste of the nation’s resources.

His words: “As we commission this state-of-the-art edifice as the official residence of the Vice President, we are fulfilling a longstanding commitment and reaffirming our unwavering dedication to accountability, transparency and efficient utilization of resources for the betterment of our nation.
“I hold a very strong opinion that abandoning projects after substantial expenditure have been incurred is inherently wasteful, and it is in the best interest of the government and the public to see them through to completion. I therefore, once again, want to express my gratitude to the FCT Administration for taking up the responsibility and feel duty-bound to complete this project to avoid wastage of taxpayers’ money”.
Underscoring the importance of the project, President Tinubu explained that “the provision of a suitable residence for the Vice President is not merely a matter of convenience,” but also “a symbol of respect for the office and the individual who occupies it.
“However, rather than dwell on past shortcomings, you have chosen to seize this opportunity to demonstrate our resolve to confront obstacles head-on and deliver on the promises made to the Nigerian people in line with our Renewed Hope Agenda, which has the completion of inherited projects as one of its cardinal objectives,” he added.
President Tinubu applauded the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, over what he described as “his achievements, commitment, and loyalty”, pointing out that the commissioning of the VP’s official residence was the 9th in the series of projects completed by the FCT Administration under his dynamic and focused leadership.

He continued: “The actions of the FCT Minister and his dedication to duty are indeed remarkable and he stands as a shining example of what a public officer should be. As Victor Hugo rightly said, ‘Nothing else in the world, not even the army, is so powerful than the idea whose time has come’. Nyesom Wike is an idea whose time has come.
“He is a force of nature; coming out by 1am to inspect projects is a testimony of the quality of leadership we are having in the FCDA. And what you see is essentially what you get; he shoots straight from the hip, but most importantly, he is a doer, he is a performer. I think at the behest of the President you (Wike) should stand and take a bow”.
Earlier in his remarks, the FCT Minister, Wike, commended President Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to completing abandoned projects across the nation, citing the Vice President’s official residence as a testament to the administration’s dedication.
Recounting the project’s tumultuous journey, Wike said, “This project was awarded in 2010, fourteen years ago, and was abandoned in 2015. It was not until January of this year that we had a revised budget for the project. Now, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come and within a year, he has made this project a reality. This is the hope.
“If you don’t stay in a good environment, you cannot put in your best. Environment affects productivity and efficiency. By the time you are inside and see what is provided, I’m sure Mr. Vice President will be encouraged to do more work than where he stays now.”
Wike commended heads of the security agencies, including the National Security Adviser, Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), and the Inspector General of Police, for their involvement in securing the premises, which he said had been overrun by bushes and criminal elements upon his arrival on August 21.
The Minister also praised the construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria, for their dedication and efficiency, stating that “once you put the money on the ground for them; go home and sleep. They don’t need supervision.”
In her remarks, Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the commissioning of the Vice President’s official residence as “a testament to what we can achieve when we have the right support and unwavering dedication to deliver on our set goals.”
Mahmoud paid tribute to President Tinubu for his support, just as she expressed the FCT residents’ honour in witnessing the commissioning of the residence.
Also, present at the commissioning were President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin; Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT Area Councils, David Jimkuta; Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara, and Chairman, House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, Hon. Agbedi Fred.
Others were Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, and Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
VP’s New Residence Fulfills Our Promise To Complete Inherited Projects – President Tinubu
International
OP-ED: “A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”

OP-ED: “A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”
By: Michael Mike
This month, leaders will gather in Sevilla, Spain, on a rescue mission: to help fix how the world invests in sustainable development.
The stakes could not be higher. A decade after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and many global commitments to finance them, two-thirds of the targets are lagging. And the world is falling short by over $4 trillion annually in the resources developing countries need to deliver on these promises by 2030.
Meanwhile, the global economy is slowing, trade tensions are rising, aid budgets are being slashed while military spending soars, and international cooperation is under unprecedented strain.
The global development crisis is not abstract. It is measured in families going to bed hungry, children going unvaccinated, girls being forced to drop out of school and entire communities deprived of basic services.
We must correct course. That begins at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, where an ambitious, globally supported plan to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals must be adopted.
That plan should include three essential elements.
First, Sevilla must help accelerate the flow of resources to the countries who need it most. Fast.
Countries must be in the driver’s seat, mobilizing domestic resources by strengthening revenue collection and addressing tax evasion, money laundering and illicit financial flows through international cooperation. This would provide much-needed resources to prioritize spending on areas with the greatest impact such as education, healthcare, jobs, social protection, food security, and renewable energy.
At the same time, national development banks, regional and Multilateral Development Banks need to come together to finance major investments.
To support this, the lending capacity of these banks needs to triple so developing countries can better access capital on affordable terms with longer timelines.
This increased access should include re-channeling of unconditional reserve assets — or Special Drawing Rights — to developing countries, preferably through Multilateral Development Banks to multiply their impact.
Private investment is also essential. Resources can be unlocked by making it easier for private finance to support bankable development projects and by promoting solutions that mitigate currency risks and combine public and private finance more effectively.
Throughout, donors must keep their development promises.
Second, we must fix the global debt system. It is unfair and broken.
The current borrowing system is unsustainable, and developing countries have little confidence in it. It’s easy to see why. Debt service is a steamroller crushing development gains, to the tune of more than $1.4 trillion a year. Many governments are forced to spend more on debt payments than on essentials like health and education combined.
Sevilla must result in concrete steps to reduce borrowing costs, facilitate timely debt restructuring for countries burdened by unsustainable debt, and prevent debt crises from unfolding in the first place.
In advance of the conference, a number of countries put forward proposals to ease the debt burden on developing countries. This includes making it easier to pause debt service in times of emergency; establishing a single debt registry to strengthen transparency; and improving how the IMF, World Bank and credit-ratings agencies assess risks in developing countries.
Finally, Sevilla must raise the voice and influence of developing countries in the international financial system so it better serves their needs.
International financial institutions must reform their governance structures to enable greater voice and participation of developing countries in the management of the institutions they depend on.
The world also needs a fairer global tax system, one shaped by all governments — not just the wealthiest and most powerful.
The creation of a “borrowers club” for countries to coordinate their approaches and learn from one another is another promising step toward addressing power imbalances.
The meeting in Sevilla is not about charity. It’s about justice, and building a future in which countries can thrive, build, trade, and prosper together. In our increasingly interconnected world, a future of haves and have-nots is a recipe for even greater global insecurity that will keep weighing down progress for all.
With renewed global commitment and action, Sevilla can spark new momentum to restore a measure of faith in international cooperation and deliver on sustainable development for people and planet.
In Sevilla, leaders must act together to make this rescue mission a success.
OP-ED: “A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”
Crime
Illicit drug consignment packaged as green tea intercepted at Lagos airport

Illicit drug consignment packaged as green tea intercepted at Lagos airport
By:Michael Mike
No fewer than 66 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, packaged as green tea have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.
According to the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the seizure made last Thursday was based on credible intelligence received ahead of the arrival of the consignment at the cargo wing of the airport on 11th May.

Babafemi, in the statement issued on Sunday, disclosed that the NDLEA had watch-listed the shipment, and sustained surveillance around it for over three weeks before inviting other stakeholders for a joint examination last Thursday.
He said the Loud consignment weighing 62.2 kilogrammes was concealed inside wraps of green tea that came from Thailand via UAE on an Emirate Airlines flight.
Babafemi said in another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives last Monday intercepted a consignment of 1,665 kilogrammes skunk, a strain of cannabis, along Lekki-Ajah expressway. Two suspects: Gidado Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi were promptly arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Kaduna, operatives of the state command of NDLEA on patrol along Abuja – Kaduna expressway last Tuesday arrested 29-year-old Goodluck Nnaemeka with 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam. In another operation same day, a 52-year-old wanted drug dealer Kabiru Musa (a.k.a KB) was arrested at Kurmin Mashi. A total of 25.7 kilogrammes skunk was earlier recovered from his base.
While a total of 9 kilogrammes Loud was recovered from the spare tyre compartment of an Audi station wagon car marked AAA 975 XU driven by Atari Israel, 45, along Auchi road, Edo state, two young women: Favour Joy and Joy Igwe were last Tuesday nabbed at Ikpoba hill area of Benin city. Recovered from them include: 106.57 kilogrammes skunk; 1 kilogramme Loud; 800 grammes Colorado and 302 grammes of methamphetamine.
Babafemi said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Illicit drug consignment packaged as green tea intercepted at Lagos airport
News
One year after Allawa’s fall, displaced residents cry for help as humanitarian crisis deepens in Niger

One year after Allawa’s fall, displaced residents cry for help as humanitarian crisis deepens in Niger
By U.K. Umar
One year after armed attackers overran Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, a deepening humanitarian crisis continues to haunt the thousands of people who fled the invasion and now live in makeshift camps with no hope of return.
The silence that hangs over the once-thriving agrarian community of Allawa is not just physical, it is a silence of abandonment, neglect and despair.
Since the violent invasion of April 25, 2024, residents who escaped death have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), living in overcrowded primary school buildings, market stalls and half-roofed compounds in neighbouring towns such as Kuta, Erena and Gwada.
Education has been disrupted. Food is uncertain. Healthcare is nearly non-existent. And worse, hope is fading.
At an abandoned block of classrooms now serving as a displacement shelter in Kuta, Zagazola Media Netowork, met Malam Musa Yakubu, a 47-year-old farmer and father of seven. He sat quietly under the shade of a neem tree, surrounded by three of his children, all barefooted and visibly malnourished.
“This place was once my children’s school. Now it is our home,” he said, forcing a smile. “We sleep on broken desks, on bare floor. During rainy nights, we cover ourselves with nylon bags. My wife cries often because she cannot feed our children.”
Malam Yakubu said he grew up in Allawa and owned over 15 hectares of farmland before the invasion. Today, he depends on handouts from well-wishers.
“The last time we received food aid was three months ago. Since then, we have been living on roasted yam and wild leaves. My children have not seen a classroom since we fled.”
Standing nearby was Amina Ibrahim, 16, who said she dropped out of Junior Secondary School following the attack. Now, she spends her days helping her mother hawk groundnuts in Kuta. I want to return to school,” she said quietly. “But how can I go to school when we have no home, no books, and no peace?”
‘My primary school is a ghost town’
For U.K. Umar, a former resident of Allawa and the writer of this report, the tragedy is personal.
“I attended Central Primary School in Allawa, which is now in ruins,” he recalled. “My childhood friends are now scattered across IDP camps. Some lost their parents. Some were taken by the attackers. We were not just displaced. We were forgotten.”
Umar said the displacement was not just the result of one attack, but a culmination of years of insecurity that was never addressed.
“What happened on April 25, 2024, was the final blow. Security agencies left, and armed groups moved in. What followed was a complete collapse of community life. Now, we are a forgotten people.”
Terror in the shadows
Reports from Shiroro LGA suggest that terror groups now control mining activities across several wards including Kurebe, Kwaki and Kushaka. Residents allegethat the attackers collect levies from artisanal gold miners up to N2 million per site every two weeks. Those who fail to comply are barred from mining, while others are punished.
“Their boys come during the day to collect fuel and money. At night, they disappear into the bush. They even settle disputes among locals. It is like a second government,” said a displaced youth who asked not to be named.
Just two weeks ago, five persons were reportedly abducted in Kwanta Yashi. Locals say they fear speaking out, as they are caught between hunger and violence.
‘Even water is a privilege’
In the Erena IDP settlement, Hajia Halima Abdullahi, 60, spoke through tears.
“I used to be a trader. I had goats and chickens. Now, I beg for drinking water. We fetch from a stream one hour away, and sometimes, we boil it. Other times, we drink it raw.”
She said many elderly displaced persons have developed hypertension and respiratory infections due to harsh conditions.
“There are no drugs. No doctors. Sometimes, we use herbs. Our children are falling sick every day.” It was also observed that the camps lack toilets, clean water, mosquito nets, and electricity. In some shelters, more than ten people sleep in one small room.
‘We feel abandoned’
There is growing frustration among displaced residents over what they describe as state government indifference.
“All we hear are promises. No concrete plan. No official has told us when we can return. It is as if our lives no longer matter,” said Ibrahim Zakari, a youth from Allawa now living in Gwada.
He appealed to the Niger State Government and the Federal Government to urgently intervene.
We are Nigerians too. We voted. We paid taxes. We built our homes and schools. Why have we been left to suffer?”
“You cannot keep over 20,000 displaced people in hopeless conditions for over a year and expect stability. Children are out of school. Teenage girls are being married off. Boys are joining vigilante groups. Trauma is spreading like wildfire,” he warned.
He called on the Federal Government to declare a humanitarian emergency in Shiroro LGA and mobilise the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), as well as development partners, to scale up food, water, and shelter support.
“There must be a concrete, time-bound plan for resettlement. These people deserve to go home with safety, dignity, and support.”
Conclusion
One year after the fall of Allawa, the question remains: how long must a people wait?
As Niger State and the Federal Government grapple with rising insecurity, the forgotten people of Allawa continue to live in limbo displaced, distressed, and dangerously ignored.
Their pain is not history. It is ongoing. And unless urgent steps are taken, the crisis may deepen further.
“We have not died,” Malam Musa Yakubu said quietly. “But we are not living either.”
One year after Allawa’s fall, displaced residents cry for help as humanitarian crisis deepens in Niger
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