National News
Zulum to Stakeholders: Let’s Make Northeast’s Master Plan Ambitious, Achievable

Zulum to Stakeholders: Let’s Make Northeast’s Master Plan Ambitious, Achievable
… Sadiya, other Ministers, NSA, CDS, IGP, attend
By: Michael Mike
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum on Tuesday charged stakeholders including himself to work together in developing an ambitious but realistic and achievable master plan for the stabilization and development of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States which make up the six States in the northeast geopolitical zone.
Zulum who chairs the forum of northeast Governors spoke as special guest of honour of a multi-stakeholder consultation forum with the theme: North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NESDMP) project, which was hosted by the Northeast Development Commission, NEDC at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
The forum was attended by Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq and some Ministers, Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Inspector General of Police, Baba Usman Alkali, and National Security Adviser Major-General Babagana Monguno(rtd), and other top officials.
Addressing the participants, Governor Zulum said:
“Let me start by thanking President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs for their interventions in ensuring that there is peace in the North East. We all understand the crucial role that consistency can play in bringing back peace, stability and prosperity in the North East in particular and Nigeria in general. This master plan must be ambitious, broad, brave, comprehensive to cover the whole scope of issues in the Northeast”
“The plan should outlive our tenures in office. It should be a reflection of our doggedness to rise from the ashes of destruction into the bright and welcoming place of peace and development. Our aspirations, as Governors and people of the region, therefore, should be to build back better everything that we lost and much more. The work may appear to be daunting, but rest assured that the bulk will be made easier than we can imagine through the unflinching support you will receive from the leadership in the northeast as a whole. Our respective States in the North East will make available plans for the purpose of alignment and synergy that will deliver better quality service to the people of the northeast” Zulum added.
Also Read: NNS arrests 20 foreigners, intercept two wooden boats…
“Using Borno State as an example, we will make available our 25-year development plan as a starting point on our own side. My colleagues will provide theirs as well. It is important that we are not starting from ground zero. Building on efforts already on ground, we should ensure that we are not just making plans that don’t talk with one another. We should make plans for a common purpose governed by good leadership and commitment to finish whatever we start” the Governor said.
“This plan should not be a political plan. It should be a people’s plan. A strategic direction to bring back peace in the North East. I implore everyone involved to help us bring back the lost glory of the north east” Zulum urged.
… Minister
In her remarks as Chief Host, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq explained that “the necessity for a North East master plan is stated in SECTION 8 (1C) of the NEDC Act, which lists as one of the functions of the NEDC to ‘Develop a Master Plan based on the needs assessment of the zone to be known as the North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NESDMP), which shall contain programmes and schemes that promote and facilitate the physical and socio economic development of the North East Zone, and the estimate of the time and costs for implementing such programmes and schemes”.
… CDS
On his part, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, who was represented by Commander, Defence Headquarters’ Garrison, Major-General Preye Fakrogha, pledged the military’s support towards realizing the plan and its implementation.
… NEDC
Managing Director/CEO of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Mohammed G. Alkali recalled that “before yesterday’s larger forum, the NEDC had consulted relevant stakeholders in a bottom-up approach”, noting that so far, engagements on the Master Plan were held at grassroots level in all the 112 LGAs” across the six States in the northeast.
“The event we are witnessing today is one of the high points of such consultations because all the Federal MDAs and security agencies execute priceless and impactful interventions in the North-East Region” the MD said.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the dignitaries that included the Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Sen. Yusuf A. Yusuf, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof. Ali Pantami, Minister of Power, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, among other top officials.
Zulum to Stakeholders: Let’s Make Northeast’s Master Plan Ambitious, Achievable
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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