A 53-year-old man, Babawale Kolawole has been arrested and arraigned by the Police Command in Ondo State, accused of raping and facilitating the termination of two pregnancies for a 16-year-old niece.
DSP Olushola Ayanlade, the command’s spokesperson made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Akure.
He explained that incident happened at the suspect’s residence at No. 12, Okeodunwo St., Igbado in Ondo West Local Government Area of the state.
“On the Sept. 13, 2025, a 16-year-old minor, reported at the command that her uncle, Babawale Kolawole, had been subjecting her to repeated sexual assault.
“The victim further alleged that the suspect engaged in the act almost daily, and that after each episode, he would clean her private part with a piece of cloth.
“Shockingly, the suspect had also facilitated the termination of her pregnancies on two occasions.
“Upon receipt of this disturbing report, the Gender-Based Offences Unit of the command immediately swung into action, arrested the suspect, and diligently processed the case for prosecution.
“The suspect has since been arraigned before a competent court of jurisdiction and remanded in custody pending further trial,” he said.
Ayanlade reiterated the command’s unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of women and children, and to ensuring that offenders face the full weight of the law.
According to him, the achievement is in line with the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
He explained that the IGP reform-driven leadership continues to strengthen gender-sensitive policing, foster accountability, and reinforce strategic responses against sexual and gender-based violence nationwide.
Suspended Rivers state Governor Siminalaye Fubara resumes duty today as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced an end to the controversial six-month state of emergency in Rivers State.
The president’s pronouncement paves the way for full democratic governance as the state assembly shall also reconvene today.
In a nationwide address on Tuesday, Tinubu recalled that the emergency rule, declared on March 18, 2025, was necessitated by a constitutional deadlock that affected governance in Rivers State.
According to him, the crisis had pitted Governor Siminalayi Fubara against 27 members of the State House of Assembly loyal to Speaker Martins Amaewhule, leaving only four lawmakers on the governor’s side.
“The paralysis of governance, vandalisation of critical oil assets, and the inability of the governor to present an appropriation bill brought the state to a standstill,” Tinubu said. “Even the Supreme Court affirmed that there was no government in Rivers State.”
The President explained that after interventions failed to reconcile the two camps, he invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to suspend the governor, his deputy, and members of the state assembly for six months, a move later approved by the National Assembly.
Acknowledging opposition from some groups who challenged the proclamation in court, Tinubu maintained that the action was necessary to prevent anarchy and restore order.
“The power to declare a state of emergency is a constitutional tool to safeguard public order and safety. It would have been a colossal failure on my part not to have acted,” he stated.
Tinubu, however, said intelligence reports now show a “new spirit of understanding” and “potent enthusiasm” among stakeholders in Rivers State for reconciliation and peaceful governance.
“With effect from midnight today, the emergency in Rivers State shall end,” he declared. “Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly will resume work in their offices from September 18.”
The President urged state governors and lawmakers nationwide to learn from the Rivers crisis and prioritise harmony between the executive and legislature.
“It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy,” Tinubu said.
Gov Alex Otti of Abia has given automatic employment to nine ex-National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members of Abia origin that received the Presidential Honours awards at the end of their service year.
Otti announced the automatic employment while receiving the ex-Corps members led by the NYSC Coordinator in the state, Mrs Gladys Adama in his office on Tuesday.
The governor directed the State Head of Service to issue them with appointment letters with immediate effect.
“On behalf of the state government, you are going to leave here with a token; but beyond the token, I hereby temporarily lift the embargo on employment to employ the nine of you, except if any of you is not interested.
“So, having lifted that embargo and having employed all of you, I also close the embargo,” the governor declared.
He directed the state’s Attorney-General to communicate to the head of service to effect the employment of the nine ex-Corps members without interviews.
“So, all you need to do is to go and do your documentation and then you can start work on Monday,” Otti stated.
Otti, who appreciated them for their outstanding performances, charged them to continue to be outstanding in everything they did.
He also thanked the State NYSC Coordinator for the great work she had done and for bringing them to him.
Mr. Chinomso Nwogu, who responded on behalf of the ex-Corps members, thanked the governor for the recognition and appointment given to them.
He promised that they would serve the state with commitment.
“We are here to sincerely express our heartfelt gratitude to you, your excellency, for the recognition.
“We also want to use this opportunity to commend your good work in the state.
“You are a true leader. You are the Joshua of our time. Our prayer is that Almighty God, will give you the wisdom to continue to pilot the affairs of this state in Jesus Name. Amen, ” he prayed.
The NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Gladys Adama, while presenting the ex-Corps members, said that they made the state proud during their service year.
She said that they were decorated by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 July following their outstanding performances in service.
“I have come with these nine who have done Abia proud, out of about a hundred and something, Abia came first with nine of them.
“They have excelled in their various places of primary assignment. As you have been told, none of them served in Abia. In fact, only one of them served in the east; others served far away in the North,” Adama said.
The ex-Corps members granted automatic employment include, Nwogu Chinonso Nwogo, Promise Anyanwụ, Ezieme Uba, Ezinne Emmanuel, Grace Abia, Chiemela Nwafike, Dr Mark Ugwa, Miracle Eke and James Chukwuebuka.
The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria has threatened a nationwide naked protest on Oct. 6 if government fails to implement pension increments and palliatives.
The coalition’s National Chairman, Mr Mukaila Ogunbote, announced this during a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos.
Ogunbote, who also chairs the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NIPOST Chapter, said pensioners had given government until September to settle arrears, increments and palliatives.
He warned that failure to act would leave the pensioners with no choice but to embark on a nationwide naked protest on Oct. 6.
According to him, the protest would symbolically expose government failures and highlight pensioners’ grievances before the public.
Ogunbote recalled that in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved N35,000 for workers and N25,000 for pensioners as palliatives.
He said workers received their payment within one month of approval, yet pensioners were still waiting for theirs nearly a year later.
Ogunbote noted that workers had since demanded and received additional palliatives for ten months, while pensioners’ requests for six months’ worth remained unmet.
He said President Tinubu had also directed an increase of N13,000 in pensions, but no implementation had followed from the Ministry of Finance or the Accountant-General.
“When we enquired, we were told our N32,000 increment was omitted from both the 2024 and 2025 budgets. This is injustice,” Ogunbote declared.
Mr Fashola Oluwo, a retiree from the Federal Ministry of Information, urged questioning of officials who failed to implement the President’s directive.
Oluwo lamented that pensioners still struggled in spite of the increment being inadequate for the rising cost of living in Nigeria.
He said many retirees could not afford essential medication, while some had died waiting for their pension increases.
Another pensioner, Mrs Dupe Ogunniyi of FRCN, appealed to the First Lady to intervene with the President on behalf of retirees.
She said many pensioners were supporting unemployed graduate children and relied solely on their pensions for survival.
Mr Adebola Akinduture, former Chairman of the Lagos NUP, stressed that hunger was the central grievance of the retirees.
“We are hungry. Food is medicine, yet without it, medicine is meaningless. Pensioners are starving,” Akinduture said.
He vowed that pensioners would take to the streets naked on Oct. 6 if government ignored their demands.
The Delta Government has assured residents of Asaba and its environs that its ongoing storm-water control project will provide lasting solutions to perennial flooding in the capital city.
The state Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads) Mr Reuben Izeze, gave the assurance at an inspection of the multi-billion-naira flood control measures on Tuesday in Asaba.
Izeze expressed optimism that the project would be ready for inauguration by December by the governor.
The commissioner stated that the project when completed, would help to achieve the original storm-water master plan for Asaba, ensuring that flooding would be a thing of the past.
“By the time the entire stretch is delivered, it will transform Asaba into a flood-free city.”
Izeze commended Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori for keeping faith with his administration’s promise of meaningful development, realistic reforms, peace, and security.
“Firstly, let me commend the audacity and courage of His Excellency in keeping the covenant he made with the people of Delta. This project is part of that promise.
“Haven inspected the work from chainage 0 to 650, I can confidently say the quality of work is not in doubt, ” he said.
The commissioner noted that the consulting firm has demonstrated capacity and experience to supervise the project.
”The consulting firm has demonstrated capacity and experience to supervise this very important project,” Izeze said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project when completed, is expected to bring relief to residents and visitors, transforming Asaba into a more livable city.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says Nigeria’s competitive reform agenda has delivered 28 Field Development Plans (FDPs) worth 18.2 billion dollars in investment commitments.
The Commission Chief Executive, Mr Gbenga Komolafe disclosed these on Tuesday at the Africa Oil Week, held in Accra, Ghana.
In a statement, Eniola Akinkuotu, Head, Media and Strategic Communications, NUPRC, attributed these feats to President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope vision.
Komolafe said that the achievement underscored the attractiveness of the upstream sector.
He said the Commission had approved 28 new FDPs this year, while unlocking 1.4 billion barrels of oil and 5.4 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of gas, and adding an expected 591,000 barrels of oil per day and 2.1 Billion Standard Cubic Feet per Day (BSCFD) of gas.
Komolafe made these disclosures in a paper titled ‘Nigeria’s Competitive Reform Agenda for Unlocking Potentials in Upstream Oil & Gas.’
He reiterated the importance of energy security as the cornerstone of economic growth and shared prosperity in Africa, as he also stated that Nigeria’s new energy regime ushered in a new era of governance, fiscal reform, and institutional realignment.
The CCE said the NUPRC, which is birthed under the new regime, had shown itself as a dedicated and forward-thinking regulator.
Komolafe said that in nearly four years, the NUPRC had rolled out 24 transformative regulations, 19 of which were gazetted to operationalise key provisions of the PIA.
According to him, the NUPRC has unveiled a comprehensive Regulatory Action Plan (RAP), aligned with the PIA, to tackle regulatory bottlenecks, vacate entry barriers, and ensure timely and transparent licensing rounds.
He said the transformative initiatives of the Commission had delivered results, including raising rig counts from eight in 2021 to 43 as of September 2025.
“These FDPs, with $18.2 billion in CAPEX commitments, underscore Nigeria’s transformation into one of the most dynamic and attractive upstream investment frontiers in the world.
“Other results include the five billion FID for the Bonga North deep offshore development and the 500 million dollars Ubeta Gas Project which signaled renewed long-term commitments.
“There are additional FIDs expected in projects like HI NAG Development, Ima Gas, Owowo Deep Offshore, and Preowei Fields.
“Since taking office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has also approved five major acquisition deals worth over five billion dollars, unlocking opportunities for ambitious indigenous players,” he said.
He said that recent bid rounds and concession awards, such as 57 PPL awards in 2022, the 2022 Mini-Bid Round, and the 2024 Licensing Round, were executed with unprecedented transparency and competitiveness, drawing exceptional investor participation.
He said optimising signature bonus requirements and removal of barriers to entry ensured wider accessibility, resulting in 27 out of 31 blocks offered in 2024 being successfully taken up.
“This affirms that Nigeria today stands at the dawn of a new era which is defined by clarity, competitiveness, and confidence.
THE prospects are frightening if the early indications are true that the Presidency is primed to turn its attention to Nigeria’s national oil assets as part of its drive for increased revenue. The tentative framework of the plot of the regime which is currently being debated in not too hushed tones among industry players should be of concern to all Nigerians. Unless something gives, and quickly too, the possible wasting, I am loath to say plundering, of a critical section of that industry could be likened to the infamous and historic activities elsewhere in the world of pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries. But there’s a difference here. The buccaneers and pirates of the gone by centuries virtually personally sent themselves on missions to the high seas to plunder. But in this case, those who may be mandated to sell off Nigeria’s oil assets may claim, and perhaps rightly so, that they are fulfilling their campaign promises of 2023. They could hide under the cover of being promise keepers.
It might be helpful to recount how some pirates operated in the past centuries without suggesting that our present crop of rulers also operate in the same way. Today’s pirates in the oceans operate in about the same manner but not necessarily with equal brazenness, temerity, and blood-cuddling brutality. An online entry recorded that “buccaneers were pirates or privateers who operated in the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. They were known for their bravery, cunning, and sometimes brutal tactics”. It’s ironic that our current rulers are famous or notorious, depending on which side you are standing, for their courage, for instance, in their sudden decision to remove subsidy on petrol, and generally on energy, and their bravery in massively devaluing the national currency, the Naira, all in one fell swoop. And all within two months of assumption of office in 2023.
Continuing, the online record identified some famous buccaneers to include a Welshman, Henry Morgan, who raided Spanish colonies and ships in the Caribbean; an English pirate who was simply known as Blackbeard. He was said to have blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States of America. He derived his name from his long black beard, and he was fearless in battle. Calico Jack Rackham was yet another English pirate who also operated in the Caribbean. He was famous for having two fearsome female crew members as accomplices, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who disguised themselves as men to join in the art of plundering merchant ships and sundry seafarers.
“When it comes to money this regime is insatiable. It frequently issues both Naira and Dollar-denominated bonds and treasury bills. It offers, sometimes unreasonable interest rates, which accounts for the rush to buy by foreign portfolio investors [hot money mongers], creating the illusion of increased foreign Investments.“
For good or for bad, “buccaneers played a significant role in shaping the history of piracy and the Caribbean region”, the online report stated. Their exploits captured the imagination of peoples around the world, and inspired “countless books, movies, and other works of fiction”. In like manner, the bravery and the courage as well as the punishing economic reform agenda of our country’s extant regime has captured the imagination of the citizens. And also dazed them probably to stupor. And surrender. As we stated earlier, the buccaneers of old were unelected and so their actions could be deemed to be illegal and criminal. But our rulers can lay claim to legitimacy on account of the fact that the law declared that they were lawfully elected to their present political offices. So their actions in the wake of their mandate could also be described not to be criminal. Nor illegal.
Meanwhile, we still have about four months until the commencement of the recently comprehensively reviewed tax laws, but some of its provisions have set off alarm bells nationwide. Individuals are apprehensive, fearing that the provisions will make them poorer in spite of the assurances to the contrary by the clearly malicious contrarian postulations of the government. Some industry operators are grumbling loudly that their operations would be negatively d by the proposed reintroduction of hitherto suspended taxes in the new dispensation. The aviation sector is one such example of players who fear the worst of the looming tax dispensation. Thus far the administration appears unperturbed. All it sees are multiple streams of revenues for its own purposes which includes a proclivity to profligacy. It is behaving like a carpenter armed with a hammer and a nail who regards everything in front of him as wood.
There’s no doubt that the primary motivation for the removal of petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, was to gather more money into the coffers of the federal government. The same accounted for the devaluation of the Naira about the same time. There appears to be no other substantive reason for the ongoing quest for cost-reflective pricing of other areas of energy [electricity inclusive]. The tragedy, so far, is that the increased revenues have not positively impacted the lives of the people. The tiers of government have experienced increased revenue, though it could actually be an illusion of money, but the poverty afflicting our citizens is not abating. Last year or so, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said that over 133 million Nigerians suffer from multidimensional poverty. And a little over one month ago, a ranking federal government official said publicly that about 180 million Nigerians were not sure where their next meal would come from. There’s a likelihood that the number has risen. Is it not instructive that in the many recent claims of economic wins, this administration has never mentioned that it has lifted any Nigerian out of poverty in the more than two years it has been in office. For a country such as ours, which has consecutively been the poverty capital of the world since 2019, lifting citizens out of poverty should be a standard measure for the success or otherwise of economic policies.
Nigeria’s Debt Burden
When it comes to money this regime is insatiable. It frequently issues both Naira and Dollar-denominated bonds and treasury bills. It offers, sometimes unreasonable interest rates, which accounts for the rush to buy by foreign portfolio investors [hot money mongers], creating the illusion of increased foreign Investments. The regime knows that in contrast to foreign direct investment [FDI], portfolio investors are largely unreliable and could prove to be elevated risks to the stability of the economy. They could bail out through massive sell off at the drop of a hat. History is replete with the experiences of economies such as Nigeria’s that had been adversely hit by portfolio investors who cut and run at the first sign of trouble. They have their usefulness but they are a clear and present danger to our economy today. In spite of claims by our current managers of our national economy that we are turning the bend, FDI has remained elusive and seemingly unattainable. To be sure, FDI crashed by a whopping 70% in the first quarter of 2025 when compared with the last quarter of 2024. What this also means is that the prevailing stability in the value of the Naira against other currencies is at best tenuous, fragile, and uncertain.
Tajudeen Abbas is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress [APC] political party. He represents Zaria constituency of Kaduna state. Last week he spoke on the frightening status of the country’s external indebtedness, in the wake of the ongoing borrowings. Within 24 hours he recanted. He must have been reminded that he was chewing more than he can swallow by indicting his real employer, the man in the Villa. In the nature of our democracy, any man or woman who holds any elected office of significance does so because of, and at the pleasure of, the president. But since Abbas spoke the truth based on documents in the public domain, we will use the alarm he mistakenly triggered to justify this government’s insatiable appetite for loans and mindless borrowings.
Tajudeen Abbass
On the debt question Speaker Abbas said categorically that the government in which he is a ranking member has broken the law. The law stipulated that the debt-to-GDP ratio should not exceed 40%. It currently stands at 52%. And it is projected to climb to 60% by next year. As at the first quarter of this year, the country’s total public debt was approximately N149.39 trillion which was the equivalent of $97 billion. Before he backtracked on his position on the ballooning debt which is a threat to fiscal sustainability, Abbas had emphasized the urgent need for stronger oversight [supposedly by the national assembly], transparent borrowing practices, and then ensuring tangible and verifiable economic and social returns on borrowed funds. It will be fair to say that if the returns have been obvious, Abbas would not have alluded to them.
. To be concluded next week with a foray into the prospective designs of this regime on our national oil assets, and why Nigerians should be worried, not just concerned.
UGO ONUOHA, Veteran Journalist, was the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Champion newspapers Limited.
The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly has clarified its position in the controversy surrounding the suspension and attempted resumption of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisting it lacks powers to reinstate her without due process.
In a statement signed by Bullah Audu Bi-Allah, Director of Information, on behalf of the Clerk, the office said it had been wrongly portrayed in some media reports and public commentary as obstructing the senator’s return.
“The Clerk’s Office serves strictly as an administrative arm, providing support to the Senate in accordance with their resolutions, Standing Orders, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The Clerk does not possess the authority to review, reverse, or interpret Senate decisions,” the statement read.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, was suspended for six months by the Senate on March 6, 2025. Although she challenged the action in court, the Federal High Court did not invalidate the suspension, and the matter remains before the Court of Appeal.
On September 4, 2025, she wrote to the Clerk, notifying of her intention to resume legislative duties. The Clerk explained that while she could have directed such communication to the Senate President as protocol demands, the matter was duly conveyed to Senate leadership.
According to the Clerk’s Office, the Senate leadership maintained that the issue remains sub judice, and any change in her status must come from either a new Senate resolution or a definitive court order.
“This communication was what the Clerk to the National Assembly conveyed in the letter, no more, no less.
The Clerk is therefore not in a position to facilitate her resumption at this time,” the statement clarified.
The office also expressed concern over a letter from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal representatives, M.J. Numa & Partners LLP, accusing the Clerk of overreach and threatening legal and disciplinary action.
“While the office respects the right of all parties to seek legal redress, it must be stressed that the Clerk has at all times acted within lawful administrative limits, and in faithful observance of due process,” it stated.
Reiterating that the decision on her resumption rests solely with the Senate, the Clerk emphasized that its role is limited to administration and not adjudication.
“The public is urged to remain patient and allow the appropriate institutions including the Senate and the courts to discharge their constitutional responsibilities,” the statement concluded.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 4.4 million Nigerians have registered online in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, with women slightly outnumbering men in participation.
In a statement on Monday, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed that 4,445,505 citizens had completed online registration as of September 14, 2025. Out of this figure, 509,929 have successfully finalized the process by completing both online pre-registration and in-person verification.
The data shows that women accounted for 51.83 percent of online registrations, while men represented 48.17 percent. Young Nigerians between 18 and 34 years dominated the exercise, making up 65.79 percent of registrants, while students alone constituted 25.02 percent.
For completed registrations, youths again led the figures with 74.15 percent, and students represented the largest occupational group at 38.54 percent.
Olumekun noted that registration in Anambra State has been suspended until after the November 11 governorship election, while online pre-registration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been paused to allow ward-level registration ahead of the February 2026 Area Council elections.
He added that a comprehensive breakdown of registration figures by state, gender, age, occupation, and disability has been published on INEC’s official platforms for public access.“As earlier announced by the Commission, the online voter pre-registration in the FCT ends today, Monday, 15th September 2025.
For the next two weeks, the physical (in-person) option will be at the designated venues,” Olumekun said.“Thereafter, the Commission will devolve the registration to all the 62 Wards in the FCT from 29th September to 8th October 2025.
Detailed addresses of the centres have already been uploaded to our official platforms.”The CVR exercise is part of INEC’s preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, with officials urging Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity to register and update their voter records.
The First Lady, Sen Oluremi Tinubu has flagged off a N925million empowerment scheme targeted at 18,500 women nationwide.
The empowerment scheme shall be executed as joint programme of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Senator Tinubu inaugurated the disbursement on Thursday at Government House, Lokoja and said the scheme was aimed at boosting economic growth and supporting women entrepreneurs across the country.
Represented by the wife of Kogi state Governor, Hajia Sefinat Ododo, she explained that the initiative targets 18,500 women nationwide, with 500 beneficiaries in each state, including the FCT.
She said 500 Kogi women would each receive N50,000 grants to strengthen their small businesses and improve their economic stability.
According to her, the programme was designed to support hardworking women traders and entrepreneurs who sustain their families while uplifting their communities.
Tinubu stressed that empowering women was vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG-5 on gender equality and SDG-8 on decent work and economic growth.
The initiative was made possible through a N1 billion donation by the Tony Elumelu Foundation to the Renewed Hope Initiative.
The First Lady added that the scheme underscored RHI’s commitment to promoting women’s economic independence and strengthening households, communities and the nation.
Secretary to the Kogi Government, Dr Folashade Ayoade, thanked the First Lady for remembering Kogi women and praised Elumelu’s philanthropic support.
She urged the beneficiaries to use the funds wisely to expand their businesses and ensure quality education for their children.
Kogi Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Fatima Momoh, said the programme fulfilled a vision to uplift women and transform communities through sustainable support.
Momoh assured that her ministry would continue backing initiatives that promote women’s empowerment across the state.
Hajia Sefinat Ododo presented N50,000 cash to a beneficiary during the Lokoja event.
Grateful beneficiaries, including Aisha Salihu, lauded the First Lady and the Governor’s wife, saying the support would enhance their businesses and livelihoods.
