By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A Nigerian man by the name of Prince Adeniyi Mathew is currently under investigation over allegations that he fraudulently established a phantom federal agency which he named the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), falsely claiming it was an official body of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

According to sources, Mathew went a step further by appointing himself as the council’s director-general, securing a physical office for the agency within the Federal Secretariat complex in Abuja, and even opening a dedicated account for it at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Most shockingly, he is accused of successfully inserting a budgetary provision of approximately ₦1.3 billion for the agency into Nigeria’s 2026 fiscal proposal.

Insiders reveal that, emboldened by the apparent success of his deception, Mathew allegedly convened high-level meetings with serving ministers and Nigerian ambassadors, issuing directives to them on the execution of government programmes. He is also said to have represented Nigeria at several international summits on multiple occasions, all under the guise of his bogus office.

However, the elaborate ruse has now collapsed. Security agencies have been alerted and are said to have commenced appropriate legal and administrative actions against the suspect, as investigations into the full extent of the fraud continue.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Presidency has defended the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, against allegations of bribery levelled against him by Adeniyi Adeyemi, whom it described as the convener of a non-existent government agency.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, alleged that Adeyemi forged an appointment letter and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

Onanuga said Adeyemi presented himself as the director-general of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. He added that the agency had no legal backing and was not recognised by the federal government.

The presidential aide said the matter came to the attention of security agencies after complaints emerged in 2025 that the group was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

According to him, Gbajabiamila petitioned the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force in October 2025 over the activities of the group.

“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office,” the petition reads.

Onanuga stated that the Chief of Staff could not have appointed Adeyemi into office because the agency in question did not exist. He also explained that appointments into federal government offices are handled through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and not through the office of the Chief of Staff.

He further disclosed that police operatives arrested Adeyemi in Abuja on October 27, 2025. Security operatives reportedly recovered forged documents from his office and residence during the investigation.

The Presidency alleged that investigators discovered that Adeyemi forged documents to present himself as a government official. It also accused him of attempting to obtain a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to secure United States visas for himself and members of the council he allegedly created.

Onanuga also claimed that investigators uncovered 34 bank accounts linked to Adeyemi, including nine accounts allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies.

He alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria after misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. However, he added that investigators did not find evidence showing that public funds were paid into the account.

The presidential spokesman said the police filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two other persons before a Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025.

He said the matter is expected to come up in court on July 27.

Onanuga also said Adeyemi’s recent claim that Gbajabiamila appointed him contradicted the statement he earlier made to investigators during interrogation.

“Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi’s claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker,” he said.

“They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court’s judgement, as comments made today are subjudice.”

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the federal government to make public the identities of beneficiaries of the N501 billion bond issued to offset debts owed to electricity generation companies, also known as GenCos.

Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), made the demand after the Association of Power Generation Companies claimed that the funds had not been fully released despite several assurances from the government.

Earlier in the year, the federal government announced the successful issuance of the N501 billion inaugural bond under the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme.

In February, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Joy Ogaji, disclosed that the federal government owed GenCos about N6.5 trillion.

President Bola Tinubu later approved a payment arrangement in April to clear debts in the sector through the Presidential Power Sector Financial Reform Programme.

Reacting in a statement released on Wednesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the comments made by Ogaji had raised questions about how the government was handling debts in the power sector.

He said the call by the APGC chief for details of the disbursement to be made public had exposed concerns about accountability and transparency.

“Dr. Ogaji’s vivid description of the government’s token payment as ‘like rubbing oil on a crying child’s mouth to imply that he had eaten’ perfectly captures the Tinubu administration’s approach to governance: grand announcements, impressive figures, glossy headlines, and very little substance,” the statement reads.

The former vice-president said repeated announcements by the government on settling electricity sector debts had failed to end the crisis.

“This is no longer a policy failure. It is a crisis of credibility,” he said.

“The question is no longer whether the government is borrowing. The question is why Nigerians are repeatedly being asked to applaud fresh borrowing to solve a problem that government insists it solved only yesterday.”

Atiku also challenged the federal government to publish the names of the power generation companies that benefited from the bond, the amounts paid to each company, the dates the payments were made and the balances yet to be settled.

“Public money cannot disappear into official press statements. Every naira borrowed in the name of Nigerians must be traceable to its destination,” he said.

He accused the Tinubu administration of depending on fresh borrowing instead of tackling the root causes of the problems in the electricity sector.

“Every challenge is met with another ceremony. Every crisis is greeted with another headline. Every unresolved debt is answered with another borrowing plan,” he said.

“Yet electricity generation remains constrained, investors remain uncertain, businesses continue to spend fortunes powering themselves, and ordinary Nigerians still pay exorbitantly for darkness.”

Atiku further called on the National Assembly, the Auditor-General of the Federation and other oversight agencies to conduct a public audit of intervention funds released to the power sector under the current administration.

“Nigerians deserve to know precisely how much has been borrowed, how much has been disbursed, who received the money, and why the debts continue to rise despite repeated claims of settlement,” he said.

The former vice-president added that “darkness has become one of the most expensive commodities in Nigeria” and urged the government to explain how previous loans were spent before seeking additional borrowing.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Authorities in Côte d’Ivoire have confirmed that the number of people killed by recent flooding has risen to 59 after days of heavy rainfall in the country.

Government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly announced the updated figure after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He described the casualty figure as “particularly high” compared to previous years.

Coulibaly said rescue teams were still searching affected areas and warned that the number of victims could increase.

He also appealed to residents to obey safety directives and move away from locations identified by the government as high-risk zones.

Earlier on Wednesday, officials had reported that 12 people died in the disaster.

The Minister of Social Cohesion, Belmonde Dogo, said the flooding and landslides began after persistent rainfall started on the night of June 27 in the commercial capital, Abidjan.

According to Dogo, the floods caused severe damage in several parts of Abidjan and nearby communities.

Images and videos shared online showed roads covered by floodwater, vehicles trapped in submerged streets and homes surrounded by rising water levels.

Several countries in coastal West Africa, including Nigeria and Ghana, have also experienced flooding in recent weeks due to heavy rainfall.

The World Meteorological Organisation has repeatedly warned that African countries remain among the most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions despite contributing only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The organisation noted that flooding disasters continue to claim lives across many parts of the continent each year.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, over allegations of certificate forgery and submission of a false National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.

The arrest was executed on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon the former minister’s arrival into the country. Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) assisted in apprehending Mr. Nnaji before handing him over to the anti-graft agency.

The ICPC had previously invited the former minister for questioning through a formal letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, dated 15 May 2026. The invitation was delivered to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as through his email, but Mr. Nnaji failed to appear on the scheduled dates.

Following his refusal to honour the invitations, the Commission secured a bench warrant from the Federal High Court in Abuja (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026) on 11 June 2026, authorising his arrest.

The allegations against the former minister include:

1· Forgery of academic credentials, specifically a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)

2· Submission of a false NYSC Discharge Certificate during his ministerial screening in 2023Mr.

Nnaji is currently in custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja as investigations continue.

The Commission has assured the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has withdrawn the operating licences of 46 microfinance banks with immediate effect, citing serious regulatory breaches that threatened depositors’ funds and financial stability.

In a sweeping enforcement action approved by CBN Governor Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, the apex bank wielded its powers under Sections 12 and 13 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), 2020, to shut down the affected institutions from July 1, 2026.

According to a statement by the bank’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, the revocation followed the failure of the microfinance banks to meet one or more statutory requirements, including insufficient assets to cover liabilities, unauthorised closure of operations, prolonged inactivity, failure to commence business within 12 months of licence approval, and inability to maintain minimum capital funds unimpaired by losses.

The CBN described the mass revocation as a necessary step to protect the integrity of the financial system, safeguard depositors, and ensure that all licensed institutions operate within the bounds of the law. “The Central Bank of Nigeria remains committed to promoting a safe, sound and resilient financial system,” the statement said, adding that further regulatory actions would be taken where necessary to sustain public confidence.

In a rare move, the CBN also released the full list of affected banks, naming them as:

1. Minji-Se Churchill MFB

2. Merchant MFB

3. Janmaa MFB

4. Busu MFB

5. Gold MFB

6. Zain MFB (formerly Dawakin Tofa MFB)

7. Bompai MFB

8. Ajwa MFB (formerly Gezawa MFB)

9. NOW NOW DIGITAL MFB

10. Crystabel Microfinance Bank

11. Chanelle MFB

12. Abia SME MFB

13. Kamba MFB

14. Iwade MFB

15. Winview MFB

16. Zuru MFB

17. Minjibir MFB

18. Shanono MFB

19. Sumaila MFB

20. Rimin Gado MFB

21. Mwaghavul MFB

22. Sycamore MFB

23. TOFA MFB

24. Safegate MFB

25. Creekline MFB

26. Bestar MFB

27. Livingspring MFB

28. Apple MFB

29. Stanford MFB

30. Frontline MFB

31. Zafec MFB

32. Supreme MFB

33. Bejin-Doko MFB

34. Kanopoly MFB

35. Bellbank MFB (formerly Tsanyawa MFB)

36. Yeneng MFB

37. Creditville MFB

38. MBAG MFB

39. STRAIGHT SAHARA MFB

40. OURPASS MFB

41. VERDANT MFB

42. BASAWA MFB

43. CASHA MFB

44. ESTEEM MFB

45. ENTREPRENEUR MFB

46. AVANTUS MFB

Financial analysts view the unprecedented publication of the defaulter list as a signal of the CBN’s tougher posture under Governor Cardoso, particularly in the microfinance subsector, where weak governance and capital erosion have been persistent concerns. The affected banks are now expected to commence winding-down procedures and settle outstanding obligations to depositors in line with existing resolution frameworks.

By Uzair Adam

The Permanent Commissioner of the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), Barrister Ahmed Mohammed, is still being held by bandits nine months after his abduction, despite reports that his family paid N40 million ransom in an effort to secure his freedom.

Barrister Ahmed was kidnapped on September 29, 2025, along the Mokwa–Ibbi Road in Borgu Local Government Area while travelling to Minna on an official assignment.

His abduction occurred about a month before the state’s local government elections held on November 1, 2025.

A member of his family, who requested anonymity, disclosed that the kidnappers have now demanded an additional N300 million for his release.

The source said the abductors contacted the family again on Monday to inquire whether they were prepared to meet the latest demand.

However, the family informed them that it could not raise such an amount.

“The bandits call almost every day. It was only on Tuesday that they did not call. We are appealing to the Niger State Government to intervene and help secure his release.

“He was abducted while carrying out an official assignment for the state government,” the source said.

Speaking on the development, a close friend of the victim, Ayuba Abubakar, said the family had exhausted all available options in its efforts to regain his freedom.

He expressed concern over reports indicating that Barrister Ahmed’s health condition has worsened during captivity.

“On behalf of his family, colleagues and well-wishers, I appeal to the Niger State Government and relevant security agencies to urgently step in and ensure his safe and unconditional release,” Abubakar said.

The continued captivity of the electoral commissioner has heightened concerns among his family members, friends and associates, who are calling for swift action to secure his freedom.

By Nura Jibo MRICS

The man, President Barack Hussein Obama, will never cease to amaze me. In 2008, when Obama was campaigning for his presidential bid against John McCain, I was in the Sudan Savanna region of Northern Nigeria, managing a N6 billion redevelopment of the Yankari Animal Game Reserve Holiday Resort and Safari Project in Bauchi State.

At that time, the 2i/c in my office, Dr Aminu Bashir, was scheduled to visit the United States. He asked me if there was anything that I needed him to buy in America. I humbly requested two (2) books: The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, both written by Barack Obama.

Indeed, it was a joyous moment for me the very day I laid my hands on the two of Obama’s international bestseller books. 

For those who are not aware of what qualifies a book to be labelled a bestseller, any book that its publishers sell an average of more than 10,000 copies within a week is automatically considered a bestseller under US standards. Obama’s “Audacity of Hope” immediately qualified for the New York Times bestseller list because of its profundity.

Today marks exactly 18 years since Barack Obama made history in the United States of America. And today, which marks the day of another victory with the launch of the Obama Presidential Centre on Juneteenth 2026, is not only a win for the US Democrats and democracy, but also a day when consistency meets sincerity and the ability to reemerge.

Chicago has been home to Obama, his wife Michelle, and their children, Sasha and Malia.

The lessons I learned from the Obamas are not only about courage and conviction but also about inspiring me to rise and do more with my life.

1. Personally, Obama’s personality (behaviours and appearance), as defined in simple psychology, inspired me to write my first book that debuted in 2010, which I sent to him and his wife, Michelle, one copy each-in 2010, via the US Embassy in Nigeria. At that time, my aim was not really to practice quantity surveying as a meal ticket. My dream was to immerse myself in the study of global literature and novels by renowned authors, such as the Russian Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky and the Chinese Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. I sincerely cared less about studying physics and chemistry books because I believed they offered less to humanity, as they contributed more to inflicting havoc on the scientific world via bombs, drones, and missiles. 

I deeply thought that science was never favourable for me. I was quite surprised when I see myself today practicing a segment of it and excelling in quantity surveying at an appreciable speed and awe, because my thinking was to one day appear in a global debate with world leaders such as Barack Obama to discuss the West and Africa and seek an explanation from my Kanoonline super writer friend, Dave McEwan Hill’s candid observation, who averred that: “If we want to keep our best people at home we have to provide a better country for them to operate in. If Nigerian leaders were honest, progressive, and ambitious, they would have rewarded high achievers rather than multibillion-dollar thieves.” McEwan Hill believes that many of our best brains would have stayed at home to build the nation.

However, most of them have gone overseas to be in more satisfying and more remunerative employment in better-run communities.

While I can’t agree with Dave as little as he does, his double-decker challenge was just like the way the Obamas challenged the late McCain and Trump, with his trumpeting of our cosmopolitan world in a George Galloway manner. Indeed, Dave McEwan Hill acknowledged what he described as my impressive contributions that nonetheless read like special pleading to ignite curiosity that the “blacks” are any less intelligent than the “whites. ” To which the question is more complex than that, as he asserted elsewhere that all members of all races function just as well as each other when placed equally in advanced environments. The key question is why some environments get so far ahead of others. 

So far, I have repeatedly featured and succeeded in debating the world at the United Nations Conference of the Parties level for umpteenth times.

2. Hence, anytime I listen to Obama, I come away with something new and extraordinary, not in my professional field, but outside my constituency. For example, before the birth of Obama’s Presidential Centre, I established a 3-hectare tree shelterbelt and two high-powered solar boreholes as a community organiser and climate change advocate in Nigeria. In my shelterbelt, biodiversity has already been restored for the people of Asayaya village across a comprehensive 3-hectare area, with a grant of no less than £70,000 from the BCDA.

3. After succeeding in biodiversity restoration, I looked up to the United States of America to leverage the establishment and registration of a segment of my NGO: the African Climate Change Research Centre (ACCREC), which I affiliated with the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, as its climate observer organisation for well over sixteen years now. Prof. Bello Makama–an African American Chemist of all time, painstakingly registered ACCREC in New York and became its first US Country Director at SUNY-ERIE, courtesy of following the Obama legacy.

4. Now that Obama has launched his Presidential Centre in Chicago, with Presidents George Bush Jr., Biden, and Clinton in attendance, only God knows what is going on in my mind regarding what I will come up with in a couple of months. I will not digress, but I take a huge lesson from the veracity of Obama’s amazing construction, which cost well over $850 million, with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates as its landscape architects; the centre is designed to receive an average of 1,666 visitors every week. They will enjoy learning, sports, entertainment and music to the zenith.

5. Indeed, anytime I read and watch the Obamas, rest assured I will come up with something new, especially when I reflect on their times as a husband and wife in perfect harmony.

6. The time they spent in Chicago, with Michelle as an Associate Dean and Obama as a professor of law, often reminds me of the days I traversed and visited nearly fifty countries for my international career. I lived in Europe, North Africa, South America, West Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, sharing ideas and presenting my case studies to the international community, my immediate community and African neighbourhoods.

7. Anyone who wants to know more about what I am up to in a couple of days can watch this space for my open letter to President Obama. This letter is certainly going to be different and very unique from the one I wrote and sent to President Donald John Trump at his house in Mar-a-Lago!

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has confirmed that it has submitted the names and personal details of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 general election.

The development was disclosed on Tuesday night by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement shared on X.

According to the party, the nomination details of both candidates have already been uploaded to INEC’s nomination portal.

The announcement signals a major step in the ADC’s preparations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Amaechi, a former minister of transportation and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are expected to lead the party’s campaign in the next general election.

Further details regarding the nomination process and the party’s plans are still being awaited.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has declared that his detention will not weaken his determination to continue advocating for justice in Nigeria.

Sowore made the statement on Tuesday shortly after regaining freedom from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.

In a post shared on his X account, the activist insisted that imprisonment would not force him to abandon his cause.

“Prison has never broken the resolve of those who fight for justice. If anything, it only strengthens our determination,” he said.

“The struggle continues. We will never surrender. #RevolutionNow #Sowore2027.”

Earlier on Tuesday, a Federal High Court in Abuja granted Sowore bail in the sum of N200 million.

The court directed him to provide two sureties as part of the bail requirements. One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the second must possess landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also instructed the activist to surrender his international passport to the court registrar pending the conclusion of the case.

Following the ruling, the court ordered that Sowore be released to his legal team while the bail conditions are being fulfilled.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting the activist over a two-count charge linked to a social media post in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal” on his X and Facebook accounts.

Sowore had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court had earlier granted him bail on self-recognition before the arrangement was later revoked.

On June 16, the presiding judge issued a warrant for Sowore’s arrest after he failed to appear in court for proceedings. The court held that the letter submitted to explain his absence did not provide sufficient reasons.

On June 22, the judge ordered that the activist be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application challenging the withdrawal of his bail.

The court also dismissed an application in which Sowore requested that the judge withdraw from the case over alleged bias.