Politics
Kwara: Court adjourns trial of ex-Gov Ahmed, aide to June 10,11
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Former Kwara State Accountant General (AG), Mr. Suleiman Ishola, has testified before a High Court sitting in Ilorin that the administration of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed actually took the sum of N1bn loan to augment the payment of civil servants and pensioners salaries in the State.
Ishola also added that the fund was not diverted to personal accounts as being insinuated in certain quarters.
The ex-AG, who is also an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, stated this on Friday at the state High Court, Ilorin when being led in evidence by the EFCC Counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).
Ishola was testifying before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar in the ongoing trial of former Governor Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, over alleged misappropriation of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) funds.
Ex-Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Lanre Daibu had on Thursday this week revealed that the N1 billion loan was used by the then state government to augment salary payment of workers and arrears of pensioners salaries.
Alhaji Daibu also told the court that, the first defendant who is former Governor Ahmed and second defendant who is also the former Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Banu were not signatories to the SUBEB accounts while the money approved for the payment of workers and pensioners was not paid into any personal account.
Alhaji Ishola said: “As the Accountant General, the Governor must approve all payments before I can go ahead with the payment”.
“In 2014 I was copied with a letter that a sum of one billion Naira would be coming from SUBEB to the Kwara state government salary account for payment of salaries and pensions.
“The Perm Sec. conveyed the directive of the Finance Commissioner to me to pay salaries.
“Ordinarily, the one billion Naira was not enough to pay salaries. We still had a deficit of over N700 million.
“On receipt of warrants and vouchers from various ministries we made payment generally. That is one our duties.”
The case was later adjourned to June 10 and 11, 2025.
Politics
Tinubu Assures Investors Nigeria Is Open for Business, Welcomes Coca-Cola’s $1bn Plan
By Francis Wilfred
President Bola Tinubu has assured local and international investors that Nigeria remains open for business, saying his administration is implementing reforms aimed at creating a more predictable, competitive and investment-friendly environment.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at the 75th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) in Abuja on Monday, the President said the government is addressing key challenges facing businesses under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Our message to investors, both Nigerian and international, is clear: Nigeria is open for business,” Tinubu said,
He noted that reliable infrastructure, efficient logistics, access to foreign exchange, stable regulations and a supportive tax system are critical to attracting investment and expanding production.
According to Yomi Odunuga, the President said ongoing economic reforms are designed to build a more productive and competitive economy, reduce dependence on imports, strengthen local manufacturing and create jobs for Nigerians.
Tinubu welcomed the Coca-Cola System’s proposed $1 billion investment in Nigeria over five years, announced in 2024, describing it as a strong vote of confidence in the country’s economy.
He said the administration is focused not only on the volume of investment attracted but also on its impact on employment, skills development, technology transfer and local sourcing.
“We are interested not only in the amount of capital that comes into Nigeria, but in what that capital does here,” he said.
The President also praised NBC’s continued expansion of production capacity, including new production lines in Oyo and Kano states, describing such investments as vital to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving policies, infrastructure and regulations to support businesses, while urging the private sector to complement government efforts through investment, innovation and job creation.
Tinubu further highlighted the importance of human capital development, commending NBC’s Supply Chain Academy for training over 1,400 young Nigerians and supporting women’s empowerment and community development initiatives.
He urged investors to take advantage of opportunities across Nigeria, expressing confidence that the country can build a stronger economy driven by local production, exports and globally competitive industries.
Politics
Kano Governorship: Accord Party Governorship Candidate Gashash Getting More Endorsement From Kano Electorates.
By Jabiru Hassan.
The movement for Democratic Protection and good governance (MDSG) declared it's full support to the Accord Party Governorship Candidate Ambassador Dr. Mukhtar Gashash in the forthcoming general elections.
In a chat with our correspondent in kano, the national president of the movement, Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali, stated that it is time for the people of kano state to bring new steward who is seriously planning to transform the state with highest regard.
He expressed his confidence that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash will do his best to ensure that kano state becomes more examplary at both sector without bias which is the task previous administrators failed to achieve.
Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali reiterated that " this time around, our movement is working day and night to make sure that Kano people mostly youths remained Committed to actualize real change in the state's politics, leadership and transformation under the Accord Party government".
He called on the people of kano state especially the eligible voters to vote Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash due to his Transformation plans for the progress of kano state and it's citizens at both Urban and rural settlements.
Responding to a question about Accord party's strength in kano state, Dauda Mohammed Ali disclosed that in today's democracy, competent candidates should be tipped for an elective positions not the popularity of the political parties stressing that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash has been found to be the best option for kano state due to his track record on competency, transparency as a real democrat.
Politics
Caught in the middle: Ortom’s silent dance between two camps.
There are growing questions about where Mr. Samuel Ortom, a former Governor of Benue State and a prominent figure in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), truly stands politically ahead of 2027.
Ortom was a key figure in the divisions within the PDP before the 2023 general elections and was widely associated with support for Mr. Peter Obi, who finished third in that contest. More recently, however, he has publicly expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The latest discussion began after a visit by Mr. Peter Obi to Benue State. Reports indicate that a vehicle said to belong to Ortom was used to receive Obi at the Air Force Base airport in Makurdi. It is not clear who authorized the use of the vehicle, and Ortom has not commented publicly on the matter.
During the same visit, Obi was reportedly prevented from travelling to Yelewata, where he had intended to condole with families affected by violence. Obi’s team attributed the blockage to supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The Governor’s spokesman, Sir Tersoo Kula, denied any involvement by the Governor. He suggested the incident may have been staged to damage the Governor’s reputation, or that it could have resulted from disagreements within Obi’s own support base.
Ortom has not issued a statement clarifying his position on the 2027 elections or on the vehicle in question. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
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