Politics
Transformation in education will help Tinubu meet electorate’s hope —Abubakre
Transformation in education will help Tinubu meet electorate’s hope —Abubakre

By Razak Owolabi
Prof. Razaq Abubakre, a former Vice-Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, has urged Nigeria’s President – elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu to transform the country through educational development.
Abubakre, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja said this would help Tinubu meet the hope of the electorate.
He said that education is one of the most critical areas the president-elect urgently needs to address.
“There is an urgent need for a major overhaul and revamp of the education sector in Nigeria.
“While UNESCO has advised that 26 per cent of a nation’s budget should be spent on education, a more critical focus for the incoming government should be innovative, strategic and prudent in utilisation of whatever resource is allocated to the sector.
“The resources that are allocated should be judiciously invested in ventures that will spur exponential return on investment that will assure financial independence and forestall perennial and avoidable industrial action,” Abubakre said.
The Professor Emeritus said that an inclusive education system that supports more citizens taking part in learning will reduce; out-of-school children syndrome and stem crime as well as terrorism.
Abubakre said education should be the bedrock of sustainable and high levels of growth in Nigeria by developing essential and modern skill sets that address societies’ needs globally.
“The next government should revamp the secondary and tertiary education curricula to enhance entrepreneurial and technological skillsets.
“Institutions must ensure that competencies such as virtual and augmented reality, the internet of things, quantum computing, blockchain technology and programming should be at the core of every degree.
“For example, as is the case at Cambridge, MIT and Harvard, Nigerian universities could explore having resident entrepreneurs (successful owners of businesses who are volunteers) who will serve as mentors to students and help commercialise ideas,” he said.
Abubakre said that having technology and entrepreneurship as the backbone of her education could be a source of comparative and competitive advantage regionally and globally for Nigeria.
He observed that, many global multinational companies are outsourcing and offshoring their services today.
Abubakre said the nation could thus be the technology hub, where Nigerian technology businesses in; fintech, software development, customer relationship management and entertainment could be better integrated into the global value chain.
“Successful transformation of the educational sector in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry off Science and Technology will unleash a myriad of opportunities for the nation.
“A fit-for-purpose educational system will spur quality jobs, increase citizens’ earnings and encourage a national culture of lifelong learning, improve life expectancy, enhance well-being, and boost Nigerians’ standard of living and quality of life,” he said.
On the integrity of the February 25 Presidential elections, he said there has been widespread debate about its transparency and many have focused on technology.
“While I empathise with those whose candidates lost and those who raised concerns about the glitches, I wish to emphasise that while one is not justifying these errors, these technology bugs happen even in bigger multi-billion dollar projects.
“For example, the Obama care website in the USA crashed when it was first launched, the internet behemoth Google was down on the 16th of October, 2022, and Twitter was down some days ago.
“Though this Presidential and National Assembly election had some skirmishes,
it is arguably one of the most transparent elections since the return to democracy of Nigeria,” Abubakre said.
He said the election was almost devoid of cash inducement, and the people’s will appeared to be respected, with significant upsets in Katsina, Lagos, Kaduna and Nasarawa, which has the ruling party in control of these states.
According to him, the task ahead is for the President-elect to harmonise the nation and hit the ground running by addressing the citizen’s lofty expectations.
Prof. Abubakre, who was also the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ilorin from 2001 to 2003, is a member of Agba Osun (Elders of Osun) from 2021 to date. (
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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