The United States President, Donald Trump on Tuesday said billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk will be excluded from space-related decision-making.

Trump made this remark at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in reply to a question about Musk’s potential conflicts of interest amid his efforts to cut government spending, according to media reports.

“So anything to do with possibly even space, we won’t let Elon partake in that,” he told reporters.

The White House has said Musk would recuse himself from any conflicts of interest between his business interests and efforts to reduce government spending via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

On Monday, regarding Musk’s role in the Trump administration, the White House said he is a White House employee and senior adviser to the president.

It added that Musk is not an employee of DOGE, he has no decision-making authority.

Trump said Tuesday that Musk could be called an “employee” or “consultant.” 

(Xinhua/NAN)

February 17, 2025, will go down in the annals of Lagos and Osun states as epochal and Black Monday. There was a political tremor in the Lagos State House of Assembly as operatives of the Directorate of State Security reportedly invaded the Assembly Complex locking out staff and sealing up the offices of the speaker, deputy speaker and acting clerk;  in the State of Osun, there was a free-for-all in many premises of the 30 local government areas of the state over the attempt by the sacked LGA chairmen and councillors elected under the All Progressives Congress to resume back to office citing a purported Appeal Court judgement. In the ensuing fracas in Osun, at least six people were murdered and scores of others wounded with property worth millions of naira destroyed.

Starting with the Osun bloodshed, the remote cause of the political crisis was the October 15, 2022, local government election conducted by the then-outgoing governor of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola said to be the nephew of President Bola Tinubu. Recall that he had lost the July 16, 2022 reelection bid to the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke. The 2022 LG election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission was said not to comply with the provision of the state electoral law. It was, therefore, challenged in court by some opposition political parties among whom was the PDP in Osun. It was reported that two High Courts had sacked the LGA chairmen and councillors. Governor Adeleke, thereafter, appointed caretaker committees to manage the affairs of the councils pending when another election takes place.

Osun State Independent Electoral Commission has fixed this weekend, Saturday, February 22, 2025, as the date for the new local government election. News reports said APC members bought forms, conducted primaries and are preparing for this Saturday’s election. Suddenly, there is said to be a purported Court of Appeal judgement in Akure reinstating the sacked APC chairmen and councillors. This has been debunked by the governor and the PDP. In fact, last Sunday, February 16, 2025, Governor Ademola Adeleke addressed a press conference where he asked President Tinubu to call his nephew, and incumbent Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Oyetola, to order.

At a press briefing on Sunday, Adeleke alleged, “The bone of contention is the brazen effrontery to return to office council chairmen sacked by a subsisting court judgment using a different court decision, which has no consequential order.” He stated further, “Let me make it clear that the said council Chairmen were sacked before I was sworn in as governor of Osun State, contrary to the lies being peddled that the chairmen and councillors were sacked by my Executive Order. For emphasis, l want to state that I had nothing to do with the sacking of the chairmen and councillors produced by the Osun 2022 local government polls. The chairmen and councillors were sacked by two different judgments of the Federal High Court Osogbo. I call on Mr President to instruct the National Security Adviser and the Attorney General of the Federation to personally verify the fact that the Court of Appeal judgement did not reinstate the sacked local government chairmen and councillors,” he said.

So that was the background to the Osun State political crisis that was witnessed last Monday. A newspaper on Monday reported, “No fewer than six persons reportedly lost their lives on Monday as the dispute over the status of former local government chairmen of Osun State turned bloody. At least, two persons were feared killed in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Areas of Osun State, while several others were wounded in other LGs in the state following the resumption of officials elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the October 15, 2022 LG elections in the state at the council secretariats. Also, in Ikire, Irewole LGA, the APC council chairman, Remi Abass, was shot dead by suspected political thugs. In Ilesa, a former Commissioner for Works under Governor Gboyega Oyetola, Engineer Remi Omowaye, narrowly escaped being killed as his vehicle was riddled with bullets while his office was set ablaze.”

Will this Saturday’s election go on as scheduled? Doubtful. Why are the political gladiators in Osun fighting over the control of the local government areas? It is simply because of the 2026 governorship election in Osun State and the 2027 general elections. Both APC and PDP want to plant their loyalists into the councils ahead of these two elections. They will be the foot soldiers for the parties during the forthcoming elections. It is already an open secret that former Governor Oyetola with the backing of his uncle, the incumbent President will likely have a rematch of 2022 next year with the incumbent governor of the state. Both of them will be seeking reelection for their second and final term in office. This will be their third term of locking horns in an electoral contest. The first was in 2018 when Oyetola won through a controversial supplementary election. The second time was in July 2022 when Adeleke won. So, it is a matter of ego, grit and political sagacity. Governor  Adeleke is from an illustrious Adeleke dynasty in Ede while Oyetola, who was a former Chief of Staff to Rauf Aregbesola as a governor, will be counting on the backing of President Tinubu who is rumoured to have family ties in Iragbiji, Osun State.

As for the Lagos House of Assembly political brouhaha, it has a long history as the former Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has several times been alleged to have abused his office and engaged in gross misconduct. Political gladiators in Lagos said that he had fallen out of favour with the powerful non-state actor group called the Governance Advisory Council. He was reported to have been rude to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and disrespected the GAC, especially during the presentation of the 2025 budget presentation exercise on Thursday, November 21, 2024. Obasa was said to have kept the governor waiting for four hours and the GAC members for five hours without apology. He purportedly made a snide remark at the governor during the budget presentation exercise. Grapevine sources claimed that several reconciliatory meetings had been held in the past and that President Tinubu even facilitated another one during his Christmas/New Year vacation in Lagos last December. Not a few also believed that he was nursing political ambition to be governor in 2027.

Obasa is not a featherweight in politics. He is indeed a heavyweight having been holding political offices since 1999. He was first elected councillor in Agege Local Government and in 2003 became a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He has won election into the assembly a record six times. He has also been speaker of the Lagos Assembly since 2015. Despite his political clout, he could not ward off his removal, which took place on Monday, January 13, 2025. His sack, which he is now contesting in court, has purportedly caused division in the once-united Governance Advisory Council. President Tinubu was reported not to be in support of his removal while there have been a lot of behind-the-scenes moves to get the newly elected speaker Mojisola Meranda to resign either for Obasa to be reinstated and allowed to resign or for someone from Lagos West Senatorial District to replace him. Meranda and the governor are said to be from the same senatorial district.

The challenge is that the new Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mosjisola Meranda is an indigene and a member of a royal family in Lagos while Obasa and indeed all the former governors of Lagos are said not to be originally from Lagos but are settlers. In addition, women groups are resisting any attempt to remove Meranda as she is the first female speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly. That is why the action of DSS last Monday is said to be overreach and may have been influenced by external forces wanting to get Meranda out of her exalted seat, at all costs. Time will tell how all these political imbroglios will eventually pan out but I sue for peace in Osun and Lagos States.

It had festered for long. The wanton trespass, the emboldened criminality, the mindless murders, the reckless disruption of the rhythm of day-to-day activities of several communities in Nigeria’s South West. Formal and informal intelligence, fingered voyaging Fulani herdsmen as prime perpetrators of the crimson regime upon the Yoruba hemisphere. The pastoralists herded their cattle from the nation’s north, down south. They fed and fattened their livestock on farmlands owned by landowners, with unbelievable impunity. Aboriginal dissenters to such roughshod rides through their sweat-grown farms, were often sent to early graves. Luckier escapees, most times left with scars to last a lifetime. To confirm that they were on a mission to destroy, maim and murder, they moved around with deadly machetes and sophisticated weapons, beyond regular arms admissible for self protection, as they rampaged through the zone.

Beyond farmlands in the recesses of the Yoruba country, kidnappers, armed robbers and killers took over and terrorised roads and expressways in the South West, with uncommon boldness. They routinely caused gridlocks on roads like the all-important Sagamu-Ore-Benin highway, in the discharge of their criminal ventures. They would move from vehicle to vehicle dispossessing commuters of their belongings and shooting at random, killing the hapless. They abducted travellers and would subsequently request for ransoms from the families of their victims. At other times, they just murdered their victims like they did to Olufunke Olakunrin, daughter of the respected Yoruba leader, Reuben Fasoranti, on the same road under reference, in June 2019. Fortuitously, her killers were found, prosecuted and sentenced to death three years later.

Governors of the South West states, unanimously afflicted by this scourge, agreed in January 2020, to establish in their various states, a security outfit to be known as Amotekun. A Yoruba word, Amotekun means “cheetah.” The animal is a member of the global “big cat” family in the animal kingdom, which are apex predators. Creatures in this bracket which include lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, are famous for stealth, speed and precision in preying on their targets. All six states in the region: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, signed up for this initiative, which was driven from the very top by the governors of each state. The South West states are famous for their historical collaboration on issues of the socioeconomic wellbeing of their states and people. The Amotekun concept is emplaced as a homegrown complement to the endeavours of existing intelligence and security organisations, in securing lives and property. It is not a rival, but a partner with preexisting agencies in the intelligence and security ecosystem. This typically consists of the military, the police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services, (DSS).

Across the six South West states, Amotekun is charged primarily to protect persons, property and carry out emergency response services. The Corps systematically gathers, documents, evaluates and analyses data and information to convert to actionable intelligence for tactical, operational and strategic goals. It shares intelligence about crime in progress; suspicious activities, criminal suspects and other criminal activities. Amotekun collaborates with similar security agencies including but not limited to Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states in deterring kidnapping, terrorism, disruption of livelihood, criminal damage to property, cultism, highway robbery and other criminal activities. It ensures that all persons travelling along highways, major roads, remote areas, hinterlands and forests are free to engage in their normal activities without fear or hindrance. Amotekun also assists the police in carrying out any other lawful activity aimed at maintaining law and order within their areas of jurisdiction. The operational ambit of the Corps could indeed be broader.

Since the enthronement of Amotekun in the six core Yoruba states five years ago, the organisation has complement the enterprise of statutory security outfits in notable measure. It has foiled robberies, disrupted kidnappings, stemmed open-ended trespass and destruction of farms by marauding herdsmen, and rescued potential victims and casualties of criminal schemes. As recently as Sunday February 15, 2025, Amotekun foiled a robbery on the notorious Sagamu- Odogbolu- Ijebu Ode, on the Lagos-Sagamu-Ore-Benin expressway. One of the suspects was neutralised, while a second one was arrested during a gun duel. The suspect arrested led Amotekun operatives to the hideout of the gang, where another suspect who had earlier fled during the gun duel, took refuge. Just last week, February 10, 2025, the Ondo State Command of the Corps rescued five victims of a kidnapping episode on the ever recurring Benin- Owo road. Such is the serially documented efficacy of Amotekun in its various theatres of operation.

Worthy of note is the fact that the topmost echelons of Amotekun leadership across the South West, are very senior retired military and police officers, not below the ranks of retired Brigadier-General or Assistant Inspector General of Police, (AIG). The Oyo State outfit for instance is headed by Brigadier-General Kunle Togun, while the Ogun State formation is led by Brigadier-General Alade Adedigba. The Chairman of the Osun State variant is AIG Wale Abbas, while Brigadier-General Olu Adewa leads the Ekiti State Amotekun command. This underscores the seriousness with which the outfit is organised and deployed. Our reservoir of ex-servicemen in our communities, local hunters, vigilantes and youths can constitute the core of the operatives.

Recent criminal incidents in the the Okun country in Kogi State and Kogi West senatorial district at large, compels a proposition for the establishment of an Amotekun detachment in the zone. Like its kith and kin in core Western Nigeria, Okunland has been the butt of several violations by a broad canvas of criminals. Daredevil armed robbers have invaded Okun communities, targeting banks and murdering regular folk. Kidnappers perennially lay siege on lonely stretches of the dilapidated road networks in Okunland, killing innocents and taking hostages in kidnap- for- ransom incidents. On May 2, 2021, Solomon Adegbayo a Commissioner in the Kogi State Pensions Board was killed in the same incident in which the Chairman of Yagba West local government area at the time, Pius Kolawole, was kidnapped.

Last December, Alaba Ope, the Councillor representing Odo-Ape Ward in Kabba-Bunu local government area, and eight others, were kidnapped in a midnight operation by brigands. An Abuja-bound commuter bus from Lagos, carrying 18 passengers, was also in December 2024, intercepted around Obajana in Okunland and all the occupants abducted. The kidnappers placed a N100 million ransom on their victims. Should we mention the travails of subsistence farmers in Okunland and Kogi West who in several instances have literally been barred from their farmlands in their homelands by scurrilous criminal elements masquerading as herders? This has been the collective experience of the genetically peace-loving people of Kogi West District.

The people of the geopolitical span under interrogation, have not exactly thrown up their hands in despair in their worrying circumstances. Hunters and vigilantes despite their constrained training and arming, are usually on the front foot combing the forests and thickets. Following attacks on three commercial banks located in Egbe and Odo-Ere in Yagba West just before Christmas in 2021, for instance, Okun hunters and vigilantes entered the forests and indeed arrested a few of the culprits who missed their ways after the dastardly operation. Indeed, early June 2024, Okun vigilantes and hunters joined the army, police, DSS and NSCDC, in raiding the camps of kidnappers in the forest of Yagba West, in an operation which lasted for several days. Yagba West shares boundaries with Kwara, Niger and Ekiti states which makes it specifically vulnerable to criminal incursions.

Several other communities and councils in Kogi West, share abutments with neighbouring states which makes them vulnerable. Disturbed by the unabating recurrence of multifaceted criminality in Okunland which dominates six of the seven local government areas in Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, the Senator representing the District, singularly undertook the construction of a Forward Operating Base, (FOB) in Egbe, last year. The fully furnished mini-barracks which is capable of hosting two units of military personnel, was commissioned last October. It has since been taken over and operationalised by the Nigerian Army. To underscore his concurrence with Karimi’s bold initiative, the Member Representing Yagba federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Leke Joseph Abejide, participated at the inauguration and handing over event.

Given the dynamism of crime and criminality, containment and mitigation strategies must also of necessity be proactive. As an essential component of the global Yoruba country, as a people and senatorial district which share boundaries with two geopolitical subscribers to the Amotekun concept, notably Ondo and Ekiti states, there is no better time to adapt the prototype in Kogi West and in Okunland. The template may be available on the internet or can be obtained from one of the present six participating states. While it is true that whole states, and not sections or parts of states are subscribers to the philosophy elsewhere, there must be a way to adapt the template for Kogi West. As a people, we know where our shoes presently pinch us.

At the recent maiden annual lecture of the National Institute for Security Studies, (NISS), the Director-General of the Department of State Services, (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, noted that “communities should be empowered to serve as the first line of defence in tackling criminality.” According to him, they must lead the way “before the intervention of the police, the military and other security agencies.” Ajayi noted that “some level of armament must be allowed at the level of communities, so they can serve as the first layer of defence.” He cited examples from Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro communities in Bauchi State where he previously served, as places where the antics of marauders were successfully repelled. He indeed alluded to his community back home in Ogun State as one which he is guiding to stand up for itself in the face of adversity. This gifts us a perfect window to explore, for the setting up of a Kogi West/Okunland Amotekun Corps.

The people of Kogi West trust their Senator, Sunday Karimi, to pick up the gauntlet and rally his colleagues, namely Leke Abejide, Idris Salman and Danladi Suleiman Aguye, representing Yagba, Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu and Lokoja/Kotonkarfe, respectively, to articulate this proposal. Representatives of state constituencies in Kogi West in the Kogi State House of Assembly, (KGHA), and Chairmen of local government areas in the district, must of necessity be an integral part of this concept. Very happily, the federal government now directly credits the accounts of local government authorities with their dues which allows room for targeted fiscal flexibility. Budgets have to be drawn up to accommodate the needs and remuneration of Amotekun operatives. Elsewhere, they are properly kitted with uniforms, footwears and bulletproof vests. They are well armed and enabled with ample quantities of ammunition, and are duly remunerated and provided with serviceable patrol and operational vehicles. They undergo drills to keep in shape and ready. Let’s imagine just how better improved the security situation in Kogi West will be if 100 Amotekun corps members are added to the existing security capacity of each LGA. This comes to a total of 700 additional crime fighters in the zone. Criminals will definitely have a rethink before daring their potential Waterloo.

Olusunle, PhD, Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (FANA), is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja

A battle for Anambra’s soul has been sparked by the new Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, which declares certain categories of practitioners as persona non grata. The most prevalent of these are evil native doctors, fake native doctors, and other fakes, such as false prophets who deceive the gullible populace, especially the younger generation.

Some claim that traditional religion and practices have been banned in the state by the new law, which establishes the legal and operational frameworks for the battle to reclaim the Anambra social order. This assertion, which is made out of ignorance or malice, is completely untrue. By purging traditional worship of quacks and other evil practitioners who are robbing the state of its youth, the new law and its implementation aim to sanitise, not to ban. 

According to reports, the evil pot called Oke-ite and its affiliated sorcery potions, including Uduakomili, Ibobo, and Awale, are the inspiration for the get-rich-quick mentality that is today wreaking havoc throughout Igboland. There is also Odeshi (bulletproof amulets), which these evil native doctors prepare for kidnappers and armed robbers that give them Dutch (foolish) courage. One thing unites them: wealth without work. In previous generations, the topic of money rituals—known locally as “Ogwu-ego”—was often brought up. In the Igbo motherland, the nouveau riche is currently obsessed with the Oke-ite syndrome. According to some of the guys who know the evil pot, Oke-ite, the clay pot is made with bitter herbs and leaves, dog meat, human body parts, bats, various evil birds, the spiritual Ogilisi tree, and more.

We also hear that the parts of persons who perished in deadly incidents are said to contribute to the Oke-ite charm’s effectiveness. Another aspect is that the charm needs to be made from the body parts of women who are virgins or have not given birth. This explains why we see here and there that vital parts are harvested from the victims of ritual killings.

I don’t care about these accusations, but it’s enough to emphasise that everything about Oke-ite is evil and negative destructive energy, which alters destinies and is upending Igbo core values. The Igbo values of diligence and hard work are entirely at odds with Oke-ite and all other associated money-making rituals and potions, especially when it comes to Ndi Anambra, who have achieved success and a stellar reputation through hard work.

No reasonable mind can justify Oke-ite’s anti-Igbo culture and traditions. In the good old days, Igbo republicanism dictated that a trueborn son must never, ever bring home soiled money, as this would severely damage the family name.

In the realm of trading, the Igbo people established the “Igba-boi” system of working for a master for a considerable amount of time before being allowed to engage in trading themselves. Cutting corners is not an option. The Igbo people’s “Igba-boi” business culture has been hailed as the world’s example of business incubators by institutions like Harvard University in the United States. Igba-boi business incubation places pride in diligence in learning the business over many years rather than the fly-by-night for getting rich overnight without mastering any trade or craft.

In the past, Igbo parents would not accept any expensive gifts from their children that could not be justified as legitimately earned. It therefore defies logic that a university student who does no work at all will gift his parents an expensive car that even businessmen with years of experience cannot buy, and such parents joyfully collect it. This is a direct parental endorsement of the life of crime their children live.

In addition to receiving such unwholesome gifts from their unemployed and schooling children, some parents nowadays have even gone so far as to pay for their children’s attendance at Yahoo training schools. In the Yahoo business, you hear beguiled parents claim that their kids are simply taking money from the white people who once pillaged our land.

Tragically, the fundamental Igbo values of diligence, morality, honesty, and fear of God have been attacked by such evil and negative destructive activities.

East of the Niger, the central tenet of the youth is steeped in the worship of money. Their role models are now extravagant spenders who don’t appear to have any legitimate sources of income. To obtain the questionable fortune, anything goes. The criminal industry includes human sacrifice, robberies, advance fee fraud, kidnapping for ransom, fetish activities, and witchcraft. They reportedly have a tight friendship with mortuary attendants and maternity homes, where they gather various items allegedly used to make Oke-ite and its higher form, including Awele, Ibobo, and Uduakomili. That is the extent of the depravity of the Igbo society today, where idolatry and sorcery are making startling comebacks.

The Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, which guarantees that no evil activity can thrive anymore, is therefore a child of necessity. The purpose of the law, again, is not to prevent traditional healers from practising their profession or traditional worshippers from enjoying their religious freedom. It is to prevent the evildoers, like Oke-ite criminals, from infiltrating their ranks, meaning the law aims to sanitise rather than outlaw.

It would be up to anyone who believes in Oke-ite’s strength and effectiveness to explain to the civilised world why such a barbaric and satanic activity should be permitted to rule the land.

Yes, the fight is for the soul of Anambra. It is well known that Igbo people are among the most diligent and hard-working people in the world. Jokes about Igbo millionaires who only wear one calico suit because they are so focused on earning their money through ethical commerce have been the topic of comedians!

The new Igbo youth, who can barely explain how he made the money, also enjoys police and army protection in their convoys while corrupting the social order! In some way, the law has been taken over by the outlaws, who are altering the fundamental Igbo principles to fit their fantasies!

Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR of Anambra State, needs the support of all to promote the Udo-Ga-Achi Operation to restore Ndi Anambra’s reputation of working for wealth, integrity, and fear of God. To eradicate the Oke-ite threat, the Anambra-structured security network—Agunechemba and Operation Udo Ga-Achi—are the appropriate options and have come to stay. The battle against Oke-ite and its allied crime enablers is a struggle for Anambra’s soul, which cannot be lost.

Law Mefor, PhD, is the commissioner for information, Anambra state. He can be contacted via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; and on X @Law_Mefor.

The 2025 budget passed by the national assembly has a new expenditure component: N400 billion for light rail projects.

An analysis by TheCable shows that the sum was allocated to “light rail projects” in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna and Kano states.

It is unclear how the expenditure item entered the budget as it was not in the N49.74 trillion appropriation bill President Bola Tinubu initially presented to a joint session of the senate and house of representatives on December 18, 2024.

On February 5, he sought an upward adjustment of N4.53 trillion, raising the proposal to N54.27 trillion

By the time lawmakers approved the budget, they added another N719.5 billion, pushing the total to N54.99 trillion.

One notable addition to the national assembly’s version is N400 billion allocation to the new light rail projects in four states.

Light rail is a transit system designed for shorter, more frequent trips within a city or state, carrying a lighter passenger load compared to heavier rail systems like commuter or intercity trains.

Given the nature of light rail systems, their financing and construction are typically the responsibility of state governments.

However, in the final approved budget, lawmakers allocated N150 billion for Kano, N100 billion each for Ogun and Kaduna, and N50 billion for Lagos to fund the rail projects.

TWO ZONES TO BENEFIT

It is not clear if it is a loan or a grant, but this is different from the the plan to transfer N146.14 billion to Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) as counterpart funding for the Lagos Green Line Metro Rail Phase 1 contained in the initial budget.

This brings the provision for rail projects in Lagos state alone to N196.14 billion in the 2025 budget.

It is unclear if the federal government will still extend the funding to other states.

There are complaints of bias and marginalisation, and the latest allocation appears to favour two states in the north-west (Kano, Kaduna) and two in the south-west (Lagos, Ogun).

Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra central under the Labour Party, had condemned the exclusion of the south-east and adjoining zones from the newly approved federal rail projects.

On November 23, 2023, Umeh sponsored a motion—co-sponsored by 35 senators—calling for the construction of a standard gauge railway from Port Harcourt through Aba and Makurdi to Maiduguri.

However, the 2025 budget passed by the national assembly on Thursday made no provision for the project.

Concerned about the omission, Umeh raised a point of order, urging his colleagues to reconsider and include the Eastern rail line in the budget. However, his appeal was unsuccessful.

While Umeh was advocating for a separate railway project in the southeast, his concerns reflect a broader sentiment of exclusion and marginalization felt by some regions regarding federal infrastructure projects.

[TheCable]

President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Ukraine was responsible for Russia's invasion of the country three years ago, arguing Kyiv could have made a deal to avoid the conflict.

“You should have never started it,” Trump said of Ukraine while criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had expressed concern that his country was not included in talks between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia.

"I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well. But today I heard, 'Oh, well, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. "You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."

Trump went on to say: "I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all of the land, everything, almost all of the land, and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished, and not one dome would have been knocked down. But they chose not to do it that way."

The president's comments came after Zelenskyy said in a media conference on a visit to Turkey that "we don’t want anyone making decisions behind our backs and I think this is fair."

"Any country has bilateral relations with other countries; please, discuss whatever you want, but you cannot make decisions without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine, the terms, or other conditions," he said Tuesday. "And we weren’t invited to that Russo-American meeting in Saudi Arabia."

The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington and the Ukrainian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump's remarks.

Meanwhile, the reaction in Moscow to the change in direction of U.S. foreign policy has been more upbeat.

The U.S. president is "the first, and so far, apparently, the only Western leader who has publicly and loudly said that one of the root causes of the Ukrainian situation was the brazen path of the previous administration to draw Ukraine into NATO," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a speech to Russian lawmakers Wednesday. "No Western leader has ever said this,” 

"This is already a signal that he understands our position," Lavrov added in a speech that covered the broader second Trump administration rather than the president's specific remarks Tuesday.

The U.S. and Russia on Tuesday agreed to re-establish embassy staffing, diverging from previous American policy on the matter. Zelenskyy said earlier Tuesday that “Ukraine did not know anything about it.”

Trump, who said last week that he and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone about ending the war, has made several comments bolstering the Russian president. He said during an interview with Fox News last month that Ukraine should not have fought when it was invaded by Russia.

Trump also criticized Zelenskyy when asked by reporters if the U.S. would support Ukraine holding new elections as part of a potential peace deal with Russia.

“When they want a seat at the table, you could say the people have to, wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have to say, like, ‘You know, it’s been a long time since we’ve had an election.’ That’s not a Russia thing. That’s something coming from me and coming from many other countries also,” Trump said.

In doing so, the president echoed the criticisms of Putin, who has ruled Russia for all but four of the past 25 years, and has repeatedly questioned the electoral legitimacy of Zelenskyy’s continuing leadership.

Ukraine last held a presidential election in 2019 and was due to have held one last April, but Zelenskyy has said in the past that it is not possible for Ukrainians to go to the polls in wartime and that view is also backed up by the country's constitution.

According to an opinion poll released Wednesday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology research organization, 57% of Ukrainians say they trust Zelenskyy.

[NBC News]

If you ever want to take the pulse of public opinion on trending issues in Nigeria, a commercial bus ride is your best bet. Conversations, often loud, unfiltered, and passionate, serve as a microcosm of how everyday Nigerians feel. My recent journey from Mowe, Ogun State, to Berger, Lagos, on Friday, February 14, 2025, was no exception. The hot topic of discussion? The widely publicized divorce of Nigerian music legend 2Baba (Innocent Idibia) and his actress wife, Annie Idibia, and his subsequent decision to pitch his matrimonial tent with Natasha Osawaru, a lawmaker and granddaughter of the business mogul, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

The discussion in the bus was as heated as the Lagos sun, but one voice consistently swallowed all others, that of a middle-aged woman who passionately, and rather loudly, kept repeating: “True, True, Wetin 2Baba Do Annie Nor Good!” She screamed it over and over, drowning out counterarguments and reinforcing her stance with emotional fervor. Initially, her voice seemed like noise, but as she pressed on with her points, it became clear that she was making valid arguments.

Without a doubt, the woman’s indignation was not misplaced. This is as 2Baba and Annie’s love story had been one of resilience, forgiveness, and emotional investment, at least from Annie’s end. She had stood by him through thick and thin, from his days as an up-and-coming artiste to his rise to African music royalty. Annie endured public humiliation when 2Baba fathered children with other women, yet she forgave and married him, holding firm to the love they shared. For this, many Nigerians saw her as the embodiment of perseverance in marriage.

One of the strongest points the woman in the bus made was about loyalty. “How you go stand by man all these years, fight all battles, only for him to leave you for another woman? Where dem dey do that kind thing?” she asked, her voice rising in indignation. Her frustration echoed a broader sentiment among Nigerian women who believe that marriage should be built on unwavering commitment, especially from men who have benefited from their partner’s sacrifices.

As much as there were dissenting opinions, a good number of passengers sided with the woman. A young man sitting beside me, perhaps in his late 20s, nodded in agreement and added, “Omo, I no go lie, Annie try. E nor easy to forgive person wey give other women belle make you come still marry am. TwoBaba supposed to respect the kind woman wey fit do for am, and now e come abandon am later.” His statement resonated with many in the bus, especially the women.

Another passenger, a woman in her early 40s, chimed in, “E pain me well, well! No be say Annie nor fine, no be say she nor support 2Baba. Which kind example 2Baba wan set for young men wey dey look up to am? E dey encourage dem make dem nor value the women wey suffer follow dem.”

A middle-aged man in a blue shirt, who initially seemed uninterested in the discussion, finally spoke up: “To be honest, I no too dey put mouth for celebrity matter, but wetin this woman talk make sense. No be say make marriage no get wahala, but na to respect the one wey don dey there since. 2Baba no try at all.” This comment sparked a round of nods and murmurs of agreement from fellow passengers.

One of the reasons why this saga has captured public interest is because of the emotional investment Nigerians have in Annie and 2Baba’s relationship. We all watched their wedding in 2012, a grand affair that symbolized hope that love could triumph over past mistakes. Annie had forgiven 2Baba for his indiscretions, and many believed that theirs would be a love story for the ages. But alas, love stories do not always follow the fairy tale script.

For Annie, the public humiliation must be unbearable. Unlike regular people, celebrities have their personal lives dissected under the public eye. Her pain is now a national discussion, a trend on social media, and the subject of heated debates in Lagos traffic. Many women sympathize with her because they see a reflection of their own struggles in her. The betrayal stings deeper when it happens in full view of the world.

Beyond the celebrity drama, this situation underscores the importance of faithfulness in marriage. Loyalty and commitment are the bedrock of any successful marriage, and both partners must strive to honor their vows. The Bible is clear on the sanctity of marriage: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6). This verse serves as a reminder that marriage is a sacred covenant that should not be broken carelessly.

Another passage that reinforces faithfulness is Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” This verse warns against infidelity, emphasizing that breaking marital vows has consequences both morally and spiritually.

Faithfulness in marriage is not just about avoiding physical infidelity but also about being emotionally and mentally committed to one’s spouse. It requires communication, mutual respect, and a willingness to overcome challenges together. 2Baba’s decision to leave Annie for another woman sets a dangerous precedent, one that suggests that loyalty and sacrifices in marriage can be disregarded.

While 2Baba’s decision is his personal choice, its impact extends beyond his immediate family. As a public figure, he influences many young people who look up to him. His actions send a message, one that could reinforce the belief that women’s sacrifices in relationships are dispensable. If love, loyalty, and perseverance are not enough to keep a man, what then is the guarantee of stability in relationships?

Without a doubt, the bus ride from Mowe to Berger was long, but the discussion made it seem shorter. The passionate woman’s voice, though loud and sometimes overwhelming, was not baseless. Her arguments were rooted in logic, empathy, and a keen understanding of human relationships. 2Baba’s decision to end his marriage with Annie and remarry Natasha Osawaru has sparked an emotional reaction across Nigeria, and rightly so. While some may argue that love fades and people move on, there is also the moral responsibility to respect and honor those who stood by us in our most vulnerable moments.

As the bus approached Berger, the woman let out one final exclamation: “True, True, Wetin 2Baba Do Annie Nor Good!” By then, most of us, even those who initially disagreed with her, had to admit, she had a point. This story serves as a lesson that faithfulness in marriage is not just a social expectation but a moral and spiritual duty, one that both men and women should uphold.