A notable elder from the North and a public commentator, Alhaji Dabo Sambo has revealed why President Bola Tinubu may not win the 2027 presidential election.

According to Sambo, if Tinubu does not promptly address the issues of insecurity and banditry, especially in northern Nigeria, his prospects for winning will be diminished.

In a briefing with journalists on Thursday, Sambo emphasised that insecurity is the most significant threat facing the nation, with lives and property continually at risk.

He remarked that ensuring safety and stability is the fundamental responsibility of any government, and failing to achieve this could jeopardise the President’s chances for re-election.

Sambo pointed out that food scarcity is a pressing issue in Nigeria, leading to widespread hunger, and he attributed the escalating food crisis to the insecurity prevalent in the North-East and North-West regions, which contribute over 60% of the nation’s agricultural production.

According to Daily Trust, Sambo indicated that farmers are abandoning their lands due to banditry, kidnapping, and terrorist activities, resulting in a substantial decline in food production and an increase in prices.

Additionally, he highlighted the economic ramifications of insecurity, which include a weakened naira, elevated transportation costs, and rising inflation that are depleting the savings of average Nigerians.

Sambo made a direct appeal to President Tinubu, urging him to address the insecurity crisis within the next six months and to revitalise local agriculture within a year.

“If President Tinubu refuses to wipe out the security challenges, he will definitely not win the 2027 election,” He warned, drawing parallels with former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat in 2015, which he also attributed to unchecked insecurity.

“The era of carton noodles and salt distribution during campaigns is over,” he said. “People want security and food. Without these, they will not vote,” Sambo noted.

Sambo dismissed Tinubu’s political opponents as lacking viable strategies to transform Nigeria.

However, he emphasised that if the president fails to tackle the underlying issues of insecurity and economic distress, even the most sophisticated rigging mechanisms will not secure his re-election.

He further stated that President Tinubu must confront the true adversaries within his inner circle, asserting that the apparent competitors are not the real issue; rather, it is the inability to take decisive action on security and food production that could jeopardise his presidency.

Additionally, he referenced recent disclosures from the U.S. Congress that implicate the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in allegedly financing Boko Haram, a claim also supported by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa. Sambo urged the Nigerian government to cease its pretence and directly address these international influences.

A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday ordered that 11 cattle rearers be remanded at the Correctional Centre, Makurdi, for allegedly terrorising Benue communities.

The cattle rearers were identified as Nanzir Ishaya, Suleiman Umaru, Yakubu Mallam, Dauda Abdulkarim, Manu Buhari, Haruna Abdulkarim, Ibrahim Mallam, Yunusa Waziri, Idi Usman, Adamu Manu and Abdullahi Wakili.

The defendants who live at various addresses in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, were charged with criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, acts of terrorism, open grazing and being in possession of cattle suspected to be stolen.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Kelvin Mbanongun, did not take their pleas for want of jurisdiction.

Mbanongun adjourned the matter until July 7, 2025, for further mention.

Earlier, prosecutor Insp. Godwin Ato told the court that on June 1, a team of policemen attached to Operation Zenda at Katsina-Ala received credible information that a group of armed bandits who were allies of a dreaded bandit leader, one Amakaa Akwaza, were sighted in their hideout at Nugu village with arms.

The prosecutor said on receiving the information, a combined team of Operation Zenda and Benue State Civil Protection Guards led by Insp. Donald Ahulu were mobilised to the location of the hideout and engaged the hoodlums in a gun battle.

Ato said the security operatives overpowered the suspected bandits in the fierce gun duel, which resulted in some of the fully armed bandits fleeing, while one AK-47 rifle with breech number 6189 with 16 rounds of live ammunition was recovered from the scene.

He said the security operatives then arrested 10 of the suspected bandits while they were loading cattle suspected to be stolen into a Mercedes Benz truck with registration number TTM 405 XA Taraba, and openly grazing some of the cows on a nearby farm.

The prosecutor said further investigation led to the arrest of the chief of the Fulani community in Katsina-Ala, Wakili, who he said has been working closely with Akwaza in supplying arms to the herdsmen terrorising Benue and its environs.

The prosecutor said their offences contravened sections 6(b) and 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004; 19 of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of Benue, 2017; and 321 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004.

Twelve Nigerian universities have been selected to design and produce electric shuttle buses.

The Director General of the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Mr. Oluwemimo Osanipin who disclosed this during a stakeholders engagement in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Wednesday, said two universities from the six geopolitical zones made up the team.

“We have started an initiative where we have gathered twelve universities, two from each geopolitical zone, they are designing what we call the university shuttle bus that is going to be electric 100%.

“It is going to be designed in Nigeria; most of the parts are going to be sourced locally. So, they are on it, when they are done, we will come together again with assemblers, auto-vehicle manufacturers and with some companies that can finance the project like the Bank of Industry and other financial institutions. Then we will be able the produce these vehicles,” he said.

Osanipin urged stakeholders in the industry to embrace regulation of the sector to ensure safety and environmental soundness of vehicles in the country.

In his remarks, the National President of Automotive Dealers of Nigeria, Engr Ajibola Adedoyin, listed the gains of the regulatory framework to include security and increased revenue.

Adedoyin tasked the government on finetuning the policy to promote affordability and accessibility.

He said, “The nation stands to gain a lot, we feel it’s wrong for anybody to import a vehicle into the country without going through a registered dealer so that in case of anything, it could be traced.

“Even in the area of security, it matters a lot because most of the atrocities are committed with vehicles. So apart from revenue lost and making work easier for the industry and government, it still gives room for a large percentage of security threats to be curtailed.

“Also, the government has to finetune the policy to make vehicles affordable and accessible.”

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Thursday said political scientists should study how Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, became part of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Ogunwusi spoke at the 2025 OAU Distinguished Personality Lecture in Ile-Ife, the capital of Osun State, where Wike delivered the keynote lecture.

The monarch reflected on Wike’s involvement in Tinubu’s government, despite being a member of an opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

The Ooni said, “For your career, I will particularly say that I give a very strong honour to the father of the nation, President Bola Tinubu. You belong to a different political party and yet are able to work together.

“You are part of this government. It’s still a mystery; I don’t even know how it happened. For me, it is something that universities should be studying and I mean it; it’s very important.

“Hate him, like him; what will be, will be. He (Wike) is a politician to be studied. I don’t know how he’s been actively relevant for 20 years.

“Nigeria is for all of us and you are playing your part and making history,” he added.

Wike, a member of the opposition PDP, has vowed to lead Tinubu’s reelection campaign in Rivers State.

The President of Ijaw National Congress, Prof. Okaba Benjamin, on Thursday said there is no wrong if the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara, decides to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Benjamin said Nigerians no longer consider defection as a big deal because President Bola Tinubu may decide to join PDP if he sees the party as a veritable platform.

Benjamin’s remark comes amid permutations that Fubara is planning to dump the PDP for APC. 

This followed Fubara’s recent visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, to seek reconciliation with two APC governors.

Fubara, who was suspended for six months over the political crisis in Rivers State, met with Tinubu for the second time a few days back.

However, Benjamin said Nigeria has no political parties but platforms for transmission.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Benjamin said: “If a former Vice presidential candidate defects, what’s wrong about Fubara defecting to APC? There is nothing wrong about that.

“We don’t have political parties, we have platforms put together for people to transmit from one position to the other.

“So, if we have state governors, former Vice presidential candidates of parties just moving on, to the extent that one of the governors said if you don’t move with me, I will sack you, so there are no ideological differences and all that.

“I had a conversation with a former state party chairman and I asked him, you have moved from PDP to this, and he said yes, I now asked him what is the first item in schedule this of your party, and he said he doesn’t know.

“What I’m trying to say is this, Fubara said he will do anything for peace in Rivers State, however, Nigerians shout not interpret this as him planning to defect. Even tomorrow, Tinubu may decide to defect to PDP if he finds the party as a veritable platform.”

In an unusual administrative error, the Finland women's national football team mistakenly included 51-year-old retired player Stina Ruuskanen in their squad for a UEFA Nations League match against Serbia. The intended call-up was for 23-year-old defender Nanne Ruuskanen of Djurgårdens IF.

The confusion arose due to both players sharing the same last name, despite no familial relation. Stina, who last represented Finland in the 1990s and remains listed in UEFA's database, was erroneously registered.

The mistake was only identified after the team sheet deadline, rendering Nanne ineligible to participate in the 1-1 draw.

Head coach Outi Saarinen publicly apologized for the oversight, acknowledging Nanne's disappointment and commending her professionalism. Stina Ruuskanen responded with humor, jesting about her unexpected selection and expressing readiness to play if needed.

"I'm definitely ready if the call comes! Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match... so my game feel is good," Stina told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.

More on Tribuna.com:
https://tribuna.com/en/blogs/nland-coach-accidentally-calls-up-51yearold-for-serbia-game/?utm_source=copy

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has said he will do his best to reposition the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and resolve its leadership crisis.

Saraki made the remark while disclosing that some PDP members will still defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Since the build-up to the 2023 presidential election to date, the PDP has been experiencing several layers of leadership crisis.

However, the PDP recently constituted a reconciliation committee headed by Saraki, and he has been holding meetings aimed at resolving the crisis.

While the party is still grappling with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the G-5 governors falling out with the party’s former presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in 2023, the PDP is currently battling over who occupies its office of National Secretary.

However, Saraki maintained that the former ruling party remains the only viable opposition in Nigeria.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday, Saraki said the PDP remains the only formidable opposition party in Nigeria.

According to Saraki: “Some members of the party (PDP) might still defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I’m also confident that politicians from other political parties might also join the PDP.

“The only viable opposition party is PDP, and yes, there are challenges, and I have taken it upon myself to do my best.

“I am seeing responses from our colleagues who are also ready to settle our differences.

“I want to use this opportunity to reassure our members across the country that we are doing our best to rescue the party’s situation. We are confident that we will tackle the situation. We are committed to it,” he added.

A former chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Yauri Local Government Area, Alhaji Rabiu Suleiman Gulma, has called on former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to contest the 2027 governorship election in Kebbi State.

Gulma made the appeal while speaking to journalists in Yauri, noting that Malami’s experience in governance and national exposure make him a suitable candidate to lead the state.

“Though he has not declared interest, we believe Malami is the kind of leader Kebbi needs. His track record speaks for itself,” he said.

Gulma added that he and other loyalists are prepared to begin consultations and mobilise support across all 21 local government areas of the state, should Malami signal interest in the race.

He said many APC stakeholders across Kebbi are optimistic that Malami could restore unity within the party and bring a new sense of direction to the state’s development.

Rapper and singer, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has maintained that fornication is not a sin in his religion.

DAILY POST recalls that the music star recently sparked a debate after claiming in a post on X that fornication isn’t sin.

Christian and Muslim faithful challenged the singer’s claim, quoting various scriptures under his post.

Addressing the controversy in a recent interview with Arise TV, Falz insisted that fornication isn’t sin in his religion, stressing that he practices a religion called “love.”

He clarified that he is no longer a Christian.

He said, “I think people would read the tweet and just assume that I meant according to Christianity.

“I wasn’t really speaking from that perspective. I practice the religion of love. Under that religion, I don’t think fornication is a sin.

“Because I looked at it, I strictly addressed the issue: Why are we not allowed to engage in this premarital intercourse? What is the issue? Who does it offend?

“These are not married people. These are two unmarried people. Willingly. Consensually. Personally, I don’t think there is a problem there.

“I’m no longer a Christian. I practice religion of love.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that two years into President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Nigerian workers and the masses have experienced no gains—only pain and misery. 

In an appraisal of the administration’s first two years, NLC President, Joe Ajaero stated that there has been nothing to celebrate since the government came into power. 

According to him: “When President Bola Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, he promised a new dawn—bold economic reforms that would rescue Nigeria from fiscal instability and set it on a path to prosperity.

But two years later, the only thing bolder than his rhetoric is the magnitude of suffering and hardship his policies have inflicted on workers and ordinary Nigerians. Far from renewing hope, his administration has recycled the same failed neoliberal experiments of the past, proving once again that you cannot cure a patient by prescribing the poison that made them sick in the first place.”

Citizens’ woes

“The sudden removal of the petrol subsidy sent shockwaves through an already fragile economy, causing fuel prices to skyrocket from N187 to over N600 per litre overnight. The government claimed it was a necessary sacrifice to free up funds for development—but where are the results?

“Instead of reinvestment, Nigerians got inflation so vicious that families now skip meals, businesses shut down daily, and transport costs consume what little remains of workers’ wages. The naira, left to the so-called ‘market forces,’ has collapsed in value, turning Nigeria into a bargain basement for neighbouring countries, while local industries suffocate under the weight of imported inflation.

“What makes this pain even more frustrating is that none of it is new. We’ve seen this script before—subsidy removals, devaluations, and IMF-approved austerity—each time sold as the bitter pill Nigeria must swallow for a brighter future. But when has it ever worked? These same policies under past administrations only widened inequality, enriched a few, and left the majority poorer. Tinubu’s version is no different—except the suffering is deeper, the anger louder, and the government’s response more brutal.

“Nigerian workers have seen their real wages obliterated. Pensioners, SMEs (facing over 150 per cent inflation in inputs), and 150 million Nigerians are now multi-dimensionally poor. It has been two years of intimidation and harassment for Labour leaders and trade unions in Nigeria. Flagrant disregard for court orders and the criminalisation of union protests and actions have become the norm. Wage award arrears at the federal level remain unpaid, despite repeated promises.

“The only notable effort is the provision of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses by the Federal Government to ease transportation for Nigerian workers—but this remains grossly inadequate, hampered by severe gas infrastructure deficits.”

No dialogue

“Promised dialogue with Labour unions has been replaced with intimidation and violence. Workers demanding a living wage are met with batons and threats, while the government wallows in luxury. The same officials who preach sacrifice travel in convoys, feast on bloated budgets, and treat public funds like personal piggy banks. Meanwhile, factories close, jobs vanish, and hunger becomes the defining feature of Tinubu’s Nigeria.

“Who benefits from this folly? Not the millions of Nigerians who can no longer afford food or transport.

Not the small businesses buried under the weight of rising costs. The real winners are the usual suspects—the oil cartels, the currency speculators, the political elite with offshore accounts, and their foreign backers at the IMF and World Bank, who have always seen Nigeria as a laboratory for their disastrous economic theories.”

Economy

“Economic performance can only be measured by how well the citizens feel. No amount of data manipulation can explain away the massive hardship that pervades our nation. Workers and ordinary Nigerians are deeply worried about the future.

“In any case, in the surreal landscape of a nation grappling with escalating insecurity, discussing the intricacies of economic policy seems akin to debating the colour of curtains in a burning house. The pervasive threat of mass kidnappings, abductions, and banditry casts an ominous shadow over society, rendering economic discourse almost absurd in the face of urgent, life-threatening crises.

“While economic stability is undoubtedly a crucial aspect of governance, the reality of citizens living in constant fear—with lives upended by the heinous acts of criminals—demands immediate attention and action. Who will invest in such an environment except looters and plunderers?”

Insecurity

“Boko Haram and other insurgent groups have multiplied in recent years, while lives and properties are lost daily across the nation. Our nation is at war. In such a climate, the absurdity lies in the stark disconnect between bureaucratic discussions on fiscal policy and the visceral, pressing needs of a populace caught in the crossfire of insecurity.

“Citizens find themselves torn between the hypothetical benefits of economic strategies and the immediate threats to their safety and well-being. The urgency of addressing the security crisis is a stark reminder that, in the hierarchy of priorities, protecting life and liberty must take precedence over economic debate—challenging the very essence of governance in times of profound adversity.

“The truth is simple: reforms that bring only pain without gain are not reforms at all. They are deformations—deliberate assaults on the poor in service of a system that rewards the powerful. If this government truly wants to renew hope, it must abandon these cruel experiments, listen to the people, and chart a new course—one that puts Nigerians, not foreign creditors and profiteers, at the centre of policy. Anything less is a betrayal of public trust.”

Workers’ rights collapse globally, ITUC raises alarm

Workers’ rights are in free fall across every continent, according to the 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index, with Europe and the Americas recording their worst scores since the Index began in 2014.

Just seven countries now have the top rating of 1 for their respect for workers’ rights, compared with 51 — or one in three — rated 5 and 5+.

If the current trend continues, no country will hold a rating of 1 within the next 10 years.

Key findings include: Three out of five global regions saw conditions worsen; the Americas (3.68) and Europe (2.78) recorded their worst scores on record. Europe continued a rapid deterioration from 1.84 in 2014 — the biggest decline seen in any region worldwide over the past 10 years, only seven out of the 151 countries surveyed (fewer than 5%) earned a top-tier rating of 1 — down from 18 a decade ago. The 10 worst countries for workers are: Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria (NEW), the Philippines, Tunisia, and Türkiye. The worst region in the world for working people is the Middle East and North Africa, with an average rating of 6.8. Deaths of trade unionists were recorded in Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, and South Africa, 87% of countries violated the right to strike; 80% violated the right to collective bargaining, and Workers’ access to justice was restricted in 72% of countries — the worst level ever recorded.

ITUC General-Secretary, Luc Triangle said: “The 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index exposes the outcomes of the betrayal of the system built after World War II, founded on democracy, trade union rights, and justice.

Governments have collaborated in decades of deregulation, neo-liberalism, and neglect, leading to the collapse of workers’ rights. This has disenfranchised millions and paved the way for extremism, authoritarianism, and the billionaire coup against democracy that now threatens democracy itself.

“If this pace of decline continues, in 10 years, there will be no country left in the world with the highest rating for its respect for workers’ rights. This is a global scandal, but it is not unavoidable; it is a deliberate decision that can be reversed.

“That is why the ITUC is exposing the coordinated attack by the ultra-rich and their political allies to rig economies against working people. It is not inevitable that workers’ rights will worsen in the 2026 Rights Index.

“Together, through strong, independent unions and a democracy that delivers for all, we can reclaim power, rebuild economies that serve people — not corporations — and demand international institutions that are accountable to those they were created to protect. Our movement is fighting every day for this future — and next year’s Index must show the beginning of real change.”

Other key findings: In 12 countries, conditions have deteriorated so severely — due to conflict and the corresponding collapse of the rule of law — that they now hold the lowest-possible rating of 5+. These countries are Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Haiti, Libya, Myanmar, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Only three countries saw their ratings improve in 2025: Australia (2), Mexico (3), and Oman (3). Seven countries received worse ratings: Argentina (4), Costa Rica (4), Georgia (4), Italy (2), Mauritania (5), Niger (4), and Panama (4). 75% of countries excluded workers from the right to establish or join a trade union, 74% of countries impeded the registration of unions, 45% of countries restricted free speech and assembly. Workers were arrested and detained in 71 countries, and workers experienced violence in 40 countries.

The 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index is being released on 2 June to coincide with the start of the International Labour Conference (ILC) at the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland — the world’s parliament for work.

ITUC priorities at the ILC include: Tackling rights violations through the Committee on the Application of Standards and the implementation of Article 33 measures concerning Myanmar, Advancing protections in the platform economy, addressing biological hazards at work, and promoting innovative pathways to formalise informal work by
The violations exposed in the 2025 Index will contribute to this work.

The ILC will include a special session on the 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index at 13:30 CEST on 10 June. The session will feature testimonies from trade union representatives from some of the worst countries in the world for working people, as well as remarks from Luc Triangle, ITUC General-Secretary, and Paapa Danquah, ITUC Legal Director.

The ITUC Global Rights Index is a comprehensive review of workers’ rights in law, ranking 151 countries against a list of 97 indicators derived from ILO Conventions and jurisprudence. As such, it is the only database of its kind. Violations are recorded each year from April to March.