In a heartwarming encounter at the French Embassy in Abuja, an eight-year-old boy named Peter captured the admiration of many Nigerians when he respectfully turned down a significant cash gift from Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The incident unfolded on Monday when Awoniyi visited the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jean Francois Hasperue, to discuss sports partnership opportunities and the development of the Unicorn Football Academy in Ilorin.

Uche Nworah, a blogger present at the embassy, narrated the story on Facebook on Tuesday. Peter had greeted Nworah and his colleagues politely while they waited for their appointment.

Impressed by the boy’s demeanour, Nworah called Peter back to commend him and offered him a small cash gift in appreciation, but the boy refused, citing his father’s rule against accepting things from strangers.

Organised labour, consisting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), condemned governors on Saturday over their recent stand on the new minimum wage in the country.

Naija News recall that the governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum rejected the proposed ₦60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

The Director of Media and Public Affairs for NGF, Halimah Ahmed, noted in a statement released on Friday that the governors said the proposed minimum wage was too high and unsustainable.

The governors said if the ₦60,000 minimum wage is adopted, many states will allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee funds to salaries, leaving no resources for development projects.

However, reacting on Saturday, the Organised Labour faulted the NGF’s position, saying every part of the new minimum wage agreement should be implemented and any of the state governors who can’t pay it should resign.

In an interview with Punch, Tommy Etim, the Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress, said, “There is no minimum wage. Every segment of it should be implemented. For the governors, we have said it very clearly. If you cannot pay minimum wage, please resign because you were voted for governance, not only infrastructure.

“If you build the entire infrastructure and the people are not living to use it, who will use it? When they were campaigning did they tell us that? They didn’t tell us that. They make use of the poor to get to the top and when they get there, they start thinking outside the box. All the money they spent in electioneering campaigns, if they applied that to build infrastructure, to develop the revenue generation that would have solved some socio-economic challenges in their domain.”

Describing the NGF statement as a recipe for industrial unrest, he said, “In this same country, the governors said that ₦30,000 was too much for governors to pay but it is in the same country that a governor emerged with over ₦80bn. What an irony! We cannot jump processes. We will also look at it together. Labour will be meeting. We are giving Mr President the benefit of the doubt to work the talk. The end will justify the means.”

Puts current figure of out-of-school children at 989,234

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, yesterday, revealed that upon assumption of office on May 29, 2023, his administration met no fewer than 4.7 million pupils sitting on bare floors in primary schools across the state.

Yusuf, who spoke while declaring state of emergency on Education in Kano at the Open Arena, Kano Government House, said the lack of instructional materials further compounded the problem.

According to him, it left teachers and students to struggle with outdated and insufficient resources.

His words: “Above 4.7 million pupils are sitting on bare floors to take lessons while about 400 schools have only one teacher for all classes subjects and all pupils. Rather than building more classrooms and providing basic furniture in the schools, as well as hiring more teachers, the administration we took over from chose to butcher the land belonging to those schools. In some places, it demolished classrooms to create space for shops.

“Those schools that they could not sell, they closed them down and got them vandalized. The encroachment of public school lands and the conversion of these vital institutions into private business premises is an affront to our communal values and a direct assault on our commitment to public education. This reckless appropriation of educational spaces for commercial use is unacceptable and must stop immediately.

“Today, I stand before you with a profound sense of duty, compelled by the pressing need to address the precarious state of our education sector. As your elected governor, entrusted with the solemn responsibility of steering our state towards prosperity and progress, I cannot ignore the glaring reality that confronts us in the realm of education.

“And with education being our number one priority, and believing that education is not only a public good, but is also the greatest asset that any people can bequeat to its upcoming generation because no people can grow beyond the quality and standard of their education system, we must, therefore, take radical but practical measures to reposition education provisioning in our state.

“It is with a heavy heart that I bring forth this discourse, as the challenges we face in the education sector are as formidable as they are alarming, and the urgency with which we must act is undeniable.

“Our educational landscape, once a beacon of hope and opportunity for our youths, and an example for other states to copy, now stands shrouded in the shadows of unacceptable neglect and decay. Our beloved state is witnessing an alarming proliferation of out-of-school children, with the current figure standing at 989,234 children.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have confirmed that they have not received any formal report or petition regarding the alleged ₦423 billion misappropriation by the administration of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly had previously established a 13-man panel chaired by Deputy Speaker Henry Danjuma to investigate El-Rufai’s tenure.

This followed claims by the current Governor, Uba Sani, about inheriting a significant debt burden which he detailed during a town hall meeting. According to Sani, the state was left with “$587 million, ₦85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities.”

The assembly’s probe was initiated to scrutinize the finances, loans, and contracts awarded under El-Rufai, amid allegations of rampant financial mismanagement.

During a session on Wednesday, Danjuma reported that numerous loans were misapplied and some procurements breached due processes.

Speaker Yusuf Liman, upon receiving the committee’s findings, declared that El-Rufai’s government had misappropriated N423 billion, resulting in massive financial liabilities for the state.

Despite these severe allegations, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare informed Sunday PUNCH that the state assembly has yet to approach the commission with an official petition concerning the matter.

Bakare said, “They made that statement, but we have not received the report; but if they bring it, we know what to do. It’s an intention. It’s still an intention, and they have not sent the report to us for investigation.”

Concerning whether the ICPC would commence a probe into the matter if it receives the report of the Kaduna State Assembly, the spokesperson answered in the affirmative.

He said, “That is what we are established to do, if we receive a report, we don’t want to be criticised as killing the report; hence we’ll look into it, and if we’re able to establish a prima facie case, we’ll bring it to a logical conclusion. But we have not received any report in this regard.”

Also, impeccable EFCC sources, who spoke with the platform on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, confirmed that the EFCC had yet to receive a petition from the Kaduna State Assembly concerning the money laundering allegations against El-Rufai.

A source said, “The EFCC does not work just based on what is reported. But if they (Kaduna Assembly) bring a petition to us, we’ll look into.”

Another source revealed, “There are processes and procedures, however, if they send a petition to the EFCC, we’ll act on it.”

Bukola Saraki, the 8th Nigerian Senate President, has accused former president, Muhammadu Buhari of trying to use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to frame him up of fraud to weaken his tenure.

Saraki who ruled under President Buhari between 2015-2019, made the accusation on his official facebook handle, while celebrating the Supreme Court’s judgement delivered on Friday, overturning the Federal High Court’s 2018 decision regarding an alleged N3.5 billion fraud case against Melrose General Services Limited.

Prior to the judgment, the EFCC had accused Melrose General Services Limited of obtaining N1.4bn from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) through false claims.

The Commission therefore, secured the final forfeiture of the said N1.4bn through the Federal High Court, but being dissatisfied with the court ruling, Melrose General Services approached the Supreme Court for redress.

At the resumed session held on 14th March 2024, counsel to the appellant, Kehinde Ogunwumiju informed the apex court of a motion seeking to set aside of the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

He premised his argument on the fact that the money involved in the forfeiture suit is not a proceed of any unlawful activity, but payment for a contractual and consultancy agreement.

He therefore prayed that the decision of the high court on the forfeiture be reversed.

However, the EFCC Counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, informed the court of his counter-affidavit dated 11th March 2024, praying the court to adopt his brief of argument and dismiss the appeal of the appellant

He said: “My Lords, we seek the leave of your noble Lordships to undertake a brief overview of the concept of forfeiture granted by the two courts below in a bid to drive home the 1st respondent `s case.

“There are generally two types of forfeitures used to recover the proceeds and instrumentalities of crimes. They share the same objective, namely the forfeiture to the state of the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime. Both share common two-fold rationales”, he said.

“Recall that appellant filed his notice of appeal against the well-considered judgment of the Federal High Court which was equally dismissed by the Court of Appeal on May 31, 2019, having found that the appellant failed to show that the said funds are not proceeds of crime.

“Further to the background of the matter, the EFCC carried out investigations which revealed among others the sum of N3.5bn was fraudulently paid to the appellant to carry out a consultancy job for the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, under the guise that the appellant carried out a consultancy job for the NGF entitling it to the money when it did not do any such work.

“The appellant made several withdrawals within a short time leaving N1,222,384,857.84 before the EFCC intervened.

“Further investigation led to the recovery of an additional sum of N220m which the appellant had paid to WASP Networks Ltd and Thebe Wellness Services”.

Meanwhile, after listening to all the submissions, the five-man panel of the apex court reserved judgment on the matter till 7th June, 2024.

However, delivering a judgment on 7th June, the Supreme Court panel led by Justice Akomaye Agim set aside the judgments of the lower courts and ruled in favour of the appellant, Melrose General Services.

Celebrating the victory of Melrose, Saraki said: “Yesterday’s ruling by the Supreme Court, which overturned the 2018 decision of the Federal High Court regarding an alleged N3.5 billion fraud case against Melrose General Services Ltd., has brought a long and arduous legal ordeal to a just and welcome conclusion.

“As much as this case was between the EFCC and Melrose General Services Limited, it was a proxy war, with Melrose serving as a mere pawn in a larger scheme to victimise and persecute me.

“It was always clear that this case, just like my CCT case, was a thinly veiled attempt by the Buhari administration to use the EFCC for political gain.

“The allegations of “Paris Club Fraud” were nothing more than a smokescreen designed to weaken my office as President of the Senate and tarnish my reputation through spurious accusations similar to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, from which I was also acquitted.

“As I said at the CCT, this case too was a politically motivated attack, not on corruption, but on the very foundations of our democracy.

“It aimed to undermine the independence of the judiciary, the separation of powers, and checks and balances—principles I have always fiercely defended.

“They hoped that by targeting me, they could sow discord within the legislature, turning colleagues against each other, ultimately weakening the institution of the Senate, and silencing dissenting voices.”

The former Senate President said because of this he is grateful to Almighty Allah (SWT), the ultimate arbiter of justice, for guiding the Supreme Court to this righteous verdict.

He also commended the judiciary for their meticulous examination of the evidence and adherence to due process, which ensured that justice prevailed.

“I also thank Melrose’s legal team for their tireless efforts in seeing this case to a just conclusion.

“Moving forward, we all have to canvas for fairness in the fight against corruption.

“We should see this verdict as an inspiration to champion the rule of law, promote democracy and its institutions, and tolerate divergent views,” he said.

Former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has shared his thoughts on the call for the merger of political parties ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Bafarawa, in an interview with Punch, noted that the problem in the country is not the political party, the politicians are the problem of Democracy.

He noted that most politicians in the country were once members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bafarawa, who spoke on the claim that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, visited him and the move for the merger of political parties, said, “I was not visited by Peter Obi. But this merger that is being talked about will not help matters. It’s still the same people in the PDP and APC. It’s not the political party that’s the problem; we, the politicians, are the problem of our democracy. So, it’s not a question of changing A, B, C, or D. There’s nobody who’s not once a member of the PDP or the APC. They are in the same category. It’s like a football game where they’re passing the ball to their colleagues. While they’re doing that, no umpire blows the whistle; that’s why everything is messed up.

“Unless we tell ourselves the truth, be honest with ourselves, and see how we can commit ourselves to moving the country forward together, nothing much can be achieved.”

Speaking on the PDP’s possible presidential candidate in 2027, Bafarawa said if Obi decides to return to the party, “The people, Nigerians, will decide who the flag bearer will be.”

A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Joe Korka-Waadah, has disclosed that the party is uniting behind Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the consensus candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

This development arises amidst concerns regarding former Governor Nyesom Wike’s recent stance towards Governor Fubara.

In a statement made available to journalists on Friday, Korka-Waadah noted that the consensus is driven by a desire to ensure continuity and stability in the state’s leadership.

He mentioned that this decision reflects the collective will of a newly formed political movement within Rivers State, which aims to foster unity and progressive governance.

He said, “Due to the litany of political missteps of Nyesom Wike, a new political movement has emerged in Rivers state. His overbearing attitude has compelled a new wave of political force to emerge.

“Stakeholders of all political strides have come together. Reconciliation has taken place among former political enemies in the state. Even those who were lapsed politically are now at the forefront of this battle to save the state from the grip of a known and established hegemon.

“There is a strong likelihood that come 2027, Rivers State may have only one governorship candidate unopposed. Most, if not all other parties would collapse their structures into one.

“Looking at the horizon, in the search for that rallying figure, Governor Sim Fubara would likely be the candidate that would stand unopposed in 2027 from the way things are going.

“Through his sudden twist of fate, from emerging against the odds to reign at the helms, from being guided through soft landing into sudden thrust into adversity, Fubara has been handling it all with tact, humility, open mindedness and magnanimity.

“From his policies, prudent, selfless and transparent management of the commonwealth and respect for even development of Rivers state in the choice and spread of milestone projects, Fubara is proving to be that governor for all Rivers the state has never had in the past eight years.

“Amidst the ongoing consultations, deliberate and debates towards unification through harmonisation of interests, he is proving to be the dominant choice with the feelers from stakeholders.

“For too long, Rivers, our state has suffered as the common conduit powers brokers of national politics feast on to filter away our enviable resources while perpetually dividing us. The time to end that narrative is here. Enough is enough.”

South Africa head coach, Hugo Broos, has congratulated his players for being outstanding against the Super Eagles of Nigeria despite their ordeal before the match.
The Bafana Bafana of South Africa reportedly spent over 18 hours in transit before they finally arrived in Uyo on Thursday for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Super Eagles on Friday night.

They ought to have arrived in Uyo on Wednesday but they took off from South Africa later than scheduled, hence, before they were done with a routine Customs Service clearance in Port Harcourt, the airport in Uyo had closed. They slept in Port Harcourt and continued their journey to Uyo the following day.

Despite their dramatic journey which the Nigeria Football Federation had blamed South Africa for, the Bafana Bafana managed to put up a show against the Super Eagles.

Thembo Zwane gave South Africa the lead in the 29th minute and Nigeria’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored the equaliser for Nigeria in the second half.

After the 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Hugo Broos praised the mentality of his players to be able to withstand the star-studded Super Eagles despite their hectic journey to Nigeria.

“I have to congratulate my players. As you know or you don’t know, we had a terrible travel to Nigeria on Wednesday”, Broos told reporters in Uyo.

“We were only in bed at two o’clock on Thursday morning. So we were 20 hours on the way. And when you see the mentality in the team today, then I can only be proud of my players.”

South Africa who are now sitting 4th in Group C will face their neighbours, Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein on June 11.

A former National Vice Chairman North-West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has lamented that the ruling party has been leading the country from crisis to crisis since it came to power in 2015.

Lukman, in a statement issued Saturday, said the only slight difference between APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was that APC came with a vision which was well articulated in the manifesto of the party.

He, however, said that having won the 2015 elections, the first casualty was the APC manifesto. 

Lukman noted: “It was discarded and like the PDP, the APC continue to lead ‘Nigeria from one crisis to another, lurching deeper into political anarchy, economic decline and social disillusionment.’

“Nothing changed as the APC, despite all the plans it had ‘for security and advancement of Nigerians,’ lacked ‘the wherewithal to’ implement its vision. With that, sadly, the APC ‘thrived on the maxim; promise (everything), do nothing.’”

“It is quite painful to admit that the crisis of insecurity in the country today, is worse than it was in 2015. It has further deepened the economic crisis because many farmers have abandoned their farms.

“Some of the gains achieved in agricultural production because of some of the policies of the Buhari administration, such as Anchor Borrower and the ban on the importation of food items, which helped to incentivise agricultural production, were eroded by the crisis of insecurity.”

Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has commented on the lingering political crisis in the state involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

Amaechi, who spoke during his recent visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Hon. Okorinama, West, in Port Harcourt, expressed his decision not to endorse either Governor Fubara or the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wike, in the ongoing political scenario in Rivers.

Amaechi highlighted Governor Fubara’s popularity as a response to the negative sentiment towards Minister Wike.

According to him, the Rivers State people are tired of Wike, hence Fubara’s popularity.

He also touched upon the changing political landscape in the state, noting that some of his former supporters were now aligning with different factions based on personal motives.

Additionally, Amaechi urged young supporters to actively participate in shaping the state’s governance.

He said, “I can’t stand and join either Sim or Wike. I will not join Sim, I will not join Wike.

“But don’t forget, they are not big without you people, I hope you know that.

“What Sim thinks is popularity today is because he is anti-Wike. That’s his popularity, not that Sim is the best man on earth. It’s because he is anti-Wike and because the state is tired of Wike.”