The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, Sunday, lamented that President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope has turned into a nightmare for Nigerians. 

Afenifere, in a statement by its Leader and National Publicity Secretary, Oba Oladipo Olaitan and Justice Faloye, said the midterm report of the Tinubu administration has shown that every human development and sociopolitical index has regressed.

It also accused the administration of engaging in “massive propaganda claiming false successes.”

The statement reads: “The Midterm Report shows that every human development and sociopolitical index has regressed since the coming to office of the President Bola Tinubu administration, turning the promise of renewed hope to a nightmare of regressing hopelessness and despair.

“Rather than take full responsibility for the unmitigated sufferings inflicted on Nigerians in the past two years on account of its wrong policy choices and wasteful spending, the Tinubu administration has engaged in massive propaganda claiming false successes and shifting blames to global and historical factors, and showing scant empathy for ordinary Nigerians.

“Basically, due to unforced errors, especially the oversight of the production element of subsidies and floating the Naira, without any preparation to cushion the predictable impact, the Tinubu Economic Reforms has turned out to be Tinubu Economic Deforms.

“A Prebendal and Government for the privileged and connected* : Despite the Tinubu administration’s economic policies causing huge inflation that cut real wages in over half, only 4.1% of the Nigeria population in the civil service had their wages increased by 38%. Reliance on unproven channels for the distribution of pitiable halfhearted food and other palliatives were corruptly split among those connected, while uncontested mega projects were brazenly given to those with well known connections to the President. It is obvious that the Tinubu administration has no intention of delivering the greatest good the greatest number of Nigerians.

“Two years into its tenure, and contrary to its well advertised electoral promise, the Tinubu administration is yet to implement Oronsaye Report to cut cost of governance, instead the costs have ballooned with new cost centers for cronies to milk. The tone of government at all levels is one of profligate ‘jaiye jaiye’ lifestyle, while the masses are being berated about Nigeria’s wasteful past and the imperative of sacrifice to restore fiscal integrity. The government’s first supplementary budget and subsequent budgets were spent on not only preserving but increasing the luxurious lifestyle of those in government – new Presidential jet, Cadillac limousines, N160 million cars for each federal legislator and scandalous increase in unaccounted constituency projects worth billions to each legislator. 

“In the quest for absolute power, the Tinubu administration is trading off lives of Nigerians by refusing to devolve power for state police.

“The Tinubu administration is destructuring instead of restructuring the military imposed constitution, towards true federalism. It has shown increasingly centralizing tendencies to further weaken the federalist elements in the constitution by attacking federating units with the takeover of their administrative units, known as local governments. Tinubu is destructuring the pillars of our democracy by neutralizing the legislature and judiciary put in place for balance of power and robust representative governance. It is obvious that the agenda is a one party state totalitarianism.

“In the last two years, we have witnessed a markedly increase in intolerance of protests by dissenting civic groups. Peaceful protesters, students and labour groups are hounded, destabilized and bullied. In recent times, we have seen a gale of opposition politicians decamp to the ruling party to prevent institutional victimization. Even government sponsorship of internal conflicts in opposition parties and sociopolitical groups are in open. Some recent appointments to Independent National Electoral Commission are speculated to be card-carrying members of the ruling party. The emasculation of liberal democratic values are flagrantly displayed, without any shame or restraint.

“It has been a harrowing experience living through the pain and anguish of the last two years, inflicted on the nation by the administration of President Bola Tinubu. This Midterm Report is a duty that Afenifere must fulfil to prevent government propagandists from drowning the voices of millions of hungry and deprived Nigerians.

“Rather than focusing on service delivery, the Tinubu administration is focusing on winning the 2027 election regardless of the voters. No amount of propaganda will erase hunger and poverty in the land. Only selfless and empathetic leadership can serve the people, not Prebendalist and hedonistic lifestyle. If this Midterm Report was an academic exercise, the student will receive an advice to withdraw from the examiner, but we believe there is still room for redemption. We urge the President and his choir of mandate seekers to reflect and for a change just love Nigeria and Nigerians.”

Muyiwa Awoniyi, the manager of Grammy-winning artist Tems, has highlighted the stark disparity in streaming revenue between Nigeria and other regions across the globe.

During a recent appearance on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, Awoniyi attributed the low earnings from Nigerian streams to the country’s affordable subscription rates and struggling economy.

He revealed that while “one million streams in Nigeria generate approximately $300,” the same number of streams in Sweden, Spotify’s home country, fetch between “$8,000 and $10,000”.

“Do you know how much a million streams is worth out of Nigeria? It’s $300. I am telling you facts, it is N900 to subscribe to Spotify and Spotify treats things territorially,” he said. 

“A lot of people do not know this, by the way. So for me, I always knew that if my IP is anchored to a region where one million streams is $300, I am cooked. I knew this from Nonso’s time because, like I said, the trickle-down effect of the economy is going to hit the citizens regardless.

“I mean, your purchasing power is going to be limited. Do you know the highest territory for streaming Spotify? Sweden is where Spotify is from. Your one million streams is between 8-10 grand.”

Burna Boy had earlier advised his colleagues against relying solely on revenue from Nigerian streams.

He argued that achieving number one on any streaming platform in Nigeria is not a significant accomplishment.

Muyiwa is a well-known music executive and the founder of BSB Management Agency. He has managed talents such as Tems, Omah Lay, and Nonso Amadi.

Two former inmates have shared how the support of the Redeemed Christian Church of God gave them hope and helped them overcome despair while serving time in prison.

Speaking during a conference organised by the RCCG Prison and Hospital Ministry at the House of Favour Parish, Redemption City, Ogun State on Saturday, the ex-inmates, Saheed Adebayo and Bayo Adelakun (not real names), shared emotional stories of how faith and free legal support turned their lives around.

Adebayo, a 49-year-old Master’s degree holder in English Language, spent 14 years at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre over a kidnapping charge.

He told the audience that his troubles began when a personal dispute with a friend spiralled out of control. 

“I had an issue with a friend who left his car in my care while he travelled abroad. Unfortunately, the car developed an engine fault due to an oil leak. I tried explaining through emails, but by the time he returned, someone else had wrongly told him I had sold the car.

“One thing led to another, and I asked a group of boys to rough him up; something I deeply regret. They detained and beat him for two days. That led to my arrest and I was charged with kidnapping.

“I regret everything. If I hadn’t walked away from God’s presence, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up in prison,” he said.

Adebayo urged youths to avoid bad company and stay committed to their faith.

Recounting his ordeal, Adelakun said he was arrested in 2020 and spent four years in custody standing trial for murder after a colleague died during a confrontation with him.

“On May 20, 2020, I left home for work and never returned. My colleague provoked me, and in the heat of defending myself, he fell and died,” he recalled. 

While awaiting trial, Adelakun said he had a dream where RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, appeared and instructed someone not to handcuff him, saying: “Leave my son alone.”

Encouraged by the dream, he said he clung to hope and faith.

According to him, his breakthrough came when a legal team from the RCCG, led by Pastor Ariyo Popoola, took up his case.

He was discharged and acquitted on May 12, 2025.

Both men are among the 2,181 individuals impacted by the RCCG Prison and Hospital Ministry between May 2024 and April 2025 through spiritual, legal, and material support.

RCCG National Overseer, Pastor Sunday Akande, said the ministry’s mission was to bring hope to the forgotten and abandoned.

“We provide spiritual, emotional, and practical support to people in correctional centres and hospitals,” he said.

Popoola added that the ministry had continued its outreach despite economic challenges, working in remand homes, police stations, street corners, and old people’s homes.

“We’ve distributed food items, clothing, Bibles, and paid GCE fees for inmates. Many inmates enrolled in the National Open University have benefited from our support, and our pro bono legal services have led to the release of many,” he said.

The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing deadly attacks by armed herdsmen in Benue State. The association revealed that over 50 lives have been lost and 15 Catholic parishes have been forced to close within the past month.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the Chairman of NCDPA in Makurdi Diocese, Revd. Fr. Joseph Beba, strongly condemned the wave of violence, describing it as a calculated and coordinated effort to wipe out Tiv communities. He accused security forces, particularly the military stationed in the affected areas, of complicity and inaction.

“Among those affected are Catholic priests, and this has led to the closure of 15 parishes in Makurdi Diocese alone,” Fr. Beba said, decrying what he described as the military’s silence and passivity while communities were being attacked.

The priests detailed a series of recent attacks, including the shooting of Revd. Fr. Solomon Atongo, the priest in charge of St. John’s Quasi Parish, Jimba. Fr. Atongo was reportedly shot just 500 meters from a military checkpoint at Tse Orbiam, with no response from the stationed personnel. The community itself was later attacked.

Other communities listed as victims of the violence include Tse Orbiam, Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, and Abegana — all located within the Makurdi Diocese. According to the priests, these assaults have resulted in numerous deaths, including women, children, and even a pregnant woman.

“These acts are inhumane, barbaric, and a gross violation of the sanctity and dignity of human life,” the priests stated. They further suggested that the attacks may be linked to Bishop Wilfred Anagbe’s recent testimonies in the U.S. and Europe about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

“These attacks are a direct assault on the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese and the Catholic Church he represents. They appear coordinated and retaliatory,” they said, adding that the bishop’s home village of Aondoana was also attacked on May 25, with clergy and nuns fleeing into the bush for safety.

In yet another attack on May 26, terrorists invaded Nagi-Camp, only five kilometers from a Nigerian Army base in Agagbe, and still, there was no military intervention. The following night, Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area was attacked, with an entire family wiped out and Revd. Fr. Jonathan Ukuma narrowly escaping assassination.

The priests lamented the growing sense of abandonment, noting that neither the federal nor state government had visited the victims or shown solidarity, even as communities were displaced and religious leaders attacked. 

“We are not sure whose side the military is on. Their behavior raises serious suspicions of complicity,” they said, citing the increasingly unsafe Naka-Makurdi and Taraku-Naka roads as further proof of the deteriorating security situation.

They issued a direct call to Governor Hyacinth Alia, urging him to act decisively against what they called “ethnic cleansing” of the Tiv people. They also demanded that President Bola Tinubu declare full-scale war on the terrorist elements identified by Governor Alia as foreign invaders.

“Failure to act decisively will be seen as indifference or complicity. To be silent is to die twice,” they warned.

The priests also called for immediate government compensation for victims and the return of displaced persons to their ancestral lands, insisting that the government’s constitutional duty is to protect the lives and dignity of its citizens.

Reaffirming their commitment to the gospel, the clergy said they would not be silenced and encouraged Nigerian youths to be prepared to defend their faith, farmlands, and communities within the bounds of the law.

“The right to self-defence is inalienable for all citizens,” they declared.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has stated that his pursuit of a second term in office is ultimately in God's hands.

The governor said this at a civic reception held in his honour by the Oha Isiala Ngwa; People of Isiala Ngwa North and South Local Government Areas at the Okpuala Ngwa Stadium, where he was endorsed by his Oha Ngwa clan as their sole candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

Otti, while expressing gratitude for the endorsement, said he would continue to seek divine guidance before making a formal decision regarding 2027.

“Just like 2023 was in the hands of God, 2027 will also be in the hands of God. While I appreciate your endorsement, which I understand to be a recognition of the work done so far, I will continue to consult with God, and in due course, I will make my position known,” he said.

The governor stressed the strategic importance of Aba to his administration’s economic development plan, explaining that investment in the city is aimed at increasing internally generated revenue to fund projects across the state.

“Aba occupies a central place in our development strategy—not just for Abia, but for the South East and South-South. The city’s economic potential is key to our vision for statewide development,” he said.

Speaking on infrastructure, Otti reaffirmed his commitment to inclusive governance and announced that the Mgboko–Ntigha road project is on track for completion by December.

He also addressed concerns regarding the citing of the Abia Airport project in Nsulu, stating that the decision was based on technical feasibility, not politics.

He reiterated that full compensation has been paid to all verified landowners affected by the airport project, while any unresolved cases are due to documentation issues.

He also welcomed new members from various political parties, including former members of the PDP and Accord Party, as well as representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, who formally declared their support for the Labour Party.

As part of his commitment to grassroots development, Governor Otti announced plans to upgrade the Sam Ihesiulo Stadium in Okpuala Ngwa to a modern sporting facility and directed the Commissioners for Works and Youth & Sports to begin the process.

Lawmakers including Rep. Ginger Onwusibe, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, and Hon. Collins Iheonunekwu praised the Governor’s leadership and encouraged him to seek a second term, citing achievements in infrastructure and governance.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Bode George has dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s administration, claiming that there is effectively no government in place.

The PDP Board of Trustees member made this known in an interview with the Sun Newspaper.

The former military governor of Ondo State cited the current economic indices, stating that there is pain and anger in the country.

He said, “There is no government. I am not afraid to say there is no government. Look at the economic indices, the pain and anger. Now note that before, the southerners headed into western education while the northerners delayed.

"Now, the northern young men are university graduates. They are in every profession now. Education makes people easy to govern, but impossible to be deceived. All the internal insecurity in the North are the young minds reacting because they are asking, where is future.

“You asked them to go to school, they have gone to school, yet return to huts where they left for school. There is no hope, no job and money. They see a few very wealthy ones among them. They are asking where is the largesse of the money?

"That is why they are reacting and fighting. People say Fulani from outside are responsible. The northern GenZs are the ones fighting their leaders.

"I have listened to three intelligent governors from the North who came with the analysis instead of deceiving ourselves, let us look inwards and tell the honest truth, there is no Almajiris again because most of them are now educated.”

Priscilla Ojo Mkambala, the Nigerian actress, who is also the daughter of Nollywood star, Iyabo Ojo, has spoken about her life.

She opened up about her journey to finding love and her marriage to Tanzanian music sensation Juma Jux.

Priscilla made this known in an interview with fashion entrepreneur, Kiki Osinbajo shared on Kiki’s YouTube Channel.

She described her relationship with Juma Jux as pure, effortless, and deeply intentional, highlighting the overwhelming support they received from Nigerians.

“Nigerians are very supportive,” she said. “We just wanted to do something to have fun, and they could see the pureness in what we have.

"Everybody was just so positive — it was so good. It feels good to love right.”

When asked how she knew Juma Jux was the right person for her, Priscilla recalled a conversation with Pastor Ituah Ighodalo.

Nigerian literary icon, Wole Soyinka, has praised former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, for standing his ground and refusing to withdraw for Bola Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries in 2022.

Amaechi was among the over 20 members of the APC that battled for the sole presidential ticket of the ruling party prior to the 2023 presidential election.

While many others stepped down and backed Tinubu for the ticket, Amaechi, former Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, Pastor Tunde Bakare and former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha were some of the aspirants that stood to the end.

Amaechi came second behind the President Tinubu in the election and have allegedly worked in opposition against the government.

The former governor, who is now fully in the opposition, is a key member of the coalition gearing towards unsettling and unseating the government of President Tinubu come 2027.

Amaechi and Bola Tinubu worked hand-in’-hand to remove the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP government led by Goodluck Jonathan back in 2014-15.

Both men dispensed their resources to ensure that Muhammadu Buhari emerged as President and stayed in office for eight years.

Soyinka, who was invited as the Chairman to Amaechi’s 60th birthday celebration in Abuja at the weekend, said he admired the fighting spirit of the former Minister of Transportation.

He said, “The main reason why I had to be here is, first of all is that I admire Rotimi’s fighting spirit, and it’s a very consistent one.

“The most memorable for me, because I watched this event live on TV all the way from Abu Dhabi. I wanted to see the drama of all the primaries going on during the election. I wasn’t really here, but I said, I want to watch this, this contest, and I’m glad I did because it gave me a great, most malicious pleasure, rascally, if you like, pleasure to see the incumbent president[Tinubu] being given a dose of his own medicine.

“Let me explain this, as we knew as he [Tinubu] was the last man standing when he fought to a standstill a former president[Obasanjo]who was maneuvering himself into a position of changing the constitution and becoming obtaining a third term.

“He keeps denying it but he and I know for a fact, and so do others, and towards that goal, he was sort of escalating the powers of the constituent elements of the Federation.

“And by the end, [Tinubu] resisted that effort. All the others had sort of cowed down because their statutory allocation had been stopped contrary to the Constitution.

“One man, he[ Tinubu] was the last man standing. Well, he obtained a dose of his own medicine from Amaechi during the primaries.

“I enjoyed that very much. While everybody was, you know, falling over one another, conceding, conceding, as one individual who got on the podium and he said, ‘No, I’m not conceding. I didn’t come all the way here to [concede].’ Thst one person is Amaechi. And I said this is what democracy is all about.”

Rotimi Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, has stated that the opposition coalition can remove President Bola Tinubu from power.

Amaechi disclosed that he and a large share of Nigerians are hungry, hence the opposition can remove Tinubu from power.

Speaking during his 60th birthday in Abuja, the former Rivers State governor recalled protesting against ex-military Heads of States, Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Amaechi: “We are all hungry. All of us are. If you are not hungry, I am. So, for us the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power (Tinubu), we can remove him from this power.

“As students, we organized the Tai Solarin’s protest against Babangida and we organized protest against Buhari – there was no North and South among the students.

“The protest that shut down ABU, University of Nigeria in Nsukka, University of Lagos and other places, the meeting took place in Kano.

“When we finished the meeting at night, everybody was told to go back to their school and mobilize. Once the NASS president addressed a press conference all of us were on the streets.

“You will see a young handsome Northerner and Southerner feel free and eat the same kind of food, but today we have poisoned the minds of our young men. They can’t even liberate themselves, we were able to liberate ourselves.”

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that he would have pursued some of President Bola Tinubu’s current policies if he were at the helm of Nigeria.

However, he criticised the present administration, alleging that the benefits of these policies are not reaching the public but are instead enriching private individuals.

Speaking in Abuja on Saturday during his 60th birthday celebration, the former Rivers State governor expressed concern over how Nigerian politicians prioritise the distribution of the nation’s resources.

Amaechi stated that Nigerian politicians lack capitalist ideals, which fuels the ongoing struggle over resource allocation.

He said, “In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; the quarrel among the elites is about sharing.

“We want to submit to the opposition if it can lead us out of this problem, and for the opposition to lead us out, we must all agree to prioritise the nation’s interest first.

“If I were president, yes, I would pursue some of the policies they are pursuing, but ask what the failure is: the failure is that the gains of those policies are in their private pockets.

“At one point, we were paying between four to five trillion naira as subsidy; where is the money now? If it had been injected into the economy, you would not be hearing complaints.”