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.

…operators expect further price reduction by Dangote, others

Six depot owners have reduced the prices of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol as competition heightens in the downstream sector of Nigeria’s petroleum industry. 

The depot owners, which slashed their prices yesterday included Emadeb, First Royal, MENJ, Aiteo, Pinnacle and Hyde.

Emadeb reduced its depot price to N827 per litre from N903 per litre while First Royal slashed same to N826 per litre from N828 per litre.

Also, MENJ, Aiteo, Pinnacle and Hyde reduced prices to N826 per litre from N827; N825 per litre from N826; N850 from N856 per litre and N868 from 869 per litre, respectively.

According to Petroleumprice.ng, the depot prices of petrol would continue to drop in the coming weeks as the prices of crude oil, a major feedstock, remain relatively low at $65 per barrel in the global market.

Meanwhile, an industry expert, who pleaded anonymity, said operators look forward to another downward review of gantry price of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

He said: “With the downward review of depot prices, currently standing at par with the Dangote Refinery N825 per litre gantry price, there are indications that the refinery would soon reduce its price further.”

On his part, National President of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN, Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, said: “The depot owners imported commercial quantities of petrol from the global market. Without the downward price adjustment, it would be difficult for them to sell in the domestic market. It is their response to the competition in the domestic market.

“We expect further reduction as competition continues. But too much competition could become harmful to the sector. We need healthy competition to impact on consumers and the sector.”

Recently, Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals said that despite the fluctuations in global crude oil prices, it has consistently reduced the price of petrol.

The company, in a release signed its Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said the decision to maintain price stability reflects its unwavering commitment to supporting the Nigerian economy and alleviating the burden on consumers from the increase in fuel prices by maintaining price stability.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a ban on visas for foreign students who are set to begin attending Harvard University, ramping up his administration’s crackdown on higher education.

“I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University,” Trump said in a statement late Wednesday.

The Trump administration has been in an ongoing showdown with academia, and Harvard in particular. 

The Ivy League institution has continually drawn Trump’s ire while publicly rejecting his administration’s repeated demands to give up control of recruitment, curricula and research choices.

Trump’s proclamation said his decision would take effect immediately and “shall apply to aliens who enter or attempt to enter the United States to begin attending Harvard University” through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

It added that current international students already attending Harvard on various visas faced a review, and risked having “their visas revoked.”

The move was necessary to protect “national security,” the statement said.

“In my judgement, it presents an unacceptable risk to our Nation’s security for an academic institution to refuse to provide sufficient information, when asked, about known instances of misconduct and criminality committed by its foreign students,” Trump said.

He also charged that “Harvard and its affiliated organizations on campus continue to deny hardworking Americans equal opportunities.”

“It is not in the interest of the United States to further compound Harvard’s discrimination against non-preferred races, national origins, shared ancestries, or religions by further reducing opportunities for American students through excessive foreign student enrollment,” it said.

Wednesday’s edict appears to apply to Harvard University only.

The Trump administration has targeted foreign students explicitly, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowing to “aggressively” revoke visas to students from China.

Last week, as students graduated, a judge extended a temporary block on Trump’s bid to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students.

AFP

For killing the gang leader and 3 others in a gun battle

Angry residents clash with Hausa indigenes and other northerners living in Abraka

Suspected kidnappers ensnared and laid an ambush for security operatives in the Abraka community, Delta State, after the police, vigilantes, and hunters killed four abductors in a joint operation in the university town. 

Some security officials were feared killed and injured in the ambush, while a commotion had broken out between residents of Abraka and northerners residing in the community over the ensnarement.

Vanguard learned that some hijackers attacked and killed two residents who went to the bush for a land transaction on Wednesday, and on receiving the report, the police mobilised to the scene with local hunters and vigilantes.

Marcus Dafe, a resident who joined the Monday protest against kidnapping in Abraka, which security agents disrupted, was shot dead by supposed kidnappers.

Both sides engaged in a shootout, but the police recovered and took away the two remains.

Not satisfied, the kidnappers, on a revenge mission for the killing of their gang leader and three others, mounted a siege on vehicles entering the Abraka community.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) got information and mobilised to the area, but the kidnappers, who had laid an ambush for them, opened fire on the security operatives.

The number of casualties was not ascertained, but unconfirmed reports said they injured some security operatives. 

The news of the attack on the security operatives incensed the residents, who unleashed venom on northerners living in the community.

Abraka was tense on Wednesday, which likely prompted the state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, to summon an emergency security meeting today in Asaba.

The police had earlier on Wednesday claimed a major victory with the killing of four kidnappers troubling the Abraka community and the recovery of one AK-47 rifle.

Superintendent of Police SP Bright Edafe, who is the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Delta State Police Command, said, “The joint operation was carried out today, being 4/06/2025, at about 0300 hrs, following credible intelligence on the activities of suspected kidnappers along the Abraka Railway axis.”
“The joint operatives comprising the police, hunters, vigilantes, and anti-cult volunteers engaged the suspected kidnappers and recovered one AK-47 rifle, along with thirteen rounds of live ammunition.

“Four of the suspected kidnappers were shot during the gun duel and later gave up the ghost, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.
“During a preliminary investigation, a recently rescued kidnapped victim identified one of the deceased suspects as a leader of the gang that kidnapped him,” he said. 

The joint operation of the police, vigilantes, and anti-cult volunteers in Abraka followed the daily protests by residents and students to draw the Delta State government and police’s attention to the incessant kidnapping in the town, which security agents disrupted on Monday by shooting live bullets to stop the protesters.

The surprising ambush on the security operatives sparked a fresh tension in the town, with the authorities of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, temporarily halting academic activities.