FEATURES

FEATURES

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi has said there was currently no merger agreement between the party and any other opposition party for a merger. 

The former Amambra State Governor spoke against the backdrop of speculations that the LP had entered into a merger deal with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Although he didn’t admit or deny the existence of merger talks, he was emphatic that there was “no agreement yet.”

He appealed to all lovers of Nigeria irrespective of political affiliation to unite because it was only in unity that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) whom he said has “mismanaged” the nation’s resources can be defeated.

Obi described Nigeria’s security situation as unfortunate. He expressed sadness that Nigerians were needlessly being sent to their early graves on account of banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping-for-ransom.

He also faulted the current administration’s claims of fighting corruption.
Obi argued that the level of corruption in Nigeria remained high just as the cost of governance which has said has led to an astronomical increase in public debt.

Obi stressed that the situation was worsened by the fact that government officials willfully mismanaged public funds in 2024 through incessant foreign travels.

Recall that the LP candidate and his PDP counterpart, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar lost the 2023 presidential election to APC’s Tinubu.

Tinubu won in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, and also secured the enough votes in several other states to claim the highest number of votes — 8,794,726, almost two million votes more than his closest rival — Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.

Atiku, who has ran for the presidential seat a record six times, got 6,984,520 votes, while Obi, a first-time contestant, secured an unprecedented 6,101,533. NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Kano State governor, finished fourth, claiming victory in his state — Kano. He secured 1,496,687 votes.

The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested Mohammed Bashir Saidu, a former commissioner under the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on allegations of financial misconduct involving billions of naira.

Sa’idu, who served as the Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Chief of Staff, and Commissioner of Finance during el-Rufai’s tenure, is accused of money laundering to the tune of ₦3.9 billion and misappropriation of ₦244 million.

 

The allegations stem from a petition accusing Sa’idu of selling $45 million belonging to the state government at an exchange rate of ₦410 per dollar in 2021, instead of the prevailing market rate of ₦498 per dollar, resulting in a ₦3.9 billion shortfall.

 

Additionally, Sa’idu is alleged to have failed to account for the proceeds from the sale of Kaduna State government properties located in Marafa Estate. As chairman of the committee overseeing the sale of government assets, he is said to have violated financial protocols.

Saidu is currently in police custody while the allegations are being investigated.

Sources quoted by Vanguard confirmed that his passport has been confiscated, and he is also under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

In June 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly set up an ad hoc committee that recommended investigations into alleged financial irregularities during el-Rufai’s administration.

The committee alleged that public funds amounting to ₦423 billion were diverted, and loans obtained during the administration were misused for purposes other than their original intent.

The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Paul Enenche, has revealed prophetic insights into the year 2025, declaring it a year of divine judgement and new beginnings.

Speaking during the church’s crossover service at its headquarters in Abuja, Pastor Enenche told congregants that God had shown him visions of lifting spells and breaking embargoes, signaling a significant shift for believers.

 

According to the clergyman, 2025 will mark a season of new opportunities for God’s people.

 

He emphasized that the year would not only be one of blessings but also of divine intervention against forces of ooppression.

Pastor Enenche urged believers to remain steadfast and embrace the opportunities that the new year presents.

He said, “While praying and preparing for the year 2025, the first thing I saw was the lifting of spells, embargos.

“Embargos that have limited people’s lives, embargos of singleness, joblessness, fruitlessness, and idleness; I stand here tonight with the prophetic mantle on my life to declare that the spell is broken.

“He said as the last year just gave way for a new year and night gives way for the day, the past gives way for the future, in the same way; your season of emptiness is giving way for your season of fullness.

“He said it’s a new season that has come with new changes, new openings, new opportunities, a new song, and a new dance, so get ready.

“I’m arising in anger, it is said time for Jehovah to rise in judgment, in battle, it is said time for Jehovah to uncover the mystery and make the things in darkness come up to light.”

The founder of Abel Damina Ministries and Power City International, Pastor Abel Damina, has questioned the belief that Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden was caused by eating fruit from the forbidden tree.

Damina stated this during his New Year’s Eve sermon on Tuesday.

He said, “Adam and Eve ate nothing. Adam and Eve didn’t eat anything. Were you there? You were not there. So how do we know whether they ate something or not? Jesus was there. Was Jesus there in the Garden of Eden? Yes. Can Jesus explain to us what happened? Yes.”

Referencing Mark 7:18-21 in the Bible, Damina went on to argue that it is not what a person eats or drinks that makes them a sinner.

 

He added, “Do you not know that if Adam and Eve ate something, they would not be sinners? It is not what people eat that makes them sinners. It is not what you eat. You cannot be a sinner by eating or drinking something.”

Damina also stated that smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are not sins, saying, “I’ve told you alcohol is not a sin. I’ve told you cigar is not a sin. If you like put it on newspaper headline, I said it.”

He, however, made it clear that he wasn’t encouraging such behaviours.

“Am I saying you should smoke? You should have sense from your father’s house to know that cigar will cut short your life,” he said.

“Am I saying you should drink alcohol? You should know that if you drink alcohol, you will lie down inside a gutter. Your shirt and trousers will disappear. You should have the sense to know that.”

According to Pastor Damina, it is not the act of eating or drinking that corrupts a person, but rather what resides within their heart.

“If they (Adam and Eve) ate, it’ll go to their stomach. It’ll digest and go to toilet. They’ll be free,” Damina said.

He added, “There’s nothing a man eats that enters his heart. It’ll go to the digestive system  and it’ll go out somehow.

“It is what comes out of a man that defiles a man not what goes in. What makes you a sinner is what you’re thinking not what you’re eating.”

Media

A former National Vice Chairman, North West, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has pleaded with Nigerians to vote out President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

He, however, stated that this can only be carried out if Nigerians focus on producing a functional political party that respects its own rules.

 

Speaking via a statement on Tuesday, Lukman noted that such a functional political party must be distinctively different from the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and all existing registered political parties in the country.

 

He said: “The expectations for free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria may elude Nigerians once more. Or, as was the case in 2015, we could have relatively free, fair, and credible elections in 2027, which may only result in the defeat of APC and President Bola Tinubu, with the attendant danger of retaining the status quo of producing leaders who are emperors, who would only pretentiously commit to resolving Nigeria’s challenges.

“As Nigerians, we must rise to this challenge and make the defeat of APC and President Asiwaju not only possible in 2027 but, most importantly, guarantee the election of truly democratic leaders and not emperors.

“This should be about properly organising a political party that could allow for the emergence of party leaders at all levels through internal competition.”

Babafemi Ojudu, former Special Adviser on Political Matters to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has revealed how he and other allies convinced President Bola Tinubu to reject an offer to serve as Minister of Finance under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Ojudu disclosed this during an appearance on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, on Monday.

He noted that accepting the role would have posed significant political risks for Tinubu, who was then the leader of the Action Congress.

“Tinubu called me one day and said, ‘Congratulations to me.’ I asked, ‘Congratulations for what?’ He then told me that former President Yar’Adua had called him to join his government of unity as Minister of Finance,” Ojudu recounted.

 

According to the journalist, he immediately warned Tinubu about the potential fallout of the decision, citing the fate of Bola Ige, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, who was assassinated under controversial circumstances.

“I said, ‘You are in Action Congress. Are you not a student of history? Do you not see what happened to Bola Ige? You are digging your political grave if you accept that type of job,’” he stated.

Rauf Aregbesola, a close ally of Tinubu and former Governor of Osun State, reportedly joined the discussion and supported Ojudu’s stance.

He added, “Rauf walked in and said, ‘Femi is right; that is not a job to take.

“One businessman walked in and said, ‘You guys are too radical. This thing will benefit everyone.’ But I insisted, ‘No, we are not looking for this type of benefit. We are looking for his political survival.

“He is our leader. Our dream for him is bigger than him becoming a minister in Yar’Adua’s government. Nine months down the line, they would arrest him, try him, and finish him off — the way they did to Bola Ige.”

Ojudu also addressed allegations of betrayal during the 2023 presidential election, where he backed former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo instead of Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress ticket.

He dismissed the claims, emphasising that their differing visions at the time were not personal.

He said, “We cannot quarrel. It is about our vision taking different routes. I just came from Bayo Onanuga’s daughter’s wedding. People saw me and said, We never knew you would come around.

“I told them, Do you think we are boxing each other? It is not personal. For me, loyalty to friendship is on a lesser scale than sacrifice for the country.”

Elon Musk starts 2025 as the wealthiest person on the planet, with a groundbreaking fortune exceeding $400 billion, as reported by Forbes on January 1.

The Tesla and SpaceX mogul tops a list of global billionaires whose combined wealth now totals $1.9 trillion, up from $1.8 trillion in December 2024.

 

These top-tier billionaires, primarily from the tech, retail, and luxury goods sectors, continue to dominate industries and influence global markets significantly.

 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang makes his debut in the top 10, reflecting the booming semiconductor industry.

Below is the updated list of the world’s richest individuals:

1. Elon Musk

– Net Worth: $421.2 billion
– Source of Wealth: Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI
– Age: 53
– Citizenship: U.S.

Musk’s fortune saw a $91 billion boost in December due to SpaceX’s valuation hitting $350 billion.

His recent appointment as co-head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by President Donald Trump further solidified his prominence.

2. Jeff Bezos

– Net Worth: $233.5 billion
– Source of Wealth: Amazon
– Age: 60
– Citizenship: U.S.

 

Bezos reclaimed the second spot after Amazon’s stock rose 5% in December, increasing his wealth by $10 billion.

3. Larry Ellison

– Net Worth: $209.7 billion
– Source of Wealth: Oracle
– Age: 80
– Citizenship: U.S

Despite Oracle’s stock slump resulting in a $17 billion loss, Ellison remains firmly in third place.

4. Mark Zuckerberg

– Net Worth: $202.5 billion
– Source of Wealth: Meta
– Age: 40
– Citizenship: U.S.

Meta’s stock price increase of 1.9% nudged Zuckerberg’s fortune slightly higher.

5. Bernard Arnault

– Net Worth: $168.8 billion
– Source of Wealth: LVMH
– Age: 75
– Citizenship: France

 

The luxury goods titan enjoyed an $8.5 billion rise thanks to LVMH’s stock performance.

6. Larry Page

– Net Worth: $157.9 billion
– Source of Wealth: Google (Alphabet)
– Age: 51
– Citizenship: U.S.

Google’s co-founder maintains his position among the elite wealthiest individuals globally.

7. Sergey Brin

– Net Worth: $153.4 billion
– Source of Wealth: Google (Alphabet)
– Age: 50
– Citizenship: U.S.

Brin’s wealth reflects Alphabet’s sustained dominance in the tech industry.

8. Warren Buffett

– Net Worth: $139.6 billion
– Source of Wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
– Age: 94
– Citizenship: U.S.

 

Buffett’s wealth declined by $8.9 billion due to a 6% drop in Berkshire Hathaway’s stock in December.

9. Steve Ballmer

– Net Worth: $123.5 billion
– Source of Wealth: Microsoft
– Age: 68
– Citizenship: U.S.

The former Microsoft CEO and Los Angeles Clippers owner saw a $500 million decrease in his fortune but remains in the top 10.

10. Jensen Huang

– Net Worth: $118 billion
– Source of Wealth: Nvidia
– Age: 61
– Citizenship: U.S.

Nvidia’s stock surged by 171% in 2024, securing Huang’s place among the world’s wealthiest for the first time.

Key Highlights

– Nine of the top 10 billionaires are American citizens, and all are male.

– Musk’s unparalleled fortune is heavily linked to his stakes in Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures.

 

– The rankings fluctuate based on market trends, showcasing the dynamic nature of global wealth.

These billionaires’ influence spans technology, luxury goods, and beyond, shaping economies and industries worldwide

Former presidential candidate, Professor Patrick Utomi has decried the poor treatment of youths by governments of Nigeria.

Professor Utomi said governments over the years failed to incorporate youths into their programmes and policies, leading to a lack of trust between government and youths.

 

In an interview with Channels TV on Thursday, Utomi stated that President Bola Tinubu’s National Youth Conference slated to be held in 2025 may not yield the expected fruit without building trust.

 

The Founder Center for Value in Leadership advised the federal government to work on getting the trust of Nigerian youths.

According to him, government has failed consistently to fulfill its promises of good governance.

Utomi emphasized the need for government to be sincere with the citizens by apologizing for the decades of abuse of the youths’ desire for a working system.

His words: “There are models of how you build trust. But the first thing begins by you doing the right thing and build up what they call an emotional bank account. Every time you say you’re going to do something and you do exactly what you say you’re going to do, you make a deposit in the emotional bank account.

“Every time you say you’re going to do something and you don’t do it, you make a withdrawal. And ultimately, whether you are believable is a function of the balance in that emotional bank account, governments have been not trustworthy in Nigeria, let’s be very frank. It has treated young people like they were idiots repeatedly, and this is sad because most governments in Nigeria were first run by very young people.

If you think of the military rule, they were in their 20s and 30s, most of them, but something in the nature of the command hierarchy of the military, compounded by oil coming in, led to a beginning crystallization of a new class system in Nigeria. We have not studied class and how it’s emerging in Nigeria. We have to understand these things. Any government that does not begin with recognizing that it is not trusted is wasting time.

“So the first thing that it needs to do is how do we build trust? And that begins with honest commitment, saying, okay, please, we know we have not been trustworthy. We know we’ve done things wrong. We know we’ve brutalized young people. But because they are the country, they are 70% of this population, we know that we are just stewards and that our full commitment is to their future. And this is how we’re going to do it.

 

“These are the sacrifices we will make to essentially purge ourselves of who we are. Then people begin to relax. And then they do things that are right and they reinforce those things. Trust circles begin to build up, emotional bank accounts begin to rise, and then you can take outcomes of such conferences seriously.”

 

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed new details about Nigeria’s refinery woes, recounting failed efforts to privatise the country’s refineries and the subsequent financial losses under government management.

In an exclusive interview with Channels TV on Thursday, Obasanjo discussed the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries during his presidency.

He explained how he sought external help to rehabilitate and manage the facilities but faced resistance.

He recalled, “I asked Shell to come and run it for us and Shell said they wouldn’t I said, Please come and take equity they said no. I said okay, don’t take equity, come and run it, they said no. 

“Later on, I called them. I called the boss of Shell to come and tell me what the problem was and he gave me four or five reasons. He said, first of all, they make a major profit from upstream, not from downstream. He said they run downstream just to keep their head above water.

“Two, our refineries were too small: 60,000 barrels 100,000 barrels and I think 120,000 barrels. He said that at that time, the average refinery was going for 250,000 barrels.

“Three, he said our refineries were not well maintained. Four, he said that there was too much corruption around the activities of our refinery and they would not want to get involved in that.”

Obasanjo shared that after Shell’s refusal, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, assembled a team and paid $750 million to operate the refineries through a public-private partnership.

“Aliko got a team together and they paid $750m to take part in PPP (Public–Private Partnership) in running the refineries. My successor refunded their money and I went to my successor, I told him what transpired, he said NNPC said they wanted the refinery and they could run it and I said but you know they cannot run it,” he stated.

The former president expressed confidence in Dangote’s ability to manage his privately owned refinery effectively, contrasting it with the government’s inefficiency.

“I was told not too long ago that since that time, more than two billion dollars have been squandered on the refinery and they still will not work.

“If a company like Shell tells me what they told me, I will believe them. If anybody tells you now that it is working, why are they now with Aliko? And Aliko will make his own refinery work; not only make it work, he will make it deliver.”

Obasanjo concluded with a Yoruba proverb, comparing inflated claims about the refineries’ performance to planting 100 heaps of yam but falsely claiming to have planted 200.

“They say after he has harvested 100 heaps of Yam, he will also have 100 heaps of lies. You know what that means,” he said.

The presiding officers of the National Assembly—Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, and Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu—have been allocated ₦10 billion for rent and furniture in the Federal Capital Territory’s 2024 supplementary budget, a Premium Times investigation has revealed.

This provision, listed under the item “Renting and Furnishing of Presiding Officers of the National Assembly” in the budget, was classified with code 23010309.

 

The ₦288 billion supplementary budget, which President Bola Tinubu presented to the National Assembly in September, was passed in just five days.

 

The allocation for the legislative leaders follows recent reports of extravagant spending by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.

In the past 15 months, the FCT ministry has spent generously, including ₦21 billion for a residential mansion for Vice President Kashim Shettima and ₦25 billion for housing 40 judges.

This latest spending comes at a time when Nigeria faces severe economic hardship, with the removal of the petroleum subsidy and devaluation of the naira pushing many into poverty.

Stampedes during food distribution have resulted in dozens of deaths in recent weeks.

Despite these challenges, critics argue that the government continues its trend of lavish expenditures while urging austerity measures for ordinary citizens.

Among the contentious spending are a $100 million presidential jet, failed attempts to procure a presidential yacht, and luxury vehicles for lawmakers.

Observers have accused Mr. Wike of using such financial allocations to subtly influence institutions.

However, the minister has consistently denied these claims. His appointment as FCT minister has been widely interpreted as a reward for his pivotal role in President Tinubu’s 2023 election victory.

According to Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution, the President serves as the de facto governor of the FCT, with the National Assembly acting as its legislative body. Section 302 further empowers the President to appoint an FCT minister as his representative.

 

In the past, National Assembly leaders were housed in the Apo legislative quarters. However, these buildings were sold under the monetisation policy introduced during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, leaving only the presiding officers’ quarters unsold.

In the 6th Assembly, under the Umar Yar’Adua administration, the buildings were sold to the four presiding officers: Senate President David Mark, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole, and Deputy Speaker Bayero Nafada.

In 2011, the government opted to build new houses for the presiding officers on the outskirts of the city in Katampe Extension, behind the Lungi Barracks. However, the lawmakers reportedly rejected the offer. Later, the Goodluck Jonathan administration started another project just for the four presiding officers.

The project is located within the Three-Arms Zone, very close to the main gate of the National Assembly. For years, construction on the buildings has stalled despite several deadlines.

Despite this, Premium Times reported that the government has resorted to renting houses for all the presiding officers of the National Assembly since 2011. According to sources, Senate President Godswill Akpabio lives in a rented apartment in Maitama, a highbrow area of Abuja, while the Speaker lives in the Guzape District.

The 2024 supplementary budget

Wike, in a letter dated 11 September, and addressed to President Tinubu, requested additional spending of N288 billion as a supplementary budget for the FCT.

He listed some of the projects the funds are meant for. Under the capital component, the supplementary budget contains a total of 32 projects.

 

“The purpose of this letter is to seek the approval of Your Excellency for the second Supplementary Budget presentation to the National Assembly, a Supplementary Budget to the 2024 Statutory Appropriation Act of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in the sum of N288,000,000,000.00, necessitated with a view to accommodate additional inflows from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and Miscellaneous Revenues in the sums of N8,000,000,000.00 and N280,000,000,000.00 respectively,” Mr Wike said in the letter.

The request by the minister was approved by the president, who subsequently transmitted the supplementary budget to the National Assembly for approval. This request was approved by the lawmakers and passed.

Of the 32 projects, 22 were existing ones that received additional funding, while 10 new projects were introduced into the FCT budget. For instance, the N25 billion earmarked for the construction of houses for judges got an additional N5 billion, increasing the budgetary allocation to N30 billion.

In addition to the legislature, the FCT also allocated N20 billion for the renovation of the State Security Service (SSS) headquarters in Abuja.

The N10 billion budgetary provision for the presiding officers is vague and raises a number of questions: What kind of rent? What kind of furniture? Why is the FCT paying the rent of these officers when the National Assembly has its own budget? Why is the FCT spending N10 billion on rents and furnishing when there are existing housing projects for these same officials?

The National Assembly has its own budget, and to guarantee the independence of the institution, it receives its funds under the statutory transfer instrument. That is, its budget is given in a lump sum and not broken down.

 

In the past couple of years, the National Assembly’s budget has continued to grow despite fiscal constraints.

In the current fiscal cycle, the National Assembly has a budget of N344 billion, the highest ever. Ordinarily, one would have expected the federal legislature to use these funds to address all its needs, including the rent for its presiding officers. Why is the National Assembly not paying the rent for its presiding officers despite this record allocation?

Also, there is an abandoned housing project for these same officers that has remained uncompleted for close to a decade.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the buildings, located within the Three-Arms Zone, are intended for the Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Deputy Senate President. However, these four buildings, which have been roofed and plastered, still remain incomplete over a decade after construction began. Why is the FCT not spending the N10 billion to complete these buildings instead of allocating funds for rent and furniture?

To get answers to these questions, this newspaper submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the office of the Minister of the FCT to seek clarification on the planned expenditure, addressing some of the questions raised. However, the ministry ignored the request.

This appears to be a recurring pattern under Mr Wike’s administration, where the budgets of the FCT are not made public, and requests for information are routinely ignored.

 

Premium Times noted that it has submitted several FOI requests to the ministry in the past, all of which were disregarded.

Putting the expenditure in context
To understand the significance of this N10 billion allocated for the four individuals, it is essential to compare it with other similar expenditures.

For instance, in the proposed 2025 budget, the federal government allocated N11.5 billion for the construction of 20,000 housing units under the Renewed Hope Agenda Housing Scheme. While this project could potentially serve 20,000 households, these four individuals are allocated N10 billion for rent.

Additionally, in the proposed 2025 budget, the federal government’s national housing programme (nationwide) has an allocation of N5.3 billion. This amount is approximately 50 per cent of the N10 billion set aside for the rent and furniture of four individuals.

Just before embarking on the end-of-the-year holiday, lawmakers in the lower chamber pooled half of their salaries into a fund to support the government in addressing economic hardship. The total contribution amounted to N704 million, which the House stated would be presented to President Tinubu for distribution to vulnerable members of society. However, this N704 million is just 7.4 per cent of the N10 billion allocated for the rent of Mr Tajudeen and his three colleagues.

This allocation to the four presiding officers underscores what many describe as insensitivity and a lack of transparency in the use of public funds.