Latest News
FEATURES
‘You’re A Very Weak Man, I Regret Fighting For You’ – Isaac Fayose Blasts Fubara Over Visit To Tinubu
AFOLABI
Younger brother to the former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, Isaac, has expressed regret for fighting for the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara.
Naija News recalls that Fubara visited President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
Reacting to Fubara’s visit, Fayose, in a video via his social media page, described Fubara as a weakling, claiming his destiny has been changed.
He said, “Fubara that was a governor three months ago, all he does now is to go and take pictures either with President in London or Lagos or stand outside Aso Rock or stand outside Wike’s house. They have changed his destiny. He is now taking pictures with his enemy. What a weak man, Fubara! You are very weak. I regret even fighting for you. Very weak man. Weakling!”
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), on Monday, started the grounding of over 60 private jets flying in the country airspace over alleged non-payment of import duty.
LEADERSHIP reports that in 2024, the NCS had attempted to ground some of the private jets but court processes stalled the action.
The NCS had in October 2024, threatened to ground over 60 private jets owned by very important persons in the country over unpaid import duty.
It however halted the process by announcing the extension of the verification exercise for private jet owners by one month, from October 14, 2024, to November 14, 2024.
Our correspondent gathered that the aircraft were grounded at the International Wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
It was further gathered that majority of the affected aircraft were foreign registered flying in the country.
It was also gathered that the Customs also sealed off some of the foreign private jets at ExecuJet, a free trade zone at the Lagos airport.
A source close to some of the private jet owners, said that the impounded aircraft belonged to private individuals in Nigeria operating under the Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) license.
This permit is granted to individuals who want to own and operate aircraft for personal use and not for commercial purposes.
The official seal of the NCS stated that the exercise was in accordance with Section 221 of the NCS Act 2023, stressing that unauthorised removal of the seal attracts a fine of N100 million or 10 years imprisonment of both.
LEADERSHIP understands that this was not the first time the Customs would attempt to ground private jets in the country because of import duty.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State and Chairman, PDP Advocate for Peace and Justice (PAPAJ), Dr. Tom FredFish, has urged the party’s leaders to invoke constitutional provisions and expel the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from the party.
FresFish made the call on Wednesday while speaking with journalists in Uyo. He was reacting to Wike’s assertion that no one has the power to expel him from the PDP.
While calling on the PDP to wield the big stick on Wike by moving swiftly to expel him, FredFish insisted that the minister has been working against the interests of the party in clear violation of the party’s constitution, ideals and principles.
The Akwa Ibom politician also faulted Wike’s claims that he is working hard for the PDP.
He said: “If Mr. Wike says he is working hard for the party, the right question that Nigerians should ask him is what kind of hard work is he doing for the PDP? Is the hard work positive or negative?
“How can a man who has been working against the interests of the party after he failed to clinch the PDP ticket in the 2023 presidential race still have the temerity to say he is working for the interest of the party? How can he say such a thing?
“Is he not the same Wike who openly worked against the PDP in the 2023 presidential election and further
connived with, encouraged and ordered the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly that are loyal to him to decamp to the APC and work against the interest of Rivers State controlled by the PDP?
”As far as the PDP Advocate for Peace and Justice is concerned, Mr. Wike was appointed to destroy the PDP and he’s doing the job very well. He should not expect party faithful across the country to clap for him for compromising the efforts of the party leadership.”
FredFish observed that “there is no one in the country that has de-marketed the PDP more than Wike who has continuously used demeaning words on the PDP and its leaders – the most recent is the way he spoke about the governor of Oyo State Mr. Seyi Makinde”.
He added, “The PDP Advocate for Peace and Justice (PAPAJ) is calling on the PDP Board of Trustees headed by Senator Adolfus Wabara, former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President, Senator David Mark and other leaders of the party to rally round and galvanize the National Working Committee (NWC) to invoke sections 10(6), 57 and 58 of the PDP Constitution, as amended in 2017, for which he (Wile) should be expelled under Section 59 of the PDP Constitution.”
An analysis of public holidays and official leave days as a percentage of total available workdays in a year indicates that Nigerian workers spend approximately 15.7% of their time away from work.
This is according to a review conducted by Nairametrics Research, which relied on officially declared public holidays and statutory annual leave entitlements.
In a typical calendar year with 261 potential working days excluding weekends, Nigerians are entitled to between 41 to 46 days off.
These include public holidays, annual leave, and sick leave, as stipulated by labour regulations and employment contracts.
This estimate, however, excludes workers engaged in essential services such as healthcare, security, emergency response, and those in shift-based roles, who may not observe all national holidays or who work on rotational schedules that reduce or redistribute time off.
For a country navigating the complexities of economic recovery, youth unemployment, and increasing global competitiveness, the volume of time spent off work has sparked heated boardroom debates and policy roundtables.
Yet, for the average Nigerian, these breaks are not just welcome, they are necessary.
In the United States, the term “holiday” typically refers to fixed dates of national or religious significance. In the UK and Commonwealth nations, it’s interchangeable with “vacation.” But in Nigeria, holidays and leave are deeply ingrained in the socio-cultural and religious fabric of the nation.
Holidays like Eid, Easter, Christmas, and Democracy Day are observed nationwide and often serve as periods of rest, family reunions, and communal activities. These pauses, while seemingly disruptive to productivity, are considered essential for both cultural cohesion and worker rejuvenation.
A breakdown of the 41 days of rest
- Christmas Holidays(Dec 25 &26): 2 days (Christmas Day & Boxing Day)
- New Year(Jan 1): 1 day
- Easter Holidays: 2 days (Good Friday & Easter Monday)
- Muslim Holidays: 5 days (Eid-el-Fitr, Eid-el-Kabir, and associated days)
- Democracy Day (June 12): 1 day
- Labour Day (May 1): 1 day
- Independence Day (October 1): 1 day
- Annual Leave (Statutory): 20-28 days
- Sick Leave (Approximate): 5 days
Additionally, workers are entitled to approximately 5 days of sick leave annually, although not all employees take full advantage of this provision. So, this comes to a total of 41 to 46 days, depending on the number of sick leave days permitted or taken.
How Nigerians perceive holidays
While some business leaders have expressed concern over the volume and distribution of public holidays, particularly when they fall mid-week and disrupt operations, data from surveys and academic research suggest that most Nigerian workers value these breaks as essential to their well-being.
- A 2020 survey of 247 bank employees in Anyigba, Kogi State, found that over 90% of respondents viewed public holidays as vital for religious observance, family bonding, and mental recovery.
- The study, published in the KIU Journal of Social Sciences, revealed a strong preference for preserving national holidays, despite occasional concerns about workflow disruption.
- Global research echoes this sentiment. A 2006 report by Ernst & Young, cited in Boyd (2014), indicated that employees who took more leave achieved higher performance reviews, with each additional ten hours of leave translating to an 8% improvement in annual ratings.
Similarly, studies by Kühnel & Sonnentag (2012) and Zenger & Folkman (2015) confirmed that regular periods of rest reduce burnout and improve staff retention.
Despite these benefits, there are concerns from an output and productivity standpoint.
A 2017 study by Botes reported measurable dips in productivity across sectors during holiday periods, especially in industries like finance, logistics, and manufacturing.
Additionally, research conducted in Sweden (Mohammed et al., 2018) found that while holidays improve morale, they can also introduce stress-related health risks tied to financial obligations and social pressures.
Nonetheless, for a country where religion, community, and family remain deeply embedded in the social fabric, these days off are not just tolerated—they are expected.
[Nairametrics]
A former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, has responded to the claim by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, that he (Amaechi) is not his boss.
Wike, during a media chat in Abuja, dismissed his former boss, saying the former Minister of Transportation is not influential.
He claimed that Amaechi, even as the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign, could not deliver Rivers State to former President Muhammadu Buhari in both the 2015 and 2019 elections.
Later, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike also criticized former presidential spokesman Reuben Abati for describing him as rude.
Abati had asserted that Wike was very rude, stressing that former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi was his political boss.
The Arise Television anchor made the comment in reaction to Wike’s statement that Amaechi was power-hungry and failed to deliver 10 percent of the vote for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.
Responding, Olayinka questioned how Amaechi could be considered Wike’s boss in politics.
Posting on Facebook, Olayinka recalled how Wike remained in Rivers State to help Amaechi retrieve his mandate after the latter fled to Ghana in 2007.
In response, during an Arise News interview on Thursday, Amaechi was asked if he is still friends with Wike. He replied, “Why go into personal life?”
When asked if he still hangs out with Wike, Amaechi said, “I’ve told you this several times, subordinates. I was once his [Wike’s] boss, whether he likes it or not. I hired him; I could have said no.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna State chapter, has described the All Progressives Congress, APC, two years in office in the country as “Nigeria’s worst era despite the humongous accruals from the subsidy removal”.
Briefing newsmen in Kaduna, its state chairman, Edward Percy Masha said, “The PDP under my leadership is poised to continue to hold the APC-led govt in Kaduna State to account on behalf of the people of the state and to usher in a new government that will be responsive, responsible, and accountable to the people of the state.
“Never again shall our party, the PDP win the gubernatorial or any other election for that matter and be shortchanged.
“In 2027, it shall be the people against the APC with their one-party system attempt notwithstanding. We will mobilize the people to defend their mandate at all costs.”
He alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Senator Uba Uba Sani’s agenda had combined to make life miserable for the people.
According to him, “On 29th May 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his inaugural speech declared that “subsidy is gone”, it was like a declaration of war on the well-being of Nigerians, or as Bashir Audi, Esq. wrote, “Tinubu unwittingly opened the gates of Hell, and let loose all the trapped Demons on hapless populace” considering the strategic importance of petrol in the life of the ordinary Nigerian. From Lagos to Maiduguri, Calabar to Sokoto, Nigerian citizens were thrown into their worst economic crisis in history.
“In Kaduna State, where citizens were already grappling with worsening insecurity, hunger, unemployment and penury, the subsidy removal was like a death sentence,” he said.
Masha stated that the APC’s promise of a ‘Renewed Hope’ in security, welfare, infrastructure, health, education, agriculture and economic transformation had failed to translate into meaningful or positive outcomes for the nation, saying that since coming on board, there had been little or no difference in the security situation inherited from the preceding APC administration.
He lamented that according to a 2025 Grimm report, “between July 2023 and June 2024, no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country.
“Of the 1,130 reported kidnapping areas, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina have the highest number of incidents and victims. Zamfara reported 132 incidents with 1,639 victims, Kaduna had 113 incidents with 1,113 victims, and Katsina reported 119 incidents with 887 victims.
“These 3 states also have the highest number of civilian deaths. In the year under review in this report, kidnapping has become more lethal with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported incidents. On average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap.
“The claim of improved security by the governor of Kaduna State in a recent media chat, therefore, falls flat on its face given these figures as can be confirmed by reports of the incessant cases of banditry and kidnapping in Local Government Areas like Kajuru, Kauru, Kaura, Birnin Gwari, Chikun and others in the state.”
In addition, he said that the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security was nothing but a conduit for siphoning state resources owing to its failure to acquire and deploy technology into intelligence gathering and surveillance, especially in ungoverned spaces where terrorists and other criminals hold sway, stressing that while victims of these attacks wallow in sorrow, tears and blood, the government was allegedly pampering the criminals with public funds in the name of negotiations.
Elon Musk has criticised a major tax and spending bill backed by President Donald Trump, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”
The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives last month, includes trillions in tax breaks, boosts defence spending, and authorises a significant increase in government borrowing. Analysts estimate it will add about $600 billion to the federal deficit in the next fiscal year.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted on X. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Musk’s comments came just one day before he stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a position he held for four months. His departure attracted attention due to his previously close ties with Trump.
A retweet from the X CEO account pushed back against claims of a falling out between the two, stating that Musk’s exit was due to his status as a Special Government Employee, limited to 130 days of service.
“In the coming days, legacy media will try to convince you that President Trump and Elon Musk are no longer friends and that’s why Musk left,” the post read. “What they won’t tell you is that Elon was a Special Government Employee, limited to 130 days of service and that term ends tomorrow.”
Speaking out before his resignation, Musk voiced disappointment with the bill, saying it increases the deficit and undermines the DOGE team’s efforts.
“I think a bill can be big, or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both, in my personal opinion,” he said.
The Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, has revealed that Nigeria is steadily moving from dependence on foreign military procurement to local production.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday by Mati Ali, the Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity to the minister, Badaru stated that “this aims to facilitate local production, repairs, refurbishment, and supply of military hardware and ordnance.”
According to the minister, the shift to local production marks a significant stride towards self-reliance for enhanced national security.
“The shift to local production is expected to boost efficiency and reduce reliance on imported hardware,” he clarified.
Badaru made this known shortly after concluding his 2-day working tour of military institutions and facilities in Kaduna.
The minister visited key military institutions, including the Nigerian Defence Academy, Nigerian Army Command Engineering Depot, Buffalo Engineering Technical Services Limited, and the Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology.
During his visit, Badaru praised the ongoing efforts in training, local production, and refurbishing military assets.
He emphasised that training remains a vital pillar in achieving Nigeria’s defence objectives.
The minister inspected several workshops and was impressed by the potential and progress on repairs and refurbishing of military hardware.
He noted that new combat platforms, bulletproof glasses, spare parts, and surveillance UAVs are being built at the workshops.
“Some of the equipment successfully constructed and repaired are made readily available for redeployment, while others are already deployed back to theatres of operations,” he explained.
Badaru commended the Armed Forces for their initiative and emphasised the critical roles of Training, Research, Development, and Innovation in achieving operational excellence.
He therefore urged continued collaborations between institutions and investment in military RDI.
Also, the minister highlighted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s defense capabilities, noting the recent signing of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria Bill into law.
A man and woman were publicly flogged 100 times each in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province on Wednesday after they were found guilty of sex outside marriage by a court operating under strict Islamic law.
Sexual relations between an unmarried couple is outlawed in Aceh, which imposes a version of sharia, the Islamic legal code.
Indonesia banned sex outside of marriage in its latest criminal code in 2022 but that law will not come into force until next year.
The two were lashed in sets of 10 with a rattan stick as a small crowd watched on at a park in provincial capital Banda Aceh, and the female suspect was lashed by a woman, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
Three other suspects were caned a combined 49 times for alleged gambling and alcohol consumption.
“Today we are carrying out flogging punishment for perpetrators of adultery, alcohol consumption, and online gambling,” Banda Aceh Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal told reporters.
“This becomes a moral lesson for the community at large. This flogging punishment becomes a gateway to repentance for them.”
Medical services were on standby for all of those convicted.
Rights groups have condemned the punishment as draconian.
Yet caning retains strong support among Aceh’s population as a common punishment for a range of offences including gambling, drinking alcohol and adultery.
In February, two men were publicly flogged more than 150 times after being found guilty of sexual relations. Gay sex is outlawed in Aceh.
The region started using religious law after it was granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.
AFP/VANGUARD NG
…As Osun Amotekun Corps parade suspects
A suspected rapist, Raji Ridwan, on Tuesday disclosed that cold weather lured him to attempt to rape a varsity female student in Osun State.
Raji, 25, said he barged into the room of the 17-year-old 200-level student of Federal University of Health and Science on Thursday, May 29, after she declined an attempt to speak with him.
According to him, he was in the students’ area because his uncle asked him to park his motorcycle at the house.
“But I got there immediately; it stopped raining, and it was cold. Suddenly the girl passed by and asked after the landlady. I asked her whether she knew the lady, but she refused to answer and went straight into her room. I ran after her and banged straight into the room with the aim to rape her.
“But the girl held my clothes tight and was shouting, which attracted neighbours, and I found a way to run away from the room,” he added.
However, Osun Amotekun Commandant Adekunle Omoyele, the suspect, was later arrested at a hideout after a complaint was made at the Amotekun command in Ila.
He added that the investigation showed that the suspect had sometimes raped one of his siblings and was beaten severely when caught, adding that he would be arraigned in court.
Similarly, one Abdulateef Ajao, 28, was arrested for attempting to rape a minor hawking pepper in Ode-Omu town, Ayedaade local government, on Monday .
He was said to have lured the primary 3 pupil into his house with a pretence to buy pepper from her, but the victim escaped and reported the matter to her parents.
“He has confessed to the crime. The suspect will be charged in court to serve as a deterrent to others,” Omoyele added.
More...
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai(Rtd), has expressed optimism that the security situation in the country will improve in the next two years under President Bola Tinubu.
Buratai stated this in an interview with newsmen during the 2025 VON Forum in Abuja.
According to him, there is no country that does not have its peculiar challenges, including the western countries.
“However, concerning the security in Nigeria, I foresee much improvement in the next two years of President Bola Tinubu. Lessons have been learnt. Insecurity is not something you wished away overnight. It will not disappear, just like other forms of crimes like rape, armed robbery, pickpocketing and others,” he said.
“These are societal ills that will continue to exist as long as human beings exist. So, insecurity is something you continue to handle as they arise.”
“I believe that members of the armed forces and other security agencies, including the police, have taken lessons from the recent challenges.”
“And I believe they will rise up to the occasion and deal with it, but also, there should be collaboration of all stakeholders, from federal agencies to state and local governments, to ensure improved security.
If we depend too much on the federal government without us doing our part, that’s where this 2025 VON Forum comes in handy: citizen engagement.”
Gen Buratai further explained that in achieving national security, institutional capacity building and manpower development remain very important.
He, however, noted that there are national security policies and national defence policies which need implementation to the letter.
“When executing or implementing it, there is coordination. You need to work with others to achieve more,” Buratai said.
Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has fired back at Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, saying he would not engage in a war of words with “children”.
Amaechi made the remark on Tuesday during an appearance on ARISE TV, in response to Wike’s criticism of his recent comments on the state of hunger in Nigeria.
“God, Peter Odili, the judiciary and the Rivers State people made me governor. Ask him how he made me governor. I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children,” Amaechi said.
The exchange stems from Amaechi’s earlier comments at his 60th birthday celebration, where he expressed concern about the economic hardship in the country.
“Nigerian elites are not the problems of Nigeria. The problems of Nigeria are the followership. There are no capitalists in Nigeria; capitalists are those with capital to invest for production. Do we produce here? I look at Nigeria and ask what are we doing here? Do we really want to be a country? What is important is how do we change this country?
“We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I’m. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power,” Amaechi said.
Wike, during a media chat on Monday, dismissed Amaechi’s comments as “politically motivated” and accused him of trivialising the plight of Nigerians.
“He did not talk about hunger. He became a minister — super minister of transportation. He did not talk about hunger. Two years after he left office and as a member of the coalition, he is talking about hunger. He is just hungry for power,” Wike said.
“How do you insult Nigerians and trivialise poverty and hunger? You are insulting Nigerians. It is just that you have stayed out of power — that is the hunger.”
In his response, Amaechi debunked Wike’s claim of being instrumental to his rise as governor, stating that his emergence was backed by divine intervention, legal victory, and the support of the people of Rivers State.
The former minister of transportation also addressed his decision to appoint Wike as chief of staff instead of commissioner for finance, citing the need for close supervision.
He said, “Mohammed Adoke flew all the way from Abuja to Port Harcourt. That week he asked me to make him commissioner for finance and I said no, he has to work under me. I want him as chief of staff so I can supervise him.
“I didn’t offer him commissioner for finance. You see, I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children. I was once his boss. Whether he likes it or not. I hired him. I could have said no.”
He added, “You know, he made himself chief of staff. He made himself governor. He made himself minister. He made himself local government chairman.”
Amaechi also took a jab at Wike’s political conduct, saying, “There’s no more respect for family names. People just do and say anything.”
Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), has called for the fencing of Nigeria’s borders to bolster national security.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during a security conference, Musa emphasised the need for effective management of the country’s borders.
He noted that countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have had to fence their borders with Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively, due to increased insecurity.
Musa stressed the need to fully secure and assert control over the country’s borders, noting that its perceived wealth and abundant natural resources are making Nigeria a target for insurgents.
“Other countries, because of the level of insecurity they have, had to fence their borders,” he said.
“It is Nigeria that everybody is interested in. That is why we need to secure fully and take control of our borders. It is critical for our survival and sovereignty.”
Nigeria shares borders with four countries, including Niger Republic, Cameroon, Benin, and Chad – all of which are currently grappling with varying degrees of insecurity.
However, the country’s porous borders have been widely cited as a key factor fuelling the rise in insurgency and cross-border threats within its territory
Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio has reiterated the unwavering support of the National Assembly for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that the legislative arm under his leadership is proud of the President’s achievements in the last two years.
Akpabio made the declaration on a post on his Facebook page days after the commissioning of the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project in Lagos, where he led members of the National Assembly to join President Tinubu.
Describing the commissioning of the 30-kilometre stretch as a major milestone, Akpabio said it was clear evidence that President Tinubu is delivering on his promises.
“The commissioning of this first phase is proof that when the National Assembly says Mr President is doing well, he is truly doing well,” he said.
He praised the President’s leadership qualities, calling him a man of both vision and determination, fully committed to steering Nigeria in the right direction.
“In President Tinubu, we have a leader who has both sight and vision and is totally committed to taking Nigerians to where they ought to be,” he added.
Akpabio also issued a word of caution to state governors, advising them to prioritize competence and preparedness in succession planning.
“Governors must not hand over power to those who only kneel to greet them, but are unprepared for the responsibilities of governance. That leads to betrayal,” he stated.
He further commended the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, for his dedication and successful execution of the project.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, and today’s commissioning is proof that this administration means what it says and says what it means,” he said.
Akpabio concluded by affirming that the National Assembly remains a strong partner in supporting President Tinubu’s vision for a better Nigeria