The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved a tariff adjustment for telecommunications operators, with a cap set at 50 per cent on current rates.

The decision followed a careful review of the rising operational costs faced by telecom companies, which have remained unchanged since 2013 despite mounting inflationary pressures.

The approved tariff adjustment is a crucial step in addressing the widening gap between telecom operators’ operational costs and existing tariff rates.

Although some operators initially requested increases exceeding 100 per cent, the NCC has opted for a more measured increase of up to 50 per cent, striking a balance between the needs of the industry and consumer protection.

In a press release signed by the NCC’s director of public affairs, Reuben Muoka, and made available to LEADERSHIP on Monday, the regulator clarified that the revised tariffs would remain within the guidelines of the 2013 NCC Cost Study. Adjustments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, as per the NCC’s standard review process. Furthermore, the adjustments will be implemented in compliance with the recently issued NCC Guidance on Tariff Simplification, 2024, ensuring transparency and clarity.

The telecommunications industry has faced several challenges in recent years, including rising fuel prices and currency devaluation, which have compounded the pressure on operators to adjust their tariffs. The tariff increase is seen as a necessary measure to ensure the sustainability of the sector, enabling operators to continue investing in network infrastructure and improving service delivery to consumers.

The NCC emphasised that the changes were aimed at enhancing service quality, improving network coverage, and promoting better customer service. In response to concerns about the impact of higher tariffs on Nigerian households and businesses, the Commission has mandated that operators implement the changes transparently and fairly, with clear communication to the public regarding the new rates and expected improvements in service delivery.

The decision followed extensive consultations with stakeholders across both public and private sectors. The NCC highlighted its commitment to balancing the protection of consumers with the long-term viability of the telecommunications industry.

Recognising the financial pressures faced by Nigerians, NCCn stressed its commitment to supporting indigenous vendors and suppliers who form a critical part of the telecom ecosystem. The NCC also reiterated its ongoing efforts to foster a resilient, innovative, and inclusive telecommunications sector that will drive the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

The statement read in part: “The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), pursuant to its power under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 (NCA), will approve tariff adjustment requests by Network Operators in response to prevailing market conditions.

“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 percent of current tariffs, was arrived at after considering ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability. While some operators requested over 100 percent increases, the approved adjustments are designed to maintain service quality without compromising consumer interests. These adjustments will remain within the tariff bands outlined in the 2013 NCC Cost Study, and each request will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The implementation will follow the recently issued NCC Guidance on Tariff Simplification, 2024.

“Given that tariff rates have remained unchanged since 2013, despite rising operational costs, the approved adjustment is intended to bridge the significant gap between costs and tariffs, ensuring continued service delivery to consumers. The Commission remains committed to fostering industry sustainability, encouraging investment in infrastructure, and improving services for consumers, including better network quality, enhanced customer service, and wider coverage.”

The NCC reaffirmed its dedication to creating a balanced, sustainable telecommunications environment that serves the interests of both consumers and operators while supporting the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

Father of self-acclaimed gospel singer, Timileyin Ajayi, who was caught with severed head of his supposed girlfriend, has begged the government on his son’s behalf even as he called for his release.

LEADERSHIP reports that Timileyin was caught with the severed head of 24-year-old Corps member, Salome Eleojo Adaidu, penultimate Sunday.

Timileyin’s father, Sunday Ajayi, pleaded for his son’s release in a viral video online. He expressed in Pidgin English that he would like the government to help him settle the matter and release his son.

“I want government make dem help me make the matter settle abeg. Make dem help me try to beg the people make una leave am,” he said.

Timileyin’s mum, Dorcas Ajayi, however, took a different stance from her husband.

She noted that she would not know how to feel if what happened to Salome happened to one of her own children.

According to her, the government can carry out any action they want on the matter because everything is in their hands.

“Had it been it’s one of my daughters they did that to, how do I feel? So I don’t know. Anything government want to do, everything is in their hands,” she stated.

Timileyin’s father’s comments have been met with criticisms online as many suggested that the old man be investigated as well.

Some others expressed that his stance was rather inhuman and unreasonable.

Mexico’s Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez, on Monday, announced a project called “Mexico Embraces You,” providing support for Mexican citizens who could be deported from the United States following President Donald Trump‘s assumption of office.

“Mexico will do everything necessary to defend, care for and allocate what is needed to receive those who are repatriated in order to achieve their reincorporation to their native country,” Rodríguez said during a press conference on Monday.

Through the “Mexico Embraces You” plan, the country’s National Migration Institute will be in charge of receiving Mexicans from abroad, processing their repatriation and supporting transfers to their places of origin, the secretary said.

The government said Mexican citizens will be given 2,000 Mexican pesos (about $100) upon arrival to use during their transfer to their place of origin.

Rodríguez added that the National Population Registry, which is similar to the US Social Security number system, will process identity documents if necessary.

The interior secretary said that the government has been working and developing the plan since Trump pledged to carry out mass deportations.

The plan was developed in coordination with international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she would try to communicate with newly inaugurated President Trump’s team after the inauguration, and she asked Mexican citizens living in the US to remain calm.

In a swift move that signalled the beginning of President Donald Trump’s hardline border crackdown, the new administration, on Monday, shut down CBP One, an app-based programme that allowed migrants to schedule legal entry into the United States through official ports.

Shortly after Trump took the oath of office as thr 47th President of the United States (POTUS), the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website posted a notice confirming that the app was no longer functional and that all existing appointments had been cancelled.

The CBP One app, introduced by the Joe Biden administration in early 2023, was designed to offer migrants a regulated pathway to seek asylum in the US. The programme allowed 1,450 migrants per day to schedule an appointment for processing, and since its launch, more than 900,000 people have entered the US using the system.

However, the Trump administration’s decision has left tens of thousands of migrants stranded at the southern border, many of whom had already made their way to designated entry points in anticipation of their scheduled appointments.

At the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, confusion and frustration gripped migrants who checked their phones only to find that their appointments had vanished.

“I am in shock,” said Maura Hernandez, a migrant from Michoacán, Mexico, who had arrived in Tijuana with her four children for an appointment scheduled on Tuesday. “I don’t know what is going to happen to us.”

Like many others, Hernandez fled violence in her home state, hoping to seek asylum through legal channels.

Gustavo Selva, a Venezuelan migrant, described his devastation upon learning that the program had been terminated.

“We are so disappointed,” Selva said after reading the update on his phone. He had waited seven months for his appointment, which was initially scheduled for late January but had been delayed until February 9. He had already traveled from Chiapas to Tijuana, believing he would soon enter the U.S. legally.

“We thought we could enter today without a problem,” he said. “Now we will be stranded here indefinitely.”

A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated that around 30,000 migrants had active appointments through the app as of Monday morning. Additionally, nearly 300,000 migrants were reportedly waiting in Mexico with hopes of securing entry through CBP One.

The Biden administration had touted the CBP One app as a critical tool in managing migration at the southern border. The programme was part of a broader strategy that combined asylum restrictions for illegal crossings with legal pathways for those seeking protection.

“I would say that the model that we have built—of restricting asylum at our southern border and building accessible, lawful, safe, and orderly pathways for individuals to seek relief under our laws—is the model that should be sustained,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in an interview with NPR earlier this month.

“We have delivered the border and those accessible pathways to the incoming administration,” he added.

Border crossings had significantly declined in recent months, a trend that US officials attributed in part to the app’s success in streamlining asylum applications.

The closure of CBP One underscored a drastic shift in immigration policy under the Trump administration, which has long argued for tougher enforcement measures.

Critics of the app, particularly Republican lawmakers, viewed it as a loophole that allowed migrants to remain in the U.S. for years while their cases moved through backlogged immigration courts.

“The fact that this application exists is the most underreported scandal of the Biden admin,” Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post last week. “They made an application to facilitate illegal immigration. It boggles the mind.”

Matthew Hudak, a former senior Border Patrol official, said the move was a clear indication that the Trump administration would adopt a much tougher stance at the border.

“Simply wanting to immigrate to the U.S. and signing up to get in line will be replaced by more stringent policies that will significantly raise the bar for those seeking to come here, including reimplementing the Remain in Mexico program,” Hudak said.

“Many will be left to decide if they will work through the legal process or attempt to enter the country illegally and face what will likely be much more significant consequences.”

Highly influential tech billionaires lined up in a prime inauguration viewing spot behind President Donald Trump’s family members at the Capitol Rotunda for the inauguration of the 47th President of United States (POTUS) on Monday.

SpaceX boss, Elon Musk; Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and owner of Google Sundar Pichai were all present.

Others in the mix were the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, his fiance Lauren Sanchez, as well as Trump Cabinet nominees such as Senator Marco Rubio and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Other guests sighted inside the Church of the Presidents and the Rotunda included the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan and former Fox News media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Jake and Logan Paul were seen chatting with CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman as they arrived, with comedian Theo Von also spotted chatting with Logan Paul.

The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, was among the congregation as well as the CEO of Snapchat, Evan Spiegel.

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson was also seated near Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez for the morning church service.

The presence of the industry heavyweights highlights their increased overtures toward Trump following his electoral win and the portending “tech-industrial complex” former President Joe Biden warned about in his farewell address in the Oval Office.

More Photos Below:

Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, during a historic ceremony held inside the Capitol Rotunda due to adverse weather conditions.

In his inaugural address, Trump outlined a bold agenda for his administration, touching on issues of gender, race, border control, economic reforms, and energy policies.

Trump asserted that his administration would recognise only two genders—male and female—effectively dismissing identities such as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer.

“This week, I will end the government policy of engineering race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. Henceforth, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” Trump declared.

Trump unveiled plans to overhaul the trade system, introducing an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs from foreign countries, promising to shift the economic burden away from U.S. taxpayers.

“I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump stated.

The president vowed to make America a “manufacturing nation” again by leveraging the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.

“America will be a manufacturing nation once again. We will use our liquid gold—oil and gas—to bring prices down, fill our reserves, and export energy worldwide. We will end the Green New Deal and revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry,” he said.

On border control, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and announced measures to combat illegal immigration.

“All illegal entry will be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions of criminal aliens. The Remain in Mexico policy will be reinstated, and catch-and-release practices will end. Troops will secure our borders to repel this invasion,” he announced.

Trump also pledged to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to combat criminal networks.

The president announced the formation of a Department of Government Efficiency and outlined measures to tackle inflation and high costs. He also promised an aggressive crackdown on crime, leveraging federal and state resources to eliminate gang activity.

“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions,” Trump said.

Trump referred to an assassination attempt during his campaign, framing his survival as a divine sign of his purpose to “make America great again.”

He also criticized the nation’s healthcare and education systems, promising significant reforms to address inadequacies exposed by recent natural disasters.

The event, attended by lawmakers, distinguished guests, and family members, marked the beginning of Trump’s second term. Vice President JD Vance was also sworn in, taking the oath of office in a ceremony presided over by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Earlier in the day, Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump met with outgoing President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, continuing the tradition of a handover meeting between administrations.

At a pre-inauguration rally, Trump addressed supporters, promising to pardon January 6 defendants and issuing executive orders on his first day in office.

Despite freezing temperatures, the ceremony proceeded with Trump expressing confidence in his administration’s vision and America’s future.

The most important global event yesterday, January 20, 2025, was the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, 45^th President of the United States, now as the 47^th President of the United States in what has been correctly described as his second coming. Trump’s second coming should be taken in this literal sense, the United States allowing for a possible two terms in office as the limit for any President, in line with the 22^nd Amendment (1951) in the United States Constitution. With his landslide victory in the Nov. 5, 2024 election, in which he defeated Democratic late-comer to the race, Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump was assuredly on his way to serving his second and final term as President and that process reached its climax yesterday. The only President that served more than two terms was Franklin D. Roosevelt who ran for the Presidency and won four times (1933-1945), before Americans embraced the wisdom of George Washington (US founding father and first President) that any President serving more than two terms was likely to become a king or an emperor. Trump’s return to the White House is reminiscent of the example of Grover Cleveland who served a term like Trump (1885 -1889) as 22nd President, lost re-election like Trump and then won re-election four years later: (1893 – 1897) to become 24th President. 

History turned full circle and repeated itself yesterday more than a century later with Trump being the second President in American history to be elected for two non-consecutive terms. History was also made with Trump at 78 years, 220 days becoming the oldest President ever inaugurated, over 100 days older than President Joe Biden was when he became President in January 2021. By the time he completes his term four years from now, Trump will be 82. He is also the first convicted felon to occupy the White House having been found guilty of 34 counts of felony in the Stormy Daniel, hush money, record-falsification case. Curiously, Grover Cleveland, the first democrat elected after the civil war, was also embroiled in allegations of sexual assault and violence from a woman named Maria Halpin. It would be quite a long shot to assume that Trump is a reincarnate of Grover Cleveland, in the same manner as students of soul evolution have tried to establish similarities and connections between Abraham Lincoln and J.F. Kennedy. Nor can the phrase “the second coming of Trump” be interpreted in a Christian eschatological sense.  

With all his right-wing, hardline conservative rhetoric, however, Trump is not the messianic figure who will bring about a new heaven, a new earth and a new Jerusalem that his supporters and fans envision him to be. “Donald Trump’s Disruption is Back…He’s Back” says the Time Magazine, with an illustration showing President Biden’s aviator sunglasses being swiped off the Resolute Desk. Nothing could be more apt, again very much like the official portrait of the 47th President, unsmiling – the smile in the 2016 official portrait has been wiped off and replaced with a gangster-style, fiendish look, with a scowl. The portrait looks like a mug shot and one body language expert has observed that the simple language of the Picture is that Trump is on a revenge mission. He is back to take a pound of flesh. Trump is not the messiah; he is Nietzsche’s change agent: the Super Man who revels in his own sense of importance. Trump has promised that he will “make heads spin on his first day back in office”, and really heads started spinning long before he made his improbable comeback now a reality. Last Sunday, he posted memes on Truth Social including one that says: “Not elected to be nice. Elected to get results.”  

This process of getting results began over the weekend with President Trump relocating to Washington DC, in preparation for his inauguration on Monday, January 20. On Saturday, he held a party at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, featuring an Elvis Presley impersonator and fireworks display. Saturday night, he slept at the Blair House, the President’s official guest residence on Pennsylvania Avenue, across the street from the White House. On Sunday, he held a rally ahead of the inauguration to remind everyone obviously that he was back in town and he was going to plant the Republican and the Trumpian flag in Washington DC, again. Trump was not new to the symbolism nor the imagism but he needed to drive home the point. The glorious moment eventually came yesterday and it was quite an impressive ceremony. The inauguration of the 47^th President was held indoors due to freezing temperatures outdoors. The weather yesterday was – 5 Celsius in the same city, on the same grounds. In 1961, President John Kennedy was inaugurated amid -22 Celsius, but the weather can be cruel, and climate change has been the cruellest of all things over the years, after all the poets, not one, not two but about four are of the view that “winter is the cruellest month”. I have no objections to the Trump inauguration being held indoors, with about 750 persons in attendance. It was however most ironic that the ceremony was held in the same high sandstone hall at the Capitol’s Centre where Trump’s supporters broke in and rioted on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to overturn America’s democracy. In 2021, the same Trump supporters held America hostage. Their man, who threatened to hold America by the jugular, returned yesterday. “Oh! America.” 

This was much clear when Senator Amy Klobucher (D-Minnesota), chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural ceremonies, in declaring the ceremonies open and welcoming everyone, talked again and again about “peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy”, our enduring democracy, and how the “Capitol is the people’s home”, and the responsibility of citizenship not to seek malice.  Yesterday. Americans celebrated 250 years of democracy and the 60th Presidential inauguration ceremony but I could not miss the additional point made by Senator Deb Fisher (R- Nebraska) about “the prominence of a people through change”. Again, it was all about the American people, putting back to power, a man whose supporters in the same space desecrated the people’s yearning for change. Senators Klobuchar and Fisher may have been passing a message or a set of subliminal messages across, but the point is that democracy is what it is: it provides the people an opportunity to make a choice and even if they make a wrong choice, it is up to the people to either defend or reject their own choice, not for anyone to dictate to them.  President Trump was applauded again and again after being sworn in as President, and there was a crowd of enthusiastic cheer leaders at the Capitol Arena hailing the new Chief.

It was a symbolic, impressive moment but it was also a prayerful moment as well from the invocations by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York to Rev. Franklin Graham, President and CEO, Samaritan’s Place who delivered the opening prayers. And the Benedictions by Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman of the Yeshiva University, Rev. Lorenzo Sevell, Senior Pastor of 180 Church, West Detroit, and Rev. Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. Rev. Sevell from West Detroit made quite an impression. Trump’s inauguration coincided with Martin Luther King’s week. King was a champion of freedom, justice and equality. Brother Sevell understood the assignment. He spoke about freedom and equality and evoked memories of Black America’s struggle for freedom. This was clearly in line with the tone that was further echoed in Donald J. Trump’s second inaugural speech, and perhaps the bigger poignant moment at the main event for me was the rendition of “America, the beautiful”, by Carrie Underwood, after what looked like a brief impasse of awkwardness in an otherwise beautifully organized, well-choreographed event. But of course, the main moment anyway was President Donald Trump’s speech. Well crafted. Well delivered. Good nuance.  A fiery speech.  It was a combination of sharp, cruel jabs at the outgoing administration and a promise that America will do better under Trump. 

He accused the democrats of a horrible betrayal of our people. “All of this will change starting today.”, he bellowed. He threatened to change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and take back the Panama Canal which he called “a foolish gift” to Panama. He declared that he would be “a peacemaker and a unifier”, and that under his watch, America will be the most respected nation in the world. He wants to build a society that is colour-blind and merit-based. “There are only two genders – male and female, and that will be US state policy, and those who rejected COVID mandate will be reinstated with full back pay.” He wants to overhaul America’s trade system and impose tariffs and taxes to “enrich our country” by setting up an External Tariff Service. His words as I heard them: Confidence. Effectiveness. Exceptionalism. He wants America to be a manufacturing country again, the largest oil and gas nation, that will build automobiles. He will announce a national emergency to drill. Drug Cartels will be classified as terrorist organizations. All illegal entries will be halted. “And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.”  Those coming from Mexico must remain in Mexico, as all foreign gangs will immediately be eliminated.  On inflation, President Trump said he will “direct all members of my cabinet… to defeat what was record inflation”. He lied in that regard though. US inflation was not record-inflation under President Biden. I watched President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’s body language as the delivery progressed. The only time I saw them standing up and applauding was when Trump touched on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East. In any case, Trump promised what he called “the revolution of common sense”. 

In terms of optics, the ceremony did not disappoint. Trump, a friend of rich America did not disappoint in particular as some of the world’s richest persons got the best sitting positions: Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk, with the room reeking of capital, wealth, power, and influence. The CEOs of the tech giants had reportedly donated as much as a minimum of a million dollar each to support the inauguration.  Musk, the world’s richest man was so excited he told the audience at the Capital One Arena, where there was a more elaborate parade, that Trump’s win is “no ordinary win, this was a fork in the road of human civilization” and that “the future of civilization is assured”. He echoed Trump’s sentiment that now is the time “to plant the Stripes and Stars on the planet Mars.” 

Trump’s tone was in turns dark, staid, and aggressive. He insisted in a second speech that he won the election in 2020. As he spoke, members of his far-right Proud Boys group, the J6 gang, paraded around the streets of Washington. They expect him to pardon their members who have been convicted for the January assault on the Capitol. And he has promised he will. He was confident that he would save America.  “From this moment on, the decline of America is over… I return to the Presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world. And America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before”.  WE should ask: is sunlight pouring all over the world with Trump 2.0? While American exceptionalism may sound like good music to the ears of most Americans, particularly fans of Trump’s agenda, it sounds ominous to the rest of the world, as Trump’s speech was underscored by threats of possible and likely American expansionism, casting America’s superior power as a threat to the global order. For Nigerians who think that a public profession of faith means something, President Trump for their information refused to place his hands on any Bible: his mother’s Bible and the 1861 Lincoln Bible, held by his wife, Melania, while he took his oath of office. President Jose Raul Mulino of Panama says he must “comprehensively reject the words of President Donald Trump “because “the canal is and will remain Panama’s.” Beyond Panama, it is the entire world that is panicking, from Greenland to Russia, to Ukraine, to Canada which Trump has boasted will be turned into the 51^st state of the United States, to Africa, the European Union and Asia. Trump may be determined to make America great again, but it would be a sad development if the world were to become a smaller place under his influence. America gets a new President; the world is quaking. It is a poor foreboding.

No one is even sure of what the future holds for America within its own borders. In the last moments of his Presidency, Joe Biden had to grant unprecedented, preemptive, pardons to persons that he thinks may be targeted by the second coming of a man on a revenge mission. Those pardoned are essentially prominent critics of Donald Trump including Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease for more than a decade who defended COVID protections, former Representative Liz Cheney who condemned Trump, members of Congress who served on the committee that investigated the Jan 6, 2021 insurrection, as well as close members of the Biden family and their spouses that could be targeted by Trump.  The mere fact that a group of persons needed to be shielded, even when they have not been held liable for any specific crime, ahead of the inauguration of a new administration in the United States is a loud, sub-textual comment on the status of American democracy and its immediate future. 

Pope Francis has warned that plans by Donald Trump to deport illegal migrants from the US would be a “disgrace” if he went through with it.

Speaking to an Italian TV programme from his Vatican residence,

The Catholic Pontiff in an interview with an Italian TV, said if the plans went ahead, Trump would make “poor wretches that don’t have anything foot the bill”.

“That’s not right. That’s not how you solve problems,” he said.

In a message to Trump shared on Monday, Pope Francis offered him “cordial greetings” and urged him to lead a society with “no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion” and promote “peace and reconciliation among peoples”.

Presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, has accused the new leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch of deliberately denigrating Nigeria to gain acceptance within her party’s right-wing base.

Badenoch recently stated that she does not want the UK to become like Nigeria, which she described as a country where the government has failed.

Her remarks have sparked criticism from the Nigerian government, with Bwala arguing that her rhetoric is politically motivated.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday monitored by our correspondent, Bwala, who serves as the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, suggested that Badenoch’s remarks are aimed at solidifying her support among Conservative Party members.

“The only problem we have with Kemi, I think, is the rhetoric because Kemi belongs to the right base in the United Kingdom, which is what you see in this populism around the world—that you can deepen your support system if you feed off of the anger of the people,” Bwala said.

“She’s building a rhetoric of denigrating and demarketing Nigeria so she can probably win the acceptance of the right in her party. And that, to me, is counterproductive.”

Bwala contrasted Badenoch’s approach with that of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian origin.

He pointed out that while India has faced issues such as gang-related violence, Sunak has never used such problems to discredit his country in order to boost his political standing.

“If you look at Rishi Sunak, he is also of Indian origin. There has been this issue of gang rape in India. He has never used that as a weapon to promote what he believes to be a departure from what is likely to be believed as hereditary or history of the Indian people,” he noted. “But she has always denigrated Nigeria.”

Despite the controversy, Bwala dismissed concerns that Badenoch’s comments would negatively impact Nigeria’s efforts to attract foreign investment.

“I don’t think it would have an effect because she’s not the government in power. Usually, these international relationships or collaborations are dealings between governments. Because she’s not the government in power, it will not have any effect,” he explained.

He further suggested that investors would recognise Badenoch’s comments as political posturing rather than an accurate reflection of Nigeria’s economic landscape.

“Secondly, because she’s a Nigerian, investors will be smart enough to assess what she’s saying, whether it is born out of rhetoric,” Bwala said.

Badenoch, who was announced as the Conservative Party’s new leader on November 2, 2024, was yet to respond to the Nigerian government’s criticisms.

General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, joined faith leaders at a special pre-inauguration event held in the United States ahead of Donald Trump’s swearing-in as President.

The gathering, named the ‘Inauguration Praise and Prayer Convocation’, was held at the Greater New Hope Baptist Church and organized by Jim Garlow’s Well Versed World ministry in collaboration with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.

The event united religious leaders and believers to pray for the nation and the incoming administration.

During the program, Pastor Kumuyi delivered a powerful message to American church leaders, emphasizing the importance of holiness and righteousness for spiritual revival and national progress.

He prayed: “Almighty God. We thank You and bless Your name.

“What a great and glorious God you are. I want to thank You, Lord, for the church in America. You said, upon this rock, You would build Your church – not just for that generation but for every generation, and You say the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

“Lord, we come in preparation for the celebration of Donald Trump, the president tomorrow. We’re asking that You will grant him wisdom and You will grant the church the unity, the revival, the knowledge, the vision, the forthrightness to speak the truth to power. And we pray, as You connect the church with the leader, that it will be a good unity, that You will help the President, and that the church will remain the church.

“Revive Your church, restore Your church and purge Your church that there will be the holiness and the righteousness You expect for Your church, and the church will have a meaningful ministry in the government, as well as for America.”

Kumuyi also shared a heartfelt prayer during an interview with SRN News, saying: “Almighty God, You chose to bring President-Elect Donald Trump to Your throne and to lead at this time. We’re asking that your grace will be with him through Your wisdom and Your power. And we pray You will help him remain focused on all the things he’s brought out in his campaign of giving Christ the recognition and the honor that He deserves. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.”

Donald Trump was later sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, 20th January, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath during the inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C.