The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded an unprecedented revenue of ₦1.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, more than double the ₦600 billion collected during the same period in 2023. Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi attributed this remarkable growth to transformative reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as revealed in an upcoming State House documentary marking the President’s second anniversary. Adeniyi highlighted that the revenue surge emanated from improved technological deployment, enhanced port operations, tightened enforcement on revenue leakages, and a renewed culture of accountability across Customs commands. “We collected ₦1.3 trillion in Q1 2025…
Author: Michael Chibuzo
By Dada Olusegun Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is a well-known character in Nigeria’s political space thanks to his 24 years presence in the corridors of power both at the state and national level. Some would say he was a formidable force at some point in Nigeria’s modern democratic journey and at 60, may yet play one or two more roles in the country’s democratic future. Chibuike Amaechi began his mainstream political career as a Member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Ikwerre Constituency in 1999 and became Speaker of the House for eight years before serving as Rivers State…
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88, according to the Vatican. “This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the statement, which was published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel. The death of the Pontif comes after he appeared at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Sunday to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers who gathered to catch a glimpse of him. Pope Francis was discharged from hospital…
By Tunde Rahman Empathy is a defining feature of leadership and one of the qualities a good leader must have. How a leader acts at every point always gives us a sense of how he has internalised and embraced this important virtue. On Tuesday, February 4, President Bola Tinubu approved a whopping N758 billion to settle longstanding pension liabilities under the Contributory Pension Scheme for federal workers nationwide. The approval, given during a Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, was a historic decision. It marked a watershed moment in Nigeria’s pension administration. It was the first time the Federal Government…
As President Bola Tinubu marked his 73rd birthday celebration, his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari penned down a birthday tribute to the President in a statement released by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Garba Shehu. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, according to Garba Shehu, “underscored the bond between him and the President with a call, joining the family and the nation in celebrating the birthday of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu.” He said that in a telephone call on Friday, the former President said he and the members of his family are in prayers for Tinubu for long life, good…
By Michael Chibuzo In the past few days, a raging national debate of whether to immortalise the late Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu or not has taken hold with many individuals taking strong positions on either side of the debate. It all started when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe moved a motion to immortalise Prof. Humphrey Nwosu by renaming the INEC headquarters in Abuja after him. The contents of the motion elicited debate on the floor of the Senate with many senators speaking in favour or against the motion. Eventually the motion was rejected and Sen.…
By Tunde Rahman As the leadership crisis rocking Rivers State escalated into the destruction of vital oil and gas infrastructure amid looming impeachment threats against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu, President Bola Tinubu wielded the big stick last Tuesday imposing a state of emergency on the oil rich state. He suspended the governor, his deputy and the inflexible state House of Assembly for a period of six months, and appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), as the administrator of the state. Following his inauguration on Wednesday, Ibas has begun the critical assignment.…
By Michael Chibuzo No one saw it coming. It started on Tuesday with a short notice from the state house announcing a presidential broadcast scheduled for 7pm. After few paragraphs of President Tinubu’s national broadcast, it was obvious to keen observers that he was going to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State. And so he did. But how did we get here? BACKGROUND TO THE WIKE VS FUBARA GAME OF THRONES The genesis of the Rivers State political crisis can be traced to a falling out between a political godfather and his godson in 2023. For whatever reason,…
…protesters demand removal of Olu Agunloye as SDP national secretary Few days after former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), crisis has hit the SDP following calls by forces loyal to El-Rufai for the SDP National Secretary, Ola Agunloye to resign. On Wednesday, some protesters stormed the national secretariat of the Social Democratic Party in Abuja demanding the removal of Olu Agunloye as the party’s national secretary. The protesters accused Ola Agunloye, who is a former Minister of Power and Steel under the administration of President…
…harps on the need to always uphold the rule of law President Bola Tinubu, addressing political leaders from the South-South on Tuesday in Abuja, emphasised the critical need for adherence to the rule of law in Rivers State to ensure lasting peace and prosperity. During a meeting with representatives and leaders of the Niger Delta under the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), President Tinubu reiterated that respect for the judiciary is crucial in upholding democracy and fostering harmony. The President advised the leaders to be more broadminded, selfless and focused on the larger vision of salvaging the region, politically and economically,…