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In order to bolster his administration, Governor Hyacinth Alia has requested and been granted permission by the Benue State House of Assembly to name ten more Special Advisers.
During plenary on Thursday, the approval was given in response to the governor’s letter requesting the lawmakers’ approval.

The decision will help the administration improve service delivery throughout the state and consolidate its development strategy, lawmakers argued.

Read Also: Goodluck Jonathan Warns Against Government Interference in Judiciary, Says It Scares Investors

They pointed out that the advisory panel needed to be expanded in order to give the governor professional advice on urgent governance issues.

Just a few days after Governor Alia announced a new group of important appointments to statutory boards and strategic offices, the new permission has allowed him to expand his team even more.

According to reports, in the next few days, the governor is anticipated to reveal the identities of the new Special Advisers.

More information soon.

“Judicial independence is essential to creating a stable and reliable business environment,” he said Wednesday at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue in Accra, Ghana.

No investor, Jonathan emphasized, would put money into an economy when the judiciary is tainted and controlled by politics.

Everyone is impacted by it. No businessman, for instance, would bring his money to invest in a nation with a compromised court, where a government official might order judges to render a particular verdict. Because it is a huge risk, no individual brings his money to invest in that economy,” he remarked.

In order to ensure Nigeria’s future, Jonathan continued, its leaders must maintain justice and equity regardless of their own political or personal agendas.

“No matter how difficult it is, we must work to do what is right if we are to create a country for our children and grandchildren,” he stated.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chapter in Abia State has declared that former president Goodluck Jonathan must adhere to due process prior to running for president in 2027.

Jonathan’s right to run was acknowledged by the party, which also said that the PDP is an inclusive platform where qualified members can freely aim for any office in line with party policies and the Nigerian Constitution.

The party’s Abia State chairman, Abraham Amah, told Punch on Tuesday that a free and fair election would be used to choose the party’s presidential candidate.

But according to him, Jonathan has not yet properly presented his manifesto to the party.

“The People’s Democratic Party’s Abia State Chapter has been interested in rumors and questions about whether former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would be interested in running for our great party’s presidential ticket in the upcoming general elections,” he stated. Jonathan is entitled to argue.

It will be decided by a free, fair, transparent, and democratic presidential convention of the People’s Democratic Party. Personal inclinations, wishful thinking, or one-sided support from any one party member, organization, or structure are not the issue.

Being a renowned party leader and former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is entitled under the constitution to run for the party’s ticket if he so chooses.

“The PDP continues to be an inclusive and open platform where all eligible members are free to pursue any office in compliance with the Nigerian Constitution and party guidelines.”

Additionally, he stated, “We are aware that some influential interest groups within the PDP strongly believe that Dr. Jonathan is eminently qualified to give the party a strong and competitive representation at the national level.”

Amah stated that while these viewpoints are taken into consideration, the convention’s delegates have the final say.

Engagements with the Abia PDP are still open. Former President Jonathan has not yet formally presented his vision, agenda, or policy direction to the Abia PDP. However, we think there is still time for him or any other candidate to get in touch with our chapter and ask for help.

We invite all candidates to apply. The Abia PDP stays impartial until all candidates have had a chance to present their plans and the convention makes a decision. We invite all prospective presidential candidates to formally introduce themselves, their platforms, and their plans for Nigeria.

Within the Abia PDP, as well as throughout the nation, the party is closely observing political developments. In accordance with our members’ and stakeholders’ interests, we will formally announce our stance when the time is right,” Amah stated.

After its state chairman resigned from the state NLC Caretaker Committee, which is chaired by Prof. Lewis Monday Igbafen, the Edo State chapter of the National Union of Textile and Garment Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), led by Comrade Ochei Mike Onyebuchi, has been placed on indefinite leave.

After the zonal exco meeting in Benin City, the Union’s Deputy General Secretary, Comrade Emeka Nkwoala, informed reporters of the suspension and said the Oche-led exco was fired for defaming the union.

After the former exco was dissolved due to various reasons, Comrade Nkwoala remembered that Comrade Joe Ajaero, the national president of the NLC, had sought NUTGTWN to propose a member to join the caretaker committee, which was led by Prof. Monday Igbafen and was tasked with guiding the union’s operations.

Comrade Oche, who was properly consulted prior to nomination, joyfully accepted membership in the five-member committee and was sworn in, according to the deputy general secretary. The union was, however, mortified when word leaked out last weekend about Ochei’s abrupt resignation.

He stated: “On Monday, September 15, 2025, we learned of his resignation through social media, claiming that he was forced to accept the offer. He resigned without notifying the union. Given that he was contacted and advised on the extent of the task prior to his candidacy, which he voluntarily accepted, he should have informed the union of his desire to quit.

He claimed that the national organization of NUTGTWN, the affiliate union of former NLC president Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who was a staunch unionist in his prime, believed Comrade Ochei brought the union into disrepute because, despite being duly consulted and agreeing to serve on the committee before its inauguration, he brought it into disrepute.

He said, “The Edo State members of NUTGTWN pleaded during the meeting that they will write an apology letter to the national body and beg not to be dissolved but instead accepted to be suspended till further notice.”

According to Comrade Nkwoala, the suspended state chairman acknowledged that he resigned from the committee because of pressure and a strong conviction that the committee was hostile to the Edo State Government, but he denied giving an interview to any media outlet during the meeting.

Using the media, he argued that Ochei and his exco’s actions had repercussions because they obtained his consent before to his nomination but neglected to contact the union before his resignation.

“He [Comrade Ochei] has brought the union to disrepute,” Comrade Nkwoala underlined. During its Zoom meeting on Monday, September 15, 2025, the National Administrative Council decided to abolish the union’s Edo State branch.

As of right now, our union in Edo has suspended the state executive led by Ochei Mike Onyebuchi till further notice. Together with the other state chairmen of our zone in Benin City, we came to that conclusion.

This conclusion coincides with the union’s national Administrative Council’s resolution. They are therefore unable to represent the union in Edo or Nigeria in any manner.

The Executive Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has been nominated by the Leadership of Independent Newspapers for the coveted Platinum Award as Education Ambassador in honor of his exceptional contributions to the state’s educational transformation.

Since taking office, Governor Okpebholo has made education a top priority because it is the cornerstone of sustained growth. Together with Dr. Paddy Iyamu, the Commissioner for Education, his administration has built or rebuilt more than 65 public schools throughout the state in just eight months, and it has hired more than 600 new teachers.

Additionally, he raised Ambrose Alli University’s (AAU) Ekpoma subvention from ₦40 million to ₦500 million, a significant move that revitalized the school and addressed long-standing issues.

Furthermore, more than 1,000 medical and nursing students who had been stranded for four years under the previous administration were able to be inducted thanks to Governor Okpebholo.

Additionally, he resolved the eight-year AAU JAMB regularization bottleneck, which allowed more than 1,000 students to become eligible for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and regularize their admissions.
In order to further enhance the infrastructure for tertiary education, the government is now constructing a lecture hall with a capacity of 1,500 and a hostel with 600. Additionally, the new minimum wage has been fully implemented with a 5,000 increment throughout the state education eco system.

After 23 years since its founding, his administration has also helped the Polytechnic community by facilitating the development of a 5 km internal road at Usen Polytechnic in partnership with the NDDC.
In addition, no student in any Edo State tertiary school is being sent home for fees, making education essentially free in conjunction with the Federal Government’s NELFUND initiative.

Governor Monday has fully implemented the free primary education legacy at the basic education level and started the “Edu Rescue initiative,” which aims to get homeless children back to school where they belong. This will guarantee that every Edo child has access to high-quality, tuition-free education in a supportive setting.
In order to eradicate certificate fraud and guarantee the digitalization and authentication of all outcomes resulting from the digital public infrastructure, Educert 2.0 was introduced in partnership with the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation.

All students and guardians can use this to print their certificates online for free.

Governor Okpebholo deserves the title of Education Ambassador because of his advocacy, investments, and dedication to child education, according to Independent Newspapers.

The Platinum Award event will take place at the Eko Hotels & Suites on Victoria Island in Lagos on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Sir Ahmadu Bello will receive posthumous legacy awards from President Bola Tinubu, the Distinguished Guest of Honor, while Professor Barth Nnaji will give a public lecture during the occasion.

Senator Monday Okpebholo is, in fact, bringing about change in a difficult society by facilitating children’s goals and assisting parents in ending the cycle of poverty.

The federal government has been urged to free Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), by John Azuta-Mbata, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

Kanu should be released so that he can receive the proper medical care, Azuta Mbata underlined.

In a short video message distributed to reporters on Thursday, he made this plea.

In 2015, Kanu was initially taken into custody on suspicion of treason.

He fled the country in 2017 after failing to post bail, and Nigerian security forces conducted a contentious operation that resulted in his apprehension again in Kenya in June 2021.

Since then, the Department of State Services, or DSS, has been in charge of him.

Kanu’s arrest has no benefit to the nation, according to Azuta Mbata, who encouraged the federal government to look into a political solution.

According to him, “The government has no real advantage in keeping him around.” In addition to ensuring his safety and well-being, the government must permit him to travel and receive medical care as soon as feasible.

“This crisis requires a political response from the administration. I don’t think the government has a compelling reason to hold him any longer.

It is anticipated that the post-emergency plenary of the Rivers State House of Assembly, presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, will start on Thursday.

The lawmakers will reassemble in the Conference Hall, which is part of the Port Harcourt legislative building, it was learned.

The MPs have been gathering in the conference hall since arsonists bombed their official chamber at the House of Assembly compound along Moscow Road.

Prior to this, on March 18, President Bola Tinubu had suspended the emergency rule.

President Tinubu asked lawmakers and state governor Siminalayi Fubara to return to their responsibilities after lifting the suspension in a statement on Wednesday.

All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman Nentawe Yilwatda has boasted that no Nigerian politician intimidates the party.
He claimed that if former President Goodluck Jonathan does not run on a convincing political platform, his prospects of winning are doomed, regardless of how good his candidacy is.

The ruling party’s motor is sufficiently lubricated and prepared to win the election, he said.

Speaking to reporters on a Jos radio show, he denied that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition was a threat.

No name, he said, can frighten the APC or serve as a source of intimidation or danger to the party.

Yilwatda contended that the coalition was, at most, local in scope rather than national, which renders it ineffective from the start.

“As it stands right now, the APC is not afraid of any name in Nigeria and is ready to win an election,” he stated. When it comes to discussing a person’s name while talking the party, you know you need a vehicle to carry you. Our engines and machinery are well-oiled and ready to win elections and win them decisively. You don’t need a nice car to get your expensive garments to a reception. The vehicle will break down while traveling. Which car is going to transport Jonathan? Does it have ADC? Does it have PDP?

“The opposition as it exists currently only exists in pockets within states and localities; there is no national opposition. The opposition parties’ inability to gain a single seat in the north during the most recent rerun election, as well as in the South-South and South-East, demonstrates their limited power.

The president has been shown maturity in his political path, which is why the 2014 merger was able to withstand the test of time, he said, praising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his political strength and wisdom.

He claimed that people did not give Asiwaju enough credit during the 2013 coalition. Although he was at the center of the coalition, he played a fatherly role and did not run for president. He gathered all the contenders together, using his house as a gathering place, but he showed no interest. Without turning back or requesting anything, he made his investment and saw the coalition through to its conclusion.

Without a central leader or focal point, everyone entering the coalition today is searching for the ticket. If no one is willing to make sacrifices and you believe that the alliance will succeed, it is doomed from the start.

Workers on the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project have protested about illegal tax deductions in Bonny, Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers State.

According to reports, fitters and welders started the protest, which was organized by Daewoo Contractors employees, and then it extended to junior employees.

Each employee has been required to pay approximately N150,000 per month for tax clearance throughout the previous two years, according to the data.

However, the irate employees claim that NLNG has not provided them with their Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) in spite of the deductions they have made over the last two years.

Read Also: Benue Govt Launches N16.8bn Fertilizer Scheme, Bags to Sell at ₦22,500 Each

Then they said that an audit found irregularities that showed the taxes were never sent to the federal government even though they were deducted each month.

Consequently, the employees are requesting that their TINs be released and that the money that has been withheld for the past two years be returned.

When repeated pleas for clarity were not answered, one of the workers who was protesting—a pipe welder—spoke on condition of anonymity to clarify that the demonstration started on Monday.

The conclusions reached during such discussions have not been put into effect, he continued, despite the company’s request that workers designate representatives for dialogue.

Furthermore, a protester accused their union of compromising the issue, claiming that union executives had known about it for two years but had kept quiet because they were profiting from the “illegal taxation.”

More information will be available soon.

With a pledge to create hundreds of billionaire farmers in the next two years, Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has revealed a N16.8 billion fertilizer initiative aimed at reestablishing the state as Nigeria’s agricultural powerhouse.

Governor Alia said 9,000 metric tonnes (600 truckloads) of fertilizer NPK, urea, and SSP will be given to farmers at half the market price during the official opening of the 2025 cropping season and distribution of subsidized farm inputs in Makurdi. Farmers would pay N22,500 for each bag, with the government providing a subsidy to cover the remaining amount.

The governor emphasized that delays were caused by fraudulent acts by certain vendors in 2024 and stated that the state has also concluded arrangements to settle nearly ₦5 billion owing to legitimate fertilizer suppliers from the previous year.

“We want to use farming to create hundreds of millionaires.” Young farmers ought to benefit from this assistance. Benue pride is found in farming, which is also where our money resides,” Alia said.

In order to provide farmers with timely access to resources, he disclosed that Benue has already implemented a new agricultural calendar that guarantees the distribution of wet season inputs between April and June and dry season inputs between November and January.

Additionally, Governor Alia promised that starting in December, no raw oranges would be shipped from the state since Benue’s new fruit processing facility would provide value locally.

Additionally, he ordered that 300 bags of fertilizer be distributed to widows who attended the event, and he asked farmer cooperatives to make sure that the distribution was transparent.

In an effort to combat corruption, the government has implemented cashless fertilizer sales via point-of-sale terminals at approved facilities, according to Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Benjamin Ashaver.

In order to fill in the gaps in extension services and improve transparency, he added, a reliable farmers’ record and hybrid digital platform were being created.

As his company revitalized the dormant Benue Fertilizer Plant to make crop-specific fertilizers for the state, Dr. Julius Atorough, CEO of Star Fertilizer, gave farmers assurances that contaminated fertilizer would be eradicated.

Read Also: Breaking: Ibas Formally Transfers Power to Fubara in Rivers, Gives Final Address

The effort was praised by Ter Lobi, HRH Moses Anagende, and Benue State House of Assembly Committee Chairman of Agriculture, Hon. Emmanuel Shimawua, who described it as timely help that would increase productivity and restore farmers’ faith in security in rural areas.

There were cultural exhibits, music, and a ribbon-cutting during the ceremony.

With a pledge to create hundreds of billionaire farmers in the next two years, Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has revealed a N16.8 billion fertilizer initiative aimed at reestablishing the state as Nigeria’s agricultural powerhouse.

Governor Alia made the announcement that 9,000 metric tonnes (600 truckloads) of fertilizer, including NPK, urea, and SSP, will be given to farmers at half the market price during the official opening of the 2025 cropping season and the distribution of subsidized agriculture inputs in Makurdi. Farmers would pay N22,500 for each bag, with the government providing a subsidy to cover the remaining amount.

The governor emphasized that delays were caused by fraudulent acts by few vendors in 2024 and stated that the state has also concluded arrangements to pay over N5 billion owing to legitimate fertilizer suppliers from the previous year.

“We want to use farming to create hundreds of millionaires.” Young farmers ought to benefit from this assistance. Benue pride is found in farming, which is also where our money resides,” Alia said.

In order to provide farmers with timely access to resources, he disclosed that Benue has already implemented a new agricultural calendar that guarantees the distribution of wet-season inputs between April and June and dry-season inputs between November and January.

Additionally, Governor Alia promised that starting in December, no raw oranges would be shipped from the state since Benue’s new fruit processing facility would provide value locally. Additionally, he ordered that 300 bags of fertilizer be distributed to widows who attended the event, and he asked farmer cooperatives to make sure that the distribution was transparent.

In an effort to combat corruption, the government has implemented cashless fertilizer sales via point-of-sale terminals at approved facilities, according to Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Benjamin Ashaver. In order to bridge extension-service gaps and improve transparency, he added, a reliable farmers’ record and hybrid digital platform were being built.

As his company revitalized the dormant Benue Fertilizer Plant to make crop-specific fertilizers for the state, Dr. Julius Atorough, CEO of Star Fertilizer, gave farmers assurances that contaminated fertilizer would be eradicated.

The effort was praised by Ter Lobi, HRH Moses Anagende, and Benue State House of Assembly Committee Chairman of Agriculture, Hon. Emmanuel Shimawua, who described it as timely help that would increase productivity and restore farmers’ faith in security in rural areas.