Month: April 2026

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate removal of Mr Saidu Mohammed as the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), citing public interest.

In a statement released Thursday, the President also announced the nomination of Mr Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as the new Chief Executive, subject to Senate confirmation.

The decision, made under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, is part of efforts to strengthen regulatory effectiveness in the midstream and downstream petroleum sector, aligned with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Mr Umar brings over 25 years of experience across the energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors. He is a graduate of Accounting from Bayero University and an alumnus of Harvard Business School, with a track record in strategic leadership, operational transformation, and large-scale project delivery.

Pending Senate confirmation, the most senior official of the NMDPRA will oversee operations in an acting capacity.

President Tinubu thanked the outgoing chief executive for his service and wished him well in future endeavours, while reaffirming his commitment to capable leadership in key regulatory institutions to advance energy security, sector reform, and sustainable economic growth.

By Anwar Usman

President Bola Tinubu has approved the allocation of plots of land to Nigerian ambassadors and high commissioners-designate in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory minister, Nyesom Wike, disclosed on Wednesday.

The minister made the announcement while receiving the envoys on a courtesy visit at his official residence in Life Camp, Abuja.

The delegation was led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dunoma Umar Ahmed, as part of an induction programme for the newly appointed ambassadors.

According to the minister, the president’s decision was driven by the need to give Nigeria’s overseas representatives a permanent foothold in the capital for when they return for periodic briefings.

“The President believes that most of you do not have a place in Abuja… he will encourage you to see how you will put up where you can stay. Before you leave this morning, each and every one of you should have your form to apply for a land allocation in Abuja,” Wike said.

The minister further used the occasion to charge the envoys with the responsibility and urged them to defend and project Nigeria’s international standing. “You are, in essence, the mirror of this country. The way the world sees you is the way it will see Nigeria,” he said.

He tasked them with reinforcing the economic diplomacy work that President Tinubu had been conducting through extensive foreign engagements.

Mr President has travelled extensively to attract investment and partnerships. It is now your role to reinforce that effort by building confidence in Nigeria as a viable destination for investment,” the minister stated.

Wike also drew attention to development opportunities in the FCT, pointing to infrastructure expansion across the six area councils — Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali — as evidence of Abuja’s growing stature as a global capital.

Wike also announced ongoing partnership talks with Saudi Arabia and Egypt to develop key sectors, as well as plans to engage the European Commission on development cooperation.

He expressed confidence in Nigeria’s near-term prospects, saying: “I remain confident that by 2027, Nigeria will be more peaceful, more united, and stronger as a nation.”

By Sabiu Abdullahi

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has applauded soldiers who took their own lives during combat in Ukraine, where they were fighting alongside Russian forces. His remarks appear to confirm reports that such actions were encouraged to prevent capture.

Speaking at a ceremony in Pyongyang, Kim described those who “unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, in order to defend the great honour” as “heroes”.

Estimates from South Korea indicate that about 15,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to support Russia’s efforts in the western Kursk region. Reports suggest that more than 6,000 of them have died, although neither North Korea nor Russia has officially verified these figures.

For some time, intelligence sources and defectors have claimed that Pyongyang instructed its soldiers to avoid being taken prisoner, even if it meant ending their own lives.

During the event on Monday, Kim praised what he called unwavering loyalty among the troops. “Their self-sacrifice expecting no compensation, and the devotion expecting no reward… This [is] the definition of the height of loyalty of our army,” he said.

The ceremony marked the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to North Korean soldiers who died in the conflict. Among those present were Russia’s Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and the speaker of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin.

In North Korea, military doctrine treats capture as a serious betrayal.

Earlier this year, a South Korean broadcaster aired footage of two captured North Korean soldiers in Ukraine. One of them expressed regret for not ending his life. “Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” the prisoner said.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service had earlier reported that notes recovered from fallen North Korean troops suggested adherence to this extreme practice.

Kim also honoured those who died in battle, including fighters who were unable to complete their assigned missions. “Those who fell in the vanguard of charges and those who writhed in frustration at the failure to fulfill their duties as soldiers who were given orders, rather than in pain in their bodies torn by bullets and shells – they too can be called the party’s faithful warriors and patriots,” he stated.

In June 2024, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement that commits both nations to support each other in the event of “aggression”. At the time, Kim described the pact as the “strongest ever”.

Apart from deploying troops, North Korea has also pledged to send thousands of workers to assist in reconstruction efforts in the Kursk region.

The United States government has announced plans to release a limited number of special passports that will carry the image of President Donald Trump. The initiative is intended to mark the country’s 250th Independence anniversary.

The State Department said the passports will be produced as a special edition and will only be available for a short period.

Officials noted that the move departs from established norms in democratic nations, where it is uncommon for a sitting president’s image to appear in official travel documents.

The department’s spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, said the release is scheduled to coincide with the July 4 celebrations.

Reports indicate that the passports will be obtainable at designated locations in Washington and will not attract any additional cost.

However, lawmakers from the Democratic Party have criticised the decision, accusing the government of misusing taxpayers’ money.

By Grey Akans 

In the lush, undulating hills and valleys of Southern Kaduna, a quiet crisis is unfolding. It is not the kind that makes headlines with sudden violence, but one that works its way silently through generations, eroding the very bedrock of our identity. Our languages, the ancient vessels of our wisdom, history, and worldview, are gradually going extinct.

Each of the dozens of languages spoken here—Gbagyi, Bajju, Atyap, Kataf, Jaba, Fantswam, and many more—is a unique universe. They are not mere collections of words but intricate systems of knowledge. Our languages carry the names of medicinal plants known only to our ancestors, the proverbs that distilled centuries of wisdom, and the folktales told under the moonlight that taught us morality and courage. They hold the specific terms for the textures of soil, the phases of the moon for farming, and the subtle behaviours of animals. When a language dies, it is not just words that are lost; it is an entire library of human experience and ecological understanding that burns down, leaving no ashes behind.

The forces behind this silent extinction are complex and powerful. The dominance of Hausa as the lingua franca of commerce, administration, and social interaction in Northern Nigeria is a primary factor. For our children to thrive in markets and schools outside our communities, fluency in Hausa becomes a necessity, often at the expense of their mother tongue. Adding to this is the overwhelming influence of English, the official language of education and modernity. From nursery school to university, success is measured in one’s command of English. Our native tongues are increasingly confined to the homesteads, and even there, their territory is shrinking.

Perhaps the most painful agent of this loss is our own shift in attitude. A dangerous narrative has taken root, subtly branding our languages as “local” or “vernacular”—synonyms for backwardness in the minds of many. Parents, with the best intentions for their children’s future, now speak to them only in Hausa or English, believing they are giving them a head start in life. Unwittingly, they are severing the deepest root connecting their children to their heritage. The younger generation, fluent in the languages of the wider world, now stumbles over the proverbs of their grandparents. The rich, melodic tones of our ancestors are becoming unfamiliar, replaced by the utilitarian cadence of global tongues.

The consequences are profound. When a people lose their language, they experience a form of cultural amnesia. The unique songs sung during harvest, the playful riddles that sharpened our wits—all these fade into silence. We risk becoming a people without a past, adrift in a homogenised global culture, our distinct identity diluted into a vague, generic label.

But the whisper is not yet silent. There is still time to act. The fight for linguistic survival must begin at home. We must consciously choose to speak our languages to our children, making them the language of love, play, and storytelling. Our community leaders and cultural associations must take the lead by documenting these languages, producing written literature, and organising festivals that celebrate them. We can lobby for the inclusion of our native tongues in the early school curriculum, not to replace English or Hausa, but to stand proudly beside them.

Our languages are more than just a means of communication; they are the soul of Southern Kaduna. They are the breath of our ancestors and the birthright of our children. To let them die is to surrender a part of ourselves we can never recover. We must listen to the fading whisper and raise our voices to sing our songs, tell our stories, and speak our names once more, loudly and proudly, before they are lost to the wind forever.

Grey Akans can be contacted via his Facebook account: Grey Akans.

By Maryam Ahmad

A former head of Israel’s intelligence agency has sharply condemned rising settler violence in the West Bank, saying it has left him “ashamed to be a Jew.”

Tamir Pardo, who led Mossad from 2011 to 2016, made the remarks in a recent interview, warning that attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian communities are eroding Israel’s moral standing and threatening its long-term security. His comments come amid an uptick in reported incidents involving arson, assaults, and property damage in the territory.

Human rights organisations have documented a rise in settler-related violence in recent months, often carried out with limited accountability. Israeli authorities say they are working to curb such incidents, but critics argue enforcement remains inconsistent.

Pardo’s intervention adds to a growing chorus of current and former security officials voicing concern over developments in the West Bank. He urged the government to uphold the rule of law and take decisive action against perpetrators, warning that failure to do so risks further escalation and international isolation.

It is no longer surprising, though still highly debatable, that any political outing by Dr Bala Maijama’a Wunti unsettles opponents and triggers a wave of commentary. Such reactions often generate more noise than substance, with some analysts offering arguments that appear less objective and more dismissive. At times, this tendency reflects a reluctance to confront observable realities or to revisit history in ways that enable a more informed understanding of current developments.

Wunti’s second major appearance since declaring his interest in the gubernatorial race has sparked fresh debate. Central to the discussion is his comparison of Qatar and Bauchi State, which he supports with logical reasoning and verifiable data. For me, this was not the first time I had heard him draw such parallels. I recall a previous engagement where he elaborated extensively on this comparison and shared some insights.

One striking point he raised is the contrast in population. As of January 2026, Qatar has an estimated population of about 3.3 million, while Bauchi State is home to over 8 million people, more than double Qatar’s population. Yet, despite its smaller population, Qatar boasts one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world, supporting a high standard of living, robust infrastructure, and extensive social services. In contrast, Bauchi and Nigeria more broadly continue to grapple with unemployment, inadequate electricity supply, limited access to clean water, and a struggling economy.

Land size presents another compelling contrast. Bauchi State spans approximately 45,837 square kilometres, making it more than four times larger than Qatar, which covers roughly 11,600 square kilometres. Despite its smaller size and limited arable land, Qatar has built a thriving economy. Bauchi, on the other hand, is richly endowed with vast agricultural land, offering significant potential to diversify and expand its economic base.

In terms of natural resources, Qatar produces approximately 2 million barrels of oil per day, forming the backbone of its economic strength. Bauchi State also holds promise in this regard, particularly with the Kolmani oil reserves, though these remain largely undeveloped. The contrast, therefore, is not one of absence but of utilisation. While Qatar has effectively harnessed its resources, Bauchi’s remain underexploited.

Dr Bala Wunti’s experience in the oil and gas sector adds weight to his argument. His perspective invites a reconsideration of what is possible, urging stakeholders to reflect more deeply on the state’s untapped potential.

With strategic planning and a commitment to good governance, transformative progress is achievable. Qatar’s success story is, at its core, a product of deliberate policy choices, effective leadership, and sustained investment. Bauchi State, with its abundant human and natural resources, possesses the foundational elements required for similar advancement.

Mallam Musbahu Magayaki writes from Sabon Fegi, Azare.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has expressed serious concern over the growing involvement of Nigerian university students in cybercrime. He stated that nearly six out of every 10 undergraduates are linked to such activities.

Olukoyede made this known during the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria, which took place in Kano. The event focused on the theme, “Unlocking the Potentials of Artificial Intelligence: University Governance, Internationalization and Rankings”.

He described the situation as “a sad development,” and explained that findings from the commission’s investigations and field operations point to widespread participation of students in internet fraud and similar offences.

“My research in the last one year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation,” he said.

The EFCC chairman revealed that many suspects arrested during recent operations were students. He added that some of them had gone as far as undermining academic standards by allegedly placing lecturers on their payroll.

He linked the development to deeper structural issues, including weak supervision and lapses within university administration.

Olukoyede also referred to a major crackdown in Lagos where 792 individuals connected to an international cybercrime network were apprehended. He noted that a considerable number of those arrested were students. According to him, the operation relied on artificial intelligence tools, which helped expose the scale and complexity of the criminal network.

He further warned about the rise of “Yahoo Plus,” a trend where internet fraud is combined with fetish practices.

The EFCC boss urged university authorities and governing councils to act quickly to address the problem. He advised them to strengthen internal systems and work closely with law enforcement agencies.

Olukoyede also called on pro-chancellors to adopt artificial intelligence-driven governance structures. He said such systems would improve transparency, detect fraud and promote financial accountability.

He pointed out that many tertiary institutions still depend on manual processes. He said this makes them open to abuses such as ghost workers, inflated contracts and mismanagement of funds.

“A university that lacks financial accountability cannot credibly train future professionals. The integrity of our universities is a matter of national security,” he said.

He recommended the use of artificial intelligence in areas such as fraud detection, payroll administration, procurement tracking and academic monitoring. He explained that these tools can identify suspicious transactions, flag unusual salary payments and strengthen auditing systems.

Olukoyede also noted that the EFCC has applied artificial intelligence in its own operations, including digital forensics and financial tracking.

He, however, emphasised that technology should support human supervision and must comply with existing laws, including those on data protection and procurement.

The EFCC chairman stressed the need for training in cybersecurity, machine learning and digital governance within universities. He also called for investment in digital infrastructure such as broadband and cloud systems to support the effective use of artificial intelligence.

He encouraged stronger cooperation between universities, regulatory authorities and anti-corruption agencies to tackle emerging threats.

By Muhammad Abubakar

Kenyan President William Ruto has clarified that his recent remarks suggesting Kenyans speak better English than Nigerians were made during a private conversation that was leaked and taken out of context.

The comments had sparked light-hearted banter on social media between Kenyans and Nigerians, drawing widespread reactions from both countries.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference 2026 in Nairobi, Ruto struck a conciliatory tone, emphasising that Nigerians speak “excellent” English, just as Kenyans do.

The event was attended by a Nigerian delegation, including the Minister of Solid Minerals, Henry Dele Alake.

Ruto’s remarks appeared aimed at easing tensions and reinforcing cordial ties between the two nations following the online exchanges triggered by the earlier statement.

By Daniel Nduka Okonkwo

Nigeria’s debt clock has surged to ₦159.28 trillion, a figure that translates to roughly ₦724,000 per citizen when spread across a population of more than 220 million. This arithmetic alone underscores the scale of the nation’s obligations. While official voices emphasise that the debt-to-GDP ratio remains within accepted thresholds, the underlying reality is sobering: the country’s current account is being financed through persistent domestic borrowing and mounting external debt. Each statistic is a reminder that today’s fiscal gaps are tomorrow’s responsibilities, with the burden of development increasingly shifted onto generations yet unborn.

Is there a way out for Nigerians? The path forward demands more than borrowed billions. It requires a fundamental reassessment of how resources are managed, how revenue is diversified, and how structural weaknesses are addressed. While the figures may suggest sustainability on paper, the lived reality reflects rising costs, shrinking opportunities, and a future increasingly tied to creditor obligations. Breaking this cycle will require bold reforms, transparent governance, and a commitment to building an economy driven by productivity rather than dependence on borrowing.

When distributed across the population, the debt translates to roughly ₦700,000 to ₦725,000 per citizen. This figure is only a statistical illustration and not a legal obligation on individuals. Public debt remains a sovereign responsibility shared by the Federal Government, state governments, and the Federal Capital Territory, and it is serviced through public revenue rather than direct payments by citizens.

As of late 2025, Nigeria’s total public debt stood at approximately ₦159.28 trillion, equivalent to about $103 billion to $111 billion depending on the exchange rate applied. This represents an increase from about ₦144.7 trillion in 2024, reflecting continued reliance on borrowing to finance fiscal deficits.

Nigeria’s debt stock consists of both domestic and external borrowing. Domestic debt is estimated at ₦84-₦85 trillion, while external debt stands at ₦74 trillion. Persistent budget deficits have driven the growth in total debt, increased domestic borrowing through treasury bills and government bonds, and led to exchange rate depreciation, raising the value of the naira against external obligations. By mid-2025, total debt had reached about ₦152.39 trillion before rising further to ₦159.28 trillion by year-end.

Debt servicing remains a more pressing concern than the size of the debt itself. In 2025, debt servicing costs rose to approximately ₦15.8 trillion, up from about ₦12.8 trillion in 2024. Higher interest rates on domestic debt instruments largely drove this increase. Servicing costs for domestic debt rose sharply due to increased yields on treasury bills and Federal Government bonds. At certain points in 2025, the debt service-to-revenue ratio exceeded 80 per cent, meaning that a substantial portion of government revenue was used to service existing debt.

Looking ahead, Nigeria’s 2026 fiscal outlook reflects continued pressure on public finances. The proposed budget projects total expenditure of about ₦58.5 trillion against expected revenue of approximately ₦33.2 trillion, leaving a fiscal deficit of about ₦25 trillion. This gap is expected to be financed largely through additional borrowing, which could push total public debt beyond ₦160 trillion.

Planned borrowing includes external loans estimated at $6 billion, along with an additional $516 million under consideration. However, claims suggesting approvals equivalent to ₦68 trillion appear inconsistent and are likely the result of conversion or reporting errors rather than actual borrowing approvals.

The comparison between Nigeria’s per capita debt of roughly ₦724,000 and the national minimum wage of ₦70,000 is largely symbolic but highlights deeper economic realities. It reflects low-income levels, rising cost of living, and mounting pressure on public finances. It does not imply that citizens are personally responsible for repaying the debt.

Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio, estimated at 35 per cent to 37 per cent, remains below the commonly referenced 60 per cent threshold. However, experts consistently stress that revenue constraints, rather than debt size alone, represent the country’s most significant fiscal risk.

Key concerns include the high share of revenue devoted to debt servicing, limited fiscal space for critical sectors such as infrastructure, health, and education, and potential inflationary risks if deficit financing continues to expand. Exchange rate volatility also affects the dollar value of external debt, adding further complexity to fiscal management.

Nigeria’s public debt, now approaching ₦160 trillion, is not excessive relative to GDP. However, the cost of servicing that debt and the country’s limited revenue base present a growing fiscal challenge. The per capita framing helps illustrate the scale of the burden, but the central issue remains how effectively borrowed funds translate into economic growth and improved living conditions.

As borrowing continues, the sustainability of Nigeria’s fiscal path will depend less on the amount owed and more on how effectively the economy generates the revenue required to support those obligations.

Daniel Nduka Okonkwo is a Nigerian investigative journalist, publisher of Profiles International Human Rights Advocate with Daniels Entertainment, a policy analyst, and human rights activist. He writes from Nigeria and can be reached at dan.okonkwo.73@gmail.com.