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By Haroon Aremu Abiodun

It all began like any other viral moment on Nigerian social media, but then it took a turn. Popular TikTok sensation Hamzat Habeeb Adelaja, popularly known as Peller, shocked followers recently with a post that seemed almost too generous to be true. He was hiring a cameraman for a monthly salary of ₦500,000. The news spread like wildfire, and in no time, graduates, yes, university graduates, trooped in for interviews, hoping to clinch the role under the young entertainer’s banner.

But beneath the glitz of that social media post lies a stark irony, a brutal reflection of Nigeria’s current socioeconomic reality: a secondary school certificate holder interviewing degree holders for a position in the gig economy. Is this a triumph of hustle over education or a symptom of a failing system?

This scenario has ignited widespread controversy. Should someone with Peller’s academic background employ graduates? Is he flaunting success in a way that undermines the value of formal education? Or is he, in his own unorthodox way, contributing to job creation in a country where unemployment is a ticking time bomb?

Regardless of where you stand, one truth remains: Nigeria’s youths are not only unemployed, they are disillusioned.

But, beneath the glamour, is Peller’s youth the key to his controversial rise? At age 20, can Peller truly shoulder the weight of fame, fortune, and the emotional toll that comes with being in the public eye? Fame is a double-edged sword, and wealth earned in the public space, especially in a country like Nigeria, where social values matter, can either elevate or destroy a brand.

Some have attributed his behaviour to immaturity, a lack of exposure, or poor guidance. Others question the roles played by his management and inner circle. Are they enabling his excesses or helping him stay grounded?

Peller’s youth and maturity seem to be dancing to different tunes at times in sync, at other moments, sharply distinct. While his age brings the energy, creativity, and audacity that fuel his rise, it may also limit the depth of judgment that comes with lived experience. Despite his fame and financial success, one thing remains true: maturity isn’t measured by wealth or followers. 

He may be richer or more popular than his advisers, but that doesn’t make guidance obsolete. In fact, the higher one climbs, the more essential wise counsel becomes. No matter our age or status, we all need mentors, correction, and continued learning because growth, like fame, should never outpace wisdom.

This is not Peller’s first brush with public criticism. During the heated JAMB controversy months ago, he was branded a poor role model. Critics say he misuses his influence. Admirers say he is just being himself. But the question is not just what Peller does, it’s what he represents.

When individuals like Peller become the aspiration of thousands of young people, what message are we sending? That fame, regardless of how it’s earned, trumps knowledge, experience, and decorum?

One might ask, is this a systemic failure or a personal flaw? But the deeper question is this: Can we really blame Peller for being a product of a broken system? Or should we point fingers at the society that created him, a society where education is devalued and unemployment drives graduates to accept roles from entertainers with no formal qualifications?

This is a national dilemma. Young people are no longer looking to engineers, doctors, or scholars as role models. They now look to influencers, many of whom may lack the maturity or training to handle such responsibility.

This isn’t just about Peller; it’s about perception, power, and public influence.

The Brand at Risk: PR Implications

From a public relations perspective, Peller’s every move is now under a magnifying glass. As a brand, his current trajectory presents both opportunity and risk. He is loved by many but also watched with scrutiny by an equal number. His brand power lies in his authenticity, but even that must be managed with intentionality because one viral moment can either grow his brand or ruin it.

In a society where cultural norms still dictate public perception, Peller must understand that his brand isn’t just about content; it’s about conduct. His platform gives him power, and with that comes responsibility.

PR experts warn that failing to manage this carefully could result in brand erosion, reduced partnerships, and a gradual loss of public trust. A sustainable career in entertainment requires more than charisma—it demands discipline.

Beyond the Buzz: What should Peller do? It’s easy to dismiss these concerns as envy or moral policing, but that would be a mistake. Peller is a Nigerian pride, a self-made entertainer who carved a niche and created employment. That in itself is commendable. But with influence comes expectation. With status comes scrutiny.

This article is not to tear Peller down. It is to offer a lens of accountability, reflection, and growth. The same media that celebrates must also question, not out of hate, but out of hope that Nigeria’s influencers will see themselves not just as entertainers, but as leaders in a generation gasping for direction.

Peller can choose to be more. He can use his platform to elevate the values of integrity, hard work, and education, even as he continues to thrive in entertainment. He can show that success does not require disrespect, and that influence is not a license for irresponsibility.

Whether he likes it or not, Peller is not just a content creator. He’s a movement. And movements, when misdirected, can lose their magic or worse, mislead millions.

Final Thought

Peller’s story is still unfolding. He is talented, young, and full of potential. This is not a final verdict, but a cautionary tale. The camera is rolling, the nation is watching.

The real question is: What will Peller do next?

Haroon Aremu Abiodun, An Author, public Affairs Analyst. He wrote in via exponentumera@gmail.com

By Uzair Adam

Government has revealed that the majority of bandit attacks in the state are being aided by informants and some members of affected communities who supply food, fuel, drugs, and other essentials to the criminals.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Nasir Mu’azu, made this known while briefing journalists on Thursday in Katsina, lamenting that about 80 per cent of attacks are linked to insider collaboration.

Mu’azu said some community members act as informants or conduct illicit trade with the criminals at highly inflated prices inside the forests, thereby enabling their operations and profiting from the insecurity.

“In one of the communities affected by the insecurity, a man was found selling a bottle of Coca-Cola for N3,000, and another sold fuel to the bandits for N5,000 per litre,” he disclosed.

He added that drugs and illicit substances are also being supplied at high prices, creating a profitable business for the collaborators.

“Some people even connive with bandits to facilitate abductions of specific victims, including family members,” he said.

Citing a shocking example, the commissioner narrated a case where a man colluded with bandits to kidnap his diabetic father.

“When the bandits brought him to their hideout, they already had diabetic medication ready for his daily treatment. The family eventually paid N30 million in ransom, and the man received N8 million for facilitating the abduction,” he explained.

Mu’azu also said that some informants tip off bandits when Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jets take off for operations, enabling the criminals to evade airstrikes by taking cover within civilian populations.

“This has made it difficult for the military to succeed in some of their missions,” he said.

According to him, only about 20 per cent of the insecurity challenge in the state can be attributed directly to bandits, while the remaining 80 per cent is driven by the actions of insiders who aid and abet them.

While noting that the state government has made significant progress using kinetic approaches in some local government areas, he stressed the need for community cooperation and non-kinetic solutions to address the root of the problem.

He urged the public to provide credible information that could support security efforts, assuring that all such reports would be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Tinubu has called on state governors to increase investments in poverty eradication, rural electrification, agriculture, and infrastructure to improve the lives of Nigerians.

Speaking at the 150th National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday, Tinubu emphasized the need for collaboration between federal and state governments to stimulate growth in rural areas.

“We must change the story of our people in the rural areas. The economy is recovering, but we need to do more to benefit the grassroots,” he said.

The NEC endorsed the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP), a new initiative targeting Nigeria’s 8,809 wards to boost economic growth.

The plan, presented by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, aims to achieve double-digit growth by supporting agriculture, food security, and local economic activities.

Tinubu also directed the transfer of the Office of the Surveyor-General to the presidency to fast-track major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways.

Additionally, the council called for stronger state emergency agencies and the release of funds to tackle impending flood risks.

The RHWDP will be overseen by a National Steering Committee, with implementation handled by federal, state, and local governments.

By Abdulrahman Sani

I went to Sudan to study Arabic. That was the beginning, simple and deliberate. But in truth, Arabic was only the surface. Sudan offered more than language. It stirred old questions I had carried with me since adolescence. Questions about memory, exile, and what remains after collapse.

My first encounter with the Sokoto Caliphate’s legacy wasn’t through archives or oral traditions. It was through theatre. I was in secondary school when I read Attahiru by Ahmad Yerima. The image of the Caliph fleeing colonial forces, defiant to the end, burned itself into my mind. I didn’t fully understand the politics then, but I felt the tragedy. That single text became a spark.

Later, I found the writings of Dr. Usman Bugaje, measured and searching. And then came Muhammad Shareef, the African American founder of Jamaa’at Danfodio in the United States, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing [here: https://youtu.be/_5Uj1S0lXQM?si=1BpJ9vusnW2HqWf4]. His writings were rich, wide-ranging, and full of overlooked geographies. It was through him that I first read about Maiurno, a small village in Sudan that held the echoes of Sokoto’s fall.

The very idea of it intrigued me. Remnants of the Caliphate had not only survived but also resettled, rebuilt, and renamed. I wanted to know what happened after Burmi. I wanted to know what exile looked like, generations later.

I mentioned this to my friend Malam Hassan, and soon after, we were on our way — me, him, and our guide. Before Maiurno, I spent some time in a Hausa village in Sudan. The familiarity was immediate. I saw areas named after Illela, heard idioms that sounded like home. It was as though Sokoto had sent a whisper into the desert, and it had echoed back in Sudanese tones.

Maiurno came into view quietly, without ceremony—a flat, sun-beaten village, carrying itself without fanfare. But history rarely announces itself. You feel it in the silences.

We made our way to the Sultan’s palace early in the morning. As we approached, an elderly man greeted me in Fulfulde. I hesitated, then responded in Arabic, admitting I didn’t understand. It was one of those quiet humiliations. A Fulani, abroad, unable to answer in the language of his own people. He smiled politely and said nothing.

We waited. There were others before us, people from another town in Sudan who had come to report a case. In the meantime, I noticed the crocodiles. Yes, crocodiles. They lay in their enclosure like royal guards, unmoving. It felt surreal but somehow fitting. The Sultan was no mere figurehead. He was the acknowledged leader of Hausa and Fulani communities in Sudan, a man of both presence and authority.

When he finally emerged, he received the guests before us. He listened without interruption or impatience. Then he settled their matter with a wisdom that didn’t need to explain itself. That kind of clarity is rare.

Then he turned to me.

I told him why I had come. I said I was interested in the Fodiyawa manuscripts said to be preserved in Sudan. He nodded with understanding, but explained that the key lay with the Sardauna of Maiurno, a scholar of great standing who, ironically, had travelled to Nigeria, my own country.

The Sultan was fluent in Hausa, Arabic, and Fulfulde. He spoke with the calm rhythm of someone used to being listened to. He smiled and said, “I know in Sokoto your Fulfulde doesn’t go beyond Balinjam.” It was said lightly, but it landed with accuracy.

He spoke of his relative, Professor Mukoshay, the author of the Fulani-Hausa dictionary. Then, briefly about Hayat ibn Sa‘id, a name that deserves more telling than time allowed. Before long, I realised I should be recording this. I asked his permission. He agreed with grace.

He began narrating how their ancestors had come to Maiurno after the fall of the Caliphate, how they had built their homes, mosques, and memory on Sudanese soil, and how they still kept contact with their families in Nigeria. He spoke too of the Jamaa’at Danfodio in America with quiet admiration, amused by how history had found new shapes and tongues.

After the conversation, he did something unexpected. He asked, gently, for my contact. I gave it. We shook hands, and I took my leave.

What struck me wasn’t just the story. It was the clarity with which he carried it. My visit to Maiurno took place in 2019. At the time, the country was in a fragile transitional moment, unsure of what lay ahead. But even then, the Sultan stood out–quiet, composed, and principled. In later years, during the war with the RSF militia, I would hear that he remained steadfast and stood with the state when others hesitated. The president himself visited to thank him.

Maiurno wasn’t just a trip. It was a quiet, necessary crossing, from curiosity to memory, from story to place. The Sokoto Caliphate may have fallen in Burmi, but it lives on. In names. In speech. In places like Maiurno, where its sons still remember.

Abdulrahman Sani can be reached via X: @philosopeace.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A leadership crisis has erupted in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after Nafiu Bala, the party’s 2023 Gombe State governorship candidate, declared himself Interim National Chairman on Thursday.

Bala, who previously served as the party’s National Deputy Chairman, announced his new role during a press conference in Abuja.

He accused former party leaders of abandoning their constitutional duties and handing over ADC’s structures to “powerful outsiders.”

The position is currently held by former Senate President David Mark, who was appointed interim chairman after an opposition coalition adopted ADC as its platform.

Bala, however, insists his assumption of the role is legitimate under the party’s constitution.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the leadership change, warning that failure to adhere to ADC’s constitutional guidelines could lead to legal action.

Bala vowed to restore internal democracy, stating, “No party leader has the right to transfer elected mandates to non-members.”

The development signals deepening divisions within the opposition party.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has warned against fraud and racketeering in the upcoming recruitment of officers into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), including Cadet ASPs and Inspectors.

PSC Chairman, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (rtd), issued the warning during a courtesy visit to the Federal Character Commission (FCC) on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

He stressed that any misconduct or manipulation in the recruitment process would be met with strict sanctions.

Argungu emphasized transparency, fairness, and equity, ruling out discretionary waivers or replacements.

He sought FCC’s partnership to ensure balanced representation. FCC Chairman, Hon. Kayode Oladele, welcomed the collaboration, stating that an inclusive police force strengthens public trust and national cohesion.

He reaffirmed FCC’s commitment to monitoring federal character compliance in the recruitment.

While a recruitment date is yet to be announced, the PSC assured Nigerians of a credible and merit-based exercise.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a one-year extension of the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.

Adeniyi’s tenure, originally set to expire on August 31, 2025, will now continue until August 2026.

The extension is aimed at allowing the Customs boss to consolidate ongoing reforms and complete key initiatives of the Tinubu administration.

According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will enable Adeniyi to drive critical projects, including the modernisation of the NCS, the implementation of the National Single Window Project, and the execution of Nigeria’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

President Tinubu commended Adeniyi for his leadership and expressed confidence that the extension would enhance the Service’s ability to deliver on its mandate of revenue generation, trade facilitation, and border security.

Adeniyi, a career customs officer, was appointed Comptroller-General in 2023 and has since spearheaded reforms to improve efficiency in the Service.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Presidency has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is entitled to seek a second term in office, just as the late former President Muhammadu Buhari did.

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made this known during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday.

He urged Northern politicians to exercise patience and respect the rotational power arrangement, arguing that the South supported Buhari for eight years and should be allowed to complete its own turn.

Onanuga dismissed recent claims by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) about Northern marginalisation.

He described such complaints as a veiled attempt to weaken Tinubu’s government.

“This president is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” Onanuga stated.

Addressing allegations that federal appointments under Tinubu favour the Southwest, Onanuga challenged those making the accusations to present credible data rather than general assumptions.

He also dismissed reports of lopsided infrastructure development. He said the Tinubu administration inherited several incomplete and abandoned projects across the country.

Onanuga pointed to appointments in the security sector as proof of inclusiveness, saying Northerners head key agencies under Tinubu’s leadership.

“You need to get your statistics right. It’s all political mischief designed to undermine the President. There are bad roads across the country, not just in the North.

“The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and the two Defence Ministers are all Northerners. Places like Birnin Gwari and Igabi (in Kaduna) are now safer. I drove from Kaduna to Abuja without incident, a journey that was once unthinkable,” he added.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has issued a public advisory warning Nigerians against misusing United States visas, stressing that entry into the U.S. does not exempt visa holders from ongoing scrutiny.

In a press statement dated July 29, 2025, and signed by the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, the Service noted that the U.S. Government had raised concerns about Nigerians engaging in activities that contradict the declared purpose of their travel and the category under which their visas were issued.

“The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) wishes to alert the general public to the concerns raised by the Government of the United States of America on the need for Nigerians to desist from misusing entry visas granted by the US through activities that are inconsistent with the stated purpose of travel and visa classification,” the statement said.

The NCS emphasized that visa vetting continues beyond the point of entry.

It warned that U.S. immigration officials retain the authority to revoke visas at any time if holders are found in breach of immigration laws, import or export regulations, or other legal standards.

“U.S. authorities will continuously monitor the activities of visa holders, and visas can be revoked if holders are found to have violated US immigration protocols, import/export guidelines and other laws,” the Customs Service noted.

The advisory also reminded Nigerian travellers to comply with cash declaration rules when entering or exiting the country.

Individuals carrying more than $10,000 or its equivalent are required to declare it to the authorities. Travellers were also warned not to transport prohibited goods in their luggage.

“It is pertinent to also note that passengers are encouraged to be law abiding citizens and be of good conduct within and outside Nigeria,” the statement added.

Intending U.S. travellers were further advised to uphold integrity in all jurisdictions. According to the Customs, “whoever commits fraud in any jurisdiction will face legal consequences both under U.S. and Nigerian laws.”

The NCS disclosed that it is working closely with the U.S. Mission in Abuja to ensure Nigeria remains in good standing.

The aim is to prevent the inclusion of Nigeria in a broader visa restriction list that could affect legitimate travellers.

“The Nigeria Customs Service wishes to reaffirm that it is working with the U.S. Mission in Abuja to ensure that Nigeria meets the criteria to avoid enlistment into an expanded visa ban that will deny entry to well-meaning Nigerians wishing to travel to the US for their lawful business endeavours,” the statement concluded.

The Customs Service urged members of the public to take these reminders seriously in order to protect Nigeria’s global image and ensure unhindered travel for its citizens.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

Nigerian spoken word artist and poet, Maryam Bukar Hassan, has been appointed the first United Nations Global Advocate for Peace, marking a historic milestone for both the artist and the continent.

Known for her evocative poetry and powerful performances, Hassan, often called “Alhanislam” by her fans, has gained international recognition for using her voice to address pressing social issues. Her latest appointment underscores the UN’s commitment to engaging young voices in the global peacebuilding process.

In her new role, Hassan is expected to lead campaigns that inspire dialogue, promote conflict resolution, and amplify youth perspectives on peace. Her message, rooted in empathy and resilience, has resonated with many around the world.

“Peace is not a silence you force into people’s mouths… It is not the absence of war; it is the presence of understanding,” she says in her latest poem — a reflection of the conviction she brings to her advocacy.

With conflict and crisis affecting millions globally, especially young people, Hassan’s appointment comes at a critical time. Her voice offers not just representation, but a rallying call for hope and healing.