Bola Tinubu

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Protesters on Friday took to the streets of Area 1 in Abuja, where they pulled down campaign posters and banners bearing the image of President Bola Tinubu while chanting, “Tinubu Must Go”.

A video of the incident, which has circulated widely on social media, showed the demonstrators removing the political materials from walls, shops and electricity poles before tearing some of them into pieces.

Some protesters were also seen stepping on the torn posters as they expressed their displeasure with the President’s administration.

The demonstrators, mostly young people, moved through the busy commercial district while chanting slogans against Tinubu. Some also voiced concerns over the rising cost of living, hunger and worsening insecurity across the country.

The immediate reason for the demonstration was not clear as of the time of filing this report.

The incident comes amid reports of similar actions in other parts of the country, where videos have emerged of individuals tearing down posters and billboards bearing the President’s image.

It also follows a warning by the Inspector-General of Police against the deliberate destruction, defacement or unlawful removal of political campaign materials. The police chief had cautioned that such actions constitute criminal offences punishable under the law.

The development has attracted attention on social media, particularly amid growing public complaints about economic hardship and insecurity in the country.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian youths to take an active part in the 2027 general elections, saying the outcome will have far-reaching consequences for their future.

The President made the appeal on Saturday while addressing supporters at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Rivers State.

Tinubu told young Nigerians that they had an important role to play in determining the country’s direction through their participation in the electoral process.

“To the youth of Nigeria, I’m looking at you. This election is about you. It’s not about me. Your future depends on this election,” he said.

He also urged registered voters who had yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to visit designated collection centres and obtain them ahead of the election.

The President described the PVC as a vital tool through which citizens could influence the choice of their leaders and appealed to young people not to waste the opportunity to vote.

“It is left for you to use the weapon you have. And that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it. Please. I beg you. I take God beg you,” Tinubu said.

The President also defended his administration’s economic policies, arguing that economic growth and the equitable distribution of prosperity were necessary to improve Nigerians’ living conditions, especially those of young people.

He said his government was working to settle financial obligations inherited from previous administrations, including outstanding pensions and gratuities owed to retirees.

According to Tinubu, the unpaid liabilities had accumulated to billions and trillions of naira before his administration took office, but efforts were underway to clear them.

“The people that governed before, they left unpaid pensions and gratuity in billions and trillions of naira. That is being cleared. So that every family is included. We are sharing prosperity already,” he said.

Tinubu said the payments formed part of his administration’s wider efforts to ensure that Nigerian families benefited from government policies and economic opportunities.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Vice President Kashim Shettima has acknowledged the economic hardship facing Nigerians as a result of the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms but appealed to citizens to re-elect President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Shettima made the appeal on Sunday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, Cross River State.

While defending the administration’s economic policies, the Vice President argued that although the reforms had imposed difficulties on citizens, their benefits were beginning to emerge and Nigerians should allow more time for the policies to deliver their expected results.

He compared Tinubu’s leadership approach with that of Singapore’s former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, noting that difficult decisions were sometimes necessary to achieve long-term national development.

Shettima urged Nigerians to assess the administration’s performance in the context of the economic situation it inherited when it assumed office in 2023.

He also called on Cross River residents to support the re-election of Tinubu, Governor Bassey Otu, Deputy Governor Peter Odey and APC candidates contesting legislative positions in 2027.

Speaking at the rally, Governor Otu highlighted several federal infrastructure projects expected to benefit the state, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport and the proposed Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat in Calabar.

According to him, the projects could improve transportation, attract investments and create employment opportunities for residents.

Otu also cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as one of the Federal Government’s initiatives aimed at reducing the financial burden of tertiary education on families.

He urged residents to support the APC in the forthcoming general elections.

The rally was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, members of the National Assembly, APC governors, party officials and other political stakeholders.

The Daily Reality

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Advanced Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s trip to Saudi Arabia to pray for Nigeria, arguing that the country’s leaders can offer prayers without travelling abroad.

Makinde said prayers for Nigeria could be offered within the country, insisting that there was no need for the President to travel to Saudi Arabia for that purpose.

The governor made the remarks while reacting to reports of Tinubu’s journey, saying Nigerian leaders should remain in the country and share in the challenges facing citizens.

“I read on social media that our President is travelling to Saudi Arabia to pray for Nigeria. Prayers are answered even in this country. We will stay here and pray for our country and leaders,” Makinde said.

He argued that leadership required being physically present with the people and understanding their difficulties rather than travelling abroad whenever the opportunity arose.

According to him, the President could pray for the country at the Presidential Villa, in churches, mosques or any other location within Nigeria, without necessarily going to Saudi Arabia.

Makinde also said his party, the APM, would not embark on foreign trips for prayers, maintaining that its members would remain with Nigerians while praying for the country and its leaders.

His comments come amid public concerns over Nigeria’s economic difficulties and insecurity, as well as recurring debates about foreign trips by political officeholders.

President Tinubu’s visit to Saudi Arabia has also attracted attention, with the trip reportedly including the performance of the lesser Hajj.

The Daily Reality

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has alleged that some people criticising President Bola Tinubu and his supporters on social media are being paid, urging northern youths to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.

Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday when members of the Arewa Revival Project, a youth group drawn from the 19 northern states, visited him at his office and presented him with an award for his contributions to nation-building.

The group was led by its coordinator, Mustafa Ibrahim.

While thanking the organisation for the recognition, Akpabio urged its members to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election bid and educate Nigerians about what he described as the benefits of continuity in government.

He alleged that some social media users attacking the President and his supporters were receiving financial incentives, although he did not provide evidence to substantiate the claim.

“It is not going to be easy for you because most of those who are attacking the President and attacking these young men on social media are being paid. You are not being paid,” Akpabio said.

He encouraged the youths to organise meetings and engage people at the grassroots, urging them to counter what he described as propaganda against the administration.

Akpabio defends Tinubu’s economic policies

The Senate President defended the administration’s economic policies, including its tax reforms, arguing that the government was working to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil.

He urged young Nigerians to look beyond social media criticism and consider the administration’s economic and legislative initiatives.

Akpabio also praised Tinubu’s performance, saying he and members of the National Assembly supported the President seeking a second term.

He maintained that the administration was introducing changes intended to address longstanding economic challenges and secure a better future for younger Nigerians.

However, his remarks come amid continuing public debate over the impact of the government’s policies on living costs, taxation and household welfare.

State police system may soon become reality — Akpabio

On insecurity, Akpabio expressed optimism that the proposed establishment of state police could soon become a reality.

He said the constitutional amendment process was nearing completion, claiming that about 30 state Houses of Assembly had endorsed the proposal.

“As I speak with you now, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, it may not take us a month before we have a state police system – decentralised policing in the country – because about 30 states have endorsed the amendment to the Nigerian constitution to bring about a state police system, which will further increase the security of the nation,” he said.

The proposed state police system has featured prominently in Nigeria’s constitutional reform debate, with supporters arguing that decentralised policing could help states respond more effectively to local security challenges.

Akpabio also expressed confidence that the country would overcome its security problems, encouraging the visiting youths to remain optimistic as they carried out their mobilisation activities.

Group commends Senate President

Earlier, Ibrahim said the group considered Akpabio deserving of the award because of his contributions to national development and the achievements of the National Assembly under his leadership.

The visit comes as political activities gradually intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, in which Tinubu is expected to seek re-election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Daily Reality

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, arguing that the sharp depreciation of the naira has significantly reduced Nigerians’ purchasing power and worsened poverty.

Obasanjo made the remarks on Wednesday at the Financial Times Africa Summit 2026 in London, United Kingdom, where he faulted the administration’s decision to devalue the naira in 2023.

He argued that the currency’s decline had impoverished Nigerians, citing the movement of the exchange rate from about N500 to the dollar to N1,500.

The former president said, “We do not live in isolation as a country. We interact with the rest of the world. And overnight, you devalue the currency by 300 per cent. The naira went from N500 to a dollar to N1,500 to a dollar. What that meant was that every Nigerian is made poor by 300 per cent.”

Obasanjo said the situation had made Nigeria “the poverty capital of the world,” referring to the country’s large population of people living in poverty.

“You cannot say to me that that is good for Nigeria. You cannot say to me that that is good for us in any sense,” he noted.

He also questioned calls for the Tinubu administration to be given more time to implement its economic policies, saying he had yet to see meaningful improvement in the economy.

“For the economy, I don’t see anything getting better. What policies are you seeing through? You impoverish your people, and you want to see impoverishment through?” he remarked.

Obasanjo further maintained that the policies introduced by the administration were “not in the best interest of Nigerians,” adding, “Nobody can deny that.”

On petrol subsidy removal, the former president acknowledged the importance of fuel to economic activities but argued that corruption associated with the subsidy system should have been addressed first.

He said a country facing severe economic difficulties must “curb corruption, wastefulness and unnecessary luxury and produce.”

Figures cited in the report show that before the Central Bank of Nigeria unified the exchange-rate windows on June 14, 2023, the official naira-to-dollar rate stood at approximately N460.80. By October 19, the official rate had weakened to about N1,333.54, while the currency reached a low of approximately N1,607.05 in early May 2025.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics reported that headline inflation fell to 14.63 per cent in September from 20.98 per cent a year earlier. Food inflation, however, stood at 19.59 per cent, while Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter.

Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele said on August 19 that the removal of the petrol subsidy saved the government N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025.

Efforts to obtain the Presidency’s response to Obasanjo’s criticism were unsuccessful, as Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, could not be reached.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A youth political support group in Cross River State, the Evidence Group, has endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu for a second term ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The endorsement was announced on Friday during the unveiling of the group in Ogoja Local Government Area, where its Ogoja working committee was also inaugurated.

The group said it planned to mobilise grassroots support for Tinubu, Otu and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the state.

Speaking at the event, the group’s Director-General, Eyoma Bassey, said its mobilisation drive would cover campuses, villages, wards and polling units.

“The group is a youth based support group that rallies support for Mr President, our Governor and the APC candidates. With this initiative, we are going to different campuses, villages, wards and polling units to mobilize people to vote for the APC.”

Bassey directed the newly inaugurated committee to begin mobilisation at ward and polling-unit levels. He added that the group’s structures would require approval from its central leadership before they could be publicly announced.

He said the organisation would also promote the achievements of the Tinubu and Otu administrations as part of its campaign for their re-election.

“This gathering demonstrates the readiness of Cross River youths to mobilise support for the APC-led administration at both the state and federal levels. Therefore, we will remain proactive in selling the achievements of both President Tinubu and Governor Otu administrations to the people”, the DG said.

The group’s Ogoja Coordinator, Jude Fingha, said the chapter was prepared to work towards the APC’s victory in the 2027 elections.

He disclosed that the group had adopted the slogan “5 over 5” as part of its drive to secure electoral victories for the party’s candidates at different levels in the state.

Fingha described the initiative as an effort to mobilise support for the current administrations and urged young people to participate peacefully in politics without resorting to violence or intolerance.

“The entire purpose is to galvanise support once again and bring back the governor and others who are in line back to office by 2027,” he said.

The group’s Director of Women Mobilisation, Precious Bessong, called on women to take an active role in encouraging their families and communities to support the APC.

Bessong argued that empowering women benefits families and the wider society, urging them to promote continuity in government.

The endorsement forms part of early political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, as parties and support groups begin efforts to build grassroots backing for their preferred candidates.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Lagos for Abuja this evening, ending a six-day visit to Nigeria’s former seat of government.

Tinubu arrived in Lagos on Tuesday, September 29, after spending his annual vacation in London and Paris.

While in Lagos, the President addressed the nation on October 1 to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day anniversary. Later that day, he attended the National Premiere of MKO, a documentary on the life, political struggle and enduring legacy of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola and the historic June 12 pro-democracy struggle. The event was held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts.

On Sunday, President Tinubu visited the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu, at his Iga Iduganran Palace on Lagos Island.

The President’s return to Abuja was announced in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy).

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Eight members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly have resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing worsening insecurity, alleged injustice and the failure to pay their salaries and allowances.

The lawmakers announced their decision in a statement on Sunday, accusing the party and the state administration of failing to adequately address security challenges affecting residents across the state.

Those who resigned are Aliyu Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South; Ibrahim Bakura, representing Bakura; Faruk Dosara, representing Maradun I; and Bashir Masama, representing Bukkuyum North.

Others are Muktaru Kaura, representing Kaura North; Nasiru Abdullahi, representing Maru North; Bashar Bello, representing Bungudu West; and Bashar Aliyu, representing Gummi I.

The lawmakers also cited what they described as a worsening welfare situation affecting them and their constituents.

Kagara said the lawmakers had gone 32 months without receiving salaries, allowances and other entitlements.

“This is our 32 months without salary, allowances and other entitlements as honourable members and the people of Zamfara; the ball is in their court,” he said.

He added, “Whether they enjoy what is happening or not, they are in the best position to take action, and they need not be told.”

Kagara also accused the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of failing to adequately address insecurity, particularly in rural communities.

“What we are challenging Governor Lawal’s administration about is even worse now compared to previous times, so we have seen no reason to continue remaining in the APC,” he said.

“Our constituents in rural areas who voted us into power to address their security concerns were not being given any attention.”

However, the APC said it had not received official copies of the lawmakers’ resignation letters.

The party’s Publicity Secretary in Zamfara, Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, said the APC had only seen the letters on social media and was awaiting official communication through the lawmakers’ respective political wards and local government executives.

“We are still waiting for their correspondence from their respective political wards after reaching their local government executives, which would later be forwarded to us,” Birnin-Magaji told Daily Trust.

The APC spokesperson added, “We all saw it on social media platforms, but whenever we receive the copies officially, we would communicate with you on our stand.”

According to Birnin-Magaji, the party was not aware of any grievances from the lawmakers before the resignation letters emerged.

The lawmakers were reportedly suspended by the APC before their resignation over allegations that they attempted to remove the Speaker of the state House of Assembly about a year ago.

By Uzair Adam

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has outlined what he described as key economic achievements recorded since the beginning of his administration, saying Nigeria has reached a new phase of economic recovery and growth.

Speaking during his Independence Day broadcast on Thursday, the President said recent indicators showed signs of improvement in the nation’s economy, citing growth of over four per cent in 2026 driven by both oil and non-oil sectors.

Tinubu also highlighted reductions in oil theft, a decline in inflation from previous highs, improved foreign reserves and stability in the foreign exchange market.

According to him, Nigeria generated more than six billion dollars in non-oil export earnings in 2025, which he described as the highest figure ever recorded by the country.

“These are not idle claims,” the President said, adding that international organisations, development partners, journalists and civil society groups had acknowledged Nigeria’s improving economic resilience.

Tinubu declared that the period of emergency economic reforms had ended, noting that the government had laid a solid foundation for future growth.

“The emergency treatment is over. The foundation has been repaired,” he said.

He explained that the administration’s next priority would be ensuring that economic growth translates into better living conditions for Nigerians through affordable food, reliable electricity, improved transportation, easier access to credit and more employment opportunities.

The President said government policies would focus on lowering production and transport costs, expanding agricultural activities through mechanisation and improving critical infrastructure such as roads, rail lines, ports and storage facilities.

He also pledged support for industrial development through increased gas supply to industries, revival of factories, expansion of digital infrastructure and improved financing for businesses.

Tinubu acknowledged the economic challenges facing many Nigerians, including rising costs of food, education, healthcare and transportation, but assured citizens that social intervention programmes would continue alongside long-term development efforts.

“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he said.

The President added that Nigeria had moved into what he described as a new era of prosperity and called on citizens to remain hopeful and work collectively towards national progress.