Nigeria

By Dr Eric Chinedu Omazu

On Saturday, 25 April, 2026, Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu bowed out of the service of Bayero University, Kano, upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70. The symbolism of that date should not be lost on anyone. The retirement date fell on a Saturday. The attained age was seventy. 

In mystical numerology every ten is reduced to one, each decade stands as a year and seventy years are but seven years, and seven years are but seven days. The Holy Bible records that God, the creator of the universe, rested on the seventh day, on a Saturday. And so did Professor Adamu. This is no coincidence. It was neither planned nor wished for. The stars merely realigned for a man whose whole life is a manifestation of a divine spark. He lived by his name, servant of Allah. And Allah honoured him with a rest on His day of rest.

Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu is a professor’s professor. His entire life is a classroom. In a world where preachers mount the rostrum to deliver sermons they themselves cannot live by, Professor Adamu lives by the highest standards he has set for himself. He excuses others when they try and fail to rise to those standards. The world, as he understands it, is a field of experiments and mistakes. His only rule is that failure should not be driven by impunity. Impunity is an affront to justice. 

Anything said about a great man is an understatement. In Professor Adamu’s case, what my mind knows and my heart feels cannot be fully conveyed by existing words in the languages I speak. This leaves me with only approximate estimates. In that light, Prof. Adamu is my Boss, father, mentor, teacher, friend, guiding light, and so much more that my approximations still cannot capture. The foregrounding of all these modes of being is his role as a teacher. He taught me how to live. No, not just how to live, but how to live like a human. With love, compassion, empathy, understanding, wisdom, respect and contentment. These, too, are understatements.

I first met Professor Adamu ten years ago when he was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria. In that role, he demystified public office. I was a close witness to all that he achieved. 

So, mine is more of a testimony to the lived experiences I witnessed. For example, I witnessed an effortless resolution of one of the knotty problems in political philosophy: reconciling idealist and realist recommendations in public space. The idealist recommendation: simply follow the just. The realist recommendation: follow the powerful. The evil of the two systems is that the just without power is impotent, and power without justice is tyrannical. Now the conundrum: How do we make the just powerful or the powerful just? 

Put in another way, where can we find a man in whom justice and power mix? I swear by the heavens that I witnessed the resolution of this conundrum in the person of Abdalla Uba Adamu during his tenure as NOUN VC. If I were to generate a postmortem motto for his tenure in NOUN, it would be: Power in service of justice. This is based solely on what I witnessed. 

As a leader, Professor Adamu was guided by a mantra: only the known best action is worth taking. He dispensed justice, promoted scholarship, demonstrated kindness, protected the weak, maintained equity, and entrenched standards. He was so down-to-earth that clerks, gardeners, and security staff regarded him as one of their own. He was the only Vice-Chancellor they could stop on the road and whisper their words in his ears.

Beyond his human touch in leadership, Professor Adamu transformed NOUN in ways no one imagined. The infrastructure he conceived and built remains the cynosure of all eyes in NOUN. The reforms he initiated are the backbone of NOUN’s operation to date. 

The biggest of them all, he did all these and left NOUN with his integrity intact. Zero scandal. Zero allegation of corruption. Now he retires in peace of mind and happiness.

Congratulations, Sir, on your retirement. And happy 70th birthday anniversary.

Dr Eric Chinedu Omazu is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, NOUN. He served as Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor during Professor Adamu’s tenure as VC, NOUN.

By Anwar Usman 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned content creators to stop using its name and logo in their content and other media productions without approval, noting that such portrayals misrepresent its operations and that violators will be prosecuted.

This was contained in a video message shared on Saturday via its Facebook page, the commission said, “It has come to the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that some individuals and content creators are using the name, logo and likeness of EFCC in skits and other media content.

“Many of these skits misrepresent our values and standard operating procedures. We wish to inform the general public that the EFCC has not authorised any such use.”

The message added, “The EFCC does not endorse, sponsor or approve any comedy, drama or online content that uses our identity without written consent.”

EFCC further urged the public to comply immediately, stating, “Therefore, the public is hereby advised to cease and desist from using our name, logo, uniforms or any identifying elements in skits or promotional content without prior written approval. Be warned, all who violate these instructions shall be prosecuted.”

The warning comes amid earlier concerns by the commission over rising cases of impersonation and fake sting operations by individuals posing as its officers.

The EFCC had said intelligence available to it indicated that fraudsters were deploying “ingenious but fraudulent means” to tarnish its image, including tactics involving gangs operating around popular eateries and fun spots in major cities, where unsuspecting youths are targeted.

By Muhsin Ibrahim

After nearly half a century of dedicated service, Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu has formally announced his retirement from Bayero University Kano, marking the end of an extraordinary academic journey defined by intellectual curiosity, resilience, and lasting impact. 

Born in Kano in 1956, Adamu began his studies in education sciences before shifting to media and communication, where he made his greatest impact. This change was key, forging a career linking pedagogy, culture, and media scholarship. Over time, he became a leading figure in Hausa media, popular culture, and communication with a unique interdisciplinary voice.

He joined the university system on 24 July 1980 as a young Graduate Assistant, rose through the ranks with distinction, and, in 2014, contributed to the conceptualisation of the Faculty of Communication. 

Prof. Adamu’s career, spanning forty-six uninterrupted years, reflects a rare blend of dedication and innovation. From the Department of Education to the Department of Information and Media Studies, his trajectory mirrors the evolution of media scholarship itself.

Beyond the classroom and research, Prof. Adamu has been a consistent voice in public discourse, including his longstanding contributions to The Daily Reality, a platform he has not only enriched intellectually but also supported materially. 

Prof. Adamu’s reflections on retirement, posted on Facebook, capture a life lived with purpose. Yet, true to form, he makes it clear that this is no final bow. With ongoing research and forthcoming book projects, the scholar remains as intellectually vibrant as ever.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rescheduled its presidential primary election to May 23, 2026, moving it from the previously proposed May 15–16 dates, the party announced on Thursday.

The party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, disclosed the changes after the 186th National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja. According to Meseko, the adjustments comply with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.

Under the new schedule, the governorship primaries will now hold on May 21, 2026.

The sale of nomination forms will run from April 25 to May 2, 2026, with a submission deadline of May 4, 2026.

Screening of aspirants is scheduled as follows:

1· May 6–8, 2026: House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and Governorship aspirants

2· May 9, 2026: Presidential aspirants

Screening results will be published on May 11, 2026, while screening appeals will be heard on May 12–13, 2026.

Primary election date:

a· May 15, 2026: House of Representatives

b· May 18, 2026: Senate
· May 20, 2026: State House of Assembly

c· May 21, 2026: Governorship

d· May 23, 2026: Presidential

Post-primary appeals are slated for May 18 (Reps), May 20 (Senate), May 21 (Assembly), May 23 (Governorship), and May 25 (Presidential).

Meseko also released a schedule for ward, local government area (LGA), and state congresses in Zamfara State, beginning April 28, 2026. Ward congresses will hold on April 30, followed by LGA congresses, while state congresses are to wrap up by May 3, 2026, with appeals running concurrently.

The NWC adopted both direct primary and consensus options as provided in the Electoral Act 2026.

“Aspirants are free to decide their preference. Where consensus works, it stands. Where an aspirant disagrees, it automatically reverts to direct primaries,” Meseko said.

He dismissed claims that nomination forms would be restricted to select individuals, stating: “Forms are available for all aspirants under the APC, not exclusively reserved for anyone.”

INEC has fixed the Presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, and Governorship/State Assembly polls for February 6, 2027. Party primaries must hold between April 23 and May 30, 2026.

Campaigns for presidential and NASS elections will begin on August 19, 2026, while governorship and assembly campaigns start on September 9, 2026.

The APC said state chapters were notified of the changes on April 20.

By Oladoja M.O

For some time now, the conversation has been quietly shifting from elections to succession. Not a clear constitutional succession. We are talking about political succession as design. The deliberate grooming of a successor within an existing power architecture so that leadership rotates but direction and influence remain within a defined circle.

In Lagos, many say it has worked since 1999. In Rivers, we saw what happens when the choreography fractures. Now, as 2031 sits faintly on the horizon, there are whispers again of names being mentioned, alignments being speculated, shadows being interpreted.

Let us remove names. Let us remove rumours. Let us interrogate structure.

The serious question is this: in a democracy built on four-year mandates and an eight-year ceiling, is protégé succession a stabilising mechanism for development, or is it a refined method of elite entrenchment?

To answer that, we must first admit something uncomfortable: Nigeria’s institutions are not yet strong enough to guarantee policy continuity through institutional design alone. Parties are weakly ideological. Bureaucratic insulation is thin. Policy reversals are common. In that environment, continuity through personal alignment can look attractive. It reduces disruption. It keeps long-term projects alive. It reassures investors. It avoids destructive resets every four or eight years.

This is the strongest argument in favour of succession politics and it is not foolish.

Lagos provides the most cited example. Over two decades, fiscal reforms were not dismantled. Internally generated revenue grew consistently. Infrastructure planning maintained coherence across administrations. Successors did not come in to burn down the previous house simply to prove independence. That continuity mattered. It produced an administrative rhythm.

But here is where analytical discipline must intervene.

Was Lagos successful because of succession politics or because it possessed economic density, commercial capital concentration, and revenue capacity that most Nigerian states do not? If succession were the decisive factor, then every state practising elite continuity would display similar outcomes. That is not what we observe.

Kogi has seen continuity patterns without transformative development. Cross River experimented with political coherence without fiscal stability. Rivers demonstrated how quickly elite alignment can dissolve into institutional paralysis when patron–successor relationships rupture. This tells us something critical: succession is not a development formula. It may coexist with development under certain structural conditions, but it does not produce development on its own.

Now let us go deeper.

Democracy is not defined merely by the holding of elections. It is defined by uncertainty. Adam Przeworski’s core insight remains powerful: democracy is a system where incumbents can lose. The possibility of loss disciplines power. When succession becomes predictable within a narrow elite network, that uncertainty diminishes. Elections may still occur, but the competitive field tightens.

Elite theory reinforces this concern. Political systems remain dynamic when elite circulation is open. When elite reproduction becomes concentrated within a single patronage chain, innovation slows, and access narrows. It does not immediately collapse democracy, but it gradually converts it into a managed rotation.

And this is where I lean.

Succession politics in Nigeria is a second-best adaptation to institutional weakness. It compensates for fragile parties and inconsistent policy frameworks. It can produce short- to medium-term stability in exceptional contexts. But it does not deepen democracy. It does not institutionalise continuity. It personalises it.

If continuity depends on one individual’s blessing, then institutions remain dependent. And dependency is not consolidation. It is controlled stability.

Supporters argue that Nigeria’s diversity requires careful continuity, that radical alternation could destabilise fragile coalitions. That concern is real. But if the only way to preserve stability is through personalised grooming, then we are admitting that institutions are too weak to survive open competition. And if institutions never learn to survive open competition, they never mature.

Development that relies on personal choreography is fragile. It works as long as the central figure remains politically dominant. Once that dominance weakens through age, miscalculation, factional drift, or simple political fatigue, the structure can wobble because it was never fully institutionalised.

This is why I do not romanticise succession politics, even when I understand its logic.

Endorsement is not anti-democratic. Every leader is entitled to support a preferred successor. That is politics. The danger arises when endorsement becomes determinative rather than persuasive when the system makes alternative emergence structurally improbable.

Nigeria does not need constant disruption. But it needs genuine contestation. It needs parties strong enough that continuity does not depend on lineage. It needs primaries that are competitive in substance, not ritual. It needs bureaucracies that can survive alternation without policy vandalism.

Succession politics may stabilise a weak system. But it does not strengthen it.

And a country of Nigeria’s scale cannot permanently depend on second-best solutions.

So, the issue is not whether someone is being groomed for 2031. The issue is whether our institutions are growing strong enough for grooming to become politically irrelevant. If they are not, then what looks like continuity today may become stagnation tomorrow.

That is where I stand.

Continuity is valuable. But continuity must be institutional not personal if it is to endure beyond the shadow of any one man.

Oladoja M.O writes from Abuja and can be reached at: mayokunmark@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Abubakar

The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the appointment of Muttaqha Rabe Darma as a minister in the federal government following his screening by lawmakers.

Darma was nominated earlier this week by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replace Ahmed Musa Dangiwa as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.

During the screening, Darma addressed questions on Nigeria’s housing deficit and urban renewal strategies, pledging to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to meet government targets in the sector.

A seasoned administrator, Darma holds two doctoral degrees and previously served as Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

By Ibrahim Yunusa

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Dambatta (ABCOAD) Chapter, has successfully conducted its chapter elections, ushering in a new set of executives to pilot the affairs of the union.

In a statement issued by the chapter’s PRO II, Abdu Sa’idu, the outcome of the exercise saw Dr. Mustapha Mukhtar emerge as Chairman, while Musa Garba was elected Vice Chairman. Nuraddeen Abbas secured the position of Secretary General, with Mustapha Abubakar Barkindo emerging as Assistant Secretary General.


Other elected officers include Aminu Yusha’u Kunya as Financial Secretary, Rabilu Abdulkadir Barau as Treasurer, and Salim Koguna as Public Relations Officer (PRO). Aminuddeen Yusuf Jibrin was elected Internal Auditor, while Umar Muhammad emerged as Welfare Officer.


The election was conducted and supervised by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee (ELCOM), Malam Sani Alhassan Dawaki, who formally announced the results at the end of the voting process.


Speaking after the exercise, the ASUP Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Comrade Muhammad Muhammad, described the election as a significant milestone in strengthening internal democracy within the union. He reaffirmed his commitment, alongside the National Executive Council (NEC) and the National Delegates Conference (NDC), to enhancing union activities and fostering institutional harmony.


Also, the Provost of ABCOAD, Dr. Hassan Ibrahim, congratulated the newly elected executives and wished them a successful tenure. He expressed confidence in their capacity to advance the union’s objectives both within and outside the institution.


The newly elected executives are expected to build on existing achievements by prioritizing members’ welfare, promoting academic excellence, and strengthening the union’s engagement with relevant authorities.

By Ibrahim Yunusa 

The Cross River State Government has refuted reports alleging 10 new COVID-19 cases in the state, describing the claim as false and misleading.

In an official statement, the State Commissioner for Health, Henry Ayuk, clarified that as of April 23, 2026, the state has only one confirmed case of COVID-19. He explained that the individuals mentioned in the report were merely contacts identified through contact tracing linked to the existing case, not newly confirmed infections.

Ayuk emphasised that contact tracing remains a standard public health response aimed at preventing further spread of the virus and should not be misconstrued as confirmation of additional cases.

The government urged residents to disregard unverified information and rely on updates from credible and official sources. It also reassured the public that the situation is under control and there is no cause for alarm.

By Saifullahi Attahir

History has repeatedly shown us that when rulers or elites indulge in throwing ultimate parties, they are usually sealing their fate. This universal rule is applied not only to dictators but also to empires, organisations, business leaders, athletes, celebrities, and even individuals who reach a climax in their trajectories without the ever-useful self-restraint.

Examples of these parables can be found even in the holy scriptures. Qarun is a brother of Prophet Moses, whom God blessed with so much worldly endowment that people living around him watch in awe. It was reported that many of his kinsmen were openly praying to be blessed as Qarun was. To them, Qarun was a role model, a success, and someone to emulate. 

Qarun’s story was a typical grass-to-grace story we often hear. At the beginning, a humble soul, spendthrift, calculative, hungry and ambitious for success. He left no stone unturned, had no time to even count his fortune, and was always on the lookout for more until he later ‘made it’.

He later started throwing lavish parties, erecting large buildings with so many rooms that he wouldn’t occupy, and amassing fleets of beautiful horses not for war, domestic use or trade. It was reported that the keys alone to Qarun’s treasury were so many that people couldn’t even carry them!

And what of the things inside those stores, of gold, ornaments, and precious metals? Qarun was admonished by his people to express gratitude for the benevolence through giving alms to the less privileged. He famously stated that it was his handiwork, his tactics, and his spendthrift ways (in today’s world, his financial intelligence) that helped him become wealthy. Qarun sealed his fatal fate with those words; he drowned!

Founders of any kingdom or empire usually begin as brave warriors or loyal servants who earn the respect and love of their masters, then become part of the empire and, within a few centuries, become kings themselves. Throughout these transformative years, you would find them humble, hardworking, disciplined, and considerate, until the hard-worn ancestors passed away and the bounty passed to their progeny, who were neither aware of nor shared in the initial struggles, thinking they deserved it. It was those later kings who would build extravagant palaces with magnificent walls, not as protection but for the sake of beauty and elegance.

The early pharaohs of Egypt were not as haughty and arrogant as the pharaoh whom the prophet Moses fought. The last pharaoh feels so high of himself that he declared himself the sovereign being worthy of worship in the land. The magnificent pyramids built in Egypt alone could signify the level of cruelty slaves were subjected to and the grand mania behind erecting them. That was their ultimate party.

The sixteenth-century Brits (Englishmen) were so brave, energetic, curious, prodigious, and ambitious that they set out to conquer almost half of the world, from Asia to Africa to India to the Americas. They spread their influence, civilisation, and language to every nook and cranny of the world. Astonishingly, several decades of the British Empire were led by women like Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria. It was during the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria that Britain reached its peak.

At the beginning of their campaigns, they were just merchants, explorers, and missionaries. They were later partners before transforming into cruel colonial rulers, subjugating human beings into serfdom and slavery. It was during the early 19th century that Queen Victoria decided to host a lavish party in India, inviting delegates from every colony: Asians, Africans, Arabs, Indians, and Caucasians. The Durbar was so magnificent that only watching the video (on YouTube) could give you a sense of the congregation. Every culture was represented, and performances were made. 

What was wasted during these festivities was enough to ruin the economy of a continent. Those extravaganzas, the subjugation of people into labour, and unnecessary wars were later to seal the fate of the British Empire. The colonists were dismantled into sovereign nations, and finally, the sun set for Britain.

Before the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran was under a monarchy led by Shah Reza Pahlavi, who inherited the throne from his father in the 1920s. Between those years, thanks to the discovery of oil and his alliance with Western countries, the Shah transformed himself into a world-class political figure and a strong voice in the Middle East. Although a Muslim, he became so delusional that he dreamt of converting Iran into its former Persian Empire with all its anti-Islamic elegance. 

This automatically put him in constant conflict with the religious establishment of Iran, especially the Islamic clerics led by the pious, ascetic, and reserved Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The level of enmity was so high that neither side was willing to give way until, finally, Khomeini fled to France as an exile. Despite Khomeini’s absence, he continued to preach to the Iranians, especially the youth, university students, and the less privileged masses who became his adherents.

In the 1970s, the Shah decided to throw a grand party in Iran to commemorate not only his anniversary but also the 2000-year anniversary of the Persian Pagan Empire. He coronated himself as ‘Shah of Shahs’ (King of Kings). The party was attended by thousands, including kings, prime ministers, presidents, heads of state, mistresses, business moguls and technocrats. Later analysis shows how that singular event almost threw Iran into debt despite its oil endowment.

That sealed the fate of Shah Reza Pahlavi, for a few months later, Iranian youths staged an uprising, culminating in the Islamic Revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini (the very person Pahlavi had sent into exile) to power.

 Similar stories can be narrated of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and his expansionist, megalomaniac agenda, seeing himself as the Führer and Saviour of the German Reich, until he sealed his fate by mistakenly invading Russia and Poland and at the same time fighting several forces of France and the United Kingdom. The allied forces were rescued by the rising superpower of that time, the United States of America.

General Yakubu Gowon was in power from 1966 to 1975, the longest-serving military head of state. His period witnessed a surge in oil income never seen before in Nigeria, and even the government doesn’t know what to do with the sweet oil money. The Federal Government undertakes unnecessary construction and white-elephant projects just to get rid of the irritating money. 

Workers get unnecessary pay rises (Udoji salary award) without additional productivity. The General Yakubu Gowon government decided to sponsor a FESTAC celebration event in 1975, which cost a huge sum of money, throwing Nigeria into debt despite oil income. We didn’t wisely invest and save for the rainy days.

That sealed the fate of innocent and peace-loving General Yakubu Gowon. He was overthrown in a palace coup led by young officers, introducing the no-nonsense, disciplinarian Murtala Ramat. The rest was history….So watch out when you are sealing your fate by throwing the ultimate party!

Saifullahi Attahir is the President of the National Association of Jigawa State Medical Students (NAJIMS) National Body. He wrote this piece from the Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital, Dutse, via saifullahiattahir93@gmail.com.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A Kano State High Court has handed down a death sentence to a 21-year-old man, Umar Idris, for the killing of a shop owner, Sabiu Umar.

The court found Idris, who lives in Farawa Quarters in Kumbotso Local Government Area, guilty of culpable homicide after proceedings showed that he stabbed the 28-year-old victim to death.

During the trial, prosecution counsel Lamido Abba-Sorondinki told the court that the incident took place on September 2, 2021, at Tsamiya Mariri Quarters in Kano. He said the defendant entered the victim’s shop at about 10:30 p.m. without permission. The shop also served as the victim’s residence. The prosecutor added that Idris took wedding garments meant for the deceased’s bride.

The prosecution explained that the victim raised an alarm after he discovered the act. This led to a confrontation between both men. In the course of the struggle, Idris allegedly attacked him with a knife and inflicted injuries on his neck, shoulder and other parts of his body. The injuries later caused his death.

The prosecution called three witnesses and presented a confessional statement as part of its evidence. Idris, however, denied the allegation.

In his defence, counsel to the accused, Muftau Bello, presented two witnesses and urged the court to show leniency.

While delivering judgment, Justice Sunusi Ado-Ma’aji ruled that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt.

“I hereby sentence Idris to death by hanging for stabbing the victim on his neck, shoulder and other parts of his body, which resulted in his death. May the Lord have mercy on his soul,” the judge ruled.