By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Monday, rallies supports for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, second term in office and Senator Philips Aduda for 2027 election

Wike made the appeal during a Town Hall Interactive Meeting with political stakeholders, traditional leaders, and residents in Kwali Area Council, Abuja.

The FCT Minister also addressed some key issues surrounding political alignment, good governance, and party loyalty in the FCT.

He assured FCT women that it would improve on the number of women in elective and appointed posts.

“What I want to build, in FCT generally, is to improve on the number of women, so that they can move on the inclusivity of women. I’m not denying the men their job. I am only saying that our wives, our daughters, should be part of the system”, he said.

Wike responding to the court judgment sacking Senator Mark-led exco, in African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said political parties are means of getting to where you are going and when you get there you deliver good governance and development to the people.

“Isn’t it that a party is a vehicle that you enter intentionally to go where you are going? When you get there, you talk about development, you talk about good governance, and how you can bring welfare to your people,” he stated,

He therefore appealed to Abuja residents to reject politicians who only appear during election cycles with empty promises and instead support leadership that delivers verifiable infrastructure and structural empowerment.

Earlier in his address Chairman Kwali Area Council, Hon. Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the various projects being executed through FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in the area council.

He therefore assured Mr. President of their unwavering support during the 2027 election.

He said, “And I want to assure you, Kwali Area Council is ever ready. They are ever ready to support you, to deliver the coming election.

“I want to sincerely appreciate you for the numerous projects which you have done for the history of Kwali Area Council”.

He therefore assured the President Tinubu, that, “FCT is going to put up another remarkable history that no government has come as a sitting government to win election in FCT” .

Etsu of Kwali, His Royal Highness, Luka Ayedoo Nizassan III, in his goodwill message thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through Minister of FCT, for all the various reforms, which include creation of FCT Civil Service Commission, tax reforms, road, infrastructural projects, promotion of traditional rulers etc

He said, “For 50 years, we’ve been recognized as the categories of persons the United Nations call “the non-existent people.” That is, you live in a country where you don’t have a state. But the p+President, using the instrumentalities of the Constitution, recognized the fact that we need to be included and we were included”.

The traditional ruler therefore assured President Bola Tinubu of the support and vote for his re-election in 2027.

He said, “Your Excellency, be reassured that we are making the commitment this afternoon that by the grace of God, we are behind the president, and we will throw our weight behind him like we’ve never done for any p+Oresident. The reason is because he has done his lot, and it’s our turn to do our lot”.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has raised concerns over the failure of some borrowers of defunct banks to repay outstanding loans.

The regulator, alleged that they are obstructing recovery efforts by hiding assets, exploiting court processes and intimidating officials.

The corporation warned that the actions are hampering its efforts to retrieve funds owed to failed financial institutions, thereby delaying the settlement of outstanding claims belonging to depositors.

The Director of the Asset Management Department of the NDIC, Ogungbemi Theophilus, disclosed this on Monday at the Stakeholders’ Seminar and Public Relations Workshop in Abuja.

Speaking on the difficulties associated with recovering assets from failed banks, Theophilus said some borrowers wrongly assume that the revocation of a bank’s operating licence automatically frees them from their repayment obligations.

He explained that some debtors deliberately conceal their properties, frustrate recovery proceedings, resort to prolonged court cases and sometimes use intimidation to discourage the corporation from pursuing outstanding debts.

According to him, the NDIC remains committed to carrying out its recovery responsibilities professionally despite the obstacles.

He described loan recovery as one of the most challenging aspects of liquidating failed banks, noting that borrowers who defaulted while the institutions were operational often become even more difficult to pursue after their closure.

The director also warned that prolonged recovery processes and delays in selling physical assets could erode their market value, reducing the funds available to compensate affected depositors.

He explained that properties left unused for long periods lose value, while equipment deteriorates and unpaid loans become increasingly difficult to recover.

Theophilus stressed that delays in retrieving these assets directly affect the corporation’s ability to pay depositors awaiting their outstanding funds.

He explained that the Asset Management Department oversees loans, properties and investments belonging to failed deposit money banks, primary mortgage banks and microfinance banks.

Its responsibilities, he further explained, include recovering unpaid loans, selling physical properties and investments, and converting the proceeds into cash for the settlement of uninsured depositors.

He noted that the amount the corporation can pay customers whose deposits exceed the insured limits largely depends on how effectively these assets and outstanding debts are recovered.

Theophilus explained that depositors of deposit money banks, non-interest banks and mobile money operators are covered by insurance of up to N5m per depositor per bank, while customers of microfinance banks, primary mortgage banks and payment service banks have coverage of up to N2m.

According to him, the existing insurance limits provide full protection for about 99 per cent of depositors. However, customers with balances above the stipulated coverage must rely on liquidation dividends to recover the uninsured portion of their deposits.

He explained that payments beyond the insured amounts would depend on proceeds generated from the sale of recovered assets and the collection of outstanding loans.

The NDIC director also revealed that the corporation held public auctions on November 3 and 4, 2026, to sell physical assets belonging to three financial institutions undergoing liquidation.

The banks involved were Union Homes Savings and Loans, Heritage Bank and Resort Savings and Loans, with the auction exercises conducted across Lagos, Taraba and Adamawa states.

He said the sales were organised by the Asset Management Department through appointed auctioneers, using a competitive sealed-bidding process.

Theophilus further emphasised the need to control the expenses associated with debt recovery, warning that the cost of retrieving outstanding loans must not exceed the value of the assets being recovered.

He said excessive recovery expenses would ultimately reduce the funds available to depositors, making it necessary for the corporation to maintain strict control over costs, timelines and reporting.

He also warned professionals involved in the recovery and disposal of failed banks’ assets against unethical practices, including insider dealings, deliberate undervaluation of properties, collusion with prospective buyers and diversion of sale proceeds.

The director maintained that the corporation would not tolerate any activities capable of depriving depositors of funds due to them.

He disclosed that the NDIC was working on a comprehensive Asset Management Policy to improve the identification, documentation, valuation and disposal of assets, while strengthening accountability throughout the recovery process.

He added that the corporation planned to strengthen its partnerships with auctioneers, valuers, sales agents, surveyors and other professionals to improve debt recovery and speed up the payment of depositors’ claims.

Theophilus explained that the Abuja workshop was one of three stakeholder engagements scheduled to take place in Abuja, Enugu and Lagos to address operational difficulties, improve professional collaboration and strengthen asset recovery efforts.

He expressed confidence that stronger cooperation among the relevant stakeholders would improve recovery outcomes and help the corporation settle outstanding claims owed to depositors of failed banks.

By David Torough, Abuja

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has warned that Nigeria’s patience is wearing thin over persistent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals, urging South Africa to end the hostility and embrace the spirit of Pan-African solidarity that helped secure its freedom from apartheid.

The envoy said the growing attacks on African migrants represented a betrayal of the sacrifices made by Nigeria and other African countries during South Africa’s liberation struggle, recalling Nigeria’s estimated $61 billion contribution to the campaign against white minority rule.

Fani-Kayode issued the warning at the inaugural Nigerian Fair, held at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, where he called on South Africans to acknowledge the enormous support their country received from across the continent.

He maintained that South Africa’s liberation was not achieved through the efforts of black South Africans alone but through the collective sacrifices of African nations, particularly Nigeria and the frontline states, as well as other international allies.

“It wasn’t a black South African struggle. It was a struggle that every nation in Africa, led primarily by the frontline states and Nigeria, and every decent civilised nation in the world supported,” he said.

The High Commissioner recalled how Nigeria mobilised its citizens from different walks of life to finance the anti-apartheid struggle, including civil servants, students and schoolchildren.

He specifically highlighted the establishment of the Southern Africa Relief Fund in 1976, popularly known as the Mandela Tax, through which Nigerian workers voluntarily surrendered portions of their salaries to support the African National Congress (ANC) and other liberation activities.

Even Nigerian schoolchildren, he noted, contributed their lunch money towards the campaign, demonstrating the depth of public commitment to South Africa’s freedom.

Beyond financial contributions, Fani-Kayode said Nigeria provided diplomatic, educational and material assistance to liberation movements, offered scholarships to South Africans and consistently mobilised international opposition to apartheid at the United Nations and other global platforms.

He also recalled Nigeria’s support for frontline African states threatened by the apartheid regime and countries that provided shelter to South African liberation movements.

Describing the current wave of xenophobic hostility as retrogressive and inconsistent with the values that inspired Africa’s liberation movements, the envoy urged South Africans to reject Afrophobia and recognise the importance of their relationship with other African nations.

“We must understand that the world is coming together as one, and we must stand together as one,” he said.

He attributed the attacks to a minority driven by xenophobic sentiments, arguing that those responsible had lost sight of the historical bonds between South Africa and the rest of the continent.

Fani-Kayode called for stronger diplomatic and people-to-people relationships, insisting that disagreements, provocations and isolated incidents should not be allowed to destroy the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

He also appealed to Nigerians living in South Africa to exercise restraint and avoid retaliatory actions, stressing that national leaders must demonstrate responsibility even when their citizens are subjected to intimidation, violence or killings.

The envoy, however, acknowledged that frustration was mounting within the Nigerian government over the treatment of its nationals.

He warned that patience was increasingly running out in the corridors of power, although he ruled out calls for Nigeria to sever diplomatic and economic relations with South Africa.

According to him, both countries must resist actions that could undermine their longstanding partnership and continue to pursue cooperation in the interest of African unity and development.

He assured Nigerians residing in South Africa that the Federal Government remained committed to protecting their lives, safety and welfare.

Nigeria was one of the most prominent African supporters of the campaign against apartheid, the system of institutionalised racial segregation and white minority rule that governed South Africa until the country’s historic democratic elections in 1994.

Following the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, in which South African security forces killed 69 people protesting against apartheid pass laws, Nigeria intensified its opposition to the regime and expanded its support for liberation movements.

The establishment of the Southern Africa Relief Fund in 1976 further demonstrated the country’s commitment, as workers, students and ordinary Nigerians contributed financially to the struggle.

Nigeria also supported diplomatic efforts to isolate the apartheid government, backed international sanctions, provided educational opportunities to South Africans and assisted countries hosting anti-apartheid activists.

The struggle culminated in the historic 1994 elections, which ended apartheid and brought Nelson Mandela to power as South Africa’s first black president.

Three decades after that historic transition, however, recurring xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals continue to raise questions about African solidarity and the protection of migrants.

Fani-Kayode’s warning has therefore renewed calls for South Africa to confront xenophobia and preserve the spirit of brotherhood that once united the continent in the fight for its freedom.