NEWS
Buhari Challenges Youths to Educate themselves to Overcome Poverty

President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the youth to seek education, not for government jobs which are unavailable but to arm themselves with skill and ability to fight poverty and meet the needs of the 21st Century.
He also implored parents to inculcate right values in children, including deep fear of God, respect for constituted authorities and living a purposeful life through continuous education.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, in a statement, said the president made the calls at the Emir of Daura’s Palace during Sallah homage, on Wednesday in Daura, Katsina State.
He said more time should be given to the coaching of the future leaders, with basic knowledge of moral values, as the fast changing world, driven by new technology, would be more competitive and demanding.
“I was locked up for more than three years, after leading the country. At that point, I realised and I told my children that your net worth is what is in your head, not what you have acquired in life.
“My focus has always been on training the children to be relevant wherever they find themselves. I told my children, particularly the girls, that they can only get married after getting a first degree.
“They already know that I am not leaving anything for anyone to inherit. My greatest legacy to the children is to ensure they are properly educated,” he said.
The president noted that the younger children should be guided and taught history, as they would find it hard to be patriotic, responsible and respectful, without a thorough understanding of their backgrounds.
“Whoever does not have a good sense of history will easily make mistakes.
“We should ensure the children get proper education. The knowledge they acquire should not be towards getting government jobs.
”We don’t have jobs in government anymore. With technology, governments are becoming more smaller, nimble and efficient.
“Emphasis should now be on skills acquisition and competence in creation and deployment of technology.
”During the Covid-19, we asked all level 12 downward to stay at home, and surprisingly the systems worked effectively, the president noted.
President Buhari told the Emir of Daura, Dr Umar Faruk, that he would be more regular in visits, preparatory to the handing over in May, 2023, adding that the prolonged absence was due to the demands of his office.
“This is the longest I have been away from home. Infact, the Emir took to the court of public opinion at the prayer ground, when he openly told everyone that I had not visited Daura for close to a year,” he added.
He said all Nigerians must make sacrifices to move the country forward, especially the public servants, calling for more selflessness and inclusion.
“At the end, it is only God that can reward your efforts, not man,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor Aminu Masari listed the achievements of the president to include social security, which was created to cater for the poor, and ensure that they received some money at the end of every month.
“No government in the history of this country has done more to reduce poverty like President Buhari’s administration.
”He asked religious and community leaders to bring enlightenment to bear on successful government programs such as the Social Investment Programme, SIP through which 120,000 poor citizens in 12 Local Government Areas of the state receive a monthly payment of N5,000 and this is happening in all the states.
“Today, we have over 863,000 children in the state being fed under the school feeding programme.”
According to him, this has created 10,000 jobs for women cooks, while 14,000 young men and women enrolled in N-Power.
“We have food vendors who are engaged and earning their livelihood. All the foolish talk on social media is by those who only think of themselves.
”Our elites are never happy or appreciative until something gets to their pockets,” he said.
Masari said security in the country had improved considerably, compared to when the President came into power.
He reminded the Daura Emirate Council, title holders, political leaders in the state and citizens across the entire federation to remember the bombings of mosques and churches before 2015 that had hindered worship, problems which no longer existed
“Human beings forget easily. It is true that we have not reached where we want, but efforts are being made to ameliorate the situation.
”Look at the size of our security personnel compared to the population, you will know we all have to be involved in securing the country,” he added.
The Emir of Daura thanked the president for the infrastructural and institutional developments in the state, saying generations would remember and remain grateful to President Buhari.
Faruk urged the President to increase his patience and tolerance as he begins to countdown, knowing that the ultimate reward for all his sacrifice would come from God.
“All Nigerians, both good and bad, know you are doing your best. In life you will have people who like you, and those who do not like you. If you have many wives, or many children, they will not like you equally.
“Some are insulting you and belittling your efforts now. Don’t worry. They will do the same thing to the next president.
“Keep doing your best, and remain tolerant as a leader.
”In Daura here, even the blind or the leader of all the blinds knows that you have made a great difference. We are grateful, and proud of you,” the Emir said. (NAN)
Foreign News
Israel Vows to Build Jewish Settlements, Rejects Macron’s Call for Palestinian State

“Do not threaten Israel with sanctions” as it will continue to build a “Jewish state” on the ground,” Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned on Friday.He also rebuffed a call by French President Emmanuel Macron for establishing a Palestinian State.In open defiance of international law, Katz claimed that world powers may recognize a Palestinian state “on paper.
”Katz made the remarks during a visit to Sa-Nur, an illegal outpost in the northern West Bank that the Tel Aviv government recently decided to officially designate as a settlement for illegal Israeli settlers. In a direct message, Defense Minister Israel Katz targets French President Macron and European allies.He also dismissed the potential international consequences.He said: “They will recognise a Palestinian state on paper, while we will build the Jewish Israeli state on the ground.“Don’t threaten us with sanctions. You will not make us bow.“The State of Israel will not kneel before threats.”His comments came hours after President Macron stated that recognising the State of Palestine was a “moral duty”.Macron also reiterated that France may move toward official recognition during an upcoming international conference focused on the two-state solution.Earlier this week, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli Security Cabinet had secretly approved the establishment of 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.In response, the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now issued a statement Thursday, revealing that 12 of the newly approved settlements were previously unauthorised outposts and farming sites established in recent years.According to Peace Now, there are currently 156 illegal settlements and 224 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with over 736,000 illegal Israeli settlers living on occupied Palestinian land.The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law.The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.(AA/NAN)NEWS
Stock Market Sheds N48bn Amid Sell-offs

The stock market on Friday closed the week on a bearish note, as key performance indicators dipped by 0.07 per cent.Specifically, the market capitalisation declined by N48 billion, or 0.07 per cent, to N70.462 trillion from N70.510 trillion recorded on Thursday.The All-Share Index also dropped by 0.
07 per cent or 76.07 points to close at 111,742. 01 down from 111,818.08 posted on Thursday. The decline was largely attributed to sell-offs in heavyweight stocks like Beta Glass, NCR Nigeria, Conoil, Legend Internet and 33 others.Also, the market breadth closed negative with 37 stocks declining against 28 gainers.On the flip side, Beta Glass declined by 10 per cent, closing at N232.65 while NCR Nigeria also lost by 10 per cent, finishing at N6.57 per share.Conoil dropped by 9.99 per cent, settling at N298.10 and Legend Internet fell by 9.94 per cent, closing at N6.16 per shareAlso, Industrial Medical Gases shed by 9.91 per cent, ending the session at N33.65 per share.On the gainers’ chart, Omatek grew by 9.86 per cent, settling at 78k while Red Star Express climbed by 9.62 per cent, closing at N8.32 per share.Deap Capital Management rose by 9.38 per cent, finishing at N1.05 and Sovereign Trust Insurance soared by 9.09 per cent, ending the session at N1.08 per share.May and Baker also increased by 8.26 per cent, closing at N11.80 per share.A total of 1.90 billion shares valued at N64.14 billion were traded across 18,653 transactions, in contrast to the 556.45 million shares worth N17.17 billion exchanged across 18,505 deals on Thursday.Transactions in the shares of United Bank for Africa topped the activity chart with 1.41 billion shares worth N49.02 billion.United Capital followed with 66.84 million shares valued at N1.32 billion while Access Corporation sold 53.97 million shares worth N1.19 billion.Fidelity Bank traded 31.38 million shares valued at N606.09 million and Zenith Bank transacted 29.93 million shares worth N1.46 billion. (NAN)NEWS
Customs Intercepts 39,425 Litres of Smuggled Petrol

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, said Operation Whirlwind intercepted 39,425 litres of petrol worth ₦39.4 million within Lagos-Ogun axis. Mr Adeniyi disclosed this on Friday at a news conference in Lagos, organised following recent petroleum product seizures by Operation Whirlwind at the Federal Operations Unit, Ikeja.
Represented by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Asst. Comptroller-General Hussein Ejibunu, Adeniyi said it marked another milestone by operatives in the Lagos-Ogun axis. He attributed the success to officers’ dedication, commitment and resilience over the past year within the zone. Adeniyi said the Office of the National Security Adviser, NMDPRA, and Attorney General’s office all commended Customs’ efforts in intercepting smuggled petroleum products. He said, “On May 23, we were in Yola for a similar exercise where over 46,000 litres of seized PMS were auctioned. “Today, we are conducting another auction following seizures made at Laro, Imeko, Badagry, Owode, Ajilete, and other flashpoints.” He added that investigations confirmed the petrol was intended for smuggling into Benin Republic. A total of 1,577 jerrycans of 25 litres each — amounting to 39,425 litres — were seized, along with eight vehicles used for transportation. Adeniyi stated that the seized petrol had a duty paid value of ₦39.4 million, and the vehicles were valued at ₦24 million, totalling ₦63.4 million. He reiterated that there was no safe haven for smugglers, and Customs would continue disrupting illegal activities to the barest minimum. The CGC directed that the seized petrol be auctioned immediately to Nigerians in 25-litre jerrycans at ₦10,000 each. He thanked strategic partners—ONSA, the Attorney General’s office and NMDPRA—for their unwavering support and cooperation. Adeniyi added that the success of Operation Whirlwind was due to strong collaboration with these agencies. “Since Operation Whirlwind began in 2025, Customs officers have not fired a single shot, and four suspects are currently facing trial,” he said. Comptroller Charles Orbih, Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’ of NCS, reaffirmed the service’s commitment to protect Nigeria’s economy and ensure policy benefits reach all citizens. He noted that every litre smuggled across the borders causes revenue loss, scarcity, market instability and weakens energy security. “Operation Whirlwind, launched by the National Security Adviser’s office, proves Nigeria Customs is capable of defending and securing the nation’s borders,” Orbih stated. Comptroller Muhammed Shuaibu, FOU Zone ‘A’, commended Customs Management for the success achieved during Operation Whirlwind. He said the seizure was a joint effort by officers committed to combating smuggling and protecting the nation’s borders. He added that the seizure would help revive the economy, and Customs would maintain its focus on revenue generation and supporting legitimate trade. Mr Patrick Musa, of the NSA’s Lagos Zonal office (NMDPRA), said the operation proved Customs’ competence in border protection. He noted that NMDPRA, mandated with petroleum distribution, would continue collaborating with Customs and other agencies to stop petrol smuggling. Mrs Abidemi Aluko, representing the Attorney General’s office, appreciated the CGC, Customs officers and partner agencies for curbing petrol smuggling. “This is not business as usual. Suspects are currently under investigation for illegal petroleum dealings and will face trial,” she said. Quoting relevant laws, she stated the offence carries a sentence of life imprisonment or a fine, including forfeiture of transport means. “The Federal Government remains committed to prosecuting and bringing to justice those involved in petrol smuggling,” Aluko added. She called on sister agencies and stakeholders to strengthen collaboration to fight economic sabotage. In his closing remarks, ACG Kola Oladeji thanked the CGC for his leadership and enabling environment that contributed to the operation’s success. Oladeji urged officers to stay committed and intensify efforts to enhance national security. (NAN)