…Harassment Will Boost His Popularity

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

A Security Expert and former Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Jackson Lekan Ojo has see declared that the arrest of former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will boost his popularity in the North West.

Senator Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, is one of the major arrowheads of the Coalition arrangement with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Dr Jackson Ojo stressed that if the arrest of Tambuwal was intended to diminish his political stature, the strategy will backfire as the anger of the people against the present administration will turn him into the People’s hero.

He said that it is not a secret that Tambuwal’s arrest was politically motivated and it is believed that it is part of the plot to weaken the rising popularity of the ADC among Nigerians.

“I know that when Aminu Tambuwal was governor of Sokoto State the people wanted him to probe Wamakko but he refused to probe Wamakko. That same man now must have instigated them to write to the EFCC because no other person could have written to the EFCC apart from those in government.

“I think they want to reduce the popularity and political influence of Tambuwal in Sokoto State and some parts of the North West in order to weaken the structure of the ADC. That was the untold reason why he was arrested.

Responding to questions that EFCC claimed Tambuwal’s arrest was as a result of financial allegations against him, Dr Ojo queried the timing and reminded Nigerians that the EFCC is not doing anything about dozens of petitions against members of APC, who were previously being investigated before they defected to the ruling party.

“Does it mean that there is nobody today in APC, including former governors, no former Ministers, no former senator or Lawmakers that are culpable. Why?

“This is a political vendetta, this is a political attack to further weaken the opposition, particularly the ADC.

“If care is not taken that is the strategy to weaken the opposition and weakening opposition means we are tilting towards a One-party State and One-party State is an autocratic state.

“Tambuwal left office since 2023, why now. It is just because of his political profile that is rising and because of his role in ADC.

“Former Governor Okowa was invited by EFCC over allegation of over N1.3 trillion graft allegations, immediately Okowa was released what happened?
I think the negotiation was that he has to decamp.

“Immediately Okowa decamped to the APC with PDP structure in Delta state nobody is hearing anything about his case with the EFCC or the reason why he was investigated. Has returned the money?

“Are still working on what the former APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole said that immediately you crossed to the APC your sins will be forgiven?

“The sins you committed against Nigerians will be forgiven by a political party.

“What is happening now is old fashion. Nigerians have already made up their minds and they know what is happening now is vendetta. If Tambuwal is still a member of the APC today would he be investigated or invited or arrested?

“Unknown to them people have already made up their minds already. There is nothing anybody can do now to depopularise Tambuwal in Sokoto State or in the North West. People already know that this is political vendetta.”

“What they are trying to do now is to intimidate Tambuwal to come to them, but this is old fashion strategy. They should allow Tambuwal to go.”

Dr Ojo called on opposition political parties to form strong and formidable front to confront the APC in 2027 like what happened in 2015 when PDP was upstages by coalition of opposition parties.

“Opposition parties should come out as a united political force. When they were forming the APC you see a lot of protests with people like Buhari, Tinubu, Pastor Tunde Bakare and others. You saw a lot of protests against the government of Goodluck Jonathan and PDP.

“If the APC did it at their formative stage and nothing happened to them, the present opposition parties can also do it peacefully.

“The opposition are keeping too my much quiet. It is like they have accepted to be oppressed. This is an oppressive government and the oppressive government is turning this country to a one-party State.

“The opposition should come together as a united political force in order to rescue Nigerians from present difficulties. People are facing hardship, there is no security, no education, no health, nothing. The people that Nigerians believe can rescue the country in 2027 they are trying to hang one or two things on their neck to silence them.”
End

The House of Representatives Joint Committee on Student Loans has promised to ensure fairness, accountability and transparency in the disbursement and management of the funds.

The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ifeoluwa Ehindero made the pledge on Monday in Abuja during an investigative hearing on alleged unethical practices in the disbursement and management of loans by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

The joint committee comprised members of the committees on Scholarships and Higher Education Financing, Banking and other Ancillary Matters and Anti-Corruption and University Education.

It was mandated to probe the alleged diversion, non-disclosure and mismanagement of student loan disbursements, as well as non-compliance with the Student Loans Act, 2024.

Ehindero said that the hearing was convened in response to the mounting public concern and a resolution of the house, following stakeholders’ complaints, credible reports indicating irregularities, lack of transparency, and possible ethical violations in the operations of NELFUND.

He acknowledged the critical role NELFUND plays in shaping access to tertiary education in the country saying that education is not just a personal right, but a public good and a cornerstone of national development

According to the lawmaker, any systemic flaws or exploitation within the system would compromise the nation’s collective goals of promoting equity, empowering youth, and advancing national development.

“I must commend NELFUND and Nigerian students for embracing this transformative journey of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the education sector.

“NELFUND has disbursed over N73.1 billion Naira in loans as at Monday June 30, 2025 with a total of N366,247 student beneficiaries across federal and state tertiary institutions.

“N38.2 billion Naira was allocated to tuition fees and N34.8 billion Naira was for upkeep allowance to over 206 beneficiary institutions,” he said.

Ehindero noted that the hearing was not convened to witch-hunt anyone but to seek the truth, gather facts, and ensure accountability.

“Our commitment is to the Nigerian people particularly the teeming youth who look to government programmes like NELFUND for opportunity, support, and hope.

“We are here to ask questions, to uncover the truth, and to ensure that transparency, accountability, and fairness are upheld in the administration of this important national programme,” he said.

In his presentation, the acting Vice Chancellor of Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM), formerly Benue State University, Prof. Simon Ubwa said 2,706 out of the student population of over 24, 000 of the school applied and obtained the loan.

Ubwa commended the federal government for the initiative saying that it had addressed the challenge of the backlog of tuitions owed by students, which was negatively affecting the university’s finance and impeding its progress.

He said the initiative would help universities recover most of the monies they lost in revenue through students who have not been able to pay their school fees.

“Just like every other university, our university also has this problem of students not paying their user charges; we do not call it school fees or tuition fees but user charges.

“It is according to what they use that we try to charge. Every year we have more than a half of the population of students not being able to pay.

“The university regulation is that if a student does not register, he should not attend lectures and not take examinations.

“With the number of students we have who default in payment of fees, if we were to enforce that regulation strictly, we will have more than half of the students not graduating.

“So, this initiative of the federal government is a welcome development; we see that most of these students who default in payment are not because they do not want to pay, but because they do not have.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Prof. Shehu Abdulrahman, praised the scheme, noting its significant benefits to the institution, particularly given its location in an agrarian community, where tuition payments posed a substantial challenge.

Represented by the university’s Director of Academic Planning, Prof. Ilemona Adofu, Abdulrahman said that the institution does not have challenges in the disbursement of the fund.

“In the Federal University of Lafia, we are grateful to Mr. President for this initiative. Our university is located in an area that is predominantly made up of farmers.

“Payment of school fees has always been a challenge but this has gone a long way in alleviating some of the students’ struggles, and we want to commend him for that.

“In the Federal University of Lafia, we do not have any problem concerning the disbursement to students but we have brought all the documents as requested by the committee and they are here submitted to the clerk,” he said.

Also, the acting Vice Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, Prof. Mathew Adamu commended the green chambers for embarking on the probe to unearth the allegations arising from the scheme’s implementation.

He described the scheme as a fantastic initiative as it gave even tone opportunity to acquire tertiary education in the country.

“So I am happy that the people’s parliament, the House of Representatives, has decided to set up this committee to let us know these challenges and what is causing the delay in disbursement.

“It is a good one and I know that by the time you are through with the entire six geopolitical zones and submit your report, we will be able to proffer solutions to how these bottlenecks can be addressed,” he said.

From Yagana Ali, Yola  

The Adamawa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced significant achievements in its anti-smuggling operations, seizing petroleum products worth N33,994,900 in Duty Paid Value (DPV).

The seizures, made within three weeks, included 36,435 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), packed in 1,194 jerry cans and two drums.

The Command also confiscated 8x200L drums and 35x25L jerry cans of dichloromethane, a hazardous chemical known as “suck and die,” which will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further action.

The seizures occurred across key smuggling routes, including Likitatba-Gembu, Mubi-Sahuda, Malabu-Belel, Girei-Wuro Bokki, Ganye-Toungo, and Damare/Gurin-Fufore axes.

Comptroller GB Bashir, the Command’s leader, emphasized that these efforts align with the NCS Act 2023, aimed at enforcing government fiscal policies and protecting domestic industries.

Bashir warned that smugglers and economic saboteurs will face the full weight of the law, citing a stern warning from the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi. The seized petroleum products will be auctioned to the public, with proceeds remitted to the Federation Account.

The Command’s success stems from coordinated border management, advanced technology, and robust inter-agency collaboration. Bashir expressed gratitude to sister agencies and other NCS units for their intelligence-sharing and support, crediting the leadership of Comptroller General Adeniyi for providing the necessary logistics to execute these operations effectively.

As the Adamawa/Taraba Area Command intensifies its crackdown on smuggling, Comptroller Bashir called on the public to support law enforcement efforts, warning that undermining these operations invites greater national challenges. The Command pledged to sustain its fight against economic saboteurs, ensuring that smugglers find no respite in Adamawa, Taraba, or across Nigeria.