NEWS
Ihedioha Meets Buhari, Pleads For Infrastructure in Imo
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha Monday, met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa Abuja where he solicited support for infrastructure development.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after the meeting, Governor Ihedioha said that he came to pay courtesy call on the President and to solicit his intervention on infrastructure decay in the state.
The former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives said that he discussed the issue of agriculture and how the state would benefit from the federal government’s agricultural programmes which he said that his predecessor failed to key in.
He said that the state needs the Federal Government support in all facets of the economy.
According to him, government would need to support us in agriculture because the government we succeeded didn’t take advantage of government policies in agriculture.
“We are working towards agricultural revolution to ensure that that becomes a source of revenue. So we need federal government support in that regard. We need government support in education, we need government support in the area of healthcare, we need government support in area of building institutions. “
He also explained that he introduced the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) instead of over burdening the poor masses with multiple taxation.
According to him, “When I came in I found out to my shock that there were accounts in the number that was reported in the media and of course so much leakages and we were not as a state making significant progress from the IGR.
He said that the IGR base of the state was very weak.
He noted that the IGR base “is weak without having a productive economy that obviously meant that we depended essentially from what came from federal allocation and of course other agencies being an oil producing state.”
“It became necessary that we should find a way out and I set up a Financial Advisory Committee and the Financial Advisory Committee recommended that in view of where we are and because of our decision to instill a regime of fiscal discipline and a regime of transparency and accountability and of course to reduce the level of corruption in the state, we had to introduce the TSA which is not very ideal in many places.
“But for us we felt we needed to start a new, we needed to confront the issues and begin to reposition our state as a state that will be alive to the demands expected of us by our people.
“When the electorate voted us in, they believe in our ability to come and transform the state, to rein in a regime of transparency and accountability, that is what we are trying to do. So we have done that.
“But apart from that, we are strengthening the Bureau for Public Procurement in the state. If you check through the ranking in ease of doing business, Imo finished 34th out of 37 and in several ways we have been lagging behind, we have fallen back, deteriorated from where we used to be.
“Ours used to be a very civilized state, so we have a duty and conviction that we need to take it to that level. So we have taken steps, closing the gap and we have enjoined the Mjnistries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to work with the authorities to ensure that we a more accountable system of running the affairs of the state.”
He said that as a result of the rot in the previous administration, there have been pressure from the people to take action against the past government, saying that his interest was not to talk on the past government but to be focused and bring sanity to governance.
“The issue is that I have been bending over backwards, I have been putting pressure on a lot of people who want certain things done. I will tell you for instance the opaqueness in land administration in my state which you must have heard.
“So stakeholders of the state who own those lands that were taken away from them have been on the government, putting a lot of pressure to investigate but I am like just saying take it easy that is not what I am here for, we have to redesign the state, we want to regain confidence back in Imo.
“For instance we have restored the autonomy of local government administration in Imo State. Today local government funds go to local government areas. We collaborate with them to ensure there is also accountability, sense of responsibility.
“We are not focusing on what the man had done, we are focusing on what we are doing and for once you give it to us that if a chief executive of a state says to his people look I want to run a transparent government and an accountable government that is something significant you have to work upon.
“If you are restoring public water that is something you are doing because you did not meet water. Am I going to say I met water when there was no water? Government house Owerri was disconnected from public power supply when I came, am I supposed to clap?
“The state Secretariat as we speak is still disconnected from public power for about eight years, bridges are built in my state without iron rods, haven’t you heard about it, you have not read about it? You must have heard about it from people who visit Imo, am I surprised to clap?
“You are endangering the lives of Imo people. We don’t lead a government of propaganda, it is not about me and I don’t like talking about my predecessor in office, I am talking about government,
I am talking about focus, I am talking about the ideals of government that what we are doing first is we are restoring confidence in the entire system.
“Judicial workers were being owed, was I the one that owed them? Didn’t you hear that they were not paid full salaries? So is it a crime if I said let’s sanitize the entire sector? Is that a crime? I come to government house and I can not operate from government house, I don’t want to talk on all those things.”
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University.
“May we now adopt the University of Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
The President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism and moral uprightness would endure for generations.
Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.
“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.
“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.
“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.
Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.
He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.
“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism lived more in action than in words.”
Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.
“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.
“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.
The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.
“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.
“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.
Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.
He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”
Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82.
The first female Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Cross River, Archibong Bassey has said that her first tenure in office was a trial period.
Bassey, who was returned unopposed in council’s election, made the assertion in an interview on Thursday in Calabar.
The Bassey- led executive was first elected on 9th May 2025, to complete the tenure of Nsa Gill, who was then appointed as Chief Press Secretary to Gov.
Bassey Otu.The chairman, who thanked the members for keeping faith in her and her team, said that she would improve on her achievements while correcting any mistakes she might have made in her first tenure.
She pleaded that any member who she must have offended in the course of her leadership should forgive her as she was not perfect and called for unity among members.
“Let’s leave any form of rancour behind, I need all your support;push me from the back, support me as you can.
‘’Tell me your ideas of moving the council forward and not what someone told you about me; I am asking God for the spirit of humility and love, to enable me lead the council well.’’
Earlier in his goodwill message, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, Cross River’s Commissioner for Information, had commended the union’s unity in electing its new executives.
According to Ekpang, they will continue as a government to give the Cross River Council of NUJ what it needs and all the necessary support to enable it carry out its functions objectively.
“I want to thank you for your unity, it’s better to come unopposed, I believe one day, the Cross River Council will emerge as the best in the nation,” he said.
Other executive members who were returned unopposed are Mr Sunday Inah of the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC) as Vice Chairman, Michael Abang of Business Day as Secretary.
Others are Kingsley Agim of the Cross River Ministry of Information as Assistant Secretary, Mrs Achiane Adams of the Ministry of Information, Treasurer, and Benedine Tete Anam of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Auditor.
NEWS
Gov Makinde Confered With Prestigious Chieftaincy Title of Aare Omoluabi of Akure Land by Akure Kingdom
The Akure Kingdom will today bestow a prestigious chieftaincy title, Aare Omoluabi of Akure Land, meaning President of the Respectable People, upon His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
The conferment ceremony, which will take place in Akure, Ondo State, marks a significant recognition of Governor Makinde’s exemplary leadership, integrity, and contributions to the advancement of Yoruba culture and national development.
The title, one of the highest honors in the Akure Kingdom, celebrates individuals who embody the virtues of respect, dignity, and service to humanity.
Governor Makinde’s conferment reflects his outstanding commitment to good governance, infrastructural development, and fostering unity across Nigeria.
The ceremony will be attended by traditional rulers, dignitaries, and government officials, underscoring the significance of this historic event.
This honor further strengthens the bond between Oyo and Ondo States, fostering mutual respect and cooperation for the progress of the Yoruba nation and Nigeria at large.
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