The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, urged Peter Obi, the former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), to put his house in order and not make unnecessary comments on past leaders of the country.Akpabio stated this during a valedictory session held in honour of the late leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Pa Edwin Clark.

He was also reacting to a comment Obi made at an event saying that the efforts of Nigeria’s past leaders were in vain. “Those who are aspiring as presidential candidates to cause division with their mouths using the social media, tell them to resolve the small party crisis they have before they come to talk about the larger Nigeria.“I am saying this because I understand that just yesterday, one of the presidential aspirants, Peter Obi, said that the labours of our leaders who have passed on were in vain.“They were not in vain. The mere fact that Nigeria is still standing together shows clearly that their labours were not in vain.“Very few countries with the size of Nigeria are still together; today, many have been fragmented.“Edwin Clark lived through the days of the USSR. Nigeria in spite our difficulties, God has kept us together because of the voices of people like Pa Edwin clark. So clearly, his labour and labours were not in vain.“And for those in the social media, Nigeria has an unregulated social media system so let them wallow in it and then take this situation and propagate all sorts of falsehood and all sorts of narratives.“Some of them on social media were not even born when Pa Clark was very active in service and so they couldn’t have known some of the things he did that we are remembering today.“And yet when somebody makes a statement that the labour of our past leaders are in vain, I beg to disagree”.Akpabio added that let Obi show leadership, like Edwin Clark did by resolving first, the crisis in the Labour Party.“He has one of the the smallest parties in Nigeria and you cannot even resolve the crisis in that Labour Party”.(NAN)

From Samuel James, Ilorin

The Kwara State legislature has urged the state government to enforce the Street Begging Practices Prohibition Law, warning that it unchecked would cause more serious social and security challenges.The Legislature made the appeal following a motion of urgent public importance titled “Need to Control the Trend of Street Begging in Kwara State and Mitigate the Associated Security Risk”, moved by Hon.

Abdullahi Halidu Danbaba (APC–Kaiama/Kemanji/Wajibe) during plenary on Wednesday. While leading the debate, Hon. Danbaba raised concerns over the growing trends of street begging which he described as a threat to social public order and danger to vulnerable individuals who may be exposed to its abuses, trafficking, and exploitation.He then called for immediate intervention to protect the beggars and the general public.The Honorable Speaker, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu while reading the resolution, directed the Office of the Secretary to the State Government to constitute a committee to assess the scope, causes, and security implications of street begging across the state.He said the committee should map out a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the menace.The Legislature also called on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to mandate the State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Community Development to establish a community – based task force.According to them the task force would identify and report cases of street begging while supporting the reintegration of the beggars into the society through targeted interventions.Furthermore, the House members also read for the first time a Bill to amend the Kwara State Secret Cults and Secret Societies Prohibition Law.The proposed amendment seeks to introduce stiffer penalties for offenders and address related issues.

From Francis Sadhere, Delta

Staff of the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU), Okerenkoko, Delta State have risen in defense of the institution’s Governing Council following recent allegations questioning the appointment of new principal officers.In a statement by representatives including; Moses Oghenekome Ogege, Fine-Boy Doubra, Sarah Kattey, Ossa and Alen Igwe, the staff described the claims as unfounded and a smear attempt by anonymous individuals.

“Their allegations are not only baseless but also a disservice to the truth and to the progress NMU has recorded under the current leadership,” the statement reads. They said that the appointments, which include those of the Registrar, Bursar, and University Librarian, were the outcome of a structured process that started with widely circulated advertisements in national dailies and on the university’s internal platforms.They added that a selection committee was later constituted and supported by three independent consultants—each assigned to evaluate one position, noting that after a comprehensive and merit-driven assessment, the highest-scoring candidates were appointed.“This process was a model of fairness and due process,” the staff affirmed. “It adhered strictly to merit and integrity.”In a show of support, NMU staff passed a vote of confidence in the Governing Council, especially applauding the Pro-Chancellor and Council Chairman, Alhaji Abdulahi Bardi for steering the university in a progressive direction.They warned against attempts to mislead the public, asserting that NMU remains a beacon of academic excellence.“The progress recorded here is not speculative—it is visible, measurable, and verifiable,” the statement emphasized.The university community called on the media, stakeholders, and the public to support the positive strides being made and to disregard any misinformation meant to derail the institution’s growth.