FocalPoint Reports

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Tuesday questioned who is exercising Nigeria’s presidential powers as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima remain outside the country. The opposition party said Tinubu’s absence had crossed the 21-day period referenced in Section 145 of the Constitution, raising questions over whether the constitutional procedure for transferring presidential functions had been followed. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC asked whether Tinubu had transmitted the required written declaration to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives. “President Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August and has now been away for more than 21 days. We therefore demand to know whether the required declaration was transmitted by the President. If he did not, we would like to know why the National Assembly has ignored Section 145 of the Constitution,” the ADC said. The party...

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigeria to tap its agricultural potential instead of relying heavily on imports. According to him, part of the reason Nigeria is poor is because it has failed to properly harness agricultural production. The former president spoke during an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu. He said Nigeria has the land, water, rainfall and human resources needed to produce enough to meet its needs and create wealth. “Give me one reason why Nigeria should be poor. Is it the land that we don’t have or the desert that we are in or the people that we don’t have or the water that we don’t have or the rain that we don’t have?” he said. Obasanjo cited his experience during his tenure as chairman of the African Union, when he travelled to Guinea-Bissau with John Kufuor, then chairman of the Economic Community of West African States. According to him, the two leaders observed that the country had abundant agricultural resources but relied o...

Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has warned the Federal Government against inviting, arresting or interrogating African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over a corruption petition before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Melaye said the ADC and its supporters would mobilise against any attempt to use the petition to target Atiku, insisting that Nigerians were far more numerous than those in government. “This is our note of warning, if due to this frivolous petitions you invite, arrest, or interview Atiku Abubakar, and we are not saying it with fear or favour, we will prove to you that those in government are less than one percent of the population of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will prove to you that the people own government,” Melaye said in a video shared on his X account on Friday. Melaye’s warning followed a petition submitted to the EFCC by former House of Representatives member Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, urging the agency to...

A lawyer who retains a retired judge for the purpose of reaching a serving judge is as culpable as the person who accepts the assignment. Law firms must therefore review the manner in which they engage retired judicial officers. Any consultancy arrangement should be transparent, properly documented and confined to legitimate services. A retired judge who provides an opinion should not participate in any communication with the judge handling the matter. Litigants must also be warned. The desperation to win a case at all costs is one of the factors corrupting the administration of justice. Some litigants appear less interested in retaining competent counsel than in locating someone who claims to know the judge. They move from one supposed intermediary to another, paying enormous sums for promised interventions. In many instances, the retired officer’s name may even be used without his knowledge. Fraudsters and influence merchants thrive because litigants are willing to purcha...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said its 2027 presidential campaign will focus on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration rather than personal attacks on political opponents. The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulazeez Yari, disclosed this in Gusau, Zamfara State, after meeting behind closed doors with Governor Dauda Lawal and traditional rulers in the state on Wednesday. Yari said the party would use the campaign to tell Nigerians what the Tinubu administration had achieved and what it planned to do if given another term. He said the campaign would be based on issues and the records of the government, rather than making promises or attacking individuals. According to him, Nigeria has gone through difficult periods that made some people doubt whether the country would remain united, but Nigerians have continued to protect the unity of the nation. “Nigeria is a wonderful country. We have been seeing so many thin...

President Bola Tinubu has challenged Nigerian banks to rethink their approach to risk and play a more active role in driving economic growth and improving the welfare of Nigerians, insisting that strong profits alone are no longer enough. The President spoke at the opening of the 19th Annual Banking and Finance Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Abuja, yesterday. Represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, President Tinubu said banks must move beyond celebrating huge profits and shareholder dividends to financing productive sectors of the economy. He said: “For years, we have measured financial institutions by balance-sheet growth, profitability and shareholder returns. These remain important. But we must increasingly ask: what is the financial system doing for the real economy? “A resilient banking system cannot exist indefinitely where businesses cannot obtain affordable credit, man...

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has recalled making nothing less than ₦10 million monthly from his akara and bread business before venturing into politics. Eno’s comment comes months after the Nigerian First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, sparked reactions after encouraging Nigerians to explore small businesses such as akara and kuli-kuli as part of efforts to improve their livelihoods. Speaking after a Renewed Hope Initiative meeting with wives of state governors in Abuja in June, Oluremi said such businesses could be started with relatively little capital. She said at the time, “We’re trying to give hope, and to start Akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant.” Speaking during Akwa-Ibom State’s monthly covenant prayer service on Tuesday, Eno, in a video trending online, said he started the business by selling akara and bread, which he packaged a...

The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has criticised the campaign by opposition politicians over the alleged United States government documents concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday evening, Agbese described it as an attempt to damage Nigeria’s collective image abroad. A Washington-based lobbying firm has been spearheading a campaign to draw the attention of officials in the Donald Trump administration and members of Congress to allegations concerning Tinubu. Speaking jointly for concerned lawmakers and civil society groups on the matter, the lawmaker said political disagreements should not be pursued at the expense of the reputation and wellbeing of Nigerians living, working and doing business outside the country. According to him, the circulation of old documents and unproven allegations in foreign political circles could create consequences far beyond the individuals being targeted, particu...

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will have an easy ride in the 2027 presidential election. Wike said the emerging opposition coalition would not pose a serious challenge to Tinubu. He added that the President would return to the Presidential Villa without facing much pressure. The minister spoke during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while discussing the opposition coalition and preparations for the 2027 election. “This will be an election where a president will be walking to the Villa with no pressure,” Wike said. Wike also spoke about the Rainbow Coalition, saying its main objective was to support Tinubu rather than promote the interest of any particular individual. “Rainbow coalition is not about one person. What is important is that we are supporting Mr President. No one party takes everything,” he said. The minister further dismissed the strength of opposition parties, arguing that ...

Digital payment platform OPay has threatened legal action against a 𝕏 user after a social media post claimed the fintech company would shut down its operations on September 1, 2026. The user, identified as Cute Hafserh (@Haifah_Er_Abba), reportedly shared the publication online, prompting OPay to issue a formal warning and demand its removal. The company, through its Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Moses Rokosu, accused the social media user of circulating false and misleading information that has harmed the company. OPay directed the user to delete the post, warning that it was prepared to pursue legal action. The development followed the company’s earlier clarification that it had no plan to suspend its operations on September 1, after a shutdown rumour circulated across social media. OPay had reassured its customers that its services would continue without interruption, urging them to disregard the unverified claims. In the warning issued to the 𝕏 user, OPay said it wo...