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Lagos proprietor accuses EFCC of forceful takeover of school, assault on teachers, students

The management of Goodwill School in Ikorodu, Lagos, has accused operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of forcefully invading its premises, and assaulting teachers and students while enforcing a court order.

According to the school, EFCC officials stormed the classrooms on Thursday, February 27, 2025, informing staff and pupils that the agency had taken over the institution through a final forfeiture order obtained in January 2025 via an ex parte motion—without prior notice to the management.

Speaking to journalists, the acting vice principal, Olalekan Adewale, described how the presence of armed officers left students terrified, saying that one pupils vomited due to distress..

“The EFCC officers even threatened to arrest me but changed their minds when the teachers and pupils insisted they would accompany me to their office in Lagos Island. They harassed everyone simply because we refused to accept the letter they brought. It was a traumatic experience for both teachers and students,” he said.

He said that EFCC officers returned on Friday, February 28, and ordered all students and staff members to vacate the premises.

Adewale recalled, “On Friday, the children were gathered for morning devotion when gun-wielding EFCC officials arrived and ordered everyone to leave the school grounds, leaving their belongings behind. The children were in shock—they had never experienced anything like this before. It felt like a war situation. I had to beg them not to approach the primary section, as there were young children there. The chaos lasted over three hours.”

The VP, who was also the mathematics teacher, claimed he nearly fainted when the officials pointed guns at him and wanted to force him to sign a document that he knew nothing about.

The school’s proprietor, Pastor Omoniyi Enikuomehin, alleged that EFCC officials forcibly evicted students and staff from the premises and attempted to detain the vice principal.

“I wasn’t around when the EFCC officials came, but I was informed that two of them were armed. They entered the school compound and told students that the school now belonged to the EFCC.

“They asked the Vice Principal to sign a letter, but he declined, stating that he had no authorization from the management. The officers then threatened to arrest him, but the teachers and students refused to let him go alone,” Enikuomehin explained.

The allegation of assault not true – EFCC

Responding to the allegations, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, denied claims that officers assaulted anyone.

“We do not storm locations; we conduct our operations lawfully. The Goodwill School case is under investigation, and the matter is in court. The court granted final forfeiture of the property to the commission after following due legal processes.

“Once a property is forfeited to the government, no business can be conducted there. Our officers simply informed the school that the property was under litigation and had been forfeited. They did not arrest or assault anyone,” he stated.

He dismissed the notion that the commission “stormed” the school, insisting that the management knew the property was under investigation.

“The property in question is under investigation. When a property is under investigation, we don’t need to inform anyone before our operatives visit. Our officers were only there to ensure the property was not tampered with. This was not an invasion; it was a routine visit,” Oyewale asserted.

“The argument that people were ‘chased out’ does not stand because they were not supposed to be on the premises at all.”

He also justified the presence of armed officers, saying, “When you’re going for any law enforcement operation, you have to be armed. Resistance can occur anytime, and our officers must be prepared.”

Legal dispute behind EFCC’s takeover of the school 

Documents obtained by The Nation from the school’s solicitor revealed that the EFCC’s action stemmed from a contractual dispute between a first-generation bank and Mrs. Olabisi Victoria Olaiya.

A petition filed by the law firm Ronke Adekoya & Co. on behalf of Mrs. Olaiya accuses the bank of breaching a contractual agreement related to a mortgaged property.

It was gathered that part of Goodwill School was reportedly used as collateral for a loan. When the original property owner attempted to sell it to settle the debt, the bank allegedly bypassed due process by selling it to Mrs. Olaiya without competitive bidding.

However, the bank later halted the transfer of title documents after the original owner objected, leading Mrs. Olaiya to petition the EFCC to recover her funds. 

The anti-graft agency subsequently obtained an ex parte order for both interim and final forfeiture of the property.

The school’s proprietor has since informed the court that he was not given prior notice before the forfeiture order was granted.

The Nation

Two months after taking office, Texas Congressman, who replaced Late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, dies hours after attending Trump’s speech

Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner, the former mayor of Houston, has died suddenly at 70 years old, just two months after joining Congress.

Current Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Turner’s death at the beginning of a city council meeting on Wednesday, March 5, per local news reports.

According to Whitmire, the Democratic House member was taken to the hospital on Tuesday night after attending President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. He was later pronounced dead.

“This comes as a shock to everyone,” said Whitmire, as he asked that flags across Houston be lowered to half-staff. “I would ask Houstonians to come together, pray for his family, join us in celebrating this remarkable public servant. Celebrate his life, which we will be doing.”

“No one really knows how close Sylvester and I were,” he continued. “We’ve been together in good times and bad times. He asked me to speak at his mother’s funeral. I was there when [his daughter] Ashley was born, he was there when [my children] Whitney and Sarah were born.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, with Houston Texans Shane Lechler, left, and J.J. Watt distribute relief supplies to people impacted by Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, in Houston.
Then-Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner distributing relief supplies for Hurricane Harvey on Sept. 3, 2017. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty

Turner’s cause of death is still unknown. He was previously diagnosed with bone cancer in 2022, and underwent surgery and radiation treatment.

Turner was mayor of Houston from 2016 to 2024, and saw the city through Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sylvester Turner, Sheila Jackson Lee
Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner was elected to fill late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s longtime seat in November 2024. Marcus Ingram/Getty (2)

He was elected to represent Texas’s 18th congressional district in November 2024, following the death of longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2024.

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He was a lifelong resident of Houston, and attended the University of Houston for his undergraduate degree before studying at Harvard Law School.

Turner is survived by his daughter, Ashley Page Turner, and one grandson.

US Supreme Court stops Trump’s move to freeze $2bn in foreign aid

The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday refused a request by the Trump administration to withhold nearly $2bn (£1.6bn) in payments to foreign aid organisations for work they have already performed for the government.

The apex court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the administration to release the funds to contractors and grant recipients of the US Agency for International Development and the State Department.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has cut numerous aid programmes and placed most USAID staff on leave or dismissed them.

Aid agencies argue these actions have jeopardised life-saving operations worldwide.

Last month District Judge Amir Ali had ordered the State Department and USAID to pay the bills to contractors for the work already done by midnight on 26 February.

As the deadline approached, the Trump administration sought an emergency relief from the Supreme Court, arguing it was impossible to process claims in an orderly fashion in such a short period of time.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a brief administrative stay, before the full court acted on President Trump’s request.

On Wednesday, the top court in a narrow 5-4 decision declined to halt the lower court order that required the Trump administration to release the payment.

The court said that Judge Ali’s deadline for the immediate payment had now passed, and the district court should “clarify what obligations” the administration must fulfil to comply the order.

Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented with the order.

“Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) 2 billion taxpayer dollars?” Justice Alito wrote in a dissent joined by the three other conservative justices. “The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise. I am stunned.”

The case began when two aid groups challenged Trump’s 90-day freeze on foreign assistance. Judge Ali initially paused the cuts while reviewing the case, later ordering payment for completed work after the government failed to comply.

Legal proceedings continue, with a district court hearing set for Thursday on contractors’ requests for extended relief.

The Trump administration, led by billionaire Elon Musk’s cost-cutting initiative, aims to shrink the federal workforce.

USAID cutbacks have already disrupted global aid efforts, freezing hundreds of programmes in dozens of countries.

The US, by far the world’s largest humanitarian aid provider, operates in over 60 countries, largely through contractors.

5 years after, Nigeria’s N5.8Billion Baro Port lies idle, farmers, fishermen beg for survival, Say ‘we Lost farmlands, fishing grounds for port that doesn’t work’

The construction of the Baro Inland Water Port in Niger State has left many residents struggling to survive after losing their farmlands and fishing grounds.

Once a thriving community dependent on agriculture and fishing, Baro is now filled with hunger and despair following the federal government’s decision to build the port, which remains non-functional, SaharaReporters can report.

The multi-billion-naira Baro Inland Port project was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 19, 2019.  The port, originally conceived over a century ago during the colonial era, was revived as part of the Nigerian government’s efforts to boost inland waterway transportation and reduce pressure on the country’s roads.

During the inauguration, Buhari emphasised the port’s economic potential, particularly in facilitating trade in the northern region. The project, executed by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), cost approximately ₦5.8 billion and featured a jetty, cargo handling equipment, and an administrative block.

Baro Port was expected to improve transportation of goods along the River Niger, linking northern states to the coast. However, despite the inauguration, the port struggled to become operational due to inadequate road infrastructure and logistical challenges.

However, five years after its inauguration, the port remains inactive, and residents say they have suffered immensely due to its construction.

Comrade Aliyu Tauheed, a resident of Baro, described the inauguration as a political move that has brought nothing but hardship to the people. “You mentioned the inauguration of Baro Port. In fact, I didn’t see anything as an inauguration. Since President Muhammadu Buhari came here to inaugurate the port, I thought that it was a ‘political commission’. Because since then, we haven’t seen any sign,” he said.

He lamented the devastating impact of the port’s construction on their means of livelihood.

“The Baro community people are living in hunger; no farming, no fishing anymore, and many have resorted to begging to feed as a result of Baro Port, where our farmlands and river we used to rely on for fishing have been seized,” he said.

Tauheed also criticised the lack of infrastructure at the port.

“There’s nobody there. Only birds and animals sleep there. The only people that are going up and down, they are the security guards. If not, there’s no sign it has been opened.”

The construction of drainage systems for the project further worsened the community’s plight, leaving farmers and fishermen without access to their traditional sources of income.

“Our challenge is since during that commission, the drainage that they did was totally bad because some of our farmers have no place to farm again, no fishing again.

“Those who were catching fish, they didn’t have a way to catch fish again. The water became small; it was large before, but now there’s nothing we can do or get well for economic survival,” he said.

Baro Water Port In Niger

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters reported in February how Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, representing Niger East and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, condemned the Nigerian Government’s plan to construct the Baro-Katcha-Agaie Road, calling it a waste of government resources.

He argued that the project lacks economic justification, especially since Baro Port, which the road is meant to serve, is non-existent.

Baro Water Port In Niger

The senator emphasised that road construction should prioritise areas with significant human and economic activities rather than locations with little or no benefit to the public.

He questioned the rationale behind building roads in sparsely populated areas while more ‘critical routes’ remained neglected.

Usman Sule, a retired education officer, questioned how such a massive project could be completed without proper access roads.

“How can you spend a large amount of money on a port and then fail to construct a road to connect to the port? Only water,” Sule said.

He added that the drainage system also destroyed farmlands and fishing areas.

“The federal government should please look into this situation. You see so many things have been washed out, like the farmland of people,” he said.

On his part, the community leader, Salihu Mohammed (Dagacin Baro), noted that the lack of roads has made the port completely useless.

“Even if cargo lands here in the port, there is no access road to transport the goods to cities for people’s use,” Mohammed said.

“From Lapai to Agaie-Katcha-Baro is extremely bad. From Bida-Agaie-Katcha to Baro is also very bad. Heavy trucks cannot pass the road. Bridges along Agaie, Katcha to Baro have collapsed.”

Baro Water Port In Niger

The affected residents are now appealing to the federal government to intervene.

“So we are appealing to the federal government to come to our aid, to help us to reconstruct the port, by reporting that the road from Katcha to Baro is totally bad.

“From Gulu to Lapai to Baro is totally bad. So we are appealing to the federal government to please come to our aid.”

Baro Water Port In Niger

Driving towards Baro Port, the road tells a story of neglect and despair. The once-promising trade route is now a nightmare, riddled with deep potholes and collapsed bridges. The worst sight is the makeshift wooden bridges, hastily assembled by desperate residents using logs and sticks.

Standing nearby, one could watch as motorcycles and light vehicles cautiously cross, the structure creaking under their weight.

As the sun sets, villagers gather to reinforce the fragile bridge—an emblem of resilience amid abandonment. But for how long? The fate of Baro hangs in uncertainty.

This article was originally published by Sahara Reporters on 5 March, 2025

When They Go Low, We Go Higher

By Olufunke Baruwa

It was the brilliant former First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama who uttered this now famous statement during the 2016 U.S. elections — “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is: ‘When they go low, we go high’.” They have now become a slogan for exercising restraint in the face of intimidation and aggravation.

While the statement calls for caution in the face of intimidation and harassment, going high does not mean silence or sheepish behaviour; rather, it calls for a more mature and bold response that reflects the solution. These words on marble still resonate loudly in the halls of our collective conscience as Nigerian women – old or young, powerful or weak, rich or poor – battle an age-old scourge, the triple threats of sexual harassment, intimidation and misogyny.

The environment at home, work, play and even in parliament for women and girls continue to remain mostly hostile and discriminatory. Across generations, geography and gender, women are an endangered specie especially those who break ranks from the culture of silence and dare to speak out against these triple threats.

A 2018 Reuters Report ranks Nigeria as the 8th most dangerous place in the world to be a woman. This unsettling statistic should bother men and women of good conscience in our dear country.

A Woman’s Place is in the Senate Too.

The Nigerian political arena is very hostile to women. Women’s political participation has historically been limited, with various socio-cultural, economic, and institutional factors contributing to their underrepresentation in governance. Despite constituting nearly half of the population, women have struggled to secure significant political positions.

Several barriers impede women’s active involvement in politics including deep-seated patriarchal beliefs which often relegate women to subordinate roles; political campaigns requiring substantial financial resources, which many women lack due to economic disparities; the prevalence of violence, intimidation, misogyny and sexual harassment which discourage many and lack of internal party democracy where political parties often sideline female aspirants, favouring male candidates for elective positions.

Such is the case of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a Nigerian lawyer, social entrepreneur, and politician known for her resilience and commitment to public service particularly in her advocacy for the revitalization of the Ajaokuta Steel Mill. In the 2023 general elections, she contested and won the Kogi Central Senatorial seat under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and now serves as one of only four female senators out of 109 in a largely male-dominated parliament.

Once again, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan dared to go higher and speak up against sexual harassment, intimidation and the culture of silence in a dispute within the Senate regarding seating arrangements, leading to a confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. She alleged that her reassignment to a different seat and subsequent actions taken against her were punitive measures resulting from her rejection of personal advances from the Senate President. These allegations have sparked discussions about conduct and ethics within the legislative body.

They have also ignited rage and criticisms from men and women who refuse to believe her, try to silence her, shame or blame her for her predicament. Victim blaming, stigmatisation and shaming are some of the key factors that prevent women and girls from speaking out when faced with sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence. This practice must stop.

For strong women like Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, going higher means confronting systemic bias, intimidation and harassment rather than being silent and docile.

Federal Republic of Nigerian Men?

In 2019, only 3.4% of parliamentarians and 8% of ministers were women, ranking Nigeria at 149th and 124th respectively for these two metrics in the global standings. By 2023 these rankings had improved very slightly to 141st and 119th respectively. Currently, at the federal level, there are only four female Senators out of 109 (3.7%) and 16 out of 360 (4.4%) in the House of Representatives.

In the 2023 general elections, out of 15,307 candidates, only 1,552 were women, representing a mere 9.8% of the total. Ultimately, only 78 women were elected, accounting for just 5.2% of the successful candidates. This disparity is further highlighted in key positions where since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, no woman has been elected as president, vice president, or state governor.

At the subnational level women make up only 16.2% of commissioners across Nigeria. Across the regions, the lowest rate is in the Northwest (at 14%) and the highest in the North Central (at 29%). However, at state level, there are some positive cases, with Kwara state for example achieving gender parity with 50% of commissioners being women.

Within the State Houses of Assembly, however, women occupy just 50 out of 993 seats in state parliaments, with the highest number in the South south. Around 40% (15) of state assemblies do not have any women members, and some have not had a female legislator since the transition to democracy in 1999. At the local level, of the 370 LGAs with elected chairpersons, only 15 (4%) are women while 22 (7%) are caretaker chairpersons out of 318.

These alarming numbers beggars the question, is the Nigerian political space for men only? How can we blame women for the dismal numbers in elective and appointive positions and refuse to believe them when they call out intimidation and sexual harassment?

Where Women Dare to Tread

It appears every time a woman steps out in the Nigerian political space with voice, power and agency, she has broken ranks and incurred the wrath of misogynistic men and women who have been told to maintain the status quo. Sexual harassment within legislative bodies undermines the integrity of democratic institutions and perpetuates gender inequality. The recent allegations involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio is a case in point.

Following her rejection of these advances, Akpoti-Uduaghan claims to have faced various forms of victimization within the Senate including being directed to move to a different seat during plenary sessions, a move she perceived as punitive. Her refusal to comply led to a heated exchange, with Akpabio ordering her removal from the chamber. She also alleges that Akpabio blocked her motions and attempted to malign her character as retaliation for her non-compliance.

These allegations have grave implications for women’s political participation, the broader issue of gender discrimination and have sparked a national dialogue on sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH). They also highlight the urgency for safeguarding measures and clear policies that protect female politicians from harassment, ensuring a conducive environment for their legislative duties. Addressing these claims transparently is crucial for upholding the Senate’s integrity and promoting a safe and equitable environment for women.

Society and the media should stop infantilizing, shaming and degrading women who speak up against entrenched misogyny. As the conscience of the people, the media should lead the call for an unbiased coverage of the situation and not allow itself to be used to wage a war against women in politics.

This is a watershed moment for the Nigerian Senate to lead by example and ensure that justice is served. Thank you, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Udughan, for speaking out, because “each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women” – Maya Angelou.

Gospel Singer Mercy Chinwo hits VeryDarkMan with N1.1bn defamation suit

Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo has dragged social media activist Martins Vincent Otse also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, demanding N1.1bn in damages over “defamatory” social media posts made against her person by the activist over the contract dispute involving her and her former record label boss.

LEADERSHIP reports the case of alleged diversion of $345,000 royalties against Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as EezeeTee, by the singer.

However, in the suit filed by Chinwo’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the singer demanded that VDM delete, retract and tender an apology for all the “false” and “defamatory” social media posts he made against her person and her brand over the contractual dispute with Eezee Tee.

Recall that on February 17, 2025, a Federal High Court in Lagos held that the arrest warrant against Eezee Tee over alleged fraudulent conversion case subsistee and adjourned the case until March 6, 2025 for the arraignment of the record label boss.

In the fresh defamation suit filed, Olajengbesi said VDM made the posts without provocation and with the apparent intention of lowering Chinwo’s estimation in the eye of right-thinking members of the society.

Mercy Chinwo furnished the court with all documents and evidences to establish that all that VeryDarkMan has been saying were false.

He told the court that the VDM’s videos and posts were false and have caused significant harm to the Chinwo’s public image, reputation, professional standing and emotional well-being.

The lawyer said VDM made the posts on his Instagram handle on 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 12th and 17th of February 2025, accusing Chinwo of “going behind the record label to go and collect shows, she was collecting gigs and she was not remitting money to the record label”.

In the suit, Olajengbesi said VDM posted a series of videos to his millions of followers showing a “caricaturist and disdainful portrayal of the Claimant (Chinwo) as well the Defendant’s (VDM’s) bias towards the claim of Mr. EeZee T thereby deliberately ridiculing the position of the Claimant in the dispute between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T.

“The Claimant avers that she has neither had any form of relationship with the Defendant nor was the Defendant involved in the issue between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T in any material particular.

“The Claimant avers that the statements which the Defendant made in the videos he published his Instagram page were as though the Defendant was personally involved in the issues between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T; however, these statements were not only false, but damning and injurious to the Claimant’s public image and reputation.”

The lawyer, therefore, sought “an order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to remove the defamatory posts from all his social media platforms.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to cause a retraction of the said defamatory statement in favour of the Claimant on all his social media platforms and to publish an unreserved apology to the Claimant in two widely circulated national dailies and all his social media platforms.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendants to write an unreserved apology to the Claimant and publish same in four national dailies, causing same to run for at least 14 consecutive days.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the Sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) only as General Damages for defamation.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant, the Sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) only as Punitive and Aggravated Damages for the grossly defamatory statement.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay the sum of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Million Naira) as the cost of this suit.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay 10% (Ten percent) on the judgment sum per annum until final liquidation of the judgment sum by the Defendant.”

[Video] Senate President Akpabio denies sexual harassment allegations, as Natasha formally submits petition

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment made against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Akpabio denied the allegation on Wednesday during the Senate’s plenary session after a one-week break.

He said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.”

Akpabio said he had been receiving calls about the matter since February 25 and was aware of the discussions on social media.

He urged Nigerians and the media to avoid making conclusions, asking them to wait for the court’s decision.

Shortly after his comments, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan raised a petition under Order 40, accusing him of sexual harassment and abuse of office.

Speaking under Order 40 of the Senate Rules monitored by Vanguard live, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that she had previously made the allegations during an interview on a national broadcast television station but was now officially presenting them before the Senate.

Akpabio, in response, directed her to proceed with the submission.

Watch the video below

Her petition submission came hours after rival protests erupted at the National Assembly, with her supporters calling for Akpabio’s resignation, while a pro-Akpabio group dismissed the allegations.

Ramadan: Sacrificing education for religion is unwise

By Punch Editorial Board

Religion can distort a man’s vision. This is evident with some state governors in Northern Nigeria. As of February 28, four states have hastily scheduled school holidays to coincide with Ramadan 2025, which began on Saturday.

This break disrupts learning and the academic calendar, making it challenging for affected pupils to catch up with their peers in other parts of the country. Some students are preparing for entrance and school certificate examinations; how will this enforced break assist them?

In a digital, competitive world dominated by learning, it is a catastrophic choice to prioritise religion over education.

Citing the need for full participation in Ramadan – Islam’s holy month of fasting from dawn to dusk – Bauchi State announced a five-week break from academic activities.

Ramadan 2025 is set to last for 30 days.

Not to be outdone, Kano announced a similar holiday, which runs from March 1 to April 6/7. Kebbi is also not left out. The holiday there extends from March 1 to April 7.

In a memo on February 27, the Katsina State Hisbah Board instructed all private schools to close “for the Ramadan period”, warning that “non-compliance will not be tolerated”.

Beyond these four states, others in the North may follow suit.

This is a populist appeal – the people may applaud these governors, but no tangible results emerge from such a misleading, unscientific decision.

First, this blurs the line between religion and politics. With the Nigerian economy in dire straits, politicians are grasping at straws to gain popularity among the electorate.

Over time, leaders in the North have neglected education. Consequently, Nigeria has the second-highest number of out-of-school children globally, at 20.1 million, only behind India. Instead of addressing this figure, it is absurd that governors are disincentivising learning.

These are states under the siege of Islamic terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. There is excruciating poverty, illiteracy, high unemployment, and shabby infrastructure. Religion cannot address these sore indices. Education can.

Second, this decision prompts questions about the role of religion in Nigerian society. Nigeria is traditionally a secular state, not a theocracy. However, the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, providing state governments that have declared Ramadan breaks for schools a potential justification.

This partly explains why some states in the North have controversially enacted Sharia law and established Hisbah boards to enforce religious laws in their jurisdictions. While it is debatable, Sharia law has neither reduced crime, public treasury looting, nor immorality.

Rather, the governors have been undermining the means of production and economic assets, such as by crushing beer bottles, while openly accepting VAT from its production and sales.

The governors are merely performing for the public. Saudi Arabia, a stronghold of theocracy, has ceased its customary practice of granting Ramadan breaks. After a 15-year mandatory Ramadan break, education departments in Saudi regions now have the final say on the 2025 academic calendar.

In the United Arab Emirates, schools will remain open during Ramadan, although they are permitted to start later than usual. On Fridays, schools are to conduct online learning, a flexible and reasonable approach.

In a broader context, the break contradicts the new proposal by the Federal Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, to align with the global education system. Alausa recently suggested a 12-4 system to replace the 6-3-3-4 system.

Importantly, the world waits for no one. Science and technology are advancing swiftly. Artificial intelligence is rapidly taking over. Any society that celebrates religion over learning risks being left behind.

Thus, the North should shift its intense focus from religion and align itself with the best global education practices.

FCT police command claim ex-Immigration CG was not kidnapped, disclose how he died in a hotel

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has disputed news reports alleging that David Shikfu Parradang, a former Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), was killed by kidnappers in Abuja.

FCT police in a 4 March 2024 statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh revealed that a woman who the ex-CG invited to his hotel room might be responsible for his death.

The full statement reads:

In light of the recent reports alleging that retired Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, David Shikfu Parradang, was kidnapped and subsequently killed, we wish to clarify the facts surrounding this incident to ensure accurate information is disseminated to the public.

On March 3, 2025, at approximately 12:00 PM, Mr. Parradang arrived at Joy House Hotel, Area 3 Junction, driving a black Mercedes Benz. He checked into the hotel, paying a sum of Twenty two thousand naira (N22,000) for one night’s stay. Shortly thereafter, he directed the hotel room attendant to escort a female guest who had come to visit to his room. This lady left the hotel premises around 04:00PM of the same day.

Mr. Parradang did not exit his room after the lady left. Around 04:00 AM of 04 March 2025, a friend who is a military officer, concerned for his wellbeing, traced him to the hotel. Upon arrival, the hotel receptionist and the officer proceeded to his room, where Mr. Parradang was found deceased, seated in a chair.

The Durumi Police Station was notified and officers promptly arrived at the scene, secured the area, took photographs, and collected all relevant evidence to preserve the integrity of the crime scene. The body has been transferred to the National Hospital for necessary procedures, and hotel staff are currently cooperating with Police investigations.
Effort is in top gear to effect the arrest of the lady.

We urge the public and media outlets to refrain from spreading unverified information, including claims of kidnapping, that may incite fear or panic. The FCT Police Command is committed to conducting a thorough investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding Mr. Parradang’s death. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work to ensure justice is served.

For any further inquiries, please contact the FCT Police Public Relations Office.

SP Josephine Adeh,
Police Public Relations Officer,
FCT Police Command,
Abuja.

Building/Operating Domestic Refineries in Nigeria

By Richard Odusanya

Building and operating domestic refineries in Nigeria is, arguably and intuitively, significantly more beneficial than importing ~cheaper,  refined petroleum products.

It is posited here that establishing domestic refineries would lead to substantial economic advantages like job creation, foreign exchange savings, improved product quality control, energy security, and a more robust domestic economy, even if initial costs might seem higher due to upfront investment in infrastructure development.

In a nutshell, a refinery is a huge investment, especially for a country like Nigeria. (Globally, there is a surplus of refineries, and if you look closely, whether building a new one is a good option or not) Many of the refineries are running at low volume as there is surplus refining capacity, which means that you can get the refined product back while paying very little to the refiners, so why invest so much in the older ones?

Ironically, our beloved country, Nigeria, has a problem: It is one of the world’s top oil producers, but it doesn’t have sufficient gasoline (petroI) to fuel its struggling economy. The country’s four state-owned refineries are currently operating at less than 15% capacity according the statistics from Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), following decades of neglect, poor maintenance, mismanagement, and corruption in the industry. Thankfully, the organised private sector is fully ready to rescue our oil and gas sector in a similar manner to what it happened in the telecom sector a couple of decades ago.

Similarly, statistics from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) clearly suggest that, there are almost no public enterprises in Nigeria today that function optimally. While they were created to lessen the shortcomings of the private sector and spearhead the development of Nigeria, many of them have smothered entrepreneurial development and fostered economic stagnation. NITEL, NEPA and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES? are the best examples of these.  Public enterprises have served as platforms for patronage and the promotion of political objectives, and consequently suffer from operational interference by civil servants and political appointees.

Furthermore, as of 2018, Nigeria spent $9.95 billion importing refined petroleum. 74% of imports were from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom; countries that are much richer than Nigeria. All of them rely on private sector operations for refined petroleum products, not the government. However, refineries are different all over the world because they have to not only process the raw crude oil but also make products in quantities that match ~the~ market demand.

Essentially, not all crude oil is the same. Russian Urals grade crude, being of medium density and molecular weight and high sulphur, is very different from the lower density, lower molecular weight, low sulphur US West Texas Intermediate. Yet all of these inputs must be able to create a standardised set of outputs, like gasoline (petrol?), heating oil, bunker fuel for ships, LPG for cooking and heating, and rigorously purified chemical feedstock for the creation of products such as polymers, herbicides, detergents, permanent markers, and a lot more. All of these products must perform the same way every single time.

In conclusion, Nigeria produces only high-value, low-sulphur-content, light crude oils—Antan Blend, Bonny Light, Bonny Medium, Brass Blend, and Escravos Light. Hence, the need to support the building and takeoff of our own refineries in Nigeria rather than importing cheaper, low-quality refined petroleum products.

Finally, the HARBINGER of HOPE is the coming on stream of the private refineries that have the capacity to change the status quo Namely: Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, Lekki Free Trade Zone, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.

2• The BUA Refinery in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, a significant petrochemical project with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day.

3 • Gasoline Associates International is one of the private companies licensed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), formerly, DPR. To establish private petroleum refineries in Nigeria, situated in Ipokia, Ogun State, it is the only petroleum refinery in Nigeria that offers 100% vertically integrated technology covering all aspects of refining, petrochemicals and gas. In joint partnership with FL Engineering Consortium, it has established a 100,000bpd Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemical Plant that is expandable to a 450,000 BPSD capacity However, for strategic reason, it may maintain the 100,000bpd. 

The above initiatives will significantly contribute in no small measure to both micro- and  macro-economics of Nigeria when fully established and operational.

Richard Odusanya, [email protected]

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