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Remi Tinubu gives grants to persons with disabilities in Sokoto

Published

5 months ago

December 4, 2025

The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday marked this year’s World Disability Day with the disbursement of N64m in grants to persons living with disabilities across the state.

According to a Thursday statement signed by the Director General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Sokoto, Abubakar Bawa, the Mrs Tinubu was represented at the event by the wife of the state governor, Fatima Aliyu.

The statement noted that the First Lady announced the disbursement of N50m to beneficiaries in Sokoto as part of the broader Renewed Hope Initiative intervention being implemented across the 36 states and the FCT.

According to the statement, the First Lady explained that the programme is designed to create long-term economic independence for Nigerians with disabilities.

She said the RHI is empowering 250 persons with disabilities in each state, with each beneficiary receiving N200,000, bringing the total number of beneficiaries nationwide to 9,500 under the N1.9bn intervention.

“It is worth noting that over the past two years, the Renewed Hope Initiative has supported over 100,000 women, petty traders, and small business owners, including persons living with disabilities, with direct financial grants to grow their businesses,” the statement quoted her as saying.

The First Lady also stressed that the initiative was not limited to financial empowerment.

“Our commitment to improving lives has also been demonstrated through various interventions in agriculture, economic empowerment, education, health, and social welfare,” the statement added.

She was further quoted as highlighting RHI’s support for victims of conflict and vulnerable families.

The statement said she noted that the programme has provided food assistance to 22 states and the FCT, including internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

She commended Governor Ahmed Aliyu for what she described as consistent support for persons with disabilities in Sokoto State.

The statement added that during her remarks, the governor’s wife announced an additional N2m each to seven disability associations in the state to strengthen their existing empowerment schemes.

Providing further updates, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Disability Matters, Umar Muhammad Sabon Birni, disclosed that the present administration had restored and increased monthly stipends for persons with disabilities from N6,500 to N10,000.

He stated that 6,679 registered beneficiaries are currently receiving the allowance, while efforts are ongoing to register more eligible persons.

“The Ahmed Aliyu-led administration has also provided Ramadan feeding centres for persons with disabilities to break their fast during the holy month,” he said.

He added that the governor recently fulfilled his pledge of providing 1,000 hand-cycles to persons with disabilities across the state, describing the gesture as a major boost to mobility and independence for the beneficiaries.

He also commended the governor for “his love, support, and care for persons living with disabilities,” urging beneficiaries to support the administration’s programmes.

In a goodwill message, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar applauded Governor Aliyu for what the statement described as people-oriented projects being executed across the state. Represented by Ubandoman Arkilla, Alhaji Aliyu Hassan, the Sultan pledged the Sultanate Council’s continued support for the government.

The event featured a para-soccer match between the governor’s team and that of his wife, during which the First Lady’s team defeated the governor’s team 2–1.

According to the statement, the Sokoto Para-Soccer Team also presented a trophy to the governor’s wife, which they won in a competition involving teams from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.

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Senate names new minority whip as two more senators defect to APC

Published

5 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Senate on Wednesday appointed Senator Tony Nwoye as the new Minority Whip, following a fresh wave of defections that has further boosted the numerical strength of the All Progressives Congress in the upper chamber.

Nwoye, who represents Anambra North Senatorial District, was unanimously selected by the Senate minority caucus to fill the vacancy created by the exit of his predecessor.

His emergence comes on the heels of the defection of former Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC on Wednesday, one of several high-profile crossovers that altered the balance within the opposition ranks.

In a letter read on the floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ngwu said his decision was driven by the need to align with Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and President Bola Tinubu.

He also described the APC as the most stable political platform in the country.

Nwoye was elected into the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party before defecting to the African Democratic Congress in late 2025, positioning him within the opposition bloc prior to his new leadership role.

The reshuffle in minority leadership came amid a broader pattern of defections that has steadily eroded the strength of opposition parties in the Senate since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

In a related development, Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro, representing Gombe South, also announced his defection from the PDP to the APC, citing internal crises within the opposition party.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, formally announced his defection from the Social Democratic Party to the APC.

Wadada, who has also been endorsed as the APC consensus governorship candidate for Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections, said he had previously aligned with the ruling party but completed the formal procedures of his defection on Wednesday.

Reacting to the developments, Senator Adams Oshiomhole commended the lawmakers, describing their defections as voluntary and consistent with constitutional provisions.

He said the increasing movement of legislators into the APC reflects growing confidence in the party’s leadership and the administration of President Tinubu.

With the latest defections, the APC’s strength in the Senate has risen to 91 lawmakers—further consolidating its dominance and tightening its grip on legislative proceedings as political realignments gather pace ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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Lagos clarifies sanitation modalities, warns defaulters ahead of April 25

Published

5 hours ago

April 22, 2026

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The Lagos State Government has provided further details on the reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise, set to resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026, with movement restrictions and enforcement measures in place.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said, “The exercise will hold every last Saturday of the month between the hours of 6:30 am and 8:30 am.

During this period, there will be controlled movement across the state to allow residents to carry out thorough cleaning of their homes, surroundings and drainage frontages.”

He stated that enforcement teams comprising officials of the ministry, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Kick Against Indiscipline, Lagos Waste Management Authority, and local government sanitation inspectors would “conduct physical inspections during and after the sanitation window to ensure compliance,” warning that “defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.”

Wahab also stated, “LAWMA intervention trucks will go around to cart away bagged wastes generated during the exercise,” noting that “there will be rewards for the cleanest Local Government Area, Local Council Development Area, and the cleanest street as part of efforts to encourage healthy competition and community participation.”

He urged residents to cooperate with the initiative, saying, “We urge all residents to take ownership of this exercise and join hands with the government in building a cleaner, safer and more sustainable Lagos.”

The clarification follows the symbolic flag-off of the exercise along the Mushin–Agege Motor Road corridor on March 14, ahead of its full implementation later this month.

The state government had earlier announced in March that the sanitation exercise would resume nearly a decade after it was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the programme.

While some residents have welcomed the move, saying it could curb indiscriminate waste disposal and reduce flooding, others have raised concerns about enforcement, warning that movement restrictions could be abused and calling for sustained public education on proper waste management.

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Court remands suspected coup plotters in DSS custody

Published

6 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the remand of six defendants in the custody of the Department of State Services after they were arraigned on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism.

At the sitting, which commenced at about 1:46pm, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), informed the court that the charge was ready and sought leave to have it read to the defendants.

Proceedings were briefly stalled after the third defendant informed the court that his counsel was indisposed, while counsel to the sixth defendant said his client understood only Arabic and Hausa, prompting the court to stand down the matter to secure an interpreter.

When the court reconvened at about 2:18 pm, all six defendants took their pleas and denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to the 13 counts.

Following the arraignment, the prosecution applied for their remand in DSS custody and urged the court to grant an accelerated hearing of the case, a request that was not opposed by most defence counsel, although the first defendant’s lawyer indicated an intention to file a bail application.

Ruling, the trial judge ordered an accelerated hearing, directed that the defendants be remanded in DSS custody with access to their lawyers, and adjourned the matter till April 27, 2026, for commencement of trial.