Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Saturday distributed 1,000 bags of 25kg rice to the Christian community in Bauchi State as part of activities marking the 2025 Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Speaking at the flag-off in Bauchi, the Bauchi State Coordinator of the Christian Northern Nigerian Political Forum (CNNPF), Ayuba Dogara, commended the First Lady for the gesture, describing it as timely and impactful in supporting Christian faithful during the festive season.
Ayuba noted that the First Lady extended similar support to other Northern states, targeting the less privileged, widows, youths, and leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, the 1,000 bags of rice allocated to Bauchi State would be distributed across the 20 local government areas of the state through recognised groups and coordinators to ensure that the items reached the intended beneficiaries.
“We are here to flag off the distribution of food items donated to Bauchi State by Her Excellency, the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu,” he said.
Ayuba also praised President Bola Tinubu for his efforts aimed at stabilising the country, adding that the relative peace being enjoyed in Nigeria was a result of purposeful leadership.
He urged local government coordinators to ensure transparency and accountability in the distribution process, stressing that the success of the gesture depended on the items reaching the actual beneficiaries.
“I urge beneficiaries to receive these items with gratitude and to pray for the First Lady and the administration of her husband,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Bege Matandu expressed appreciation to the First Lady, saying the donation would help ease the economic hardship faced by many families during the Christmas period.
Also speaking, the APC Chairman of Bogoro Local Government Area, Mr Istifanus Mmanasi, described the gesture as a sign of inclusive governance.
He said the donation had renewed hope among Christians and APC members in the area, adding that it demonstrated the government’s sensitivity to the needs of ordinary citizens.
Mmanasi further appreciated the collaboration between President Tinubu and the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, noting that such synergy would continue to bring development to the constituency and the state.
He encouraged APC members and supporters to remain united and committed to the party’s vision as the country moves towards 2027, expressing confidence that continuity and stability would keep Nigeria on the right path.
The Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has pledged stronger collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, in efforts to tackle human trafficking and organised crime.
The development was disclosed in a statement shared on April 22, 2026 on the official page of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to the statement, the commitment was made when the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, paid a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters in Abuja on April 21.
Discussions during the meeting focused on improving cooperation between both agencies, particularly in the areas of intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building.
The NAPTIP boss sought increased technical support and operational collaboration to strengthen the agency’s ability to address human trafficking and related crimes.
In his response, Disu assured that the police would support NAPTIP through intelligence-led strategies and coordinated operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks.
“The Force will deploy its operational and intelligence capabilities to support NAPTIP’s mandate,” the statement said.
Disu noted that specialised units, including the Intelligence Response Team and the police cybercrime unit, would provide technical assistance, while training programmes would also be expanded for NAPTIP personnel.
The two agencies agreed to sustain regular engagements to monitor progress and strengthen efforts against trafficking and organised crime across the country.
Former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has expressed satisfaction with his tenure, stating that he is proud of the progress by the Nigerian economy recorded while in office.
Edun spoke a day after President Bola Tinubu announced his removal and appointed Taiwo Oyedele as his successor.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Edun thanked the President for the opportunity to serve in multiple roles since the administration began in May 2023, including as head of the Presidential Transition Committee, Special Adviser on Monetary Policy, and later Finance Minister.
“It has been an honour to contribute to the implementation of the administration’s economic agenda at a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s journey,” he said.
Reflecting on the state of the economy at the outset, Edun acknowledged that the government inherited significant challenges but noted that reforms undertaken during his tenure had begun to deliver results.
He cited improvements in economic growth from about 2 percent to over 4 percent and a decline in inflation from 35 percent to 15 percent, attributing the gains to efforts aimed at stabilising the macroeconomic environment and boosting investor confidence.
Edun said the progress recorded was a collective effort involving members of the Federal Executive Council, state governors, and stakeholders across the public and private sectors.
“I am proud of what we achieved alongside colleagues and the many dedicated professionals whose work continues to support the nation’s economic transformation,” he added.
While acknowledging that challenges remain, the former minister expressed optimism about Nigeria’s economic trajectory, describing reform as a continuous process. He also extended goodwill to his successor and reaffirmed his commitment to national service.
The Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) has shut down the Ijebu- Imushin market in the Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state over indiscriminate waste disposal.
Special Adviser to the Governor on OGWAMA, Farook Akintunde, said the closure of the market became necessary after several warnings to the market leaders and traders on the need to operate in a clean environment and stop the indiscriminate dumping of waste in the market surroundings.
He lamented that despite the agency’s mechanical evacuation of their heaps of waste and provision of a Roll On Roll Off Bin, the marketers returned to dumping the waste.
He said, “To make their behaviour unacceptable, they refuse to patronise the PSP assigned to them for proper evacuation of their waste and prefer to dump their waste indiscriminately in the market.
“Despite this, OGWAMA decided to clean the market through mechanical evacuation of their heaps of waste and thereafter provided a Roll On Roll Off Bin for them to deposit their waste for easy evacuation, but they refused to make use of the bin and decided to still dump their waste indiscriminately in the market.
“The state government, through OGWAMA, will not fold its hand and watch a few traders put the health and well-being of a flourishing town into jeopardy by operating in such a filthy environment,” Akintunde added.
He called on the traders and their leaders to clean the whole market and inculcate the habit of using the bin instead of dumping them indiscriminately in the market surroundings, adding that it attracts flies and contaminates wares sold to the public, thereby spreading avoidable diseases.