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President Tinubu will Win second Term – Sen kalu

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APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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Chairman of the South-East Development Commission ( SEDC ),Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, says that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will complete his two terms in office considering the level of success he recorded in bold economic, social and political policies.

The Abia-North Lawmaker stated this on Tuesday while fielding questions from the Senate Journalists, who ambushed him at the lobby of the National Assembly.

Among other responses, the former Senate Chief Whip faulted narrative of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election given by the former military president Ibrahim Babangida in his autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service describing IBB’S account as incomplete.

According to the former Abia Governor Babangida failed to mention the names of the Principal Actors that led to the annulment of the election widely adjudged as the freest, fairest, and most credible poll in the history of the country, that Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, popularly known as MKO Abiola, was the winner.

Giving more reasons why believed that President Tinubu will win a second term in office in 2027, Kalu pointed out that the ruling Party the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) remains firm in its decision to cede its 2027 Presidential Ticket to Tinubu in line with the zoning arrangement to maintain a North-South power balance.

Additionally Kalu mentioned the economic reform Policies of the President which he said iis already delivering positive economic results.

Using the Manufacturing sector as an example Kalu stated that the cost of production had reduced to 18.5 percent from 23 percent which it was last year.

He said; ” The good news is that we shall win again and President Tinubu will return.

“To be honest with you Asiwaju will win, many Presidents in Nigeria who have not done very well—I won’t call any names and they won their second term. We are appealing to Nigerians to support us.

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“We are not going to ruffle ourselves with the APC convention. We have only one Presidential candidate which is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“In line with democratic ethics we are not looking for any other person or candidate but the problem of Nigeria is that you people don’t like to consolidate gains of reforms.

Asking Nigerians to exercise more patience with the administration, Kalu said the stability in the exchange rate is also another indication that the President’s reforms are yielding positive results.

“It might be very difficult today, very hard and people are complaining but the reform is trickling down, somebody just told me this morning that the Dollar is 1490, so the reform is working but we should be patient.

“I am a manufacturer and I can tell you that Manufacturing costs have gone up, last year it was 23 percent but early this year it has gone down to about 18.5 percent. You can confirm from the The Lagos Chamber Of Commerce And Industry (LCCCI) what I am giving you is the real fact.

“I believe that there is hope in these reforms. It is difficult everywhere in the world but the most important thing is that initially they were done in a hurry now the President is taking time with his economic team and you can see that the President is making wilder consultations.

Speaking on a recent Book released by former Military president Ibrahim Babangida, Kalu stressed that he anticipates a second edition as IBB’S account of June 12 failed to capture the entire events that led the annulment of the 1993 Presidential elections.

Though Kalu appreciated the President for admitting that Moshood Abiola was the true winner of the election, he however said that the former Military president ought to have mentioned the names of those behind the annulment including the courageous role played by the then National Electoral Commission (NEC), Humphrey Nwosu.

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He said; “Ibrahim Babangida is my Master and everybody knows and I am going to visit him very soon and discuss with him.

“I am waiting for the second edition. The first edition did not reveal all the realities of what happened, especially when it concerns Humprey Nwosu and INEC.

Babangida should tell us , not only Abacha, he should mention names of those who stopped him from declaring Abiola as the winner.

“I was there and I know what happened, he published a second edition and mentioned their names and Nigerians will know what really happened.

Kalu also thanked Babangida for erasing the false narrative that the Igbo Tribe orchestrated the 1966 coup events that led to the military mutiny that ousted the then civilian administration led by Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.

“Because people are thinking that Babangida lied but I am very grateful the coup they called Igbo coup has been clarified , although I don’t need Babangida to tell me that the Coup was not executed by the Igbos , that is why I am a true Nigerian.

“That coup was a Nigerian coup planned and executed by the Military and some people failed to do their job and their Igbos are bearing the brunt and that is not fair to the Igbos.

Following the confession of Ibrahim Babangida, Kalu appealed to President Tinubu to accord the Late Presidential Candidate Moshood Abiola full Presidential honours.

Kalu urged Tinubu to swear in Abiol as the duly elected President of the June 12 , 1993 Presidential election in Postmortem and including the inclusion of his Presidential portrait among other Past Presidents of the Country.

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According to Kalu through such the Abiola family will be healed and compensated from the electoral tragedy which befell them and the nation.

“Abiola won the election and there is no doubt about that , I want them to put Abiola’s picture where other former President’s pictures are placed. I will appeal to President Tinubu to swear him in Postmortem.

“I am thankful to President Buhari who gave him the National Award but he should be sworn in Postmortem so the family will be healed and given the rights they give to former President’s.

Kalu urged Nigerians to protect the Nation’s democracy, he also paid solidarity to the Nigerian Army for the sacrifices while calling for investment in the Agricultural sector as well as the elimination of Terrorists occupying the Nation’s land areas.

Kalu discouraged the disbursements of cash grants to individuals to solve the economic challenges;

“The Nigerian democracy has come to stay and I am very grateful to the Nigerian Army and their sacrifices. Some of them are being killed in the battlefield trying to safeguard our Nation.

“We must go back to Agriculture to make progress. We must retrieve our lands occupied by bandits and other Terrorists. Dashing of money should stop. We should put those money to Agriculture and other productive ventures, Kalu said.

When asked for his opinion of the face off between Senator Natasha Akpoti and the Senate President Godswill Akpabio over sitting arrangement, Kalu declined to comment saying that the incident was a matter that will be settled within the Senate Chambers as it would be an error to discuss such matter in public.

 

 

 

 

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Police Arrest 5 PakistanI Nationals, Recover 35 Phones in Benue Intelligence Ooperations

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August 8, 2026

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The Benue State Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals and recovered thirty-five mobile phones in separate intelligence-led operations in Otukpo and Ugbokolo areas of the state.

The arrests were disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, August 7, 2026, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu.

According to the statement, operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested three Pakistanis at Adoka Motor Park, Otukpo Local Government Area, on August 4, 2026.

The suspects were identified as Younas Mohammad, 36; Ahmad Nunil, 38; and Aslam Muhammad, 46. They were intercepted while attempting to board a vehicle to Adoka village.

During preliminary questioning, the suspects claimed they were in Otukpo to market cosmetics and mobile gadgets, none of which were found in their possession.

“This made their explanation, activities and movements within the area suspicious, requiring more clarification,” the PPRO stated.

In a separate operation on August 5, 2026, two other Pakistanis, Juma Sharif, 30, and Muhammed Sharif, 25, were arrested at a local hotel in Ugbokolo following another credible intelligence.

The two claimed to be dealers in Android phones. A search of their belongings led to the recovery of eleven Tecno Camon 50 Pro mobile phones.

Further investigation and operational follow-up resulted in the recovery of an additional twenty-three Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60 phone, bringing the total number of recovered mobile phones to thirty-five.

The five suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Makurdi, where discreet and comprehensive investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding their presence, activities and movements within the state.

The Command said it strongly suspects that the possession of the mobile phones may be a decoy for clandestine activities in rural areas of the state, noting that the suspects “hardly speak or understand English.”

The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus C. N. Nwadiogbu, commended the officers involved in the operations and members of the public whose timely information contributed to the arrests.

He reassured residents that the operations form part of the Command’s proactive, intelligence-led policing strategy aimed at identifying potential security threats, preventing criminal activities and safeguarding lives and property across the state.

CP Nwadiogbu further urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements or activities to the Police.

“The Command will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and members of the public to maintain peace and security across Benue State. The public will be updated as the investigation progresses,” the statement added.

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HURIWA Calls for Probe of Adeyemi’s Govt Collaborators

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August 8, 2026

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Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA
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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed the interim report of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), alleging that its findings have raise more questions than answers.

HURIWA, National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, on Friday, argued that the report appeared to focus largely on alleged offences committed by one individual while failing to establish how a purportedly non-existent government agency operated within official circles for an extended period.

The organisation therefore opposed the prosecution of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, ICPC’ sole accused for forging documents, falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the PFIPC, creating additional agencies, opening bank accounts with forged instruments and exploiting weaknesses in government institutions.

HURIWA insisted that the alleged activities of Adeyemi could not, on their own, explain how the PFIPC acquired the appearance of an official government institution.

In HURIWA’s view, the central issue was not merely who allegedly forged documents, but how such documents were accepted and acted upon by government institutions.

It asked how a non-existent agency could acquire official legitimacy, who admitted its operators into government circles, who authorised meetings and engagements with public institutions and why elementary verification procedures failed to detect the alleged fraud.

The group also questioned how the PFIPC found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation running into billions of naira if it did not legally exist.

“The questions confronting Nigeria are neither difficult nor complicated,” HURIWA said.

It said there is a need to establish who processed documents linked to the agency, who ignored red flags and who enabled it to operate without challenge.

The organisation expressed concern that the ICPC’s interim findings could give the impression that the scandal was essentially the work of a lone individual.

It argued that such a conclusion would be difficult to reconcile with the scale and duration of the alleged activities, particularly given the involvement of multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“HURIWA refuses to accept the proposition that one private citizen, acting entirely alone, successfully penetrated multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies, operated for an extended period, secured official interactions and allegedly built an elaborate structure involving forged instruments without significant failures or possible complicity within the public service,” Onwubiko stated.

The association noted that the ICPC itself had identified weaknesses in inter-agency coordination, verification mechanisms and internal controls, arguing that such weaknesses required further investigation.

It said Nigerians deserved to know whether the failures were merely administrative lapses or whether some officials deliberately facilitated the activities of the alleged fake agency.

HURIWA was particularly critical of any recommendation for administrative sanctions against public officers whose negligence may have enabled the operation.

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Why Alia revamped Abandoned Benue N70bn Taraku Mill After 40 Years

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August 8, 2026

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The Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia  says he revived the N70 billion moribund Taraku Mill after 40 years because the state could no longer afford to waste its economic potential.
Alia made the disclosure on Friday in Makurdi during a media chat with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team.
The team was led by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President Bola Tinubu on Media and Strategy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the team was in Benue to inspect completed and ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects, including the Taraku Mill, located in Gwer East Local Government Area.
The governor said the revival of the mill, located in Taraku, was part of his administration’s broader strategy to establish sustainable economic structures capable of surviving changes in political leadership.
He said previous administrations had lacked a comprehensive development plan, resulting in projects being initiated without adequate consideration for continuity and the actual needs of citizens.
“​​There has to be a direction. There has to be a mission and there has to be a vision,” Alia said.
According to him, his administration’s development blueprint was designed after consultations with communities to distinguish between what people wanted and their actual priority needs.
He said that the approach required government to understand the needs of market women, farmers and other residents before committing resources to projects.
Alia said the objective was to move Benue from  “a glorified village status” and improve the state’s towns and economic centres.
He said sustainability was built into the projects being implemented, stressing that government must put measures in place to ensure investments remained productive after the tenure of the current administration.
The governor argued that government could not completely stay away from business when strategic investments were necessary to create employment, retain capital and stimulate the local economy.
He cited the newly established Benue Brewery, juice factory and concentrate factory as examples of investments intended to process local agricultural products and strengthen the state’s value chain.
Alia said Benue produced sorghum, cassava, maize, oranges and soybeans in large quantities, but needed industries capable of converting the agricultural produce into finished products.
He said the development of such industries would create markets for farmers, generate employment and reduce capital flight caused by importing products that could be produced locally.
The governor said farmers with orchards and farms had been identified and organised into cooperatives, enabling them to access support while providing industries with dependable sources of raw materials.
He said the improved road network linking Benue with Abuja would further enhance opportunities for farmers to take fresh agricultural produce to the federal capital and other markets.
Alia said the revival of Taraku Mill was particularly significant because Benue was previously a leading soybean-producing state, but the collapse of the mill disrupted the market for farmers.
He said the return of the mill would provide a sustained market for soybean farmers, adding that his administration had begun providing incentives and farm inputs to identified producers.
The governor said the revival was, therefore, not limited to restoring the factory but was aimed at rebuilding an agricultural ecosystem in which farmers could consistently earn income from their produce.
Earlier, the inspection team visited the Taraku Mill, where the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, explained that production had continued until around the mid-1990s.
Kula said the factory subsequently became moribund until the Alia administration decided to revamp it, with the machinery serviced and currently undergoing test runs.
He commended residents of the area for protecting the abandoned facility over the years, saying they collectively ensured that no equipment was removed from the premises.
According to him, the mill will produce soybean and groundnut oil, process maize and manufacture animal feeds, thereby restoring its former role as an economic booster for the area.
Kula also attributed the revival to improved economic conditions and support from the Federal Government, saying major investments of that magnitude required adequate resources.
He said the administration had also rehabilitated the Otobi Waterworks and its treatment plant in Otukpo Local Government Area to provide water needed for operations at the mill.
Mr Terngwu Kyuve, General Manager of the mill, said the revived facility would create no fewer than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational.
Kyuve said the plant comprised oil, maize and animal-feed divisions, adding that its maize plant had a capacity to process 72,000 metric tonnes annually.
He said the animal-feed plant could process 172,300 metric tonnes annually, while the oil division had mechanical pressing, flaking, solvent extraction and refining facilities.
According to him, the mechanical press can process 200 metric tonnes of seeds daily, solvent extraction 320 metric tonnes daily, while the refinery can process 100 metric tonnes of oil daily.
Kyuve, a pioneer staff member, said maintenance and test-running were ongoing, adding that dry and wet testing would precede actual production.
He expressed optimism that products would begin coming out of the factory within two months, marking the return of Taraku Mill to industrial production after decades of inactivity.

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