Tropical Depression Neneng speeds up over east Taiwan

Tropical Depression “Neneng” has accelerated while moving over the coastal waters of eastern Taiwan, the state weather bureau PAGASA said.

As of 4 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, the center of Neneng was estimated at 390 kilometers North of Itbayat, Batanes.

It is moving west-northwestward at 30 kilometers per hour (kph), packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph, with a central pressure of 1004 hPa.

Strong cyclone winds extend outward up to 420 kph from its center.

No Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals are currently hoisted.

While Neneng presents no direct wind threats to land, the enhanced Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) will bring strong to gale-force gusts to several regions, particularly exposed coastal and upland areas:

Thursday (August 20): Most of Luzon and Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Davao Region.

Friday (August 21): Most of Luzon, Panay Island, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar, and Davao Oriental.

Saturday (August 22): Most of Luzon, Visayas, and Davao Oriental.

Neneng is expected to slow down as it travels northward over the waters off eastern Taiwan or potentially makes landfall over northern Taiwan.

The state weather bureau noted that the tropical cyclone could weaken into a remnant low within the next 12 hours.

Proud ‘warrior’ Loman raring for comeback in BRAVE CF 108 Croatia show

Stephen Loman will be carrying his Ifugao fighting DNA with him in an iconic gladiator arena, as he returns to action after a few years away from the ring.

Loman will return to action on September 5 against Lasha Abramishvili at the iconic Pula Arena in Croatia. The two will face each other in the co-main event of BRAVE CF 108.

A warrior in his own right, ‘The Sniper’ is bent on showcasing the spirit of the Ifugao in a historic location.

‘I’m very excited to fight in Croatia for the first time. I’ve competed in many countries throughout my career, but this will be a completely different experience. Competing in a location with so much history makes this opportunity even more special,’ Loman said.

‘I know the history of Pula Arena, and that makes this fight even more meaningful. Warriors fought here centuries ago, and now I have the chance to compete in the same place in a different era. I want to honor that history by giving the fans a performance they will remember,’ he added.

The 31-year-old is holding a 17-3 win-loss record. He last fought in 2023 against John Lineker in ONE Fighting Championship, where he absorbed a unanimous-decision defeat.

Now, he will aim to get back to his winning ways against Abramishvili, who holds a 12-2-1 win-loss-draw card.

Loman eyes to do it inside the ancient amphitheater, where gladiatorial contests were held thousands of years ago.

And surely, he will be carrying that warrior spirit with him.

‘I’m proud to be a Cordilleran. Wherever I compete, I carry my people and my heritage with me. Our ancestors were fiercely independent, and they protected their land and way of life for generations,’ he said.

‘That determination is part of me, and I want to show the world what a Cordilleran warrior is all about.’

PNP: 50 school incidents involving youth offenders since June 16

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it had recorded at least 50 incidents in schools involving children in conflict with the law (CICL) from June 16 to Aug. 19, with the latest being Tuesday’s shooting that killed two high school students at Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

Data released by the PNP Public Information Office (PIO) showed that there were 26 alleged bomb threats, 12 alleged shooting threats, four stabbing incidents, four arrests for illegal possession of firearms, two death threats and two shooting incidents.

The PNP started the list on June 16, just over a week since the start of the new school year. It was the day when a Grade 8 student reportedly entered a Grade 5 classroom at a private school in General Trias City, Cavite, and stabbed at least seven children.

The Cavite incident heightened public concern both over campus security and the factors that may have led to such youth behavior.

The sense of alarm further rose six days later, on June 22, when two students managed to sneak firearms into the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City and opened fire, killing three other students and wounding 20 more.

Following the Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday said his agency would review current policies on campus security to include private schools.

Angara: Teacher might have been target in Zambo school shooting

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the target in Tuesday morning’s shooting inside the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Junior High School campus was a teacher and not the Grade 10 student who was killed, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara said on Wednesday.

Angara, who flew into Zamboanga City on Wednesday morning, said initial accounts suggest that the shooter, a male Grade 8 student (Grade 9 in the earlier police report), was after a teacher, noting that he entered two classrooms but only opened fire in the second.

The Cabinet official clarified, however, that the available information does not yet sufficiently establish ‘who the real target was.’

‘It is better not to make conclusive remarks while evidence remains unclear,’ Angara stressed.

After fatally hitting another student in Room 404, the shooter ran shouting toward the next level and turned the gun on himself. He was carrying two pistols, one of which was issued to his father by the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The shooter was the son of a BOC security official in the Port of Zamboanga City. Following Tuesday’s incident, the official was ordered relieved of his post by Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno.

Angara condoled with the AdZU community and met with school, police, and local government officials for a case conference on the incident.

He dismissed speculation that the shooter was bullied or depressed, saying the student had a large extended family.

‘This remains mysterious to us – what triggered the incident is still unknown,’ Angara said.

Authorities are also looking at the incident as a possible case of online grooming, or the deliberate manipulation of a minor by an adult via technology or the internet with an intention to harm or abuse.

‘We cannot rule out the role of online groomers. Sometimes they poison the minds of our youth. These nihilistic violent groups exploit disenchanted youth, pushing them further into anger,’ Angara explained.

He urged parents to monitor their children’s online interactions as closely as they would in public spaces.

‘Parents should check on their children, give them time, and be aware of harmful influences, especially online. Schools, parents, PTAs (Parents and Teachers Associations), and communities must work together to confront this problem,’ he said.

The Department of Education has been hiring school counselor associates to provide immediate support to students with emotional and mental conditions.

While they are not full-fledged guidance counselors, Angara said, they are trained to handle cases of depression and provide counseling to affected students.

A city in grief

A pall of gloom gripped Zamboanga City as locals grappled with the violence that rocked the elite Jesuit-run school. The local government suspended classes in all levels on Wednesday for a ‘Day of Mourning.’

In a statement, Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said Aug. 18 was ‘a very, very sad and tragic day for Zamboanga City.’

‘The City Government of Zamboanga mourns with profound sadness the tragic loss of two young lives. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families, loved ones, classmates, teachers, and the entire school community. Our hearts are with you in this time of unimaginable grief,’ Olaso said.

The mayor appealed to residents to ‘grieve, pray, and reflect on the collective responsibility to protect children and uphold the sanctity of life.’

In other parts of Mindanao, several schools expressed solidarity with AdZU, some either suspending classes or initiating a review of their security protocols.

In South Cotabato, the premier state-run Philippine Science High School Soccsksargen Region campus in Koronadal City canceled classes on Wednesday until Thursday and shifted to online learning.

The in-person class suspension will give the management time to assess and strengthen security measures, the school said in a public advisory.

‘We appeal to parents and guardians for strong family support and active parental presence. Your encouragement, guidance, and open communication help our learners stay focused, resilient, and emotionally secure, especially during challenging times,’ it said.

Other schools get stricter

In Cotabato City, the Cotabato State University started barring the entry of vehicles and motorcycles driven by students, and also kept the back gate of the campus closed.

The Sultan Kudarat State University in Barangay EJC Montilla, Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, also imposed tighter security measures on its main campus and branches across the province.

In Cagayan de Oro City, the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and Pilgrim Christian College announced similar precautions.

In Davao City, the Al Qalam Institute for Islamic Identities and Dialogue in Southeast Asia, which is hosted by Ateneo de Davao University, also expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the AdZU community.

The institute joined Ateneo de Davao University in mourning, while urging the public to exercise empathy and restraint.

Social media ban

The AdZU incident also revived calls to have children under 13 barred from social media.

In a message to the Inquirer, Talino at Galing ng Pinoy Rep. Jose Teves Jr. said his House Bill No. 10551, which was filed on Aug. 4, is now with the committee on the welfare of children.

Teves’ draft Children’s Social Media Safety Act requires minors aged 13 to 17 to have parental or guardian supervision when using social media.

It also requires social media platforms to adopt measures to verify users’ ages or identities

Loot recovery: Senator Kalu’s proposal

THE senator representing Abia North in the National Assembly, Orji Uzor Kalu, recently made a proposal that deserves serious consideration, even if its implementation must be carefully situated within Nigeria’s existing laws. Speaking on News Central TV’s 60 Minutes With Mr Kay, the senator urged President Bola Tinubu to give Nigerians who had looted public funds since independence a two-year window to return the money in exchange for pardon. According to him, substantial amounts of money are being kept outside the banking system and could, if recovered, be put to productive use in the economy.

Kalu said: ‘I would like President Tinubu to give a window of two years and say, no matter from 1960, no matter where you keep the money, return it to Nigeria, nobody will touch you. You are pardoned.’ His essential argument is that recovering stolen public wealth may sometimes be more beneficial to the country than spending years pursuing offenders through a notoriously slow judicial process. There is some practical sense in that argument. Nigeria has lost enormous amounts of public money to corruption over the decades, while the recovery of stolen assets has often been difficult, expensive and painfully protracted. However, the senator’s proposal raises important questions. Are there actually former or serving public officials who possess stolen wealth and are now willing to return it? Kalu’s intervention would be considerably more useful if it is informed by knowledge that some people are prepared to make restitution but fear prosecution once they disclose themselves and their assets.

As a former governor and highly placed political figure who has operated within Nigeria’s political establishment for decades, the senator may know considerably more than the ordinary Nigerian about the disposition of former public office holders. His proposal presumably did not come out of the blues. If he knows of people who genuinely want to return stolen public wealth, he should encourage them to come forward.Nigeria should certainly not discourage anyone from returning stolen money. If an elderly former official who stole public funds decades ago is troubled by his conscience and wishes to make restitution before his death, the state should facilitate the recovery. The same should apply to anyone else who voluntarily decides that public wealth illegally acquired ought to be returned. Society is not governed by criminal law alone. Conscience, remorse, morality and restitution also have important places in maintaining the ethical foundations of society. If guilty consciences can return billions of naira to the Nigerian treasury, the country should welcome the money.

But pardon should not necessarily follow automatically. Nigeria already has a legal mechanism through which restitution, cooperation and remorse can be recognised: plea bargaining. Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act provides for plea agreements between prosecutors and defendants and expressly allows factors including restitution, cooperation, remorse, the public interest, the likelihood of conviction, and the expense and delay of prosecution to be considered. In other words, Nigerian law already provides considerable room for someone who has taken public money to admit wrongdoing, return proceeds and seek a negotiated resolution of the criminal case. This is preferable to establishing a general principle that anyone who returns stolen money must automatically escape legal consequences. Returning stolen property is, fundamentally, restitution; it is not, by itself, punishment. Public officials hold public resources in trust. Someone who appropriates billions of naira belonging to Nigerians and returns the money years later has done something desirable by making restitution, but has not thereby erased the original abuse of public trust. The courts should therefore retain a role in determining what consequences, if any, should accompany the restitution, taking account of the circumstances of each case.

There is nevertheless a larger problem that Kalu’s proposal inadvertently exposes. What incentive does a Nigerian looter presently have to surrender his loot voluntarily? An effective anti-corruption system should create such a credible prospect of detection, prosecution, asset forfeiture and punishment that an offender may conclude that voluntary disclosure, restitution and cooperation offer a better outcome than continuing to conceal stolen wealth. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s anti-corruption system does not consistently inspire that kind of fear or exhaustion. Cases can remain in court for years, sometimes decades, while defendants deploy every legal avenue available to them. The possibility that an accused person may eventually escape punishment because of procedural or technical issues further weakens deterrence.

This is why Kalu’s proposal should not simply be ridiculed or dismissed. Its useful component can be accommodated within the existing legal framework. The Federal Government, through the appropriate anti-corruption and prosecutorial agencies, can establish a transparent policy encouraging voluntary disclosure and restitution, while making clear that each case will be handled according to law. Those who voluntarily disclose stolen assets, return them substantially or completely, cooperate with investigators and demonstrate genuine remorse can receive the benefits permissible under plea-bargain arrangements. The courts can then determine the appropriate legal consequences.Such an arrangement would have advantages. It could shorten investigations and trials, reduce prosecution costs, improve asset recovery, and return badly needed capital to public use. It could also help investigators uncover networks through which public funds were stolen, transferred, concealed or invested.

But the process must be transparent and governed by clear rules. It must not become another avenue through which politically connected offenders negotiate privileged immunity while less influential Nigerians face the full weight of the criminal law. Kalu’s intervention ultimately presents Nigeria with an opportunity. If he knows individuals who are willing to return stolen public wealth, he should encourage them to do so. The government should equally make it clear that voluntary restitution will be recognised and appropriately rewarded within the law. But Nigeria does not need to choose between recovering its money and upholding justice. It can do both.

The world over, governments at specific periods have used certain forms of amnesty or negotiated settlement to recover hidden or stolen money. In 2003, the government of South Africa unveiled a tax and asset-repatriation amnesty allowing people to disclose previously undeclared foreign assets, in exchange for reduced levies and protection from prosecution. In 2011, Kenya introduced a measure that allowed people who disclosed and surrendered illegally acquired assets to obtain protection from specified proceedings. While not exactly like the Kenya case, the governments of Argentina, Indonesia and Italy are on record as deploying broader tax/asset amnesties that offered reduced liabilities or legal protections in return for declaring previously hidden wealth and, in some cases, repatriating it.

We therefore welcome any genuine effort capable of bringing stolen public wealth back to the Nigerian people, but such recovery should proceed through a credible legal framework. Let those troubled by their consciences return what belongs to the public. Let prosecutors recognise their cooperation and remorse. And let the courts, rather than a blanket amnesty, determine their fate. The objective should be simple: recover the loot, encourage restitution, and save the country needless years of litigation where possible, but preserve the principle that public office is a trust and that its violation cannot simply be wished away.

Maritime Security: NIMASA, Nigerian Navy renew MoU to strengthen collaboration

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Navy have renewed their strategic partnership with the endorsement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen maritime security, enhance safety and deepen coordinated enforcement across Nigeria’s maritime domain.

The MoU was signed at the Nigerian Navy Headquarters, Abuja, by the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.

The renewed agreement marks a significant milestone in the longstanding relationship between both institutions and represents the first formal renewal of their partnership since the original MoU was signed in 2007.

The agreement provides a framework for enhanced collaboration in the promotion and maintenance of maritime security and the effective implementation of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and other relevant maritime laws and regulations within NIMASA’s mandate.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the NIMASA Director General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, commended the commitment of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to strengthening inter-agency collaboration as a key driver of maritime security and the development of Nigeria’s Blue Economy. He said the renewed MoU would provide a stronger institutional framework for both organisations to discharge their respective statutory mandates while consolidating the gains already recorded in securing Nigeria’s maritime domain. This he said will enhance achieving the goals of President Bola Tinubu GCFR for the Blue Economy.

According to him, the agreement is also designed to address emerging maritime security challenges through improved coordination, information sharing and operational cooperation.

‘As we renew this partnership today, I urge our respective teams to ensure that the spirit of this agreement translates into practical and measurable outcomes,’ Dr Mobereola said.

He also expressed appreciation to the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Nigerian Navy for their continued support and commitment to the renewal of the partnership.

In his remarks, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, described the signing as a milestone in the enduring relationship between the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA.

He noted that the renewed MoU contained important additions aimed at strengthening the response to the evolving nature of maritime security challenges.

One of the key provisions, he said, is the integration of the Deep Blue Project into the collaborative framework, providing a stronger basis for cooperation between the Nigerian Navy’s Maritime Guard Command and the project.

He also highlighted the introduction of a joint reporting protocol for communication and information sharing during operations, which he said would facilitate timely decision-making and a more coordinated response to maritime incidents.

Vice Admiral Abbas further welcomed provisions for greater institutional engagement, including an annual conference to enhance collaboration, review progress and address emerging challenges.

Oyedele: how N15.8tr subsidy removal gains were utilised

The Federal Government yesterday highlighted the several benefits that have accrued to the nation through the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The savings realised from two key policies – the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates – stood at N15.8 trillion.

The subsidy savings were largely responsible for stability in the fiscal space, with states now able to meet their obligations to staff and contractors unhindered, in contrast to the previous situation where several states relied on loans to meet basic salary and other commitments.

The scorecard session at the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters was attended by some ministers and heads of departments, including the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on the day campaigns for the January 16, 2027 presidential election opened.

A breakdown indicated that states and councils received about N10.4 trillion, while the Federal Government got N5.4 trillion from the subsidy savings.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who presented the government’s three-year economic reform scorecard yesterday in Abuja, said the reforms helped to stabilise the economy, deepen nationwide sub-national development and reset the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth.

He noted that the benefits and potential damage avoided since the administration began its major economic changes outweighed the possible crises that would have ensued without the government’s courageous reforms.

He pointed out that while the reforms were not designed simply to increase government revenue, they produced the twin positive effects of increasing revenue and ending endemic corruption that had been draining the country.

According to him, the reforms created additional fiscal space by improving the flow of oil and non-oil revenue into the Federation Account and reducing the financial obligations that would otherwise have been carried into the future.

He highlighted that savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy formed part of a wider increase in government resources at a time when the country was dealing with severe fiscal pressures.

He noted that the government also generated N3.1 trillion in additional independent revenue, mainly from remittances by government-owned entities, while raising N11.9 trillion through additional borrowing.

The incremental resources of N20.4 trillion during the period supported an expanded expenditure profile, with the government spending N30.64 trillion on additional expenses over the same period, with the largest portions going to public-sector wages, debt servicing and infrastructure.

He outlined that N9.39 trillion was spent on wage adjustments, minimum wage increases and allowances for public servants, while N9.37 trillion went into servicing external debt following the impact of exchange-rate depreciation. A total of N6.5 trillion was spent on strategic infrastructure.

He stated that borrowing accounted for 58 per cent of the N20.4 trillion in incremental resources, while subsidy savings contributed 27 per cent and other revenue accounted for the remaining 15 per cent.

He added that two-thirds of the N30.64 trillion in additional expenditure was financed from these new resources, while about N10 trillion came from the existing revenue base.

Oyedele said this expansionary fiscal drive was achieved while the government stopped relying on excessive Ways and Means financing from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

While acknowledging the negative effects of high interest rates and increases in petrol prices, Oyedele pointed out that maintaining the old policies would have produced even more serious problems.

As pain points of the reforms, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), the benchmark interest rate, increased from 18.5 per cent in May 2023 to 26.5 per cent, while petrol prices moved from approximately N185 per litre to between N1,100 and N1,400 per litre.

Oyedele said without the reforms, Nigerians could have ended up with a worse scenario of an endless spiral into high prices, mounting debts and macroeconomic instability.

He said petrol, which had been marked by perennial scarcity, could have become difficult to obtain at the former official price while selling for more than N3,000 per litre on the black market, while the difference between official and parallel-market exchange rates could have risen above 150 per cent, compared with less than five per cent currently.

He described the increase in interest rates and petrol prices as costs of economic stabilisation that should not be hidden from the public, but must be properly situated within the context of the past and what could have happened without the reforms.

According to him, exchange-rate reform has reduced one of the major distortions that previously encouraged arbitrage and made it difficult for businesses and individuals to access foreign exchange through the official market.

Oyedele pointed out that 27 states were unable to reliably pay salaries in May 2023, noting that without the reform, at least 30 states could have been struggling to meet salary obligations by 2026.

He added that the legacy Ways and Means balance, which stood at about N30 trillion, had also been reduced instead of being allowed to rise sharply.

He highlighted other benefits of the reforms

The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), introduced by the Tinubu administration, has provided support to more than 1.5 million students, while cash transfers, subsidised mortgages and agricultural interventions have been introduced to support vulnerable households and strengthen food security.

Headline inflation fell to 15.91 per cent in June 2026 from 22.41 per cent in May 2023, while food inflation dropped from 24.82 per cent to 17.52 per cent.

Gross foreign reserves rose to $52.5 billion from approximately $35 billion at the start of the reform period, while net reserves increased from around $3 billion to $34.8 billion.

Oyedele pointed out that the difference between gross and net reserves was important because the net figure gives a better picture of the foreign-exchange buffer actually available to the country after taking account of relevant obligations.

He pointed out the general positive impact of the reforms on the economy.

The Nigerian capital market recorded historic growth, with market capitalisation rising from about N31 trillion to roughly N150 trillion. Government policies and reforms have also created thousands of new millionaires in the country.

He noted that real economic growth improved to 3.89 per cent from a May 2023 baseline of 2.31 per cent, as against possible stagnation or recession without the reforms.

Nigeria also received a sovereign credit-rating upgrade from S and P Global to B in May 2026.

The government described the development as the country’s first such upgrade in 14 years.

The scorecard also noted Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in October 2025 and its removal from the European Union’s anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing deficiency list in January 2026.

Beyond the headline economic figures, the government said the reforms had produced direct benefits for households and workers.

Public servants had received wage adjustments and allowances, pension payments had improved and longstanding pension arrears had been settled. The minimum wage had also risen from N30,000 to N70,000.

The new tax framework was part of an effort to reduce pressure on poorer Nigerians and small businesses, with low-income earners and small enterprises receiving tax relief under the new system.

‘There are still challenges’

Oyedele, however, acknowledged that while the reforms had delivered measurable gains, there were still challenges of poverty, food affordability and the ability of households to recover from the economic shock.

He said: ‘On food and household welfare, our own assessment is candid: this remains work in progress.’

He said the next stage of the reform programme would therefore focus more directly on converting improvements in economic stability into benefits that Nigerians could feel in their homes.

He highlighted plans to expand cash transfers to vulnerable households, increase agricultural interventions aimed at reducing food prices and work with state and local governments to spread economic gains across the country.

He assured that the government would continue implementing the Nigeria Tax Act and introduce further changes to improve budgeting, public reporting and accountability.

According to him, the government expects the tax-to-GDP ratio to rise as the new tax system becomes fully operational and intends to pursue lower inflation, with a medium-term goal of bringing headline inflation into single digits.

He said the government would maintain the unified and predictable foreign exchange-rate system, noting that greater certainty was becoming more important to investors than individual incentives.

He said the government would also concentrate spending on projects and programmes with the greatest economic and social impact.

‘We are not here to pretend these reforms were painless.

‘We are here to show you, honestly and with the numbers, what they cost, the benefits they delivered, and the harm they prevented,’ Oyedele said.

He explained that the projections used to determine what could have happened without the reforms were based on economic trends that existed before the reforms, including the rate at which debt servicing was consuming government revenue, depletion of foreign reserves used to defend the former exchange-rate system and the growth of Central Bank financing.

The reform scorecard was based on 25 indicators covering fiscal sustainability, external stability, investment climate, social impact, and economic growth and productivity.

It compared Nigeria’s position in May 2023 with verified data available by mid-2026.

Tinubu orders transfer of recovered loots, unclaimed dividends to NELFUND

All legally cleared and unencumbered funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be channeled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to strengthen student financing.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the directive yesterday.

He also directed that resources in the Unclaimed Dividends Trust Fund and Dormant Accounts Trust Fund be mobilised for NELFUND, subject to compliance with the laws governing the funds.

These are part of the decisions taken at yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.

The Council also approved a proposal to decriminalise attempted suicide, ordered a five-year strategic defence plan and approved major road, housing, health, energy and biotechnology projects.

The Council approved about N610 billion for road infrastructure and 600 housing units for Armed Forces personnel, while health projects valued at about N558 billion were also approved.

Other decisions are approval of a National Bioenergy Strategic Plan to improve energy access, a revised National Biotechnology Policy, the establishment of an academy for gifted and talented Nigerian children and an entrepreneurship and innovation programme in 14 federal universities.

Recovered loot to fund student loans

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa announced the decision on NELFUND funding while briefing reporters after the meeting.

He clarified that only liquid funds legally recovered by the EFCC and no longer subject to litigation would be transferred to NELFUND.

Seized properties, assets and funds still encumbered by court cases, he said, would not be affected.

According to Alausa, the President directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Minister of Finance, Ministry of Education, Debt Management Office and other relevant agencies to develop the legal and operational framework for the transfer.

The Attorney-General, he added, would work with the EFCC Chairman to identify recovered funds legally available for transfer.

‘The President was very clear: not seized properties, all recovered looted funds, liquid funds, recovered by the EFCC will now be transferred to NELFUND,’ Alausa said.

He said the government would also examine the legislation governing unclaimed dividends and dormant accounts to determine how their resources could lawfully be made available to NELFUND.

The minister said the decision would give the student loan scheme a more sustainable funding base as demand continued to rise.

He said more than 1.5 million students were currently benefiting from NELFUND, which had disbursed more than N93 billion in upkeep allowances and over N250 billion in institutional fees to public tertiary institutions.

Alausa said the President considered education one of the most productive uses for recovered public funds, particularly as the administration seeks to develop the human capital needed to drive its ambition of growing the Nigerian economy to $1 trillion.

He also said complaints about institutions withholding refunds from students who had paid their fees before NELFUND subsequently remitted the money had been addressed through a framework requiring affected institutions to refund students within a stipulated period.

N118b for

National Library

FEC approved an augmentation of about N118.31 billion for completion of the long-abandoned National Library of Nigeria headquarters complex in Abuja, alongside about N37 billion for furnishing.

Alausa said the project began on April 29, 2006, with a two-year completion schedule, but was abandoned after work stopped in October 2008.

He said Tinubu had directed the ministry to mobilise resources, including funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), to revive the project.

He also acknowledged the contribution of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, whose appeal for birthday gifts to be redirected to the project raised about N25 billion.

The minister said construction was expected to resume within the next few months.

Academy for gifted children, innovation programme

FEC also approved the transformation of Suleja Academy into the Nigerian Academy for the Gifted and Talented.

Alausa said Suleja Academy was originally established to identify and nurture exceptionally gifted children but had gradually operated like a conventional Federal Government College.

Under the new arrangement, the institution will have an autonomous governing structure and diversified funding sources, including federal appropriation, endowments and donations.

The Attorney-General has been directed to prepare an executive bill for transmission to the National Assembly to give legal effect to the transformation.

‘We have to look for every single genius in this country and bring them in, nurture them, and let them help create the Nigeria of tomorrow,’ Alausa said.

FEC also approved an Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Incubation Certification programme for 14 federal universities.

The technology-driven initiative, already tested at the University of Lagos, is designed to provide students with entrepreneurship, innovation, enterprise development and digital skills, alongside mentorship and incubation support.

The participating universities include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Abuja, University of Benin, University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, University of Jos, University of Lagos, University of Maiduguri, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Port Harcourt and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

FEC moves to decriminalise

attempted suicide

In another major decision, FEC approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act to decriminalise attempted suicide and replace punishment with medical and psychosocial care.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the executive bill would be transmitted to the National Assembly to remove colonial-era provisions that criminalise attempted suicide under the Criminal Code and Penal Code.

Pate said available World Health Organisation figures indicated that more than 7,000 Nigerians die by suicide annually, while about 300,000 attempts are recorded every year.

He added that more than 450,000 Nigerians require psychosocial support annually, describing the criminalisation of attempted suicide as a barrier to people seeking help.

‘The idea is that attempting suicide is not a crime,’ he said.

The proposed amendment would treat people who attempt suicide as persons requiring medical intervention, counselling, rehabilitation and psychosocial support rather than prosecution.

Pate said the Federal Government was targeting a 15 per cent reduction in suicide incidence by 2030.

He said the reform followed consultations with mental health advocates and other stakeholders and work by a task force established after the House of Representatives supported decriminalisation.

The amendment must, however, be approved by the National Assembly before the existing legal provisions can be changed.

Tinubu orders five-year defence strategy

Tinubu also ordered the preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to provide a unified framework for Nigeria’s response to security threats.

The President constituted a high-level committee of defence, intelligence and security chiefs and gave it 90 days to complete the assignment and submit its recommendations.

The committee will be coordinated by the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Famadewa.

Its members include National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu; Defence Minister Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Chief of Naval Staff Idi Abbas; DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency Muhammed Muhammed.

Tinubu said the framework would give security agencies a common understanding of the threats confronting the country, the operational objectives required to tackle them and the capabilities needed.

He cited the recent rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo State as evidence of what effective inter-agency cooperation could achieve.

The National Threat Assessment will identify and rank security threats, while the five-year plan will translate them into operational priorities, equipment requirements, capability gaps and implementation timelines.

The approved framework is also expected to guide multi-year defence expenditure and procurement.

N610b road projects, 600 military homes approved

FEC get approval for contracts and public-private partnership concessions valued at more than N610 billion for major federal road projects across the country.

The Council also approved the direct purchase of 600 four-bedroom terrace duplexes at Bristol City Development, Life Camp, Abuja, for Armed Forces personnel.

Minister of State for Works Bello Mohammed Goronyo said the Council ratified a N159.826 billion contract for reconstruction of the Ado-Ekiti-Iyin-Aramoko-Itawure-Osun State border road.

The project, awarded to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Limited, has a 24-month completion period and includes 7.5 per cent VAT.

Council also ratified a N54.118 billion variation/change order for rehabilitation of the road project.

Goronyo said the PPP concessions were designed to mobilise private capital and expertise for the development, operation and maintenance of critical federal highways, reducing pressure on public finances.

The projects are expected to improve interstate connectivity, reduce travel time and transport costs and facilitate the movement of agricultural and manufactured goods.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development Muttaqha Rabe Darma said the 600 housing units approved for military personnel were part of a wider programme targeting 10,000 homes for the Armed Forces.

He recalled that FEC had previously approved 1,556 units at Deidei in the Federal Capital Territory, bringing the total number approved so far to 2,156.

Darma said the initiative reflected Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare and living conditions of military personnel.

Bioenergy plan, biotechnology policy approved

FEC approved a National Bioenergy Strategic Plan aimed at using Nigeria’s abundant biomass and biological resources to improve energy access and energy sufficiency.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Kingsley Udeh said the Energy Commission of Nigeria would lead implementation of the plan, with relevant ministries and agencies working under an inter-ministerial framework.

He said Nigeria had substantial biomass and bioresources capable of being converted into energy but lacked a coordinated national structure for maximising the opportunity.

The Council also approved the Nigeria Biotechnology Partnership to strengthen international collaboration and investment in biotechnology and bioenergy.

Udeh said FEC further approved the Revised National Biotechnology Policy 2026, replacing the policy adopted in 2001.

N558b health projects okayed

FEC approved health projects worth about N558 billion, including a comprehensive overhaul of the National Hospital, Abuja, and a N302.3 billion National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.

Pate said about N255.66 billion of the approvals would be devoted to upgrading the National Hospital.

They include N18.74 billion for a new administrative and management block, N64.92 billion for modular clinics and theatres, N103 billion for a high-end wing and N69 billion for a Neuroscience Institute.

He said the interventions were designed to transform the hospital, established about 25 years ago, into a modern quaternary healthcare institution capable of providing highly specialised services.

The Neuroscience Institute will provide specialised services in neurosurgery, radiology, interventional procedures and rehabilitation for patients with strokes, brain tumours and other neurological conditions.

FEC also approved N302.3 billion for the design, construction, furnishing, equipping, supervision and commissioning of a National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.

The project, awarded to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Limited, has a 36-month completion period.

Pate said the facility would strengthen cancer research, treatment and training and complement cancer centres already completed in Katsina, Benin and Enugu.

He said the projects had passed through the required procurement processes and received clearances from the Bureau of Public Procurement.

The minister acknowledged the financing challenges involved but said Nigeria could no longer postpone critical investments in healthcare infrastructure because of their cost.

According to him, the projects are expected to expand access to specialist care, reduce medical tourism and help retain skilled doctors and other health professionals by providing them with modern facilities and equipment.

FEC also approved an executive bill for the establishment of a National Centre for Oral Health as a national referral, training and research institution.

Pate said the proposed centre would provide the legal and institutional framework for specialised oral healthcare, training and research and address gaps in Nigeria’s health architecture.

He said the proposed legislation followed recommendations dating back to 1982 for the establishment of a specialised oral health research and training centre.

The minister said strengthening oral healthcare was important because several diseases could be detected through proper oral examination and treatment.

The decisions taken at Wednesday’s FEC meeting collectively underline the administration’s emphasis on education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, energy and human-capital development as pillars of its development agenda.

Campaigns officially begin, politicians are back on stage

You would be forgiven for assuming that the process had since begun because, as far as anyone could tell, the country has been campaigning for quite a while now. Jingles on radios, inconveniently inserted political adverts into entertainment programming on YouTube and social media, actors and influencers advertising their preferred candidates, and some of them getting stoned and beaten already by angry mobs.

Wednesday, however, marks the official INEC-approved campaign commencement for elections that will deliver the country’s next president in 2027. The pretence is over. The gloves are off. A familiar spectacle, one that we have seen many times over the last 27 years, begins to fully unravel itself. This spectacle, in which politicians display the full range of their acting skills, showcases an impressive array of costumes and spills fantastic yarns, as TuFace Idibia’s 2004 political song, E Be Like Say, captures it when he sings: ‘E be like say you want to act another movie for me o.’

A few months ago, it had seemed like Nigeria was heading towards a one-party state, with a fractured and emasculated opposition (and some will argue that is still the case). It will surprise many to know that there are officially 19 candidates in the running for president. Of course, only three or four are being talked about as realistic options. Tinubu, as the incumbent, is the big kahuna, and his closest challengers, by some distance, will be the likes of Atiku Abubakar, whose name has been on every ballot in the history of this fourth republic, and the duopoly of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises is that for the first time in our 27 years of democracy, no one is talking about the PDP as a political force of substance. The party, that 12 years ago had seemed indomitable, had quietly slipped into the B-tier of political parties and is fielding an unknown Sandy Onor as its candidate for president.

Between now and January 15, these candidates will traverse the country, make speeches, dance at rallies, wear asoebi, wave brooms and other contraptions that these parties have adopted as their logos and ask Nigerians to vote for them. While they have already been doing so informally, this is the time where proper campaigning starts and governance, or the little of it that has been done, stops. Every issue becomes a political spectacle to be played out in the theatre of the absurd that our political arena is, instead of being dealt with pragmatically. The Nigerian citizens become mere spectators, instead of beneficiaries. Even more so than they have been already. The only difference is that this time, this is an audience that is hungrier, angrier and more sceptical.

These are people who have lived through repeated promises of transformation. Promises of anti-corruption have blossomed overnight, like potted plants imported into a garden in the dark, not cultivated from the soil, only for the anti-corruption crusades to falter when it comes to the allies of those in power. These are people who have lived through endless promises of economic recovery plans that have left inflation high and Nigerians poorer. These are Nigerians who have lived through security pledges that have somehow translated into increased insecurity and continued fragmentation of the country. The question has never been about whether politicians can make promises, it is about whether these set of angrier, more sceptical Nigerians would believe them.

Unlike in previous campaigns, though, this time, information has become even more decentralised to the extent that political narratives are no longer solely controlled by parties and traditional media. We have seen the rise of ‘data boys’ and political influencers who are being mobilised to harvest supporters, just like the pied piper, to lead the masses, like the lost children of Hamelin, in a particular direction the person who pays the piper desires. Yet political narratives are no longer controlled solely by the parties and the traditional media. The democratisation of the media and information dissemination means citizens can challenge the claims in real time. So while campaign messaging faces immediate scrutiny, it won’t change the desire of politicians to control the narratives through digital actors.

One thing that will remain the same though is the campaign rhetoric that will not change-with promises, ethnic and religious rhetoric and slander taking centre stage, the audience will remain the same too, just angrier. Will that make any difference? I am quite sceptical.

For one, the political terrain is heavily tilted in favour of the APC, no small thanks to the politicking of Tinubu, who has coerced and enticed politicians, causing mass defections that effectively nailed the coffin on what was left of the PDP. Today, 31 of the 36 states in the country are firmly in the grip of the ruling APC. The NDC, and ADP, hitherto B-tier parties are positioning themselves as alphas. They do not have the structures to challenge the ruling party and cannot bring themselves to form the alliance that would give them a realistic chance at the polls. Even though it is likely alliances will shift before January 16, it is unlikely they will shift significantly enough to change the status quo. If the alliance happens now, it may be a little too little and a little too late.

While voters may be angrier and more sceptical, early discourse on the election and the candidates have continued to revolve around the same issues. Instead of asking questions like why should I trust this candidate, what exactly will improve and how, how will these candidates pay for their promises and why did previous promises fail, the focus has remained on region, religion and on which political legion has the biggest war chest.

Though campaign strategists may be aware they are facing an angrier audience, they may also be aware that the same strategies that focus on ethnic mobilisation, incumbency guarantees may work. The times might have changed, but the reality is that yesterday’s strategies-including the spaghetti and soap politics-might prevail in Today’s elections. This means real issues like cost of living, security, energy, education, healthcare and institutional reforms that should be central will only be subjected to theatrical treatments.

The long-suffering Nigerian electorate deserves more than slogans, insults and quickly cobbled together manifestos that are as quickly discarded once elections are over. So while things might have changed for the electorate and some of the political parties, the political structure of the country is formed in a way that allows any realistic chance of using the elections as a measure of accountability for elected officials.

The Nigerian electorate may have become angrier, more sceptical and harder to fool, but it is entering another election in a political system designed to reward everything except accountability. The campaign has begun. The question is whether the voters can change the script, or whether, once again, the script will change them.

Uganda finally remembered its medical interns

There is something deeply uncomfortable about the way Uganda has handled the medical interns’ facilitation crisis.

For weeks, the country watched young doctors prepare to enter hospitals without a clear assurance that they would receive the money they had historically depended on to survive their internship.

Government told them to report to their duty stations even as questions about their welfare remained unanswered. Some protested. Some were arrested. Parliament intervened. Doctors threatened industrial action. And now, after all that pressure, government has reversed course.

The reinstatement of the facilitation is welcome. But perhaps the bigger question is: why did it have to reach this point in the first place? The Ministry of Health deployed more than 2,400 medical interns for the 2026/27 internship period.

These are not students walking into hospitals for a casual attachment. They are graduates who have completed medical school and must undergo supervised internship before obtaining full practising licences. They become part of the machinery through which Ugandan hospitals provide care and that distinction matters.

An intern may still be learning, but when a patient arrives at a hospital at 2am, that patient does not care whether the person attending to them is called an intern, medical officer or senior doctor. They simply want competent care.

Uganda’s Parliament itself has acknowledged the important role interns play in the health system. During an earlier debate over the withdrawal of their allowance, the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, pointed out that interns sometimes work extraordinarily long shifts and asked how they were expected to report to hospitals without facilitation. That is the uncomfortable reality.

The government has now announced that the current cohort will receive a monthly gross facilitation of Shs1,268,929, leaving approximately Shs1 million after tax. That is a significant relief for interns and, more importantly, a recognition that the internship programme cannot simply demand labour without considering the welfare of the people providing it. But still, government should not mistake the reversal for the end of the problem.

The real lesson from this episode is that healthcare planning cannot be separated from the people who deliver healthcare. If there was a financial or policy reason for removing the facilitation, government should have engaged the medical profession and the interns before announcing a change that affected thousands of young doctors. Instead, the issue escalated into a confrontation.

Of course, interns also have responsibilities. They are professionals and should report to their assigned facilities and respect the rules governing their training. Their grievances should be expressed peacefully and responsibly, but responsibility should run in both directions.

It is particularly concerning that the disagreement eventually resulted in the arrest and remand of eight medical interns following a demonstration in Kampala. The Uganda Medical Association subsequently demanded their release and criticised what it described as an escalation against young doctors. That should never have been necessary. A disagreement over medical interns’ welfare should be settled around a negotiating table, not in a prison cell.

Uganda cannot simultaneously complain about shortages of health workers and make the early stages of a medical career unnecessarily difficult. It is very true that the country needs doctors. It needs nurses. It needs pharmacists. It needs laboratory scientists. And it needs young health professionals to see Uganda as a place where their skills can build a future.

The facilitation of medical interns should therefore not be treated as a favour from government. It should be treated as an investment in the health system of the whole country.

The current crisis has also exposed another important issue in terms of policy consistency. Internship is not an optional holiday between university and employment. It is a compulsory stage of professional training.

If the state requires graduates to undertake it before they can practise independently, then the financial and institutional arrangements surrounding that training should be clear long before the interns reach the hospital gates, probably before they are allocated their internship placements.

Government deserves credit for listening and reversing the decision. But the better achievement would be ensuring that future cohorts never have to fight the same battle. The medical interns have received their facilitation. Good.

Now Uganda should ask itself a more difficult question:

What kind of health system are we building if the people expected to keep it alive must first fight to be able to survive inside it?

The answer will tell us much more about the country’s priorities than any policy document ever could.