The Federal Government has disbursed more than N600 billion in cash transfers to over 10 million households across the country in the three years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, has said.

Doro disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.

He said the programme was designed to support poor and vulnerable households and improve their living conditions, adding that the number of beneficiaries could translate to about 40 million people based on an average household size of four.

“We have done over N600 billion in cash transfers to be able to support vulnerable Nigerians within three years,” Doro said.

The minister said the government had also launched a vocational skills programme that trained more than 18,000 people and provided them with starter kits and stipends.

According to him, the beneficiaries received additional training in business management and accounting to help them establish and manage businesses.

Doro said the government was also supporting farmers through a separate intervention aimed at improving livelihoods and reducing poverty.

Defending the impact of the cash-transfer programme, he said even the N25,000 paid to beneficiaries could make a significant difference to the poorest households.

“N25,000 can look very small to elites, but not to the poorest of the poor,” he said.

The minister said his ministry was focused on translating improvements in the broader economy into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.

“My job is to translate macroeconomic gains as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction. I translate the microeconomic gains to the micro level, and you can see the traction,” he said.

Doro also said the government was monitoring the risk of food insecurity in northern Nigeria following projections that more than 70 million people across nine conflict-affected states could face acute food insecurity.

He, however, stressed that the figures were projections and did not necessarily mean that all those identified would experience food insecurity.

The minister added that the government had recently implemented a presidential intervention on food and nutrition across 10 northern states and would continue to monitor the situation and intervene where necessary.

Source: Vanguard news

African Democratic Congress (ADC) demanded the immediate arrest of Kuje Area Council Chairman, Mr. Samuel Shekwolo, over his reported declaration that residents must vote All Progressives Congress (APC) or leave the council area.

ADC described the statement as “a threat of forced displacement” that breached Sections 40, 41 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution.

In a statement by ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party likened the comment to that by APC Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who was questioned and released without charge after threatening opposition voters during the recent Osun governorship election.

Tracing both comments to President Bola Tinubu’s July 29 comment that, “All is fair in politics,” ADC demanded that the president should personally clarify his statement and call his party to order.

ADC also urged the National Peace Committee to speak now, warning that if it waits until 2027, it could find itself issuing condolences, instead of appeals.

The party said it read with alarm the reported declaration by Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Shekwolo, that residents of Kuje must join or vote for APC or leave the council area.

ADC stated, ‘’Let us be clear about what this is: A sitting elected official, in whose custody the safety and welfare of every resident of Kuje has been placed, has publicly tied a citizen’s right to live in his own country to the party that they vote for.

‘’That is a threat of forced displacement. In a country that has buried too many of its people to political violence, it is an invitation to anarchy.’’

ADC called on the Inspector-General of Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Shekwolo and charge him accordingly.

Abdullahi said, ‘’Not to invite him. Not to engage him. Not to invite him for a chat and release him before the ink on the headline is dry. Arrest him, charge him, and let a court of law decide.’’

ActionAid Raises Alarm over Remark

ActionAid Nigeria also condemned the statement by Shekwolo, describing it as a troubling threat to democratic freedoms.

ActionAid warned that political intimidation could become normalised ahead of the 2027 elections.

The organisation said an elected public official had a responsibility to serve every resident, irrespective of political affiliation, and should not use public office to pressure citizens into supporting a political party.

Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr Andrew Mamedu, said the alleged statement raised fundamental questions about the protection of citizens’ political rights and the responsibility of state institutions to respond consistently to potentially threatening political rhetoric.

Mamedu said,. “This is deeply concerning. If an elected council chairman openly tells citizens that they must support a political party to continue living in an area under his administration, we must ask what message this sends to citizens who support other political parties or choose not to support any political party at all.”

He maintained that public office must not become an instrument of “political intimidation, exclusion or coercion”.

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching scheme in parts of the Middle Belt, describing it as an attempt to take over ancestral lands under the guise of livestock development.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Federal Ministry of Works, the Edo State Government, and other stakeholders have commenced an urgent intervention to address the deplorable condition of the highways between Edo and Delta States.

In a statement on Wednesday, by the Director, Corporate Affairs of NDDC, Seledi Thomspon-Wakama said the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, alongside the Senate Committee and House of Representatives Committee on Works and the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, embarked on a joint inspection of failed portions of the Benin-Sapele-Warri and Benin-Agbor roads.

The statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt, revealed that during the inspection, Umahi stressed the federal government’s commitment to fixing the deteriorating sections and finding immediate and sustainable solutions to the challenges along the critical corridor.

Umahi said the quick intervention followed a directive from President Bola Tinubu, in response to concerns over the deteriorating condition of the critical road corridors, which have subjected commuters, residents and businesses to severe hardship.

Consequently, the Ministry of Works, in collaboration with the Edo State Government, invited the NDDC, major construction companies operating along the Benin–Asaba axis, and other stakeholders to undertake a joint inspection of the failed portions of the roads.

Also speaking at the road site, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the commission received complaints about the sufferings of motorists along the Benin-Sapele corridor and had taken steps to intervene.

He added that the Commission had scoped 15.4 kilometres between Benin, Ologbo Junction and Sapele, describing it as a strategic road section in the region and noting that the bad stretch had become unmotorable, causing gridlock, hardship and crippling the local economy.

Ogbuku said the NDDC and the Ministry of Works had agreed to work together on the intervention to ensure that any remedial work conforms to the road’s original design and can stand the test of time.

He said the intervention reflected the Commission’s commitment to complementing the federal

government’s efforts to restore critical infrastructure and ease the burden on communities and road users across the Niger Delta.

According to him, the NDDC was committed to supporting the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu by delivering strategic infrastructure interventions that improve connectivity, stimulate economic activity, and enhance the quality of life of our people.

Also speaking, Edo State Governor, Senator Okpebholo, commended President Tinubu for responding swiftly to the challenge, noting the intervention would quickly arrest the deterioration of sections of the critical highway.

Okpebholo said Edo State’s strategic position made the deplorable state of the highway a national concern, describing the state as a gateway to the South-South, South-East, South-West and the North.

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday inaugurated its Presidential and National Assembly campaign for Ogun Central Senatorial District, in preparation for the 2027 general elections.

The programme, which took place in three different Ifo, Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South local government areas, was attended by thousands of party supporters and residents from all the six local government areas that made up the district.

The campaign train, led by the party’s Ogun State governorship candidate and Chairman of the Campaign Council, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, moved through the three federal constituencies that make up Ogun Central before culminating in a mega rally at the Ake Palace Arcade, Abeokuta.

The flag-off began in the Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, where residents and party supporters lined the streets and balconies to welcome Adebutu, the deputy governorship candidate, Dr. Yemi Kolapo-Sowunmi, the party’s Ogun Central Senatorial candidate, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, and other party leaders and candidates at Agbado Station.

The campaign train later proceeded to Abeokuta North Federal Constituency, where the party’s House of Representatives candidate, Arch. Dele Olaleye, was received by a large crowd at NTA Junction, Totoro.

Supporters who had gathered as early as 10a.m sang solidarity songs and cheered the candidates as they passed through the area.

The train subsequently moved to Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, where Hon. Toyin Amuzu is the PDP’s House of Representatives candidate. Thousands of supporters joined the procession and followed the convoy to the Ake palace ground, venue of the Ogun Central senatorial campaign flag-off.

Addressing the mammoth gathering, Adebutu urged the people of Ogun Central to support the PDP and vote for what he described as tested and credible candidates in the 2027 elections.

He appealed to voters to support Obasanjo, saying her records during her previous tenure in the Red Chamber remained a benchmark for purposeful representation in the district.

Adebutu also promised that a PDP administration would restore prosperity and improve governance, drawing comparisons with the achievements recorded under previous PDP administrations, particularly the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I want to remind you that the best times of Nigeria have largely emerged under the leadership of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), exemplified by what Baba Obasanjo did as a cornerstone for his successors,” he said.

Adebutu expressed optimism that the party would reclaim power in the 2027 elections and usher in what he described as a new era of prosperity.

He declared, “Happy days are coming again, very, very soon. In January, a new dawn will break for the betterment of our people”.

He urged PDP supporters to remain united, turn out in large numbers on election days and defend their votes against intimidation.

“Ogun Central must bid farewell to non-performance and vote for liberation. Come out en masse, vote for the PDP and stand by your votes. Do not allow anybody to intimidate you,” he said.

Also speaking, the PDP Senatorial candidate for Ogun Central, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, said she returned to the party because of her determination to restore what she described as the lost fortunes of the senatorial district.

Obasanjo, who represented Ogun Central in the Senate from 2007 to 2011, said she was concerned that some of the achievements recorded during her tenure had been eroded.

“My desire to take back our senatorial district to where it was when I represented it, is the reason why I came back to the PDP, and to take up the challenge of restoring our lost glories,” she said.

She added that she was encouraged by the reception she had received across the district, noting that residents had continued to identify projects and interventions associated with her previous tenure.

“Everywhere I go, people themselves point out the work I did when I represented them and tell me how many people were liberated from poverty. I am determined to do even more so that our people can benefit from the dividends of democracy,” Obasanjo said.

On his part, candidate for the Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, Chief Toyin Amuzu, pledged to run an all-inclusive and people-centred representation if elected to the House of Representatives.

Amuzu assured the people of Abeokuta South that he would not be a representative who would abandon his constituency after securing election and relocating to Abuja.

According to him, effective representation goes beyond occupying a seat in the Green Chamber, stressing that a lawmaker must remain connected with the people who gave him the mandate.

“By the grace of God, if elected to represent the good people of Abeokuta South Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, I will run an all-inclusive representation. I will not sit in Abuja after my

inauguration and forget the people who elected me.

“I will continue to engage our people from time to time to know what they are lacking and what their immediate needs are. Representation must be about the people, and that is the kind of representation I am prepared to offer.”

The PDP House of Representatives candidate also promised to attract meaningful federal presence and developmental projects to communities across the 15 wards of Abeokuta South Federal Constituency.

He assured residents that every part of the constituency would benefit from his representation, adding that no ward or community would be neglected.

Speaking on his legislative agenda, Amuzu pledged to sponsor and support people-oriented bills that would improve the welfare and living conditions of Nigerians.

He said he would ensure that his activities at the Green Chamber would be guided by the interests of the masses and the developmental needs of his constituents, and as well support legislation that would promote economic opportunities, youth empowerment, improved welfare, social justice and other policies aimed at improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

Other party’s candidates for the various constituencies also used the campaign tour to solicit support from voters, promising purposeful representation and improved attention to the needs of their constituents.

Prominent industrialist and philanthropist, Chief Kesington Adebutu, popularly known as “Baba Ijebu” is expected to join an array of government representatives, policymakers, business leaders and young Nigerians at the 2026 Ambassadors National Youth Summit organised by the Joshua Oyeniyi International (JOI) Foundation.

A statement yesterday, explained that the high-level youth gathering is scheduled to hold on Saturday, August 29, 2026, in Lagos.

The summit is designed to bring together established leaders and emerging voices to deliberate on issues affecting Nigeria’s economic future, leadership development, innovation and youth participation in national development, with the theme of the programme being Role Of Emerging Leaders in Securing Nigeria’s Economic Prosperity.

“With young people forming a significant part of Nigeria’s population, the organisers say the summit will provide an important platform for bridging the gap between the country’s emerging generation and the institutions and individuals responsible for shaping its socio-economic direction.

“Chief Adebutu’s expected presence adds further prominence to an event that has positioned itself as a meeting point for youth leadership, entrepreneurship, public policy and private-sector influence,” it added.

The 2026 summit is expected to feature high-level plenary sessions, policy conversations, networking opportunities and engagements between young delegates and experienced leaders. The official programme also highlights discussions around economy, security and leadership, alongside innovation and impact-focused activities.

The event is being convened by the Founder and President of Joshua Oyeniyi International, Dr. Joshua Oyeniyi, with the Foundation describing the Ambassadors Summit as its flagship platform for inspiring, equipping and connecting the next generation of African leaders.

“As preparations reach their final stage, the summit is expected to provide an avenue for young Nigerians to listen, question, network and contribute to conversations about the country’s future.

“For many delegates, the significance of the gathering will not only be in the personalities present, but in the opportunities it creates for meaningful interaction between today’s decision-makers and tomorrow’s leaders,” it added.