Adamu Atiku, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has formally declared his intention to contest the Adamawa South Senatorial District seat in the 2027 general elections.

The former Adamawa State Commissioner for Works and Energy Development made the announcement under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In a statement issued on Friday, Adamu Atiku said the decision followed months of wide consultations, sincere reflections, and strong encouragement from constituents, stakeholders, supporters, and well-meaning citizens across Adamawa South.

“After months of wide consultations, sincere reflections, and encouragement from constituents, stakeholders, supporters, and well-meaning citizens across Adamawa South, I have decided to answer the call to serve and formally join the race for the Adamawa South Senatorial seat,” he said.

He added that the overwhelming confidence reposed in him by the people has been humbling, describing his ambition as a people-driven movement aimed at promoting unity, progress, and quality representation.

Adamu disclosed that he has already obtained his nomination form, marking the formal beginning of his campaign.

The development comes weeks after he resigned from the cabinet of Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.

It further strengthens the Atiku political family’s involvement in the ADC.

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Nigerian rapper and singer, Shallipopi, has revealed why he switched from rap music to singing. Featuring in a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, the ‘Cast’ hitmaker explained that he was originally a rap star but embraced Amapiano for financial reasons.

According to him, Amapiano is more lucrative than rap music.

“I have been rapping for a while. I am a trap star. They made me do Amapiano. It is Amapiano that bring food to the table, so we will do it. I will drag it with them,” he said.

Shallipopi said rap was his “first love” but he struggled to make a fortune from it partly due to Nigerian music fans’ orientation and lack of support.

On why he rejected the Headies award for Best Rap Song, which was won by his song ‘Cast’ last year, Shallipopi said he rejected it because the organisers attempted to box him as just a rapper.

He insisted that they should have given awards in both singing and rapping categories.

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A 43-year-old entrepreneur, Richard Akinaka, has formally declared his ambition to contest the Bayelsa Central Senatorial District seat under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, positioning himself as a candidate to address what he described as a persistent leadership deficit affecting grassroots communities.

Speaking while submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms at the PDP headquarters in Yenagoa on Saturday, Akinaka said his decision to contest followed an earlier declaration of interest made at a party gathering on Tuesday.

Addressing party members and supporters, Akinaka said his candidacy was a response to the socio-economic challenges facing rural dwellers in the senatorial district.

“As one who has experienced the life of our people living in rural communities, I see myself as an embodiment of the collective aspirations of our people. That is why I have thrown my hat into the ring to address the leadership gap and make life better for our people,” he said.

He emphasised his personal connection to the struggles of constituents, arguing that lived experience provides him with both legitimacy and urgency.

“I want the best for my constituency. Having experienced life in the same conditions many of our people face, I see it as a responsibility to improve livelihoods at the grassroots. That is why I am seeking this platform—to advance that purpose,” Akinaka added.

The aspiring lawmaker also dismissed age as a limiting factor in governance, asserting that competence and accountability should be the primary criteria for leadership.

“I am 43 years old, and I have the capacity to run for this position. Age is not an indication of performance; it is just a number.

“The real question is whether the individual is responsible enough to undertake the task. If that is the benchmark, then I am well qualified to represent Bayelsa Central in the Senate,” he stated.

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Siyako Anthony Yaro, senator representing Gombe south, has
resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after failing to secure the ruling party’s senatorial ticket for the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the lawmaker said the decision followed wide consultations with political associates, community leaders, and supporters across the district.

According to Daily Trust, Yaro described the PDP as the platform that first believed in the aspirations of Gombe south people and gave him the opportunity to pursue their development agenda.

“This decision was not made lightly. But the PDP remains the party that first believed in our collective dream for a greater Gombe South — a dream of better roads, functional schools, accessible healthcare, and empowered
youths and women,” he said.

The senator rejected any notion of desperation or inconsistency, framing his move as an act of responsibility and accountability to his constituents.

“To my supporters and constituents, I ask that you see this return not as a sign of confusion, but as an act of courage and accountability. My loyalty has always been, and will always be, to the people first,” he said.

Yaro expressed gratitude to his supporters for their steadfast loyalty and reaffirmed his commitment to the district’s development.

“I am ready to run. I am ready to win. I am ready to continue defending your interests with every breath in my body,” the lawmaker
said.

He urged residents to stay united, emphasising that the future of Gombe south must be shaped by the will of the people rather than
narrow political calculations.

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Corps members at the Lagos State orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps have complained about persistent water shortage allegedly caused by irregular electricity supply.

A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria at the camp showed that inadequate water storage facilities and unstable power supply had continued to affect the welfare and living conditions of corps members.

Many corps members said they now wake up as early as 1 am to queue for water before the start of daily camp activities.

A corps member identified simply as Annabel, who was deployed from Anambra State, described the situation as stressful.

“Sometimes we wake up at midnight just to fetch water. If you delay, you may not get enough water to bathe before the morning parade.

“After drills and activities under the sun, everybody needs water, but the supply is usually insufficient,” she said.

Another corps member, Ibrahim, said the shortage had forced many residents to ration water for basic domestic activities.

“Some people skip washing their clothes for days just to save water,” he said.

A female corps member, who identified herself simply as Mary, said many camp residents often descend long stairways carrying buckets and kegs in search of water.

“Even when water is pumped, it finishes quickly because the storage facilities cannot serve everybody adequately.

“The water usually stops running by 3:00 a.m., so everybody struggles to fetch before then,” she said.

Mary also alleged that the rush for water recently resulted in an accident involving a female corps member.

“One corps member fell while carrying water and sustained injuries during the rush,” she said.

Some corps members noted that the existing water tanks could no longer adequately serve the growing population of camp residents.

“The tanks are simply not enough for storage, as we don’t even get water on the 3rd floor. We have to go to the 2nd floor.

“The existing tanks can no longer adequately serve the growing population in camp,” a corps member said.

NAN findings showed that overcrowding, poor storage facilities and irregular electricity supply were major factors contributing to the situation.

Another corps member said she had resorted to buying sachet water for bathing to avoid the stress associated with fetching water.

“I don’t like stress, so I buy bags of sachet water for bathing on most days,” she said.

Some food vendors operating within the camp also expressed concern over the situation, noting that the shortage had increased their operating costs.

One of the vendors, who pleaded anonymity, said inconsistent electricity supply had affected access to water needed for cooking and cleaning.

“The cost of sourcing water is affecting our business because we depend on water for cooking and washing,” the vendor said.

Some corps members, however, commended camp officials for efforts made to ease the situation through water rationing and supplementary supply arrangements.

When contacted, the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit, NYSC Lagos, Mrs Omolola Aladesoun, told NAN that the authorities were aware of the challenge, which lasted briefly due to a power outage.

“We had a slight water shortage due to power failure, but everything has been resolved.

“We also have a standby generator used to pump water,” she said.

NAN

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The Federal Ministry of Works has announced partial closure of sections of the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road from Monday to facilitate the completion of ongoing reconstruction works

The Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, Mr Olayiwola Komolafe, made this known in a statement on Saturday.

He said the closure followed a directive by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, ordering the contractor, Messrs Arab Contractors, to resume work on critical sections of the highway to ensure prompt delivery of the project.

According to Komolafe, the affected sections are the stretch from Ikorodu Roundabout to Sabo Junction in Lagos, and from Cement to Coca-Cola inward Sagamu.

Komolafe said that traffic from Ikorodu to Sagamu would be diverted through the construction corridors under a counterflow arrangement.

He said the construction would last for three months to allow the execution of works and curing of the rigid pavement.

The controller said that officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority would be deployed to manage traffic during the period specially.

He appealed to motorists to cooperate with traffic managers and law enforcement officers.

Komolafe said the ministry regretted any inconvenience the reconstruction work might cause to road users.

NAN

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Kingsley Chinda, a loyalist of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, has been successfully screened and cleared by the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead its gubernatorial primary election in Rivers State.

Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, recently joined the Rivers State gubernatorial race.

Chinda, the incumbent governor Siminalayi Fubara and others are battling for the APC ticket to contest the 2027 election.

Although Wike is yet to officially announce his anointed candidate, it was gathered that the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency Rep may get his blessings if he emerges winner of the May 21 primary election.

Recall that the FCT minister had vowed that Fubara must not be re-elected, stating that at the right time, he would unveil his preferred
candidate.

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The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua has insisted that phone snatching is no longer a significant problem in Nigeria, comparing the country favourably to the United Kingdom and Cameroon.

The claim was made by Fasua at a members-only Coffee Hangout organised by Kay Hikers Club in Abuja, and drew immediate mockery online after a video of the exchange was posted on Instagram on Thursday.

In the video, a woman had confronted Fasua over unaffordable ride-hailing services and rampant phone robberies, telling him that basic necessities had become unaffordable.

She asked further on the safety situation facing ordinary Nigerians.

She asked, “Are you aware of the current situation concerning the safety and the pricing errors in that system? Are you aware that even as a person, you are not safe boarding these cars?”

She also drew a direct link between economic hardship and street crime.

She said, “The gatesmen of your estates, your security guards, they are underpaid. Therefore this is equal to you being robbed or raped as a woman or as a human being. You can no longer walk on these streets without being robbed because they want your phone so they can sell it. Because the common man is coming from a place of survival.”

She urged Fasua to relay the gravity of conditions to Tinubu, and questioned how a technocrat could grasp ground realities.

She stated, “With economists and statistics people, you have to be number conscious. Nigerians are no numbers. We are real people going through real hell. So how is the government planning to mitigate the issues with the grassroots? We are suffering. We are suffering.”

Fasua, responding to the phone-snatching concerns, sought to downplay them by pointing to similar incidents abroad.

“In the streets of London, go to UK, you see phone smashing. One woman was here from Cameroon. Her name is Victorine. She’s a vlogger. She was here in Nigeria. And she tells you that in Cameroon you can’t hold your phone like this,” he said.

He insisted the situation in Nigeria had improved.

“Nigerians have moved ahead from all these phone snatching. It is not a major crisis in Nigeria. I do my walks in the morning. I work everywhere. It’s not an issue. Let’s not look for every excuse to put the country down. It is not every security issue we have.”

A male attendee also challenged Fasua’s framing, accusing him of spiritualising structural problems by invoking “mindset” as a solution.

“I feel like you are now beginning to spiritualise the issues in Nigeria when you say mindset, because it’s not actually supposed to be a mindset, it’s a reality,” the man said.

Fasua maintained that Nigerians could still improve their individual circumstances regardless of government performance.

He said, “There are things that each and every one of us can still work on to be able to survive better than we were surviving. There’s no amount of money that we have that we cannot give a little out of.”

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The Federal Government has begun repaying longstanding debts owed to power generation companies, according to the President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp), Owen Omogiafo.

Omogiafo described the development as the most significant progress made so far in resolving the liquidity crisis that has long plagued Nigeria’s electricity sector.

She made the disclosure on Friday during an interview on the sidelines of Transcorp Plc’s 20th Annual General Meeting held in Abuja.

“For us in Transcorp Power and Transafam, we have actually signed our settlement reconciliation contracts. For Transafam, they started the payments. And for Transcorp Power, they will start sometime this year,” Omogiafo stated.

She commended the Bola Tinubu administration, saying: “This is the greatest progress we have made as it relates to dealing with the historical debt.”

The repayment forms part of the Federal Government’s intervention to clear about N3.3 trillion in legacy debts owed to generation companies and gas suppliers between February 2015 and March 2025.

The initiative aims to restore liquidity and improve stability in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.Despite ongoing challenges such as gas supply constraints and inadequate transmission infrastructure, Omogiafo noted that Transcorp Group has continued to deliver strong operational performance.

The Transcorp CEO expressed optimism that recent policy measures and leadership changes in the power sector would boost investor confidence.

This debt repayment effort follows President Tinubu’s approval of a comprehensive N3.3 trillion settlement plan, with implementation already underway.

Fifteen power plants have reportedly signed settlement agreements totalling N2.3 trillion.

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