Category Nigeria News

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kebbi State has responded to recent remarks made by Abubakar Kana, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, who dismissed the ADC as “irrelevant” and “led by immature youths.”

In a statement issued by ADC State Chairman, Engr. Bala Sufiyanu, the opposition party, described Kana’s comments as “an act of desperation” from a ruling party increasingly rattled by the momentum of change building across the state.

The ADC accused the APC of failing the people of Kebbi, citing worsening poverty, growing insecurity affecting farmers, soaring youth unemployment, and a continued lack of basic infrastructure.

“Rather than confront these pressing issues, the APC has resorted to cheap verbal attacks against the only party offering a fresh, inclusive vision for Kebbi State,” the statement read.

READ ALSO: ‘We Don’t Know ADC Exists In Kebbi State’ – Kebbi APC

Responding to claims of inexperience among its young leadership, the ADC defended its youth-driven structure and cited examples from Nigerian history to challenge the notion that age defines leadership.

“If the APC believes youth equals incompetence, history says otherwise,” said Sufiyanu. “Gowon led Nigeria at 31, Murtala at 37, and Buhari at 41. It is vision, not age, that determines effective leadership.”

The party emphasized that Kebbi’s future depends on the energy, innovation, and courage of its youth. The ADC reaffirmed its commitment to empowering young leaders and rejected what it called the recycling of politicians who prioritize personal gain over public service.

Sending a warning to the ruling party, the ADC declared that no amount of criticism or political intimidation would derail its mission.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns about the selection of the vice-chancellors of universities, citing the VC selection process at Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri, Imo State.

The union expressed dismay that universities had been turned into commodities for politicians and contractors, rather than promoting merit and scholarship for which the institutions should be known.

ASUU, in a statement signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna, said, “Our union is also gravely concerned by decisions of some governing councils at the federal and state universities. Universities that are built on merit and scholarship have been turned into commodities for politicians and contractors in the appointment of Vice Chancellors.

“ASUU condemns the attempt to bring back the Ag. Vice Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, despite clear evidence to the fact that her promotion to the rank of a reader and professor was fraught with a lot of contradictions, similar things are unfolding in federal universities,” the statement partly read.

READ ALSO: ASUU Warns of Looming Crisis, Calls On Government To Act Now

Lecturers Not Happy

Lamenting the welfare of academics in public universities across the country, the union said lecturers are not happy as they teach students on empty stomachs and conduct research in libraries and laboratories bereft of essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals, and reagents.

“They engage with communities and agencies in rickety cars while encumbered by utility bills, children’s fees, house rents, family upkeep, and a legion of other unmet responsibilities. Yet elite Nigerians are quick to blame the universities for “producing unemployable graduates” and for failing to initiate innovative research for addressing the country’s problems. Our members feel forgotten, shamed, and demoralised by past and present governments,” it stated.

ASUU said it had ceaselessly warned owners (government and visitors) of public universities – the Federal and State Governments – of the consequences of breeding a disempowered, dissatisfied, and disorientated intellectual workforce.

According to the statement, at the centre of the union’s advocacy is respect for collective bargaining principles as enshrined in the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention No. 98 of 1949 and Convention No. 154 of 1981.

It stated that the “flip-flop” disposition of successive governments towards collective bargaining had created an atmosphere of distrust that would take extra efforts and energy on the part of the current Federal Government to dispel.

“Nothing illustrates this antipathy better than the frustrated attempts to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, despite submission of a draft agreement by the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed committee to the government since December 2024, eight clear months ago!

“Every major dispute ASUU has had with governments since 2012, when the 2009 agreement was due for renegotiation, emanated from failure to respect the provisions of the signed document on (i) conditions of service; (ii) funding; (iii) university autonomy and academic freedom; and (iv) other matters including the review of the laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB),” the statement partly read.

ASUU urged Nigerians to prevail on the federal and state governments to address all lingering labour issues in the Nigerian university system to avert another looming industrial crisis.

The union stated, “Nigerian academics are tired of governments’ excuses, which have only left them with a long list of Memoranda of Understanding/Memoranda of Action (MoUs/MoAs) – 2013, 2017, 2019, 2020 – and kept them talking over the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement for upward of eight years!

Fresh violence has erupted in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State as armed men launched a deadly overnight attack on Ding’ak community in Mushere Chiefdom, leaving at least two people dead, churches and homes burnt, and food supplies looted.

The assault, which began around midnight and lasted until about 4:30 a.m., reportedly saw the attackers wielding sophisticated weapons that overpowered local vigilantes.

The Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Forum (BCDF), Farmasum Fudang, told our correspondent in a phone interview that the victims include two officials with the Church Of Christ In Nations (COCIN).

READ ALSO: Two Killed As Gunmen Attack Military Checkpoint In Ebonyi

Fudang also said two COCIN churches and several homes were set ablaze. Maize farms were destroyed, while livestock, including cows, goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks, were stolen alongside stored food.

“They came through the usual route between Ding’ak and Kopmur,” Fudang said, lamenting that a security checkpoint is located less than a kilometre away from the scene. “Soldiers fired shots into the air but did not engage the attackers,” he alleged.

The BCDF chairman described the incident as part of a sustained wave of terror in Mushere land, noting that it came just two days after a similar attack in the Ndimar community. He called on both the federal and Plateau State governments to urgently intervene and bring the perpetrators to justice.

A former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, passed on on Saturday at the age of 78.

Here are some quick facts you should know about the late elder statesman:

Birth

Audu Innocent Ogbeh was born in Otukpo on July 28, 1947 to the family of late Pa Ejembi Ogbeh and Madam Egbi Ogbeh (nee Odinya), both of Efugo-Otukpa in the present day Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.

Education

He attended Kings College in Lagos and obtained his Higher School Certificate (HSC) in 1968 and proceeded the following year to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Between 1969 and 1972, Ogbeh got a Bachelor of Arts degree in French. He proceeded in 1973 to the University of Toulouse in France where he graduated in 1974 with a Masters of Letters degree in French literature.

READ ALSO: ‘Firm Believer In Democracy,’ Tinubu, Obasanjo Mourn Ogbeh

French Teacher

After his first degree, Ogbeh was employed as a teaching assistant by the Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he oversaw the teaching of French language in the northern states.

In 1977, after his Master’s degree, he was appointed as the Head of Department of Languages, Arts and Social Sciences at the Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology; up until 1979.

Deputy Speaker, Three-Time Minister

In 1979, he contested for and won the election to the Benue State House of Assembly. As a member of the House, he was elected Deputy Speaker, a position he held until February 1982.

In 1982, he was appointed as Federal Minister of Communications by President Shehu Shagari of the Second Republic.

In 1983, he was reappointed as a Minister, with a new portfolio of Steel Development. He served here until the coup d’etat on December 31st 1983.

He later returned as agriculture minister from November 2015 to May 2019 during the first term of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on July 13, 2025.

Farmer 

A farmer all through his life, Ogbeh set up rice mills, cashew plantations, poultry farms and more.

PDP Chairman

Ogbeh, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2001 and 2005, played national politics beyond his state of origin in Benue, North Central Nigeria.

The Federal Government has appointed Professor Mathew Adamu as the new Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja (now Yakubu Gowon University).

A statement by the Acting Registrar and Secretary to Council, Roseline Adakayi, said Adamu takes over from Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who was appointed for a  six-month tenure in acting capacity in February 2025.

He will serve for three months, effective Monday, 11 August 2025.

The release states in part: “Adamu succeeds Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who was appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor for a six-month tenure. During her stewardship, Professor Lar provided purposeful leadership, fostered academic and administrative stability and, in concert with the relevant organs of the University, successfully initiated the selection process for the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor.”

Adakayi noted that the new Acting VC is tasked with supporting the Governing Council, led by Senator Dr Olanrewaju Tejuoso, to conclude the ongoing process for appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor in line with statutory provisions and guidelines.

She expressed the University community’s “sincere gratitude to Professor Lar for her dedicated service, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence and institutional progress.”

The Acting Registrar wished Professor Adamu a  successful tenure as he “steers the University forward during this transition period.”

Profile

Professor Mathew  Adamu is a renowned veterinary scholar whose academic journey began with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1998, followed by a Master of Science in 2006, both from the University of Maiduguri. He later

obtained his  PhD in Veterinary Surgery from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 2012.

Recognised for his outstanding contributions to the field, he became a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria and was promoted in 2019 to full professorship with specialisation in Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology (Helminthology).

With 27 years of experience as a registered veterinarian, Professor Adamu has developed a rich career spanning teaching, research, extension services, and both undergraduate and postgraduate supervision.

Having served as a Youth Corps Veterinarian and Corps Liaison Officer in Dan Musa, Katsina State, immediately after graduation, he practised privately in Minna, Niger State. In early 2006, he moved to the Nigeria Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research in Kaduna before joining the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University) as a Lecturer II. There, he rose through the ranks to become a full Professor in 2019.

His tenure at Makurdi was defined by purposeful leadership in both academic and administrative realms. Between 2014 and 2018, he oversaw the Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology while concurrently serving as Deputy Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine from 2014 to 2016. He also served as Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital from 2018 to 2023, and subsequently as Dean of the College from March 2023 to the present.

Professor Adamu has supervised countless postgraduate students through substantial research initiatives culminating in master’s and doctoral degrees.

He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, the Nigerian Society of Parasitologists, and President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, where he previously served as Vice President until March 2025.

READ ALSO: Oando Appoints New Company Secretary

At the university level, he has held senior governance positions, including serving on the Senate, chairing the University Security Committee, and contributing to the Senate Business Committee and Deans and Directors’ forum. He has also served as an external examiner at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across several Nigerian institutions, such as the Universities of Abuja, Nigeria, Nsukka, and Ibadan, as well as internationally at the University of Limpopo in South Africa.

The new Acting VC has also taken part in accreditation work of the  NUC evaluations at the University of Benin and NBTE assessments at the Federal College of Animal Health in Plateau State, also contributing to the curriculum development for the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Agriculture in Zuru, Kebbi State.

Professor Adamu’s research output is extensive, with more than 50 scholarly publications in well-regarded journals and conference proceedings. He also holds a patented invention (South African Patent No. 2014/0547) for an “Anthelmintic Medicament,” recognised by South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology. In 2015, his doctoral research earned him the Bronze Medal for Best Thesis from the South African Association of Botanists.

His academic collaborations have led him to multiple countries, including the United States, Spain, South Africa, Lesotho, The Gambia, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire.

The Kebbi State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Kana, has stated that the presence of the newly formed coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is of little relevance in the state. 

He noted that only a few “immature youths” are promoting the ADC as if it were a child’s play.

Kana made the statement during the flag-off ceremony for the distribution of fertiliser and other farm inputs by the member representing Bagudu/Suru Federal Constituency, held in Kaoje town, Bagudu Local Government Area.

He emphasised that the APC remained the dominant political party in Kebbi State, adding that the state governor has performed excellently in his two years in office.

The party chairman, however, expressed concern over the behaviour of some APC members holding key positions in government, accusing them of neglecting their constituents.

“I am aware many have benefited from this government, yet they are unable to assist their people,” Kana said.

“What’s more painful is that some of them have relocated to the state capital and refuse to return to their communities, just to avoid helping them,” he added.

According to him, “If you receive one million naira, you can spend at least three hundred thousand to support your people; that small gesture can go a long way in reshaping our political structure.”

READ ALSO: Nigerian Presidency Should Be One Term Of Five Years Like South Korea’s — Obi