Category Nigeria News

As the world observes the 2025 World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has called for stronger, evidence-based laws to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

The First Lady emphasized the need for action supported by research, accurate data, and effective implementation in a statement released on Tuesday, citing the statement’s statement from the 2025 theme, “Strengthening the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse through Evidence-Based Policy Making.”

Read more about Tinubu’s funeral as Dan Agbese, a veteran journalist, passes away.

She noted that to protect children in their homes, schools, communities, and places of worship, deliberate and data-driven measures must be taken.

She urged stronger collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, religious and traditional leaders, parents, and young people, saying, “We as a country, we must ensure that every child grows up free from fear and harm.”

According to Kabiru Turaki, the US president is urged to intervene in the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) internal crisis, claiming that the country’s democracy is in danger. &nbsp,

In the midst of a fight between his organization and another led by Samuel Anyanwu, Turaki, the PDP’s national chairman, made the appeal on Tuesday at the party’s secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

“I want to tell President Trump that he should step up and save Nigeria’s democracy because what is at stake is not just genocide against Christians.” I’m calling on all other developed countries, all advanced democracies, to come and save Nigeria, according to Turaki.

READ ALSO: PDP HQ Confused As Police Fire Teargas To Disperse Rioting Supporters

Prior to that, when rival organizations and their supporters fought at the party’s secretariat, things started to get chaotic. At first, they were denied entry to the venue, but Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde, one of their Oyo State counterparts, arrived.

Turaki and his entourage later gained access to the secretariat despite having to use teargas to disperse the crowd.

The PDP chieftain stated in a statement to the media that he had taken over as the party’s national chairman following the incident.

He said, “We have driven them out of the secretariat, and I have entered my office, I have assumed leadership as the elected chairman,” promising to uphold democracy.

He declared that despite the crisis, the “PDP is back on course” and that “we shall continue to be the vanguards of democracy.”

We were tear-gassed, and I believe more than 50 canisters of tear gas have been shot at us, Turaki said, narrating what transpired. But we kept going and will continue to keep going.”

A group from the party in Ibadan, Oyo State, convened a group, and Tuesday’s incident was the result.

Turaki was chosen alongside other executive members to lead the PDP at the convention.

Nyesom Wike, the FCT’s minister, Ayodele Fayose, Samuel Anyanwu, and others were fired.

The Wike-supporting organization, however, has nevertheless labeled the Ibadan convention a “jamboree.”

In fact, it removed Bode George, Makinde, and other party chieftains who attended the Ibadan convention, giving the PDP crisis a new lease of life.

Chief Dan Agbese, a veteran journalist, prose stylist, author, and co-founder of the storied Newswatch weekly magazine, passed away in the presence of President Bola Tinubu.

Agbese, who was the Awan’Otun of Agila town in the Benue State ALD, reportedly passed away on Monday at the age of 81 in Lagos.

President Tinubu described Agbese’s passing as a painful and profound loss for Nigeria’s media industry and the nation as a whole in a statement released on Tuesday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanugu.

The President claimed that Agbese and his Newswatch colleagues helped to set the stage for a new era of investigative and interpretative journalism in Nigeria, changing the way the media is conducted, and establishing ethical and courageous reporting standards.

Dan Agbese was a “institution” as opposed to just a journalist. His pen influenced the perceptions of the public, bolstered democratic discourse, and gave rise to a new generation of media professionals.

He acted with integrity, courage, and steadfast devotion to the pursuit of truth and justice in his service to Nigeria. His influence on the development of the contemporary Nigerian press will endure in perpetuity.

“I’m in mourning along with his family, particularly his wife, his children, and the media community as well. May the noble calling of journalism in our country be guided by his legacy, the President continued.

A Titan of Truth,

The passing of Dan Agbese, a pillar of contemporary journalism in Nigeria and a tireless supporter of a free press, is deeply saddened by his own actions, according to Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation.

By co-founding the ground-blazing Newswatch magazine, which became a defining institution in our nation’s life, Agbese was a titan of truth whose legacy laid the groundwork for enlightened public discourse, Idris said in a statement on Tuesday.

He, in fact, fought for the principles of courage, intellectual integrity, and unwavering support for press freedom, which are the foundation of a vibrant democracy. He held power accountable and committed himself to the cause of nation-building through his sharp “No Holds Barred” column and lifetime of work.

Agbese’s passing comes at a time when the Tinubu administration is deeply committed to promoting the principles he fought for, including stronger citizen engagement and free speech.

Therefore, I mourn him with both grief and gratitude for a legacy that has profoundly altered the discourse in our country.

His family, coworkers, and the media fraternity all express my sincere condolences.

Dan Agbese was a “giant,” and his significant contributions will continue to pave the way for Nigeria. May his soul be peaceful forever.

Dan Agbese graduated from Columbia University in New York and the University of Lagos, respectively, for degrees in mass communication and journalism. He was also the former General Manager of Radio Benue and the former editor of The Nigeria Standard and The New Nigerian.

Up until April 2010, Agbese was one of the founding members of the innovative weekly news publication Newswatch in Nigeria.

After Tokyo warned Japanese visitors to be cautious in the country amid a diplomatic row, Beijing on Tuesday pledged to “protect the safety” of foreigners in China.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo might engage in military action in any attack on Taiwan sparked the conflict.

China, which claims Taiwan as a part of its territory and has no intention of removing its democratic island with force, was furious at Takaichi’s comments.

Read more about Japan’s warning about safety amid the Taiwan row.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded to a question about the law-enforcement warning to Japanese visitors.

The comments were made as Masaaki Kanai, the top official in Japan’s foreign ministry for Asia-Pacific affairs, and Liu Jinsong, the country’s top foreign minister, discussed Takaichi’s remarks in Beijing.

Mao claimed that during the discussions, Beijing and Tokyo had reiterated their “strong protest.”

China again lodged a strong protest against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks about China during the consultations, according to Mao.

Mao added that Tahiti’s statements “fundamentally damage the political foundation of China-Japan relations” and that “takaichi’s fallacies seriously violate international law and the fundamental standards governing international relations.”

After the talks with Liu shortly before 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), Kanai left Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The deserted hostel where 25 schoolgirls were abducted as a result of a deadly attack on a Kebbi secondary school has now been captured in photos.

The chaos left behind after gunmen stormed the dormitory on Sunday night is captured in the images of the now-quiet building, which show scattered belongings and empty bunk beds.

Witnesses claimed that the attackers lacked standing and panicked the neighborhood.

CSP Nafiu Abubakar, a spokesman for the police, noted that Makuku was shot while attempting to protect the girls and that he was abducted and killed.

Read more about Bandits abduct 25 schoolgirls and murder the vice principal in a vicious attack on a Kebbi school.

He claimed that vigilantes, soldiers, and police tactical units have been deployed and are now searching nearby forests for students.

Ahmed Idris, governor’s chief press secretary, claimed that Umar Tafida, Deputy Governor, had been dispatched to assess the situation on the governor’s behalf.

Information Minister Mohammed Idris issued a directive to security agencies to locate and rescue the girls safely, along with the Federal Government’s condemnation of the attack. Residents and parents are concerned as the search continues.

Agbu Kefas, the governor of Taraba State, has issued an Executive Order mandating the payment of all pending pensions, gratuities, and other related entitlements to verified state pensioners.

Yusuf Sanda, the governor’s top press secretary, made the announcement in a statement.

The governor’s commitment to the welfare of retired workers who diligently served the state is reflected in the statement.

“Taraba State must honor those who gave their lives to the public service. Their respect for one another is a moral obligation, according to Kefas, and we must do the same for them.

Read more: Tinubu Tells Judges Justice Must Never Be For Sale.

He added that a special outreach team would be stationed in every local government district, ward, and village to find pensioners who are incapacitated and still alive, to ensure they would be able to obtain their benefits without difficulty.

No administrative bottlenecks were tolerated while the Governor’s office was being given instructions to submit weekly compliance reports, according to the Ministry of Finance.