Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has urged urgent and coordinated national action in response to concerns about the FCT’s worsening security and healthcare issues.
Wike stressed the crucial function of Abuja as the country’s administrative center and diplomatic hub, which calls for a special and strategic security framework during the Senate defense for the 2025 budget.
“You cannot talk about autonomy in a city where the president is residing, where the National Security Advisor, the Police Inspector General, and every corporate head of the country work from.
We can’t handle this city alone, argues Mike, “but we can handle it.”
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The FCT Administration is already working with national security organizations, including the Department of State Services and the Office of the National Security Advisor, to improve coordination, according to the minister.
Because of its significance nationally, “This city requires total security architecture.”
“We’ve started working closely with national security organizations,” he said. He continued, “We can’t afford failure in this area.”
Wike suggested a joint summit involving all relevant organizations in the security, health, and administrative sectors.
“The problems we face today are complex and cannot be resolved alone. He argued that “we need a coordinated effort that brings all parties together.”
Wike made the recent purchase of cutting-edge diagnostic equipment in the healthcare industry in an effort to expand FCT-wide public health services.
We had finished the MRI and CT scan machine procurement process as of Tuesday. According to Wike, these will soon be delivered to our health facilities.
Indigenes staged a peace march in the Rivers State’s Gokana Local Government Area demanding justice, official recognition, and an apology from the country 35 years after the brutal killing of four prominent Ogoni leaders.
Calls for the slain men to be remembered as true Ogoni martyrs were also resurrected by the memorial on May 21, 2025.
On May 21, 1994, at a meeting held at the Medemene of Gokana, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Albert Badey, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage were all assassinated. Their deaths were connected to the Federal Government’s and SPDC’s joint-venture partner’s wider agitation against oil exploitation.
The peace walk, which was organized by the Gokana Unity Forum (GUF), started at Mogho Junction and moved on to the palace, where attendees signed a petition. Chris Barigbon, the Gokana Unity Forum’s secretary, read out the group’s four main demands in the town square following the march:
– A family ad lib to the victims in public.
The four have been officially recognized as Ogoni martyrs.
– A monument dedicated to them.
– Declares May 21 to be an annual Ogoni Day of Prayer and Atonement.
Kenneth Kobani, the son of one of the deceased, addressed journalists at the event and decried what he called false accounts surrounding the killings.
These men fought for Ogoni, they said. He claimed that they merited respect and not accusations.
What did killing them bring about? The question was rhetorical, and he asked.
What is the justification for these honorable men being referred to as vultures? Just because they engaged in dialogue with the then-Government and wanted Ogoni’s good and progress, Kobani remarked.
The marchers also made reference to Ken Saro-Wiwa, one of the Ogoni Nine’s former members, who were accused of being the mastermind of the murder of the Ogoni Four and who were being executed by the military regime in 1995. They argued that such calls should not rewrite history or overshadow the suffering of the victims’ families.
The Ogoni Nine’s re-examination is being opposed by the demonstrators, who claim they were found guilty by the Oputa Panel and given appropriate sanctions.
However, some Ogoni leaders and their governing body, MOSOP, insist that any attempt to resume oil exploration in the area must come before Ken Saro-Wiwa’s exoneration.
With a spirited 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday, Brennan Johnson’s scrambled goal put an end to a 17-year trophy drought for Tottenham.
Spurs will compete in the Champions League next year, but failing to do so would be a huge financial blow for Manchester United. The team hasn’t won European silverware since 1984.
Spurs are currently second only to United in the lower division of the Premier League table despite their success at Bilbao. Manager Ange Postecoglou’s future is still in doubt following a disastrous domestic campaign.
The Australian made up his mind that he was “not a clown” on the eve of the final and had the best laugh as he realized he had won every trophy in his second year in charge of the club.
Tottenham Hotspur’s English defender #24 Djed Spence raises the trophy as he and his teammates win the UEFA Europa League final football game against Manchester United on May 21, 2025 at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. (Photo by Josep LAGO/AFP)
Wales winger Johnson told TNT Sports, “This is what it’s all about, this club hasn’t won a trophy in 17 years, this is what it means, it means so much.”
“We got it done,” according to people who have spoken to me since I have arrived, “purchasing is a good team, but they never get it done”!
Read more about Postecoglou’s fight to avoid Sack as Spurs take on Man Utd in the Europa League final.
Fans from all over the stadium of Athletic Bilbao, some taking absurd routes and sleeping in cars to avoid eye-watering prices, were unable to escape a final that was subpar.
The essence of the game was a team that was struggling in 16th and 17th place, respectively, after poor Premier League campaigns, and the result was a prize on the line that overawed.
There were numerous turnovers, with neither side able to control the ball with ease, moves that ended in panicked defense, balls that were thumped to safety, and clumsy fouls all around.
At the conclusion of the UEFA Europa League final football game in Bilbao on May 21, 2025, Manchester United’s Argentinian forward Alejandro Garnacho and Manchester United’s Brazilian midfielder Casemiro. (Photo by Josep LAGO/AFP)
Early in the second half, Harry Maguire successfully blocked Pape Sarr for Tottenham after Johnson snipped in ahead of Luke Shaw to break in down the right.
Despite having the worst Premier League season in a generation, Manchester United fans chanted Ruben Amorim’s name.
Amad Diallo, 22, one of the few players who is obsessed with self-worth, flashed a shot across goal before fleeing in search of Destiny Udogie, who had to look him in vain.
After 42 minutes, Spurs made a breakthrough that was undoubtedly a very scrappy goal.
Sarr, a Tottenham midfielder, curled in a cross to Johnson’s near post after only one pass at this point.
The winger’s attempted flick sprang off Shaw’s shoulder, brushed Johnson’s boot once more, and sped over the goal line in slow motion, with Andre Onana unable to use a desperate arm to stop it.
Defending the Deep
Spurs sat back in the second half as they attempted to defend their slim advantage and reclaim the lead in the counterattack.
When Yves Bissouma played in Dominic Solanke, the striker was unable to control the pass, which caused a bad outcome.
When Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario came off his line, Manchester United almost had a lead when a set-piece was slashed forward from deep.
Rasmus Hojlund had the ball dropped, but Micky van de Ven sensationally cleared his header over the stranded Spurs stopper.
Son Heung-min was a surprise non-starter for Spurs, who sent him on for the ragged Richarlison.
Manchester United attempted to help them out of their hole by relying on Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee, but they were unsuccessful. This season, Spurs suffered their fourth defeat.
Shaw had a chance to make amends at the end when Vicario shoved his header past Johnson.
Amorim claimed that winning the trophy would not resolve United’s numerous deep-seated issues but could improve the organization’s standing in the long run. However, United leave Bilbao without even that.
They won’t play European football next term for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.
After the UEFA Europa League final football game, Ange Postecoglou (L) and Ruben Amorim (L) speak, the head coaches of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. (Photo by CESAR MANSO/AFP)
The Spanish nation of Sevilla has won the most Europa League titles, with three, followed by Inter Milan (ITA), Juventus (ITA), Liverpool (ENG), Atletico Madrid (ESP), and Tottenham (ENG), with three each.
Following Tottenham’s victory in the Europa League on Wednesday, the team has recently won:
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, has argued that Nigeria must use unwavering resolve to fight corruption, misappropriation, and fiscal recklessness.
He claimed that Nigeria must stop acting as a “crime scene” and be repositioned for real development in a post on X with the title “Nigeria continues to be a relentless scene of corruption.”
He argued that to ensure our people’s future, the nation’s national resources must be responsibly managed and strategically invested in key sectors like education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.
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Obi responded to a non-governmental organization’s claim that the 2025 budget was squandered while addressing the controversy.
He added that “the country cannot invest adequately in education, which is why there are nearly 20 million children who are not in school anymore,” and that is why. The corruption that has harmed primary healthcare has led to alarming numbers of malnourished children.
Our leaders ignore agricultural investment because of persistent mismanagement and a lack of accountability, despite the widespread hunger we face. Similar disregard has an impact on our ability to effectively fund national security or to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which are essential to national growth.
“These blatant acts of corruption confirm my claim that Nigeria has been reduced to a crime scene,” I said.
In a statement signed by a senior communications officer, Nancy Odimegwu, a prominent civic tech organization dedicated to promoting accountability and transparency in Nigeria’s public finances, the National Assembly inserted 11, 122 projects valued at $6.93 trillion into the budget for the 2025 Federal Government.
The issue has not yet received any comments from the Presidency or the National Assembly.
Obi claimed, however, that the figure only represented a small portion of the actual amount cheated up.
How else can we explain the troubling revelations made by BudgIT, which included a staggering $7 trillion in dubious projects for the 2025 national budget? I’m persuaded that this figure only accounts for a small portion of the actual misappropriation.
These findings confirm my long-held claim that we have turned our nation into a crime location. To effectively and effectively manage our resources, we must urgently and systematically combat corruption, misappropriation, and fiscal recklessness, and invest in essential areas of development, such as education, health, and rescuing our people from poverty, he said.
The former governor of Anambra State claimed that the figure exceeded the ministry’s total funding for agriculture, poverty alleviation, humanitarian aid, and education.
The Ministry of Education received a sum of $3.52 trillion, to be precise. 2.48 trillion was given to the Ministry of Health. 260 billion dollars were given to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and 636.08 billion to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
According to Obi, “together, these four ministries were given a total budget of $6.896 trillion, which is an already exaggerated sum,” but it is still less than the $7 trillion budget was dubiously injected into.
Following the resumption of Boko Haram attacks in the area and other parts of the North East, the Senate has demanded the immediate establishment of a military base in Adamawa State’s Hong Local Government.
After lawmakers debated a motion highlighting the rising insecurity in Hong and Gombi LGAs, where numerous coordinated attacks by Boko Haram insurgents have resulted in dozens of fatalities and thousands of people being displaced, the resolution was presented during plenary on Wednesday. It is of urgent national importance.
The Senate stressed the need to increase existing personnel with a permanent military base in Hong to better secure the area and stop further escalation of violence, despite the praise of the Nigerian Army and other security operatives.
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Five major attacks have occurred in Hong LGA since February 2025, according to Senator Iya Abbas, the motion’s sponsor.
Senator Seriake Dickson, a member of the opposition, raised an objection to the Senate during the discussion, warning that such directives would violate the country’s constitutional rights by directing the establishment of a military base.
Senator Wasiu Eshilokun, who argued that the National Assembly was entitled to make these recommendations, promptly refuted his position. Eshilokun clarified that while the deployment of military forces is an executive function, the National Assembly’s approval of the legislation is contingent on it.
In connection with a lawsuit pending over Professor Pat Utomi’s alleged plan to establish a shadow government in the nation, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the filing of court documents.
In the lawsuit, the Department of State Services (DSS) claimed that the proposed shadow government is both a grave violation of the Constitution and a threat to the current democratically elected government.
Akinlolu Kehinde, the DSS’s attorney, argued an ex parte motion to have Utomi, who was the sole defendant, be served with court documents at his Lagos address using courier service.
After that, the judge moved the hearing to June 25 so that Utomi is scheduled to file his defense.
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The DSS expressed concern that if a structure known as a “shadow government” were to be left unchecked, would cause inter-group tensions, and would encourage other unlawful actors or separatist groups to follow similar parallel arrangements, all of which posed a serious threat to national security.
The plaintiff claims that Utomi and his associates’ alleged “shadow government” or “shadow cabinet” is “unconstitutional and amounts to an attempt to establish a parallel authority that is not authorized by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)”.
The DSS is also seeking a declaration that “any governmental body or organization that exists outside the terms of the provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) is unconstitutional, null, and void” under Sections 1 (1), 1 (2), and 14 (2) of the Constitution.
The plaintiff requests that the court grant an order of perpetual injunction to stop Utomi, his agents, and associates from “prompting any steps” in the direction of the establishment or operation of a “shadow government,” “shadow cabinet,” or any other similar entity that is not authorized by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The plaintiff’s petition alleges that Section 1 (1) of the Constitution gives effect to all people and authorities in Nigeria, one of the grounds for that claim.
It added that Section 1(2) forbids Nigeria’s or any portion thereof from acting in accordance with the Constitution’s terms.
Section 14 (2Xa) of the DSS mandates that all of the government’s powers and authority come from the people of Nigeria, which is represented by the Constitution.
It contends that Utomi’s proposed shadow government is in violation of the aforementioned rules because it lacks constitutional authority and recognition.
The plaintiff further stated in a supporting affidavit that it is the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s principal domestic intelligence and security agency and that it is authorised to identify and stop threats to Nigeria’s internal security, including subversive activities that threaten national harmony, harmony, and constitutional order.
The DSS continued, noting that it is statutoryly able to safeguard Nigeria’s internal security and stop any threats to the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s and its affiliated institutions.
It claims that it has closely watched the defendant’s alleged announcement of the formation of a “shadow government” or “shadow cabinet,” which includes several members who make up its “minister,” through intelligence reports and open source material and public statements.
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The “shadow cabinet” or “shadow government” is an unregistered and unrecognised entity that claims to run as an alternative government. contrary to the amendments to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The defendant (Utomi) announced the creation of this body with the intention to contest the legitimacy of Nigeria’s democratically elected government, according to the statement.
According to the intelligence the plaintiff gathered, the defendant’s actions and statements can deceive certain sections of the Nigerian public, erode public trust in the elected government, and lead to public dissatisfaction.
