Category Nigeria News

Femi Falana, a senior advocate for human rights in Nigeria (SAN), has urged President Bola Tinubu to lead the nation’s efforts to combat widespread poverty rather than just urging governors to take action.

At a recent meeting with governors elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC), where the President acknowledged the harsh economic realities that Nigerians face as a result of neoliberal policies, Falana made reference to the President’s remarks in a statement on Sunday.

Falana, the president’s quota, stated that “Nigerians are still complaining at the grassroots.” You must wet the grass more, governors, to bring about progressive change in Nigeria. God’s blessings on our democracy and fertile soils

Falana urged the Federal Government to abandon appeals and instead demonstrate leadership by fully funding current welfare programs.

President Bola Tinubu is urged to ensure that the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act is passed and signed into law by the 36 state governments, saying that they should not be pleading with them to “wet the ground more.”

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The senior lawyer argued that governments at all levels should concentrate on putting together positive social policies to alleviate suffering among the populace rather than spending billions on state house renovations.

Falana criticized the Federal Government for funding the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in 2025 with a sum of 32.7%, noting that this amount is significantly lower than the 39.9% that was reportedly used to renovate the Abuja International Conference Center.

He argued that a government that recently claimed to have spent 39 billion dollars on the renovation of the International Conference Center in Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory cannot justify the $32.7 billion investment in the National Social Investment Programmes for 2025 to help the 133 million people who are alleged to be multi-dimensionally poor in the nation.

A federal initiative to reduce poverty, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), established under the 2023 Social Investment Programme Agency Act, provides funding for programs like the N-Power for youth empowerment, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme for access to soft loans, the school feeding program to combat child malnutrition, and conditional cash transfers for disadvantaged households.

Falana pointed out that there are funds available to help with these programs. He cited the $11.9 trillion that the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) provided to the 36 states, local governments, and the Federal Capital Territory last year.

The National Assembly allegedly padded the federal budget by putting together 11, 122 projects worth $6.93 trillion, according to a report from BudgIT, a civic tech company. Falana pointed out that President Tinubu signed a $54.99 trillion budget into law on February 28th, making up 12.5% of that figure.

He questioned the viability of a system where senators receive massive salaries each month and House of Representatives members receive $115 million in funding for crucial social programs.

Falana argued that the social sector needs to be given the same urgency as the Federal Executive Council, which recently approved $3.5 trillion in funding for roads, airports, and other infrastructure.

According to him, the Federal Executive Council should appoint not less than $5 trillion to finance the National Social Investment Programme as a matter of urgency.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a well-known author in Nigeria, has revealed that she never considered giving up on writing despite receiving up to 25 rejections for her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus.

Adichie made the disclosure in an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Amazing Africans, which aired on August 3, 2025. She emphasized that even if she had never been published, she would still continue to write.

She considers writing to be a divine gift and thinks that this is her main goal on earth.

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“Writing is my vocation, so I never consider giving up on it,” I said. I do believe I’m here to write, but it’s a little spiritual.

Even if I hadn’t been published, I would still be writing today because I believe that is a gift I have received. Giving up writing was never an option, therefore. However, “Chimamanda said, “the rejection was demoralizing.”

The well-known author first shared her story of being rejected for Purple Hibiscus after speaking at the Things Fall Apart Festival’s inaugural grand finale in Enugu in July.

Adichie reflected on how those rejections came about and how the experience helped her stay more grounded and effective in advancing her writing career.

She said, “I started writing this book, and I was a college student in the US at the time. I was working on my novel while my sister and I were residing in their home. And when I finished writing the book, I thought it was good and someone would probably publish it right away. &nbsp,

“So I started distributing it. You typically send it out physically and with a self-addressed envelope at the time, which was before email became a thing. I had read every book on how to become a published author. &nbsp,

You were advised to distribute in batches of four or five to increase your chances. The Writer’s Marketplace was a book that you could visit, and there you would look at various publishers and agents who were interested in literary fiction, or what was then known as ethnic fiction.

So I created a list of the people I began sending out, and I immediately felt very confident in doing so. I thought, “I’m sure four people will say yes, it’s not even five.” So I was shocked when I received the first five rejections. I was genuinely shocked. But I think it was very beneficial for me because it made me much more realistic and overly optimistic about what publishing meant in America.

Following Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie continued to publish books with acclaim, including Americanah, Half of a Yellow Sun, and her most recent book, Dream Count.

She has also received honorable mentions for her work in literary journals, including Purple Hibiscus, the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007, and the Americanah Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, among others.

A lecturer from Taraba State University was abducted by staff members of the Nigerian Army Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), in collaboration with DSS operatives.

Engineer Joshua Saleh, the lecturer, was kidnapped by alleged criminals on July 31, 2025 along the state’s Chinkai–Kente–Wukari road in Wukari Local Government Area.

The rescue operation was described as “credible and actionable intelligence,” according to Lieutenant Umar Mohammed, Public Relations Officer of the 6 Brigade, in a statement on Sunday.

He noted that the troops launched a targeted search and rescue operation in Kente, Tsondi 1 and 2, Yaku, and the Warawa general area in response to intelligence.

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Soldiers encountered the kidnappers during the mission, and they engaged them in a fierce gunfight. The criminals fled, abandoning the victim, because of their superior firepower. Saleh was unharmed and saved.

Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, the commander of the 6 Brigade NA/Sector 3 OPWS, commended the team’s quick action, professionalism, and collaboration with other security forces.

Three Boko Haram terrorists were killed in Borno Yesu, close to Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno State, as a result of a clearance operation under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK).

A combined force made up of Sector Two troops, the Nigerian Air Force component, a Special Forces tactical team, and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force carried out the operation in Bulabulin Forest.

Major General Abdulsallam Abubakar, the theater commander of OPHK, claims that after a bloody brawl, the terrorists were overthrown while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

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“During an operation in Bulabulin Forest, our troops engaged Boko Haram fighters while being closely watched by the Air Component Command and supported by the Civilian Joint Task Force.” Three of them were killed by the troops, according to him, while others escaped with varying injuries.

Two brand-new motorcycles, four fully loaded magazines, 120 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, grenades, two bandoliers, and combat packs were recovered from the scene.

Abubakar noted that Sector Two, which includes parts of Borno and the Yobe States, has continued to conduct long-range patrols and sustained offensives around the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist hideout.

The Timbuktu Triangle has been a target of Sector Two’s forest searches. Many communities there are now being freed, he added, and it is a hideout for terrorists.

Professor Babagana Zulum, the governor of Borno State, has calmed residents of Maiduguri by calming concerns about the Alau Dam’s rising water level, confirming that there is no cause for concern.

Residents in the state capital have become more concerned about potential flooding in flood-prone areas as a result of recent downpours.

Shortly after inspecting the Alau Dam’s ongoing reconstruction work, the governor made the statement.

Zulum expressed concern for his administration as a result of the widespread panic. He claimed that current assessments indicated that the situation was under control.

According to the engineering knowledge we currently have, the governor said, “We have come to the conclusion that there is no cause for alarm.”

He explained that new water channels had been constructed to lower the dam’s pressure, and that he had anticipated a 4 to 5 drop in the water level in the coming days.

No one has a foretelling of what will occur tomorrow, though. This program is being worked on and will continue to be monitored. He continued, “The contractor is doing a good job.”

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The governor also urged people to avoid constructing structures on waterways and blocking drainage systems in flood-prone areas.

The state’s residents should be very cautious, Zulum said, “Most importantly, I want to warn them to desist from building on waterways.”

He urged people to follow the law and take proactive flood prevention measures. He said, “You have to make sure you clean it whenever there is drainage in front of your home.”

Zulum made it clear that the state government would review the city’s master plan to identify and correct errors that might cause flooding to worsen.

He said, “We must go back to the drawing board, examine the master plan, and ensure that all tributaries and waterways are cleared to allow the main canal’s inflow,” adding that we must also check the master plan.

“We must put in place some very painful environmental standards, but I don’t think we have any other choice.”

Nigerians are being urged by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to use their U.S. visas responsibly and strictly in accordance with the application’s purpose.

Akinsola Akinlabi, the service’s public relations officer, warned Nigerians holding U.S. visas to adhere to the terms and conditions that were set forth in an advisory issued on Saturday in Abuja.

The United States Government has raised concerns about the misuse of U.S. visas by Nigerians, according to the Nigeria Immigration Service.

“It is advised to all visa holders to strictly adhere to the objectives stated in their visa applications. Beyond the initial point of entry into the country, U.S. authorities conduct security checks. Any violation of immigration laws or other laws could result in deportation or revocation of a visa.

He warned that “violation of visa conditions, including overstaying, could result in severe penalties, including removal from the United States and permanent ineligibility for upcoming travel.”

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Akinlabi claimed that the United States is still committed to upholding its immigration laws and that all visa holders must adhere to them.

He also advised Nigerian students in the United States to continue their academic endeavors and refrain from unapproved withdrawal or absenteeism, warning that this could result in the cancellation of visas and the void of U.S. travel eligibility in the future.

In an effort to secure U.S. citizenship for their children, the NIS emphasized that the U.S. consular officers have the right to refuse applications for tourist visas to people who are suspected of intending to travel to give birth.