The Senate has ordered a full-scale investigation into rising safety concerns within the aviation sector, following revelations from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) about a runway overrun incident involving an Air Peace aircraft at Port Harcourt International Airport.
The resolution was passed on Wednesday after a motion was raised by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (Oyo North) on the need to strengthen Aviation Safety following the NSIB report on the Air Peace runway incident.
The Senate directed its Committee on Aviation to engage all relevant stakeholders, including the NSIB, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and airline operators and to submit a comprehensive report within six weeks.
READ ALSO: Air Peace Plane Veers Off Runway In Port Harcourt
In a related resolution, the Senate also urged the Federal Government to construct an additional runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, citing the need to prevent operational bottlenecks and improve safety margins in the nation’s capital.
Lawmakers noted that the NSIB’s investigative report on the June 22, 2025 incident, involving a Boeing 737-500 operated by Air Peace exposed serious lapses in runway conditions, airfield lighting, pilot decision-making and regulatory oversight.
Federal lawmaker representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, Honourable Leko Gambo, has explained the rationale behind his motion seeking the transparent and equitable allocation of forfeited estates linked to former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to vulnerable Nigerians.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Wednesday, Gambo said his motion before the National Assembly was informed by the need for accountability and fairness in the distribution of the recovered properties, which were handed over to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in May this year.
According to him, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended under Sections 88 and 89, empowers the National Assembly to make laws and exercise oversight over persons, authorities, and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that handle public funds and assets.
He said, “Oversight is to ensure accountability, which is fundamental in all legislative oversight functions, and that is what informed me in bringing this motion. The motion basically talks about the need for transparent and equitable allocation of forfeited houses, which were handed over to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in May this year.”
READ ALSO: Reps Want Forfeited Emefiele-Linked Estate Given To Low-Income Earners, IDPs
The lawmaker noted that nearly six months had passed since the properties were transferred to the ministry, adding that it was important to ensure that the assets do not end up in the hands of a privileged few.
“For me, from May to date is about six months, which is a very long time, and as a responsible representative, I came up at the National Assembly so the few elite will not take advantage of those houses,” he said.
He did a comparison with the Shehu Shagari administration’s low-cost housing programme for low-income earners, saying his motion similarly seeks to prioritise civil servants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by natural disasters, and other vulnerable Nigerians.
“I was specific in my motion, I suggested that these houses should be prioritised and given to low-income earners, who we can find in the civil service. I also suggested that we should consider IDPs affected by natural disasters and vulnerable Nigerians,” Gambo explained.
He emphasised that the welfare of citizens, including access to shelter, remains a constitutional responsibility of government at all levels.
“What I am emphasising is basically INEC’s mention of a transparent and equitable process whereby it will be all-inclusive. The House emphasised that we agree with the suggestion they made, but we want the House to be fully aware of the process of selecting those individuals who are going to be beneficiaries,” he said.
US President Donald Trump hailed assassinated ally Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for truth and freedom” Tuesday as he posthumously awarded the right-wing activist America’s highest civilian honor.
Handing the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk’s tearful widow, Trump compared the 31-year-old conservative to Socrates, Saint Peter, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King.
Trump, 79, also used the somber ceremony at the White House to vow to redouble his crackdown on what he calls radical left-wing groups that he launched following Kirk’s shooting.
“In the wake of Charlie’s assassination, our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism, and terror,” Trump told an audience of the country’s conservative elite.
“We’re done with the angry mobs, and we’re not going to let our cities be unsafe.”
The US State Department on Tuesday said it had revoked visas of at least six foreign nationals who had “celebrated the heinous assassination” on social media.
In posts to X, the department shared offending posts allegedly by citizens of Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and Paraguay who had called Kirk “racist,” “xenophobic,” or other characterizations.
READ ALSO: Trump Threatens To End Cooking Oil Purchases From China
One German apparently lost their US visa for writing “When fascists die, democrats don’t complain,” according to the State Department.
The Trump administration has controversially cited political reasons in stripping others of their visas, including several hundred people involved in Gaza war protests on US university campuses.
Father-of-two Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus last month, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives and promises of a clampdown from Trump that has seen National Guard troops sent to several Democrat-run cities.
Charlie Kirk (R) and his wife Erika Lane Frantzve (L) are seen on stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel CORUM / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Guests at the ceremony included visiting Argentinian President Javier Milei, a libertarian firebrand, and a host of conservative US media personalities.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, thanked Trump for flying back from a Middle East peace trip for the medal ceremony, which fell on what would have been her late husband’s 32nd birthday.
“You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have,” she said, dabbing away tears and occasionally pausing to collect herself.
She added that Kirk, who used huge audiences on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, “would probably have run for president” if he had not been assassinated.
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with Charlie Kirk’s murder. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
US President Donald Trump and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, participate in a Medal of Freedom Ceremony for late US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2025. Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus on September 10, 2025, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives and threats of a clampdown on the “radical left” from President Donald Trump. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)US President Donald Trump and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, participate in a Medal of Freedom Ceremony for late US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2025. Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus on September 10, 2025, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives and threats of a clampdown on the “radical left” from President Donald Trump. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has approved the immediate release of ₦5.8 billion for the settlement of all outstanding gratuity liabilities owed to retired state public officers.
READ ALSO: Gov Buni Approves CONUASS, CONTISS II Salary For Yobe Varsity Staff
“This significant milestone underscores the administration’s unwavering commitment to the welfare of its dedicated civil servants who have served the state meritoriously,” a statement by the Commissioner of Finance, Mohammed Geidam, partly read.
The statement added that the governor has further directed that, going forward, the payment of gratuities must be integrated into the state’s monthly financial schedule.
“This means that cleared gratuity payments will be made monthly, alongside the regular pension payments, ensuring that no future backlog of retirement benefits is allowed to accumulate,” the commissioner said.
Financial Relief
Geidam added that the approval of ₦5.8 billion is a “clear demonstration of Governor Buni’s compassionate leadership and his administration’s deep appreciation for the years of service rendered by Yobe’s retirees”.
“By clearing this substantial backlog and institutionalising a prompt, monthly payment system, the governor has provided much-needed financial relief and restored dignity to our senior citizens,” he added.
The statement emphasised that the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Head of Service are working collaboratively to ensure the seamless and transparent disbursement of these funds to all affected retirees immediately.
The founding National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy, Udenta Udenta, has criticised the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Wednesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, Udenta, a professor, described the move as a desecration of public trust.
He said political mandates belong to political parties and not individuals, stressing that Governor Mbah’s defection undermined the sanctity of democratic representation.
“Individuals are anonymous; mandates are given to political parties, not to individuals. Individuals, as important as they are, are very small players in this game of power because the party is the symbol of power.
“The people in their millions troop out to vote for a party, so Peter Mbah did not win the elections; the PDP won the election in Enugu State.
“He just held on to the trust for the people, and that trust was desacralised yesterday [Tuesday] because it was almost an abominable act,” he stated.
Udenta described the governor’s action as not just a political misstep but also a moral and cultural failing, saying the South-East must reflect on the implications of such political conduct.
“People gave you a mandate in their millions and you say, ‘I have a broom somewhere,’” he said.
“In conversing on this matter, people should be very careful about the kind of democratic tradition and culture we are building. Yesterday was not a political surrender for the South-East; it was a cultural surrender because you must understand that there are some moral boundaries you don’t cross in politics.
“We have crossed several, and the media has a role to play,” the professor added.
He, therefore, cautioned against what he called the normalisation of unethical political behaviour, noting that while certain constitutional provisions might not make defections illegal, they still reflect “clearly unsavory and unethical conduct” among the political class.
“You can’t build an inclusive model of party democracy when people see, maybe not illegal but clearly unethical conduct on the part of the political class,” he added.
The professor’s comments followed Governor Mbah’s official defection to the APC during a statewide broadcast on Tuesday.
“There comes always a time when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.
“Today, after a long reflection, we have made a decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress,” Mbah had stated during the broadcast.
The Kano State Government has announced that preparations are in top gear to host the 11th edition of the World Nutritious Food Fair, an annual event that brings together key players in Nigeria’s nutrition and food security sectors.
The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Musa Shanono, disclosed this during a press briefing in Kano on Monday. He revealed that the fair will attract over 100 commercial exhibitors and more than 2,000 participants, including government officials, policymakers, researchers, and private sector stakeholders.
“This event serves as a strategic platform for collective engagement, learning, and networking among stakeholders in Nigeria’s nutritious food sector,” Shanono said. “We are proud that Kano has been chosen once again as the host, as it reflects our government’s ongoing commitment to addressing food and nutrition security.”
According to the Commissioner, the Nutritious Food Fair is not just an exhibition but a vital opportunity to tackle pressing challenges in the sector, such as malnutrition, food processing inefficiencies, and policy gaps.
“The fair brings together a wide range of actors—from farmers and food processors to academics and development partners—to showcase innovations, share knowledge, and discuss emerging issues that affect nutrition in Nigeria,” he added.
Shanono emphasized that the event aligns with the state’s broader development agenda, particularly its focus on improving public health outcomes through better nutrition.
“We are expecting groundbreaking conversations and collaborations that can lead to scalable solutions, particularly in addressing the burden of malnutrition, which continues to affect millions across the country,” he said.
The Commissioner also urged local businesses and agricultural entrepreneurs in the state to take advantage of the opportunity to network and learn from national and international participants.
