Mr Flex & Fit Up Nigeria 2025 set to ignite Lagos Body-Building scene
By Foster Obi
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Osun 2026: APC, PDP clash over Adeleke’s screening
The political atmosphere in Osun State heightened on Thursday as the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, exchanged words over Governor Ademola Adeleke’s screening ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
DAILY POST gathered that Governor Adeleke was screened at the PDP National Secretariat, Legacy House, Abuja, alongside other aspirants of the party.
The screening, which was held behind closed doors, had in attendance top party leaders, including the South West Vice Chairman, Kamarudeen Ajisafe; Osun State PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi; Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye; and Commissioners Dr. B.T. Salami and Rev. Bunmi Jenyo.
After the exercise, Governor Adeleke told reporters that his administration had delivered on its promises to the people of Osun State and was confident of victory in the forthcoming polls.
The governor added that his administration’s performance had earned it widespread public support.
“We have delivered good governance to our people in Osun. Our records and popularity are unrivalled. So we are ready for victory come 2026.
“We have the full backing of the people. Election is about voters and we know our people love us. We have strong faith in God and the people that we are going to secure re-election overwhelmingly,” he stated.
He also expressed confidence in the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring a credible process.
“Our popularity is known nationally due to our excellent records of performance within less than three years in office. We are confident the will of the people will prevail in the best interest of democracy,” Adeleke noted.
However, in a swift reaction, the Osun State chapter of the APC described the PDP screening as a face-saving move following what it alleged was Adeleke’s failed attempt to defect to the opposition party.
The APC urged the governor to begin preparing his handover note ahead of the 2026 election.
In a statement signed by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the APC accused the governor of running a shallow and mediocre administration.
The statement alleged that over ₦60 billion had been spent on the Governor’s Office in 35 months “without recruiting a single teacher into the state’s schools.”
The APC claimed that Adeleke’s administration had failed to adequately fund education, forcing tertiary institutions to increase fees arbitrarily.
“No fewer than 32,000 citizens were duped of their hard-earned money under the guise of teacher recruitment,” the statement alleged.
The opposition party maintained that Adeleke’s re-election bid was doomed, describing his performance as “riddled with misgovernance, misplaced priorities, vengeance, and wastage of resources.”
It also alleged that the governor had made fruitless efforts to defect to the APC, claims the PDP and Adeleke’s camp have repeatedly denied.
According to the APC, “Today’s kangaroo screening is a mere smokescreen to save Adeleke from the embarrassment his rejection by the APC generated. Information available to us confirms that he was still found last week loitering around Aso Villa, begging and genuflecting for a soft landing to join the APC.”
The party asserted that “no political party under which he may contest next year’s election would save him from defeat. The people of Osun had already “screened him out” based on his record in office.
“The major problem that Governor Adeleke is contending with is the fear of the array of super-qualified governorship aspirants in our party who are all individually capable of defeating him.”
The APC said it was ready to reclaim Osun in 2026, declaring that “the forthcoming election is for Adeleke and his rudderless party to lose, considering the poor and unfriendly public perception of their government.”
DNA of Nigeria’s politics tainted with greed, treachery – Mahdi Shehu
Prominent public commentator and activist, Mahdi Shehu, has once again taken a swipe at Nigeria’s political class, describing the country’s political system as one built on greed, deceit, and inhumanity.
In a detailed post on X on Thursday titled “DNA Sketching of Political Parties and Other Groups in Nigeria,” Shehu likened Nigeria’s major political parties to scriptural figures and institutions driven by selfish ambitions and betrayal.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is largely made up of individuals whose conduct mirrors the scripturally detailed Pharaoh, whose reign was characterized by terror, greed, deception, dictatorship, and blind ambition to last forever.
He added that while there might be a few good ones among them, the preponderance of the party’s members reflects wickedness and a delusional pretense to be God.
“Naturally there will be few good ones, even if unknown and silent but preponderance of the party congregants are a clear reflection of the scripturally detailed PHAROAH whose reign was characterized by terror, greed, deception, dictatorship. wickedness and blind ambition to last forever and a delusional pretence to be God. Recall how PHAROAH was subsumed and Humiliated.”
Turning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Shehu described its members as repentant wolves still looking for sheep to feast on, adding that the party has become severely self-injured, with karma visiting them all year through, gasping for oxygen and surely going to die with neither an Imam nor a Priest willing to preside over the burial.
For the Labour Party (LP), Shehu said while there are good people within the party, it is full of envy, greed, backstabbing, and treachery.
He accused some members of betraying their cause for money, saying a section of them have a price tag and have already collected and swallowed the forbidden fruit of dollars and naira.
He described the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as made up of strange bedfellows and sworn enemies united by desperation for power.
According to him, the party is filled with people with daggers at hand and hate in their hearts, proudly carrying a sense of entitlement.
Commenting on other smaller parties, Shehu said they are a mixture of the good, the bad, the greedy, and the afflicted by poverty .
He added that many of them are rarely popular outside their localities and are often waiting for election time to cash out and later cry foul after elections are rigged.
Citing a verse from the Bible, James 4:1-4, he noted that the root of Nigeria’s political crisis lies in the selfish desires and greed of those in power.
“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight,” the verse reads in part.
Shehu added that these attitudes have turned life in Nigeria into one marked by suffering, fear, instability, deceit, selfishness, and a lack of compassion among people.
“Pity, sad, disgusting, and indeed a shame,” he concluded.
UNICAL pharmacy students protest lack of NUC accreditation
Students of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Calabar, on Thursday accused the institution’s management of frustrating the accreditation of their programme by the National Universities Commission and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria.
The students, who staged a peaceful protest on campus, alleged that years of neglect, underfunding, and poor infrastructure had placed their academic future at risk.
Speaking with journalists during the march, a student, Ndifreke Okowo, said the pharmacy programme, which began in 2016 under former the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Zana Akpagu, had suffered setbacks because the university failed to secure proper resource verification from the NUC before admitting students.
“We got to 400 Level when we were suddenly told that we had been running an illegal programme,” Okowo said. “We were asked to go back to 200 Level, and though the university invited NUC for verification, it failed to meet the requirements.”
He explained that the institution later re-applied under the new Doctor of Pharmacy framework, but the programme remains unaccredited due to inadequate staffing, poor facilities, and unequipped laboratories.
“Our labs are empty. We don’t even have classrooms to sit in. We are in 600 Level, but there are no seats or functional laboratories. The PCN has not been invited for accreditation, and without that, we can’t graduate as licensed pharmacists,” he added.
Okowo further alleged that funds meant for the construction and furnishing of the faculty building were mismanaged by the previous administration.
While he acknowledged that the current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, had completed the structure, he said it lacked furniture and laboratory equipment.
“The University of Calabar is playing with the future of Nigerian youths. They have done it to Dentistry, Medicine, and Nursing, now it’s Pharmacy,” he said.
Another student, Iris Johnson, described the situation as “disheartening,” adding that repeated assurances from the university leadership had not yielded results.
“We were told the PCN would come between October and November, but that has not happened. The Vice Chancellor is leaving office soon, and we fear what happened to Dentistry may repeat itself,” she said.
The protesters, numbering over a thousand from various levels, called on the federal and state governments, as well as the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, to intervene urgently to prevent the collapse of the programme and safeguard their academic future.
When contacted, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Effiong Eyo, said he was not aware of the situation.
“I am not aware of this for now. When I get to the school, I will find out and get back to you,” he told our correspondent.
Kano govt mourn as slain anti-phone snatching commander laid to rest
The commander of Kano State’s anti-phone snatching task force, Inuwa Salisu, has been buried following his tragic death.
He was killed in his home on Tuesday night and laid to rest on Thursday in Sharada, where family, friends, and officials gathered to pay their last respects.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf attended the funeral along with senior government officials and colleagues of the late commander, describing his death as a huge loss to the state’s security efforts.
Salisu was widely praised for leading the campaign against phone snatching — a menace that had long affected residents, particularly in Kano’s busy neighborhoods.
Security agencies have launched an investigation to find those responsible, while the state government has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Abuja lawyer, associate face trial over alleged fake SAN letter to AGF
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, has warned it may go on strike if the school management fails to address its grievances.
In a statement issued by ASUU, the union accused the university administration of “insubordination, lack of transparency, and poor accountability.”
ASUU said these issues have affected the welfare of staff and students as well as the quality of research and teaching.
The statement, signed by branch chairman Dr. Aliyu Yusuf Ahmad and secretary Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim Tukur, also faulted the management for allegedly failing to release audited accounts for 2023 and 2024, and for not providing “Budget Performance Reports of the University for 20 quarters from January 2020 to December 2024,” which they said violates the institution’s laws.
ASUU further alleged that the management has not explained “bogus and unexplained expenditure” in the budget reports for the first and second quarters of 2025.
The union also criticized the university for failing to hire enough academic staff, especially in new departments, and for keeping some members on contract instead of permanent appointments.
It also decried the poor power supply on campus and the non-payment of outstanding entitlements.
“To that effect, the union calls on stakeholders and good citizens of the state to prevail on the Vice Chancellor to ensure quick resolution of the issues stated and to run the University in strict compliance with enabling laws and with a sense of patriotism in order to avoid industrial disharmony,” the statement said.
Abuja lawyer, associate face trial over alleged fake SAN letter to AGF
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Thursday began hearing in the trial of Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, and his co-defendant, Ibitade Bukola, who are facing charges of alleged forgery and impersonation.
The duo appeared before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie on accusations of forging official documents and impersonating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Awa Kalu, to deceive the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) into withdrawing criminal charges against Giwa pending before another FCT High Court in Maitama.
At the resumed proceedings, prosecution counsel, F.G. Gabriel, called the first prosecution witness (PW1), a resident of Maitama, Abuja, who narrated a series of events that transpired between June 28 and July 8, 2024.
The witness told the court that she had bought a property from a developer, Cecil Osakwe, in February 2021, fully paid for it, and took possession. She alleged that Osakwe later attempted to reclaim the property after its value rose, a pattern she claimed was consistent with his dealings.
According to PW1, Osakwe petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in September 2021, but the case was dismissed after she provided proof of payment. Subsequently, Osakwe filed a civil suit against her, after which she received a letter dated December 21, 2021, purportedly from Giwa, ordering her to vacate her home within 14 days or face forceful eviction.
“True to his threat, he led armed thugs and some policemen, now at large, who broke into my home and forcefully ejected me and my wards under the guise of executing a purported court judgment,” she recounted.
She said the matter was later escalated to the AGF’s office, which filed a nine-count charge against Giwa, including illegal eviction, malicious damage, disconnection of essential services, and mischief.
PW1 told the court that Giwa was scheduled for arraignment on July 2, 2024, but allegedly forged a letter to the AGF, impersonating Awa Kalu (SAN), to request the withdrawal of the charges.
She said she discovered the letter online on July 8, 2024, and forwarded it to her lawyer, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, who doubted its authenticity due to noticeable grammatical and spelling errors. Upon verification, Kalu’s chambers confirmed that the letter did not emanate from him and that the second defendant, Bukola, whose NBA seal appeared on the document, had never worked at the firm.
PW1 said she then petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), leading to an investigation by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID).
“Had I not exposed the forgery,” she said, “the AGF might have been misled into withdrawing the nine-count charge against the first defendant, resulting in a grave miscarriage of justice.”
She further alleged that Giwa still retains possession of her property and belongings seized during the alleged illegal eviction of March 18, 2022.
The court admitted her written statement to the police as Exhibit 1A after no objection was raised by defence counsel, Ogbu Aboje, who represents the second defendant. Giwa represented himself.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case to November 12, 2025, for cross-examination of the witness.
Lagos Safety Commission disowns woman in viral video accused of extortion
Lagos State Safety Commission has distanced itself from a woman caught in a viral video allegedly extorting money from residents in Oworonshoki while claiming to be a staff member of the agency.
In a statement released on Thursday, the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Okoh Adewunmi, clarified that the woman, identified as “Mariam,” has no affiliation whatsoever with the agency.
“The attention of the Lagos State Safety Commission has been drawn to a viral video circulating on social media, in which one Mariam claims to be a staff member of the commission and is alleged to have collected bribes from unsuspecting members of the public in the Oworonshoki area of Lagos State,” the statement read.
“We wish to categorically state that the said Mariam is not and has never been an employee of the Lagos State Safety Commission. Her actions are not in any way connected to the commission and do not represent our values or operations,” Adewunmi added.
The agency reiterated its zero-tolerance stance toward corruption, extortion, and all unethical conduct. It also urged residents to remain vigilant and to report any impostors or fraudulent activities through its verified communication channels.
A video shared by Lagos Reporters and reviewed by our correspondent showed the woman wearing a reflective vest branded with the Lagos State logo. She was confronted by residents for allegedly demanding illegal payments during supposed “safety inspections.”
In the footage, the woman admitted to receiving money from residents who lacked the required documentation, claiming they preferred to “settle” her instead of visiting the commission’s office.
The impostor allegedly collected as much as N300,000 from residents under the guise of conducting official inspections, with none of the funds remitted to the state government.
Dangote refuses to buy NNPC refineries, taunts DAPPMAN
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has rejected suggestions that he could buy one of the moribund government refineries instead of expanding the capacity of his refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million bpd.
Dangote stated this recently while announcing the expansion of the $20bn facility in Lekki, Lagos State.
Dangote had told newsmen on Sunday that the refinery would become the world’s largest in the next three years.
However, there were questions about why he decided to expand the Lagos refinery instead of buying one of the dormant ones under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Reacting, Dangote, who was with his friend, Femi Otedola, said he would rather scale up his facility than be accused of a monopoly.
Dangote said groups such as the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria and other wealthy individuals in the country should instead buy the refineries or invest in building new ones.
“Buying those refineries? Once we touch them, you will hear a lot of noise. There are other people with a lot of money, maybe more cash than we have, who we believe should go and try their own luck, so that there won’t be talk about monopoly.
“There will be talk about other people having opportunities. And I think we have a group like DAPPMAN; they should go and buy some of the refineries. If they are not for sale, then they should actually go and put up their own refinery. So, I think it is far better for other people to go and buy, so we will not be the only ones supporting Mr President’s policy,” he said.
Dangote disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had promised to support the petroleum sector with crude supply.
“At least there is now support from the President. The President is supporting this sector to refine all our crude into petroleum products. And I think other people, too, should take this opportunity.
“For us, we already have our own infrastructure, and we want to double our capacity rather than going somewhere else. We already designed it that way anyway. It is just that we said, ‘Fine, let us start. If the condition is conducive, we will go ahead and double our capacity.’ And that is what we are doing. We are actually more than doubling a bit. We are going to 1.4 million from 650,000.
“So, I think there are thirty people that have this sort of idea of either working in partnership with the NNPC to revive those refineries, which will help. All of us will have to contribute our quota to be able to achieve that $1tn economy. It does not come that easily. So, we are doing our own, and I believe others should do theirs too,” Dangote stated.
Recall that Dangote had, in May, said the NNPC refineries might never work again.
He stated that the refineries had gulped up to $18bn, yet they had refused to work.
Dangote recalled how the late President Umaru Yar’Adua aborted his acquisition of the government refineries. He said he and his team had to return the refineries to Yar’Adua a few months after former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office in 2007.
According to him, the former managers of the refineries had told Yar’Adua that Obasanjo sold the facilities below their value as a parting gift to the consortium he was part of.
“We bought the refineries in January 2007. Then we had to return them to the government because there was a change of government. And the managing director at that time convinced Yar’Adua that the refineries would work. They said they just gave them to us as a parting gift or so. And as of today, they have spent about $18bn on those refineries, and they are still not working. And I don’t think, and I doubt very much, if they will work,” he said in May.
But the Group Chief Executive of the NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, said the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries would work again.
Calls for the privatisation of the government-owned refineries, under the management of the NNPC, intensified following the recent shutdown of the 60,000-barrel-per-day old Port Harcourt refinery, six months after it was declared operational.
The Warri refinery was also shut down one month after the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, declared it open in December. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria said the refineries were a drain on the country’s economy, calling on the Federal Government to sell off the facilities.
The PUNCH reports that the Federal Government has consistently expended resources on the refineries, which became moribund many years ago. It was gathered that $1.4bn was approved for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery in 2021; $897m was earmarked for Warri and $586m for Kaduna refineries.
N100bn was reportedly spent on refinery rehabilitation in 2021, with N8.33bn monthly expenditure. $396.33m was allegedly spent on turnaround maintenance between 2013 and 2017. Despite all the financial allocations, the refineries remain unproductive.
On Wednesday, Ojulari said the company was assessing the operational and commercial viability of its three major refineries to determine whether to overhaul or repurpose them for enhanced efficiency and profitability.
According to the company, the ongoing technical and commercial review is part of a broader plan to reposition the refineries as sustainable, revenue-generating assets that can meet Nigeria’s fuel demand and align with international operational standards.
It stated that the review marks the beginning of a new era in Nigeria’s refining sector.
According to Ojulari, NNPC Limited is currently in the “Technical and Commercial Review” phase, aimed at assessing the operational state of all three refineries and determining whether to high-grade or repurpose the facilities for optimal performance and long-term sustainability.
He revealed that the next step in the company’s refinery rehabilitation journey would involve NNPC engaging Technical Equity Partners with proven track records in operating world-class refineries.
Investors lose N371bn as sell pressure hits NGX
The Nigerian Exchange closed on a negative note on Thursday as sell pressure in key stocks dragged the benchmark index lower, leading to a loss of N371 billion in investors’ wealth.
At the close of trading, the All-Share Index declined by 584.32 points or 0.38 per cent to settle at 153,676.66 points, while market capitalisation fell to N97.6 tn from N97.97 tn recorded in the previous session.
Trading activity improved across major indicators as investors exchanged 495.85 million shares worth N29.56 bn in 28,926 deals. This represented a nine per cent rise in volume, a 99 per cent increase in value, and a five per cent growth in the number of deals compared to Wednesday’s session.
Market breadth remained negative, with 40 losers against 20 gainers. Oando Plc led the gainers’ chart with a 9.99 per cent increase to close at N46.80 per share, followed by Aso Savings and Loans with a 9.3 per cent gain, AIICO Insurance with a 5.26 per cent gain, and May & Baker Nigeria with a five per cent increase.
On the losing side, Cadbury Nigeria, International Breweries, and Chams recorded a 10 per cent decline each to close at N62.55, N12.60, and N3.51 per share, respectively, while Learn Africa dropped by 9.92 per cent to N5.90 per share.
Guaranty Trust Holding Company led the activity chart in volume and value with 97.9 million shares worth N8.72 bn, followed by Aso Savings with 75.4 million shares, Chams with 24.6 million shares, and AIICO Insurance with 16.2 million shares.
Sectoral performance was mixed as the Banking Index recorded a marginal gain of 0.06 per cent, while the Industrial, Premium, and Pension indices declined by 0.25 per cent, 0.11 per cent, and 0.39 per cent, respectively.
Analysts attributed the bearish sentiment to profit-taking in large-cap stocks and cautious trading by investors ahead of month-end portfolio rebalancing.