The Federal Government has ruled out a return to the petrol subsidy regime, insisting that the reforms of President Bola Tinubu were necessary to save Nigeria from imminent collapse.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja at the 66th Independence Anniversary Lecture.

Akume’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, in a statement said the SGF categorically declared that; “We will not return to the ruinous petroleum subsidy regime of the past”.

He said the administration took hard decisions from the day it assumed office.

“This administration took office in 2023 and immediately took bold decisions needed to save the nation from imminent collapse. Such decisions include the removal of the petrol subsidy, unification of the foreign-exchange market, tax and other fiscal reforms, etc. These were difficult decisions, but necessary to rebuild stability and we have started enjoying the results,” he said.

Citing the World Bank, Akume said Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, up from 3.9 per cent a year earlier.

“The task before us now is to ensure that growth translates into jobs and higher incomes for all Nigerians,” he said.

The SGF said the shift to gas was cutting fuel costs. He disclosed that over 120,000 vehicles have been converted to Compressed Natural Gas CNG, with more than 400 conversion centres and 90 fuelling stations nationwide.

“This shift is cutting fuel costs for motorists and commuters. CNG buses now carry millions of passengers at fares far below those of petrol buses,” he said.

On power, Akume said the government has tackled the sector’s problems “by clearing legacy debts, increasing investment, and improving transmission and billing.”

According to him, the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, the Abuja-Kano highway, the East-West Road, rail modernisation and port reforms would dramatically improve trade routes and the economy.

He added that the government is expanding mortgage finance to boost housing and jobs.

On agriculture, Akume said the World Bank has approved a $500 million credit for the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth (AGROW) project.

“This initiative will raise smallholder productivity, strengthen value chains, and improve food and nutrition security,” he said.

The Borno State Police Command has attributed the arrest and prosecution of five youths who wore T-shirts with #TinubuMustGo inscription to alleged drug possession.

Police Public Relations Officer in Borno, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, said this while reacting to the backlash which trailed the arrest.

Critics had taken to conventional and social media platforms to describe the arrest as an arbitrary clampdown on free speech.

However, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, the Command’s Spokesman dismissed the political narrative, maintaining that the suspects were apprehended over alleged thuggery, inciting public disturbance, and the possession of illicit substances.

According to the police, the five suspects, identified as Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio, and Abdulhamid Mohammed, were arrested on September 25, 2026, at approximately 6:00 p.m.

Daso stated that the arrest was made by officers on a routine township patrol around the West-end roundabout “after the suspects engaged in conduct deemed capable of causing a public breach of peace”.

He listed the items recovered from the suspects during the operation as 15 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 100 tablets suspected to be D5, one shisha pot, a pair of scissors, and the two T-shirts bearing the “Tinubu Must Go” inscription.

The police spokesperson said preliminary investigations were conducted, statements were obtained, and the suspects were subsequently charged to court.

“The command wishes to categorically state that the Nigeria Police Force is a professional, non-partisan institution and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of political affiliation or viewpoint,” ASP Daso stated.

“The command remains committed to the protection of fundamental human rights, the rule of law, due process, accountability, and transparency in the discharge of its responsibilities.”

The police added that bringing the matter before a court of law was necessary to allow the judicial process to take its natural course.

The Command urged members of the public to rely on verified information rather than unconfirmed narratives, allowing the court to determine the outcome based strictly on facts and evidence.

Based on the Police First Information Report (FIR), they were charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace, and thuggery—offences the prosecution argued run contrary to Sections 60, 78, 79, and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.

However, their legal counsel subsequently moved a bail application. The presiding judge adjourned the matter to October 6, 2026, for a ruling on bail, while the substantive trial was slated for October 26, 2026.

With the case now before a court of law, legal and public attention would be shift to the judiciary to resolve the conflicting accounts surrounding the incident.

The self-styled Director-General (DG) of the alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, was on Wednesday arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Adeyemi, who has been in detention since July 14, when he was arrested on the strength of a bench warrant issued by the court, was docked on an eight-count charge relating to forgery, fraud and impersonation.

However, he pleaded not guilty to the charges read to him before trial by Justice Mohammed Umar.

The court ordered his remand at Kuje Prison until October 12, when the full-blown hearing will commence.

Meanwhile, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has taken over the case from the police, with the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, leading the prosecution.

The prosecution applied for an accelerated hearing of the case.

Counsel to the defendant, Mr Genesis Francis, failed to persuade the court to hear his client’s bail application.

After the arraignment, he begged the court to consider the issue of bail, stressing that the defendant, who he said is suffering from a contagious ailment, has a medical appointment fixed for Friday.

The prosecution opposed the application, insisting that the government has adequate facilities to take care of the defendant’s health needs.

Justice Umar held that the bail application would be heard on the adjourned date.

Among those billed to testify in the matter are the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester.

Other witnesses are civil servants working in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Before his arrest, Adeyemi had granted an interview to Channels Television from his hideout, alleging that his withdrawal from public view was due to threats to his life.

He dismissed the insinuation that he was hiding from law enforcement agencies to evade investigation into his alleged involvement in the PFIPC fraud.

He also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million, through a proxy, to President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as DG of the disputed council.

According to Adeyemi, those from whom he borrowed the N400 million he used to secure the appointment have since dragged him before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

An interim police investigation report exposed how the defendant allegedly forged appointment letters and official documents to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency.

Police disclosed that the investigation was initiated after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on October 17, 2025, over the activities of individuals allegedly forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.

The petition added that preliminary findings showed the forged documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms, and that they were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the non-existent PFIPC.

Adeyemi, identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the DG of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.

One of those allegedly linked to the fraud, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, was said to have died in a fire at a hotel in Abuja.

Meanwhile, Adeyemi, who has since denied that the PFIPC was non-existent, demanded an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to probe the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was prepared to provide documentary evidence and fully cooperate with investigators once an independent panel was constituted.

He recommended that the panel include representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups and diplomatic missions, as well as the ICPC and the EFCC.

Adeyemi said his decision to stay off the radar was further reinforced by the controversial circumstances surrounding the death of Tanimola, whom he described as a key intermediary in the matter.

Some of the counts in the charge against him read:

“That you, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, ‘M’, 38 years of age, of 2nd Floor, Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, Femi (surname unknown), and Anu (surname unknown), now at large, on or about the 8th day of March 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, forged presidential letter-headed papers, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”

“That you, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, ‘M’, 38 years of age, of 2nd Floor, Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, Femi (surname unknown), and Anu (surname unknown), now at large, on or about the 8th day of March 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, forged a request for collaboration with the Ministry in the area of land requisition and offices across the 36 states of the Federation, purportedly issued from the State House, Abuja, Nigeria, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”