The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure a second term in 2027, insisting that his administration’s achievements will earn him another mandate.

Alausa, who was recently appointed Director of Education Sector Mobilisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, also accused opposition parties of lacking clear policy alternatives for Nigerians.

He made the remarks while describing the opposition’s criticism of the Tinubu administration as driven by envy rather than constructive engagement.

“Whatever nonsense these people (opposition) are talking about is out of sheer envy. They can’t deliver, they have been tested, they have no clue of what to do for Nigerians,” Alausa said.

“This president is giving Nigerians tangible benefits. Let’s be objective, that is what we have said and I am very unapologetic about this, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win his second term squarely based on his achievements.”

The minister argued that Tinubu had introduced changes across different sectors of the economy and deserved re-election based on his administration’s record.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transformed every sector of this country and he deserves to be re-elected come January 16, 2027, based on his accomplishments,” he said.

Alausa urged Nigerians not to be swayed by opposition parties, accusing them of promoting division instead of presenting a clear programme for national development.

“And please, let’s not listen to the opposition parties, they don’t have any clear agenda for this country. They are just there to cause division amongst us,” he added.

Defending the administration’s record in education, Alausa cited its engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying the Federal Government had fulfilled its agreement with the union.

He also said the government was working to ensure that students completed four-year university programmes within the stipulated period.

The minister further pointed to the absence of an ASUU strike since Tinubu assumed office as evidence of improved relations between the Federal Government and university lecturers.

A spate of cyber-attacks that hit supermarket chains across at least 10 European countries on Monday has prompted European Union officials to warn of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain.

Supermarkets have reported problems in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Sweden, and the significant increase in freezer temperatures has forced retailers to discard food.

Temperatures in chains across Europe reportedly rose as high as 50C (122F).

No-one has yet admitted carrying out the cyber-attacks.

Supermarket chains said the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers in some of their shops soared as high as 50C
The European Union has raised concerns about the attacks, which come three weeks after a cyber-attack disrupted as many as 700 French grocery stores, causing food losses estimated at tens of millions of euros.

The security of refrigeration systems as well as other devices that can be monitored remotely has heightened concerns about government-backed hybrid attacks.

The EU’s food and agriculture commissioner, Christophe Hansen, said the bloc was taking the incidents very seriously and warned of further disruption in the future.

Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier was careful not to attribute blame, but said: “These incidents of course show once again how cyber-attacks can disrupt essential services and affect citizens’ daily lives.”

“These are not isolated incidents and of course we have to be collectively resilient and prepared for such cyber incidents.”

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, has launched a new security initiative, ‘Operation Laafia DanDan,’ as well as the deployment of 1,200 operatives across the 18 local government areas of the state in order to ensure safety ahead of Yuletide.

The Commander of the Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, in the state disclosed the move during the parade of 15 suspected criminals at the Amotekun headquarters in Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State capital.

According to him, the new security initiative will involve intelligence-led surveillance across all major roads and metropolitan areas as well as patrols by Amotekun Rangers in forest reserves.

The commander emphasized that the safety of lives and property, for both residents and those commuting through the state, is the paramount objective.

During the parade of the suspects, Adetunji identified the arrests of three individuals linked to the kidnapping of a poultry farmer and the murder of a lady about a few months ago.

The commander confirmed that the victim had identified the suspects, who have also confessed to the crime.

Adetunji noted that the arrests demonstrate that Ondo State is not a place where criminality can thrive, with a vow to go after kidnappers operating within the state.

He said, “We were able to apprehend the three major kidnappers that actually kidnapped the poultryman and killed the lady. They are with us today. The victim had identified them, and the suspects had also confessed to the crime.

“This goes a long way in showing that Ondo State is not a place where criminality could thrive. In more specific terms, the four people arrested and that have since confessed to the kidnapping of the suspects are Ali Tati, Yusuf Tati, Sadiq, and Moshud.

“The first three were those that are directly involved in the Ondo kidnapping. That was about two months ago. There is also Mohamed that was arrested in connection with the kidnapping in Ala-Dada.

“Usman and Suleiman were arrested for violating anti-grazing laws of Ondo State in Elegbeka. On burglary and stealing, we have a 26-year-old Peter and a Lawal 26 and Gabriel for stealing. There is this 40-year-old that specializes in stealing TVs and phones. We have since recovered all the stolen items from them.

“On looting of government schools in Ile-Oluji and Elegbeka. we have Dada 26, Seyi 24, Hassan 22, Sunday 19 that were caught red-handed while removing the roof.