News
Tinubu Says Democratic Regime Not Easy To Manage “Full Of Twists And Turns….”
President Bola Tinubu decried the big task of successfully managing a democratic government, highlighting what he described as
It’s twists, turns, hills and valleys, even as the president assured Nigerians that the nation’s refineries will bounce back.
The President also lamented that the expected benefits from the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are going into the pockets of truck owners.
This came as the President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, pleaded with President Tinubu to help stop the casualisation of workers in the oil industry.
Speaking when he received the NUPENG leadership at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President said the union has been a very good partner in government’s progress.
“You occupy a very critical nerve of the economy of this country,” he said.
He recalled the promise he made while seeking the presidency that he would remove the fuel subsidy and the threat by oil and gas workers to down tools. “We had threat of possible strike and something, and I served notice; you may strike all you want, but fuel subsidy will be gone. And today, to the benefit of our great country.”
“I will soon publish how it is being utilized,” he said, adding that workers at local, state and federal levels are reaping the benefits of subsidy removal through prompt payment of salaries, while landmark infrastructural projects are underway across the country.
“Yes, the economy is not child’s play. It’s a system of financial re-engineering and reset that you impress, and I want to thank you for the cooperation, collaboration and understanding.
“But I’m glad you have seen the effect of being able to find funding for long-term projects: Lagos–Ibadan Road, Abuja–Kaduna, Abuja–Kano, Sokoto–Badagry and other highways and road networks. It’s all for the good of our people and our economy.
“Equally, the introduction of compressed natural gas — well, I will appeal to you: we will do more and encourage you, but ask your drivers to let the benefits trickle down to commuters too, because whatever benefit is coming from CNG is going into the pockets of truck owners. It’s not spreading as fast as I would like, but it should spread.
“The refineries you mentioned are going to come back to work. We’re just building a very firm reset and structural reworking of the economics of it. Ordinary flame and smoke from a refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it’s profitable and yields the value for which it was built.
“I’m not a man who will look back and blame everyone, because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessors. No matter what happened in the past years, it’s my responsibility now as President to fix it and make it work for the greatest common good of our population. I take responsibility for that, and I’m going to do it.”
He added: “It’s not easy to manage a democratic regime, full of twists and turns, hills and valleys. But through perseverance, endurance and good determination we can bring about relief — like the joy of a newborn baby after a difficult pregnancy. Motherhood is painful, but the joy is everlasting. I promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria.”
Speaking earlier, NUPENG president Comrade Oladiti appealed to the President to check the casualisation of workers in the oil industry.
The NUPENG president, who described the trend as unwholesome, expressed concern that efforts to make oil companies, particularly in the upstream sector, stop the practice have been constantly rebuffed.
He said: “Your Excellency, our relationship with the international oil companies and indigenous players in the upstream sector has been very cordial. However, we want to seize this opportunity to bring to your attention an unhealthy trend we have been trying to correct with little to no success. It is the casualisation of workers, particularly in the upstream sector.
“For a sector that is strategic and taken as the economic jugular of the nation, NUPENG and its counterpart PENGASSAN have been tolerating these unwholesome practices, knowing full well the enormous disruption that any industrial action could cause to the economy.
“We also do not want to be seen as hostile to the Minister of Labour, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, who has been very supportive and operates an open-door policy in his relationship with our union.
“We have engaged the management of some of the affected companies without results. Mr. President, we urge you to use your good offices to stop the casualisation of workers in our sector.”
While commending the present administration for rehabilitation and dualisation of federal highways — which he noted will ease movement of petroleum trucks — Oladiti also appealed to President Tinubu to see to the resuscitation of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) depots across the country.
He maintained that injecting life into the depots would complement the ongoing efforts to revive the ailing refineries.
He said: “We’ve seen real progress in the rehabilitation of federal highways, making journeys safer for our tanker drivers.
“We also want to commend your administration’s move to revive the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries through partnership with Chinese firms. Your Excellency, we humbly request that the same energy and drive to inject life back into the refineries be extended to the decaying Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company depots across the country.
“We strongly recommend they be handed over to private investors to manage under an equity arrangement.”
Two inmates have died in a cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State.
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) confirmed this in a statement, on Saturday.
According to the Service’s spokesman, Chief Superintendent of Corrections, JN Osuji, laboratory tests conducted on September 23 confirmed the outbreak.
He said the outbreak was first detected on September 17 after an inmate developed symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.
He said the inmate was immediately admitted and treated at the facility’s medical centre, while emergency health protocols were activated the following morning.
“The Nigerian Correctional Service has confirmed that a cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano has been contained.
The outbreak was confirmed on 23rd September by the Service’s medical team and Kano State public health authorities.”
“The Service says the first case was detected on 17th September, when an inmate presented with vomiting and diarrhoea and was immediately admitted and treated at the facility’s medical centre
Two people have died — one at the custodial centre and another at the Kano State Infectious Diseases Hospital.
“The Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, directed sustained medical intervention, monitoring and preventive measures in collaboration with the Kano State Government.
“The Service says no further deaths have been recorded since the outbreak was confirmed.”
The NCoS said its intervention had brought the outbreak under control, adding that no additional deaths had been recorded since the diagnosis.
It said further preventive measures had been introduced in collaboration with the Kano State Government to prevent a recurrence.
Nwakuche also directed a team of senior medical personnel from the NCoS National Headquarters to proceed to the facility for continued monitoring.ed.
The Service reassured the public that inmates continued to have access to healthcare through qualified medical personnel and urged the public to rely on verified information from official sources regarding the outbreak.
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command has arrested a woman, Mrs Rukayat Muhammed, in connection with the death of a man whose body was later found dumped along the Kubwa Expressway.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Saturday during a press conference in Abuja.
Sanusi said the suspect and the deceased had lodged at Good Samaritan Guest House on 2nd Avenue, Gwarimpa, to spend time together before the man died.
He said the suspect allegedly failed to raise the alarm after discovering that the deceased was no longer breathing, but instead left the hotel with his mobile phone.
According to the CP, the deceased’s lifeless body was discovered on August 26, 2026, along the Kubwa Expressway by Katampe under the bridge, amid concerns over the circumstances surrounding his death.
He said the incident was initially suspected to be a possible “one chance” case, while the deceased’s family had earlier reported him missing.
“When the lifeless body was subsequently discovered by the roadside, our investigators began working to establish whether it could be connected to the earlier missing person report.
“Through painstaking investigation, we were led to ultimately confirm that the deceased was the same person whose disappearance had earlier been reported by his family,” Sanusi said.
The police boss said investigators discovered that the deceased’s mobile phone was missing and began tracking the device.
Although the phone had been switched off, investigators reportedly established the last person with whom the deceased had communicated, leading to the identification and arrest of Rukayat, a resident of Garki Area 2.
Sanusi said further investigation revealed that the suspect, a married woman, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with the deceased and had saved his contact on her phone as “Safiyat.”
He said the investigation also established that the suspect and the deceased had lodged at the Good Samaritan Guest House, where they spent some time together.
“The suspect informed us that she discovered the deceased was no longer breathing and had died. Rather than immediately reporting the incident to the Police, the suspect took the deceased’s mobile phone and left the hotel,” he said.
The CP added that several hours later, after hotel management could not establish contact with the occupants of the room, the deceased’s body was discovered inside the room.
However, instead of reporting the matter to the police, two members of the hotel management, identified as Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus, allegedly removed the body from the room and transported it to the Kubwa Expressway by Katampe under the bridge, where they dumped it by the roadside.
Sanusi said the action was apparently aimed at distancing the hotel and its management from the incident.
He stressed that an investigation into the case was ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
“Anyone found to have played a role in the death or subsequent concealment and abandonment of the body will be made to face the law,” the CP said.
The home call has occured of an influential member of the body of Christ in Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)and former Bishop of the Anglican Diocese, The Rt. Rev’d Dr. Gideon Isaac Oladipo Olajide .
He passed on Saturday evening, 26th September, 2026 at the age of 96.
He retired as the Bishop of Ibadan Anglican Diocese on 10th of March 2000.
Reputed for his transparency and sense of accountability, Bishop Olajide holds an honorary doctorate degrees from Ajayi Crowther University. Oyo and Lead City University, Ibadan .
” He operated an open heart, open house, open hand policy. Any of his Chaplains and close priests could enter any room in the Bishops Court. He also remained steadfast in his role as spiritual leader and moral compass for his followers and the house of clergy” an associate remarked.
Bishop Olajide was born in Igbemo-Ekiti on the 10th of March, 1930 to Pa. Emmanuel Olajide who hailed from Olora family of Oke Ila in Ado- Ekiti.
He had his early education at St. Michael’s School, Iluomoba- Ekiti1936-1939, Immanuel School, Ado-Ekiti 1940-1941, Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti.
He had a B.B Officer’s Training, at Felden Lodge, Hemel Hempstead, U K ,University of London at London College of Divinity 1957- 1960, King’s College London. 1960-1961, Ridley Hall, Cambridge. 1961-1962. An experienced school teacher, Olajide served at the Holy Trinity, Aisegba -Ekiti 1944-1945, St Andrew’s Isinbode-Ekiti. 1946, St John’s Igbemo-Ekiti. 1947-1948,All Saint’s Iyin Ekiti 1949-1950, Church Agent at St Andrew’s Are-Ekiti 1950, Superintendent/Vicar, Irhuekpen- Ekpoma Sub District and Schools Manager. 1954-1956Vicar, St. Jame’s Parish, Benin City. Diocesan Youth worker School Manager and Diocesan School Religious Inspector. 1956-57 .Visiting Clergy man at Immanuel Church, Chesham Bucks. U.K 1957-1960, Part-time Curate, Holy Trinity Southhall, Middlesex, England and St.John’s Cambridge. 1961Curate St Michael’s Garston, Liverpool. 1962,Lecturer and Bursar, Immanuel College of Theology Ibadan,Warden, Hall of Residence, University of ife. 1967-1973 Warden, Fajuyi Hall University of ife 1967- 1976 Senior Assistant Registrar, Halls of Residence and Senior Chaplain, All Souls Chapel, University of ife 1966-1977.
He was also Provost, St. Jame’s Cathedral, Oke-Bola Ibadan 1977- 1981, Bishop, Ilesha Diocese 1981-1988, Bishop, Diocese of Ibadan 1988-2000. Chairman Implementation Committee for St. Andrew’s University, Oyo 2000, Member, board of Trustee Achieves of Ibadan Medicine 2000, Member of professional Bodies Member – Victoria Institute- Philosophical Society of Great Britain.
Until his passing, he was member- British Church Growth Association, International Congress on World Evangelization and it’s Continuation Committee. 1974, Member of planning committee and Chairman of sub-committee of National Congress on Evangelization, Nigeria. 1975 Member, Christian Association of Nigeria, Oyo State. 1980 – date President. Christian Association of Nigeria, Oyo State. Up to 1999.
Life member of Bible Society of Nigeria, Member, Nigeria Bible Translation Trust. Patron – Boys Brigade of NigeriaMember- All African Conference of Churches,Member- Anglican Liturgical Consultation Committee, Founder/patron- Cathedral Christian Fellowship. St Jame’s Cathedral, Ibadan among many others.
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