News
Adeleke Bags Award As Osun Grabs First Position in NELFUND’s Process

Governor Ademola Adeleke has received an award of excellence from the Nigeria Education Loans Fund (NELFUND) for propelling achievement of first position by Osun state in the nationwide enrolment of beneficiary states by NELFUND.
Presenting the award to the Osun State Governor on Tuesday at Osogbo, the Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyer said Osun came first in terms of responsiveness and filling of requisite institutional and students data among the 36 States of the federation.
The Managing Director lauded Governor Adeleke for embracing the vision of President Bola Tinubu on the loan scheme, asserting that the Osun Governor represents an enviable model in sectoral push for good governance.
Explaining the significance of the education loan fund, Mr Sawyer said the targetted beneficiaries are indigents students, noting that the critical step to reaching each student is credible data gathering on which he said Osun is leading other states.
Responding, Governor Adeleke expressed appreciation to the NELFUND management for the award and to President Tinubu for activating the initiative.
The Governor spoke further: “I thank you for your kind words. We express our appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating this Funding initiative as a response to the many challenges facing our student population.
“We commend the President for demonstrating strong political will by fast tracking not only the establishment of the Fund but its effective take off.
“For us as a state, we have a responsibility to productively partner with the Federal Government for the benefit of our people. When it comes to bringing dividends of democracy to our people, we are blind to partisan politics. Our focus is the improvement of the lives of our people irrespective of where it is coming from.
“As a government, we see the Fund as a veritable platform to provide a lifeline for many indigents students in our various schools. The initiative promises to remove the pain and hardship experienced by many brilliant students in the area of funding. Again, we are elated by the prospects and opportunities for our students , hence our launching into the programme with all machinery of government.
“We are glad our efforts paid off with the enrolment of many Osun state owned schools in the programme. It is gratifying to hear that Osun took the lead among a comity of states in the selection and compliance process. Our next plan is to follow up by further deepening the preparedness of the selected schools for accessing opportunities available within the fund.
“Our gratitude also goes to the management of NELFUND for making the take off so efficient and for the fairness manifested during the selection process. We have strong faith in the capacity of the Fund to continue on the path of openness and equity”, the State Governor posited further.
He however urged the NELFUND management to ensure there is no debt trap in the running of the student loan system.
According to the Governor,”I must call our attention to a lesson we must learn as a nation from the operation of the loans board.
“As a long term resident of the United States, I am aware of the challenges of the student loans scheme. It has become a crisis of sorts. It has also become a subject of hot political debate. It has to do with huge student loan debts in the US
“We must as a nation avoid a similar debt trap. As we have the grace to understudy other nations operating similar funds, we must avoid the pitfalls. Our new system must integrate mechanisms to prevent similar experiences like what is happening in the US.
“I task the management of NELFUND to innovate within its mandate on how to make its operations sustainable. Debt trap must never be experienced in Nigeria’s students’ loan operations”, the Governor noted in his address.
Present at the courtesy visit were; Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adewale Egbedun, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, cabinet ranking and non-cabinet members, Head of Service, Mr Ayanleye Aina among others.
News
S’Court Dismisses Fubara’s Appeal Against Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly

An appeal filed by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, challenging the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly has been dismissed by the Supreme Court in Abuja.
Fubara was also ordered to pay N2m to the Assembly and the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, by a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji on Monday.
The case was dismissed after Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali, withdrew the suit.
Recall that on October 10, 2024, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, admonished Fubara for failing to follow the rule of law in his actions.
The court further held that Fubara’s actions violated Section 96 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires at least one-third of the Assembly members to form a quorum.
The court noted that “four out of 31 members cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, constitute the required quorum for legislative business.”
Meanwhile, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court also ruled against Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget before the four-member Assembly led by Edison Ehie.
The budget presentation was a result of the leadership crisis within the Rivers State House of Assembly. Fubara had argued that the Amaewhule-led faction lost its legitimacy after defecting from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
However, the lower courts ruled that he failed to provide evidence of their defection and, therefore, could not legally present the budget to a four-member House.
Following the Court of Appeal judgment, Fubara approached the Supreme Court to set aside the lower court’s ruling and allow him to present the budget to the Ehie-led faction.
However, when the case was called on Monday, Fubara’s counsel, Yusuf Ali, informed the Supreme Court that the governor had decided to withdraw the appeal.
Ali stated that a notice dated February 6 had already been filed, explaining that the appeal had been overtaken by events.
All 17 respondents in the case, represented by various lawyers, did not oppose the withdrawal. However, J.B. Daudu (SAN), representing the 3rd to 12th respondents (National Assembly and its leadership), and Wole Olanipekun (SAN), representing the 1st and 2nd respondents (Rivers State House of Assembly and Amaewhule), requested a cost of N2 million.
Daudu further urged the court to dismiss the appeal rather than strike it out, as issues had already been joined.
The five-member Supreme Court panel dismissed the appeal after confirming that the withdrawal was not opposed.
In a brief ruling, Justice Abba-Aji declared the appeal dismissed and awarded a cost of N2 million in favour of the 1st to 12th respondents.
The Punch
News
Ex-Minister Turaki in Court over Adultery, False Marriage Allegations

A former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), has been arraigned before a Magistrate Court at Zone 2 in Abuja on allegations bordering on false marriage, adultery, among others.
Turaki pleaded not guilty when the First Information Report (FIR) was read to him in the dock on Thursday before the presiding Magistrate of Court 9, Abubakar Jega.
He insisted that the alleged offences are not true.
According to the FIR, the former minister is accused of “deceitfully inducing belief of lawful marriage, adultery by a man and criminal intimidation, contrary to sections 383, 387 and 389 of the Penal Code.”
The prosecution stated that the investigation of the case followed a petition dated August 9, 2024, received by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force FCID, Abuja.
It further stated that the investigation revealed that “you Barrister Kabiru Taminu Turaki (SAN), between December 2014 and August 2016, deceitfully cohabited Ms. Hadiza Musa Bafta at a hotel called Han’s Place.
“You also co-habited her at Ideal Home Holiday, Asokoro between August 2016 and November 2021.
“You hired a place for her at No. 12 Clement Akpagbo Close, Gauzape from November 2021 and made her believe you were married to her and continuously had sexual intercourse with her, which resulted to a baby girl.
“You abandoned Hadiza Musa Baffa with her only child and denied the paternity. You threatened to use your influence and position to terminate the lives of mother and child.
“You are thereby suspected to have committed the above offences.”
Shortly after Turaki:s arraignment, the prosecuting lawyer , Chijioke Okorie urged the court to set a date for the commencement of trial.
Turaki’s lawyer, A. I. Mohammed, who did not object to the prosecution’s request for a date for trial, applied for bail for the defendant on the grounds that he would be available whenever he is required to attend court.
Magistrate Jega granted bail to Turaki at N1million with two sureties in like sum.
He said the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must provide evidence of the residences.
The magistrate then adjourned to March 11 for the commencement of trial.
News
Decomposing Body of Kidnapped Anambra Lawmaker Found on 2nd Niger Bridge

The decomposing body of a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Justice Azuka, has been discovered on the 2nd Niger Bridge.
Azuka’s body was discovered by a combined team of security agencies.
The lawmaker representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunabankpa Road, Inland Town, Onitsha.
After weeks of investigation, security operatives from Abuja apprehended the suspects late Wednesday. The arrested individuals later led authorities to the location where they had dumped the lawmaker’s remains.
Police authorities in Anambra State said details of the incident are sketchy.
However, the spokesman of the command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said police operatives have been deployed to the scene.
According to him, further details would be made known to the public in due time.
The incident marks the second kidnapping and murder of a sitting Anambra lawmaker in recent years.
In 2022, Okey Okoye, popularly known as “Okey Di Ok” from Aguata, was abducted and beheaded.
His body was later found around the Nnobi axis of the South-East state. The region has experienced a slew of violence in recent years. Gunmen have at various times attacked public facilities and killed scores of persons despite repeated assurances from government and security agencies.
The calls for secession have also reached new highs in the region in recent years. But no group has claimed responsibility for the wave of violence in the South-East.
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