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Govt considering pension for MKO’s next of kin, Kingibe

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Wives of the late Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, are likely to be put on pension, a government source said at the weekend.

Also to benefit from the plan is Bashorun Abiola’s running mate in the historic election, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe.

The idea, mooted by the Federal Government will, however, be proposed as an Executive Bill to National Assembly for passage, it was further learnt.

Abiola, a billionaire businessman, won the election believed to be the freest and fairest in Nigeria history, with a pan-Nigerian mandate. But, the military government of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida annulled the results.

Abiola was incarcerated when he stood up to fight for the reclamation of his mandate. He died in custody on July 8, 1998.

The military returned to the barracks after conducting the election that ushered in the Forth Republic in 1999.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari decided to honour the late Abiola by declaring June 12 Democracy Day in place of May 29; gave Abiola the highest national honour – Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) – posthumous and officially recognize his victory in that election. Kingibe was awarded the second national honour, The Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

At the weekend, Kola, the late Abiola first son, said the democracy we are practicing is not what his father died for.

He canvassed a united Nigeria, saying there should be no room for secession calls.

Mr. Abiola also said he had no plan to join partisan politics for now.

He spoke on Sunday in Abuja after unveiling his social media platform – Tribe Naija.

He said: “I am not impressed with the democracy that we are in today, because it is not what my father and others died for. It’s not what they put their lives on the line for.

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“And I want to make sure we get what they will be proud of in their graves. The challenge is now for me to make sure it happens,” Abiola said.

On the plan to compensate the Abiola family, the highly-placed government official said last night: “The honours bring them (the late Abiola and his running mate at par with all past heads of state and their deputies.”

The source added: “There has been no concomitant benefit to them since that recognition because the law did not foresee this kind of situation.

“You know there is no monetary attachment to national honours. But, there is a thinking that this must be reviewed because wives of former heads of state who had passed on get quarterly allowances, which are overseen by the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).

“Those (past heads of state) who are living get their entitlement and when they are dead, their next of kin get certain benefits from the government. But, for Abiola and Kingibe, this requires legislation.

“There is a thinking that the Abiola family (next of kin) deserves attention. The same thing goes for Kingibe,” the source said.

Speaking further, Mr. Abiola explained: “My father had chieftaincy titles from all over Nigeria. He didn’t even have a national honour conferred on him until two years ago. So, it’s about always giving and always believing in Nigeria.

The late politician’s son said he had dedicated himself to the struggle for awakening the consciousness and raising leaders among the younger generation of Nigerians, through Tribe Naija
.

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He said: “I come from a family that is a pioneer in what we do. We raise the unknown, we make them known. In addition to what we are going to do with this platform, we will raise leaders. And that is what we are all about.

“The names you hear in your profession (journalism) today, there is hardly anybody who hasn’t gone through Concord newspapers (published by Abiola). When they were at Concord, did anybody know them? No. And that is what we are all about.”

Mr Abiola denied nursing presidential ambition in 2023 on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said: “I see posters around with my picture and the APC. I am not even a card-carrying member of any political party. I have never been involved politically with any party, since my father’s election.

“I wanted to make sure that first and foremost, he (the late Abiola) was recognised for what he achieved. It took me 22 years to get that with the announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari and I am always going to be thankful for that.

“And now that all that he achieved have been recognised, I want to now finish the job that he started by making sure that nobody is ever robbed and that we keep this Nigeria as one.

“You see, the problem we have in Nigeria is that everything has to be a means to an end. But, there cannot be a means to an end if we don’t have a country, first and foremost. So, I want us to be united and that is my purpose”.

Abiola said that running for a political office and winning election are two different things.

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“Gen. Shehu Yar ‘Adua started the Peoples Front (PF), did he end up being the President of this country? Shehu Yar ‘Adua started the PF, my father came in on the same platform. Did he end up ruling this country? So, it’s not about whether you are running for something or you want an office, no.”

On secession, he said: “My father didn’t run for President for a divided Nigeria. Yar ‘Adua didn’t start this thing for a divided Nigeria. I don’t want to see a divided Nigeria, because I don’t know any other place than Nigeria.

“To get it right, the media and other stakeholders have to get involved. You don’t appreciate the power you have. If you come together and put that power to use, we will see.

“The number is there and all we are looking for is leadership and good governance. We have to have leadership from the ward to the top. It’s about that.

“If we change it progressively and we give you the things to make it happen progressively, then, you will see the difference. It’s not about the head. If the head is so good and we don’t have anybody down the line, what are you going to govern?

“If I’m President today and I have the best of ideas and I don’t have people in the right places, of what use is that? That is what I keep saying. It is about making sure that we can develop something that makes a team with a lasting impact in this country. We need to turn the narrative and I am hoping that with Tribe Niger, we will do that”.

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Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

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Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

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“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: 2027: S’West ADC leaders revolt against Atiku

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1. Many leaders of the African Democratic Congress in the South-West have expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as the marginalisation of the party’s structure in the region by the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The ADC leaders, including some state chairmen and governorship candidates, alleged that Atiku had been conducting his political activities in the region through his friends and allies, while leaving the party structure sidelined as presidential campaign activities prepared to gather momentum.

2. A United States federal court has rejected an attempt to obtain discovery from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and DCI Group in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

3. The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Bello, has confirmed the “rescue of three of the six Islamic clerics kidnapped on September 12 while travelling to Talata Mafara, Zamfara State.” Bello gave the confirmation in an interview with select reporters in Gusau. He said the rescue followed a multi-agency collaboration and seamless synergy between the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, the Department of State Services, DSS, and police operatives.

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4. The Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, have set a target of at least 1.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. According to a statement, the target was announced on Saturday in Osogbo during the inauguration of the movement’s state and local government structures.

5. Nigerians lose no less than N75bn annually to visa application expenses across foreign missions, with rejected Schengen visa applications alone accounting for an estimated €11.5m, equivalent to about N19bn in 2025.
This is according to a visa-cost analysis report obtained by Sunday PUNCH from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

6. With one accord, the governors of Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, and Anambra States yesterday urged the people of the Southeast to avoid political distractions, and vote massively for President Bola Tinubu in next year’s presidential election. Governors Peter Mbah, Hope Uzodimma, Francis Nwifuru and Charles Soludo, said it was necessary for the zone to support Tinubu’s re-election bid to enable him consolidate the gains of his administration’s economic reforms

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7. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said Nigeria’s security challenges predate the administration of President Bola Tinubu, noting that terrorism, insurgency and banditry had been entrenched in the country before 2023 when Tinubu assumed office. He said the country’s security problems were rooted in years of porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, youth unemployment and the spread of extremist ideologies.

8. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike has directed supporters of President Bola Tinubu to deliver their polling unit in the forthcoming 2027 general elections. Addressing the supporters, Wike framed the upcoming general elections as a critical opportunity for residents of the nation’s capital to rectify past electoral missteps and unite under a strategic development banner.

9. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed the name of the Kano State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from its updated list of candidates for the 2027 general elections. A check on the commission’s website shows that the names of Gwarzo and his deputy were conspicuously missing from the updated list.

See also  Why MKO Abiola was denied presidency – Obasanjo

10. Four young men have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command for allegedly abducting and gang-raping a 12-year-old girl in Sakwa District, Zaki Local Government Area of the state. The suspects were arrested following a complaint by the victim’s 50-year-old father, who reported the incident at the Sakwa Divisional Police Headquarters on Thursday.

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Wale Tinubu, Rabiu, others Join President Tinubu in Makkah for Umrah

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The Group Chief Executive Oando Plc, Jubril Adewale Tinubu; Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and several other Nigerian business mogul have joined President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the performance of Umrah, the lesser Islamic pilgrimage.

The presence of the prominent Nigerian business leaders alongside the President in the holy city has drawn attention, bringing together three influential figures from Nigeria’s political and business communities in a moment of religious observance.

Tinubu and Rabiu, both prominent names in Nigeria’s corporate landscape, were seen alongside the President dressed in the traditional white Ihram garments worn by Muslim pilgrims performing Umrah.

Umrah, unlike the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. It involves a series of religious rites in Makkah and holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims across the world.

For the Nigerian business community, the appearance of the corporate leaders alongside the President also offers a glimpse into the intersection of faith, business and public life, particularly when influential figures come together outside the usual settings of boardrooms, corporate engagements and official functions.

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The development comes as President Tinubu undertook the pilgrimage to seek divine guidance and offer prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.

According to the Presidency, the President performed the Umrah rites early Friday, October 30, at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, where he circumambulated the Holy Ka’abah.

Speaking after completing the spiritual exercise, Tinubu described the pilgrimage as significant, linking it to his commitment to Nigeria and its people. He also expressed gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to pray for the country.

The President’s prayers reportedly centre on national harmony, security, economic prosperity and the need for Nigerians to live together peacefully.

Rabiu also used the occasion to express his hopes for the country, describing it as an honour to accompany the President on the spiritual journey. He prayed for lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria.

For Tinubu, whose Oando Group occupies a prominent position in Nigeria’s energy industry, the journey offered a departure from the familiar world of corporate leadership and business engagements. Rabiu, similarly, is a major player in the country’s industrial sector, with interests spanning manufacturing, cement and food production.

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Their appearance in Makkah alongside the President underscores the presence of leading figures from Nigeria’s private sector at an important spiritual moment for the country’s leader.

Umrah, often described as the lesser pilgrimage, is a significant act of worship in Islam. Unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period in the Islamic calendar, Umrah can be performed throughout the year.

President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing his spiritual engagements in Saudi Arabia.

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