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States sing different tunes over N5bn palliatives

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It was different tunes from the state governments across Nigeria, at the weekend, over the N5 billion promised each of them by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the removal of petrol subsidy on the masses.

While some said they had received only N2 billion, others said they had not been paid anything.
Some claimed to have been paid in full.

Last week, while representing President Bola Tinubu at Chief Edwin Clark’s book launch, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, had re-echoed the promise: “Solutions to problems can never be as instant as coffee. But, we must certainly be there.

I know the removal of fuel subsidy has created some things. “And, that is why palliatives are being put in place; 100 trucks of fertilizers have been sent to the states; 100 trucks of grains have been sent; and more are coming, and more buses are coming.”

In addition, the National Economic Council, NEC, approved N5 billion and five trucks of rice to each state.

Kano, Nasarawa, Benue

Kano, Nasarawa and Benue state governments said they had received N2 billion each while Nasarawa said it received in addition one billion Naira worth of maize.

Kano State Commissioner for Information, Halilu Baba Dantiye, confirmed the receipt of the money.

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, on his part, said the state was still expecting the balance of N3billion from the Federal Government.

Adamawa

In Adamawa, the state government confirmed the receipt of N5 billion palliatives and has accordingly set up a high powered committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon Awwal Tukur, to ensure even distribution to the people.

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The committee has since been inaugurated by Acting Governor Kaleptawa Farauta.

Also, Sokoto State government confirmed receiving part of the N5 billion promised by the Federal Government.

The State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Sambo Bello Danchadi, while speaking to our correspondent, however, declined to mention the amount so far received.

Niger

Reports from Niger State said N4million had been received by the authorities while the balance of N1m was expected to be expended on assorted grains to be supplied by the Federal Government to the state later.

Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago declared that part of the money already received will be used to improve the transportation system in the state as a way of bringing succour to people of the state.

He said his administration had concluded plans to flood the state with gas fueled vehicles for inter and intra city services across the state as one of the numerous steps taken to cushion the removal of petrol subsidy.

Bago spoke during the swearing-in of 60 Commissioners and Special Advisers in Minna, the state capital.

Ondo

Ondo State government said it was yet to receive the N5 billion support money..

A source in the state Finance Ministry said, “The state government has not received the N5 billion. But anything can happen between today, Friday, and Monday.

“But what I can confidently tell you is that we’ve not received the money in our state. We’ve only received 3, 000 out of the 81, 000 bags of rice promised states by the Federal Government.

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Osun

Osun State government said that it was yet to receive the N5 billion.

The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said they had received the 3,000 bags of 50kg rice as the first batch but was yet to receive the promised N5billion.

“I am not speaking for any state, but here in Osun, we are still expecting it and when we get it the whole world will know”, Alimi said.

“Yes, we have received 3,000 bags of 50kg rice from the Federal Government, but we have not received any amount from the N5bn it pledged to the state.

“We are still waiting for another consignment of 14, 000 bags as well as 3,200MT of maize. Governor Ademola Adeleke is running an open administration, when we get it, we will definitely make it public”.

Government officials contacted in Oyo and Ekiti states declined comments on the N5 billion palliative.

Kebbi

Kebbi State government said it was yet to receive the cash.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Idris, Ahmed Idris, told Sunday Vanguard that they were yet to receive the N5 billion.

Ahmed added that as soon as the cash is received, the state government would set up a committee to distribute them to get to beneficiaries which include civil servants and the vulnerable people in Kebbi.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, on his part, confirmed that the state government had received N5 billion.

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Zulum spoke in an interview with newsmen at the flag-off of the distribution of food items to about 300,000 vulnerable groups and households of Massandari Ward at the Bakassi IDP Camp, Maiduguri.
He said, “Borno state government has received N5 billion from the Federal Government as palliatives/grant.

“Out of this, N4 billion would be used for the purchase of 100, 000 bags of rice while the remaining N1 billion is for maize.”

He noted that 52% grant of the N5 billion would be provided by the Federal Government while the remaining 48% will be funded by each state and its local governments and the grant payable back to the Federal Government coffers.

Yobe

In Yobe State, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Dr. Mohammed Goje, who is also a member of the Palliatives Committee set up by Governor Mai Mala Buni, told our correspondent that the state received four trucks of assorted food items from the Federal Government.

Goje, however said, even though more consignments were still awaited, he was not in the position to talk on the N5 billion grant.

“I don’t know how much the state has collected so far, but I can confirm to you that we have received four trucks of assorted food items as palliatives from the Federal Government as we await the remaining consignment”, he added.

The Director General, Media and Press Affairs to the Governor, Mohammed Mamman, also said he was not aware of the amount received so far from the Federal Government.

 

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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.

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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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