Category: Politics

The Federal Government has inaugurated distribution of food and nutrition support items in Niger under the Presidential Initiative for Food and Nutrition Assistance in Niger.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said the intervention was designed to support vulnerable households and reinforce food security in the state.

Doro, in a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Information, Chinyere Ulasi, on Sunday in Abuja, said the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“It ensures that food security, poverty reduction, and social protection remain central to governance and let me state clearly that no vulnerable Nigerian will be left behind.

“However, beyond immediate relief, we are driving a deeper reform of Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty-reduction architecture.

“In line with this reform, the federal government is currently expanding and strengthening the National Social Register (NSR).

“This is to ensure that vulnerable households across the country are properly identified, documented, and integrated into structured social protection system,” he said.

He said the ministry would collaborate with the Niger State Government to ensure affected residents were captured in the ongoing National Social Register expansion.

According to him, beneficiaries captured in the register will become eligible for various federal government social protection and poverty reduction programmes.

“This represents a critical shift; from emergency response alone to a continuum of support that connects relief, recovery, resilience, and poverty exit,” Doro said.

He described the distribution as deliberate, targeted and data-driven to cushion food insecurity and prevent malnutrition among children under five and pregnant women.

The minister added that the programme would also support displaced and conflict-affected households and stabilise vulnerable communities.

“The food and nutrition items have been carefully structured to address both caloric sufficiency and essential micronutrient needs, protecting not only lives, but also long-term human capital.

“We recognise the profound impact that had on households, farmlands, infrastructure, and livelihoods across several communities in the state.

“I want to assure the government and people of Niger State that my ministry is working closely with the presidency to ensure that such devastating occurrences are better anticipated, mitigated, and managed going forward.

“In this regard, the Ministry is currently collaborating with the presidency and relevant national stakeholders to develop the 2026 National Anticipatory Action Framework and Financing Instrument,” Doro said.

He noted that Niger, the largest state by landmass, occupied a strategic position in the nation’s development framework.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Olubunmi Olusanya, said the event demonstrated government’s commitment to emergency food assistance and improved nutrition.

Gov. Umaro Bago of Niger described the inauguration as significant and appreciated the federal hovernment’s interventions in the state.

Bago said spillover from banditry and extremist activities in the North-West had worsened humanitarian challenges, with many families displaced.

He called for collaboration with donor agencies to enrol displaced children in schools to counter extremist ideologies. (NAN).

As the 2027 general elections approach, Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo has urged the Federal Government and states controlled by the All Progressive Congress (APC), to publicise achievements, as their continued silence was being exploited by the opposition.

“There are gains, but a gap persists. There is a disconnect. Cynicism remains because the communication of reform outcomes has not matched the pace of the reforms themselves.

“The opposition has exploited this gap with relentless propaganda. The problem is not policy failure. The problem is a communication failure. And that failure is on us.”

Uzodinma spoke in Abuja at the recent Progressive Governors Forum (PGF)’s Renewed Hope Ambassadors Summit.

The Imo governor, who is the PGF Chairman, emphasised the need for the leaders to “reinvent our identity, unify our structures and bring us into one indestructible, strong and united family driven by one unassailable vision and focus”.

He said that all instruments must be mobilised to “bridge the gap between the profound transformative work President Bola Tinubu has done, and is still doing, for Nigeria, and the lived reality of millions of Nigerians who have not yet felt its full impact”.

According to him, those entrusted with the responsibility of translating policy into public awareness must fully embrace that role.

He reminded the audience that included President Tinubu, governors and ministers, that Nigeria was at a defining democratic phase and was being tested by economic shocks, digital misinformation, geopolitical uncertainty, and rising citizen expectations.

He said that hopes were rising as Mr President was reforming the nation’s macroeconomic architecture, repositioning fiscal systems, rebuilding public infrastructure, strengthening security apparatus, expanding digital inclusion, and managing democratic competition.

“In such a season, clarity becomes national security. Citizens today are more informed, but not always more accurately informed.

“Social media amplifies speed, but not necessarily context. Reform, by its nature, creates discomfort before it creates stability.

“The central democratic challenge before us is how we ensure that structural reform is understood, defended, internalised and translated into citizen trust at the grassroots.

“This is crucial because policy success without citizen understanding creates perception gaps. And perception gaps weaken democratic legitimacy. This is why we are here.”

While noting that decisions that secure long-term national stability rarely generate immediate applause, he recalled that when Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, he inherited an economy in distress.

“We all know this. Even our opponents know this. The signs were everywhere: depleted foreign reserves, runaway inflation, crippled oil production, and a subsidy regime that was bleeding the treasury dry whilst enriching a few.

“Previous administrations had postponed the day of reckoning until it could be postponed no longer, else the nation would collapse.

“Tinubu did what needed to be done: he front-loaded the reforms in the nation’s interest. And for us in the ruling party, the benefits of these reforms have thankfully kicked in just as we approach the end of the political cycle.

“Some might say this was too great a risk, but it has paid off. And the enemies of Nigeria are not happy.

“It is, therefore, not only our partisan duty, but our patriotic obligation to propagate these results to every man, woman, and youth until every Nigerian, including our opponents, acknowledges the good work of our great party and our beloved President.

“Fortunately, the facts are on our side. We just need a bit of storytelling to get our message across in the midst of all the malicious noise,” he said.

ABAKALIKI, NIGERIA (NPA) – Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s southeast,  has suspended the Commissioner for Works, Engr. Stanley Lebechi Mbam, and the Commissioner for Infrastructure Development, Engr. Ogbonnaya Obasi Abara, citing dereliction of duty.

The decision, announced in a statement issued on February 28, 2026, by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Dr Monday Uzor, followed public outrage over a poorly executed road project in which workers were reportedly seen using their hands to lay concrete.

The statement directed the affected officials to immediately hand over all government property in their possession, including official vehicles, to the Secretary to the State Government.

Governor Nwifuru emphasised that the indefinite suspension was necessary to uphold accountability and ensure quality standards in public infrastructure projects.

ABUJA, NIGERIA (NPA): Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State on Thursday hosted members of the Progressive Speakers’ Forum during a courtesy visit in Abuja. The meeting was part of ongoing efforts by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to strengthen internal mechanisms ahead of its National Convention.

In a statement, Governor Uzodimma said the engagement “provided a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives on our shared objectives and reaffirm our collective commitment to unity, discipline, and strategic coordination during this important period of preparation.”

He described the discussions as “engaging and forward-looking,” highlighting the experience and dedication within the Forum. The governor encouraged members to remain steadfast in their legislative responsibilities, with a sustained focus on good governance and service delivery.

The visit followed Uzodimma’s earlier announcement of successful ward and local government congresses in Imo State and other APC states. He emphasized that the gains from those exercises would be consolidated through the forthcoming state, zonal, and national congresses of the APC, particularly in light of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s revised timetable for the 2027 elections.