Former Senate Leader and Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking the move to walk his talk on the reconstruction and dualization of the 125-kilometre Gombe- Biu highway. The flag off of the project, valued at N1.245 trillion took place on Thursday in Liji, Gombe state, at an […]
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Everton midfielder Toni Payne is full of excitement after opening her goal account for the Super Falcons, DAILY POST reports.
Payne scored Nigeria’s second goal in Friday night’s 2-1 friendly win over Senegal at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne.
Asisat Oshoala gave Nigeria the lead from the spot in the 32nd minute.
Payne doubled Justine Madugu’s side lead with a fine finish just before the break.
The 31-year-old was pleased to finally get off the mark for the African champions.
”I’m happy to score (for the Falcons) after almost five years so just really good to do it here in Nigeria,” she said after the game.
Payne, who represented the United States of America at youth level before later switching international allegiance has made 46 appearances for Nigeria.
Friendly: Payne excited to end Super Falcons goal drought against Senegal
Founder and General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr Daniel Olukoya, has joined millions of Nigerians to lead a special prayer session, seeking God’s intervention over the growing insecurity and recent abductions affecting parts of the country. The prayer session was held during the church’s June edition of Power Must Change […]
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For over a decade, most Nigerians who borrowed airtime or accessed data advances on their mobile phones probably never stopped to consider who was behind the service. It was convenient, available, and seemingly part of everyday telecommunications life.
Yet behind this simple service lies a larger story about market dominance, economic opportunity, and the future of Nigeria’s digital economy.
For approximately 12 years, South African-owned Optasia, formerly known as Channel VAS, has occupied a commanding position in Nigeria’s airtime credit and data advance market. While business success should be applauded, the prolonged concentration of such a strategic and lucrative segment of the economy in the hands of a single foreign operator raises legitimate questions about competition, local participation, and national economic benefit.
The concern is not merely about who operates the service. It is about whether Nigeria has maximized the opportunities that should naturally flow from a market of this scale.
At a time when the country is battling foreign exchange shortages and seeking ways to strengthen domestic economic growth, reports that significant profits from the sector have been repatriated abroad deserve serious scrutiny. Every naira that leaves the economy through profit transfers is a naira that could otherwise support local investment, create jobs, and stimulate innovation within Nigeria’s borders.
More importantly, many observers argue that the arrangement has done little to nurture local capacity. Despite the remarkable growth of Nigeria’s fintech sector, one of the most profitable digital service niches remained largely inaccessible to indigenous firms for years.
That reality should concern anyone interested in Nigeria’s long-term economic development.
The country has no shortage of technological talent. Nigerian fintech companies have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to develop world-class products, attract global investment, and compete successfully across Africa and beyond. Given these achievements, it is difficult to understand why local companies were unable to participate meaningfully in a market that directly serves millions of Nigerian consumers.
Competition has always been one of the strongest drivers of innovation. When multiple companies compete for customers, consumers typically benefit from better products, improved service quality, and more competitive pricing. Businesses are forced to innovate, invest, and continuously improve.
Conversely, markets dominated by a single player for extended periods often become stagnant. New ideas struggle to gain traction, local entrepreneurs face barriers to entry, and the broader economy misses opportunities for growth.
This is why ongoing efforts by regulators to promote greater competition in the sector deserve public support. Opening the market is not about penalizing a company that has been successful. Rather, it is about creating an environment where innovation can flourish and where Nigerian businesses can compete on equal terms.
A more open market could unlock significant benefits. Indigenous firms would have the opportunity to develop new products and services. Investors would be encouraged to commit additional capital. More jobs could be created. Most importantly, a larger share of the value generated by Nigerian consumers would remain within the Nigerian economy.
The issue also fits squarely within the broader objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda, which emphasizes local enterprise development, domestic value creation, and reducing unnecessary capital flight. Sustainable economic growth is built when countries create opportunities for their own businesses and citizens to participate meaningfully in key sectors.
Ultimately, the debate surrounding Optasia goes beyond a single company. It speaks to the kind of economic future Nigeria wants to build.
Should strategic sectors remain concentrated in the hands of long-standing monopolies, or should they be opened to wider participation and competition? Should opportunities be restricted to a select few, or should they be available to capable local innovators ready to contribute to national growth?
After more than a decade of market dominance, Nigeria has an opportunity to answer those questions decisively.
The future of the country’s digital economy will be stronger when competition is encouraged, innovation is rewarded, and local participation is prioritized. Breaking down barriers to entry is not simply good economics—it is an investment in Nigeria’s long-term prosperity.
Daniel Adimabua is a Lagos-based IT infrastructure technologist and analyst with interests in technology, innovation, and public policy.
OPINION: Optasia: Cost Of 12-Year Monopoly In Nigeria’s Digital Economy is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has reportedly complained of swollen eyes while in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with claims that he has been denied access to medical treatment.
According to a report, media aide to the former governor, Muyiwa Adekeye, accused the ICPC of refusing to provide medical attention despite repeated complaints about the worsening condition of El-Rufai’s eyes.
Adekeye described the situation as unfair and inhumane, insisting that every Nigerian—regardless of political affiliation or ongoing investigation—deserves access to proper medical care and humane treatment while in custody.
The ICPC has not yet issued an official response to the allegation at the time of filing this report.
Thirty-five-year-old Ms Jennifer Atsar, whose 16-year-old son, Sesugh, was allegedly murdered by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Makurdi on May 23, 2026, shares with JOHN CHARLES her pain over losing her child and the need for her son’s killer to be punished
Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Jennifer Atsar. I am 35 years old and live in Kanshio, Makurdi. I am the mother of Sesugh, who was killed by operatives of the EFCC.
What do you do for a living?
I fry and sell garri. It is from the proceeds that I take care of my children, while Sesugh also helped whenever he worked on construction sites.
How many children do you have?
I have five children, and Sesugh was my first child. He would have been 17 years old on December 26 this year, so he was 16 years and a few months old at the time he was killed.
What was your son doing before the tragic incident?
My son was living with me here. He was learning furniture-making and, at the same time, was a student of the New Educational Teaching Academic College, Makurdi. He was in JSS 3 and was supposed to proceed to SSS 1.
He would have gone farther than that, but there was no money. Most of the time, he did menial jobs to complement what I earned to sustain the family. He also attended the workshop where he learnt furniture-making.
It was gathered that your son was arrested by the EFCC and locked up for days with two other people before he escaped. How would you react to this allegation?
I was not at home when he was said to have been arrested because my fifth child was ill and I was with the child in the hospital. Later, he (Sesugh) came back and said he had been released, but they held his phone and told him to go and find N100,000 before they would release it.
What happened thereafter?
He was at home with me that fateful day when his friend came, and they both went out. A few hours later, one of my neighbours rushed to my house and said they had killed my son.
What circumstance led to the killing of your son?
I was told that two EFCC operatives, who were in mufti, called my son’s friend to come to a hotel located around the community where the EFCC men were staying.
When they (my son and his friend) arrived at the hotel on a motorcycle, Sesugh got down, opened the gate, and they rode inside. Upon sighting them, one of the EFCC officers drew a gun. I was told that my son ran when he saw the gun. They chased him and shot him at close range.
Late Sesugh
As soon as my son was shot, the officials wanted to escape, but people in the area insisted that the EFCC must go with the body. My son was even calling the name of the officer who shot him while gasping for breath.
He demanded water, but when the people around the area insisted that they must carry him along, they ordered a vehicle and took him to the police headquarters in Makurdi.
Did you visit the police headquarters or the EFCC office when you heard of your son’s death?
I went to the B Division Police Station and the state police command, but I did not get any reasonable information. All along, I never knew that my son was killed by the EFCC, but later, some people said it was an EFCC official who killed him.
The EFCC is still holding the body. I have yet to see his corpse. They have neither met me nor sent any message.
My son had told me two days before his death that EFCC officials arrested him but released him because they found nothing against him. He was on bail and not in their custody when they killed him.
What did the EFCC operative say your son’s offence was?
One of my sisters and some neighbours, including his oga (boss), where he was learning furniture-making, later went to the EFCC office. The head of the state office said his men were at the scene of the incident undercover and that when they saw my son, they accused him and his friend of trying to shoot the officers.
I asked myself, “How could that happen? My son cannot be in possession of a gun. How and from where?” The people who visited the EFCC told me that their boss said Sesugh wrote a confessional statement in which he admitted being involved in fraud and having an OPay account.
What other allegations did the EFCC level against your late son?
I was also told that they accused my son of disguising himself as a lady on Facebook and that, apart from selling drugs, he was a cultist. I believe they fabricated all these allegations to justify the killing of my son.
Everyone within this community can attest to my son’s character. He was an easygoing person.
They told the people who went there that my son was arrested and escaped from their custody. How could that have happened? My son told me he was arrested while returning from work and was later released, while his phone was withheld, and he was asked to go and find N100,000 before it would be returned to him.
This was a boy who only had an OPay account. He had yet to obtain a Bank Verification Number for the account and, therefore, could not have operated a major bank account as the EFCC officials claimed.
He was not a criminal and had never been one. Whatever he earned, he used to assist me in taking care of his siblings. If you move around our community, people can attest to his character.
What is your appeal to the government?
As I am talking to you now, I have yet to see his corpse. This was the person who had been helping me take care of his siblings through the menial jobs he did. Whenever he did not go to the workshop, he engaged in other menial jobs to support me.
Look at where we live (points to a mud house). My son had been a source of encouragement to me whenever I broke down in tears. He always told me that, with God’s help, the future would be better. But now, EFCC officers have cut short that dream. They killed my son.
Let them release my son’s corpse so that he can rest in peace. What I want is justice for my son. The officer who shot him must be made to face the consequences. They said my son was shouting the name of the EFCC officer who shot him.
Punch
Nigerian midfielder, Onuche Ogbelu has joined Libyan giants Al -Ittihad SC on a permanent transfer, DAILY POST reports.
Ogbelu, who left Tunisian powerhouse Esperance following the expiration of his contract put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Al-Ittihad.
The 23-year-old linked up with Esperance from Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, side Nasarawa United in 2023.
He scored twice in 54 league appearances for the Blood and Gold.
Ogbelu represented Nigeria at the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Egypt, with the Flying Eagles finishing in third position.
The defensive midfielder was among the four players selected to train with the Super Eagles after the tournament.
Transfer: Nigerian midfielder completes move to Libyan Club Al- Ittihad SC
Ogun State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers wanted in a murder case in Okada area of Edo State.
The suspects, Muhammed Sanni, aged 20 and Gafaru Adamu, aged 25 are members of a seven-man kidnapping gang.
The police spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, in a statement on Saturday, said they were nabbed on Thursday by personnel of the Nigeria Forest Security Service and handed over to the command.
Babaseyi noted that on investigation, it was discovered that the suspects are wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation into a kidnapping and murder case reported in Edo State.
Items recovered from them include one pair of Police camouflage uniform and three mobile phones.
“Following extensive profiling and investigation, the suspects were identified as Gafaru Adamu, ‘m’, aged 25, and Muhammed Sanni, ‘m’, aged 20. Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects are wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation into a kidnapping and murder case reported in the Okada area of Edo State.
“Further intelligence gathered by the Command indicates that the suspects are alleged members of a seven-man kidnapping syndicate linked to the incident under investigation.
“During the course of the investigation, operatives recovered one pair of Police camouflage uniform and three mobile phones from the suspects. The exhibits have been properly documented and taken into custody to aid further investigation,” Babaseyi stated.
The command’s image maker noted that since the alleged offenses under investigation occurred outside Ogun State, the suspects and all recovered exhibits will be transferred to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation and other necessary legal processes.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the professionalism, diligence, and intelligence-gathering capabilities of the operatives whose swift actions led to the identification of the suspects and the recovery of critical exhibits.
The CP reiterated that the command remains resolute in its determination to prevent criminal elements from using Ogun State as a hideout or transit point for unlawful activities.
He assured residents that the Command will continue to deploy intelligence-led strategies, proactive policing measures, and strategic inter-state collaboration to strengthen public safety and security across the state.
Ojajuni also encouraged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing timely and credible information that will assist law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime and criminality.
Ogun police nab 2 suspected kidnappers linked to Edo State murder
A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali is dead.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, confirmed the death of the 9th former VC in a statement by the spokesman of the institution, Kunle Akogun, in Ilorin on Saturday.
Ambali, who headed the University from 2012 to 2017, died early Saturday morning after a brief illness, aged 68.
The death of Prof. Ambali, according to the Vice Chancellor, is a huge loss not only to the University of Ilorin and the Kwara State University, Malete, which he currently serves as Pro-Chancellor but also to the entire nation and humanity.
Egbewole, who has sympathised with the family of the great scholar and the people of the Ilorin Emirate, enjoined sympathisers, particularly members of the UNILORIN community to attend the Janazah for the late ex-Vice Chancellor at his Oloje Housing Estate, Ilorin, by 4.pm.today, Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The Kaduna State Police Command has rescued three kidnapped victims who spent more than 40 days in captivity and arrested five suspected informants linked to the kidnapping syndicate. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Kaduna. Hassan said the rescue operation was carried out by […]
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