Author: The Whistler Newspaper

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Plateau State University (PLASU) Branch has threatened to go on strike over the non-implementation of the new salary scheme for lecturers.

ASUU, PLASU Branch, had earlier submitted to the state government for immediate implementation the agreement signed in January 2026, between its national body and the Federal Government.

The union is, therefore, demanding an immediate implementation of the agreement.

Chairman of the Union, Dr. Vincent Choji, in a statement on Wednesday in Jos, called on the Plateau government to shun all “bureaucratic red tape” and immediately implement the new salary scheme, which reflected the new salary template.

“Sadly, we remain on the old salary scheme despite the harsh economic realities lecturers face daily,” Choji said.

He expressed concern that while the government and the university management were taking credit for the institution’s growth and expansion, the workload on the lecturers was being ignored.

“Our members are working harder than ever to teach and mould the character of these students, yet their well-being is not being addressed.

“Tragically, in recent months, the union has lost over four committed lecturers to stress and heart-related complications,” he stated.

According to him, the state government has entirely abandoned the agreement it entered with the union in 2024.

“Critical concerns are regarding campus security, high transportation costs, and the lack of staff accommodation, along with other outstanding issues,” he noted.

He urged the state government to immediately implement the new salary scheme and pay all the arrears from Jan. 1, 2026.

“Release funds to cater for pension and gratuity and address all other pending issues in the signed agreement to avert a looming, total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike,” Choji warned.

Plateau ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rwanda for the annual Africa CEO Forum.

The President touched down at Kigali Airport on Wednesday after attending the Africa-France Summit 2026 in Kenya.

During the event in Rwanda, the Nigerian leader will hold high-level meetings with top global and African business leaders.

Recall that Tinubu on Monday arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, ahead of the high-level Africa-France Summit co-hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Watch video:

BREAKING: President Tinubu arrives in Kigali, Rwanda, for the annual Africa CEO Forum, after attending the Africa-France summit 2026 in Kenya.

The president is expected to hold high-level meetings with top-tier global and African business leaders. pic.twitter.com/btLLc6JgTX

— Nigerian Affairs Journal (@NigAffairs) May 13, 2026

Tinubu arrives Rwanda for Africa CEO Forum [VIDEO]

The British government signalled a fresh push to strengthen economic ties with the European Union and reaffirmed its commitment to NATO as King Charles III delivered a speech at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday.

In a wide-ranging address that outlined the government’s legislative programme, the King highlighted the challenges posed by an unstable global environment.

“An increasingly dangerous and volatile world threatens the United Kingdom,” he said, citing the conflict in the Middle East as a recent example. “Every element of the nation’s energy, defence and economic security will be tested.”

Central to the government’s plans is a European Partnership Bill, which aims to rebuild closer economic and political cooperation with the EU.

The legislation is intended to capitalise on new trading opportunities and implement agreements reached as part of the government’s post-Brexit “reset” with Brussels.

On defence, the speech underlined the UK’s “unbreakable commitment to NATO and our NATO allies, including through a sustained increase in defence spending.” Additional measures will target threats from foreign state actors and strengthen cyber security.

Energy security featured prominently, with the government promising legislation to boost domestic clean energy production. “Increased production of clean British energy will help to ensure that enemies of the United Kingdom cannot attack the economic security of the British people,” the King said.

Plans include an Energy Independence Bill to expand renewables and a Nuclear Regulation Bill to support new nuclear capacity.

On the domestic front, the government said it would focus on raising living standards across the country through measures to tackle late payments to small businesses, reduce unnecessary regulation, and support economic growth.

Infrastructure priorities include airport expansion, road improvements and progress on Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Other legislation announced covers reform of policing, the NHS and the criminal justice system, a Clean Water Bill to address problems in the water industry, and housing measures including greater investment in social housing and reforms to the leasehold system.

On foreign policy, the King reiterated Britain’s strong support for Ukraine and the country’s intention to use its G20 presidency next year to promote global growth and stability.

King Charles Unveils EU Partnership, Defence Spending Plans is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Kaduna State has raised the alarm over worsening insecurity and surging fertiliser prices, warning that the twin challenges are threatening food production across the state ahead of the planting season.

AFAN’s Kaduna State Chairman, Nuhu Aminu, told journalists that farmers in several local government areas can no longer safely access their farmlands due to persistent attacks by bandits and kidnappers, with communities in parts of Giwa, Kauru, Kubau, Kudan, Kajuru, Sanga, and Kachia identified as the worst affected.

“Insecurity is seriously affecting farming activities. Some farmers cannot even go to their farms because of attacks and kidnappings in their communities,” Aminu said, adding that fear has gripped rural settlements as criminals continue to raid villages and farmlands, forcing some farmers to abandon cultivation altogether.

He warned that the sustained climate of violence had eroded farmers’ confidence and could significantly reduce food supply if authorities failed to urgently address security conditions in farming communities.

Beyond the security crisis, Aminu said the steep rise in chemical fertiliser prices had placed crop production further out of reach for smallholder farmers who make up the bulk of Kaduna’s agricultural workforce. The association, he said, was actively promoting organic fertiliser as a cheaper alternative, though he acknowledged that many farmers still lacked the means to procure sufficient quantities for their farms.

AFAN called on federal, state, and local governments to subsidise fertiliser and ensure farm inputs reach farmers before the planting season peaks. Aminu also urged the government to prioritise agriculture through targeted support and incentives, describing the sector as a critical pillar of the national economy.

Kaduna Farmers Warn Of Food Crisis As Fertiliser Costs Bite is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

A Lagos State governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lanre Jim-Kamal, has said President Bola Tinubu did not endorse the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, as the party’s consensus governorship candidate ahead of the forthcoming APC primary election.

Jim-Kamal, a former governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), made the clarification during an interview with THE WHISTLER.

On April 29, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, announced in a social media post that Tinubu had endorsed Hamzat during a meeting with members of the Lagos Governance Advisory Council (GAC).

“President Tinubu formally endorses the Lagos APC consensus governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat at a meeting with members of the Lagos Governance Advisory Council, led by the Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu,” Onanuga wrote.

However, Jim-Kamal insisted that Tinubu, as President and leader of the party, would naturally acknowledge anyone brought before him, but such a gesture should not be interpreted as an endorsement.

“He (President Tinubu) did not endorse anybody,” Jim-Kamal said.

He further argued that while party leaders and political blocs are free to support aspirants of their choice, such support does not automatically translate into the allocation of the party’s governorship ticket.

The governorship aspirant maintained that the APC candidate for the 2027 election would ultimately emerge through the party’s primary process in line with the Electoral Act as amended.

“Anything anybody is doing, we must go for primary. Everybody. So on the primary day, if all the aspirants say, “Oh, we are satisfied one person should go and represent the party.” Period,” he stated.

Jim-Kamal also dismissed claims that Hamzat currently enjoys unanimous support among influential stakeholders in the Lagos APC, insisting that opinions within the party remain divided.

Hamzat had earlier been endorsed as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election by the GAC during a meeting held on April 28.

The GAC, regarded as the apex advisory body of the Lagos APC, announced the decision through its Chairman, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, who described the endorsement as unanimous.

“We have adopted, we have all agreed, that Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the current deputy governor of our state, is the consensus candidate of our party. And we have all pledged to stand by him,” Olusi said.

However, THE WHISTLER gathered that the endorsement may not have enjoyed full backing within the council, as only about five members of the 30-member body were openly supportive of the decision, while several others are said to still be engaging with different aspirants.

Speaking further on his ambition, Jim-Kamal unveiled a five-point agenda centred on free education at all levels, accessible healthcare services, and the decongestion of Lagos through the development of the state’s outskirts, particularly Badagry, Ikorodu, and Epe.

He also disclosed plans to unveil his running mate, Abiola Okoya-Johnson, in Onikan, Lagos, later in the week.

Jim-Kamal described himself as a long-standing political actor who has participated in elective politics since 1988 across different political parties, including the NNPP.

According to him, his political structure, known as the Dynamic Group, has remained loyal to him through multiple political transitions into the APC.

“When I was moving to APC in 2023, I moved with all my Dynamic People into APC, just as I moved them from PDP to NNPP, and now APC. They are there. So, let’s go for the election.

“The result will justify who is popular and who is not,” he said.

The APC aspirant stressed that his ambition is not driven by hostility toward any party leader or stakeholder.

“I’m not against any leader. I’m not fighting anybody. I am just going for the primary. We are people of one family in Lagos (APC),” he added.

As the APC governorship primary approaches, political observers expect a keen contest among the three aspirants seeking the party’s ticket.

Apart from Jim-Kamal and Hamzat, businessman Samuel Ajose is also considered a strong contender in the race.

A source within the APC, who spoke to THE WHISTLER on condition of anonymity, said the Mandate Group, a major political subgroup within the party founded by Tinubu, has not formally endorsed Hamzat.

The source argued that if Tinubu had indeed publicly endorsed the deputy governor, the Mandate Group would likely have openly aligned with him.

According to the source, both Jim-Kamal and Ajose currently enjoy significant grassroots support, although support for Hamzat is also said to be growing steadily.

Meanwhile, ethnic and regional considerations have continued to shape conversations around the 2027 Lagos governorship contest.

A socio-political group, Lagos State Prominent Indigenes, recently called on the APC to reserve the governorship position for indigenous Lagosian in the interest of equity, identity preservation, and broader stakeholder inclusion.

Similarly, stakeholders, traditional rulers, and residents from the Badagry Division have continued to argue that theirs remains the only one of Lagos State’s five traditional divisions yet to produce a governor since the creation of the state in 1967.

The APC source warned that internal discontent could arise if the party’s primary does not align with the expectations of a significant section of members and stakeholders.

“It’s a kind of conundrum,” the source said.

Tinubu Didn’t Endorse Hamzat As Consensus Lagos APC Candidate – Guber Aspirant is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Lagos State Government has announced plans for the third edition of the Invest Lagos Summit, with about 1,000 delegates from 50 countries expected at the event slated for 8 and 9 June at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island. The summit, themed “Lagos: Business Gateway to Africa,” is being organised in partnership with the […]

The post Lagos unveils third Invest Lagos Summit, to host 1,000 delegates appeared first on Tribune Online.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned political parties as well as politicians in Akwa Ibom State that the ban on campaigns has not been lifted ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of INEC, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, who issued the warning at a press conference on Wednesday, said almost all the political parties in the state are culpable of early campaigns.

The REC warned that the commission would invoke all the necessary provisions of the extant laws to prosecute any party that further engages in premature campaigns.

He also reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to credible, free and fair elections in 2027.

“I want to inform all the political parties and their supporters in Akwa Ibom that ban on campaigns have not been lifted. Campaigning in violation of the Electoral Act would not be tolerated by the commission and all political actors are expected to operate within the provisions of the law to ensure a peaceful and orderly electoral process,” he said

While calling on the people to take advantage of the third phase of the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise to either register or collect their Permanent Voter Card, PVC, the REC said so far 163,635 PVCs have been collected in the first and second phases in the state.

Noting that 76,534 cards were distributed in the first phase and 87,101 cards in the second phase, he described the figures as abysmal considering the number of registrants and population of the state.

Onuoha who noted that the third phase had commenced on May 11 across all the 31 Local Government Areas of the State said the exercise will end on July 10.

He urged those who registered in 2011 but their cards were defaced and those who weren’t up to 18 years at the time to avail themselves of the opportunity and register even as he cautioned against double registration.

The REC also warned that no form of electoral malpractices would be tolerated, calling on all stakeholders to cooperate with the commission to serve them better.

2027: INEC warns political parties against premature campaigns in Akwa Ibom

Indoor plants often begin to lose their healthy appearance once they outgrow their pots.

The post Simple ways to re-pot indoor plants without damaging the roots  appeared first on Tribune Online.

The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) has launched a National Genomics and Bioinformatics Data Generation, Repository, and Management Infrastructure aimed at advancing precision medicine, strengthening food security, and positioning the country as a key player in the global bioeconomy. The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, announced the […]

The post NBRDA launches national genomics infrastructure to drive precision medicine appeared first on Tribune Online.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have confirmed new rules for motor testing stations in the United Kingdom (UK). The new rules, which will take effect from June 1st, will reclassify the rules for motor testing, tagging zero emission goods on vehicles weighing between 3,501kg and 4,250kg […]

The post DVSA confirms rule change for MOT test in UK, announces date appeared first on Tribune Online.