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The Chief Whip of Oyo State House of Assembly, Gbenga Oyekola has declared that he is not among the lawmakers planning to impeach the State Governor, Enginerr Seyi Makinde.

Oyekola, who represents Atiba State Constituency made this declaration on his verified Facebook page, Tuesday morning..

Oyekola, who was elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said that there are plans to create division within the State House of Assembly.

He said certain individuals were planning to work against the relationship between the state government and the lawmakers.

He said “I, Hon. Gbenga Oyekola, hereby completely disassociate myself from any arrangement or activity that has the potential to disrupt the peace of Oyo State. I was never invited, never consulted, and was not part of any such meetings or arrangements.

“I cannot and will not be disloyal to my boss, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde.

“I reaffirm my unwavering loyalty and support for Governor Seyi Makinde, his government, and his party. I remain firmly committed to the peace, unity, and continued progress of Oyo State”.

I’m not part of plot to impeach Makinde – Oyo Assembly Chief Whip

A delegation from the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), led by the Federal Commissioner representing Kano State, Adamu Fanda, on Monday, commenced a data verification exercise in Taraba state, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s revenue allocation framework.

Speaking during the visit, Fanda explained that the exercise was fdesigned to generate accurate and up-to-date data that will guide the distribution of revenue among states and local government areas across the country. He noted that revenue allocation in Nigeria relies on specific indices intended to ensure fairness and equity in sharing national resources.

However, he pointed out that Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape has changed significantly over time, citing population growth, infrastructural expansion, and widening development gaps as key factors necessitating a review of existing data.

According to him, the current revenue allocation formula has reached an advanced stage, making it critical to validate the integrity and accuracy of the data that will underpin future allocations.

Fanda added that the delegation would work closely with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and local authorities during their stay to ensure comprehensive data verification that reflects current realities.

He also called for the support and cooperation of the state government, emphasizing that the outcome of the exercise would have far-reaching implications for both the state and the nation.

In his response, governor Kefas reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to supporting the exercise, including providing adequate security and hospitality for the visiting team.

He further recommended that the commission organize workshops and training sessions to sensitize stakeholders on its roles and clarify expectations for states and local government areas to improve overall effectiveness.

The delegation is also expected to engage with key stakeholders across the state as part of efforts to verify critical data for the exercise.

RMAFC begins data verification exercise in Taraba

A disturbing video circulating on social media has brought renewed attention to Nigeria’s worsening kidnapping crisis, as a young man identified as John Arum Azi is seen pleading for help after being abducted along the Kaduna route.
According to him, he was travelling to Kaduna when he was kidnapped alongside six other individuals, bringing the total number of victims to seven.

The video, said to have been posted on Facebook by one of his course mates, was allegedly shared using Azi’s own phone after the kidnappers forced him to record a message to his family and the public. In the footage, he appears visibly distressed as he appeals for financial assistance to secure his release.

The abductors initially demanded a ransom of N30 million, threatening to kill him when he told them he could not afford the payment.

There is persistent insecurity across parts of northern Nigeria, particularly in the North-West region, where kidnapping for ransom has become widespread.

States such as Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Niger, and Kogi states have continued to record frequent abductions, with criminal groups targeting travellers, rural communities, and students.

Despite repeated assurances from security agencies that efforts are being intensified to tackle the menace, incidents like this continue to raise concerns among citizens over safety on major highways.

Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on Azi’s abduction at the time of filing this report even as the victim remains in his abductors’ den.

Kidnappers demand N30m as Uni-Jos student pleads for life in disturbing video

Nigeria and Morocco are expected to sign a major intergovernmental agreement this year for the ambitious $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, also known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline.

Amina Benkhadra, Director General of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), made the disclosure in an interview with Reuters.

The project, which was conceived about a decade ago, involves constructing a 6,900-kilometre hybrid offshore-onshore pipeline that will transport Nigerian gas through 13 West African countries before reaching Morocco and eventually supporting exports to Europe.

According to Benkhadra, once the intergovernmental agreement is signed, a high authority will be established in Nigeria.

This body will bring together ministerial representatives from all the participating countries to provide the necessary political and regulatory coordination for the entire project.

She further revealed that a dedicated project company will be created in Morocco as a joint venture between ONHYM and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

This entity will be responsible for leading the execution, financing, and construction phases of the pipeline.

The pipeline is designed with a maximum annual capacity of 30 billion cubic metres of gas, out of which 15 billion cubic metres will be allocated to meet Morocco’s domestic needs while the remainder will help facilitate exports to European markets.

Feasibility studies and front-end engineering design for the project have already been completed, although final financing arrangements are yet to be secured.

Benkhadra explained that the project will be implemented in phases, with each segment developed as a standalone system.

This approach is intended to allow for early delivery of economic value without depending on a single global final investment decision. She added that first gas from the initial phases is targeted for delivery in 2031.

The development is seen as a significant step towards enhancing energy security, promoting regional economic integration across West Africa, and positioning Morocco as an important energy bridge between the African continent and Europe.

The project has continued to attract strong interest from stakeholders due to its scale, phased structure, and strategic importance.

Nigeria, Morocco Set To Sign $25bn Gas Pipeline Deal is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Ogun State Government, in partnership with the Society for Family Health, has launched the First Integrated Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Elderly Health and Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) demand generation health facility flip chart.

The chart is aimed at strengthening health communication and improving service delivery across facilities and communities in the state.

The Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola, speaking at the official launch and dissemination on Monday, described the initiative as a strategic tool for enhancing client-centered care and informed health decision-making.

Ogunsola, represented by the Director, Disease Control and Immunization, Dr Thomas Solarin, explained that the flip chart is a practical and easy-to-use resource designed to support healthcare providers and community mobilizers in delivering clear, accurate, and consistent health information.

He maintained that in a dynamic health system where communities rely on trusted sources of guidance, the tool presents essential health messages in a simple visual format that strengthens the quality of counselling and promotes better health outcomes.

Ogunsola commended development partners for their support in bringing the initiative to reality, and for producing what he described as the first health promotion manual usable at both facility and community levels.

He also appreciated the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, for creating an enabling environment, reaffirming the government’s commitment to building a more responsive, people-centered health system.

The Coordinating Director, RMNCAEH+N Programme Delivery Unit of the Society for Family Health, Dr. Anthony Nwala, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery through its Delivering Innovation in Self-Care (DISC) Project.

Nwala explained that the project also focuses on boosting demand for health services through community-driven strategies such as male engagement, community orientation, interpersonal communication, and outreach activities, among others.

Speaking on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO), Mrs. Goodness Ojo, commended the collaboration and leadership behind the evidence-based tool, noting that it would strengthen health education, support frontline workers and empower communities.

Ogun govt partners SFH, launches health facility flip chart

The current public war of words between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump has left me, and I guess many other Catholics, feeling completely torn. On one hand, I feel the need to defend the dignity of the Church and the Pope’s right to speak truth to power. On the other, I also feel the need to ask hard questions where it matters, especially when you have a President who doesn’t pull his punches when he feels a religious leader is overstepping into national security.

Let me start with what is clear to me. The Pope is not elected to please any president. The papacy is not a political office; it is a spiritual one. Catholics believe the process that produces a Pope is guided by the Holy Spirit, not by political calculations in Washington or anywhere else. So, when any political leader speaks as though the Pope’s emergence is somehow tied to their own influence, I find that deeply troubling. It shows a misunderstanding of what the Church is and how it works.

But as a Catholic, looking at this from a Nigerian perspective, my feelings go deeper than just politics. I feel a profound sense of disappointment that has nothing to do with who is winning the argument and everything to do with whose lives seem to matter most in the Vatican.

The defense for Pope Leo is strong and on paper, I agree with it. He wasn’t elected to please a president; he was elected to lead a church that has stood for 2000 years. His job is to be prophetic, to speak about peace and the poor even when it’s uncomfortable for world leaders. When he says he has “no fear” of the Trump administration, he’s acting in the tradition of saints who stood up to emperors. That is the theory, and as a believer, I respect that office.

But here is where the reality gets painful.

In Nigeria, we have about 115 million Christians, and about 35 million of them are Catholics. These are 35 million souls who look to Rome as their spiritual home. Yet, for twenty years, we have been living through what can only be described as a genocide. Since the start of 2026 alone, over 2,300 people have been unalived in Nigeria, and over 80 per cent of them are Christians. Our villages are being burned, our priests are being kidnapped, and our people are being slaughtered on an industrial scale.

For years, when we begged for the Vatican to speak up with fire and urgency, we were told the Pope has to be diplomatic. We were told he can’t get too political. His comments were always late and frankly, lackluster. It took local leaders like Bishop Anagbe from Benue State to physically go to the U.S. Congress to get anyone to pay attention. The Holy Father seemed remarkably reluctant with speeches while his Nigerian flock was being decimated.

This “diplomatic silence” is a recurring wound in our history. We remember Pope Pius XII, who was heavily criticized for his cautious, balanced words while the horrors of the Holocaust and the murder of thousands of Polish priests unfolded during World War II. He chose the path of the diplomat over the prophet, and the Church is still answering for that silence today.

In contrast, we saw Pope John Paul II find a thunderous, unmistakable voice to oppose the Iraq War in 2003, proving that when the Vatican wants to be heard on the world stage, it can shake the halls of power in Washington. My question to the Holy Father is simple: Why does a disagreement with the White House warrant the “John Paul II energy,” while the industrial-scale slaughter of Nigerians is met with the “Pius XII silence”?

So, you can imagine how it feels now to see Pope Leo XIV suddenly find his political voice. Suddenly, he has plenty to say about U.S. foreign policy. Suddenly, he is assertive and defiant in the media. If the Pope can be this vocal and this fearless when it comes to sparring with President Trump on Truth Social, why couldn’t he find that same energy to stop the killing of Christians in Nigeria?

It feels like a massive double standard. It makes it look like the Vatican is more interested in the high-profile drama of Western politics than the life-and-death survival of black Christians in Africa.

I am not interested in defending the President’s tone. Calling the Pope “weak” is disrespectful to the faith of millions. But the Pope needs to understand that when he chooses to jump into the political arena when it suits him, he loses the right to claim he is “above politics” when it is time to speak up for us.

Fair is fair. If you want to play the role of a political commentator, expect to be treated like one. I want a Pope who is a father to all, not just a critic of some. I want a Pope who realizes that a genocide in Nigeria deserves at least as much “prophetic fire” as a disagreement with the White House.

This shouldn’t be about choosing sides. It should be about balance. The Church must not be silent where it should speak loudly. And politicians must not speak as though they own what they clearly do not.

Until that happens, many of us will continue to feel like we are being left to face the fire alone, while the leaders who should be protecting and speaking for us are busy fighting a war of words that doesn’t save a single soul in Benue, Plateau, or Kwara.

-Young Ozogwu is an Abuja-based public commentator. You can contact him at young.ozogwu@gmail.com

OPINION: If the Pope Can Fight Trump, Why Can’t He Fight For Us? is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ordered the immediate freezing of assets belonging to 13 individuals and entities allegedly linked to terrorism financing, in a sweeping compliance directive issued to capital market operators. In a notice titled “Commission’s Sweeping Compliance Directive Issued to Capital Market Operators, the regulator said the action followed the designation […]

Troops of the 8 Division Garrison have killed four suspected terrorists while foiling an attack in Sokoto State.
The development was contained in a post shared on on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama.

According to security sources cited in the post shared on Monday, the incident happened late on April 11 in Tara village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area.

The troops, who were stationed at the Forward Operating Base in Gatawa, were said to have acted on reports of terrorist movement in the area.

On getting there, they engaged the attackers in a gun battle.

“The troops made contact with the terrorists and engaged them with superior firepower, killing four of them instantly,” the source said.

The remaining attackers were forced to flee the scene following the exchange.

No casualty was recorded among the troops during the operation.

Security sources added that troops have continued to stay alert and are carrying out further operations in the area to prevent more attacks.

Four terrorists killed as troops foil attack in Sokoto

…congratulate Senator Adeola Two governorship aspirants in Ogun State, Senator (Professor) Iyabo Obasanjo and Otunba Tunji Oredipe, have accepted the decision taken by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the announcement of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election. Recall that Governor Dapo Abiodun, […]

The Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA) has stepped up efforts to curb illegal street activities. During a recent operation at Eleyele Market, the agency seized ten motorcycles and arrested several offenders. This action is part of its broader plan across the state to eliminate illegal street trading and keep public walkways clear. […]