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Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume has said President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s approval of the sum of N68 billion operational support to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant, MEPP, will help reduce insecurity in the state.

The lawmaker representing Borno South, in a statement on Tuesday, hailed the federal government for responding to the long agitation of the people who have been at the receiving end of prolonged power outages.

Senator Ndume noted that restoration of electricity would add value to the economic life of the people, particularly in the informal sector of the economy.

According to him, with the singular move, the federal government has succeeded in cutting off the supply chain for recruitment of able-bodied men by the terrorists.

He stressed that stable power will also complement the resilient efforts of the military in routing insurgents, whom he noted are agents of darkness and thrive better in environments where there is no visibility, particularly at night.

He said, “I join the Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, and other well-meaning citizens of my state to express profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this great gesture, aimed at ensuring stable electricity in the state.

“The fund released to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant is a lifeline that would ultimately engender economic activities, particularly operations of medium and small-scale enterprises (SMEs).

“As the saying goes, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. When the informal sector thrives in a place like Borno State, the government would have succeeded in cutting off the supply chain for recruitment of able-bodied men by the terrorists.”

“Apart from that, the stimulus for the seamless operations of our military would have been strengthened.”

The former Senate chief whip, however, called on the relevant federal and state agencies, the military, and the citizenry to ensure that power infrastructures were no longer destroyed, either by insurgents or the nefarious activities of vandals.

“It is to the eternal credit of the federal government that it has responded speedily to our lamentations over the power shortage.

“I urge our people to be vigilant and assist the security agencies in checking the excesses of vandals.

“We owe it a duty to safeguard the facilities, as the benefits of stable electricity are numerous.

“When power is restored, it will boost economic activities and improve livelihoods. It will also strengthen efforts to address security challenges.”

DAILY POST reports that EPP was a presidential intervention initiated in 2021 to mitigate the prolonged power outage caused by insurgents vandalizing power infrastructure, leaving the state without electricity for nearly two years.

The fund will be released in phases of N2 billion monthly in line with OPEX intervention funding from March 2026 to December 2028, totaling N68 billion to bridge the existing funding gap in the operations of the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP).

Electricity in Borno will reduce insecurity – Ndume on Tinubu’s N68bn for Maiduguri power plant

John Stones will leave Manchester City in the summer, bringing an end to a memorable and hugely successful ten-year stay at the club.

Stones announced his decision with a video on his official Instagram page on Tuesday.

He joined City in 2016. The English central defender became Pep Guardiola’s second signing, and has made 293 appearances.
He helped City win 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, two FA Cup triumphs, five Carabao Cup successes, three Community Shields, a FIFA Club World Cup and a UEFA Super Cup winner’s medal.

Across that period, Stones also contributed 19 goals and nine assists. He could add to those trophies with City still in the hunt for success in both the Premier League and FA Cup.

“It’s been my home for the past ten years and it will be my home for the rest of my life. it’s been a rollercoaster in many ways,” he said in an emotional farewell.

“I came as a kid and now leaving as a man becoming a father a husband and on the pitch a very fulfilled player in living all of my dreams out and lifting all the things that I came here to achieve. At the start of my career I never would have thought I’d be in this position – first to achieve everything but to have and love the bond with everyone.

“Every dream has been smashed out of the park. From day one, as soon as I came I felt at home and I felt loved. I can only relate it to me as a little kid. If you’d said to me that I’d be playing at City winning everything, the fans are signing your name and your song throughout the stadium to wherever you go in the world, I don’t think I would have believed them.

“The fans mean everything to me. I hope I’ve made them proud, I hope that they can relate to me as a person and as a player with how I’ve played, how I’ve represented the club and will do for the rest of my life.

“All the setbacks that you have and the good things that you have came into light in that [Champions League final] game or after that game, it made it worthwhile what you have to go through that people don’t necessarily see and to celebrate and do it in the fashion that we did with all my family and friends was incredible.

“The manager, how I could describe this ten years with him, I don’t think it would have been anywhere as successful without him. The first time that I met him, I left and knew that it was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be playing under the best manager in the world.

“I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to spend so long with him, win everything with him and share and have so many incredible moments together. I feel very lucky and grateful for what he’s done for me. I’ve got endless memories with everyone and ones that I’ll cherish forever.

“I’ve been so lucky to be in every dressing room with incredible people and I’m so glad I’ve been able to do it with all of them. It will always be my home and I’m thankful from the bottom of my heart. This is my team forever and always will be and I don’t have the words to say what I feel and how much I love everything about it.”

Stones To Leave Manchester City is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says even a monthly salary of ₦1 million will not be meaningful to workers if Nigeria does not have a stable currency and a stronger economy.

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said workers are more concerned about the value of the naira than just increases in salary.

He warned that inflation has continued to reduce what people can actually buy with their income.

“Even if Nigerian workers earn ₦1 million, it will not be meaningful if the naira has no value,” he said.

According to him, what workers need is a currency that can sustain them and their families throughout the month.

“What we are looking for is a currency that can sustain workers and their families at least to the end of the month,” Ajaero added.

He explained that rising cost of living has made life difficult for workers, especially in areas such as food, transport, and housing.

On the issue of minimum wage, Ajaero said negotiations have not yet begun.

He stressed that the process is guided by law and follows a fixed timeline.

He added that organised labour will begin discussions when the appropriate time comes, ahead of the expiration of the current wage structure.

Ajaero also called on the government to urgently address inflation and rising fuel prices, which he said have worsened economic hardship for workers.

He noted that increases in fuel prices have led to higher transport costs and food prices across the country.

He also urged Nigeria to develop stronger economic and energy systems that are less affected by external shocks.

“It is not ideal that events in other parts of the world automatically translate into hardship in Nigeria,” he said.

He also clarified that any planned Workers’ Day action would not be nationwide but limited to states that have not fully implemented the approved minimum wage.

N1m salary useless without strong economy – NLC

The father of the late Abdulsamad Jamiu, Engr. Sani Jimoh, has said that the Nigerian Army buried his son’s brain beside his house without his consent.

He disclosed this in an exclusive interview with THE WHISTLER.

Jimoh said he was attending a three-day prayer for his late mother in Okene, Kogi State, when his daughter Farida, called to inform him of his son’s death.

According to Jimoh, he needed to bury his son, a serving youth corp member according to Islamic rite but discovered 48 hours after his burial that his missing brain had been buried beside his house, the same day he was killed.

He said, “My son needed to be buried according to Islamic rite. At the B division of the Nigerian Police, Dei Dei, I wrote an undertaking for them to allow me take possesion of his body and further narrated what happened.

“A police officer was assigned to me and we went to the Kubwa General Hospital, where I took my son’s body, and that was the first time I saw his body.

“During the preparation for his burial, we had to replace his brain with cotton wool, to enable the bandage round his head, as blood was still pouring out.

“We buried him alongside pieces of his brain. But everything changed when I learned that his missing brain was buried beside my house, 48 hours after he was buried.

He added,”I had no idea my son’s brain were beside my house. “When the Nigerian army investigative team were interrogating the vigilante group, they revealed that the soldiers who killed my son forced them to burry his brain beside my compound which shares a fence with an uncompleted building.”

Jimoh said the army investigative team attempted to exhume the brain but found it already decayed and emitting a foul odor.

Troops of the Nigerian Army had confirmed his death in a statemet on Sunday, April 26, 2026.

The Army initially described the incident as casualty which resulted from a crossfire during a pursuit of an armed robbers in Shagari Estate, Dei Dei, Abuja.

–Kasarahchi ANIAGOLU, Nneka ASOGWA

Army Buried My Son’s Brain Without My Consent – Father Of Slain Corp Member is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The House of Representatives has approved the request of President Bola Tinubu to borrow $516,333,007 foreign loan.
The fund is expected to support the construction of some sections of the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway.

The House approved the request during Tuesday’s plenary after the presentation of a report by Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Aids, Loans, and Debts Management, Abdullahi Rasheed.

DAILY POST had reported that President Tinubu requested the approval for a fresh $516.3 million loan from Deutsche Bank to finance a road project.

BREAKING: Reps approve Tinubu’s $516m loan request

Kenyan President William Ruto has denied mocking Nigerians over their use of the English language, saying his widely criticised comments were misrepresented and taken out of context.

Ruto made the clarification on Tuesday while receiving Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Expo in Nairobi.

“I was misquoted. It was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided that it should be public. They also misrepresented the facts,” the Kenyan president said.

The remarks he sought to distance himself from were made last week while he was addressing Kenyans living in Italy, where he praised Kenya’s education system before appearing to ridicule Nigerian English.

“If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what they are saying. You need a translator even when they are speaking English,” he had said, drawing laughter from his audience.

The video circulated widely online and drew sharp criticism from Nigerians who accused Ruto of demeaning their accent and linguistic heritage.

In his clarification, Ruto reframed the comment as a compliment to African English broadly, insisting that Nigerians speak excellent English. He further sought to ease tensions by referring to Nigerians as his in-laws, in apparent reference to his daughter’s marriage to a Nigerian national, and asked Minister Tuggar to convey his personal regards to President Bola Tinubu.

He expressed hope that the incident would not affect the relationship between Kenya and Nigeria.

Kenyan President Backtracks On Controversial Remarks Mocking Nigerian English is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

In a chilling testament to the desperate lengths an individual will go to when faced with unyielding bureaucracy, a tribal man in Odisha’s Keonjhar district in the eastern coast of India, exhumed his sister’s skeletal remains and presented them to bank officials on Monday to prove she was no longer alive.

The man, identified as 59-year-old Jitu Munda of Dianali village, had spent months trying to withdraw approximately ₹20,000 (approx. ₦290,000) from the savings account of his late sister, Kalra Munda, who passed away in January 2026.

According to local reports, Munda had made several visits to the Maliposi branch of the Odisha Grameen Bank. Despite his repeated explanations that his sister had died, bank staff reportedly insisted that the account holder appear in person to authorize the withdrawal.

“I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder,” Munda told reporters, his voice a mix of grief and exhaustion. “They did not listen to me… so I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof.”

The situation was further complicated by Munda’s lack of formal education. Police officials noted that the bank failed to explain the legal procedure for a “deceased claim,” which involves presenting a death certificate and a legal heir document. To Munda, who did not understand the concept of a “nominee” or “legal heir,” the only way to satisfy the bank’s demand for his sister’s presence was to bring what remained of her.

Staff and customers were left in a state of shock on Monday morning when Munda arrived carrying a plastic sack containing his sister’s remains. He placed the sack in front of the bank and demanded the release of the funds.

Panic-stricken bank officials immediately alerted the Patna police. Upon arrival, Inspector-in-charge Kiran Prasad Sahu intervened, pacifying Munda and explaining the legal requirements he had previously misunderstood.

“He is an innocent tribal man who could not understand the paperwork required,” Sahu said. “The bank officials failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from a deceased person’s account.”

State officials have reacted with indignation to the incident. Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, Suresh Pujari, termed the approach of the bank employees as “inhuman” and has called for a formal investigation.

“The government has taken serious note of the conduct of the bank employees,” Pujari stated, promising that action would be taken to ensure such a “distressing and unprecedented” incident never happens again.

Local authorities have since assisted Munda in reburying his sister’s remains and have directed the bank to expedite the release of the funds. Munda, who was his sister’s sole surviving relative after the deaths of her husband and child, is now expected to receive the money within the coming days, this time, through the proper legal channels.

Desperate Man Takes Sister’s Skeleton To Bank To Prove Death is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Lagos State Government has dismissed a report claiming that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was ordered to resign on health grounds, describing the claim as false and misleading.

The report had alleged that President Bola Tinubu and key stakeholders in the state were dissatisfied with the current leadership and had initiated a transition plan.

However, in a statement issued on Monday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, refuted the claim, insisting that no such directive was given and that the governor remains in good health.

Akosile described the report as “fake news” aimed at misleading the public through deliberate falsehoods.

“We have noted with concern a false report alleging that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been ‘ordered to resign on health grounds’ with the Deputy Governor set to take over.

“This report is false in its entirety. Nobody has asked the Lagos Governor to resign; this is another fake news.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu remains in good health, of sound mind, and is actively discharging his duties as Governor of Lagos State.

“Earlier today, the Governor received Deputy Governor Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, who paid him a courtesy visit to formally notify him of his intention to contest for governor.

“The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, as is customary.

“We are issuing this clarification to prevent the public from being misled by deliberate falsehoods. We would ordinarily ignore such baseless reports, but the need to reassure Lagosians makes this response necessary,” the statement read.

Sanwo-Olu, who was first elected in 2019, is expected to complete his eight-year tenure on May 29, 2027.

On Monday, the governor also endorsed the 2027 governorship aspiration of Obafemi Hamzat, his deputy, describing him as the “best man for the job”.

The endorsement was made during a meeting with party leaders at the governor’s office in Alausa, Ikeja.

Lagos Govt Denies Sanwo-Olu Is Sick, Rejects Resignation Rumour is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) on Tuesday dismissed claims of internal division, warning against what it described as attempts by external forces to infiltrate and destabilise the party at a time it says it is gaining political traction nationwide.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Ishaq, clarified a statement issued in Abuja, where he firmly rejected reports suggesting the emergence of a factional group operating under the name “PRP-Vanguard Collective.”

“These so-called individuals are nobodies of consequence and are not known by the PRP leadership or its members. Why is it that we are just hearing about these claims now, at a time when PRP is gaining wider political attention and gathering more momentum?

“It is clear that these distractions are attempts by certain interests to undermine our progress, but we remain undeterred.

“We want to make it known that we cannot and will not be shaken by intimidation, media distortion, or propaganda. We are prepared for both genuine and manufactured aggressions. Let there be no mistake: our restraint should not be mistaken for weakness,” he said.

The statement comes amid heightened political activity and realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with several parties grappling with internal disputes and coalition talks.

Against this backdrop, the PRP said it would not be drawn into what it termed orchestrated efforts to weaken its structure or derail its growing influence.

“These rustic antics and tactics are, to some extent, expected as PRP continues to grow and make its mark in Nigerian politics. But know this: they will never succeed in stopping the forward march of PRP. As the saying goes, ‘no man can stop what God has destined.’

“The wickedness and desperation of these syndicates may blind them to the reality, but our resolve remains firm,” Ishaq noted.

Founded in 1978, the PRP is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s oldest surviving political parties, with roots in the progressive political movements of the Second Republic.

The party has often projected itself as a platform anchored on social justice and pro-people policies, even as it seeks to rebuild its national relevance in the current political landscape.

Reaffirming its historical resilience, the party said its decades-long survival through military rule and political upheavals underscored its institutional strength.

“We are ready, and we have begun. The future belongs to those who stand firm in truth and principle. PRP remains committed to its ideals, its members, and the Nigerian people. We will not be distracted, we will not be deterred, and we will continue to march forward until Nigeria’s true redemption is achieved,” the statement added.

PRP Denies Crisis, Warns Against ‘External Infiltration’ is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The World Health Organization, WHO, has restated its resolve to end the spread of viral hepatitis by 2030

The organization said global efforts to combat the disease are yielding measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge requiring sustained action worldwide.

In a statement released Tuesday at the World Hepatitis Summit, the organisation cited a new report showing hepatitis B and C caused 1.34 million deaths globally in 2024.

The report noted that transmission continued, with more than 4,900 new infections daily, or about 1.8 million annually, underscoring persistent spread in spite of expanded prevention, testing, and treatment interventions worldwide across many countries.

“Since 2015, significant gains include a 32 per cent drop in new hepatitis B infections and a 12 per cent decline in hepatitis C related deaths, alongside improved childhood vaccination coverage in regions.

“Hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has fallen to 0.6 per cent, with 85 countries meeting or surpassing the 2030 target of 0.1 per cent, reflecting sustained coordinated global action recently achieved.”

However, the report warned that progress remained too slow and uneven to meet all 2030 elimination targets, calling for accelerated prevention, expanded testing, and broader access to effective treatment worldwide.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said elimination was possible with political commitment and reliable financing, but many people remained undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems, and inequitable access.

He said updated estimates showed 287 million people lived with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024, including 0.9 million new hepatitis B infections, with Africa accounting for 68 per cent of those cases.

“Only 17 per cent of newborns in the African region received the hepatitis B birth dose, while 0.9 million hepatitis C infections occurred, linked to unsafe injections and inadequate harm reduction services.

“In spite of effective vaccines and treatments, including a short course hepatitis C cure exceeding 95 per cent, fewer than five per cent of hepatitis B patients receive therapy and only 20 per cent treated globally,”he said. (NAN)

Improved action, reliable financing needed to end spread of viral hepatitis – WHO