By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are currently meeting behind closed doors at the Imo State Governors’ Lodge in Abuja, amid rising political tension over the “rainbow coalition” being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The meeting, which began on Tuesday, is understood to be centred on recent political realignments that party leaders fear could undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s interests and weaken APC candidates at all levels.

It was gathered that the governors are expected to issue a statement distancing themselves from any political alliance or arrangement that could work against the President or the ruling party.

The move is widely seen as a direct response to Wike’s coalition, which has reportedly set some APC governors against the FCT minister. The governors are particularly aggrieved over allegations that Wike is sponsoring candidates who lost in the APC under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC governors are said to be determined to draw a clear line between legitimate political engagement and actions that could damage the party’s electoral fortunes.

As of the time of filing this report, the meeting was still ongoing, and no official communiqué had been issued. A statement is expected shortly.

More details later…

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Oil prices climbed on Monday after talks on the Strait of Hormuz were postponed and Saudi Arabia shut down a major oil pipeline.

Brent crude for November delivery gained nearly three per cent to $107.60 per barrel, approaching the $110 level.

The increase came after prices edged lower on Friday following sharp gains in the preceding days.

Oman announced on Sunday that planned talks between Iran and several Gulf States over the Strait of Hormuz had been postponed.

Omani foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi said the postponement aimed to create conditions for consensus.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has come under pressure following disruptions to major shipping routes and attacks on its oil infrastructure.

The kingdom suspended operations on its East-West pipeline as a precaution after drone attacks in the Riyadh and Medina regions.

The pipeline carries oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea and provides an alternative export route that avoids the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts warned that any further reduction in Saudi oil exports could drive crude prices higher.

Brent crude has gained nearly 80 per cent since the start of the year, although it remains below its late-April peak of more than $126 per barrel.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Bola Tinubu administration of what he called one of the most cynical economic deceptions in Nigeria’s recent history, saying it removed fuel subsidy, imposed crushing hardship on millions of families, promised that savings would transform education and other essential services, and has now failed to meet basic obligations to university lecturers or prevent another round of industrial action.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Nigerians had already paid the price through higher fuel costs, transport fares, food prices, energy bills and school fees. Yet, he said, public universities remain underfunded, lecturers are complaining about unpaid entitlements and unresolved agreements, and students once again face the threat of disruption to the academic calendar.

“If the subsidy is gone and Nigerians have paid for that decision through unprecedented hardship, then President Tinubu owes the country a simple answer: where is the money?” Atiku said.

He said the government sold subsidy removal to Nigerians on the promise that the enormous sacrifice imposed on families would release resources for education, healthcare, infrastructure and other essential services.

“The house of cards of falsehoods erected by the Tinubu administration to justify the suffering of Nigerians is collapsing before our eyes,” he said. “A government that strips citizens of relief, denies them meaningful social protection and fails to deliver the basic improvements it promised has forfeited the moral credibility to continue preaching sacrifice.”

Atiku accused the administration of imposing an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, saying families are struggling with soaring food prices, punishing transport costs, expensive energy and shrinking incomes. Instead of cushioning the consequences of its own economic decisions, he said, the government has largely abandoned Nigerians to carry the burden alone.

“That is what makes the present university crisis indefensible. Government removed the cushion, collected the supposed savings and imposed the hardship, but Nigerians cannot see the corresponding improvement in their schools, hospitals or everyday lives,” he said.

“More than three years later, lecturers are still raising concerns about unpaid salaries and unresolved agreements. ASUU is again warning of industrial action. University infrastructure remains inadequate, while millions of young Nigerians compete every year for limited admission spaces. So where is the money?”

Atiku also rejected the administration’s defence that subsidy removal has led to increased allocations to state governments, saying it raises an even more troubling question about the condition of public education across the federation.

“Government officials repeatedly tell Nigerians that subsidy savings have translated into larger allocations to states. But if substantially more money is supposedly flowing to the states, why has the condition of public education not improved accordingly?” he asked.

He said public education remains under severe pressure across the country, with several state-owned universities experiencing industrial disputes and disruptions, even as the Federal Government continues to advertise stability in the tertiary education calendar.

“The crisis is therefore not merely a federal university problem. It exposes a wider contradiction between the enormous revenues government celebrates and the deteriorating public services Nigerians actually experience,” he said.

“You cannot boast about record allocations while students sit at home because lecturers are on strike. You cannot celebrate higher revenues when classrooms, laboratories, hostels and teaching facilities remain inadequate. If more money is reaching both the Federal Government and the states, Nigerians are entitled to ask why the quality and capacity of public education remain so painfully deficient.”

Atiku said the crisis also exposes the contradiction at the heart of the administration’s student loan policy.