President Bola Tinubu has reshuffled his 48-member cabinet, naming seven new ministers, sacking five and reassigning 10 others to new portfolios, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. The ministers of finance, defence, national planning and two junior energy ministers all retained their positions. The reshuffle includes renaming the Ministry of Niger Delta Development to the Ministry of Regional Development, the winding up of the Ministry of Sports, and the merger of the ministries of tourism and arts and culture. Tinubu's controversial reform push after taking office last year had sparked hope that his administration would be an antidote to mounting economic…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, mocked President Bola Tinubu over the president’s handling of the fuel subsidy removal. Atiku, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate who lost to Tinubu in the 2023 election called Tinubu “T-Pain”, a veiled reference to the pain Nigerians are going through as a result of the president’s economic policies. The nickname, coined by a China-based schoolteacher and social media critic, Dan Bello, is used to mock the president for some of the hardships caused by his administration’s policies. In the past couple of months, Bello has released several parody videos to mock the…

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has condemned what it describes as the growing abuse of federal power in Rivers State, specifically targeting the ongoing political crisis surrounding local government elections in the state. In a press release issued by the group’s deputy leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and its national publicity secretary, Justice Faloye, Afenifere warned that the actions of the federal government and its key institutions threaten the very foundation of democracy in Nigeria. Afenifere expressed dismay at the federal government’s involvement in Rivers State’s political affairs, particularly accusing the government of disrupting the local government elections. “We condemn this…

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, on Saturday, urged Nigerians to compel political officeholders to fulfil their campaign promises. Kukah gave the advice in a keynote address at a centenary public lecture and awards ceremony by the Catholic Herald. Catholic Herald is Nigeria’s oldest surviving newspaper and weekly publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos. The event held at the Mother of Perpetual Help Church, Victoria Island, Lagos State. The event had “The Nigerian State: Transcending Challenges, Attending True Nationhood” as theme. It was to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the Herald, the oldest newspaper in Nigeria. The…