Wike Names Galadima as New SSA on Development

ControlThe Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the appointment of Mukhtar Galadima as Senior Special Assistant on Development Control and Planning. The announcement was made on Wednesday in Abuja by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Communications and Social Media. Galadima, a seasoned town planner, brings more than three decades of professional experience in urban planning and administration within the FCT Administration. Over the years, he has served in strategic capacities, including the Department of Development Control and the Satellite Towns Development Agency, before his appointment as Director of Development Control under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council in 2016. He retired from the civil service in November. Olayinka noted that Galadima has served on key committees such as the Abuja Masterplan Restoration Task Team and the Committee on the Review of Revoked Land Titles and Change of Land Use. The appointment, he added, takes immediate effect.

A Minister of Particular Concern

By Ugo Onuoha A Minister of Particular Concern “What happened between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Navy Lieutenant A.M. Yerima is unfortunate. When Wike arrived at the site of the disputed land in Abuja, the officer explained that he was simply obeying lawful orders. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors. He is our colleague, and he could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue there was. “The officer’s action was lawful—he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer merely carried out his duty, which is worthy of commendation. He did not commit any offence under military regulations. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly. “There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing. Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer. This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully towards civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. “I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation. However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation. Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an inquiry would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them. Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has visited the area—since it involves a land dispute—the matter will be investigated to determine who owns the lawful documents. If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to follow diplomatically. “We [the Ministry of Defence] have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I called him after the video went viral and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly.” A Matter Effectively Closed I have chosen to reproduce the words of Alhaji Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence, because of what they represent. Although he mentioned the need for further investigation, the tone and tenor of his statement suggest that the matter is effectively closed—and the naval officer has nothing to worry about. Lt. Yerima, by every indication, acquitted himself well. He was professional and measured in his conduct during that very public confrontation with a “super minister” known for his loquacity. To reinforce the sense that the matter is closed, one only needs to recall the words of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who stated that his ministry and the armed forces “will always protect our officers on lawful duty.” Badaru added: “We will not allow anything to happen to him so far as he is doing his job, and he is doing his job greatly well.” The defence minister made this statement during a ministerial briefing for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Abuja. Let that sink in. You may call it esprit de corps, but several retired generals from both the North and the South—including former Chiefs of Defence Staff and Army Staff, Generals Lucky Irabor and Tukur Buratai—have spoken in Yerima’s defence. They even called for a public apology from Wike to both Yerima and the Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Tinubu, for dishonouring a military officer commissioned by the President himself. Lawyers, Silence, and Political Optics Notable voices have weighed in on the Wike–Yerima confrontation over the disputed plot of land in Abuja last Tuesday. Some are lawyers—senior and junior—while others are political commentators and public intellectuals. A few have argued in favour of Wike, citing the 1999 Constitution (as amended), but the majority have faulted him, emphasizing due process, the rule of law, and the impropriety of resorting to self-help, as appeared to be the case here. As usual, the legal community has been divided—lawyers seldom agree on anything, even when the law seems straightforward to the “unlearned.” For most of the past week, they have been doing what they do best: lawyering. Their disputations may be intellectually stimulating, but one must not take them too seriously. Often, their arguments are shaped by convenient partisanship masquerading as constitutional fidelity. By the way, has anyone noticed the deafening silence from Wike’s colleagues in the Federal Executive Council? Nearly fifty cabinet members, yet not one has publicly spoken in his defence. Does this silence reflect how they truly regard the Minister? As for President Tinubu, who appointed Wike “on our behalf,” the Minister may well be beyond reproach or removal—for obvious political reasons. The Politics of 2023 and the Future of 2027 Wike appears untouchable—because of the past (2023) and the future (2027). President Tinubu, ever the political strategist, prioritizes electoral victory by any means necessary—the Machiavellian creed that the end justifies the means. And Wike fits perfectly into that school of thought. Tinubu “discovered” Wike in 2023, when the latter was nearing the end of his governorship of oil-rich Rivers State. Having fallen out with his own party, the PDP, Wike was eager to prove his relevance. Tinubu needed a foothold in the Niger Delta and, by extension, the national electoral map. In that year’s presidential election, Wike reportedly “delivered” Rivers State to Tinubu—an opposition candidate—in defiance of his own party’s standard-bearer, Atiku Abubakar. An APC governor from the North, astonished by Wike’s performance, allegedly remarked that his party merely begged for 25 percent of the votes but received an overwhelming—and inexplicable—victory. Unsurprisingly, the PDP still won the subsequent governorship election by a landslide, demonstrating the complex web of political transactions that define Nigerian

Morocco 2024: Madugu Upbeat Falcons Will Soar As Cape Verde Storm Abuja

Morocco 2024: Madugu Upbeat Falcons Will Soar As Cape Verde Storm Abuja

Coach Justin Madugu has expressed deep faith in his Super Falcons’ squad to excel when they clash with their Cape Verdean counterparts in a 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations final round, first leg qualifier at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Thursday evening. “We are without a few regular players for various reasons but we are not here to dwell on that. The Super Falcons’ team remains the Super Falcons anytime, anyday and anywhere. We have players in camp who will do justice to the badge and get us the qualification ticket to the AFCON. “Surely, we would have wanted a couple more days for the team to train together, but the fixture is the fixture and the window is the window, and we just have to make do with what we have and get the best out of the arrangement. Everyone in camp will play their part for the Super Falcons to qualify for Morocco 2024.” A total of 20 of the 21 invited players were at the team’s camp on Tuesday morning, with only University of Pittsburgh of America’s Deborah Abiodun still expected. Nine-time champions Nigeria reached this final stage of the qualification series following the withdrawal of Sao Tome’s senior girls from a second-round fixture in September. The delegation of Cape Verde’s senior girls flew into Nigeria’s capital, Abuja on Monday morning, and the visiting team will have its official training at the mainbowl of the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Wednesday evening from 4pm. Thursday’s encounter will begin at 4pm, with Madugu most likely to hand leadership of the rearguard to Mexico-based veteran Osinachi Ohale, who was among the first players in camp, and with Captain Rasheedat Ajibade to lead a midfield and attack that could include Peace Efih, Toni Payne, Esther Onyenezide, Omorinsola Babajide, Esther Okoronkwo, Uchenna Kanu and Gift Monday. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, in the shortlist for the CAF African Player of the Year awards holding in Morocco this weekend, will be in goal. The 13th edition of Africa’s flagship women football championship will be staged in Morocco in July next year. For the encounter in Abuja on Thursday, the Confederation of African Football has picked Ghanaian official Ama Boateng-Nkansah as referee, with her compatriots Doris Darko, Alice Chakule and Barikisu Salifu as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively. Oumou Sy from Guinea will be commissioner while Madeleine Somda from Burkina Faso will be the referee assessor. For the return leg in Praia on Tuesday, 5th December, Liberian Sylvina Welma Garnett will be the referee with her compatriot Hannah Moses as assistant referee 1. Sierra Leoneans Precious Amara and Humu Marah will be assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively, while Oumou Souleymane Kane from Mauritania will serve as commissioner and Fadouma Dia from Senegal will be in the role of referee assessor.  

Wike Slams N5m Charge On Abuja C-of-O

Wike Slams N5m Charge On Abuja C-of-O

Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT says the FCT Administration has pegged cost of issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C- of-O) at N5 million. Wike made the pronouncement at a meeting he held with estate developers in Abuja. He said payment could be made within four months of land allocation after which the C-of-O would be handed over to the applicant. He added that he would seek the approval of President Bola Tinubu to link applicants’ National Identification Number to C-of-Os before issuance. Wike said the era where three or more persons were allocated the same plot of land with fake C-of-O was over. “Allocation of land to three or more persons will no longer be allowed because the C-of-O enables you to do business. “When we make the right decision, some people will be happy, and some will not. The rich will kick against some of our decisions, but anything that will help our people must be done,’’ Wike said. He promised to ensure orderliness and sanity in land administration system and processes in the FCT. The minister expressed worries that workers’ salaries at the FCT Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority gulped N8.9 billion monthly. Wike said he had saved N110 billion for the FCT barely three months into office and assured that the funds would be attached to specific projects. Wike inaugurated a taskforce on the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for housing estates and the recovery of land use contravention fees on November 14. He explained that the measure was to ensure that each unit in the housing estates had its separate C-of-O.

NDLEA Nabs Notorious Drug Kingpin, Accomplices In Abuja

NDLEA Nabs Notorious Drug Kingpin, Accomplices In Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has captured Ibrahim Momoh, popularly known as Ibrahim Bendel, a major distributor of illegal substances in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Monday, the arrest took place during a raid on Momoh’s hideout at Filin Dabo, Dei-Dei area, seven years after his escape from prison custody.  Momoh, previously convicted for drug dealing, absconded while serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence in 2016. “Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives raided Momoh’s warehouse, recovering 1,278kg of Cannabis sativa hidden in 81 jumbo bags,” Babafemi stated. The drug lord’s warehouse was discreetly situated within his poultry farm, with his manager, Richard Forson Gordon, a 55-year-old Ghanaian, apprehended during the operation and subsequently sentenced to two years in jail. Continuing their pursuit, NDLEA operatives finally captured Momoh on November 5, 2022, in another raid at his hideout in Filin Dabo, seizing 56.9kg of Cannabis sativa and 42.7 grams of Diazepam. Additionally, during a separate operation in the FCT, a 27-year-old suspect named Yusufa Ibrahim was arrested with 75.3kg of cannabis. The NDLEA said it remains resolute in its efforts to curb illicit drug activities within the FCT, ensuring the law is upheld and perpetrators face justice.