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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has urged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, to continue to be steadfast and focused, adding that the party and its members are proud of him.

The PDP BoT members, who were in the Minister’s residence in Abuja on Tuesday evening, to condole with him over the death of the party’s National Vice Chairman (South South), Chief Dan Orbih, described his (Dan Orbih) death as shocking and painful to the party, particularly members of the BoT.

The BoT delegation led by its Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, also had Senator Zainab Kure, former Minister of Sports, Hon Damishi Sango, the BoT Secretary, Isah Dansidi, among others.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the BoT Chairman said; “These are select few members of the Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party of Nigeria. You know that the BoT has over 100 members, but because of the shortness of the time, we had to pick those that are within the FCT vicinity. And in this selection, we made sure that all the geopolitical zones are represented.

“We came here purely for two major reasons. To condole with and console our National Leader, Barr. Nyesom Wike, on the demise of one of our great members, a pillar of the party, a consistent member of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, who was also a member of the Board of Trustees and the National Vice Chairman (South South) of our party.

“The news of his demise was shocking and painful to us. He was not only a committed party member, he was a very close associate of our national leader. And like one of us, Chief Sango said earlier, when he was praying, Chief Dan Orbih was one of our political generals and close associates of our national leader, the honorable minister.

“So we’ve come to condole with him and console him and he has accepted to take our message to the Orbih family.

“Also, we are here to solidarize with him, encourage him and tell him to remain focused. Because everything he’s been saying about the party is nothing but the truth.

“When he was offered this appointment, he wrote the party at all levels and the party unanimously accepted and asked him to go and represent the party. And we want to boldly say that as a party and as the conscience of the party and also the compass of this party, we are very very proud of him. Proud of him as a person, proud of him in performance, proud of his capacity.”

Earlier, the FCT Minister had thanked the PDP BoT members for the visit, reiterating his assurance that he will remain in the party and work with others to rebuild it.

He described the death of Chief Dan Orbih as a lost too irreparable, disclosing that the deceased played a very important role in his emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015.

Wike said; “God used Dan Orbih to make me a governor. He was the Chairman of PDP in Edo State at that time and there was a crisis in Rivers State PDP. He chose to stand by the truth and that’s how I became governor. It’s unfortunate that he died and there is nothing any of us can do about it.

“Therefore, I thank you all for coming to identify with me. Most importantly, the loss is also your loss because he was part of you.”

On the 2027 elections, the FCT Minister reiterated his commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s reelection, urging the members and supporters of the PDP to focus more attention on other elections.

“After supporting President Tinubu in 2023, it will be wrong of me to support another person to face him when he is seeking reelection, and I have made this clear before now. But that should not prevent the PDP from contesting elections at the subnational levels,” Wike said.

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The Institute of Security and Strategic Studies (ISSS) has conferred its 2026 Outstanding Member Award on Dr. Olotu Akpodiete, Executive Director of the Olotu & Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete Foundation, in recognition of his outstanding academic and professional standing and his commitment to promoting the highest world standards in Security Management.

The award was presented at the 1st Annual ISSS Security Conference 2026 held in Abuja with the theme: _“Building a Resilient National Security Ecosystem: Innovation, Intelligence, and Community Partnership for a Safer Nigeria.”_

The high-level conference was chaired by Major General Garba Audu (Rtd), who delivered the welcome address. The keynote address was delivered by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa (Rtd) OFR, Honourable Minister of Defence. Other lead speakers at the event included Dr. Bello Abdullahi, Ms. Patricia Eromosele, Amb. Ken Nwachukwu and Dr. Stephen Olori.

Dr. Akpodiete was honoured alongside other distinguished awardees including His Excellency, Dr. Agbu Kefas, Executive Governor of Taraba State; Sir Chikwe Udenisi; Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote; Captain Michael Sunday Ige and Barr. Chamberlain Asuoha.

Responding after receiving the award, Dr. Akpodiete appreciated the Institute for the honour, noting that the recognition would further motivate him to continue contributing to the development of security management in Nigeria.

Through the Olotu & Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete Foundation, Dr. Akpodiete has been a leading advocate for security development and peace-building in Delta State. His interventions include the Security and Safety Education Project in public schools, Memorial Lectures on Conflict Resolution and Community Safety and Security, and the establishment of Neighborhood Watch structures in Delta State.

The Foundation has also donated security communication gadgets to community leaders and vigilante groups and has been at the forefront of advocacy for the creation of a Ministry of Security to strengthen the state security framework.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has called for greater access to affordable long-term capital to enable African countries finance infrastructure and accelerate development.

Oyedele made the call while addressing the United Nations Dialogue on Solutions to Climate Finance on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The minister said Africa’s development ambitions, particularly in the energy sector, continued to be held back by high financing costs, currency risks and limited access to affordable long-term funding.

He said the continent faced additional costs in accessing international capital despite its relatively low contribution to global carbon emissions.

According to Oyedele, Africa continues to bear what he described as a “prejudice premium” and “narrative cost” when seeking financing for critical infrastructure.

He also identified currency risk and what he termed “stereotype tax” as further burdens affecting African countries’ ability to raise capital for energy and other development projects.

Oyedele called for a rethink of the global approach to climate finance, urging the international community to make funding more accessible and affordable for developing countries.

He said financing arrangements should better reflect the economic and development realities of African countries, rather than impose financing conditions that make critical infrastructure projects more expensive.

The minister also called for increased investment in gas and other transition energy sources, particularly in Africa, saying such investments were necessary to expand access to reliable and affordable energy and tackle global energy poverty.

He argued that increased investment in Africa’s energy sector could also help diversify global energy supplies and reduce concentration risks, particularly amid disruptions affecting the Gulf region.

Oyedele stressed that Africa’s energy transition must take into account the continent’s substantial energy-access deficit.

He said African countries needed increased investment to meet their development requirements while pursuing a practical transition towards cleaner energy sources.

For Nigeria, the minister said the immediate priority was to implement policies and programmes capable of reducing poverty, expanding economic opportunities and accelerating the distribution of shared prosperity.

He said achieving those objectives would require stronger international cooperation and a financing framework that enabled developing countries to mobilise the capital needed to build infrastructure and improve living standards.

Oyedele’s call comes as the Federal Government continues to emphasise access to capital as a key requirement for investment, infrastructure development and economic growth. The Federal Ministry of Finance has also identified long-term financing and access to credit as important to unlocking investment in infrastructure and industry.

The minister said the international financing system must therefore do more to support developing countries in meeting their infrastructure and development needs, particularly in sectors such as energy where investment requirements remain significant.