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President Tinubu Reportedly Backs Creation of New Southwest State

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reportedly backing the creation of a new Ijebu State in Nigeria’s Southwest region.

The proposed state would be carved out of Ogun State, following a long-standing demand by the Ijebu people for recognition as an independent entity, a fresh report has revealed.

Sources revealed that President Tinubu gave his assurances during a meeting with the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, at his Bourdillon residence on January 5.

During the meeting, Oba Adetona said that Ijebu is the only former colonial province in Nigeria that has not been granted statehood, unlike other provinces such as Oyo and Sokoto, which have been divided into multiple states. The monarch argued that the Ijebu people have waited long enough for their own state.

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“The president did not hesitate to express his support,” People’s Gazette quoted a source familiar with the meeting as saying.

Oba Adetona had reportedly highlighted the region’s resources and infrastructure, including industrial estates, an international airport under construction, and plans for a deep-sea port, while making case for the state creation.

In December 2024, Oba Adetona, alongside other traditional rulers and leaders from the Ijebu province, held a meeting to discuss logistics for the proposed state. These discussions focused on issues such as the location of the state capital, the creation of local government areas, and the allocation of federal resources.

The monarch expressed confidence in the region’s ability to thrive as an independent state, stating that it is well-positioned for growth and development. “Ijebu province is economically viable and already has all the infrastructural facilities needed to sustain a state,” he had said.

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Before that, in November 2024, Senator Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East, introduced a bill titled the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2024 (Creation of Ijebu State) to the National Assembly. The bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow for the creation of the new state.

With bills for the creation of other states in other regions of the country, it passed various legislature stages.

Critics argue that the move for the creation of Ijebu State is ill-timed, given the country’s pressing economic issues, including poverty, inflation, and insecurity.

Some political analysts have speculated that President Tinubu’s alleged support for state creation could be politically motivated, as new states might be more inclined to back him for a second term.

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Meanwhile, the presidency has reportedly avoided issuing an official statement on the matter, possibly to prevent sparking controversy among supporters of other state creation initiatives across the country.

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Ganduje to Kwankwaso: Negotiating with bandits’ll enrich them, not good strategy

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Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, has declared that sitting with bandits to negotiate is not a good strategy.

He cautioned that negotiating with bandits would further enrich the terrorists, thereby worsening insecurity in the country.

He made the remark at a press conference on Tuesday in response to claims by the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would hold talks with terrorists if elected into office in 2027.

According to Ganduje:, the role of the security agencies depends on the strategies that have been adopted. The Air Force helps to do its own due diligence, alongside the Army, Navy, the police, and the DSS. So, the issue of sitting with bandits to negotiate with them personally, I don’t appreciate that.

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“Because, in Nigeria, having a gun without approval is illegal. How do you expect hundreds of bandits to come from the forests with their guns to sit down with local chiefs, chairmen of local governments, traditional rulers, or even the police and start negotiating? I think that system has failed, and it will continue to fail.

“This is because we are giving room to the bandits; we are arming them because the negotiation is that they should be allowed to operate here and there, they should be given money, transportation, motorcycles, and money for logistics. So, in a way, we are giving them an enabling environment to operate.

“And by so doing, they would enrich themselves through kidnapping, as that would give them more financial power to purchase weapons, which would be used against us to cause panic and then call them for negotiation. I don’t think that is a good strategy.”

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Angry Defence Minister, Musa threatens to sue whoever said he resigned

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Enraged Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, rtd, has said that he would take a legal action against whoever said he resigned from his position.

General Musa said this on Tuesday shortly after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Recall that there were rumours suggesting that the former Chief of Defense Staff had resigned.

He had earlier denied the rumour in a statement through his media aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde.

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“I was shocked when I heard and saw that. I don’t know where that came from. But expect that there’ll be people that will not be happy when things are going on well.

“Security situation has improved, things are getting better. And so for them, it’s a sad point, and they will always want to make it look as if it’s not so.

“I’m not going anywhere. I have never discussed that with anybody. I don’t even know the person who brought that information. But whoever he is, we will take a legal action against him when we get him to come and who gave him such information.

“But I assure Nigerians that we are free. You can see I just came back from briefing the President on the current security situation, and he’s very happy with us.

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“And now we’re going to continue doing well, and I want to seize this opportunity to appreciate Nigerians for all the support. The support has been massive, and you can see the changes.

“That’s where we say that to defeat terrorists and bandits is a whole of societal approach. And now Nigerians are keying into it, and things are getting better, and they will continue to improve,” he said.

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NNPCL jerks up fuel price by N115 per liter

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Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, retail outlets have increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol.

A market survey revealed on Tuesday indicated that the state-owned filling stations raised their petrol price to N1,270 per litre from N1,155 per litre in Abuja and environs.

This means that NNPCL has increased its fuel pump price by N115 per litre.

NNPCL and MRS filling stations in Abuja had closed, while other retail outlets raised their petrol prices on Monday amid heightened uncertainty in the country’s downstream oil sector.

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In less than a week, depot owners and marketers have already increased their petrol prices twice.

Recall that last week, Dangote Refinery resumed the sale of refined petroleum products in dollars.

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