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Former Governor of Edo State and National Legal Adviser of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Oserheimen Osunbor, on Monday led the legal team of the party on a condolence visit to the party’s vice presidential candidate, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The delegation visited Amaechi to sympathise with him and his family following the death of his mother, who recently passed away.

Senator Osunbor conveyed the condolences of the party’s leadership and members, praying for the peaceful repose of the deceased and for God to grant the bereaved family the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

The visit underscored the ADC’s spirit of solidarity and support for one of its foremost leaders during a period of mourning.

Amaechi expressed appreciation to Senator Osunbor and the delegation for taking the time to visit and stand with him and his family in their moment of grief. He thanked them for their prayers and words of encouragement.

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The Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has stated that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has no intention to respond to government spokespersons.

The Cardinal was reacting to the criticism from presidential spokespersons following his submission on the country’s economy and security.

The bishops had met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on July 28, 2026.

Speaking in an interview with Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu in Ogun State on Monday, Onaiyekan asserted that the Catholic Bishops have already delivered their message to the President and were only interested in whether it would influence governance.

He rejected suggestions that the bishops were speaking only for Catholics, saying their intervention was based on a moral responsibility to all Nigerians.

He said: “We didn’t go there just as Catholic bishops pushing the Catholic agenda. No. We went there as people who are with the spiritual mandate to speak to anybody in the name of God.”

On the Presidency’s reaction, Onaiyekan refused to engage in the controversy, saying, “I would not even answer that question. We have no response for them. We have spoken, and the only response we are waiting for is whether it is affecting the way they are governing.

“That some of the supporters of government and the state and spokesperson may have their own idea about what they think they should be saying on behalf of their principal, is their business, not mine.

“As for response to the things we are hearing, I don’t even have to say anything because the social media is full of response from Nigerian people and that for me is more than enough.’’

The Cardinal explained that the audience with President Tinubu was initiated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria after months of waiting for approval.

According to him, the meeting was neither intended as an evangelistic mission nor an attempt to advance the interests of the Catholic Church, but rather an opportunity to present the bishops’ concerns about governance and welfare of Nigerians as part of their pastoral responsibility.

“The Bishops visited President Tinubu last week and we requested for audience. It took some months before we were granted the audience, and we prepared to see him, and the main reason we wanted to see him was not to go on an evangelical mission.

‘’We didn’t go there to preach to him and try to see whether we could convert him to our Catholic Church, but we went there to share our views and thoughts about the government which he heads, hoping that our ideas will be taken into consideration, So that is what took us to the statehouse,” he explained.

Expressing hope that the government would remain open to further engagement on issues affecting Nigerians, the Cardinal said: “We are hoping that our meeting with the President or our dialogue with the government of Nigeria did not end with that visit.”

He added that the bishops were still expecting the government to create another opportunity for a more detailed conversation.

“We are hoping that somehow, he will invite us, not necessarily to meet him, I mean President Tinubu, but at least to open up fairness for us to give more information, more concerns that we have, than we could give in the ten-minute talk that we gave to him,” he said.

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has handed over the Digital Industrial Park and the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), to the Enugu State Government on a 15-year operational lease agreement.

The two digital assets were officially transferred to the state government during a ceremony at the Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement, Dr Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, said the facilities were among six digital industrial parks established across the country to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and human capital development.
He explained that the facilities were designed to deepen digital skills, support startups, attract investments and create jobs.
Maida said it would also position Nigeria as a competitive destination for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) and other technology-enabled services.

According to him, the infrastructure was built not merely as physical assets but as platforms for developing the people and enterprises that would drive Nigeria’s digital economy.

Maida stressed that infrastructure only delivered value when effectively utilised, noting that innovation was driven by people, ideas and entrepreneurs working in partnership.
“The success of these facilities will not be measured by the quality of the buildings or equipment, but by the skills acquired, ideas developed, businesses created and jobs generated,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the Enugu State Government had demonstrated the vision and commitment needed to maximise the facilities through investments in education, innovation, infrastructure and digital capacity.
The executive vice chairman said the partnership would support Enugu’s ambition to become a leading destination for digital services, Artificial Intelligence (AI), startup incubation, outsourcing, research and technology-enabled enterprises.
He added that the collaboration aligned with the Federal Government’s digital economy agenda and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which sought to build a $1 trillion economy driven by productivity, innovation and private sector growth.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s digital future would require collaboration among the Federal and state governments, the private sector, academia and development partners.

Responding, Gov. Peter Mbah described the handover as a historic milestone that would position Enugu as Nigeria’s leading digital economy hub through strategic investments in artificial intelligence, digital innovation and talent development.
He announced that the Digital Industrial Park would be transformed into the Enugu Talent City, a knowledge-driven outsourcing hub providing Business Process Outsourcing and Knowledge Process Outsourcing services.

According to the governor, the initiative would enable talented young people in the state to provide services to global companies without leaving Enugu.
Mbah also disclosed that the Digital Bridge Institute would be upgraded into a world-class AI Institute and an AI certification centre serving the African continent.

“We see these assets as facilities that will deepen innovation in our state, unlock opportunities, create employment and position Enugu as a leading digital economy in this country,” he said.

The governor noted that artificial intelligence was projected to contribute about $20 trillion to the global economy by 2030, stressing the need to equip Nigerian youths with relevant digital skills to compete globally.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to Mbah on SMEs and Digital Economy, Mr Arinze Chilo-Offia, said the handover would enhance growing partnership between the Enugu State Government and the NCC.

Chilo-Offia thanked the NCC leadership for entrusting the facilities to the state, describing the collaboration as a major boost to Enugu’s ambition of becoming Nigeria’s premier destination for digital innovation, technology-driven investment and high-value employment.

Also speaking, a Non-Executive Commissioner of the NCC, Mr Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, expressed confidence in the Enugu State Government’s capacity to maximise the facilities to advance Nigeria’s digital economy.

He said that both facilities were university-sized and strategically located along the Enugu-Ugwogo Expressway and the GRA Expressway.
Offiah said that they would serve as major centres for innovation, digital skills development and economic growth in the state.