By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has alleged that Nigerian security operatives are planning to arrest her upon her return to Nigeria.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed the move is linked to her participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York on 11 March, where she raised concerns about her suspension from the Senate and sexual harassment allegations against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

She disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview on Sunday.

“I’m aware there are plans underway to have me arrested as soon as I arrive Abuja,” Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is still in the US after the IPU meeting, said.

The senator did not, however, say which of the security agencies was plotting her arrest.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that Nigeria’s internal and external intelligence agencies have launched a probe into how she gained access to the meeting without an official nomination.

A high-ranking administration official and two top security officials involved in the inquiry confided in PREMIUM TIMES that the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are working to determine how Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the international meeting without approval, who facilitated her trip and accreditation, and whether interest groups orchestrated her participation to embarrass Nigeria, its government and its people.

*The IPU meeting*

On 11 March, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the IPU meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where she narrated the circumstances surrounding her suspension from the Senate.

She alleged that the suspension was politically motivated to silence her for speaking out against misconduct in the legislative chamber and thereafter sought international intervention.

In response, IPU President ,Tulia Ackson, said the parliamentary body would investigate the matter but would also allow the Nigerian Senate to present its side of the story.

However, a Nigerian delegate to the IPU meeting, Kafilat Ogbara, countered Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims when she (Ogbara) addressed journalists at the UN secretariat a day after the former ’s attendance at the IPU meeting.

Mrs Ogbara, the chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, read a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, stating that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was due to violations of Senate Standing Rules during plenary sessions and not because of her allegations against Mr Akpabio.

*Alleged attempt to remove her from the UN premises*

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that shortly after her speech at the IPU meeting, the senate president sent three officials led by the Chargé d’affairs of the Nigerian Embassy in New York to forcibly remove her from the United Nations premises during the IPU meeting.

“The Senate President Akpabio sent three staff headed by the Chargè D’Affairs of the Nigerian embassy in New York to evacuate me from the United Nations premises right after my speech. I was rescued by parliamentarians from other countries and the security,” she alleged.

The senate president could not be reached for comment. His spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, did not pick up PREMIUM TIMES’ calls to his mobile telephone or respond to a text message.

Similarly, the Senate’s Spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, could not be reached as his mobile telephone did not connect..

Premium Times

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A Lagos-based member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Ushie Uguamaye, could have her service year extended by 30 days with half pay over her criticism of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

This is according to the NYSC Bye Laws (Revised 2011).

Recently, Uguamaye, known on TikTok as @talktoraye, shared a video in which she called out the Tinubu administration over the economic hardship faced by Nigerians since it was sworn in.

In another TikTok video, the young lady claimed that she was threatened on phone by an official of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the video criticising the President.

She also shared a screenshot of a message allegedly received from NYSC officials summoning her to report to the Eti-Osa Local Government office on Monday.

According to Uguamaye, she fears for her life because she has also been receiving threats from anonymous persons after her video went viral.

The first video shared by Uguamaye may have contravened the NYSC Bye-Laws (Revised 2011), the section which says corps members are “not be rude to constituted authority” during primary assignments.

It reads: “Any member who is rude to constituted authority shall be tried by the Corps Disciplinary Committee and, if found guilty, be liable to extension of service for a period not less than thirty (30) days with half pay.”

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the NYSC, Caroline Embu, was not available to give comment on the corps member’s TikTok video.

By Gloria Ikibah

As part of its contribution in strengthening governance in Africa, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has marked the successful completion of the fourth edition of its AIG Public Leaders Programme, an executive training initiative for government officials.

The programme, which was in collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, is aimed at equipping public servants with the skills to drive effective governance.

At the graduation ceremony held in Abuja, participants from Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda were celebrated for completing the rigorous training, aimed at enhancing public service performance across the continent.

Former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), in his keynote address, described the graduates’ mandate in bold terms.

Osinbajo urged participants to leverage their training to dismantle systemic barriers and reimagine equitable service delivery

He said: “You are Public Service Scientists. Just as technologists invent groundbreaking tools, you must create systems that ensure health, safety, education, and opportunity reach every citizen—not as a privilege, but as a promise”.

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, commended the Foundation’s role in reshaping governance.

“The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has shown commitment to building a public sector that prioritises citizens. This programme equips leaders with world-class skills to drive innovation and align with our vision of an efficient, ethical, and citizen-centric workforce”, she said.

As part of the programme, participants developed and began implementing reform projects to tackle systemic challenges within their Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), driving improvements in public service delivery.

Chairman of the Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, stressed the urgency of transforming Africa.

“Our challenge is not merely about accelerating processes; it is about catching up. Catching up demands more than intelligence—it requires a transformative mindset and a willingness to break new ground. This programme equips public servants to tackle systemic bottlenecks while promoting collective action—the power of us—to drive impactful change across the continent”, he asserted.

Dignitaries in attendance included the President of the Senate, represented by Senator Gershom Bassey; representatives of the Governors of Delta and Kano States; representatives of the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and Heads of Service of Ekiti and Nasarawa States.

Graduating participants will join a growing network of alumni who have been trained since 2021.

The Foundation reiterared its committment  to its mission of training 3,000 public sector leaders by 2030, equipping them with the skills needed to drive impactful reforms. Applications are now open for the fifth cohort of the programme.