The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has assured Nigerians that the President Bola Tinubu administration will deliver greater development strides in 2025, declaring that the era of excuses for non-performance is over.

Wike stated this on Monday night after receiving the ThisDay Award as the Minister of the Year.

“I want to assure all those who do their businesses in Nigeria that this year, 2025, we will see more developments and more infrastructure, that is what is basic for us. We have no time for excuses; the time for excuses has gone,” he said.

Wike thanked the president for allowing him to contribute to the development of Nigeria.

The awards saw Zenith Bank Plc emerge as a winner in the Bank of the Year category, while Access Bank won the Global Bank of the Year.

Other recipients of awards included Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, which emerged as Company of the Year, while MTN, was Brand of the Year.

Shell Nigeria Plc was awarded Investor of the Year; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Providus Bank, Mr Walter Akpani, won the Banker of the Year, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan both won Senators of the Year.

The Publisher of The Guardian Newspaper, Lady Maiden Ibru, and the Chairman of Fidelity Bank PLC, Mustapha Chike-Obi, both received the Lifetime Achievers Award.

Four governors were jointly awarded Governor of the Year: Uba Sani (Kaduna), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).

Speaking after receiving the award, Governor Oborevwori stated that the recognition would inspire him to increase his efforts toward improving the lives of Deltans.

He remarked that, as the year 2025 unfolds, his administration will be unwavering in the desire to redouble efforts towards building a more peaceful state and a resilient economy.

“As a man with street credibility, we are in touch with the grassroots and, as we are building infrastructure, we are also building our people because you may have the infrastructure and the people are hungry.

“So, we are building the capacity of the people and we are also building infrastructure and investing in agriculture and other sectors of the economy,” Oborevwori said.

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State has criticised Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa over the recently signed 2025 state budget, labelling it a “budget of looting” due to what it described as wasteful and dubious allocations.

Governor Aiyedatiwa signed the N698.6bn budget into law a week after its passage by the state House of Assembly.

The budget allocates N265.04bn for recurrent expenditure and N433.62bn for capital projects.

However, the PDP has questioned the transparency of the spending plan, singling out allocations it considers frivolous.

These include N200m for lawmakers and N280m for the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly for “phone expenses.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, the opposition party described the allocations as outrageous and unnecessary.

“The Ondo State 2025 Appropriation Act, signed by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is aptly a ‘Budget of Looting.’ Yet, the Governor branded it a ‘Budget of Recovery,’” Peretei said.

The PDP also queried the allocation of N11.5bn to the Ministry of Finance under the subhead of “security vote,” stating that such an amount is unjustifiable and raises serious concerns about accountability.

“Not even budget experts can explain the rationale for a Ministry receiving a ‘security vote,’ which is distinct from what the Governor himself collects monthly under the same subhead,” the statement added.

Critical sectors such as education and healthcare, the party noted, were allocated N77.02 billion and N46.02 billion respectively, amounts it deemed inadequate for meaningful development.

The PDP further called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate what it termed the “brazen looting” embedded in the budget.

But the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress dismissed the PDP’s allegations as baseless and a misrepresentation of facts.

In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the APC argued that the budget was designed to foster economic growth and development in the state.

“The allocations are in line with the state’s development priorities. The PDP’s claims are nothing more than an attempt to discredit the administration out of bitterness for losing the last governorship election,” Otaloro said.

The controversy highlights a deepening rift between the ruling APC and the opposition PDP over the state’s fiscal policies, with questions raised about the prioritisation of funds amid widespread economic challenges.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has initiated legal action against activist Omoyele Sowore over comments he made on social media, referring to Egbetokun as an “illegal IG.”

Sowore is facing three charges related to Cybercrime under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.

According to the charges, filed in a suit marked FCH/ABJ/23/25, Egbetokun accused Sowore of intentionally and knowingly sending messages through his verified Twitter account, where he referred to the IG as “illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun.”

The police allege that these publications were false and aimed at causing a breakdown of law and order.

Count one of the charge sheet reads, “That you, Omoyele Sowore, on December 13, 2024, did intentionally send messages through your verified X handle account, ‘Omoyele Sowore,’ calling the Inspector General of Police ‘illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun,’ knowing it to be false and intending to cause a breakdown of law and order.”

In count two, Sowore is accused of making threats intended to incite Nigerians against the Nigeria Police Force and damage the reputation or property of the IG or the force.

Count three involves a statement Sowore allegedly made on December 20, 2024, which said: “The illegal IG of Nigeria Police Force, Kayode Egbetokun, will make the next #ENDSARS inevitable! He is working tirelessly towards it. Just a matter of time. #EgbetekunMustGo #Revolution.”

The police alleged that Sowore’s messages were aimed at causing unrest and undermining the authority of the police.

Sowore is set to appear before Justice Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja today (Wednesday).

His legal team, led by Marshall Abubakar, confirmed that the charges will be heard in court.

Deji Adeyanju, a political activist, stated that the charges represent an abuse of the legal process, promising a strong response in court.

Sowore was arrested on Monday after refusing to accept bail conditions set by the police following allegations of obstructing public officers and cyberstalking.

The charges have been brought in the context of ongoing tension between Sowore and the Nigerian authorities, particularly after a viral video he posted in December that alleged police extortion at a checkpoint in Lagos.

Sowore’s refusal to meet bail conditions, which included providing a Level 17 civil servant as a guarantor and surrendering his passport, led to his detention at the IRT detention facility in Abuja.