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Kaduna gov, Uba Sani remains my mentor, says El-Rufai’s son

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By Francesca Hangeior.

 

The member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, Bello El-Rufai, has stated that incumbent Governor Uba Sani is his mentor, adding that they still keep in touch.

Bello revealed this in a video interview hosted by Yaya Abba, titled, ‘With Shuraim’’.

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He recalled how two of his friends influenced his move to work under Sani while he was a serving Senator in the 9th Senate.

Bello noted that Sani’s first reaction was that he (Bello) would turn down the offer, citing the notion that people have regarding the children of “big men.”

“I think working with Senator Uba Sani taught me the politics that fits this country,” adding that he had a great influence on his knowledge of the politics of legislative representation.

“He’s still my mentor, we talk every day. After he (Sani) emerged as the APC candidate to replace my father, he told my father he wanted me to run for the Reps,” he said.

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He noted that his membership in the Green Chamber wasn’t his father’s call, adding that he (the father) “never campaigned for me.

“But Senator Uba Sani was adamant that I had learnt a few things while working in the 9th Senate as a senior legislative aide. That was the step towards me running,” he added.

Bello stressed that he’s aware of his responsibilities as the representative of his constituent, saying, “For me, where I’m from, I feel I’m genuinely responsible for every individual that’s in Kaduna North.”

The lawmaker stated that while he still feels the pressure of legislative representation, he remains grateful for the achievements of his office so far, including initiatives towards improving the education and health of his constituents, among others.

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Bello equally noted that his online presence had made people misjudge his person, saying he was seen as a “poster boy of arrogance.”

The lawmaker stated that people needed to understand the thin line between criticism and hatred.

“My first baptism of public service was when my sister died in 2011 in London. Somebody sent me a comment when someone said ‘he hopes she burns in hell twice,” adding that his leadership role has availed him of control on his social media comments.

Sani had revealed that his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, left a debt of $587 million, N85 billion, and N115 billion in contract liabilities.
 

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Meanwhile, the governor, through his spokesman, Mohammed Shehu, has said that Sani would not reply to another of El-Rufai’s sons, Bashir, who took to X to attack the governor over the state’s debt profile.

Bashir, on his social media handle, accused Sani of shying away from his responsibility by always staying away from the state and hibernating in Abuja.

The young El-Rufai accused the governor of surrounding himself with a retinue of incompetent aides appointed for political patronage.

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Nigeria Needs To Focus on Local Solutions to Fight Poverty – Speaker Abbas

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By Gloria Ikibah

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has said the fight against poverty in Nigeria must start at the community level.

Representatives by the Chief Whip of the House, Rep. Isiaka Ibrahim, at the inauguration of a new House Committee focused on community and social development on Wednesday, Abbas stressed that real change will only happen when policies are designed to meet the everyday needs of people in towns and villages.

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He also called on the government to create people-friendly programmes that reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.

The event, held at the National Assembly in Abuja, marked the official takeoff of the Committee on Community and Social Development Agency/NG-Cares. Abbas urged members of the Committee to approach their work with honesty and a genuine desire to help struggling Nigerians.

He said, “With inflation eroding household incomes and widening social gaps, there is a pressing need for structured, grassroots-driven mechanisms to deliver measurable poverty reduction and enhance economic self-reliance. 
 
“Given the multidimensional nature of poverty in Nigeria, where deprivation extends beyond income to basic infrastructure, there is an urgent need for quick intervention to provide services and opportunities that are both community-sensitive and adaptable. That is the reason for the creation of this committee.  
 
“Community and social development occupy a foundational place in the architecture of national advancement. They serve as primary conduits to actualise inclusive growth, distributive equity, and societal cohesion. 
 
“In a country as demographically diverse and economically stratified as Nigeria, the decentralisation of development initiatives ensures that no region remains a peripheral participant in the nation’s progress.”
 
According to Speaker Abbas, “When strategically harnessed, community-based interventions do more than provide services. They stimulate local agency, fortify social capital, and generate ownership that transcends administrative cycles. 
 
“The direct impact on poverty alleviation, access to education, healthcare penetration, and localised economic activity has been empirically affirmed in multiple National Bureau of Statistics surveys, reinforcing the need for sustained investment in this policy domain.”
 
He further noted that the role of institutions such as the Community and Social Development Agency and the NG-CARES initiative has grown increasingly vital, particularly in a post-pandemic fiscal environment marked by inflationary pressures and fragile livelihoods. 
 
“NG-CARES, supported by the World Bank, has already reached over two million Nigerians with livelihood grants, social transfers, and basic services, a feat that illustrates the efficacy of decentralised interventions in cushioning systemic shocks.
 
“Beyond immediate relief, such programmers function as quiet architects of democratic stability, especially in regions historically marginalised by state infrastructure. By enhancing service delivery in underserved communities, they curtail grievance cycles, reduce dependency on external aid, and re-anchor citizenship in the legitimacy of the state. 
 
“To date, CSDA interventions have impacted more than 23 million Nigerians across 29 states, while NG-CARES continues to cushion economic shocks for vulnerable households through its performance-based financing mechanisms,” he added. 
 
“The Committee,” the Speaker added, “Has been created to recommend measures for consideration by the House in respect of policies, projects, and programs aimed at addressing developmental challenges, rural and suburban communities in the country.”
 
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Abubakar Kusada said the NG-CARES initiative is an opportunity to translate government’s well-intended programs and projects into reflective actions to provide succour to the populace population.
 
He noted that the newly inaugurated Committee has already “Worked out a well-recapitulated work-plan that captures a guide for us to deliver on the mandate, focusing on strategic oversight, legislative support and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that CSDA fulfills it developmental objectives.”
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White smoke rises, new pope elected at Vatican +Video

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By Francesca Hangeior
 
White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that cardinals locked inside have elected a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Thousands of pilgrims and curious onlookers in St Peter’s Square cheered and applauded as the smoke appeared and bells began to ring, indicating the 2,000-year-old institution has its 267th pope.

All eyes now turn to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to see who has been elected to succeed Pope Francis, an Argentine reformer who died last month after 12 years as leader of the worldwide Church.

The new pontiff will be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and address the world for the first time.

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He faces a momentous task: as well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, he faces burning Church issues from the continued fall-out from the sexual abuse scandal to the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets.

Some 133 “Princes of the Church” from five continents — the largest conclave ever — began voting on Wednesday afternoon.

Sworn to secrecy, on pain of excommunication, their only means of communicating their progress to the outside world was by sending up smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

On Wednesday evening and then again on Thursday lunchtime, the smoke was black, emitting disappointed sighs from the tens of thousands watching.

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But on Thursday afternoon just after 6pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader.

By tradition, he now enters the Room of Tears — where freshly-elected popes give free rein to their emotions — to don a papal cassock for the first time, before returning to the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals can pledge their obedience.

He will then appear on the balcony along with a senior cardinal, who will announce to the waiting crowds “Habemus Papem” (“We have a pope”).

The pope will then give a short speech and impart his first “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) blessing.

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The election has come at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty, which was seen as a key voting issue, along with the rifts within the Church.

Francis was a compassionate reformer who prioritised migrants and the environment, but he angered traditionalists who wanted a defender of doctrine rather than a headline-maker.

Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis. Hailing from 70 countries around the world, it was the most international conclave ever.

That was no guarantee, however, that the cardinals would pick someone in his vein.

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The question was whether to choose a pastor or diplomat, a liberal or conservative, someone versed in the Curia — the Church’s governing body — or a relative outsider from areas of the world where Catholic faith is thriving.

Before the cardinals were locked into the Sistine Chapel Wednesday, their dean Giovanni Battista Re urged them to choose someone able to protect the Church’s unity.

The next pope must also be able to lead “at this difficult and complex turning point in history”, amid raging conflicts around the world and the rise of ultra-nationalist parties.

The Church has also had difficulty in adapting to the modern world, with declining priest numbers and increasingly empty pews in the West.

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The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world.

The new pope will likely do a tour of St Peter’s Square in his popemobile for the first time, before delivering a homily outlining his priorities.

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Meet the new Pope, Pope Leo XIV +Photo

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By Francesca Hangeior

Formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, he hails from the United States and is the first American to be elected pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

A member of the Augustinian order and former Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Pope Leo XIV brings decades of pastoral and administrative experience to the papacy.

He is a moderate who was close to Pope Francis and spent years as a missionary in Peru, he becomes the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff, taking the papal name Leo XIV.

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