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It’s Awful For Akpabio To Humiliate Female Senators, Kingibe, Natasha;– Ex-Minister Ezekwesili

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Ex- Nigerian minister of education, Oby Ezekwesili, has slammed Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, over his alleged misconduct towards female lawmakers.

In a statement issued on Monday, Ezekwesili expressed concerns over Akpabio’s behaviour, citing instances where he allegedly humiliated female senators, including Natasha Akpoti and Ireti Kingibe.

Recall on Saturday that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke out about the harassment and exclusion she has faced in the Senate, citing a pattern of behaviour that began after a nightclub incident last year.

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In an interview with the Brekete Family, where Akpoti-Uduaghan had revealed that she had been denied privileges, pulled out of international activities, and even had her name struck out from a United Nations event she was nominated for.

The senator claimed that she had been self-funding her trips to international events, which she believed are important for her constituents, Nigerian women, and the country as a whole.

She had also alleged that her seat in the Senate was changed to a location where she would be less visible, suggesting that this was an attempt to silence her or eliminate her from being seen.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations came after Senate President Godswill Akpabio faced criticism for his sexist remarks against her, with over 300 women groups demanding an unreserved apology.

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The incident highlights concerns about gender discrimination and verbal harassment in Nigeria’s political institutions.

Reacting in her statement, Ezekwesili encouraged women in public leadership to stand strong and continue to represent their constituents, emphasising that representation matters.

The former presidential candidate, also warned Akpabio that he would face consequences if he continued to harass women in public leadership.

The statement she shared on her X handle partly read: “I tweeted last year that if not for the rottenness of our Judiciary, Nigerians would not have an @Senator_Akpabio presiding over the upper house of our @nassnigeria – the Nigerian Senate @NGRSenate.

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“That statement has been given proof by Mr Akpabio himself in the nearly 2 years of his “leadership” of the Senate.

“One issue stands out. Mr Akpabio implicitly thinks that his even more accomplished female colleagues must be humiliated in order for his ego to be assuaged.”

Ezekwesili added, “Is it not a shame that one day it is @NatashaAkpoti , another day @IretiKingibe and yet another day @NatashaAkpoti that are at the receiving end of the appalling misconduct of the topmost officer of our Legislature?”

“And we wonder why Nigeria shamefully places at the lowest neighborhood of the ranking of countries on Women in public leadership , specifically Legislature at 4.4%.

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“I encourage the women in public leadership to never ever lose their Voice. Continue to stand strong in your commitment to citizens and prove that representation matters.

“All aspects of data do in fact show that representation matters a lot.”

The former Vice President of World Bank (Africa Region), warned Senate President to be prepared to face what would come to him next time he harasses any woman well-elected unlike him.

“Next time Mr Akpabio harasses any woman well-elected unlike him and representing her constituency @ the National Assembly or any woman at all anywhere in this country, he must get ready. Enough said.”

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Guinea Woos Nigerian Investors to Join $20bn Projects

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By Gloria IkibahGuinea’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Siaka Cissoko, has said that his country has ongoing projects worth about $20 billion, and Nigerian companies are welcome to take part.He shared this during a visit by members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN) to the Guinean Embassy in Abuja.Cissoko spoke about the long-standing ties between Nigeria and Guinea, and said it was time both countries did more together, especially in business.He also pointed out that many Guinean businesspeople tend to overlook Nigeria when looking for partners, and he hopes that will change going forward.
He said: “As I speak to you, there is an ongoing mega multibillion-dollar project in Guinea, about $20bn that could be handled by Nigerian companies.
 
“I know, with this new partnership, Nigerians will be aware of the projects and key into it.”
 
“Our businessmen always go to India, Pakistan, and other Asian countries to look for $5m to $10m business opportunities that could be gotten in Nigeria because they don’t have comprehensive information,” he said.
 
He emphasised the need to deepen ties between Guinea and Nigeria by working closely with the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria.
According to the ambassador, the association can play a key role in helping people from both countries understand each other better. He also pointed out that Nigerian banks like Access Bank, UBA, First Bank, and Polaris are already operating in Guinea. Cissoko added that both countries, being rich in minerals, have great potential to work together in the mining sector.“In Guinea, many people form their views of Nigeria mainly through Nollywood films. But with this kind of partnership, they can learn more about the country beyond what they see on screen.
“Guinea and Nigeria have a long-lasting bilateral relationship. “It is a good thing that a credible association like yours, the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria, is paying us a courtesy visit.
 
“We are great mining countries, which Nigerian investors could leverage on the opportunity to invest in our country,” he said. 
 
The ambassador pledged Guinea’s readiness to work with the association in various areas, including information exchange, sponsorship, training, and charity work.
 
“We will support your charity work to ensure that you affect the lives of the less privileged in society,” Cissoko said. He also extending an invitation for the association to explore and report on the Guinean community in Nigeria. 
 
In response, the Chairman of DICAN, Comrade Fredrick Idehai, pledged the association’s commitment to partnering with the Guinean Embassy in Nigeria.
 
“DICAN is ready to share information on their business investments and development as part of the partnership.
 
“We will be available to support the embassy at all times”, he asserted.
 
Guinea and Nigeria have historically maintained generally strong diplomatic relations, particularly since Guinea’s independence in 1958. Both nations share close ties within the West African region, and both countries have been actively supporting each other’s development and played key roles in regional initiatives.
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Nigeria’s inflation jumps to 24.23% in March 2025

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Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 24.23% in March 2025, according to the official government data source, the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The rise in the country’s inflation rate, from 23.18% back in February 2025 to 24.23% in March 2025, reflected a major increase in the rising commodity and energy costs in the last few weeks.

According to the March 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) Report which measures the inflation rate released by the government agency on Tuesday, the country’s food inflation rate was 21.79% year-on-year in March 2025.
The food inflation rate, however, showed a decrease compared to the food inflation rate of 23.51% recorded in February 2025.

Economists had predicted that the country’s inflation rate which decreased minimally in February would rise when the Dangote Refinery and the state-run NNPCL got entangled in a petrol price war that culminated in the temporary termination of a naira-for crude agreement between the two oil companies and the subsequent increase in the pump price of petrol.

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Some observers had also said the minimal reduction in the prices of food commodities experienced earlier in February was not sustainable, attributing the temporary decline in the prices of food to the importation intervention of the Federal Government.

Food and commodity inflation have skyrocketed as Nigerians battle what can pass for the worst cost of living crisis since the country’s independence over six decades ago, a development that economic wizards have attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the forex rates.

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Plateau 51: Mutfwang mourns, says “we failed you”, begs affected community

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Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has apologised to the people of Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) for the failure of government and security agencies to protect lives and properties.

Fifty-one persons were gunned down early Monday in the Zikke community of the LGA, with houses razed and many displaced about two weeks after a similar attack led to the killing of scores of persons in Bokkos Local Government Area.

Less than two days after the most recent assault, Governor Mutfwang apologised for the government’s inability to protect the people.

Fifty-one persons were gunned down early Monday in the Zikke community of the LGA, with houses razed and many displaced about two weeks after a similar attack led to the killing of scores of persons in Bokkos Local Government Area.

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Less than two days after the most recent assault, Governor Mutfwang apologised for the government’s inability to protect the people.

The governor said this on Tuesday at the palace of the Paramount Ruler in Miango.

“I will tell you the truth: I have been crying since yesterday because I had trusted God that all the arrangements were put in place, that this will not happen again. We have made investments in security,” he said.

But like all human arrangements, sometimes they fail. I want to admit that on Sunday night into Monday morning, we failed you. Please, forgive me.”

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He urged the people not to relent in their efforts to secure their communities and ensure that they complement security agencies’ efforts by providing vital information for intelligence gathering and expose the antics of the criminals.

Governor Mutfwang, in the company of security chiefs and members of the state executive council, was in Zikke community to commiserate with the people on the death of over fifty persons killed in Monday’s attacks.

The Paramount Ruler of Irigwe land, Ronku Aka, who is the Brangwe of Irigwe, urged the government to come to the aid of the communities with the provision of social amenities in the area.

The governor and the entourage also went to see some of the families who lost their loved ones in the attack. The victims have been buried just as members of the community demanded action to stem the rising wave of insecurity in the state.

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Plateau State has been a hotbed of attacks, but the renewed spate of attacks adds a fresh layer of twist to the decades-long crisis rocking the North-Central state.

After the most recent assaults, President Bola Tinubu ordered security agencies to fish out the masterminds, describing the attacks as condemnable.

While experts have linked the lingering Plateau crisis to farmers-herders tussle for resources, Governor Muftwang said it was sponsored and genocidal.

According to him, over 64 communities in the state have been taken over by gunmen.

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