The Kano State government has declared Thursday, June 26, 2025, as public holiday to mark the Islamic calendar — 1447 After Hijrah (AH).

The announcement was made in a statement signed by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, on Tuesday,
June 25, 2025.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in a message to the Muslim faithful, congratulated the people of Kano and Muslims across the globe for witnessing the start of the sacred month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar year.

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Describing the new year as a moment of spiritual reflection, Governor Yusuf encouraged citizens to look back on the past year with introspection and embrace the new one with hope, prayer, and renewed purpose.

He urged residents to take the time to pray for lasting peace, unity, and prosperity — both in Kano State and across Nigeria.

The statement added that Governor Abba “Called on the people of the state and the Muslim Ummah to reflect on their actions over the past year and to use the occasion to offer prayers for peace, unity, and prosperity in the state and the country at large.”

The governor also used the occasion to reaffirm his administration’s dedication to uplifting the lives of the people through policies and programs rooted in fairness, service, and compassion.

A Hundred Billion Naira loan approved by the Edo State House of Assembly as support for Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration in delivering key infrastructural projects across the state is generating controversy and reactions from the public.

In a phone-in programme on Benin-based B-Side Radio 98.1FM, while some callers asked the presenter to crosscheck if the loan really amounts to ₦100b or ₦100m, some questioned the rationale behind such a huge loan.

Also, while some callers chided Okpebholo’s administration for such a huge loan, some callers into the programme asked if such a huge loan is what the state needs at the moment in whatsoever infrastructure it may be used for, arguing that poverty and insecurity has taken over the state.

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The callere urged the governor to address pressing issues such as insecurity and hardship rather than things that ordinarily does not add values to their lives.

The Edo State House of Assembly had yesterday
approved a ₦100 billion loan facility from First Bank of Nigeria PLC to support Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration in delivering key infrastructural projects across the state.

According to the State Assembly, the loan will be utilized to finance major infrastructural developments, contractor financing, and urban renewal projects in line with the Governor’s five-point development agenda.

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These projects are expected to boost economic growth, improve transportation, create job opportunities, and enhance the overall quality of life for Edo citizens.

Speaking during the plenary session, the Majority Leader, Hon. Jonathan Ibhamawu, highlighted several key projects the loan would support. These include the construction of flyover bridges at Ikpoba-Hill, Dawson Junction, and Adesuwa Junction in Benin City, as well as the development of major roads in Edo Central ,Edo South and Edo North Senatorial Districts.

Hon. Ibhamawu also explained that while the state government has budgeted for these developments, revenue allocations from the federal level have fallen short of expectations, making the loan necessary to meet the administration’s goals.

The Speaker, Hon Blessing Agbebaku, emphasized that his local government Owan West and other local government would also benefit significantly from the infrastructural projects. The loan approval was passed through a voice vote by the lawmakers, after which the Speaker directed the Clerk, Alhaji Yahaya Audu Omogbai, to forward clean copies of the resolution to the Governor.

The Indigenous People of Biafra, has condemned the announcement by President Bola Tinubu, proposing the establishment of cattle ranches in Abuja, the ancestral homeland of the Gbagi people and other states across the country.

The pro-Biafran group said the move is nothing but Ruga repackaged and a sinister land-grabbing strategy cloaked in government policy.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said it is a shame that in the 21st century, the Federal Government is prioritising cow colonies over education, security, and innovation.

Powerful said what began as the “need for grazing” centuries ago led to the total subjugation of proud territories, adding, “the rise of alien emirates, and the transformation of indigenous owners of the land into strangers in their ancestral homes. Abuja is about to witness the same fate if this madness is not stopped.”

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The statement read in part, “President Tinubu unaware that no sensible country in the world keeps cattle around its capital city?

“Let him point to any major city—from Nairobi to New Delhi, São Paulo to Seoul—where cattle are granted permanent settlements around central governance zones.

“This absurdity is uniquely Nigerian, and disgracefully so.”

While saying that the land around Abuja belongs to the Gbagi people, Powerful said, “To dispossess them by executive fiat is an unforgivable act of aggression and cultural genocide.”

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He added, “Today, the Gbagi are being pushed to the margins; tomorrow, there will be an Emir of Abuja. And in 60 years—just like what befell the Hausas—the Gbagi will be footnotes in history, reduced to relics of their own heritage.

“Let it be known that IPOB shall resist any attempt—direct or indirect—to impose this toxic expansionist agenda anywhere in Biafraland. No inch of our territory will be given for herder settlements, cattle corridors, or so-called ranching. Our forests, our villages, our farmlands are sacred to us—not bargaining chips in a federal contract of death.

“Let them be transported by rail, just as is done in civilised societies. That’s how a serious nation handles its livestock economy—not by slaughtering indigenous peoples and seizing their homes under the guise of ranching.”

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According to him, no progressive nation erects ranches next to homes, schools, and marketplaces. The fact that this administration cannot comprehend this basic logic is a reflection of its failure, not ours.

“IPOB stands with the Gbagi people and every other indigenous nationality facing existential threats from Fulani neo-colonial conquest dressed up as national policy. Our diversity must be respected, our cultures preserved, and our ancestral lands protected. Let the killings in the name of cows stop. Let the bloodletting cease. Let Nigeria choose reason over ruin,” the statement added.