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El-Rufai Drops Bombshell, Says Nigeria Would’ve Gone If Not Niger Delta

Published

11 months ago

February 24, 2025

Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El_Rufia has raised the alarm that Nigeria was at the moment facing existential threat and that the Niger Delta like the role it played has been the glue holding the country together.

El- Rufai who spoke during a condolence visit to the residence of the late Chief Edwin Clark in Abuja, noted that the nation’s democracy was also in great danger and all people of goodwill must come together to ensure that the it does not implode.

He said that Clark’s leadership role in rallying the people of the Niger Delta together had contributed to the sustainability, growth and development of the country. According to him, if the Midwest region had joined Biafra during the civil war, Nigeria would have gone. According to him, the Mid West could not have played that role but for patriotic individuals like the late General Samuel Ogbemudia, Major David Ejoor, Chief Edwin Clark and others.

He said, “Our nation, our democracy is in great danger, it is facing existential threat and Niger Delta has been the glue that has been holding the country together. All people of goodwill must come together to ensure that we have good leadership,”

El- Rufai who urged the people of the Niger Delta to continue with the good work of Pa Clark, affirming that he really played a fatherly role through out his lifetime, said, “think everyone, no one, can dispute that we, as a country, our democracy, our nation are in great danger. And all people of good will need to come together to ensure that we have a leadership that will make this country better for everyone, not just for the people. I think the legacy of E.K. Clark and the work that he has done should remind us all of the importance of being courageous, standing up for justice and risking everything for nigeria.

“I’ve been working on a project to write about the legacies of our six living former Presidents of Nigeria. Nigeria is very lucky. We are the only country in the world with six former presidents, still alive, still active.
And I thought we are not making the best use of their experiences as well as their mistakes.

“So, from January last year, I started research and I reached all the former Presidents and we are working on publishing this book, by the grace of God, by the middle of next year. Because it requires doing several years of research, but then also interviewing the former Presidents and asking them some difficult questions. One of the questions I was going to ask President Babangida was June 12th, he has answered it yesterday but there are more I want to ask him when the time comes.

“Iam happy to say that all the former Presidents have agreed on the project they think is important because we tend to forget what good things our leaders have done, but only remember one or two of their mistakes.
And taking Babangida as an example, people don’t realize that the three largest banks in Nigeria today did not exist before Babangida. It was Babangida that licenced Guarantee Trust Bank, licenced Access, and Zenith Bank. These are the three largest banks in Nigeria. They didn’t exist before Babangida came, but nobody gives them credit.

“So these books that we want to write are to tease out some of this. Nobody gives Vice President Atiku Abubakar the credit for leading the economic policy making under the Obasanjo administration. Many of the things that we heard under the economic team under his leadership; maybe because we don’t write a lot, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget, we only remember negative things.

“I think it’s part of human nature to remember only negative things, to forget positive things. I’m honoured and humbled to come with Vice President Atiku Abubakar to condone this family and commend the works that E.K. Clark has done. And I call on you, as a family and the other family and them, to please continue this good work. The leagacies of E.K. Clark particularly my brother … and we have worked very closely together.

“Let me begin with condolences to the family. I’ve already called the family to condole them because I was not in the country when this happened. And I was very happy when this opportunity presented itself for us to be here.
Chief E.K. Clark was not just an Ijaw leader or Niger Delta leader; he was a father to all of us. I first met him when I returned from exile. By then President Jonathan was Acting President.

“And all persons of goodwill were looking for solutions to stabilize the country and Chief ….called me, and I came to the house and we had discussions, and by the grace of God, the country was stabilized.

“But today, we can only celebrate the contributions of Chief E.K. Clark. Those of us old enough knew when he was the Federal Commissioner then. Its minister this days but was minister of education, based on what he did at the state level as a commissioner. He was a distinguished Nigerian, who fought for justice for everyone. He spoke for justice, and was very vocal and courageous in his convictions.

“He never keeps quiet whenever he sees injustice anywhere and injustice to one is injustice to all, as far as Chief E.K. Clark was concerned. so I have been a regular visitor here and we have worked together on many issues, under the leadership of Chief and as our oga has said, I think the country has lost an icon. May his soul rest in perfect peace, amen!

“May the Almighty God bless all that he has left behind. May his legacies continue, and may all the seeds that he has planted, grow and blossom through the greatness of Nigeria. Despite touching, we hear that the last words that he said, was, I love Nigeria, our Nigeria. I think that is a message that everyone in Nigeria should hear.
For those that want to see Nigeria break up, or engage in violence, or ethnic or religious violence.

“I worked with Ebi on a committee, trying to improve the electricity supply situation, under the leadership of his Excellency, Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo. I was very impressed with his intellect, with his knowledge. He was representing the CBN government. But he was the brain of everything that you’ve seen the CBN did, as far as power sector intervention was concerned.

“And the CBN did a lot. You know, it’s easy to discredit the CBN particularly when Emefiele did because he did other things that we didn’t like. But I took them to court, because of the currency redesign. So we were not the best of friends at the time. But we should also recognize when someone has done something good. And some of the interventions of the CBN government were good. I must admit, you saved the electricity sector in this country and Ebi, very much at the peak of it. So, even if the only contribution, to end this address is to give us for this critical period, I think Nigeria should be grateful for this.”

News

Edo Targets 2.2 Million Children For Measles, Rubella Vaccination

Published

10 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Government says it is targeting about 2.2 million children aged between 0 and 14 years for measles and rubella vaccination across the state.

The Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Eseigbe Efeomon, who disclosed this during stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting in Benin City, said this would be done in collaboration with development partners.

Efeomon, while noting that the vaccination exercise scheduled to hold simultaneously from January 20 to January 30, 2026, across the 18 local government areas of Edo State at designated health facilities and temporary vaccination posts, said the campaign aims to contribute significantly to the reduction of measles and rubella in Nigeria.

He explained that achieving this target requires increased population immunity through sustained vaccination.

Dr. Efeomon stressed that only qualified and certified health workers would be recruited as vaccinators because the vaccines are injectable.

According to him, the vaccination strategy would involve fixed posts and temporary fixed posts, and vaccination cards would be issued to all vaccinated children as proof, which parents and caregivers are advised to keep for future reference.

He added that vaccination teams would visit schools, churches, mosques, markets, motor parks, internally displaced persons’ camps and other public places, while children who receive the vaccine would be finger-marked to prevent double vaccination.

He reiterated that the overarching goal of the campaign is to drastically reduce rubella incidence nationwide and protect children from preventable diseases through effective immunisation coverage.

Also speaking, the World Health Organization Local Government Facilitator, Mr. Ajaero Paul, described measles and rubella as major causes of death and congenital abnormalities among children globally.

He said both diseases are preventable through the measles-rubella vaccine, which he described as safe and effective,

He added that sustained advocacy is critical to reducing child mortality and lifelong disabilities.

On his part, UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Health Officer, Yakubu Suleiman, emphasised that the measles-rubella vaccine is safe and effective for all children aged nine months to 14 years.

He stated that the government has fully paid for the vaccines, making them available at no cost to all eligible children in government health facilities across the state.

Suleiman explained that vaccination not only protects individual children but also safeguards communities from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella.

He added that even children who had previously received the measles vaccine should still be given the measles-rubella vaccine and appealed to schools and other key stakeholders to support the campaign to ensure that no child is left behind.

News

Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria Over $17.8m For Supplied Electricity – NERC

Published

5 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Nigeria’s electricity regulator has disclosed that three neighbouring countries, Togo, Niger and Benin, are indebted to Nigeria to the tune of $17.8 million, equivalent to more than N25 billion at prevailing exchange rates, for power supplied under bilateral electricity agreements.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, made this known in its Third Quarter 2025 report, which reviewed market performance within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI.

According to the report, the international customers were billed a total of $18.69 million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the third quarter of 2025. However, only $7.125 million was paid, leaving an unpaid balance of $11.56 million for the period under review.

NERC also revealed that the same international offtakers had outstanding legacy debts amounting to $14.7 million from previous quarters. Of this amount, $7.84 million was settled, leaving a residual balance of $6.23 million.

When combined with the Q3 2025 shortfall, the total outstanding debt stood at $17.8 million, which translates to about N25.36 billion at an exchange rate of N1,425 to one US dollar.

The regulator identified the international electricity customers as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin Republic, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger Republic.

NERC stated that the three utilities collectively paid just $7.125 million against the $18.69 million invoice issued for electricity supplied in the third quarter, resulting in a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent.

This meant that more than half of the billed amount remained unpaid at the close of the quarter.

The commission explained that the electricity exported to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered through cross-border bilateral power supply arrangements.

By contrast, NERC reported a stronger payment performance among domestic bilateral customers. According to the report, local customers paid N3.19 billion out of the N3.64 billion invoiced for the same quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.

The regulator further noted that some bilateral customers, both international and domestic, made additional payments to offset outstanding invoices from earlier quarters.

Specifically, the Market Operator received $7.84 million from international customers and N1.3 billion from domestic customers in settlement of previous obligations.

Beyond bilateral transactions, NERC disclosed that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted a total of N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in the third quarter of 2025. This was out of a cumulative invoice of N400.48 billion, translating to an overall remittance performance of 95.21 per cent.

The commission said the figures were derived from reconciled market settlement data submitted as of December 18, 2025, as part of its statutory evaluation of the commercial health and performance of the electricity market.

News

Expert Identify Foods That Increase Hypertension Medication’s Effectiveness

Published

12 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Hypertension remains one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide, contributing significantly to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive drugs, long-term control of high blood pressure is often challenging because of drug resistance, side effects, and poor adherence.

This has fueled growing scientific interest in complementary strategies that can enhance drug efficacy while minimising toxicity. One promising approach is the combination of conventional antihypertensive medications with herbs and spices in many kitchens.

Recent evidence suggests that augmenting modern antihypertensive drugs with foods rich in p-coumaric acid, a naturally occurring phenolic acid, may offer a novel and effective strategy for blood pressure control.

Phenolic compounds, commonly found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and blood vessel–protective properties.

In a study, researchers investigated the combined effects of lisinopril, a widely used antihypertensive drugs and p-coumaric acid on hypertension.

They reported in the Comparative Clinical Pathology that p-coumaric acid enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

The study used an established animal model in which hypertension was induced in rats through oral administration of L-NAME, a compound known to suppress nitric oxide production and raise blood pressure.

Following the induction of hypertension, the animals were treated for 14 days with p-coumaric acid (at two different doses), lisinopril alone, or a combination of both.

Untreated hypertensive rats showed significantly elevated activities of key enzymes linked to high blood pressure such as ACE, arginase, acetylcholinesterase, and phosphodiesterase-5 along with increased lipid peroxidation, an indicator of oxidative stress. At the same time, levels of nitric oxide, a critical molecule for blood vessel relaxation, were markedly reduced.

By contrast, rats treated with a combination of lisinopril and p-coumaric acid experienced notable improvements. Blood pressure was better controlled; harmful enzyme activities were reduced, oxidative stress declined, and nitric oxide levels increased. These improvements were mirrored in the tissues the heart compared with untreated hypertensive animals.

They said that the findings suggest that p-coumaric acid may enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

This drug–food interaction model is particularly important in the circumstance of long-term hypertension management. Many patients rely on lifelong medication, and strategies that can improve treatment outcomes while reducing side effects are highly desirable.

The study also reinforces the growing recognition that diet is not merely supportive but can be biologically active in disease control.

The use of medicinal plants and plant-based therapies in the management of hypertension is deeply rooted in traditional medicine across many cultures. While such practices have often existed outside conventional healthcare systems, modern scientific research is now providing evidence-based explanations for their effectiveness.

While these findings are based on animal studies and cannot yet be directly translated into clinical recommendations for humans, they open the door to future research on dietary strategies that can safely complement antihypertensive drugs.

Further clinical studies are needed to determine appropriate dosages, safety profiles, and real-world effectiveness.

In the fight against hypertension, the future may lie not only in new drugs, but also in smarter combinations, where medicine and nutrition work together to deliver better, safer outcomes for patients.

Such nutrition to help maintain healthy blood pressure includes garlic, potatoes, walnuts,tomato and tomato products, legumes and citrus fruits (grapefruits and oranges).
(TRIBUNE)