Tinubu sacks Finance, Housing Ministers

 

President Bola Tinubu has approved a minor reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), resulting in the exit of two ministers and the appointment of new replacements.

 

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and signed by George Akume.

 

According to the statement, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, have been directed to leave the cabinet.

Edun is to hand over to Taiwo Oyedele, who has been elevated from his position as Minister of State in the ministry to assume the role of substantive Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

 

In the housing sector, Muttaqha Rabe Darma has been named as ministerial nominee and minister designate for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, while Dangiwa has been directed to hand over to the Minister of State pending further processes.

 

The SGF stated that all handing-over procedures must be concluded on or before the close of business on April 23, 2026.

 

Explaining the rationale behind the reshuffle, Akume said the changes were designed to “strengthen cohesion and synergy in governance” and to enhance the delivery of economic benefits to Nigerians in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

 

He added that the President acted within the powers conferred on him by Sections 147 and 148 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

 

Tinubu expressed appreciation to the outgoing ministers for their service to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours.

 

The President also assured members of the cabinet that efforts to reinvigorate government operations would be an ongoing process.

 

The reshuffle is seen as part of broader efforts by the administration to recalibrate its economic team and improve policy execution amid ongoing reforms.

Authority.

FG to arraign retired General, ex-minister, five others for alleged 2025 coup plot

The Federal Government will on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, arraign seven persons, including a retired major general and a former minister of state, for an alleged 2025 plot to overthrow the Nigerian state.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed a 13-count charge of treason, terrorism, and money laundering before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, was entered April 20 by Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.

Named in the charge are retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani. Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva is listed as “at large.”
Prosecutors allege the group conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.

The FG further claims the defendants knew of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but “did not give the information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President or a Peace Officer.” A related count says they “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”

Beyond treason, the charge invokes the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The AGF alleges the defendants “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism” and that Inspector Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru attended meetings “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure” of Nigeria.

The charge also cites suppression of intelligence: the defendants allegedly “had information which would be of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism but failed to disclose the information to the relevant agency as soon as practicable.”

Financial counts under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, allege terrorism financing. Bukar Goni is accused of retaining N50 million “which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing.” Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.

Zekeri Umoru is accused of accepting a N10 million cash payment “without going through a financial institution” and retaining another N8.8 million suspected to be terrorism proceeds. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim allegedly took possession of N1 million linked to the scheme.

The prosecution describes the case as “a coordinated network involving security personnel, civilians, and a politically exposed individual, allegedly connected to activities threatening national security.”

The arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday before Justice Abdulmalik in Abuja. No plea has been entered.
The ConclaveNG

Nigerian Navy intercepts, rescues 3 suspected stowaways in Lagos

 

 

The Nigerian Navy, through personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, has successfully intercepted and rescued three suspected stowaways aboard the merchant vessel MSC STELLA (IMO No. 9279988) off the Lagos Fairway Buoy, in a continued demonstration of its Search and Rescue (SAR) and maritime security commitment.

 

This is contained in statement signed by Group Captain A. A. Folorunsho, Nigerian Navy’s Director of Information on Monday.

 

The operation, according to the statement, followed credible intelligence received from the Western Regional Control Centre (WRCC), at about 5:05 p.m. on Sunday, 19 April 2026. Acting swiftly, the Quick Response Team (QRT) of NNS BEECROFT, stationed at Tarkwa Bay, was immediately deployed to the vessel’s location. The team successfully rescued the three suspects approximately five nautical miles off the Lagos coastline.

 

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects illegally boarded the vessel at about 1:00 a.m. on Friday, 17 April 2026, while it was berthed at Tin Can Island Port. The individuals identified as Aguru Michael (27), a national of the Benin Republic; Soye Monday (25), from Ondo State; and Kentobou Peter (22), from Delta State, reportedly intended to stow away to Europe.

 

“This recent rescue effort exemplifies the Nigerian Navy’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives at sea. Building on previous successful SAR missions—such as the rescue of seven individuals after the collision involving a Tantita Patrol boat and a wooden vessel in Bayelsa, and the rescue and handover of three foreign stowaways aboard MT ANATOLIA in March 2026—the Navy continues to demonstrate its robust operational tempo in countering irregular migration and ensuring maritime safety across Nigeria’s waters.”

 

The statement also disclosed that the “suspects are now in the custody of NNS BEECROFT, where they are undergoing thorough investigation and administrative processing in line with established laws.

 

“The Nigerian Navy reaffirms its dedication to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain and maintaining effective Search and Rescue operations to combat illegal activities within the country’s territorial waters.

 

“Please find attached photos and you are kindly requested to disseminate the information to the general public. Thank you for your cooperation,” it concluded. Globalupfront.

JAMB releases more UTME results 

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released additional results from the ongoing 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), covering candidates who sat for the test on its second and third days.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, the Board’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, advised affected candidates to check their results using their registered phone numbers.
The statement read: “The results of candidates who sat the examination on Friday, 17 April and Saturday, 18 April 2026 have now been released. A total of 1,264,940 results from these two days are available for candidates to check/view
“To view their results, candidates should send UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 using the phone (SIM)number they used to register for the 2026 UTME..”
Earlier, the Board had made public 632,752 results for candidates who wrote the examination on Thursday, 16 April 2026, bringing the cumulative number of released results to 1,897,692.
About 2.2 million candidates registered for this year’s UTME. Authority.

JAMB releases 2026 UTME first batch results, arrests candidates over AI score manipulation

 

Just about 24 hours after the examination, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the first batch of results for candidates who participated in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

 

Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Spokesman in a statement issued on Friday confirmed the development.

According to him, 632,788 candidates who sat for the examination on Thursday can now access their results.

 

Candidates, the statement added, are required to send “UTMERESULT” via SMS to either 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number used during registration to check their scores.

 

The statement added that only result-viewing is currently available, noting that printing of result slips has not yet been activated.

 

The Spokesman also explained that the UTME exercise is still ongoing, adding that results will continue to be released in batches as marking and processing of scripts progress.

 

The Board issued a strong warning against attempts to manipulate or falsify examination scores and also cautioned candidates against editing SMS messages received from official platforms to misrepresent their results to parents, guardians, or third parties.

 

The Board disclosed that arrests have already been made. “Two candidates and one parent are currently in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means,” the statement disclosed.

 

JAMB urged candidates to rely only on official channels for result verification and maintain honesty throughout the admission process, reiterating its commitment to ensuring a credible and transparent admissions system in Nigeria. Sunrisereporters.

PHOTO NEWS

Middle: Hon Minister state Petroleum Resources (Gas,) Rt. Hon Ekprikpe Ekpo, ALGON National President Hon Engr Bello Lawal (right) immediate right, Chief of Staff Marshall Shehu Jega extreme left DG ALGON Barr Mrs Evan Enekwe, Distinguished Senator Alphonsus Ubanesse Lead Consultant to ALGON, Mrs Patience N. Oyekunle; Director in the Ministry and Dr. Ben Nkechika ALGON Consultant on Health Matters during a Courtesy call to the Hon Minister at NNPC Towers Abuja recently

2027 my last presidential contest -Atiku

 

 

Former Vice President and now presidential aspirant on the platform of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar has disclosed that the 2027 presidential election would be his last shot at the office.

Atiku, who began contesting for the presidency of Nigeria since 1993, and made several more attempts for the office, made the disclosure Wednesday night at an interview with Arise TV Primetime.

Responding to a question on how high the stakes of the upcoming election is, considering that he would soon be 80, Atiku retorted,
“Yes, the stakes are higher because I believe that would be my last outing.”
He, however, stated that he considered himself the most popular candidate from the north, stressing that no other northern politician in the race had more block votes than him.

“Can you tell me who among the current leaders in the North have more votes than I have? You are talking of figures like Tambuwal; you are talking of figures like Kwakwanso; the El-Rufais and other emerging political figures. But none of them have got block votes as much as I have got. Kwakwanso has Kano. We concede that to him. Kano is even now split between him and Governor Abba Yusuf,” he declared.
The former vice president disclosed that ADC would rather its presidential candidate emerged by consensus, however, adding that should that fail, they would resort to direct primaries.
“The first option would be to aim for consensus. If we don’t get it, we’ll go for direct primaries,” declared Atiku.

Responding to questions about why Nigerians should still support him after multiple attempts and considering his age, the former vice president argued that Nigeria’s main challenge remains leadership. He stressed that he represents both the young and the old, experience and vision for the country’s future.

He also emphasised the need for leadership development among young Nigerians, noting that the country would benefit from structured training for emerging leaders.

“We have seen various levels of leadership in the country, both young and old, and I still believe our expectations of young leadership are below what we thought. I believe young people require experience and tutelage from the older generation,” he declared. Authority.

2027: Anybody will defeat Tinubu – Galadimma

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Buba Galadimma, has launched a scathing attack on the administration of Bola Tinubu, declaring that the ruling party would face overwhelming rejection in the 2027 general elections.

Speaking at the ADC National Convention in Abuja on Tuesday, Galadimma alleged that opposition parties were being systematically suppressed, warning that such actions could undermine Nigeria’s democratic space.

Galadimma accused the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) of attempting to weaken opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and others.

In one of the most striking moments of his speech, he predicted a crushing defeat for President Tinubu in the next election.

“Even if there is no living human being in Nigeria and we bring a corpse in a coffin and put it against President Tinubu, I assure you that that corpse will win the election in 2027,” he said.

He called on opposition members to remain resolute, stressing that “resilience, boldness, and courage” would be key to resisting what he described as intimidation by those in power.

Galadimma who was a founding member of APC and the force behind the emergence of late President Muhammadu Buhari also in a fiery address, claimed that the convention earlier faced last-minute disruption, alleging that the venue was nearly withdrawn under pressure from authorities.

“Yesterday around 1 a.m., we got a message that this venue that was acquired for this convention was actually cancelled because the owner was threatened… that if he allows us to be here, they will revoke his certificate of occupancy,” he said.

According to him, despite the alleged intimidation, party leaders resolved to proceed with the event.

“My opinion was simply that even if Abuja will burn to ashes today, we will hold this convention in this hall. And so we did,” Galadimma declared, describing the development as a “test of resilience” for the party.

He warned that such incidents could escalate, suggesting that opposition parties might face further restrictions as the 2027 elections approach.

“They may not even allow us to campaign in Nigeria. So it is important that nobody in this country should set the pace on how our political behaviour should be. We must assert ourselves whether they like it or not,” he added. Authority.

Another Army Commander killed by terrorists, Tinubu summons Service Chiefs

 

Few days after the killing of Brigadier-General Braimah Oseni and some soldiers Benisheikh, another Commanding Officer and six soldiers were killed late Sunday night when their vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Monguno both in Borno State.

The latest killing happened just minutes after the unit had successfully fought off a terrorist attack on their position.

 

 

Troops of Sector 3, Joint Task Force (North East), had come under an insurgent infiltration attempt at Charlie 13 location and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to flee.

 

With the area apparently secured, the Commanding Officer (whose identity has not been officially released by the Military authorities) drove forward to assess the situation firsthand.

 

His vehicle hit an IED. He and six of his men died at the scene.

 

The attack was the latest in a string of deadly incidents along the Borno corridor.

 

Just days earlier, coordinated assaults were recorded in Ngamdu and Benisheik, while the military has been conducting sustained airstrikes on ISWAP enclaves in the Jilli axis following intelligence of insurgent buildup in the area.

 

Lt. Col. Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, confirmed the deaths of the Monguno attack on Monday morning.

With additional report by TheConclaveNg)

Pope Leo XIV responds to Trump, says: ‘I am not a politician, I speak of the Gospel’

 

Pope Leo XIV responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statements, saying: ‘I am not a politician, I speak of the Gospel,’ adding that he will “continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace and dialogue.”

Pope Leo, who spoke during the short flight to Algiers, Algeria where he began his African Papal visit, answered questions about the statements of President Trump against him on the Truth Social network, said since he does not see his role as that of a politician, “I do not want to enter into a debate with him.”

The Pope added, “I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused as some are doing. I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue, and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent lives have been lost, and I believe someone must stand up and say there is a better way.”

 

The Pope then renewed the same call with which he began his pontificate: peace. “I say this to all world leaders, not only him [President Trump]: let us end wars and promote peace and reconciliation.”

 

Responding to an American journalist who asked the same question, the Holy Father explained, “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do.”

 

“We are not politicians,” he argued. “We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”

 

President Trump launched a sweeping and deeply personal assault on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, targeting the first American Pope over his criticism of US military action in Iran and Venezuela, an extraordinary public feud between the leader of the free world and the leader of the Catholic Church.

 

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote, in what became the defining line of a tirade that ran to several hundred words and touched on immigration, nuclear weapons, Venezuela, COVID-era church closures and the pope’s brother.

 

Speaking to reporters shortly afterwards, Trump was equally blunt. “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job,” he said, adding, “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”

 

He concluded with a direct instruction to the head of the world’s largest Christian denomination: “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church.”

 

An ongoing message of peace

Peace is one of the guiding themes of this Apostolic Journey to four African nations. This journey, Pope Leo explained, is special for a number of reasons, including that it was meant to be “the first of the pontificate.”

 

He expressed his joy at being able to revisit the land of St. Augustine, who, the Pope said, “offers a very important bridge in interreligious dialogue.” This opportunity to travel to the place where this North African saint served as bishop is a blessing for the Pope, but, he stressed, “also for the Church and for the world, because we must always seek bridges to build peace and reconciliation.”

 

The Pope addressed questions regarding the US President’s statements against him

The Pope addressed questions regarding the US President’s statements against him   (@Vatican Media)

 

He closed his greeting to journalists by highlighting the journey’s overall mission—to continue forward with the “same voice and the same message: what we want to do is promote peace, reconciliation, respect, and consideration for all peoples.”

 

On the ground in Algeria

The papal plane touched down in the capital city of Algiers, and Pope Leo was welcomed by the President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

 

Greeted by rainy weather, the Holy Father went directly into the Salon d’Honneur (Hall of Honor) of the airport, where a young girl in traditional dress presented him with flowers before the Honor Guard performed different anthems. Following the welcome ceremony, Pope Leo had a brief private meeting with President Tebboune.

 

The President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria welcomed the Pope

The President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria welcomed the Pope   (@Vatican Media)

 

After the private audience, the Pope traveled to the Maqam Echahid (Martyrs’ Memorial) for his first stop during the three-day visit to Algeria.

 

Written with reports from Vatican News

Culled from Globalupfront.