News
NMDPRA: Thugs Infiltrate Ahmed-Must-Go Protest
Some hired hoodlums on Tuesday, attacked young protesters in Abuja after infiltrating the peaceful sit-out around the head office of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), in the Central Business District.
The group, under the aegis of Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria, in the series of the week-long rally in Abuja, had converged close to the NMDPRA office, demanding that the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPR, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, be suspended over alleged financial scandal.
The group and several others have consistently accused the NMDPRA boss of diverting over $5 million, allegedly using the same to sponsor four of his children in luxurious foreign schools across different countries.
But no sooner had the protesters successfully addressed the press, than some hoodlums, tripping from the opposite direction of the NMDPRA office, infiltrated the young protesters and wanted to turn the peaceful sit-out to a commotion; but for the wisdom of the leaders of the group, which insisted members should not react but quietly dismiss, to reconvene another day.
Comrade Emmanuel Ogwuche, who addressed the press shortly before the infiltration of the hoodlums, said the youths would continue their peaceful protests until the needful was done.
The group also hammered on allegations of abuse of power and regulatory compromise by Ahmed.
“Engr. Ahmed is at the centre of a massive financial scandal involving the alleged diversion of over $5 million in public funds to bankroll the luxurious foreign education of his children. While millions of Nigerians cannot afford to send their children to basic public schools; while university students in Nigeria face strikes, dilapidated hostels, and unpaid lecturers; one public servant is alleged to have spent our commonwealth to secure elite education for his family in Switzerland and India.
“His four children — Faisal, Farouk Jr., Ashraf, and Farhana — were enrolled in some of the most expensive schools in the world. Institutions with fees that range from $80,000 to $140,000 per year. Schools that only royalty and billionaires can afford. Schools that are as far removed from the average Nigerian reality as the moon is from the earth.
“Schools like Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, European University Montreux, and La Garenne International School. In all, over $5 million is alleged to have been spent over the years on tuition, accommodation, upkeep, and flights. These payments were routed through undisclosed accounts, proxy relatives, and unreported assets — none of which appeared in Mr. Ahmed’s mandatory asset declaration forms.
“This is not just unethical. It is potentially criminal. The law is clear. Public officials must declare all assets. Public officials must not benefit from any advantage that compromises their impartiality. Public officials must not divert public funds or use the privileges of office to enrich themselves or their families. And yet, here we are, faced with overwhelming evidence that points to exactly that.
“We are also aware that Mr. Ahmed’s son, Faisal, was recruited into Oando PLC — a company directly under the regulatory jurisdiction of the NMDPRA. This is a clear conflict of interest. Oando is a regulated entity. Engr. Ahmed is the regulator. His son has no business working in a company whose regulatory fate lies in his father’s hands. The circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that this employment was not accidental. It was likely facilitated by undue influence. This is not acceptable. This is not excusable. This is not defensible,” Ogwuche stressed.
He vowed that the group would not back out until President Bola Tinubu suspends Ahmed, adding that various groups have drawn the attention of the president and all relevant authorities to bring the NMDPRA boss to account, but to no avail.
According to the group, “His (Ahmed) continued presence in office is a threat to reform. A threat to transparency. A threat to every effort to clean up the Nigerian oil and gas sector. His name is now synonymous with allegations of embezzlement, regulatory compromise and abuse of office.
“We say this to Mr. Ahmed directly: you may still have the title, but you have lost the moral mandate. If you believe in integrity, you should resign today. If you believe in justice, you should subject yourself to investigation. If you believe in Nigeria, you should step aside and allow the truth to come out.
“But if you do not resign, then we, the Nigerian people, must make it clear: we will not accept your continued stay. We will not allow the NMDPRA to become a haven for elite impunity. We will not let this matter die in silence.”
Although no serious injury was recorded, the group said some of its members were wounded, adding that no amount of intimidation could deter the youth from asking questions about what befalls their common patrimony.
Thisdaylive.com
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged winner of the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election in Kano state
The returning officer, Professor Muhammad Waziri of Bayero University, declared Garba Ya’u Gwarmai of the APC winner with 31,472 votes
Waziri defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Ali Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured victory in the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election held in Kano state.
Announcing the results on Sunday morning, August 17, the returning officer (RO), Professor Muhammad Waziri from Bayero University, declared APC candidate Garba Gwarmai the winner with a total of 31,472 votes.
He defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes, according to The Punch.
The supplementary poll was conducted after the initial election in the constituency was declared inconclusive. With a margin of 3,541 votes, Gwarmai’s victory marks a key win for the APC as the party continues to reinforce its influence across the state.
Meanwhile, the NNPP won the Bagwai/Shanono state assembly by-election in Kano state.
Daily Trust and Vanguard noted this update.
Announcing the result at 12:36 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, the RO for the election, Prof. Hassan Adamu Shitu, declared the NNPP candidate, Ali Hassan Kiyawa, winner with 16,198 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Kadamu, who polled 5,347 votes.
Former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is performing well but lacks an effective communication strategy to relay its achievements to Nigerians.
Aliyu made the statement on the Thursday edition of Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’, while reacting to the outcome of a recent public accountability session held in Kaduna.
Aliyu, reflecting on the discussions at the Kaduna Forum, said the government is facing public dissatisfaction not because it hasn’t delivered, but because it is failing to tell its own story effectively.
The ex-governor said it is proper for political leaders in the North to make demands from Tinubu’s administration since the bulk of the votes that took power came from the region.
“Let the people understand what is happening on the ground. If by what we say that 63/64 percent of the vote came from the north, it is only logical that the north will be expecting so much from the government.
“But from what we have seen so far is that the government is doing well but they do not know how to communicate very well,” he said.
News
New Twist As El-Rufai Snubs ADC, Announces Another Party To Vote In Kaduna Bye-Election [ Video Trends]
Former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, appeared to have taken a reverse from the coalition’s adopted political platform, ADC
This is as the former governor took to social media and asked the people of Zaria, Chikun to vote for another party in the Saturday, August 16 (today), bye-elections in the constituencies in Kaduna
Recall that the former governor recently visited Sokoto to canvass support for the ADC, while criticising President Bola Tinubu and the APC government.
Click to watch El-Rufai’s video here
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) August 14, 2025
Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, has fueled speculations that he dumped the recently adopted coalition political platform, African Democratic Congress (ADC), as he called on the people of Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency and Zaria Kewaye and Basawa state constituency to vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, in a dramatic turn, the former governor urged the people of Zaria and Chikun to vote for the SDP in the Saturday, August 16, by-election, a poll which was meant to test the opposition’s strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recall that El-Rufai defected to the SDP after dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but soon after joining the party, the SDP fell into a leadership crisis, and the former governor has been silent on his membership and allegations against him.
El-Rufai recently visited Sokoto on a mission to gather support for the ADC. He described his action as a patriotic one to rescue Nigeria from the grip of ‘nepotism’ and ‘incompetence’.
During his visit to Sokoto, the former governor attended two important events meant to sensitise the people and political stakeholders working to achieve the agenda of sacking President Tinubu and the APC in the next general election.
During his address at the event, the former governor lambasted the ruling party and called them ‘a failed, clannish, and visionless administration that has plunged Nigeria into deeper socio-economic misery’.
He declared that it was time for Nigerians to rise against the APC and accused the party of ‘broken promises and elite conspiracy’. He warned that any move to vote for the APC beyond 2027 would be a greater doom for the country.
However, in a sharp turn, the former governor, in a video posted on his social media page ahead of the by-election, urged the people in the constituencies where the poll will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, August 16, to vote for the SDP rather than the ADC he went to Sokoto to canvass for.
“I Don’t Pray My Prophecies Come To Pass” – Primate Ayodele Drops Shocking Message [VIDEO]
BREAKING: Winner Emerges In Kano Bye-Election As APC, NNPP Lock Horns
BREAKING: ADC Claims Victory Against APC In Kaduna Bye-Election
-
Lifestyle2 weeks agoJAPA TO HELL: ‘I Sold My Father’s House For ₦45Million To Relocate To Canada Because Of Bad Government, One Year After I’m Still Jobless’
-
News1 week ago2027 Election: Work Against North If Obi Can’t Become President, Archbishop Tells Igbos
-
News2 weeks agoWinner Emerges As AI Predicts 2027 Presidential Election Between Tinubu, Obi, Atiku (See Result)
-
Lifestyle2 weeks ago4 Wives, 300 Cars, 38 Private Jets And Gold Boats: Meet The Richest King In The World
-
News1 week ago2027 SHOCKER! New Prophecy Reveals On Peter Obi’s Joint Ticket With Atiku
-
Politics1 week agoPrimate Ayodele’s Prophecy On Jonathan’s Running Mate For 2027 Election Resurface
-
News1 week ago2027 Election: Jonathan, Peter Obi Deal Revealed
-
Lifestyle6 days agoVIDEO: Mixed Reactions As Pastor Abel Damina Drops BOMBSHELL On Marrying Two Wives As Christian