Today’s Headlines: Jonathan sends strong message to Tinubu, governors; Tinubu: I’ll defeat poverty

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has sent a strong message to President Bola Tinubu, state governors and other political leaders in the country.

In a statement posted on his verified X handle on Thursday to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, Jonathan charged Nigerian leaders on absolute responsibility and deeper patriotism.

According to him, for Nigeria to realise its bright future, leadership must rise to the occasion.

“We must confront our pressing social and economic challenges by prioritizing personal sacrifice, good governance, accountability, and strict adherence to the rule of law.

“Let us remain dedicated, showing greater commitment and sacrifice in national service to build a truly peaceful, secure, and equitable nation for ourselves and the generations ahead,” he said.

The ex-Nigerian leader also urged the youths and every citizen to maintain hope, show courage, and work with faith toward a better country that guarantees a prosperous future for generations to come.

President Bola Tinubu says his administration will defeat poverty in Nigeria, but doing so will take time.

Speaking during his Independence Day broadcast on Thursday, the president said eradicating poverty would require collective discipline, sustained growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.

“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it. It will take time,” he said.

“It will require discipline. It will require sustained growth year after year and the creation of millions of productive opportunities across our country.”

In April, the World Bank estimated that 63 percent of Nigerians lived below the national poverty line in 2025.

The bank said poverty remains high, noting that its estimates for 2024 and beyond are projections based on data from the 2018/19 and 2022/23 National Living Standards Surveys.

Tinubu, however, said his administration had embarked on tackling poverty from a position of strength, having corrected the fundamental direction of the economy.

“We confronted the difficult choices we faced and have laid the foundations for lasting prosperity,” he said.

“Rather than fail the promise of a better future for our children, the time has come for us to build that future.”

The president said the reforms initiated by his administration had done their work and that the country has entered an era of prosperity.

“We have travelled through difficult years together. We have made hard decisions together. And now, still together, we must build the country that those decisions have made possible,” Tinubu said.

“I believe deeply in what lies ahead. I believe in the millions of ordinary men and women whose work, courage and determination have always been the true strength of our country.

“The road ahead will still demand much from us. But we now travel it with firm footing, a clear direction, and renewed hope in our collective future.

“Nigeria has corrected its course. We have passed through our own Red Sea. This is not the time to look back. Let us go forward together, with faith in ourselves, faith in our country, and faith that the sacrifices we have made will yield their reward.”

Tinubu said the ultimate goal is to build a country of abundance and opportunity, where prosperity is broadly shared and every child can aspire beyond the circumstances of their birth.

“The Promised Land before us is a Nigeria of abundance and opportunity; a nation where prosperity is broadly shared, where every child can dream beyond the circumstances of his birth, and where our country’s immense promise is finally reflected in the lives of our people,” he said

Tech billionaire Elon Musk will make a return to officially advising US President Donald Trump’s government by co-leading what the Pentagon called a study on the future of war.

Musk served as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before departing in May 2025, having publicly fallen out with Trump.

In a speech at the Quantico military base, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said “Project Meridian” will be “an effort led by America’s best minds to study the future of warfare”.

“We are leveraging a unique source of American advantage, one our adversaries do not have: our innovators, our senior leaders and our technologists,” Hegseth said.

Musk will be a co-leader of Project Meridian alongside Palmer Luckey, the 34-year-old co-founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries, and Newt Gingrich, the 83-year-old Republican former House speaker.

Musk threw his support behind Trump and helped his return to the White House, but the men later had a high-profile blow-up over the president’s spending legislation.

He later resumed giving to Republican causes, including multimillion-dollar donations to individual candidates and conservative political groups.

Hegseth said the project’s purpose is to “creatively look to the future and identify the domains that we must conquer and capabilities we must master”.

Project members will include hand-picked private sector leaders and subject matter experts from across the innovation, academic and policy ecosystems.

Hegseth said he has directed Project Meridian’s findings to be completed and submitted within 120 days.

Troops of Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have rescued five abducted women, including a mother and her infant, during an operation in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

A military source said the troops acted on intelligence about the movement of terrorists around the Madaci Forest area and swiftly mobilised to intercept them through tactical manoeuvres.

According to the source, the military operation caused confusion among the terrorists, creating an opportunity for the troops to safely rescue the victims.

The rescued victims, comprising a mother and her infant, as well as three other minors and young adults, were identified as being from Danja and Funtua Local Government Areas.

The victims were subsequently handed over to the Chairman of Bakori LGA, Abubakar Musa, for reunification with their families.

The troops have meanwhile sustained aggressive patrols in the area as part of efforts to dominate the forest and restrict the movement of terrorists and other criminal elements.

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