Today’s Headlines: Obasanjo’s Son Joins Tinubu Must Stay Movement; FG Promotes 17,343 NSCDC Officers

Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has joined the Tinubu Must Stay Movement, pledging to promote President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms and support policy continuity beyond 2027. He announced his decision at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, saying he had been a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2014 and believed government policies should be sustained across administrations.

Olujonwo argued that inadequate communication had allowed misinformation about the Tinubu administration’s policies to spread, citing education loans, industrial development and construction projects as areas requiring greater public awareness. The movement’s leaders welcomed his entry, stressing that policy consistency was important for investor confidence and long-term development. They also pledged to expand the organisation nationwide and encourage Nigerians to assess the administration’s reforms based on evidence and measurable outcomes.

The Federal Government has approved the promotion of 27,624 officers across four paramilitary agencies, with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) recording the highest number of beneficiaries at 17,343. The Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, Maj. Gen. Abdulmalik Jibril (retd.), announced the decision in Abuja on Thursday. The promotions also cover 4,601 officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, 4,097 of the Nigerian Immigration Service and 1,583 of the Federal Fire Service.

Jibril said the promotions were intended to address career stagnation, improve personnel welfare and boost morale across the services. He also disclosed that the board had approved a healthcare policy framework to support officers’ fitness and well-being. In addition, 228 pending disciplinary cases were considered and concluded, with the approved measures communicated to the affected personnel to strengthen discipline and ensure proper conduct.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has endorsed the Nigerian Army’s shift from static defence to mobile offensive operations under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu. In the foreword to a book titled The Shaibu Doctrine: Mission Command and the Remaking of Nigeria’s Army at War, Tinubu said the reforms centred on professionalism, adaptability, combat readiness and resilience, alongside the adoption of technology, improved soldiers’ welfare and stronger military ethics.

The book’s co-author, Dr Muhammed Sani Abubakar, said Shaibu’s leadership philosophy prioritised troop welfare, decentralised decision-making and empowering subordinate commanders to improve operational effectiveness. He also called for greater investment in human intelligence, stronger collaboration with local communities, sustained air support for ground troops and increased use of long-endurance drones to strengthen surveillance and coordination in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has vowed to investigate the boat tragedy in Kula Community, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, which reportedly claimed 10 lives. Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Sunny Ewule, on Thursday, the governor assured residents that anyone found responsible for the incident would face the full weight of the law. He gave the assurance after members of the community staged a peaceful march to the Government House in Port Harcourt to seek the state government’s intervention.

Meanwhile, five bodies have been recovered from the incident linked to the Robertkiri Oil Mining Lease 25 facility, according to Kula community leader Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe. He said the community approached the governor to formally report the tragedy and seek justice, stressing that residents did not want to take the law into their own hands. Fubara expressed sympathy to the bereaved families and pledged that his administration would establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

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