Today’s Headlines: Nigerians Are Suffering — Primate Ayodele; Obasanjo’s Verdict on Tinubu’s Reforms

Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has knocked the Federal Government over the level of hardship in Nigeria.

In a video statement circulating on Sunday, Ayodele said everything is not going well under the current government and that Nigerians are in serious pain.

“Everything is not going well in Nigeria under this government. Nigerians are in serious pain,” he said.

He lamented rising school fees, high market prices, persistent insecurity and hardship.

The 13th edition of the Financial Times Africa Summit brought together African and international leaders, policymakers, business executives, investors and other influential stakeholders to discuss the continent’s economic prospects, investment opportunities, political leadership and development challenges. This year’s high-profile gathering featured such eminent personalities as Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama; Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; Kirsty McNeill, the UK minister for international development; Taiwo Oyedele, Nigeria’s minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, among other distinguished participants.

I also attended the event as a senior media professional, where, before a distinguished international audience, I witnessed former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo lay bare Nigeria’s economic predicament under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. What struck me was not merely the bluntness of his remarks but also the agreement they attracted from many of the dignitaries present. Obasanjo had articulated what millions of Nigerians have been saying at home: the country is in distress, and the Tinubu administration has yet to convince them that its economic reforms are delivering meaningful relief.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said nine Nigerians were arrested while 53 electronic devices were seized in a recent operation targeting international cybercriminal networks in Nigeria.

The operation, conducted under Operation Blackout, also led to the identification of $11 million in funds potentially subject to freezing across multiple countries, FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed in a post on his official X handle on Monday.

However, Patel did not disclose the identities of the nine suspects, the specific locations where they were arrested or the countries in which the $11 million in potentially freezable funds was identified.

Patel thanked Nigerian law enforcement agencies and the FBI’s partners in London for their collaboration, adding that the United States would continue pursuing cybercriminals operating from overseas.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described the reported distribution of luxury sport utility vehicles to All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leaders as an insult to Nigerians grappling with hunger and rising living costs.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, called on President Bola Tinubu and the Presidency to explain the source of funding for the vehicles, reportedly 2026 models valued at more than N150m each.

In a statement on Monday issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku questioned the reported donation of the vehicles by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, saying Nigerians deserved to know who paid for them.

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