Today’s Headlines: Stop calling me your leader – Fubara tells supporters, bows to Wike; Tinubu seeks Senate approval for $20.52bn, €1.05bn foreign loans

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has made a shocking statement about his political leadership in Rivers State.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Rainbow Coalition’s candidates in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Fubara said those that called him leader during the crises between him and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, should stop henceforth.

This was as he declared Wike as the only leader in the state.

“Those that called me my leader during the crises, please stop calling me my leader, we have a common leader now which is His Excellency Chief Nyesom Wike,” Fubara said.

Recall that the crises in the state led to the declaration of state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025 and lasted till September 2025.

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a fresh external borrowing plan of $20.52 billion and €1.05 billion for 2026 and 2027 to fund infrastructure and development projects across Nigeria.

The request was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary on Tuesday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Tinubu said the proposed loans would support key sectors, including power, transportation, healthcare, agriculture, education, water supply, security and job creation. The funds would also support reforms aimed at improving public financial management.

FirstBank has partnered with Google Pay to enable eligible cardholders to make contactless payments using compatible devices at supported payment terminals worldwide.

The bank announced the integration on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, saying the move would expand customers’ access to digital payment services and provide more convenient ways to pay for goods and services locally and internationally.

The integration allows eligible FirstBank cardholders to add their cards to Google Pay and make payments at supported terminals without physically presenting their cards. Customers can also benefit from faster checkout and security features built into the digital wallet platform.

𝗣𝗧𝗗𝗙 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗨𝗞 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund has called on the United Kingdom to address rising university tuition fees and visa delays affecting Nigerian scholarship beneficiaries, warning that the challenges could undermine access to overseas education despite growing demand for its programmes.

The Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Shu’aibu Aliyu, said the fund had sponsored nearly 15,000 Nigerians for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Nigeria and abroad, with the United Kingdom remaining one of its major academic partners.

Aliyu made the appeal on Tuesday during a high-level bilateral meeting with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Peter Vowles, at the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Kaduna.

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