Today’s Headlines: You’ll Pay In 2027 – Dickson Slams Diri, El-Rufai Is Overrated – Mahdi Shehu

The national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Seriake Dickson, has slammed Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri for surrendering the state to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Dickson made the remark during a political visit to his home state and community, Toru-Orua, alongside the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the Director-General of the NDC National Campaign Council, Mallam Ibrahim Abdulkarim and other party leaders.

He expressed disappointment that Governor Diri has sold a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stronghold to APC for his own selfish political interest ahead of 2027.

“You have surrendered Bayelsa to APC. You have sold Bayelsa to APC and you will pay for it in 2027.

A public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, saying he is overrated, over-pampered and politically expired.

Mahdi made this statement during an interview on Symfoni TV, where he said the appointment of El-Rufai as Deputy Director General of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, is just cosmetics and a media show that will not add any value to the party.

He stated that El-Rufai has lost his political relevance and cannot influence the outcome of the 2027 general elections, no matter the position ADC gives to him.

“El-Rufai has been overrated and over-pampered. His appointment as deputy DG is just cosmetics. He can’t influence the 2027 elections. People have been deeply assaulted by El-Rufai’s inhuman economic policies,” Mahdi Shehu declared.

Gbolahan Olaniyi recounts his horrific experience after he was kidnapped on his farm in Ekiti State. He said his tractor operator, who was also abducted, was killed after his family reportedly failed to raise the ransom demanded by the kidnappers, while his own family was asked to pay ₦15 million for his release.

Olaniyi said that even after his family paid the ransom, he was transferred to another group of kidnappers who demanded additional money. Despite negotiating the second ransom down to ₦2 million, he said they continued to endure unbearable conditions until an opportunity arose for them to escape. He shares how he eventually regained his freedom after the ordeal.

Monica Brown, a fast-rising Nigerian actress, entrepreneur and humanitarian, has recounted how she and her siblings were labelled witches following the death of their father in 2009, a traumatic experience that shaped her commitment to supporting vulnerable children and girls.

Brown, founder of Her Rising Menstrual Health Foundation (HRMHF), shared her childhood experience in a video posted on her Instagram account, calling on the Akwa Ibom State Government to address the stigmatisation and abuse of children accused of witchcraft.

According to her, she was about nine or ten years old when her father died. At the time, she was attending junior secondary school in Cameroon before returning to Nigeria for his funeral.

She said her father’s death was followed by accusations from members of his family, who labelled her a witch and her two younger brothers wizards, alleging that they were responsible for his death.

The House of Representatives has called for a comprehensive regulatory framework for Nigeria’s real estate sector to curb fraudulent practices, protect homebuyers and unlock investment in the country’s housing market.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Habitat, Abdulmumini Jibrin, said the proposed National Real Estate Regulatory Authority would address longstanding institutional gaps, overlapping responsibilities and weak consumer protection that had hindered the sector’s growth.

Jibrin made the call on Monday in Abuja at a stakeholder conference on the proposed National Real Estate Regulatory Authority, with the theme, “One vision, one ecosystem, one National Housing and Real Estate Plan.”

He said an assessment of the sector since he assumed office had shown that Nigeria was yet to harness its enormous housing and real estate potential, largely because of inadequate regulation and the absence of a coordinated national framework.

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