NAF Deepens Strategic partnership With Ministry Of Women Affairs To Advance Women Empowerment And National Development

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting women empowerment, gender inclusion and sustainable national development through strategic partnerships and people-centred initiatives.
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This was underscored during a courtesy visit by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, represented by the Chief of Civil-Military Relations, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, to the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.

Speaking during the engagement, the Chief of the Air Staff highlighted the vital role of women in nation-building, peacebuilding and socio-economic development, noting that the visit sought to strengthen collaboration in support of women and vulnerable groups across the country.

He reiterated the NAF’s commitment to impactful civil-military initiatives and to creating opportunities that enhance women’s participation in leadership, education, entrepreneurship and skills development. He further emphasised that strategic collaboration would enable targeted interventions for women in conflict-affected communities, strengthen advocacy against gender-based violence and build more resilient communities.

In her remarks, the Honourable Minister commended the NAF’s sustained contributions to peace, security and community development, as well as the people-centred leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff.

NAF, Ministry Of Women Affairs

She welcomed the proposed partnership and expressed the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives aimed at empowering women, protecting vulnerable groups and advancing gender-responsive development.

Both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to developing impactful programmes that will promote social inclusion, strengthen community resilience and contribute to sustainable national development.
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NiDCOM Boss Hails Australia’s 50 Years Of Culture

Culture, according to Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, is the bedrock upon which nations are built. The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) made this case on the strength of Australia’s example, commending the country for five decades of honouring its Indigenous peoples through NAIDOC Week.
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Speaking as special guest of honor,at a reception hosted by the Australian High Commission in Abuja to mark the 50th anniversary of the celebration, Dabiri-Erewa said she was honoured to stand alongside Australia in recognising the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“As Chairman of NiDCOM, I come not just as a representative of the Nigerian Government, but as a sister from another part of the world that also understands the power of resilience, culture and community,” she said.

An exhibition on display at the event struck a personal chord. Dabiri-Erewa noted that many of the photographs reminded her of her own heritage, reflecting experiences shared by Indigenous communities the world over.

She pointed to the word “Deadly”, which in Aboriginal English means strong, proud and excellent, as capturing the true weight of the fifty year milestone being marked.

Australia, she said, had proven a simple truth: a nation that honours its roots strengthens its future.

“The way Australia has created space to celebrate First Nations culture, language and leadership is something we admire. It teaches us that nation building must include everyone and that the wisdom of First Peoples and ancestral communities is invaluable national capital,” she said.

Nigeria, home to more than 250 ethnic groups and a wealth of indigenous traditions, shares that same diversity, she added.

“Without culture, you are empty. When you lose your culture, you lose everything,” she said.

Turning to this year’s theme, Dabiri-Erewa said it spoke directly to the next generation, pointing to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professionals already making their mark in law, healthcare, technology, the arts and sports. She drew a parallel with young Nigerians in the diaspora, who continue to excel globally while holding fast to their cultural identity.

“Our responsibility as leaders is to clear the path for them to thrive,” she said.

The Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Leilani Bin Juda, also speaking at the event said the relationship between the two countries reaches beyond trade and diplomacy into shared values, cultural exchange and lasting people to people ties.

Diplomacy, she said, is conducted not only through governments and institutions but through culture, conversation and human connection.

“Nigeria and Australia are very different countries in many respects, but we share an understanding of the importance of culture, community and identity,” Bin Juda said.

Both nations, she noted, are shaped and enriched by remarkable diversity, with traditions, languages and histories that continue to define their national character. She added that Australia and Nigeria enjoy a warm and growing friendship, built on mutual respect, trade, investment and cooperation across several sectors.

Dabiri-Erewa

The reception included a screening of Gurrumul, an acclaimed Australian documentary on the life of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, the late Indigenous Australian singer songwriter who was born blind and remains Australia’s most commercially successful First Nations artist.

NAIDOC Week is an annual celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with this year marking its 50th anniversary.

E-Signed.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun
Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols
Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM)
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N10million Damages: EFCC Appeals Judgment Against Agunloye

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, against the judgment of Justice Peter Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja, finding it liable for defaming former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye over a social media publication of an alleged $6billion Mambilla Power Project fraud.
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The Notice of Appeal was filed on Friday, July 10, 2026 by counsel to the EFCC, Wahab Shittu, SAN.

In the appeal contained in Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/1199/2024, the EFCC expressed dissatisfaction with the “whole of the judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sitting at Maitama, Abuja, Coram: Hon. Justice Peter O. Kekemeke, delivered on the 8th day of July, 2026….”

Specifically, the appeal was hinged on 11 grounds and four different orders. The orders the Commission is seeking in the appeal, are orders allowing the appeal, setting aside the whole of the judgment, dismissing Agunloye’s claim before the trial court in entirety and any other order the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the appeal.

Justice Kekemeke had declared in his judgment that the EFCC’s publication on Agunloye was false, defamatory and injurious to the former Minister’s reputation and awarded N10 million in damages against the Commission.

EFCC

Shittu, in the appeal, also filed a stay of execution of the judgment of the trial court.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal.
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