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ADC Presidential Candidate Faults FG Over ₦1.08tn Allocation to Cooperative College
ADC Presidential Candidate Faults FG Over ₦1.08tn Allocation to Cooperative College
Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the Federal Government over the allocation of ₦1.08tn to the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Enugu State, in the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing it as evidence of “a blueprint to defraud Nigerians.”
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Atiku’s reaction followed an analysis of the 2026 budget by civic technology organisation, Tracka, which reportedly revealed that the Federal Cooperative College was designated to execute 2,791 capital projects spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tracka, a public accountability initiative of BudgIT, monitors government budgets and tracks the implementation of public projects across Nigeria.
Its budget analyses have, over the years, highlighted irregular project allocations, questionable implementing agencies and concerns over transparency in public expenditure.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku commended Tracka for uncovering what he described as one of the most troubling examples of budget distortion under the present administration.
According to Atiku, the revelation contradicts the Federal Government’s repeated claims of fiscal discipline at a time Nigerians are bearing the burden of subsidy removal, multiple tax increases and rising public debt.
“Nothing exposes the hollowness of that claim more than a budget that turns a federal cooperative college into one of Nigeria’s largest project-implementing agencies,” he said.
He questioned the rationale behind assigning thousands of projects worth over one trillion naira to an institution established primarily for cooperative education.
He noted that the projects reportedly include roads, drainage systems, solar streetlights, markets, football pitches, dialysis centres, ambulances, water schemes, recycling plants and empowerment programmes across the country.
He demanded answers from the Federal Government on the legal basis for the arrangement.
“Who decided that a cooperative college should become one of Nigeria’s biggest ministries by stealth? Under what law was it transformed into the implementing agency for 2,791 projects? Who nominated these projects, who approved them, who will supervise them, and who will be held accountable?” he asked.
Atiku argued that the disclosure casts doubt on the credibility of the 2026 budget and undermines the administration’s narrative of responsible economic management.
“This government operates a medieval financial system in which the national treasury is treated as the personal purse of the ruler—available to be spent, diverted or dispensed at will, with little regard for transparency, accountability or the public interest,” he noted.
He further added that a government asking citizens to endure economic hardship while claiming there is no money cannot justify channeling such a massive allocation through an institution that, in his view, lacks both the statutory mandate and institutional capacity to execute projects of that scale.
“A government that plans to spend ₦1.08tn through a cooperative college cannot claim to be fighting waste or promoting fiscal discipline. It looks less like governance and more like a blueprint to defraud Nigerians,” he stated.

Atiku
The former vice president maintained that the revelations warrant serious public scrutiny and renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability in the implementation of the federal budget.
The controversy comes amid sustained criticism of constituency and special intervention projects contained in recent federal budgets, with transparency advocates repeatedly raising concerns about the use of agencies with limited mandates to implement projects outside their statutory responsibilities.
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News
Davido: I’m a Die-Hard Cristiano Ronaldo Fan, we Chat Regularly
Davido: I’m a Die-Hard Cristiano Ronaldo Fan, we Chat Regularly
Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has declared himself a dedicated Cristiano Ronaldo fan and claimed that he regularly communicates with the football legend.
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Davido disclosed this during a livestream with content creator and streamer, Carter Efe.
The ‘If’ singer said he supported Portugal to win the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup because of his connections with players in the national team.
“Because I have a lot of friends in the Portuguese team. I want Portugal to win,” Davido said.
When Efe suggested it was because of Ronaldo, the singer replied, “I love Ronaldo, I’m a CR7 fan.”
Davido further claimed that he has ongoing conversations with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, saying in Pidgin English that he talks to the “legend back to back.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, Davido
Efe reacted with visible excitement, repeatedly exclaiming:
“God, I don mad! I don mad! I don mad! I don mad!”
The clip has since circulated widely on social media.
Davido has previously expressed his interest in football and has been seen with several international football stars.
The authenticity of the apparent chat shown during the livestream could not be independently verified.
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News
President Tinubu Approves Pay Rise for 250,000 Armed Forces Personnel
President Tinubu Approves Pay Rise for 250,000 Armed Forces Personnel
President Bola Tinubu has approved salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for Nigeria’s armed forces personnel.
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The pay package that will benefit approximately 250,000 personnel and take effect from September 1, 2026, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed in a statement signed Tuesday.
Onanuga said the graduated structure of the increase scales inversely with rank, with the highest percentage increases going to the most junior personnel.
Under the new arrangement, he said officers above the rank of colonel, Brigadier-Generals, Major-Generals, Lieutenant Generals and Generals, will receive a 30 per cent salary increase.
Personnel ranking from colonel down to warrant officer will receive a 50 per cent increase, while those from private to staff sergeant will receive an 80 per cent increase.
The pay package will raise the annual salary bill for the armed forces from N660 billion to N924 billion, an increase of N264 billion.
The President linked the pay rise directly to the sacrifices personnel continue to make in the fight against banditry, kidnapping and terrorism across parts of the country.
Tinubu said troop welfare and military modernisation would remain a standing priority of his administration.
“Our administration will continue to prioritise troop welfare and modernise the armed forces by providing the weapons and technological tools needed to discharge their duties,” he said.
Tinubu tied the salary increase to his broader philosophy on national security saying, “Our administration believes that no nation can achieve greatness without security. We therefore remain resolute in mobilising all military and law enforcement assets to eliminate security threats and protect the lives and property of all Nigerians,” he said.

President Tinubu
“I urge our servicemen to take our gesture as a sign of our deep appreciation of the services they render to our fatherland.
“Together we shall prevail over the enemies intent on destroying the fabric of our nation,” the President said.
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Awori Renaissance Forum Urges ADC to Relist Lagos Reps Candidate
Awori Renaissance Forum Urges ADC to Relist Lagos Reps Candidate
The Awori Renaissance Forum has urged the leadership of the African Democratic Congress to relist Mr. Olalekan Anjolaiya as the party’s candidate for Alimosho Federal Constituency, saying the move would address the alleged marginalisation of the indigenous Awori people.
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The call was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Coordinator of the Forum, Mr Muraina Ajala.
Ajala said the forum was making the appeal following reports that Anjolaiya, who was initially presented as the party’s candidate, had been disqualified over alleged multiple party registration.
He argued that replacing him with a non-indigene would amount to “a miscarriage of justice” when qualified Awori sons and daughters were available to represent the constituency in the National Assembly.
According to him, relisting Anjolaiya would give the indigenous Awori-speaking people of Alimosho the opportunity to produce a representative and end what he described as years of political marginalisation.
“We are using this opportunity to call on the leadership of the ADC to right the wrong being meted to our son and standard bearer, Hon. Olalekan Anjolaiya, who is the only hope of the indigenous Awori people of Alimosho.
“Our appeal is to the national leadership of the party, particularly the National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, whom we believe has the power to do the needful in this instance.
The forum alleged that Awori-speaking people had consistently been sidelined in the choice of candidates for the constituency despite having qualified sons and daughters capable of representing the area.
It also described Anjolaiya as “a son of the soil,” noting that his contributions to community development had earned him the traditional title of Bobakeye of Igandoland.
“The affected member is known to us and he has contributed so much to the development of Aworiland, particularly his native Igandoland. This has prompted the traditional ruler of Igando, Oba Lasisi Gbadamosi, to recently bestow on him the title of Bobakeye of Igandoland,” the statement said.

ADC
The group further argued that allowing a non-indigene to emerge as the constituency’s representative would amount to “double jeopardy” for the Awori people.
“We are even more concerned that the only time we have been represented by one of us is now by our incumbent representative, Hon. Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, who has been denied a return ticket by the ruling All Progressives Congress. We don’t want our son, Olalekan Anjolaiya, to suffer the same fate, and this is why we are making the clarion call,” Ajala added.
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