High Court Grants El-Rufai Access To Medical Facilities

The Federal High Court, Kaduna Division, has granted former Governor Nasir El-Rufai access to medical facilities in Abuja whenever needed.

Mr El-Rufai was arraigned before the court on Wednesday.

“In the course of proceedings, the defence counsel also made a compassionate plea urging the court to direct the Commission to allow the defendant access to medical treatment, specifically for dental and eye care, at designated facilities in Abuja.

“Ruling on this application, the court granted the request and directed the ICPC to convey Mallam El-Rufai, under strict supervision, to medical facilities of his choice, including Mile Dental Clinic and Skipper Eye-Q Hospital, Abuja, whenever the need arises, and to return him to custody immediately after such treatment,” a statement by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s spokesperson, Okor Odey, said on Wednesday.

Eereporter.com
At the previous court hearing, Mr El-Rufai was granted bail of ₦200 million with two sureties in like sum, while the administrative bail earlier granted to the second defendant, Joel Adoga, was adopted by the court.

El-Rufai, ICPC

Wednesday’s proceedings were for the hearing of Mr El-Rufai’s motion seeking a variation of the bail conditions earlier granted by the court.

During the proceedings, Agada Akogwu appeared for the prosecution, while Oluwole Olaniyan led the defence team and adopted the motion to vary the bail conditions. The prosecution counsel, in turn, adopted a counter-affidavit opposing the application.

Following arguments from both sides, the court adjourned the matter until Thursday (today) for a ruling.

ICPC Commenced One-Month Pre-retirement Workshop For Selected Staffs

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced a one-month pre-retirement workshop for selected staff members, as part of efforts to prepare them for a smooth and productive transition into post-service life.

The 2026 workshop, currently being held in Abuja, has fourteen (14) retiring officers participating.

Declaring the workshop open on Monday, the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Clifford Okwudili Oparaodu, DSSRS, congratulated the participants on attaining retirement honourably, noting that such a milestone is worthy of celebration.

He observed that not all public servants are able to complete their careers successfully, citing instances where officers are suspended, interdicted, or dismissed before retirement.

Eereporter.com
According to him, “We have had incidents of people working after four to five years; they are suspended, interdicted and dismissed from service, but yours is not like that. From all I know, you have run a full course, and you are retiring honourably with all your privileges and entitlements. That is something that is worthy of celebration.”

Mr. Oparaodu encouraged the participants to view retirement not as an end, but as the beginning of a new phase of life filled with opportunities.

“I urge you not to look at retirement as the end but see it as the beginning of life. Retirement gives you the opportunity to fend for yourself. Even while in active service, one should always plan ahead for retirement. You do not need so much money to start planning,” he said.

He further advised the retirees to remain active and engaged in order to avoid boredom, stressing that purposeful engagement would provide them with a reliable means of livelihood after service.

“Nobody would like to be weighed down by boredom, but if you actively keep yourself engaged, you will have something to fall back on,” he added.

ICPC

The Secretary also tasked the workshop facilitator to tailor the training modules to reflect the professional background of the participants, particularly their experience in law enforcement and other regimented institutions.

He urged the participants to take full advantage of the training, emphasizing that the knowledge gained would be instrumental in helping them achieve a fulfilling and rewarding retirement.

The pre-retirement workshop is designed to equip participants with essential skills and insights in areas such as financial planning, entrepreneurship, health management, and personal development, thereby ensuring they remain productive and self-reliant beyond their years of service.

Nigerians Cannot Eat GDP Figures, Says ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government’s celebration of Nigeria’s reported GDP growth, describing it as disconnected from the harsh economic realities facing ordinary citizens.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party argued that “people do not eat GDP,” insisting that economic growth is meaningless if it does not translate into lower food prices, job creation, stronger purchasing power, and improved living conditions.

The ADC stated that millions of Nigerians remain trapped in hunger, inflation, unemployment, and rising business costs despite government claims of economic progress, adding that “growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress.”

Eereporter.com
The party urged the government to stop “celebrating statistics” and focus instead on policies that directly improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) rejects the Federal Government’s attempt to use headline GDP figures to whitewash the deep economic suffering Nigerians are currently enduring across the country.

No government should be celebrating economic statistics while millions of its citizens are battling hunger, poverty, collapsing purchasing power, and rising hopelessness.

The reality of the Nigerian economy is not what is written in government presentations. The reality is what Nigerians confront every day in markets, on farms, in factories, in shops, and in their homes.

Food prices are unbearable. Transportation costs have become punitive. Small businesses are shutting down daily under the crushing weight of inflation, energy costs, and weak consumer demand. Salaries have lost value. Families who once lived modestly are now struggling to survive.
Yet this government wants Nigerians to applaud GDP growth figures.

People do not eat GDP.

Economic growth that does not reduce suffering, create jobs, improve incomes, or restore dignity to citizens is empty growth. Growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress. It is economic abstraction disconnected from human reality.

The purpose of governance is not to manage public relations for economic statistics. The purpose of governance is to improve the living conditions of the people.

What exactly should Nigerians celebrate? The fact that food inflation continues to devastate households? That millions of young Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed? That businesses are collapsing faster than new ones are emerging? That more citizens are slipping into poverty despite working harder than ever?

A government that is serious about economic recovery would show humility, acknowledge the pain Nigerians are experiencing, and focus on delivering measurable improvements in living conditions instead of celebrating figures that have no meaning to hungry citizens. The ADC believes that the true test of economic policy is simple: Can Nigerians live better today than they did yesterday?

ADC

For millions of Nigerians, the answer is no.

Nigeria needs an economy that works for ordinary people, not an economy that only looks impressive in presentations to investors and international institutions.

Until growth is felt in the homes of ordinary citizens, through affordable food, stable electricity, decent jobs, lower business costs, and improved purchasing power, this government has no moral basis to declare economic success.

Signed,
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
National Publicity Secretary
African Democratic Congress (ADC)