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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ICPC Lagos Instills Ethical Vigilance In Medical College Staff As Anti-Graft War Intensifies

In a determined push to fortify Nigeria’s public institutions against the creeping menace of corruption, the Lagos State office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) convened a comprehensive sensitisation programme for staff of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) in Ijanikin, Lagos.
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The initiative, which drew participation from college personnel, forms a crucial pillar of the Commission’s preventive strategy; building corruption-resistant institutions through sustained public education and stakeholder engagement, rather than merely responding to infractions after they occur.

Delivering a stirring presentation on the Whistleblowing Policy and an Overview of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, Mrs. Yvonne William-Mbata underscored whistleblowing as an indispensable weapon in the nation’s anti-corruption arsenal. She implored staff to embrace moral courage by reporting acts of misconduct through established channels, assuring them that the policy enshrines robust mechanisms for safeguarding whistleblowers from reprisals or victimisation.

Mr. Emeka Okaro, in his address on the Regulations and Guidelines on the Acceptance of Gifts, Donations and Hospitality, sounded a stern note of caution. He warned that public officers must exercise heightened vigilance in accepting gestures of goodwill that could compromise—or even appear to compromise; their impartiality and professional integrity.

Mr. Okaro dissected the regulatory framework governing such exchanges within the public service, emphasising that strict adherence to these guidelines is not merely procedural but existential. Compliance, he argued, is essential for preventing conflicts of interest and for preserving public trust in government institutions—a currency that, once debased, proves exceedingly difficult to restore.

The session proved far from a passive lecture; participants seized the opportunity to engage dynamically, posing incisive questions and seeking clarification on practical workplace dilemmas surrounding ethical conduct, whistleblowing procedures and the real-world application of anti-corruption statutes.

ICPC

For the NPMCN, a citadel of medical excellence charged with postgraduate training and specialisation, the sensitisation programme represents a timely intervention. As the College moulds the nation’s future medical leaders, ensuring that its own administrative and operational frameworks remain unsullied by corrupt practices is paramount to safeguarding the broader healthcare ecosystem.

The ICPC, through such engagements, continues to demonstrate that the fight against corruption is as much about prevention as it is about prosecution; a dual-front war that demands the active participation of every Nigerian public servant.
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