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APC chieftain commends PDP leadership for successful National Convention
Dr Salihu Lukman, Director-General Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has commended the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the successful conclusion of the party`s National Convention held on Oct 31.
Lukman in a statement on Monday, in Abuja, said credit must be given to leaders and members of the PDP for being able to manage the electoral process to elect new leaders for the party.
He, however, said that the newly-elected PDP leaders should build on the new atmosphere to start a new beginning for the party.
He said this should be based on honesty, respect for one another and recognition that politics was all about negotiations and agreement.
The PGF DG noted that while people were free to disagree with decisions of the majority, such disagreements should respect the rights of the majority to direct how parties, society and nation should be governed.
Lukman explained that when disagreement turned to rebellion, it was either that those who disagreed were not democrats, or they lacked the capacity to negotiate and through negotiations win the support of the majority.
“Ordinarily, the successful conclusion of the PDP national convention should only be celebrated by PDP members.
“However, given the important role, the party has played in orienting politics in Nigeria for 16 years between 1999 and 2015, during which Nigerian politics was made to be opposed to negotiations.
“It is important to acknowledge that the October 30, a national convention is about the first time since 1999 perhaps, that there is some semblance of negotiations to produce leaders of the party.
“Whether in the end, the new leaders will be allowed by the power blocs within the PDP to facilitate negotiations, is completely a different matter,” Lukman said.
He added that the fact that the PDP could elect a young person, below 30 years as its National Youth Leader meant that its leaders had recognised that the old culture of arrogance and impunity must be avoided.
He said this was important especially if they were to win the support of Nigerians, adding that this in itself was a confirmation that once processes were managed democratically, the right results would be achieved.
The PGF DG said Nigerian should wish the PDP, its leaders and members well.
He said it is expected that PDP leaders would build on the successes of the national convention to re-orient their politics based on honesty and respect for one another.
He, however, added that being honest should be about taking responsibility.
According to Lukman, the PDP national convention would have been reduced to window dressing rituals and legitimising the instructions of its kingmakers if it was in power at the federal level.
“Perhaps, everything leading to the PDP national convention happened because there is no serving PDP president acting as the leader of the party.
“Good enough, being out of power, PDP leaders had to respect the democratic process, which raises the hope of especially PDP members that the party is being reformed,” he said.
He noted that while the convention indicated that the PDP was ready to depart from its old ways, many of the speeches of its leaders at the event demonstrated a lack of commitment to take responsibility.
“Almost all the speeches of PDP leaders during the convention were about winning election in 2023 and returning to power.
“Sadly, there is no indication, at any point during the convention, showing how the party intends to solve Nigeria’s challenges.
“Not even a reference by any PDP leader during the convention to any provision of the party’s manifesto, which must have gathered dust in the cabinet of INEC.
“Perhaps, apart from the few founding members of the party, almost all the delegates to the national convention have never seen the manifesto of the PDP,” he said.
Lukman said the APC must use its forthcoming national convention to demonstrate its commitment to change Nigeria, adding that apart from electing leaders, the party`s manifesto should be subjected to amendment debate.
He added that as part of the commitment to change Nigerian politics, APC must commit itself to the unity of Nigeria based on governance initiatives.
He further added that this should be founded on the principles of fairness and equitable access to resources and opportunities by all Nigerians from every part of the country.
He said the APC must, in addition, commit itself to developing the productive potentials of every Nigerian and every part of the country.
“The issue of national development must be oriented based on clear strategies to develop the economy of every part of the country.
“Issues of industrialisation, human capital development through correspondingly aggressively high public and private investment in education and health sectors of the country must be prioritised.
“This should mean that commitment of political leaders to issues of development planning must be strengthened, and the Nigeria public service must be appropriately reformed and rebuilt to manage initiatives for national development,” Lukman stressed.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has issued a directive to all accredited tertiary institutions to verify and upload their students’ data on the newly digitised Student Loan Application System (SLAS).
This was disclosed in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by the Director of Strategic Communications at NELFUND, Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.
According to Oluwatuyi, the SLAS platform has been fully digitised to streamline and accelerate the student loan processing experience for both institutions and applicants.
“With this upgrade, all accredited institutions are now required to request access to SLAS to verify and upload student data related to loan applications,” she said.
She described the move as “a critical step that ensures the timely processing and disbursement of approved student loans.”
Institutions that have not yet been onboarded onto the system, she said, are advised to send an access request to registration@nelf.gov.ng without delay.
“Once granted access, institutions will be able to view a real-time dashboard of their students’ loan applications, verify submitted data, and track the status of each application,” Oluwatuyi explained.
She called on all institutions to take immediate action in the interest of their students, stressing that verification and data upload by institutions are mandatory steps before final approval and disbursement of loans can be completed.
On the students’ side, Oluwatuyi noted that if an application status currently shows “Verified,” it means the application has passed initial checks. However, final approval and disbursement depend on the institutions’ confirmation and data upload.
“Once this process is completed, your status will be updated to ‘Disbursed’ when the payment of your fees has been processed,” she added.
She also encouraged students to reach out to the fund for assistance via email at info@nelf.gov.ng.
Other official communication channels include:
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X (formerly Twitter): @nelfund
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Instagram: @nelfund
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Facebook & LinkedIn: Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND
The Anambra State Police Command has foiled a cult initiation ceremony in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesperson for the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Awka.
According to Ikenga, the operation was carried out by police operatives around 9:30am on June 15, leading to the arrest of six suspects at the scene.
Recovered during the raid were one Jojef pump action gun, two cartridges, and a golden-coloured Lexus SUV with registration number ATN 202 AE. Other items found include two cutlasses, two scissors, a cap bearing the inscription of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, charms, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
“They are currently undergoing police interrogation to get more insight into their modus operandi, after which the case will be charged to court on the conclusion of the investigations,” Ikenga stated.
The police spokesperson reassured residents of the command’s unwavering commitment to fighting cultism and other related crimes across the state.
Headlines
Tinubu Urges United Front on Development as Africa’s Sovereign Wealth Funds Gather in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Monday called for greater regional cooperation and coordinated action among African countries to unlock transformative development across the continent.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Africa Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) in Abuja, the President said sovereign wealth funds must evolve from passive fiscal buffers into proactive tools for continental transformation.
“Our future lies not in working in silos but in pursuing regional cooperation and collective ambition,” Tinubu said while declaring the forum open. “Our sovereign wealth funds must become the anchors for pan-African investment platforms that de-risk projects, standardise processes and deliver sustainable outcomes at scale. This is not just a strategy. This is a necessity.”
The forum, hosted by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), had the theme: “Leveraging African Sovereign Wealth Funds to Mobilise Global Capital for Transformative Development in Africa.”
President Tinubu emphasized the need for Africa to adapt to a rapidly transforming global economy by rethinking investment strategies to close infrastructure gaps, build climate resilience, and create jobs for the continent’s fast-growing youth population.
“Africa faces a development dilemma: limited fiscal space, growing expectations, and urgent demands for long-term capital,” the President noted. “There can be no greater inspiration to re-imagine how we invest in setting up critical infrastructure, strengthening our climate resilience, promoting food security, supporting MSMEs, or embracing digital economy to create jobs and expand opportunity.”
He lauded NSIA as a model institution, describing it as “a catalyst in our national quest” to unlock growth in renewable energy, healthcare, agriculture, and more.
Tinubu added that ASIF provided a much-needed pan-African mechanism for sovereign funds to “share knowledge, co-invest across borders and speak with a unified voice in the global financial ecosystem.”
Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of NSIA, Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the forum was expected to lay the groundwork for African sovereign funds to co-create sustainable investment vehicles capable of attracting global capital.
“We want to strike the right balance between risk-taking and conservative wealth management,” he said. “And we aim to position ourselves as preferred strategic partners for global investors looking for credible exposure in Africa.”
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, highlighted capital mobilisation, cross-border collaboration, and policy alignment as key priorities for driving long-term development across the continent.
President of AfreximBank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, underscored the importance of investing Africa’s sovereign wealth within the continent, stressing that domestic markets must be strengthened to shape Africa’s developmental future.
Chairman of ASIF, Mr. Obaid Amrane, said the forum had made significant strides in its three years of existence and would continue to champion Africa’s global investment positioning.
Delivering a rousing address, renowned Pan-African scholar Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba called on African leaders to prioritise investments for future generations.
“It is an intergenerational duty for political and economic leaders on the continent to cater for unborn generations,” Lumumba said. “Africa’s resources are inexhaustible. The time to invest in our future is now.”
With a convergence of policymakers, development financiers, and investment leaders, the ASIF meeting in Abuja signalled a united determination to rethink Africa’s path to development—driven not by aid, but by African capital working for African progress.
NELFUND Urges Institutions to Upload Student Data for Loan Processing
Police Foil Cult Initiation in Anambra, Arrest Six Suspects
Tinubu Urges United Front on Development as Africa’s Sovereign Wealth Funds Gather in Abuja
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