Compilations of Top 12 key latest happenings that you might have missed this Monday evening, 5th January, 2026
Resign as minister to face Rivers politics, APC scribe tells Wike
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ajibola Basiru, has fired back at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, asking him to resign his ministerial position and focus on what he described as his obsession with Rivers State politics.
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ajibola Basiru.
He said he was unfazed by what he termed veiled threats from the minister, insisting that his political background had prepared him to withstand intimidation.
Basiru had, in an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH, declared support for the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, amid ongoing confrontations between him and Wike.
The APC scribe also cautioned the South-South Chairman of the APC, Victor Giadom, against making derogatory remarks about Fubara or any other governor, stating that members of the National Working Committee of the party should not take sides in any political crisis.
However, Wike, during his “thank-you” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, warned Basiru to steer clear of the state’s politics.
Tinubu nominates Magnus Abe, 20 others to NUPRC, NMDPRA boards
President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Rivers South-East Senator Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, seeking the Senate’s confirmation for him and 20 other nominees to serve on the boards of the two key petroleum regulatory agencies.
In separate letters to the Senate on Monday, the President requested expedited approval for board members of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Abe, who represented Rivers South-East in the Senate for two terms, previously served as a board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and currently chairs the National Agency of the Great Green Wall.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Abe will lead the NUPRC board alongside other non-executive commissioners including Paul Jezhi, a former Trade Union Congress chairman in Kaduna, and Sunday Babalola, a former deputy director of the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources.
New tax regime: What’s true, what’s not
NIGERIA’S fiscal landscape underwent a seismic shift on June 26, 2025, when President Bola Tinubu signed four landmark Tax Reform Bills into law: the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act.
Effective 1 January 2026, these laws consolidate more than 70 fragmented taxes into a unified, progressive system administered primarily by the rebranded Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly the FIRS).
The rationale is to simplify compliance, widen the tax base, curb evasion, and boost revenue for development without overburdening the vulnerable.
Yet social media buzz has bred misconceptions, from “all bank transfers are taxed” to “accounts will be confiscated,” which have created panic among some Nigerians, with some already rushing to withdraw their money from banks.
CIG Motors fires director, refers case to EFCC
A financial scandal has rocked CIG Motors Co. Ltd following the termination of the appointment of its Executive Director, Jubril Arogundade, over allegations of financial misappropriation and abuse of authority.
The company confirmed that the matter has been formally referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation.
In a statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday, CIG Motors announced the immediate termination of Arogundade’s appointment, citing the outcome of an internal investigation.
The company said the decision followed a period of suspension and a “comprehensive internal review” into his conduct while in office.
The automobile company said,
“The findings of the investigation revealed conduct that fell significantly below the company’s governance, compliance, and ethical standards.
“In view of the seriousness of the issues uncovered, management approved the immediate termination of his appointment.”
People will miss Senator Akwashiki, Al-Makura, others mourn
A former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, on Monday described the death of Senator Godiya Akwashiki as a profound and immeasurable loss to Nasarawa State and the nation, saying the National Assembly would deeply miss the late lawmaker.
Al-Makura spoke in Abuja during a condolence visit to the family of the deceased senator, where he reflected on Akwashiki’s political journey, loyalty and commitment to public service.
Akwashiki, who represented Nasarawa North Senatorial District on the platform of the Social Democratic Party in the Senate, died last Wednesday at the age of 52 in an Indian hospital after a prolonged illness
Before his election into the Senate, the late lawmaker served in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, where he rose to become Majority Leader and later Deputy Speaker.
Niger residents flee over fear of possible attacks
Residents of Niger State communities are fleeing their homes in panic over fears of renewed terrorist attacks.
The residents of Agwara and Borgu local government areas in the state alleged that the terrorists have threatened to continue the killings after they left over 40 dead and many others abducted on Saturday.
According to the residents, soldiers of the Nigerian Army deployed to the local governments left the area shortly after arrival, leaving the residents without any security presence.
Some of the villagers from Kwana, the last village of Agwarra local government and Tugan Salama after Papiri, before Gufanti, which is in Borgu Local Government Area, who spoke with our correspondent, lamented the absence of security personnel, saying they received threats and hints that the terrorists were about to attack again.
Resign, stop destabilising our party, APC national secretary tells Wike
National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, has warned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to desist from what he described as attempts to destabilise the party.
He insisted that the minister should “immediately resign” from the President Bola Tinubu administration if he cannot stop interfering in the party’s affairs.
Basiru, in a strongly worded statement issued on Monday in Abuja said his attention had been drawn to what he described as “the tirade of the Minister of the FCT against my person and my office as the National Secretary of the APC,” following his position that “all members of the NWC must accord any sitting Governor his due respect and that the Governors remain the leaders of the Party in their States.
He expressed shock that,
“such an innocuous statement can elicit such uncouth responses from no less than a member of the Federal Executive Council.”
Court jails ex-Lagos director 29 months for N48.9m bank theft
An Ikeja Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced a former Lagos State Education Director, Olawale Faleti, to two years and five months’ imprisonment for stealing N48.9 million from Access Bank.
Justice Rahman Oshodi convicted Faleti, 64, on five counts of stealing, after finding him guilty of charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering judgment, Oshodi held that Faleti’s actions were calculated, noting he made repeated withdrawals in spite of knowing he lacked authorisation.
2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day: Sanwo-Olu gifts N100m, houses, others to Nigeria legion
Lagos States Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has donated the sum of ₦100 million, four units of two-bedroom apartments in Ajara, and two pick-up utility vehicles to the State Council of the Nigerian Legion as part of events to mark the Year 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations.
Sanwo-Olu, also donated four cows, 500 bags of rice and other food items to members of the Nigerian Legion as part of his administration’s commitment to the welfare of Legionnaires and families of the fallen heroes.
The Governor announced the donations, Monday, at the State Executive Council meeting during the Appeal Fund and Launching of the Year 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem at the Lagos House, Ikeja.
ADC links Nigeria’s silence on Venezuela to crisis of ‘legitimacy’
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has said Nigeria’s failure to respond to the reported action by the United States against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro exposes a crisis of legitimacy and moral authority under the Bola Tinubu administration.
The party said the development serves as a warning to governments that lack legitimacy and signals that authoritarian leaders and election riggers can no longer rely on national borders to shield stolen mandates from international scrutiny.
The position was contained in a statement by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) considers the Saturday’s action by the United States Government to arrest the President of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro and his wife as a clear warning that sends a strong message to the Nigerian government and any other government that lacks legitimacy,” Abdullahi said.
Fubara stagnates development in Oyigbo LG, says Akawor
Former Ambassador to South Korea and Coordinator, Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Rivers State, Desmond Akawor, has alleged the development of Oyigbo Local Government Area has been stalled under Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Akawor stated this on Monday, during a “thank you” visit to the local government area by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He said that the people of the area elected Governor Fubara with the belief that he would continue from where Wike stopped in developing the area.
He complained that the local government had not moved an inch, since Wike left as Governor in 2023.
According to him, the only tangible benefit Oyigbo has is a commissioner’s slot.
2027: Reps deputy speaker urges Igbo to invest votes in Tinubu, build strategic alliances
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has urged the Igbo nation to strategically invest their votes in the 2027 general elections by delivering massive support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Kalu said the era of the South East “wasting votes” to make political statements that yield no tangible benefits for the region should end, stressing that such an approach does not serve the long-term interests of the Igbo people.
According to him, rather than dispersing votes in unprofitable political directions, the region should rally behind President Tinubu in 2027 as part of a broader strategy to secure relevance and influence at the national level.
He called on political leaders and stakeholders in the South East to begin building alliances that would translate into concrete political gains, warning against sentiment-driven decisions that weaken the region’s bargaining power.
The Deputy Speaker spoke during visits to leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the three senatorial zones of Abia State, including former governors Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Senator John Bob Nwannunu, as well as former Managing Director of the defunct Hallmark Bank, Sir Mac Wabara.
