Compilations of top 10 key latest updates that you need to know this Monday morning, 29th December, 2025
FG writes off $1.42bn, N5.57tn NNPC debt
President Bola Tinubu has approved the cancellation of a substantial portion of the debts owed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to the Federation Account, wiping off about $1.42bn and N5.57tn after a reconciliation of records between both parties.
This is contained in a document prepared by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and presented at the November meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
The report, titled “Report of October 2025 Revenue Collection Presented at the Federation Account Allocation Committee Meeting Held on 18th November 2025,” was obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday.
In the section headed “Recovery from NNPC Ltd Outstanding Obligations,” the commission said the debts earlier reported at the October 2025 FAAC meeting stood at “$1,480,610,652.58 and N6,332,884,316,237.13 for PSC, DSDP, RA & MCA Liftings and JV & PSC Royalty Receivables respectively.”
It disclosed that the Presidency had now approved that most of those balances be removed from the Federation’s books.
2027 battle: Makinde, Fayose lock horns over N30bn relief fund
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Sunday hit back at former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose over claims that the Federal Government released N50bn to Oyo State as relief funds following the January 2024 explosion in Bodija, Ibadan.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Makinde clarified that while Oyo State requested N50bn, the Federal Government only released N30bn.
Fayose had sparked controversy on Friday during a TVC programme when he accused Makinde of failing to disclose that he received N50bn from the President Bola Tinubu administration to support victims of the Bodija explosion.
Fayose argued that Makinde only declined the President’s request to help organise the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, but did not inform Nigerians about the alleged federal assistance.
Politicians scheming over N600bn in Rivers coffers –Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that politicians are now scheming to get a share of the N600bn left in Rivers State coffers by the former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), following the lifting of the six-month emergency rule in the state.
Wike made the allegation on Saturday evening when he met with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, claiming that the disclosure of the funds had triggered the interest of politicians from within and outside the state.
According to Wike, some prominent politicians who recently visited Rivers State and met with Governor Siminalayi Fubara were not motivated by goodwill or political solidarity but by the desire to access the N600bn reportedly left behind by the Sole Administrator.
The FCT minister said such politicians had adopted a pattern of publicly praising the governor—who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress—while privately angling for a share of the state’s resources.
NDLEA uncovers UK-bound cocaine hidden in starch at Lagos airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested an ex-convict, Nwobodo Basil, and three cargo agents over the seizure of cocaine concealed in liquid starch sachets and destined for the United Kingdom.
The NDLEA said 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes were recovered from factory-sealed cold-water starch sachets at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said three cargo agents—Jubrin Hassana, Kuku Oluwasegun, and Igwe Jane—were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with the consignment.
He said further investigation linked the shipment to 37-year-old Nwobodo, who was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
Army arrests 19 oil thieves, destroys 22 illegal sites in N’Delta
The 6 Division of the Nigerian Army says its troops have arrested 19 suspected oil thieves, destroyed 22 illegal refining sites and recovered over 180,000 litres of stolen petroleum products valued at about N150m across the Niger Delta.
The Army said the achievements followed a nearly one-month coordinated operation carried out in four states in collaboration with other security agencies.
The Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Jonah Danjuma, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Monday and made available to newsmen.
According to Danjuma, the operations targeted oil theft, pipeline vandalism and related crimes in the Niger Delta, stressing that troops would continue to dominate the operational environment and deny criminal elements freedom of action.
The statement read,
“Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, in close synergy with other security agencies, have continued to dominate the operational landscape, effectively denying criminal elements freedom of action across the Niger Delta Region.“
In several operations conducted, 19 suspected oil thieves were apprehended, with 22 illegal refining hubs destroyed, and over 180,000 litres of stolen products, worth over One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (₦150,000,000.00), recovered.
Cross River gov reaffirms commitment to boost tourism
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to safety, tourism promotion and global cultural exchange.
Otu disclosed this on Sunday in Calabar during the flag-off of the 2025 Bikers Carnival, one of the signature events of the Carnival Calabar festival.
Represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, Otu assured Cross River residents and the international community that the state remains safe and well-prepared to host a large tourism festival, adding that he personally inspected the carnival routes to ensure they were motorable and free of hazards.
Otu said,
“Let us tell the world that Cross River State is safe. I have gone round the routes myself; there are no potholes and the roads are smooth.”
The governor stressed the importance of strict adherence to safety protocols, urging all bikers to wear helmets, reflective vests and ensure proper riding discipline to avoid accidents.Court voids orders obtained by suppression of facts
The Federal High Court in Lagos has set aside the proceedings conducted on November 21 in a suit between Collins Onyeweama and another against Techno Oil Limited and others, along with all orders made on that date, for constituting a flagrant breach of the respondents’ right to fair hearing.
Justice Ayokunle Faji, who also recused himself, held that the interim orders granted on November 21 were obtained through the suppression of material facts.
The ruling followed a motion ex-parte filed by the petitioners seeking global Mareva injunctions against the third and fourth respondents on the alleged suspicion that the first respondent’s assets were being relocated.
The application was brought without any hearing notice to the respondents or their counsel, despite the fact that all parties to the suit were already duly represented by counsel.
Why health sector needs reforms in 2026, by NMA
Nigeria’s health sector requires all-round reforms in 2026, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has said.
The association said its position was informed by the alleged lapses the sector recorded in the outgoing year.
The NMA said the sector, in 2025, recorded a weak policy focus, persistent workforce crises and poor financing.
It noted that the lapses have continued to undermine healthcare delivery across the board.In a year-end review of the Federal Government’s health sector performance, the Lagos Chairman of the association, Dr. Saheed Babajide Kehinde, described the performance of the sector as “highly unfortunate, unacceptable and disappointing”.
He blamed the government for the alleged lack of clear priorities by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as well as the insufficient political attention to healthcare delivery.
President’s economic reforms developing Nasarawa, says Sule
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, which he said have been instrumental to the development of the state.
Addressing reporters in Lafia, the state capital, Sule said the reforms have laid a solid foundation for economic growth in Nasarawa and across the country.
“Without the reforms of Mr. President, most of the development we are seeing today, especially here in Nasarawa State, would not have happened.
“The reforms have created the economic boom we are witnessing.
That is the reason we have been able to achieve what we have achieved.
“We are forever grateful to Mr. President for these reforms, and we are also grateful to the people of Nigeria for accepting them. That is why we are where we are today,” he said.
The governor said the visible outcomes across sectors were clear indications that the reforms were yielding positive results and setting the stage for further development.
He saved me from making wrong choices” – Toke Makinwa writes to God as she reflects on 2025, expresses excitement for the New Year
Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa has written a note to her Maker as she reflects on 2025.
The media personality said that while marking the New Year, she told God she wanted to end the year by saying, ‘What a difference a year can make,’ and God did.
“On the last Sunday of 2025, I really just want to thank you, Jesus, for not holding anything back from me, for giving me a year that only you could have seen me through, for putting your own reputation on the line to save me from wrong choices and for finally making it all beautiful in your time.
The wait is never in vain.
I learnt in gratitude that you find who you are in Christ.
I learnt the type of love that I’ve searched for all my life: that God loved me first, and it is not a performative kind of love.
I did nothing to earn it; I couldn’t even earn it if I tried.God wants the best for me.
Then you gave me this precious gift to Shepherd, you truly have the greatest sense of humour.
It has been leading up to 5 months, and she is teaching me about faith, patience, and the best kind of Love.
I told God I wanted to end the year 2025 saying, “What a difference a year can make,” and boy, he did it.I manifested it
Roll on 26, I’m excited for all that you’ve got planned for us.Thankful Sunday.
28.12.25″
