Nigerian Federal Government has directed the immediate enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” policy against members of the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals (JOHESU) that have since embarked on nationwide strike. The directive is contained in a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW) in Abuja today, January 10. The circular was addressed to Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of federal health institutions. The circular, dated January 8, was signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr. Disu Adejoke, on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. It said that the directive followed the continuation of the JOHESU strike, which began on November 14, 2025. According to the ministry, hospital managements are to ensure strict compliance with the Federal Government’s “No Work, No Pay” law. The directive takes effect from January 2026 and applies to all striking JOHESU members, as well as any other category of staff who may embark on industrial action. The ministry also directed health institutions to sustain critical services, including accident and emergency care, labour wards and intensive care units, through all lawful means, including the engagement of locum staff where necessary. “All members of staff who are willing to continue with their work must be allowed to do so without hindrance or intimidation,” the circular read. It further directed hospital authorities to ensure the security of lives and property within their facilities and to provide regular updates to the ministry on the impact of the strike on service delivery. The federal government reiterated its commitment to maintaining essential healthcare services nationwide in spite of the industrial action. Meanwhile, a public health expert based in Abuja, Dr Gabriel Adakole, said the Federal Government’s enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking health workers is a legally backed move aimed at ending the ongoing JOHESU strike. “JOHESU members, who include pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other allied health professionals, are essential to hospital operations. “Their absence weakens service delivery, even where emergency units remain open. “While hospitals have been directed to sustain critical services and engage locum staff, experts warn that emergency-only care cannot replace full multidisciplinary healthcare, raising risks to patient safety and treatment outcomes. “The policy also places financial pressure on health workers, potentially worsening low morale and accelerating the brain drain from Nigeria’s health sector.” He said that the patients would bear the greatest cost through delayed treatments and reduced access to care. According to him: “No Work, No Pay” may shorten strikes, but lasting stability in the health sector required dialogue, trust-building and sustained investment in health workers and infrastructure.”
Professor isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Digital Economy in the government of late President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that his widow, Aisha Buhari remained a mother figure to him and others who similarly served under the late President. Reacting to rumour trending in social media that he was going to marry Aisha Buhari, Pantami categorically dismissed the rumour. He stated: “It is shocking that anyone would fabricate such a rumour. “President Buhari is a father figure to us, and we regard his widow as a mother. “The claim is baseless and impossible.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is teaming up with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to work out a framework to address consumer complaints arising from unsuccessful airtime and data transactions during network downtimes, system glitches or human input errors. The measure, according to a statement by the NCC’s Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, is in line with the consumer-focused objectives of the Commission which is an outcome of several months of engagements involving the NCC, the CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other relevant stakeholders. “These engagements were prompted by a rising incidence of failed airtime and data purchases, where subscribers were debited without receiving value and experienced delays in resolution.” The statement said that the Framework represents a unified position by both the telecommunications and financial sectors on addressing such complaints. “It identifies and tackles the root causes of failed airtime and data transactions, including instances where bank accounts are debited without successful delivery of services. ” It also prescribes an enforceable Service Level Agreement (SLA) for MNOs and DMBs, clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in the transaction and resolution process.” The statement said: “under the new framework, where a purchaser is debited but fails to receive value for airtime or data—whether the failure occurs at the bank level or with an NCC licensee—the purchaser is entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, except in circumstances where the transaction remains pending, of which the refund can take up to 24 hours. “The framework further mandates operators to notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every transaction. It also addresses erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and instances where transactions are made to the wrong phone number.” The statement quoted the Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett as saying that the framework also establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. According to her, the dashboard will enable both regulators to monitor failures, the responsible party, refunds and track SLA breaches in real time. “Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve it within the shortest possible time. “We are grateful to all stakeholders—particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria and its leadership—for their tireless commitment to resolving this issue and arriving at this framework, and for ensuring that consumers of telecommunications services receive full value for their purchases. “So far, pending the approval of management of both regulators on the framework, MNOs and banks have collectively made refunds of over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions.” Mrs. Bruce-Bennett noted that implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, once the two regulators have made final approvals, and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs is concluded.”
An Abuja based legal practitioner, Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo, has been tortured to death by still-to-be-identified kidnappers in the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Elder sister of the deceased and immediate past President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Maureen Chigbo, in a statement on behalf of the family, confirmed the incident, saying that it occurred on Monday, 5th January 2026. Maureen Chigbo said that shortly before her abduction, Barrister Nwamaka was on the phone with her sister, Anthonia, who briefly interrupted the call to attend to a client.
“When she reverted, the barrister’s phone was still live, and Anthonia could hear her sister’s distress cry before the phone suddenly went dead and unreachable.” She said that Anthonia alerted her and other family members, who called the lawyer’s number repeatedly to reach her or her abductors to no avail. “When a call finally went through, a male voice rained curses in English and Hausa language, saying: “Thunder fire you there, send three million Naira or else we will kill her.” She said that the captors did not give further details even as he abruptly terminated subsequent calls. “Barrister Nwamaka’s family later tried to contact the Police Force Public Relations Officer and left a text message on her phone. They were referred to two police complaint numbers. “The family equally sent a distress text and WhatsApp message to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and also contacted the FCT Police Commissioner, who immediately linked them up to the Commander of the Scorpion Squad, in charge of kidnapping in Abuja. “The Commander later called to inform the family that the police were tracking the kidnappers, who were said to be “in motion and would likely drop the lawyer off once they might have collected the ransom.” The statement said that the kidnappers never initiated any calls, and that when Nwamaka’s family members reached them through her phone for clarification on how the ransom would be paid, they only heard the lawyer screaming in pain: “I am dying. …save me, please send the money, I am dying.” The statement said that after such pronouncement from the lawyer, the phone finally went dead. ” The family maintained contact with the Police Commander throughout Monday night to follow up on the rescue operation. “At 4 am on Tuesday, 6th January, when Maureen called the Commander, he expressed surprise that the lawyer had not called or returned home. He then promised to escalate the rescue operation. “The Commander later called to inform the family that “a lady had been found in a critical condition” and taken to an Abuja specialist hospital. “He requested that Nwamaka’s picture be sent for identification purposes.” Maureen said that she immediately took a flight from Lagos to Abuja and on reaching the hospital, saw her sister’s lifeless body in the mortuary with bruises, swollen eyes and a cracked skull, all signs of a tortured death. “The Chigbo family has met with the Police authorities, who assured them that the case was under investigation and that the culprits would be apprehended.” The statement said that lawyer Nwamaka was an active member and former treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja, member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL), FIDA and Global Association of Female Lawyers, (GAFA). “She was a former President of Catholic Lawyers Association, Abuja. “An ardent Catholic, Nwamaka authored a book on Infant Jesus, and until death was the vice president of the Infant Jesus Association, member of the Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Group among other religious groups. “The family expresses its gratitude to the Police for their efforts and cooperation so far, and urges the force to ensure that justice is served in Nwamaka’s case. “The family also wishes to thank Nwamaka’s friends, colleagues and well-wishers for their support and prayers. ‘Her funeral arrangements will be announced as soon as possible.”
Health workers in federal healthcare institutions are now to retire at the age of 65 Instead of the previous 60, according to a circular from the Head of Civil Service of the federation. The increase in the retirement age, the circular, number HCSF/3065/Vol.1/227 dated December 31 2025, said, is aimed at addressing the shortage of such staff in the federal hospitals. The circular marks a strategic effort to retain experienced health workers in teaching hospitals, Federal Medical Centres, National Orthopaedic and Neuropsychiatric Hospitals, National Eye Centre, National Obstetrics Fistula Centres, National Ear Care Centre, and the National Hospital Abuja. It however excludes skilled clinical staff working in Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments within the mainstream Civil Service from this policy extension. The head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who signed the circular, emphasised that the review targets 26 specific cadres of skilled clinical health professionals, including Medical Officers, Nurses, Pharmacists, Radiographers, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and several others engaged in clinical services within federal health institutions. According to the circular, eligible officers willing to continue service beyond the former retirement age are required to submit a formal application at least three months before reaching 60 years or completing 35 years of service. The circular requires applications to be accompanied by a Medical Certificate of Fitness from a government-approved medical facility and a current practising licence from the relevant statutory regulatory body, and that those due to retire within three months of the policy’s effective date must comply within seven days. The policy takes effect from January 1, 2026, with comprehensive guidelines attached to the circular to facilitate proper implementation across the affected federal health institutions.
A couple of weeks after the first edition of my write-up on the good work Governor Mai Mala Buni has been doing in Yobe State in the last six plus years, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him, while still battling the governance of Yobe State, as chairman of a Committee on Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mobilisation to resolve conflicts within the All Progressives Congress (APC). The President tasked the committee with strengthening party cohesion, resolving lingering disputes and crafting a unified mobilisation strategy to sustain APC’s dominance at the polls. It is on record that Governor Mai Mala Buni had similarly held many political party positions in the past: he was first elected national secretary of the APC and served for five years. He left to become the Governor of Yobe State. And while serving as Governor, he was made the Caretaker APC National Chairman and the chairman of its Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee between 2020 and 2022. It was during his tenure that he “broke” the People’s Democratic Party’s “dam” where he “poached” and “harvested” its governors, National Assembly members. What many people may also want to know is the innate desire of Mai Mala Buni for peaceful coexistence and how that had helped him to bring peace and trust to Yobe politics. Indeed, his characteristic is his ability to build bridges and maintain them.
…Gov Buni… He is a man who, by all means, avoids friction and rancour. No two contending parties would sit with him, and one of them would come out grumbling, because he so much believes in fairness and that justice cannot be for one side alone. Those who know him well say he is cultured. You will never hear him abuse (even in private) or fight any person in the opposition, within his party, or non-aligned, even if that person insults him. And when any good that is meant for the one who fights him is about to escape from his grasp, Buni would be the first person to force it back to him. That is the extent of his fairness. He is a thoroughbred and refined politician; broad-minded and cosmopolitan, at ease with the locals and their settings, humble and knowledgeable. No doubt these are qualities President Tinubu and influential party stakeholders know that informed the decision to give him the enormous responsibility of strengthening party cohesion, resolving lingering disputes and crafting a unified mobilisation strategy. With the avalanche of defectors to the APC, including governors and National Assembly members, a level-headed, just and fair personality like Buni is needed to unite, consolidate, and stabilise the party. And no doubt, it is these qualities, coupled with his respect for human dignity and belief that every individual should have the opportunity to excel, that led him to declare a state of emergency in education, which has seen out-of-school kids mopped off the streets, and secondary school students winning accolades around the globe. His administration has established six Model Schools, seven Mega Schools, nine Government Girls’ Day Senior Secondary Schools, eight co-educational Government Day Senior Secondary Schools, one additional boys’ school, and an IDP School in Buni-Yadi. Scholarships have also been awarded to nearly 1,000 high-achieving students of both sexes to pursue various fields, including Petroleum Engineering, Medicine, Anaesthesia, Piloting, Aeronautical Engineering, and Pharmacy, both locally and internationally. In his bid to make the state the nation’s breadbasket, Governor Buni implemented a “Mega Agricultural Empowerment Programme” to transition the state from subsistence farming to mechanised, commercial agriculture. He aims to ensure food security and economic resilience through agribusiness. In 2024, Vice President Kashim Shettima was in Damaturu, the state capital, to launch the first phase, which targeted over 80,000 farmers and provided 100 tractors, 5,349 small ruminants for women, and over 6,000 other pieces of farm machinery. And in July last year, the president launched the second phase, during which dozens of tractors, 1,349 hand planters, 8,000 harvesters, 4,000 solar-powered water pumps, and 20,000 bags of subsidised fertiliser were distributed. Massey Ferguson tractors, power tillers, hand-push planters, multi-purpose threshers, and crop residue crushers were also allocated to various local government areas for distribution to deserving farmers. In August last year, the governor once again donated feed and inputs to 2,700 pastoralists, providing fodder crushers and motorcycles to boost livestock productivity and reduce herder–farmer conflicts. His agricultural empowerment policy has encouraged youth to view agriculture as a profitable business, and providing women with goats and feed has empowered many households to boost their incomes. This has led to lower prices for staple foods through increased farm output, thereby enhancing food security and improving living conditions in the state. This was reflected in the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics’ July 2025 report, which found that Yobe State is the most affordable place to live in Nigeria. It said: “Yobe State is Nigeria’s most affordable state to live in, with low costs driven by falling inflation and successful agricultural programmes boosting food security and local markets, making it relatively cheaper for housing and daily living compared to other states, especially around cities like Damaturu and Potiskum, where business thrives, though security improvements are key to sustained affordability.” But what inspired this piece was Yobe State’s pacesetting achievements in healthcare delivery, which made it emerge as Nigeria’s leading state in Primary Health Care (PHC) and win awards at the 2025 PHC Leadership Challenge Awards held in Abuja late last year. Primary health care focuses on grassroots healthcare. It clinched the award of Best Performing State in the North-East for the second consecutive year, winning the title in 2024 and 2025, with each award attracting a $500,000 prize, and also emerging as the Overall Best Performing State in Nigeria, securing an additional $700,000, bringing the total prize money earned to $1.2 million. They are a clear indication of Governor Buni’s administration’s sustained investment and reforms in the health sector.
To begin with, Governor Buni has ensured that each of the state’s wards has a functional primary health care outlet maintained round the clock. There was an issue with a primary health care office destroyed by a thunderstorm, and a resident of the area, whom I do not personally know, informed me via WhatsApp, sending me photos. I forwarded them to the governor, and the first thing he asked me, which gave a window into his thinking, was…
Dr. Hassan Gimba, Publisher and CEO of Neptune Prime wrote in from Abuja.
As we enter a new year, 2026, the questions that fill our markets, our homes, and our places of work are clear and urgent. They are questions about the price of food, about security in our communities, and about the direction in which our country is headed. It is the duty of this office, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, to speak to these questions directly, clearly, and with respect for every Nigerian bearing the weight of this moment. The last thirty-one months have been a period of foundational, often difficult, transformation. Our bold reforms, beginning with the necessary but painful decisions on subsidies and exchange rates, were engineered to break a cycle of economic stagnation and secure a future of sustainable prosperity. This path was never promised to be easy, but it was promised to be honest and purposeful. Today, the first green shoots of that promised stability are visible. December 2025 marked the thirteenth consecutive month of expansion in business activity. Multinational firms are re-evaluating Nigeria with serious intent. Our GDP is growing, inflation is declining, and our external reserves are strengthening. These are not mere statistics for reports; they are the essential groundwork upon which lasting improvement in everyday life is built. However, a nation is not governed by indices alone. A nation is governed through trust, forged in the clear communication of both struggle and progress. My role is to be a steady voice for this administration, to explain our ambitions and our actions. Upon this emerging macroeconomic stability, we have prioritised layering direct interventions that touch lives. The student loan programme (NELFUND) is opening doors. The Presidential CNG initiative is aimed at reducing transport costs. Programmes like LEEP, the Jubilee Fellows, and the 3MTT are designed to put skills and opportunity directly into the hands of our youth. In agriculture, a historic recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture and new mechanisation programs are deployed to combat food insecurity at its root. We are also pushing ambitious infrastructure. The Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, the AKK Gas Pipeline, and new rail lines, to unite our economy and reduce the costs embedded in our geography. In security, a new architecture is being rolled out. We are investing heavily in recruitment, equipment, and international cooperation to finally turn the tide against terrorism and banditry. The recent rescue of our abducted students in Kebbi and Niger states, respectively, is a testament to this relentless focus, and we remain steadfast until every Nigerian feels safe. I acknowledge the fatigue that comes with endurance. The anxiety over prices, the worry for loved ones, and the desire for quicker results are all valid feelings; they are the human context of governance. This administration hears you. Our resolve is to accelerate the pace at which these reforms translate into tangible, widespread relief. This is why in 2026, our “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity” is critical. It is a commitment to double down on what is working, to solidify gains, and to ensure that the shared prosperity we speak of becomes a lived reality for more Nigerians, faster. But nation-building is a covenant. We, in government, commit to lead with clarity, to deploy resources with integrity, and to communicate with constancy. We commit to face the people, to account for our stewardship, and to explain our path. In return, the civic strength of our nation, our collective will to pay taxes, to protect public goods, to engage constructively, and to reject the divisive pull of mischaracterisation and disinformation is what will ultimately secure our shared future. This office, under my watch, shall be accountable and purposeful. It will remain a responsible, accessible, and truthful channel between the government and you, the people. We will explain, we will defend, we will listen, and we will report. You will continually and sustainably see and hear from this ministry, a clear voice of accountability for the government’s whole agenda. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has never been one to be fazed by problems or challenges. His approach has consistently been calm and decisive—turning difficulties into opportunities to do things better and more efficiently. Our recent engagements as a government with the United States bear witness to this approach. Under the President’s leadership, we turned a tense period into an opportunity to deepen bilateral relations with the US and to ramp up our anti-insurgency efforts. But even as we acknowledge the gains we have made, we do not seek to live in the past. Our eyes are firmly focused on what lies ahead and on how tomorrow must improve on today. For us, every moment in the present is an opportunity to double down on what is working, so that we can reap the full benefits of reform. The journey ahead demands our collective patience and our shared resolve. The easy politics of division and noise will persist, but the hard work of building a Nigeria that works for all must prevail. We have laid a new foundation. Now, we must build the house together. I wish every Nigerian a peaceful and productive year ahead.
Mohammed Idris, fnipr, Minister of Information and National Orientation wrote in from Abuja.
Heavily armed bandits riding over 50 motorcycles, heading to Kano City were dislodged in Yankwada, Babanduhu and other villages in the Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State by the Nigerian Military after engaging in a gun battle between yesterday, January 1 and early hours of today, January 2. Chairman of the Shanono/Bagwai Community Security Forum, Yahya Bagobiri, who confirmed the development, said that the bandits launched the attack in retaliation for losing nine fighters to military operations last week. “The intentions of the Bandits is to penetrates Kano, but with the redeployment of more Military and provisions of more Arms would stop their criminal missions.” “The Bandits riding over 50 Motorcycles, each having three persons with Bazookas and other heavy Guns, raided Yankwada, Babanduhu and other villages, opening fire from around 1am Thursday to 5am Friday, resulting in killing a civilian. “The Bandits were dislodged by the Military tactical fighting despite the facts that they came with heavy Arms but succeeded only in stealing 100 Cows and killing one civilian.” Yahya Bagobiri commended the Military for the gunfight and for blocking the bandits from entering the main towns. He called on the Federal Government to provide more Arms and redeploy more men to complement those gallant officers on the ground. He assured that with additional arms and the cooperation of the Nigerian Air Force, the bandits would be contained, and that the areas of Shanono, Bagwai, Tsanyawa, and Gwarzo Local Government Areas would have peace.
The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, in Kogi Central Senatorial District, Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tijani Muhammed Anaje has pleaded with his subject to imbibe the spirit of cooperation with constituted authorities towards accelerating development in all fields of human endeavours. In his New Year message, the Paramount first class ruler also stressed the importance of community-based efforts aimed at improving the welfare of the people. He called on all sons and daughters of the land to embrace the virtues of discipline, hard work, unity and commitment as essential pillars for personal progress and the collective advancement of the land. He emphasized that sustainable development can only be achieved through a shared sense of responsibility, moral uprightness and dedication to lawful and productive endeavors. The Ohinoyi called on parents, youths, traditional institutions, community leaders and stakeholders to play their respective roles in nurturing a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous society. According to Ahmed Anaje, the future of Ebiraland depends greatly on the values that are upheld today. His Royal Majesty reaffirmed the Palace’s steadfast commitment to initiatives that would continue to promote peace, social harmony, economic empowerment and overall development across Ebiraland. He extended warm royal greetings and best wishes to the people of Ebiraland, both at home and in the diaspora, even as he prayed for peace, good health, abundant blessings and renewed hope for every household. He wished all and sundry a joyful and prosperous New Year, filled with renewed determination to build a greater and more united Ebiraland.
Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu has described the news making the rounds about the alteration of new tax reform Acts as a careless amplification of unverified claims. Defending the integrity of the Tax Reform Acts, in a statement today, December 31, Tanimu Yakubu warned that democratic integrity is endangered by such careless amplification of unverified claims. “A nation cannot be governed by insinuation or sustained on circulating documents of uncertain origin.” He said that public confidence, once shaken by speculation, is often difficult to restore. He therefore reaffirmed the integrity of Nigeria’s newly enacted Tax Reform Acts, even as he further cautioned against what it described as governance by speculation and unverified claims. The Budget Office boss said that he had taken note of concerns raised by the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, acknowledging that the sanctity of the law is central to constitutional democracy and not a mere procedural formality. He said that any suggestion that a law could be altered after debate, passage, authentication and presidential assent without due process would strike at the core of the Republic and undermine citizens’ right to be governed by transparent and stable laws He emphasized that both government and citizens share a common interest in truth, clarity and due process, and that public finance depends heavily on trust in the legality and clarity of fiscal laws. He welcomed the decision of the National Assembly to investigate the allegations, describing institutional inquiry, not conjecture as the appropriate response to claims of illegality. On public access to the law, the DG agreed that Nigerians and the business community are entitled to clear and authoritative texts of all laws they are required to obey, saying however, that the authenticity of legislation is determined by certified legislative records and official publication processes, not by informal or viral reproductions. Tanimu Yakubu stressed the importance of separation of powers, warning that claims suggesting Nigeria is being governed by “fake laws,” if not backed by established facts, risk eroding confidence in democratic institutions. He said that legislative scrutiny should not be dismissed by the executive, and that oversight is a constitutional duty, not an act of hostility. From a fiscal perspective, the Budget Office DG said that legal certainty is essential for revenue projections, macroeconomic stability, budget credibility and investor confidence.
“While it is not the custodian of legislative records, uncertainty around operative tax provisions directly affects economic planning.” To restore confidence, he proposed a set of measures, including the publication of verified reference texts in a single public repository, orderly access to Certified True Copies for stakeholders, clear public explanations where discrepancies are alleged, and strict alignment of all implementing regulations with authenticated legal texts. On the calls for suspension of the tax reforms, the DG cautioned against allowing prudence to slide into paralysis, saying that properly implemented tax reform is necessary to reduce dependence on borrowing and inflationary financing, while easing indirect burdens on vulnerable citizens. “Where clarification is required, it must be provided; where correction is required, it must be effected; where investigation is required, it must proceed.” He stressed that governance and reform should not be stalled by unresolved conjecture. Tanimu Yakubu made it clear that taxation is a democratic covenant that binds citizens and the state, insisting that compliance depends on transparency and trust. He called on political actors to protect institutions as much as positions, even as he advised citizens and businesses to rely on verified sources and resist the spread of unauthenticated information.
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He spoke in a phone conversation with PRNigeria.
Health workers in federal healthcare institutions are now to retire at the age of 65 Instead of the previous 60, according to a circular from the Head of Civil Service of the federation.
Another Peace-Making Job For Gov Buni, A Man Who Doesn’t Abuse People, By Hassan Gimba
A couple of weeks after the first edition of my write-up on the good work Governor Mai Mala Buni has been doing in Yobe State in the last six plus years, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him, while still battling the governance of Yobe State, as chairman of a Committee on Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mobilisation to resolve conflicts within the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The President tasked the committee with strengthening party cohesion, resolving lingering disputes and crafting a unified mobilisation strategy to sustain APC’s dominance at the polls.
It is on record that Governor Mai Mala Buni had similarly held many political party positions in the past: he was first elected national secretary of the APC and served for five years. He left to become the Governor of Yobe State. And while serving as Governor, he was made the Caretaker APC National Chairman and the chairman of its Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee between 2020 and 2022. It was during his tenure that he “broke” the People’s Democratic Party’s “dam” where he “poached” and “harvested” its governors, National Assembly members.
What many people may also want to know is the innate desire of Mai Mala Buni for peaceful coexistence and how that had helped him to bring peace and trust to Yobe politics. Indeed, his characteristic is his ability to build bridges and maintain them.
He is a man who, by all means, avoids friction and rancour. No two contending parties would sit with him, and one of them would come out grumbling, because he so much believes in fairness and that justice cannot be for one side alone.
Those who know him well say he is cultured. You will never hear him abuse (even in private) or fight any person in the opposition, within his party, or non-aligned, even if that person insults him. And when any good that is meant for the one who fights him is about to escape from his grasp, Buni would be the first person to force it back to him. That is the extent of his fairness. He is a thoroughbred and refined politician; broad-minded and cosmopolitan, at ease with the locals and their settings, humble and knowledgeable.
No doubt these are qualities President Tinubu and influential party stakeholders know that informed the decision to give him the enormous responsibility of strengthening party cohesion, resolving lingering disputes and crafting a unified mobilisation strategy. With the avalanche of defectors to the APC, including governors and National Assembly members, a level-headed, just and fair personality like Buni is needed to unite, consolidate, and stabilise the party.
And no doubt, it is these qualities, coupled with his respect for human dignity and belief that every individual should have the opportunity to excel, that led him to declare a state of emergency in education, which has seen out-of-school kids mopped off the streets, and secondary school students winning accolades around the globe.
His administration has established six Model Schools, seven Mega Schools, nine Government Girls’ Day Senior Secondary Schools, eight co-educational Government Day Senior Secondary Schools, one additional boys’ school, and an IDP School in Buni-Yadi. Scholarships have also been awarded to nearly 1,000 high-achieving students of both sexes to pursue various fields, including Petroleum Engineering, Medicine, Anaesthesia, Piloting, Aeronautical Engineering, and Pharmacy, both locally and internationally.
In his bid to make the state the nation’s breadbasket, Governor Buni implemented a “Mega Agricultural Empowerment Programme” to transition the state from subsistence farming to mechanised, commercial agriculture. He aims to ensure food security and economic resilience through agribusiness.
In 2024, Vice President Kashim Shettima was in Damaturu, the state capital, to launch the first phase, which targeted over 80,000 farmers and provided 100 tractors, 5,349 small ruminants for women, and over 6,000 other pieces of farm machinery.
And in July last year, the president launched the second phase, during which dozens of tractors, 1,349 hand planters, 8,000 harvesters, 4,000 solar-powered water pumps, and 20,000 bags of subsidised fertiliser were distributed.
Massey Ferguson tractors, power tillers, hand-push planters, multi-purpose threshers, and crop residue crushers were also allocated to various local government areas for distribution to deserving farmers.
In August last year, the governor once again donated feed and inputs to 2,700 pastoralists, providing fodder crushers and motorcycles to boost livestock productivity and reduce herder–farmer conflicts.
His agricultural empowerment policy has encouraged youth to view agriculture as a profitable business, and providing women with goats and feed has empowered many households to boost their incomes.
This has led to lower prices for staple foods through increased farm output, thereby enhancing food security and improving living conditions in the state.
This was reflected in the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics’ July 2025 report, which found that Yobe State is the most affordable place to live in Nigeria.
It said: “Yobe State is Nigeria’s most affordable state to live in, with low costs driven by falling inflation and successful agricultural programmes boosting food security and local markets, making it relatively cheaper for housing and daily living compared to other states, especially around cities like Damaturu and Potiskum, where business thrives, though security improvements are key to sustained affordability.”
But what inspired this piece was Yobe State’s pacesetting achievements in healthcare delivery, which made it emerge as Nigeria’s leading state in Primary Health Care (PHC) and win awards at the 2025 PHC Leadership Challenge Awards held in Abuja late last year.
Primary health care focuses on grassroots healthcare. It clinched the award of Best Performing State in the North-East for the second consecutive year, winning the title in 2024 and 2025, with each award attracting a $500,000 prize, and also emerging as the Overall Best Performing State in Nigeria, securing an additional $700,000, bringing the total prize money earned to $1.2 million. They are a clear indication of Governor Buni’s administration’s sustained investment and reforms in the health sector.
To begin with, Governor Buni has ensured that each of the state’s wards has a functional primary health care outlet maintained round the clock. There was an issue with a primary health care office destroyed by a thunderstorm, and a resident of the area, whom I do not personally know, informed me via WhatsApp, sending me photos. I forwarded them to the governor, and the first thing he asked me, which gave a window into his thinking, was…
Dr. Hassan Gimba, Publisher and CEO of Neptune Prime wrote in from Abuja.