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ASUU Strike: PDP group hits Keyamo, Says APC lacks empathy

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A political support group, PDP New Generation, has blasted the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, for urging parents to beg the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to return to the class.

This is even as the group described the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a political party without empathy for Nigerians.

The youth group within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke in a statement sent to journalists in Abuja on Saturday in reaction to Keyamo’s comment on the ongoing ASUU strike.

Keyamo, who also doubles as the interim spokesman of the 2023 APC Presidential Campaign, had advised Nigerian parents to beg the striking University teachers to call off their strike.

The Minister, who spoke on Friday night on Channels TV political and current affairs programme, ‘Politics Today’, added that the federal government had no money to meet ASUU demands.

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But, reacting to Keyamo’s stand, the Director-General of the PDP New Generation, Audu Mahmood, in the group’s press release, said: ”The unfortunate comments by Keyamo who is also the spokesman of the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation shows that the ruling party has no empathy.

”It was indeed painful to listen to the minister defend the action of this failed government after students in Nigeria have spent six months at home. Keyamo’s comments suggest that the Buhari-led government is not interested in what happens to our universities.

”Nigerians, especially University students on strike and their parents must take note of the insensitivity that has become the hallmark of the APC administration. Empathy is a construct that is fundamental to leadership, but with the APC, we have seen a government that is not interested in the feelings of the people.

”We call on Nigerians to use their PVCs to respond to the APC’s wickedness by voting them out in the 2023 general elections.

”More alarming is Keyamo’s comments that the APC presidential flagbearer, Bola Tinubu, will preside over Nigeria like the outgoing disastrous government of President Buhari. We urge Nigerians to resist this kind of backward leadership with their votes in February 2023.

”To say the Buhari-led administration is the worse Nigeria has ever witnessed is to put it mildly. We cannot afford another four years of misgovernance that has shaken Nigeria to its foundations.”

Mahmood urged Nigerians to vote for Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, adding that his passion for education was unrivalled.

He added: ”Atiku in partnership with some public-spirited individuals offered full scholarships to 15 out of the girls abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

”He has been consistent in his investment in education and has not waivered in his continuous advocacy for governments at all levels to prioritizs the educational sector.

”We assure Nigerians that if he is voted into power in 2023, the consistent ASUU strike witnessed under the APC government will be a thing of the past.

”We empathise with those affected by the ASUU strike but we assure them that through deliberate and progressive policies in the educational sector, Atiku will make sure parents, students and indeed, the lecturers are happy.”

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FG slashes interest rate on late tax payment

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The Federal Government (FG) has reduced the penalty interest rate for late settlement of tax liabilities, with the new regime taking effect from October 1, 2026.

Under the new arrangement, interest on tax liabilities payable in naira will be pegged to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) plus one percentage point, down from the previous five-percentage-point penalty.

The measure is contained in the Nigeria Tax Administration (Interest on Late Payment of Tax) Order, 2026, issued yesterday by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, pursuant to Section 65 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.

According to the minister, the new Order will apply uniformly to taxpayers dealing with federal, state and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) tax authorities.

However, the applicable interest rate on naira-denominated tax liabilities will not fall below the yield on 364-day Treasury Bills, reflecting the Federal Government’s cost of borrowing when tax payments are delayed.

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For tax liabilities payable in foreign currencies, interest will be charged at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus six percentage points.

The Order further provides that where SOFR is discontinued, its officially designated successor rate will apply.

Explaining the rationale for the new regime, Oyedele said the objective was to align the cost of late tax payments more closely with prevailing market conditions while providing taxpayers with greater certainty about their obligations.

“Tax that is due belongs to the public. When it is paid late, Government may have to borrow to fill the gap, and the cost falls on everyone.

“This Order ties the cost of late payment to real market rates, so that delaying tax does not become a cheaper form of credit than the market itself,” he stated.

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APC wins all Chairmanship, Councillorship seats in Enugu

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all chairmanship and Councillorship seats contested in the Sept. 26 Local Government Election in Enugu State.

The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) conducted election into the 17 Chairmanship and 260 Ward Councillorship positions in the state on Saturday.

Declaring the election results at the ENSIEC headquarters in Enugu on Sunday, the Chairman of the Commission, Prof Christian Ngwu, said that the election was free and fair.

Ngwu said that the election was conducted according to rules guiding the Commission, and “subsequently, we are issuing the winners with certificate of returns.”

Speaking after collecting his certificate of return, Chairman of Enugu South Local Government Area, Chief Caleb Ani, attributed the landslide victory of the candidates of APC to the massive developmental works of Gov. Peter Mbah.

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Ani urged the residents of the state to vote for Mbah en masse in the forthcoming 2027 General Election to continue the good works.

“Gov. Mbah has done well in all ramifications, this is partly while the APC candidates won overwhelmingly.

“I urge the people to vote for him, come 2027 General Elections so that he will continue with his good works and do more,” he said.

Reacting, the APC Chairman in Enugu State, Dr Martin Chukwunweike, said that the resounding victory at the polls indicated the dominance of the national ruling party, APC, in the state.

“We will not rest as we push the developmental efforts of President Bola Tinubu and our amiable governor, His Excellency Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for the world to see.

“Tinubu, Mbah and all the APC candidates will be reelected in 2027 as they have performed exceptionally well in the past three years,” he said.

In the numerical figures of the results pronounced, APC chairmanship candidates won with margins while the opposition parties trailed behind with minimal votes.

For instance, in Udenu, Igbo-Eze North and Igbo-Eze South local Government Areas respectively, the APC chairmen elect secured virtually the whole votes cast.

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‘Where is Nigeria’s president?’, Peter Obi questions Tinubu’s absence from UNGA

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Peter Obi and President Bola Tinubu
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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has questioned the absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, contrasting it with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama’s participation in the global gathering.

Obi raised the question in a post on his Facebook page while commenting on Mahama’s address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

Mahama attended the UNGA and delivered Ghana’s national statement, where he addressed issues including global governance, Africa’s representation in international institutions and Ghana’s economic recovery.

Obi described the Ghanaian president’s address as “remarkable,” saying it demonstrated what leadership could achieve when competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character were brought together in the service of a nation.

He subsequently asked why the president of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, was not personally present at the gathering.

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“Where is the President of Africa’s most populous nation, a country of more than 200 million people – more than Ghana – whose leader has been absent from the global stage for three consecutive UNGAs?” Obi asked.

The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s president ought to be representing the country and providing leadership for Africa at the international level, particularly at a time he said the country was facing significant domestic and international challenges.

Although Vice President Kashim Shettima is representing Nigeria at the 81st UNGA and leading the country’s delegation, Obi said his presence did not answer the question of the president’s absence.

“Although our Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was present, the question remains: Where is the President?” he wrote.

The Federal Government has said President Tinubu mandated Shettima to represent him at the UNGA and lead Nigeria’s delegation, with the Vice President authorised to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements.

Shettima’s participation included meetings and engagements focused on Nigeria’s priorities and strengthening the country’s role in multilateral cooperation.

Obi, however, urged Nigerians to continue praying for the President’s return and for his leadership in addressing the challenges confronting the country.

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