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Arewa Forum alleges ethnic bias in Tinubu’s key appointments

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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A group for the emancipation of northern economy, Arewa Economic Forum has accused President Bola Tinubu of ethnic bias in the selection of appointees into crucial economic sectors. The forum said the appointments so far have shown that the President has special consideration for people from his south-west region, especially those with links to Lagos State.

“We are afraid to state that a situation whereby the appointees in crucial economic sectors are not only from the southwest but also connected to the Lagos axis suggests a deliberate ‘Yorubanisation’ and ‘Lagoslisation’ of the polity,” chairman of the forum Ibrahim Shehu Yahaya said at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

He however said it was not too late for President Tinubu to turn the corner and do the needful in upcoming appointments and crucial decisions.

The group pointed to the appointments of the minister of finance and the cordinating minister of the economy, Mr. Wale Edun; acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Folashodun Shonubi; minister of communications innovation and digital economy, Mr Bosun Tijani at the same the chairman of Senate committee on ICT, Afolabi Salisu, and that of House of Representatives, Adedeji Olajide Odidiomo are both from the southwest as enough pointers to the fact that the appointments are sectional.

Asked why his forum refused to raise such concern when former President Mohammadu Buhari also raised ethnic flag over competence and national spread in his appointments, Mr Yahaya simply said “Arewa Economic Forum was not established then.”

While the forum admitted that the appointees are eminently qualified for their respective positions, it however said competent hands could be found in other regions of the country to make it reflect national spread.

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“Competence should be the key word. It can be found in all parts of the country.

“Some agencies in the finance and ICT sectors whose chief executives were removed like the Nigeria Customs Service and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) were replaced by people from the Southwest.

“There is even confusion on the recent appointment of Engr Bisoye Coker-Odusote from Lagos as acting DG NIMC, after Engr Aliyu Abubakar Aziz was asked to go on retirement leave.

“The presidential directive stated that after acting for three months, Coker-Odusote would then immediately resume as substantive DG for a full tenure.

“This is curious and unprecedented. If the President could not allow the most senior director in the Commission to act for some time, he should have instructed Madam Coker-Odusote to resume her four-year tenure immediately instead of making her enjoy extra three months. This is capable of setting a bad precedent in public service appointments,” Yahaya said.

The group believes that the president means well for the nation but said, the president and his lieutenants need to understand optics as perception is reality.

“We urge Mr. President not to yield to sectional pressure for parochial appointments and patronage on the critical sectors of our economy.

“In his appointments, changes and replacements, we call on the President to be wary of actions that can send a wrong signal on his true intentions or the agenda of some of his key lieutenants.

“We expect President Tinubu to be fair, just and equitable in his decisions not only because the Northerners overwhelmingly voted for him but because that is the right thing to do,” the group stated.

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Nigerian woman jailed in Ghana over fake passport documents

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A Ghanaian court has sentenced a 41-year-old Nigerian woman, Franca Wilson, to six months imprisonment with hard labour for attempting to secure a Ghanaian passport using forged nationality documents.

The conviction was confirmed by the Ghana Immigration Service in a report published on Thursday by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

Wilson, said to be a welder, reportedly pleaded guilty before the Adabraka District Court in Accra on May 12, 2026, to charges related to fraudulent acquisition of travel documents.

According to reports, the court handed her a six-month jail term on three separate counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The convict was arrested on April 24, 2026, at the Accra Passport Application Centre after immigration officers detected inconsistencies in the nationality details she provided during screening.

Authorities subsequently referred the matter to the National Enforcement Department of the Ghana Immigration Service for further investigations.

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Investigators later established that Wilson is a Nigerian citizen from Rivers State and was born to Nigerian parents.

However, she allegedly presented a forged birth certificate claiming she was born in Somanya, located in Ghana’s Eastern Region, to a Ghanaian mother.

The immigration service disclosed that during interrogation, the suspect failed to provide convincing information about the alleged Ghanaian parent she claimed as her mother.

The case is the latest in a series of identity-related offences involving foreign nationals in Ghana.

In December 2025, two Nigerians identified as Ike Isaac and Emmanuel Egbe were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment each by a Ghanaian court for attempting to obtain Ghana Cards using false identities.

The Madina District Court II had found both men guilty of fraudulently seeking to acquire the national identity cards.

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Police arrest suspect over killing of Imo Nursing Student

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Suspected assassins have murdered Wendy Achumba, a female student of the College of Nursing Umulogho, in Obowo LGA of Imo state.

The State Police Command said Thursday that it has intensified investigations into the gruesome murder of the female student in order to apprehend the killers.

Reports indicate that the student, who was said to be done with her midwifery but on post basic training, was killed in her apartment on Thursday.

The deceased hails from Isiala-Ngwa in Abia state, but details of her death were still sketchy as of the time of filing this report.

Confirming the development, the Imo state police command said it has launched a manhunt for the killers.

“The Command is aware of the tragic incident involving the death of a female student of the College of Nursing, Umulogho, whose body was discovered in her private off-campus apartment,” Henry Okoye, spokesperson for the command, said in a statement on Friday.

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Okoye added that following the report, the DPO and operatives promptly visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, after which the body was recovered and deposited at the morgue.

Okoye said investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and arrest those responsible.

He noted that the command has arrested one suspect, who is currently undergoing preliminary questioning.

“Consequently, the Command appeals to students and members of the public to remain calm, assuring that the situation is under control and that every effort is being made to ensure those behind the act are brought to justice,” the statement added.

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2027: Back Tinubu or risk losing federal projects — Umahi tells South-East Leaders

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I’m not fighting with my successor like other ex-governors - Umahi
Minister of Works David Umahi
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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged political stakeholders in the South-East to rally behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that failure to do so could affect the region’s access to federal development projects.

Umahi made the remark while addressing concerns around federal infrastructure delivery and political alignment in the South-East, stressing that the region stands to benefit more under continued cooperation with the current administration.

According to him, the Tinubu-led government has already committed substantial resources to ongoing road and infrastructure projects across the South-East, including major highways, bridges, and rehabilitation works, which he said reflect unprecedented federal attention to the region in recent years.

The minister argued that political alignment remains critical in ensuring continuity and expansion of such projects, insisting that opposition politics could weaken the region’s influence in national decision-making and project allocation.

He maintained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated what he described as “inclusive governance” through appointments and infrastructure investments, adding that the South-East should adopt a more strategic political approach rather than confrontational positioning ahead of 2027.

Umahi also reiterated his belief that the South-East would overwhelmingly support Tinubu’s re-election bid, insisting that ongoing projects and federal presence in the region would naturally translate into political appreciation.

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His comments are the latest in a series of strong endorsements of the President by the Works Minister, who has consistently pointed to major federal road projects in the region as evidence of what he calls renewed attention to South-East development.

The statement is expected to generate political debate, especially among opposition figures and stakeholders in the region who have continued to question the distribution of federal projects and political inclusiveness.

As the 2027 elections draw closer, analysts say such remarks highlight the growing early political positioning within Nigeria’s major geopolitical zones, particularly in the South-East where electoral competition remains highly contested.

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