General
Dangote Feeds 50,000 Poor Families In Kebbi, Gombe
In continuation of its 2025 Annual National Food Intervention Programme, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), has distributed 50,000 bags of rice to poor and vulnerable families in Kebbi and Gombe States.
Flagging off the distribution of the intervention in Aliero Local Government Area of Kebbi State on Thursday(yesterday), the Kebbi State Commissioner for Special Duties, Alhaji Zayyanu Aliero, said the gesture was in line with the core values of the Foundation’s founder, Aliko Dangote.
“This is commendable gesture, especially as it will improve the living conditions of the poor and most vulnerable people in the state.
“The distribution is in collaboration between the Foundation and the state government to ensure that the food reaches the most vulnerable individuals in each of the 21 LGAs of the state,” he said.
The commissioner lauded the Foundation for the kind gesture, saying it was the second edition of the foundation’s gesture to the vulnerable people in the state.
He disclosed that,”Out of the 25,000 bags of the rice allotted for the 21 LGAs of the state, 20 LGAs would get 1,000 each while Birnin Kebbi LGA, which is the highest in population, will get 3,000 bags and the other vulnerable people will get 1,000 bags of the rice.
“The distribution formula we have adopted for all the LGAs is, 150 bags for persons living with disability, 100 for deaf, 100 for blind, 20 for leper, 10 for albino people; 120 for imams, 100 for traditional rulers, divorcees 100, widows 150, Dan-Agaji group 50, and other vulnerable 100,” he noted.
Zayyanu Aliero explained that the partnership had helped the government to reach vulnerable residents efficiently, through community structures that understood local needs.
The commissioner revealed that Gov. Nasir Idris,” has introduced various initiatives to mitigate the economic challenges facing the people in recent times in the state.”
On their part, the Chairman of Aliero and Gwandu LGAs, Abubakar Jadi, represented by his Vice Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar, and Alhaji Atiku Ahmad-Mandiya, lauded the foundation and the efforts of the state government for providing succour to the needies and the less- privileged members of the LGAs in the state.
They urged the beneficiaries to continue praying for the state and the nation, saying Gov. Nasir Idris’ administration remained committed to supporting vulnerable communities.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Alhaji Anas Gwandu, thanked Alhaji Aliko Dangote for providing the food item, while praising him for thinking it wise to intervene in the lives of the beneficiaries.
Anas appealed to other well-to-do individuals to emulate Dangote by supporting those in need.
“As I am talking to you now, we have more than 600,000 people living with disabilities and they need special attention and assistance.
“The gesture as such will alleviate some of the challenges face by the poor, widows, divorcees, and most vulnerable people in the society, hence they need for all our wealthy individuals to emulate the foundation’s gesture,” he urged.
Meanwhile, in Gombe State, the donation was handed over to the state government, through Abubakar Inuwa Kari, the Chief of Staff to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, to oversee its distribution to the targeted beneficiaries, which includes widows, orphans, and other disadvantaged groups.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Abubakar Inuwa Kari, expressed profound appreciation to the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, for his continued generosity in assisting the needy, particularly in Gombe State.
He noted that the foundation’s intervention is in line with his administration’s commitment to supporting the poor and vulnerable, especially during the sacred month of Ramadan.
He further commended the timeliness of the Aliko Dangote Foundation’s donation, emphasising that the distribution would follow the existing framework used in previous exercises to ensure equitable reach.
“When the commodities were handed over to the state government, we already had an established distribution structure with standing committees that had successfully handled previous exercises,” he noted.
Governor Yahaya directed that the rice be distributed using the same formula, which has consistently ensured efficiency and transparency in reaching the intended beneficiaries.
He urged the committee members to ensure that this round of distribution benefits a different set of vulnerable persons from those who received aid in previous exercises.
“Let this palliative go to a different set of beneficiaries so that more people can also benefit from this gesture,” he instructed.
He further charged committee members across the LGAs and wards to uphold transparency and accountability in executing their duties, while calling on the general public to continue praying for the progress and prosperity of Gombe State and the nation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Haruna, reaffirmed that all donated food items would be distributed directly to the intended beneficiaries.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairmen of the 11 Local Government Areas of the state, Chairman of Gombe Local Government, Sani Ahmad Haruna, expressed appreciation to the Aliko Dangote Foundation for the continued support
Sani Haruna assured that the successes recorded in previous Ramadan distribution exercises would be replicated, guaranteeing that the items reach those in need.
In their separate remarks, representatives of various beneficiary groups, including the Secretary of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in Gombe State, Saleh Damburam; Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Shinga ; the Acting Chairman of the Association of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Abdullahi A. Bello; and representatives of civil society organisations, lauded the Dangote Foundation for the initiative.
They appreciated the foundation for recognising the targeted groups and coming to their aids, especially at this critical time.
“We are forwarding our appreciation to the Dangote Foundation, who in their wisdom donated these rice to be distributed to the people of Gombe state, particularly those in dire need,” Saleh Danburam, the state JNI secretary stated.
Also, Chairman of the state chapter of CAN, Joseph Shinga said, “I wish to express our deepest gratitude to the Aliko Dangote Foundation for extending this gesture to our people. On behalf of CAN, the youth wing and the ‘Zumuntan Mata we thank you all who sat down and brought out the sharing formula.”
Representative of the Gombe Network of Civil Society (GONET), Ibrahim Yusuf (3000) stated that the donation comes at a crucial time when the targeted beneficiaries are grappling with food and economic hardship.
The event featured the symbolic allocation of palliatives to six organizations, namely: JNI, CAN, FOMWAN, PWDs, CSOs, and Hisbah alongside the formal handing over to state and local government committees for onward distribution across LGAs, wards, and polling units.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, from office.
The Senate Committee on Finance, while passing a resolution in Abuja on Thursday, accused Mr Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of failing to honour the Senate’s invitations to account for the finances of his agency.
“He refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee.
“We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“Each time we invite him, he gives us excuses,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sani Musa, said as the committee passed the resolution.
CAC was part of a group of agencies that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended zero allocation for the year 2026, for allegedly failing to account for public funds appropriated to them.
The committee, at an investigative hearing held two weeks ago, accused CAC and some other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of shunning invitations to respond to audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The PAC chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, stated that the National Assembly should not continue to appropriate public funds to institutions that disregard accountability mechanisms, saying this will create fiscal discipline and strengthen transparency across federal institutions and conform with extant financial regulations and the oversight powers of the parliament.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has announced the reconstitution of its board following the resignation of three nominees of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), promising growth and stability.
Earlier this week, the disco, which serves Oyo, Ogun, Osun and Kwara States, as well as parts of Ekiti, Kogi and Niger States, unveiled its new board led by the new chairman, Mr Tunde J. Afolabi.
The newly constituted board include Mr Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, with Mr Michael I. Magaji as Alternate Director; Mr Taiwo Afolabi; Professor Oladapo Afolabi; Mr Tunde Fayinka; Mr Oluwaseyi Akinwale and Mr Adeolu Ijose.
According to the chairman, the emergence of a new core investor and the reconstituted board marks a significant milestone in the company’s corporate journey and signals a renewed strategic direction focused on stability, continuity and sustainable growth.
“This transition represents renewal, not rupture. It represents investment, not instability. It represents partnership, not division. Our goal is to strengthen governance, enhance operational performance, deepen capital investment and deliver improved service to customers across our franchise areas,” he added.
Mr Afolabi, while addressing customers directly, assured them that there would be no avoidable service disruptions as a result of the transition, stating that all IBEDC offices will remain open, while field operations will continue uninterrupted.
“The new core investor has committed to sustained capital investments in feeder rehabilitation and expansion, transformer upgrades and replacements, injection substation improvements, and the replacement of obsolete network components,” he stated.
He added that IBEDC plans to accelerate the integration of advanced digital and operational technologies, disclosing that these include enhanced outage management systems, strengthened billing platforms, expanded smart metering deployment, and digitised customer engagement channels aimed at improving transparency and service responsiveness.
On workforce stability, the chairman emphasised that there will be no job losses as a direct result of the transition, noting that the board, under his leadership, is committed to employee welfare, improved work tools, modern safety equipment, and technology upgrades to support field efficiency, while maintaining high performance standards.
Mr Afolabi also pledged proactive and structured engagement with regulators, including the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), underscoring its commitment to full regulatory compliance, strengthened governance frameworks, transparency and accountability.
Furthermore, he reaffirmed the commitment of the distribution company to structured and timely payment cycles for vendors and suppliers, recognising their critical role in maintaining network stability.
With the new board in place, he insisted that IBEDC is poised to deepen operational excellence, strengthen financial sustainability, and position itself firmly on the path to becoming Nigeria’s leading power distribution company—powering progress across its franchise with unity, confidence and innovation.
Established in November 2013 following Nigeria’s power sector privatisation, IBEDC operates the largest distribution network serving the highest customer population within Nigeria’s electricity distribution landscape.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has promised to enhance transparency and ensure that the NUPRC’s internal communications are fully digital.
Mrs Eyesan said this when the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mr Musa Adar, visited the commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
“We have set for ourselves a 60-day programme to digitise our interactions and communications within the commission. I can assure you that once we get to day 60, there will be no paper trail within the Commission. All our transmissions will be electronic, which also means speed is assured. It means we will be able to trace where we have hiccups,” Mr Eyesan said.
The NUPRC boss said digitising processes often leads to better results, like the enforcement of payments of royalties.
“I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that for royalty payments, the default rate was enormous prior to 2025 when the Commission went live on the system. Now, compliance has improved,” Mrs Eyesan said.
The NUPRC boss sought a deepened relationship with NEITI, which will foster transparency, especially amid the 2025 Licensing Round.
In his remarks, the NEITI’s scribe said there was a need for the NUPRC to carry the agency along in its operations as this would not only enhance transparency but also deepen investor confidence.
Mr Adar also urged the commission to be firm on oil companies that run afoul of the Petroleum Industry Act.
Speaking on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Mr Adar asked that the NUPRC actively participate in the 2026 EITI flagship conference, which will provide the Commission with better insights into the standards that guide EITI implementation.
The NEITI boss also sought support from the Commission in the area of data sharing, which will enhance the operations of the agency.
“We are here to seek understanding, and we must collaborate,” Mr Adar said.
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