General
Ignore Wike at Your Peril—SERG Tells Atiku
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Atiku Abubakar, has been told to do everything possible within his power to mend fences with the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike.
The Governor contested the party’s ticket a few months ago but lost out after his counterpart from Sokoto State, Mr Aminu Tambuwal, urged delegates at the primary to support the former Vice President of Nigeria.
Mr Wike had believed that the ticket would be his until the last-minute uppercut by Mr Tambuwal, who the Rivers Governor supported for the 2019 presidential primary.
After he lost his ambition to become the next President of Nigeria, Mr Wike had thought that he would be considered for the VP slot, but Mr Atiku opted for the Governor of Delta State, Mr Ifeanyi Okowa. Since then, Mr Wike has threatened fire, asking the chairman of the party, Mr Iyorchia Ayu, to resign.
This week, those in the camp of the Rivers Governor pulled out of the campaign team of the party’s presidential candidate, an action some observers have said could backfire.
But a frontline pan-Igbo socio-political pressure organisation, the South East Revival Group (SERG), wants Mr Atiku to handle the situation with care, warning of “impending political calamity, not just for him as a contestant, but also for the PDP as a political party” if Governor Wike and his protesting camp are ignored.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Mr Willy Ezugwu, the group said Mr Ayu must step down, maintaining that “it was suicidal politically for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to play the my-hands-are-tied card.”
“As the leader of the PDP in prosecuting his 2023 presidential campaign, having emerged as the party’s candidate, the mistake of hiding under the rule of law to sustain injustice and promote lack of honour by party members will be detrimental to the success of the PDP and her presidential candidate in February 2023.
“Atiku must not forget that the entire South, especially the South East, has options after Igbos were denied the presidential ticket by the PDP when it jettisoned the zoning formula as entrenched in the party’s constitution but will now turn around to insist on a lopsided leadership of the party under the guise of the party constitution even when Ayu became the National Chairman of the party based on an agreement that he will resign if a presidential candidate emerges from the north.
“Such other political options will be gladly explored by the South East of Nigeria and other southern political blocs when it becomes expedient.
“It must be noted that with the Peter Obi movement’s increasing acceptance through the current move by young Nigerian people to produce a President of their choice, and the decision of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to produce a northern Muslim vice-presidential candidate from Atiku’s North East constituency, should be ringing the loud political bell in the PDP that ignoring the demands of the Wike camp will be an irredeemable mistake.
“While it is true that the PDP gave Iyorchia Ayu a resounding vote of confidence, the question is, how will such vote of confidence convince traditional PDP zones like the South East and South-South to vote for Atiku?
“Already, the denial of the South East of its well-deserved presidential slot, contrary to PDP’s zoning arrangements, was a way of saying to the region that your loyalty to the party over the years does not matter.
“However, to throw away the aggrieved Wike camp, which cuts across the six geopolitical zones of the country, will be a regrettable decision for Atiku and the PDP,” SERG warned.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and the Niger State Government have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pilot the Sustainable Integrated Productive Communities (SIPC) programme and enterprise development into a single, scalable framework for inclusive growth.
The MoU was signed at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs Doris Uzoka-Anite, described the agreement as a moment of delivery rather than a ceremonial exercise, noting that the SIPC Programme demonstrates how national priorities can be translated into tangible outcomes through strong federal-state collaboration.
“This partnership reflects our belief that development works best when housing, agriculture, finance, and governance move together. By anchoring farmers in secure, well-planned communities, we are not just building houses. We are strengthening livelihoods, food security, and long-term prosperity,” she said.
Under the programme, Niger State will host the pilot phase of integrated farming and housing estates designed to provide farmers with secure settlements located close to agricultural production zones, storage, processing facilities, and markets.
The model directly addresses long-standing challenges such as insecure rural settlements, rural-urban migration, post-harvest losses, and limited youth participation in agriculture.
On his part, Mr Mohammed Umaru Bago, Executive Governor of Niger State, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the initiative, highlighting the availability of extensive arable land, water resources and supporting infrastructure.
He emphasized that the programme would also contribute to improved security, climate resilience, and the orderly development of rural communities while creating viable economic opportunities for farming households.
The SIPC Programme adopts an innovative financing structure that blends public land and assets with private investment, allowing the government to focus on policy, coordination, and oversight while leveraging private-sector efficiency and scale. MOFI’s role is central to this approach, ensuring transparency, sustainability, and shared risk across partners.
Key federal agencies participating in the initiative include Family Homes Funds Limited, the Rural Electrification Agency, and Niger Foods Limited, each contributing sector-specific expertise spanning affordable housing delivery, renewable energy solutions and agricultural value chain development. Renewable energy, particularly solar-powered community infrastructure and mini-grids, will underpin agro-processing, storage, and household energy needs, reducing costs and enhancing productivity.
Beyond agriculture, the programme is expected to stimulate broad-based economic activity through construction, logistics, agro-processing and community services, creating jobs for engineers, artisans, builders and suppliers, while supporting local industries such as cement, steel and transportation.
The settlements are explicitly designed to be affordable and functional, with transparent allocation mechanisms and governance structures to ensure access for farmers and low – to middle-income earners.
The signing of the MoU sends a clear signal to developers, financial institutions, pension funds, agribusiness investors and development partners that Niger State, working in alignment with the Federal Ministry of Finance and MOFI, is open to credible, impact-driven investment. The SIPC framework is intended to serve as a replicable national model for integrated rural and peri-urban development.
The Federal Ministry of Finance also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the agreement moves swiftly from signing to execution, with close coordination among all stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes on housing, food security, employment and inclusive economic growth.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is among 75 countries the US government will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for its citizens.
According to the US State Department, the citizens of the 75 countries are those whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
The State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the US.
Business Post gathered that alongside Nigeria are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Dominica.
Others include Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
The suspension, which will begin on January 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement.
“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has reportedly engaged the services of a Washington-based lobbying firm, DCI Group, in a $9 million contract aimed at communicating its efforts to protect Christians in Nigeria to the United States government.
According to The Africa Report, the amount appears to be a record for African lobbying in the US capital, citing documents filed with the US Department of Justice by Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, acting on behalf of National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu.
The agreement, signed on December 17, 2025, between Mr Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, Managing Partner of Aster Legal, and Mr Justin Peterson, Managing Member of DCI Group, authorises the US firm to assist the Nigerian government “in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities and maintaining US support in countering West African jihadist groups and other destabilizing elements.”
Under the terms of the contract, DCI Group will receive $750,000 monthly, amounting to $9 million over 12 months. The deal runs initially for six months, until June 30, 2026, with an automatic renewal clause for another six-month period.
A clause in the agreement also allowed either party to terminate the deal “for any reason without penalty” by giving 60 days’ advance written notice.
It was reported that on December 12, 2025, Nigeria paid DCI Group 50 per cent or $4.5 million prepayment covering the first six months of the retainership agreement. A second installment is due at the end of the initial contract period.
This comes amid recent threats by US President Donald Trump to invade the country after its redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing alleged attacks against Christian communities. However, the Nigerian government has repeatedly denied claims of a Christian genocide, insisting that violence in the country affects all regardless of their affiliations.
Following an engagement late last year, the federal government pledged to “engage with the American government through diplomatic and legal channels” to address the allegations. Since late November, the US has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria.
On Christmas Day, the US military launched airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) terrorist enclaves in Bauni Forest, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, marking a significant escalation in US counterterrorism involvement in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, the US delivered critical military supplies to Nigeria to bolster the country’s operations, the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.
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