News

Uzodimma approves ‘re- integration’ fund for Imo returnees from South Africa

Published

5 hours ago

June 12, 2026

The Exclusives

… law students to benefit too

The Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, has approved N500 million for Imo returnees from South Africa and law students.

While the returnees numbering 250 will receive ₦1 million each to enhance their rehabilitation and integration, 500 Imo students in Nigeria Law School will receive N500,000 each to help them cope with the rising cost of living.

This was disclosed to the newsmen in a statement by the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba.

According to the commissioner, the governor was moved to embark upon the humanitarian gestures because of the extenuating circumstances the beneficiaries found themselves.

“The law students made a passionate appeal to His Excellency to support them to cushion the global inflation as regards the cost of living. As a caring father, he responded promptly, ” he said.

The Commissioner, however, noted that the assistance to the South African returnees was borne out of empathy by the governor who felt that the traumatised indigenes needed help, hence he approved what he described as ” re- integration fund” for them.

Emelumba said the governor was convinced that the indigenes who were forced to leave South Africa needed a helping hand to enable them to settle down and re- integrate into the society with minimum discomfort.

The Commissioner noted that under the shared prosperity agenda of the Uzodimma’s administration, every citizen is taken care of outside the infrastructural revolution in the state.

On the law students, Emelumba recalled that this is not the first time that the governor had gone to their aid.

He said: “Most of them are on the scholarship list of the state government and from time to time, the governor extends a helping hand to them.

News

Real reasons Kalu withdrew from Abia governorship race

Published

1 day ago

June 11, 2026

The Exclusives

The campaign was intense. Many supporters of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, were optimistic that he would secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Abia State, and likely become governor in 2027.

According to the Deputy Speaker’s supporters, the sitting governor, Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP), was not going to win a second term.

The Exclusivesonline.com gathered that Kalu’s popularity was giving his opponents in Abia a sleepless night, and in a bid to stop him, they unleashed what they described as “a calculated, covert operation of political attrition.”

It was alleged that some unscrupulous people were mobilised to peddle lies in the media space to disparage and peddle falsehood against the Deputy Speaker.

According to a source, the Deputy Speaker eventually made a detour, despite obtaining the APC governorship form.

It was gathered that one of the reasons he changed his mind was the demands of national legislative duty.

“Benjamin Kalu, as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, is not merely a constituency figure. He, with the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, has been a stabilising force of the Tinubu administration’s legislative agenda. The 10th House has, in large measure, enjoyed the smooth, productive character it has because of Kalu’s efforts in managing its affairs. A gubernatorial race will see Kalu exit the green chambers, which the presidency and the ruling party cannot afford, given its desire to come back and ensure that the reforms it has started carrying out are completed,” the source said.

The second reason, according to the source, was because Kalu had staked considerable personal and political capital on ensuring that President Tinubu secures a strong showing in Abia State and the broader South-East region come the next general election.

His vehicle for this, the Renewed Hope Partners, has become an active instrument of presidential outreach in a region historically resistant to the APC.

The source stated further that for Kalu to pursue a governorship race while simultaneously coordinating presidential reelection strategy in the South-East would have been an extraordinary act of multitasking, possible, given his well-documented organisational genius, but imprudent.

The third reason, the source said, “is perhaps the most quietly potent of all: legacy and timing. Benjamin Kalu is a politician who thinks in decades, not cycles. By stepping back now, he does not exit the governorship conversation; he defers it on his own terms.

“He preserves his political capital, avoids the bruising and unpredictable nature of a closely contested race, and emerges from this season with his alliances intact and his national profile elevated. A man who fights every battle risks exhaustion; a man who chooses his battles commands the future,” the source concluded.

News

Police promote 17,952 junior officers

Published

2 weeks ago

May 30, 2026

The Exclusives

The Nigerian Police has promoted a new set of junior police officers.

The Exclusivesonline gathered that the promotion is part of ongoing efforts to enhance personnel welfare, boost morale, and reward diligence, professionalism, and dedication to duty.

17,952 junior police officers across various ranks in the Nigeria Police Force were promoted.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, said the promotion exercise, which spans Commands and Formations nationwide, comprises the elevation of 165 Sergeants to the rank of Inspector, 73 Corporals to the rank of Sergeant, and 17,714 Constables to the rank of Corporal.

He noted that timely promotion remains a critical component of the Force’s human resource management strategy and a key tool for motivating officers to remain committed to discharging their constitutional responsibilities.

The IGP emphasised that the advancement of deserving personnel reflects the commitment of the current Police leadership to merit, career progression, and institutional development.

Disu congratulated the newly promoted officers and charged them to see their elevation as a call to greater responsibility, professionalism, discipline, and dedication to service.

According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid, the IGP urged them to uphold the core values of the Nigeria Police Force and continue to discharge their duties with integrity, respect for human rights, and commitment to the rule of law.

He said the NPF remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting excellence, rewarding hard work, and strengthening institutional capacity in line with global best practices in policing.

News

POS threatens to suspend services

Published

2 weeks ago

May 30, 2026

The Exclusives

This may not be the best of times for the POS operators and many Nigerians, as The Association of Point of Sale Service Providers {POS} have threatened to suspend and cripple banking operations in the country if the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPC) fail to immediately intervene in the alleged exclusivity practice by Verve International and Interswitch Limited.

The Association disclosed this in a statement signed by Yomi Idowu, Communications Consultant to the Association.

According to Idowu, the POS operators have written a letter to protest the alleged persistent unlawful decisions of the two companies, noting that the actions of Verve and Interswitch negate ‘extant rules and regulations of the Central Bank of Nigeria{CBN} and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act {FCCPC}, 2018.

The Association of POS Service Providers emphasised that ‘As representatives’ of a coalition comprising several Central Bank of Nigeria Licensed payment acceptors/acquirers, processors and switches, they would have no option but to suspend acceptance/acquiring, processing and switching of Verve Card transactions.

The Point of Sales Association in the letter was quoted thus: “This decision has become unavoidable due to the persistent and escalating unlawful conduct of Verve International (Verve) and Interswitch Limited (Interswitch) which according to the Association jointly undermine “The integrity of Nigeria’s payments ecosystem, erode the capital base of participating institutions and violate several regulatory requirements.”

The Association highlighted the breaches as including but not limited to: maintenance of an exclusive monopoly over Verve transaction processing; abuse of dominant position in the domestic card scheme market, contrary to section 72 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018(FCCPCA) and Section 3,4,7,3 of the CBN Guidelines on Operation of Electronic Payment Channels; imposition of scheme fees in excess of the regulated Merchant Service Commission(MSC) share attributable to acquirers under extant CBN regulations and; unauthorised and unlawful debits from settlement accounts of Acquirers, and Processors /Switches.

The POS Association recalled that its members contributed immensely to building the acceptance and growth of Verve cards at enormous cost to its members in compliance with the CBN regulations without subsidy from Verve and Interswitch as a domestic scheme in Nigeria.

Mr Idowu concluded that “Ironically, the association emphasised that other card scheme operators have since abolished all forms of exclusivity in compliance with the CBN regulations.”