Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that he knows individuals who paid to secure ministerial appointments under President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) government. Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, El-Rufai expressed his disappointment with the current state of the APC, stating that the party has deviated from its founding principles and become a platform for personal gain rather than public service.

El-Rufai, who recently left the APC to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), clarified that his decision to exit the party was not due to his failure to secure a ministerial position. Instead, he attributed his departure to the APC’s abandonment of its core values and its transformation into a commercialized entity where "everything has a price tag." He lamented that the party no longer recognizes or rewards those who contributed to its success, with key appointments now being controlled by a select group from Lagos.

"It could have been easier for me if the APC sacked me because that would have saved me from explaining the stress of why I left the party," El-Rufai said. "I did not leave the APC; the party abandoned me and its original ideals. The APC has become a business enterprise where personal interests dominate governance."

El-Rufai also addressed speculation that he left the party because he was not considered for a ministerial role, stating, "Did I even seek to be a minister? I know people who paid to get ministerial appointments." He emphasized that while he does not regret supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition, he feels disappointed by the way he has been treated and the direction the party has taken.

Before leaving the APC, El-Rufai consulted several prominent political figures, including former President Muhammadu Buhari, Tunde Bakare, Abdullahi Adamu, Adams Oshiomhole, and Bisi Akande. He sought their opinions and blessings, particularly from Buhari, whom he described as the "father of the land." Buhari reportedly gave him his blessings and prayers for his political journey.

El-Rufai further criticized the APC for sidelining him and other dedicated members, stating that he was not involved in party activities and was completely marginalized. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the current administration’s policies, claiming that they do not align with the plans he and others had envisioned when the party was formed.

"The party is dead," El-Rufai declared. "Justice has been kept at bay, and those who worked for the party are ignored instead of being compensated. Appointments are now controlled by a select group from Lagos. We’ve given up on the APC."

El-Rufai’s remarks highlight growing discontent within the APC and raise questions about the integrity of the appointment process under Tinubu’s administration. His decision to join the SDP marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s political landscape, as one of the APC’s prominent figures publicly denounces the party and its current leadership.

Suspected bandits have abducted ten villagers from three remote communities in Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.

The incidents occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, around 2am., when a group of armed bandits invaded the Unguwan Yashi-Maraban Kajuru community and kidnapped six persons.

Those abducted were God-Dream Ladan, Lady God-Dream, Philip Mudakas, Mercy Philip, Bitrus Philip, and Gmen Philip.

Similarly, in Makyali village, two persons sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving medical attention at Maraban Kajuru Hospital after bandits stormed the community.

Two females – Rahina Yahaya and Zulai Yahaya – were also kidnapped in the village.

The injured victims were identified as Ubale Yahaya and Abdullahi.

It was gathered that the same group of bandits moved to Ungwan Mudi Doka around 4am and kidnapped two more persons – Amos Michael and Samita Amos.

Stephen Maikori, the Acting District Head of Kufana, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Thursday, stating that such attacks had reduced in the past but resurged this week.

“So far, ten people have been taken away, with two injured now receiving treatment. We are appealing for an intensified rapid security response and action to save lives and properties in this axis,” he said.

He also added that the incident had been reported to security agencies accordingly.

Meanwhile, the State Government and the Police Command have yet to release an official statement on the incident.

The State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, could not be reached on the phone at the time of filing this report.

Daily Trust

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin lists guarantees Moscow wants for 30-day ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for a potential 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict but has raised concerns regarding how such a truce be implemented. Speaking on Thursday, Putin warned of potential loopholes and strategic disadvantages. 

“We also want guarantees that during the 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine will not conduct mobilization, will not train soldiers, and will not receive weapons,” Putin said during a press briefing with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.

The president pointed out that Russian troops are advancing along nearly 2,000 kilometers of frontline, and halting military actions could disrupt ongoing operations. Ukrainian forces could use a ceasefire period to regroup, receive more weapons, and train fresh recruits, he warned.

“These 30 days — how will they be used? To continue forced mobilization in Ukraine? To receive more arms supplies? To train newly mobilized units? Or will none of this happen?” Putin asked.

Enforcing a ceasefire over such a vast battlefield would be difficult, he added, violations could be easily disputed, leading to a blame game between both sides. Systems of “control and verification” to monitor a ceasefire are not in place but should be agreed.

Putin also mentioned that Ukrainian troops who invaded Russia’s Kursk Region in August 2024 are now cut off. What is to be done with them in the event of a truce is unclear, he noted. 

“Are we supposed to let them out, after they committed mass war crimes against civilians? Will the Ukrainian leadership tell them to lay down their arms, and just surrender?” Putin said.

As of Wednesday evening, Moscow’s forces have regained control of 86% of the territory that was occupied by Ukrainian forces in August 2024, according to the head of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov. Kiev’s remaining units in the area have been largely “encircled” and “isolated,” he claimed.

Putin suggested that discussions with his American counterpart Donald Trump will be necessary to find a viable solution.

“The idea of ending the conflict through peaceful means is something we support,” he stressed.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Putin says Ukrainians face choice of 'surrender or die' as Russia tightens squeeze in Kursk

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had trapped the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region, where they have clung on for more than seven months in one of the key battles of the war.

A day after instructing his top commanders to complete the ejection of Ukrainian forces as fast as possible, Putin told a news conference that the situation in Kursk was "completely under our control, and the group that invaded our territory is in isolation".

Ukraine's top commander denied this week that his men were being encircled, but said they were adopting better defensive positions. Its general staff said on Thursday that five Russian attacks had been repelled and clashes were continuing in four locations.

A Russian war correspondent reported heavy Ukrainian artillery fire on the town of Sudzha, which Russia recaptured on Wednesday. Maps published by Deep State, an authoritative Ukrainian source that charts the frontlines of the war, showed a dramatic shrinking of Ukrainian-held territory in the past week but little change in the past 24 hours.

Putin said Ukrainian soldiers were cut off inside the invasion zone. "And if a physical blockade occurs in the coming days, then no one will be able to leave at all, there will be only two ways - to surrender or die."

Ukraine's surprise incursion into Kursk last August aimed to embarrass Putin, divert Russian forces from elsewhere on the front lines and grab land to trade for its own captured territory. Its troops were the first to invade Russia since Adolf Hitler's army in 1941.

But Russia's forces, supported by troops from its ally North Korea, have gradually clawed back the lost ground, intensifying pressure on Ukraine in the past week by cutting supply lines.

Putin's growing confidence was reflected in a surprise visit on Wednesday to commanders in Kursk, when he told them to finish the job "in the shortest possible timeframe".

Putin, who rarely dons military uniform, was shown on TV in camouflage fatigues - a pointed signal to the West of Russia's military resolve as it weighs up a 30-day ceasefire plan proposed by the United States and supported this week by Ukraine.

CEASEFIRE 'NUANCES'

At his news conference, Putin said Russia supported the idea of a ceasefire, but with the caveat that it should lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

He said there were a number of "nuances", including in Kursk, where a truce would be "very good" for the Ukrainian side.

"If we stop hostilities for 30 days, what does that mean? That everyone who is there will leave without a fight? Should we let them out of there after they have committed a lot of crimes against civilians? Or will the Ukrainian leadership give us the order to lay down our arms? It is not clear."

Ukraine denies committing such crimes, says it abides by humanitarian law and does not target civilians.

The Russian Defence Ministry said earlier that its forces were pounding remaining Ukrainian positions after capturing three more settlements including Sudzha, which is located near the border with Ukraine and lies on a road that Kyiv had used to resupply its forces.

Video from Sudzha, published by Russian media and military bloggers, showed scenes of devastation from the seven months of fighting, with burnt-out vehicles, roofless buildings and mountains of rubble.

RT/Reuters

Many years ago, when my teacher said nothing sells like sex, crime, and money, I didn’t fully understand what he meant. Yet, over the years, I’ve repeatedly seen that a judicious mix of these socio-economic ingredients is a spellbinder.

Apart from the tragic news about banditry, the suspense in Rivers State, and the heightened prostitution amongst politicians crossing carpet or finding new harems, nothing has hugged the headlines as relentlessly as the salacious tango between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

After weeks of trying to see, hear, and say no evil, I’m compelled to overcome the temptation of abstaining by yielding. It’s not an easy road, believe me – not for those genuinely trying to make sense of it, not for the busybodies and certainly not for the parties involved.

Managing their libido

It's heartbreaking that despite the perennial underperformance of the legislature, managing the libido of its menfolk has piled on the hazards we must endure.

But it’s not a Nigerian thing, if that is any comfort. A 2016 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on sexism, harassment and violence against women parliamentarians indicates that 20 percent of women parliamentarians globally report sexual harassment during their terms. The hospitality and healthcare sectors follow the pecking order, with power relations influencing the trend in several industries, professions, and workspaces.

Allegations of sexual harassment or assault have indeed been weaponised in the past. From the Central Park Five in the US to Ivan Henry, and Perry Lott, exonerated only two years ago after serving 35 years for a rape conviction in Oklahoma, the literature is replete with cases of persons wrongfully convicted for sexual offences they did not commit. Lott won’t be the last.

What is behind seven…

Yet, Akpoti-Natasha’s allegation should be taken more seriously than just another regular nuisance from an under-performing legislative branch. The feedback from insiders has been puzzling. Akpabio and Akpoti-Natasha have been good friends, one source told me. In Akpabio’s Senate presidency, the source said, none of the other three female senators have enjoyed the privileges Akpoti-Uduaghan has, even though she is a first-timer.

Jealousy, I thought, especially when my source added that apart from her appointment as chairman of the juicy local content development committee, Akpoti-Natasha had been a part of the Senate president’s entourage on trips to several enchanting destinations before things fell apart. This source, I’ve known for years, is not given to flippancy. But I pressed for more.

Show me your friend…

The source added that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband, Emmanuel, a hard-working man, high chief, husband of one wife, and friend of the establishment but a non-legislator, had also executed several significant contracts for the National Assembly running into hundreds of millions of naira.

For anyone familiar with how things are done here, lavish travels and contracts for one’s buddies are only a tiny part of the fringe benefits. There is a common saying among Nigerian politicians that one does not give jobs to one’s enemies.

Yet, if it’s also true that one’s friends can sometimes tell a lot about who they are, then anyone who is Akpabio’s friend and gets special treatment cannot claim they’re strangers to his flippancy, a shortcoming for which he cannot help himself. Akpoti-Uduaghan should know him.

A lifestyle of rough jokes

As governor of Akwa Ibom State, he said before TV cameras at a zonal meeting in Port Harcourt that “hungry” state party chairmen of his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), should be given one million naira each for snacks at Mr. Biggs. Akpabio also famously said that whatever money cannot do, more money can do.

The bawdier variety range from telling young protesters last year that those who wanted to protest could do so “while the rest of us would be here eating.” Not to mention his off-colour quip about the Senate not being a night club or his pre-recess gaffe to “send prayers” (meaning money) to senators just before their holiday.

The man can’t help himself. He thinks the allegation against him is wokeism gone rogue and called it “a useless allegation of sexual harassment.” But the gravity goes beyond his insinuation that Akpoti-Uduaghan is fighting back for losing her “juicy” committee seat or his charge that she thinks of herself as finer than Snow White, a woman to kill for.

Under the rug

The point is that even though he has framed this dispute as a useless distraction, he should never have been the prosecutor and judge in his own case. Because he was involved – the second time in five years – the matter should have been referred to an independent panel or opened to the public.

Allegations of sexual harassment are often difficult to prove. Many incidents occur privately, leaving no direct witnesses or corroborative testimony. Claims usually rely on the complainant’s words, and documentation of circumstantial evidence is challenging.

Referring the matter to the Ethics and Privileges committee was supposed to create a veneer of impartiality. Still, Akpabio’s vindictiveness was apparent long before the committee returned the six-month suspension verdict on Akpoti-Uduaghan. The Senate president was pulling the strings.

It was not Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to a fair, impartial hearing alone that was at stake, even though the absence of that should have been sufficient to discredit her punishment. Akpabio has also abridged the rights of the senator’s constituents in Kogi Central by this libidinous overreach.

He should have been more restrained.

A worrying record

Discipline of members shouldn’t be taken lightly. Of eight senators suspended since 1999, three have been in the last two years under Akpabio’s presidency. In 236 years, the US Senate has censured nine members.

In South Africa, apart from the raft of parliamentarians who resigned after the so-called Travelgate scandal in the early 2000s, the most notable cases of censure since 1994 have been Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, for different reasons.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said Akpoti-Uduaghan was not suspended for her allegation against the Senate president but for multiple breaches, from refusal to sit in her assigned seat, speaking without recognition, disruptive behaviour, and failure to appear before the Senate Ethics Committee, contrary to Senate Orders 2023 as amended.

With only four women out of 109 senators (both chambers of the National Assembly have eight of 469 members), this might sound like music to the ears of the male-dominated chamber. But in the hallways, just outside their gilded offices, the word is that after a previous sexual harassment allegation by Akpoti-Uduaghan against former presidential aide Reno Omokri, it’s time to teach her a lesson.

Spouses beware

Akpabio cannot come clean by asking his wife to tell us what a faithful husband he has been. Or telling us stories of how he spent the night at the Dangote Cement factory to make it to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s wedding. We have an idea what spouses would say in situations like this, and where he spent the night to attend his friend’s wedding is his business.

Enough of the salacious spellbinder. He should allow an independent investigation and publish the findings to bring closure to this sordid episode.

** Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio

Recognizing the value of rethinking is one thing—making it a habit is another. Many leaders struggle with revising their opinions, not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack the right tools to challenge their own thinking. Organizations, too, often default to past strategies rather than embracing a culture of adaptability. If you want to develop the skill of rethinking—and build a workplace where learning and adaptability thrive—you need a structured approach. The best leaders use specific strategies to train themselves and their teams to challenge assumptions, embrace hange, and pivot when necessary.

Challenge Your Own Assumptions Regularly

The first step in developing a rethinking habit is to proactively question your own beliefs. Leaders who regularly challenge their own assumptions make better decisions and avoid costly missteps. One simple yet powerful exercise is to ask yourself:

- What would convince me that my current strategy is wrong?

- Am I relying on past success to justify current decisions?

- If I were an outsider evaluating this decision, what weaknesses would I see?

This kind of self-inquiry forces leaders to separate ego from strategy, ensuring that decisions are based on the best available information rather than past habits.

Surround Yourself with a Challenge Network

Many leaders unknowingly create echo chambers—surrounding themselves with people who reinforce their existing beliefs. To avoid this trap, Adam Grant suggests building a “challenge network”—trusted colleagues who provide constructive dissent rather than just support. A strong challenge network consists of people who will ask tough questions, present alternative viewpoints, and call out blind spots. Leaders at Pixar, for example, engage in braintrust sessions, where teams critique film ideas early in development. These candid discussions lead to better storytelling because they force directors to rethink and refine their work.

Make Rethinking a Teamwide Practice

A leader’s ability to rethink is only as effective as the culture they create. Organizations that embrace learning over rigid certainty perform better in volatile environments. Satya Nadella transformed Microsoft’s culture by shifting it from a “know-it-all” culture to a “learn-it-all” mindset. By encouraging curiosity, rewarding adaptability, and fostering open discussions, he created a workplace where rethinking is expected, not resisted.

Great leaders don’t see their beliefs as fixed truths—they treat them like hypotheses to be tested and refined. By questioning their own assumptions, building challenge networks, and fostering cultures of continuous learning, they create organizations that don’t just survive change but thrive in it.

Forbes

Nigeria's crude oil production decreased to 1.46 million barrels per day (bpd) in February, according to the latest monthly market report from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The figures, based on direct communication with Nigerian authorities, represent a 4.8% decline from January's output of 1.53 million bpd, marking the first month-on-month decrease of the year.

Interestingly, secondary sources cited by OPEC painted a different picture, reporting Nigeria's February production at 1.56 million bpd—a 2.2% increase from January's 1.52 million bpd. OPEC collects production data through both direct communication with member countries and secondary sources such as energy intelligence platforms.

Despite the production drop reported through direct channels, Nigeria maintained its position as Africa's largest oil producer, with Algeria following in second place at 912,000 bpd.

In the broader context, OPEC reported that total crude oil production across its 12 member countries averaged about 41.01 million bpd in February. Production increases were noted in several countries including Nigeria, Iraq, and Iran, while Gabon and Congo experienced declines.

Meanwhile, non-OPEC Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) countries produced 14.15 million bpd in February, showing a decrease from the previous month. Kazakhstan saw production increases, while Mexico, Malaysia, and Russia reported lower output.

The report comes shortly after OPEC and its allies (OPEC+) announced plans on March 3 to increase oil output in April.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​