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Tinubu, Shettima disagree on setting up of commodities control board
President Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Senator Kashim Shettima, have differed over the setting up of commodities price control board by the federal government.
On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu met with 36 state governors and other top government functionaries to find lasting solution to the food crisis.
At the meeting which took place at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja, far reaching decisions were taken by the government, including a directive to the office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies to clamp down in hoarders of food commodities.
Speaking at the meeting, Tinubu ruled out the possibility of establishing commodities price control board to monitor prices of food items in the country.
He said- “What I will not do is to set a price control board. I will not also approve the importation of food,”
The president’s stance was at variance with the position of the Vice President.
Nationwide Reports recall that Shettima had on Tuesday, this same week, hinted that the government was considering the possibility of setting up a price control board.
He said this at the opening of a two-day high-level strategic meeting on climate change, food systems, and resource mobilization which took place at the Banquet Hall of State House, Abuja.
Shettima said- “Our solution to the potential food crisis has become immediate, medium, and long-term strategies. The short-term strategy entails revitalising food supply through specific interventions, like the distribution of fertilisers and grains to farmers and households to counteract the effects of subsidy removal; fostering collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources for efficient farmland irrigation, ensuring year-round food production; and addressing price volatility by establishing a National Commodity Board.
“This board will continually assess and regulate food prices, maintaining a strategic food reserve for stabilising prices of crucial grains and other food items.”
Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said far-reaching decisions were taken, including consideration of the need for the establishment of state police which would require constitutional amendment.
Idris said the meeting was at the instance of the president to intimate the state governors on recent developments, and what the federal government was doing. It was also to hear from the state governors and get their input on issues of development in the country.
He explained, “A lot of issues were discussed about the security situation in the country. The apparent food issue that the media has also been reporting about and some other measures that will help in improving the state of our nation.
“Now, the first point is that the governors and Mr. President have agreed to set up a committee to deepen the conversation that has happened at the just-concluded meeting.
“Of course, you know that it is impossible to complete most of the issues that were raised at the meeting. So it is going to be a continuous one.
“Secondly, Mr. President and the governors have agreed that these kinds of meetings will continue in the interest of our nation.
“It is important that all the time, the federal government and the state governors, who are leaders at the subnational level, continue to engage and interact collectively so that issues of national importance will continue to be addressed, and we don’t leave room for any speculation or for people who may seize the opportunity to say things that are not in the interest of our country.
Idris, who was in company with the governors of Plateau, Kaduna, and Delta states, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communication, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, further said Tinubu also called on the state governors to join hands with the federal government to do more for the people, especially the youth population.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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