Muhammed Ali Ndume, former Chief Whip and Chairman, Senate Committee on the Army, has bemoaned the state of the Nigerian Army, saying Nigerian soldiers are operating under a very poor and sorry state, accounting for the parlous state of insecurity in the country.

Ndume, one of the few Senators at the 10^th National Assembly, dismissed claims that insurgency had been contained, saying groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African States (ISWAP), remained quite powerful and active, especially in Borno and other surrounding states in the North East.

A guest of Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS, the Senator representing Borno South and one of the oldest lawmakers in Nigeria at the moment, regretted the ugly situation, urging the Federal Government to find the means to redeem the situation.

Regarding the defeat of terrorism, he told his host: “They have not been defeated, especially in the BAY states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. As it is now today, you can’t travel anywhere in Borno after 5 o’clock till eight in the morning. And it has been like that.”

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He added: “The Nigerian Army are doing their best under the circumstances that they’re operating as I’m telling you now. I don’t know about last week, I don’t know about last month. Our soldiers that sacrifice their lives, some of them are even yet to be paid the N70,000 minimum wage; and their daily ration up till now – I don’t know about last week, because I’m interested, I’m a Nigerian, I’m a Senator, is N1,500. You can imagine what N1,500 can do to somebody you just posted from Port Harcourt sometimes.

“I met a young man from Bayelsa posted to Bama and he’s being paid N50,000, when I met him – N50,000. As Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, I was on their neck. I’m not trying to exonerate myself, but Buhari is alive. He knows the pressure I personally put on him, especially for him to approve the loan that we collected to procure the Tucano Jets that change the balance.

“Right now, the truth of the matter is that our Nigerian Armed Forces, generally, are not well-trained, are not equipped, are not motivated, are not armed. If you don’t do that you don’t get anywhere.

“I suggested at one time that if we can’t do that at the shortest possible time, then one of the short-term solution that the Chief of Defence Staff came here to disagree with me, which is entitled to, is to engage the services of private military contractors – PMC – It is done all over. America that is the greatest country in the world, they engage in Blackwater, which is a known contractor. The British Army do that, French do that.

“So, with this problem, of two or three black spots, you can address it through the Private Military Contractors – and ask them to fix it. They’ll fix it. And the Nigerian Army can engage themselves in other things. But I look at it as something of pride. What’s wrong in engaging private contractors to solve the problem?”

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Nigerians may begin to buy cheap petrol again with the Federal Government announcing the sustenance of the naira-for-crude oil initiative, which saw operators like the Dangote Refineries reducing the pump prices on three occasions between December 2024 and February 2025.

Fears that the government would discontinue the policy after the first phase ended on March 31, had been rife, leading to the progressive hike in prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), at filling stations designated by the company for the operation of the price reduction.

But on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance announced that the policy would continue after a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, attended by all the relevant officials and agencies involved in the management and operations of the policy.

The decision to continue with the policy came after the meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee, with Wale Edun Minister of Finance Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Committee, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), resentatives of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, and Dapo Segun, the Chief Financial Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, all in attendance.

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A statement by the Ministry of Finance on X, said of the decision: “The Crude and Refined Product Sales in Naira initiative is not a temporary or time-bound intervention but a key policy directive designed to support sustainable local refining, bolster energy security, and reduce reliance on foreign exchange in the domestic petroleum market.

“As with any major policy shift, the Committee acknowledges that implementation challenges may arise from time to time. However, such issues are being actively addressed through coordinated efforts among all parties.”

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Those threatening thunder and brimstone should Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State be impeached due to ongoing political battle, had a message from Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – you cannot do more than a dead rat – smell.

Wike, considered a major factor in the political war which started in October 2023, barely after Fubara assumed office, and came to a head with an impeachment notice served on him in November, told reporters in Abuja, on Wednesday that the lawmakers would be within their legislative rights to carry out the impeachment, which he acknowledged was a normal process in democracy.

He said: “If you have committed an offence to be impeached, what’s wrong? Is it a criminal offence? It’s provided in the constitution. Am I a member of the Assembly?

“If you have committed an infraction of the constitution and the Assembly deems it fit to say, you should be impeached. I have heard people say: ‘Oh, if they impeach him, there will be a breakdown of law and order.’ Rubbish! Nothing will happen.”

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Wike said if the Amaewhule-led House was not disposed to peace, the Assembly would have gone on a six-month recess after the Supreme Court verdict. He rubbished the letter written to the Assembly by Fubara, saying he should have done better.

On Friday, February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court handed a raft of decisions on the protracted political situation in the oil-rich South-South state.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, the five-man panel of the court unanimously dismissed the cross-appeal filed by Fubara challenging the validity of the House of Assembly presided over by Amaewhule as the Speaker.

In dismissing Fubara’s appeal, the court ordered Amaewhule to resume sitting immediately with other elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The apex court barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other agencies from releasing funds to the Government of Rivers State until it purges itself of what the court described as flagrant disobedience to court orders.

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Also, the apex court declared the local government election conducted in the state on October 5, 2024, as invalid.

Fubara subsequently said he would fully implement the judgments of the apex court and directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to come up with modalities for the fresh election.

The electoral commission fixed August 9, 2025, to conduct a fresh local government poll in the state. The Assembly later issued an arrest warrant against RSIEC Chief, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd), over failure to appear before the House.

Furthermore, the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, in a letter dated March 7, 2025, sought a meeting with the lawmakers for March 10, 2025 to discuss the re-presentation of the 2025 budget and a peace talk but the Assembly asked the governor to channel his invitation properly.

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