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‘Mai Gaskiya,’ your legacy will remain indelible — Akpabio mourns Buhari
Godswill Akpabio, on Sunday joined other prominent Nigerians in mourning Muhammadu Buhari, former President of Nigeria, who died in a London hospital earlier in the day at the age of 82 describing him as “a statesman and leader of great integrity.”
In a statement he personally signed, Akpabio, who served in the government of the ex-President as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, also condoled with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the government and people of Katsina state and Buhari’s immediate family over the incident.
Sharing his experience working with Buhari, the second longest-serving Nigerian leader outside Olusegun Obasanjo, who holds the record, and who like his former boss in the military, also ruled Nigeria both as military Head of State and civilian President, Akpabio, said it left him with fond memories.
He wrote in the statement: “It is with profound sadness that I received the news of the passing of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am deeply pained that he died when his wise counsel is needed most in this country.
“On behalf of my family and constituents, the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the entire National Assembly, I extend my deepest condolences to the family of the late President, especially his wife, Hajia Aisha Buhari, and the children, friends and political associates, particularly President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Governor Dikko Umar Radda, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Farouk Umar Farouk, the people of Katsina state and Nigeria generally, over the passing of this great man.”
Describing the late Nigerian leader, who ruled Nigeria for 20 months in uniform and eight as civilian as “a fine military officer that served Nigeria with zeal and patriotism and upon retirement transited to a democratic icon, Akpabio, added: “Through hard work, patience, uncommon resilience and discipline, Gen. Buhari became the first opposition candidate to defeat a sitting president in the history of Nigeria.
“His leadership and legacy will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to our nation’s development and stability. His life signified honesty, truth and justice; he was indeed, the real ‘Mai Gaskiya.’ Buhari commanded an unprecedented cult followership in the political history of Nigeria due to his characteristic stance against corruption, unrelenting pursuit of genuine democratic ideals and his staunch support for the unity and stability of the nation.
“Having worked closely with former President Buhari as a minister under his administration, I can attest to the fact that he lived a Spartan life, thinking about the welfare of the people, especially the less privileged and was a leader worth emulating because he meant well for Nigeria and did his best to advance the cause of the people.
“May God comfort the family and his loved ones during this difficult time and may we continue to draw inspiration from his service to our great nation. May Allah grant him Aljannatul Firdaus in his eternal kingdom.”
The Federal Government on Friday, announced the change of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway, in honour of the Nigerian President’s “vision” in not only conceiving the project, but actually commencing it.
Dave Umahi, Minister of Works, who made the announcement, recalled how Tinubu conceived the idea of the landmark project, estimated at N15trillion, was inspired by a vision he conceived while serving as governor of Lagos State nearly three decades ago.
Describing the renaming as recognition of Tinubu’s role in initiating the idea behind the 750-kilometre highway, he said: “That highway is named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway. By the powers conferred on me as Minister of Works, in consultation with my Permanent Secretary, the Minister of State, directors and staff of the ministry, we decided to name it after him because of his dream for it.
“He had that dream about 27 years back as governor of Lagos State. It is one thing to dream and another thing to have the grace of God to actualise that dream. This is one man who dreams and has the grace and divine mandate to actualise that dream,” Umahi said.
The minister also announced that President Tinubu had approved the extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway by an additional 400 kilometres, increasing the planned corridor to about 1,100 kilometres.
He said the President also approved the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using reinforced concrete pavement, the completion of the long-abandoned Ibi Bridge in Taraba State, the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge, and the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road.
Providing an update on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi said construction was progressing across several sections of the project.
Explaining that the first phase, stretching from Victoria Island to Eleko Village in Lagos, was serving as a benchmark for modern highway construction, while the second section, from Eleko to the Lagos-Ogun boundary, was about 60 per cent complete and expected to be substantially delivered by November, he added that the construction is also ongoing in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun and Ondo states.
The family of Mary Habila, the 26-year-old lady, whose death in the home of Dave Umahi, at Uburu, Ebonyi State, on June 27, has been raising a lot of dust, has upped the ante in their demand to come to a speedy closure on the incident through the prompt burial of her remains.
Originally, the burial for the deceased, initially said to be a physiotherapist, seconded to the Minister, but now confirmed to be a nurse, was slated for this Friday, but the plan seems to have been shelved owing to the insistence by both the police and the Minister for an autopsy to be conducted on the body.
Umahi, obviously enraged by the insinuations hovering over the incident, with many Nigerians pointing accusing fingers in his direction, had told reporters on Thursday that he had requested the Ebonyi State Police Command to transfer the matter to the Louis Edet House, Police Headquarters in Abuja, for full investigation, including a full autopsy to determine the cause of death.
But insisting on the position of the family, Tanko Habila, father to the deceased, has now petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding the release of her remains for burial.
At the Force Headquarters, Abuja, Habila, who was accompanied by his wife, other family members and their lawyers, told reporters, on Friday that it was saddening that almost two weeks after his daughter’s demise, the Ebonyi State Police Command had refused to release her body for burial.
Insisting on the reason the family had flatly rejected the autopsy option, he said: “As we are standing here, somebody can fall and die. It has happened. All we want is her body to be buried.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday, signed the Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026, to harmonise the regulation of virtual assets, strengthen cooperation among the nation’s financial, revenue and capital markets agencies.
The order is also to, protect citizens from fraud, and safeguard the integrity of the financial system while enabling responsible innovation, a statement by Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who the intention was pursuant to Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).
Stating that the directive took immediate effect, the statement added that the order was a response to a regulatory environment that had become fragmented as virtual assets increasingly blur the traditional boundaries between currencies, money, commodities and securities.
It said: “With relevant agencies operating in silos, overlapping in some areas and leaving gaps in others, the country has been exposed to risks, including money laundering, terrorism financing, cybersecurity and data privacy threats, fraud, and revenue losses. Too often, unregistered and fraudulent operators have exploited these gaps to prey on unsuspecting Nigerians, costing families their savings.
“The Order is designed to close these gaps through supervisory coordination, without introducing new layers of regulation or displacing the mandates of existing agencies. To achieve this, the Order establishes a Virtual Asset Council, chaired by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as vice-chairs, and comprising the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“The Council will provide policy direction, promote synergy among the participating agencies, and work with the Attorney-General of the Federation to develop a harmonised legal and institutional framework that aligns the sector with Nigeria’s national security, economic and social objectives.
“The Order also establishes a Virtual Asset Office, the Council’s operational body, with its secretariat domiciled at the CBN. The Office will be responsible for the day-to-day coordination of information sharing, applications, and reporting among the agencies, supported by an integrated supervisory technology platform that provides shared visibility while preserving each agency’s ownership and control of its data.
“Significantly, the Order does not create a new regulator or transfer powers between agencies. Each institution retains its full statutory mandate and independence, and the framework coordinates their work rather than replacing it.
“To provide certainty for operators and protection for the public, registration will follow the nature of the activity and the asset involved: activities like securities will be registered by the SEC, while payment, settlement, custody and related services involving non-security virtual assets will be registered by the CBN, with the Council resolving any case in which responsibility cannot be readily determined.
“This closes the gaps through which unregistered operators have previously escaped oversight. As part of the coordinated approach, the Central Bank of Nigeria is proceeding with a regulatory sandbox for virtual assets.
“The sandbox will provide a controlled environment in which eligible operators can test and operate virtual asset products, services, and blockchain-based solutions under close supervision, enabling the participating agencies to assess the implications for monetary sovereignty, financial stability, market integrity, consumer protection, financial inclusion, and revenue administration before products reach the wider market. It will help ensure that innovations that reach Nigerians have been properly examined and supervised.
“The CBN will announce further details of the sandbox. In the same spirit, the Nigerian Revenue Service will release a tax policy for the virtual assets sector. The policy operationalises Nigeria’s tax laws as they apply to virtual assets, providing greater certainty for taxpayers and service providers, strengthening voluntary compliance, and ensuring that the sector contributes fairly to national revenue as it grows.
“It complements the coordination framework by aligning revenue administration with the work of the other participating authorities. The NRS will provide further details. The Federal Government is also finalising a comprehensive Virtual Assets White Paper, which will set out the country’s longer-term policy direction and implementation priorities and serve as a roadmap for stakeholders across the sector.
“The Council has been directed to develop a Harmonised Implementation Framework within 30 days to guide the participating agencies in giving effect to the Order and to ensure its expedited implementation.”
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