Rountrip

A prominent Islamic organisation in Zamfara has strongly condemned the events that characterised the celebration of Governor Dauda Lawal’s second year in office. In a statement released to journalists in Gusau on Friday, the Zamfara Ulama Defence Forum (ZUDF) expressed deep concern over what it termed “an orchestrated reintroduction of vices” into a state widely known for its commitment to Islamic law and traditional values. According to the group, the anniversary event held in the state capital, featured musical performances accompanied by skimpily dressed female dancers, and the open consumption of alcoholic beverages — acts considered unacceptable under Islamic law and cultural norms in Zamfara. The president of the group, Sheikh Bashir Mu’azu Marafa, said the scenes that unfolded at the celebration were “unthinkable” in a state that pioneered the implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria. “It is both unfortunate and shameful that on the second-term anniversary of a sitting governor i...

Two years after Dauda Lawal took the reins as governor of Zamfara State, a civil society group in the northwest has described his administration as a “monumental failure,” accusing him of squandering the billions received from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) with no visible development to show for it. The group, Zamfara Progressive Coalition (ZAC), in a statement signed by its president, Alhaji Ibrahim Dan-Azumi, said the people of Zamfara are worse off than they were in 2023 when Lawal assumed office. The group said despite receiving billions in FAAC allocations within two years, the governor has “chosen pageantry over performance,” spending more time in Abuja than in the state he was elected to govern. “It is heartbreaking that two years after the election of Dauda Lawal, Zamfara remains a state defined by hunger, fear, and neglect. Billions have come in, but not one major road, hospital, or school has been built or rehabilitated. The people have been abandoned,” t...

A group of lawyers and civil society organisations (CSOs) protested in Abuja today, demanding the immediate resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The group known as Concerned Lawyers and Civil Society in Defence of Public Trust alleged that Ahmed had abused his office by using public funds to educate his children in expensive schools abroad, including European University in Montreux, Switzerland, Aiglon College Boarding School in Switzerland, Institut Le Rosey in Rolle, Switzerland, and La Garenne International School in the Swiss Alps. The protesters, who gathered at the NMDPRA headquarters, claimed that Ahmed's actions were a clear case of corruption and abuse of power. They alleged that the funds used to pay for the children's education were diverted from public coffers and that Ahmed's actions were a betrayal of the public trust. According to Barr. Martins Adaji...

Facts have emerged about how the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Engineer Farouk Ahmed squandered public funds procuring foreign education for his children in elite international schools that are among the world’s most expensive. Engineer Ahmed is embroiled in controversy over the mismanagement of funds and embezzlement, which some civil society groups said has primed him plotting to escape the United Arab Emirates. Reliable sources named the children, Faisal Ahmed, Farhana Farouk, Ashraf Ahmed and Farouk Ahmed Farouk, are all schooling abroad, a luxury that is not available to children in the host communities of the industry that Ahmed oversees. This allowed Ahmed to confer undue advantage on his children, whom he also lined up for juicy employment in choice organizations. Faisal Ahmed, now based in Nigeria and working in sales at Oando, graduated from the elite European University in Montreux, Switzerland. A s...

A civic advocacy organisation, Zamfara Accountability and Development Coalition (ZADC), has accused top officials in the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of hijacking and diverting funds meant for local government development across the state. In a statement released on Sunday, signed by its president, Salisu Bako Maradun, the group said the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner for Finance, the Accountant-General, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs have allegedly formed a “self-serving alliance” that controls and misappropriates local council allocations. “These individuals have captured the financial architecture of Zamfara’s 14 local governments. Their actions amount to economic sabotage and a betrayal of public trust,” the statement read. ZADC said the funds sent to local governments from the Federation Account are routinely withheld and mismanaged at the state level, leaving the local ...

A civil society organisation, Alliance for Public Asset Protection and Accountability (APAPA), has petitioned the National Assembly over what it described as a “coordinated and deliberate scheme” to strip the country’s railway system of valuable assets under the guise of scrap sales. In a detailed petition submitted to Senate and the House of Representatives, the group accused the Minister of Transport, Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali, of conniving with officials of the Railway Property Management Company Limited (RPMCL) and handpicked consultants to unlawfully dispose of railway assets worth billions of naira without proper accountability. The petition, signed by its president, Dr. Aminu Garba, described the activities of the ministry as a “brazen betrayal of public trust” and called for the immediate sack of the minister. “We have credible intelligence that the Minister of Transport, in collusion with officials of the Railway Property Management Company Limited (RPMCL), has engaged private consu...

Nigeria is gaining renewed global attention as a hotspot for oil and gas investment, following strategic reforms in its upstream sector that are beginning to yield tangible results. Speaking at the 2025 Africa Energies Summit in London, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), said the reforms — rooted in transparency, data access, and regulatory overhaul — are restoring investor confidence and driving production growth in Africa’s largest energy market. Komolafe told energy leaders and investors at the summit that Nigeria’s upstream sector transformation is anchored on three core pillars: transparent licensing rounds, quality subsurface data, and bold regulatory changes enabled by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). “Each of these awards and rounds was conducted with unprecedented transparency, unmatched competitiveness, and remarkable investor engagement,” he said. “Collectively, they have repositioned Nig...

A northern civic advocacy organisation, Coalition for Safer North-West Communities (CSNC), has blamed the persistent insecurity in Zamfara State on what it described as the “lack of courage and gross administrative ineptitude” of Governor Dauda Lawal. A strongly worded statement signed by its President, Alhaji Murtala Shehu Gusau, on Wednesday, said the worsening wave of kidnappings, killings, and banditry in the state reflect a failure of leadership at the highest level of the state government. The group said despite the deployment of military personnel and federal government interventions, Zamfara remains one of the most dangerous states to live in, owing largely to the governor’s inability to take decisive action and coordinate effective security responses. “We are alarmed at the continued deterioration of security in Zamfara State, and after a critical assessment, we have no choice but to hold the state government accountable. Governor Dauda Lawal has shown a worrying lack of coura...

Following a series of coordinated attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters on military bases in Borno State, the Northern Patriots for Security and Development (NPSD) has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, citing his inability to provide effective leadership for the armed forces. In a statement released in Kano on Tuesday evening, NPSD President, Alhaji Mansur Ibrahim Dantani, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in the North-East, attributing it to the Defence Minister’s lack of strategic direction and alleged political ambitions. “The recent attacks on military formations in Marte, Dikwa, Rann, and Gajiram within a 24-hour period, resulting in the loss of gallant soldiers and military equipment, shows a glaring failure in leadership at the highest levels of our defence architecture,” Dantani stated. He further alleged that Badaru has been more focused on positioning himself for the 2027 presidential e...

The Citizens Forum for Transparency and Integrity (CFTI) has raised the alarm over what it described as “a coordinated and sinister plot” by former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, to work with opposition leaders and third force actors to destabilise the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections. In a statement released in Lagos on Monday, the group alleged that Bawa recently met with key opposition figures in London, where discussions were held on using his former contacts within the EFCC to target four serving ministers in Tinubu’s cabinet. According to the group, the plan is part of a larger campaign to discredit the government and erode public trust ahead of the next electoral cycle. “We have it on good authority that Bawa, who is still nursing bitterness over his removal from office, has now found a new political mission — to work with the opposition to paint this administration as corrupt and compr...

The Concerned Citizens Network for Democracy (CCND) has given the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly a 72-hour ultimatum to recall all suspended lawmakers or face legal action seeking to halt statutory monthly allocations to the two states. In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by Moses Adamu, the group’s Secretary-General, CCND accused the state governments of supervising an ongoing constitutional breach, stressing that both Houses of Assembly currently lack the legal quorum required to function and pass appropriation laws. The group threatened to file a suit at the Federal High Court to compel the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation to withhold monthly FAAC disbursements until constitutional order is restored. “This is not just an internal matter within the legislature of two states. It is a clear case of abuse of democratic institutions, where state governors, in collaboration with the speakers, are running their states without the ...

An advocacy group, the Northern Socio-Political Rights Network (NSPRN), says it turned down a N200 million bribe offered by proxies linked to the Zamfara State Government to mobilise a protest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. In a statement issued on Saturday in Kaduna, the group’s president, Mohammed Farouk Lawal, said the offer was made to them through third-party emissaries earlier this week, with clear instructions to publicly accuse President Tinubu’s administration of shielding Matawalle from corruption investigations. Lawal said the plot was part of a calculated campaign to weaken the federal government’s hold on the North-West by discrediting key appointees loyal to the president. “We were approached by individuals claiming to represent high-ranking officials in Zamfara. They offered us N200 million to organise a large-scale protest in Abuja, targeting President Tinubu and Dr. Matawalle,” Lawal said. “The aim was to giv...

A prominent pressure group within the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Network, has accused the Zamfara State Government of sponsoring a recent protest against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, as part of a broader plan to sabotage the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Bamidele Ibrahim Ayoola, President of the APC Integrity Network, described the protest staged by the so-called APC Young Leaders Alliance as a “cash-for-mob stunt” orchestrated by political hirelings loyal to the current Zamfara administration, aimed at distracting Matawalle from his ongoing service to Nigeria’s defence and security architecture. Ayoola said the protesters were “mobilised with peanuts” and that many of them had no knowledge of who Matawalle was or the content of the petition they supposedly supported. “It is shameful and dangerous for any group to rent a crowd to smear a sitting minister at...

By Olisa Mbakwe Like a master builder laying the foundation for a towering skyscraper, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe is constructing a new framework for Nigeria's oil and gas industry. With each strategic move, he's adding a new layer of strength, transparency, and innovation, transforming the sector into a robust and thriving entity. As the head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Komolafe is the driving force behind this ambitious project, and his vision is taking shape with remarkable speed and precision. Innovation is one of the buzzwords that has gained strong radiation in the world of development and growth. Its strength lies in the fact that for anyone to stay ahead of the competition, in these contemporary times, remain relevant and improve on the status quo, there is a critical need to innovate. This does not mean that in all cases, critical thinking and innovative strategic solutions work. In all cases, the ability to strategically conceive...

The Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has distanced itself from a controversial press conference held on Monday in Kaduna, where its supposed chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad Sani, accused the Minister of State for Defence and former Zamfara Governor, Bello Matawalle, of financial mismanagement. In a sharp rebuttal on Tuesday evening, CNF Secretary, Abubakar Suleiman, described the event as a “shameful charade” allegedly sponsored with a N200 million bribe by agents of the current Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal.  He said the aim was to smear Matawalle and distract from the real rot within the Zamfara government. “Governor Dauda Lawal and his people have tried everything possible to tarnish Matawalle’s image. This time, they bribed a handful of desperate individuals with N200 million to hijack our platform and stage a scripted attack. We disown that charade in its entirety,” Suleiman said. He maintained that the CNF neither authorised nor participated in the press conference and had prev...

The security crisis in Zamfara State is set to go a full circle after the state governor, Dauda Lawal, secretly met bandit leaders, in a repeat of a strategy that analysts have dismissed as dangerously ineffective and capable of enabling the terrorists to regroup and escalate attacks on Nigerians.    Governor Lawal reportedly hosted the bandit leaders at Command Guest in Gusau, the state capital, on Sunday.    A source privy to the meeting named the bandits who met the governor as Wadalle, Ardo Nashawari, Na’eka and others lead by Alhaji Tukur, the state chairman Meyyeti Allah, and some members of the Fulani community in the state.    The source, who craved anonymity because of the security sensitivity of the issue, explained that “the meeting was held under the guise of reconciliation and was at the behest of and under the instructions of the government of Zamfara State.     “Some of the bandits were escorted to the meeting venue by members ...

The Northern Patriots for Justice and Democracy (NPJD) has accused Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, of launching a political war against President Bola Tinubu and Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over mounting calls for a declaration of a state of emergency in the state. In a statement issued in Kaduna on Sunday and signed by its president, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Gwandu, the group said Governor Lawal has pulled out ₦10 billion from local government funds to bankroll a nationwide and international propaganda campaign aimed at deflecting pressure from the presidency and portraying Zamfara as politically stable. “We have credible intelligence that Governor Dauda Lawal has withdrawn over ₦10 billion from Zamfara’s local government account to fund media propaganda, mobilise surrogate groups locally and internationally, and mislead the world into thinking Zamfara is not on the brink of collapse,” Gwandu said. “This war chest is being used to shield his administration from sc...