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Dialogue Wth Pro-Biafra Protesters, IYC Tells FG …Agitation Threatens Igbo Presidency In 2023- APC
The umbrella body of the Ijaw youth, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYC), has called on the Federal Government to adopt dialogue in the resolution of the issues giving rise to pro-Biafra protests in some parts of the country.
The IYC, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, yesterday, said adopting a military approach to crush pro-Biafra protesters as being suggested by some military operatives was not the solution.
The youth body said such approach would only escalate the crisis, and therefore, warned against military brutalisation and human rights abuse by security agencies.
The IYC said, “The right to peaceful protest is an integral part of a democratic society.
“The massive pro-Biafra protests in recent times have once more brought to the fore the need to honestly and holistically renegotiate the terms of Nigeria’s existence as a nation.
“To claim that all is well with Nigeria is self-deceit. The structure of Nigeria must be such that would allow people from different regions to develop at their own pace towards realisation of the full potential which is being hindered by the wish of people from other parts of the country.”
The IYC once again called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the founder of Radio Biafra and director of the Indigenous people of Biafra.
It said Kanu, having been granted bail, and bail conditions fulfilled, it amounted to illegality for the Directorate of State Security to continue to keep him in detention.
The IYC advised national security agencies to have regard for the rule of law in the exercise of their constitutional functions.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East, yesterday, kicked against the on-going agitation for the actualisation of Biafra, warning that the development could scuttle Igbos’ chance of producing the country’s president in 2023.
Spokesman for the South-East APC Leadership Caucus, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, reacted to the on-going agitation in a statement which was made available to our correspondent in Enugu.
Renewed agitation for Biafra, which was partly triggered by the detention of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), and director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, had led to massive protests in major cities of the South-East and South-South.
The protesters, including members of the IPOB and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), are demanding the recognition of Biafra, and Kanu’s immediate release.
The development had divided opinion among leaders in the South-East, and there are reports that state governors and other major stakeholders would meet in Enugu on Tuesday to deliberate on the matter.
However, the South-East APC has urged the agitators to “stop beating their war drum” in the interest of the Igbos.
Okechukwu, in the statement, expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari would honour the zoning convention by handing power to the South at the end of his second term in 2023.
Noting that an Igbo is best positioned to emerge as president when the office rotates to the South in 2023, Okechukwu said the pro-Biafra agitation should not be allowed to scuttle the chance.
He said, “Going by the zoning convention, equity and natural justice, surely the Presidency will rotate to the South in 2023.
“And when the presidency rotates to the South in 2023, we (Igbos) have all the cards stacked in our favour to appeal to our brothers in the South-West, who have had eight years stint, and our South-South brothers, who had five years plus in the presidency since 1999, when the 4th Republic commenced.
“Every rational indicator favours Ndigbo and so, we need to drop our hate propaganda and wait patiently to harvest the turn of the South-East,” he said.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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