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Hoodlums Attack Jonathan’s Convoy In Yola, Jalingo …As PDP Lifts Tukur’s Suspension
President Goodluck Jonathan’s convoy was yesterday pelted with stones in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Goodluck Jonathan Jonathan was in the state in continuation of his presidential campaign that is widely being resisted following his 2011 promise that he will be a one-term president.
According to the source, angry protesters were chanting anti-Jonathan songs, condemned his failure to crush Boko Haram fighters.
The protesting citizens also destroyed cars and other valuables before security operatives overpowered them in the course of the protest.
Mobile policemen were said to have sprayed teargas on the protesters.
As at the time of this report, the police are yet to react officially regarding the incident. Hoodlums vandalise 12 cars in Taraba PDP’s office
No fewer than 12 vehicles were vandalised yesterday as some hoodlums descended on the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party in Jalingo, the Tarba State capital, as President Goodluck Jonathan took his campaign for the February presidential election to the state.
It took the intervention of security agents to curb the youths’ attempt to reduce the edifice to rubble.
The angry youths, said to be numbering over 100, were said to have laid siege to the secretariat located along Barde Way, hours before the arrival the President, who was on a campaign to Taraba State.
They were said to have stormed the premises when Jonathan and his entourage were holding the rally at the stadium located at the outskirt of Jalingo.
Security operatives were said to have been overwhelmed as the rampaging youths apparently took them unawares, but they managed to secure the building before much damage could be done.
Public Relations Officer of the party, Mr. Napoleon Adamu, expressed anger that despite the Abuja accord, signed by all the candidates seeking the presidential slot, some disgruntled elements of some political parties could still go as far as attacking members of the ruling Party.
He blamed the attack on members of the opposition party, adding that the attack was carried out when the president was busy campaigning at the stadium.
He said, “We are happy that no life was lost and we want to appeal to our teeming youths to eschew violence and not take the law into their hands as security operatives, according to him, will soon fish out the perpetrators.
“Even before the coming of Mr. president, they have been complaining that they were not carried along by the committees constituted for the visit.”
However, the APC chairman, Alhaji Hassan Ardo, denied the involvement of the party in the vandalism at the secretariat, stating that “we are just coming into Jalingo from our campaign.”
Meanwhile, business activities were disrupted as Jalingo, the state capital, was brought to a standstill following the visit of the presidential campaign train.
Jonathan expressed his determination to ensuring the completion of both Kashimbila Dam and the Mambilla Hydro Power projects, both of which are located in the state.
But despite the attack, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential rally in Adamawa State went on as planned, yesterday.
Speaking at the rally, the party announced the lifting of the suspension of a former Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, announced the lifting of the suspension at the presidential rally of the party in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Tukur was suspended in December 2014 for dragging the party before the court in his attempt to reclaim the chairmanship of the party, where he was forced to resign in January last year.
Sambo said Jonathan was transforming Taraba just as the PDP-led Federal Government had embarked on the dredging of the River Benue to enable ships and bigger boats to berth in Taraba.
“I have another good news; Mr President has approved the dredging of River Benue. Very soon you will see ships and boats coming to Jalingo.
“Mr President is transforming Taraba State, Mr President is transforming Nigeria”.
He, therefore, called on the people of Taraba to reelect Jonathan to enable him to complete the good works he had begun nationwide.
He also charged them to vote for all PDP candidates in all the elections.
However, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said the Federal Government would ensure that the vast agricultural potentials in Taraba were harnessed.
Jonathan said this in Jalingo when the presidential campaign train of the PDP paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, ahead of the Feb. 14 election.
The president said if re-elected, his government would ensure that the state’s vast land was harnessed for commercial rice farming.
Responding, Tafida, described Jonathan as an experienced leader, having been in the corridors of power for some time.
He advised Jonathan to ensure that a sustainable environment was created for the conduct of free and fair elections in the country.
Earlier, the PDP Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, had said they were at the palace to solicit for prayers and support from the emir.
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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