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Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 1st June, 2025.
1. Nigerians Have Short Memory, Tinubu Has Done Well – Onanuga
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said most Nigerians suffer from memory loss.
Onanuga said it’s a short memory span that made Nigerians appreciate what President Tinubu has achieved in two years.
Naija News reports that Onanuga, in an interview with Arise News on Friday, stated that citizens forgot how bad the country was when Tinubu took over in 2023.
“Many Nigerians sometimes exhibit the problem of lack of memory. We have very short memory, we forget where we started from and we just start blaming President Tinubu for all the problems that Nigeria is going through,” he said.
The President’s spokesman told Nigerians that there was fuel scarcity in 2023, but Tinubu has ended it.
“I remember, for instance, in May 2023, when Tinubu took over the government, there was fuel shortage in this country. If we forgot that all through the election that year, there was fuel shortage,” he stated.
2. ‘I Told Tinubu In Yola I Will Not Support You’ – Amaechi
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, alongside ex-Governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, have restated their commitment to forming a formidable opposition coalition to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Naija News reports that the political heavyweights made their positions known during a public lecture held on Saturday in Abuja, with the theme: “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria.”
The event was organised in honour of Amaechi’s 60th birthday.
In his remarks, Atiku Abubakar expressed deep concern over the socio-economic decline in Northern Nigeria, particularly Kano, which he described as a once-flourishing region.
He said, “I never saw people sleeping outside or outside their shops because then, there were no bridges or flyovers. Recently, I saw people sleeping on the streets and under the bridges who were driven out by poverty.
“There is a state agency in Kano responsible for taking care of such people and enlightening them, and they started doing their work. What happened? They were invited to Abuja and were told to stop.
“That is why I said I wanted to amend the topic of today to add ‘State Weaponisation of Poverty.
“This particular government is weaponising poverty. That is why we are in this alliance – to make sure we don’t allow them to continue to weaponise poverty.”
3. Pressure Mounts As INEC Delays Registration Of New Political Parties
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under mounting pressure to process the registration of over 104 political associations seeking recognition as political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This follows complaints from political actors, legal experts, and civil society groups about the commission’s delays, lack of transparency, and possible political interference.
Applications for new party registrations have surged since the conclusion of the 2023 elections, with some groups—like the National Opposition Coalition Group—openly planning to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid under a fresh political platform, tentatively named the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).
Prominent opposition figures, including Comrade Salihu Lukman, a former APC chieftain, have alleged that INEC is intentionally stalling the registration process by refusing to acknowledge applications—an action that potentially violates Section 75 of the 2022 Electoral Act.
“More than 70 groups have submitted applications to INEC. But INEC is sitting on them,” Lukman said in a recent interview.
“By law, once INEC acknowledges your application and 90 days pass without formal registration, you’re considered registered. But acknowledgements are not even being issued.”
4. ‘Nigeria In Its Biggest Trouble Since 1914, Bandits Have Taken Over Leadership’ – El-Rufai
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has raised alarm over Nigeria’s current state, declaring that the country is in deep trouble due to the emergence of what he described as “urban bandits” in leadership positions.
Naija News reports that El-Rufai made the remarks in Abuja on Saturday while delivering a goodwill message at a public lecture titled “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria”, held in honour of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who turned 60.
“Nigeria is in its biggest trouble since 1914, and that is why we are together working and conspiring to build a coalition to take Nigeria back on track because it is off track,” El-Rufai stated.
He criticised the recurring pattern of Nigerians entrusting power to incompetent individuals, asserting that many of those in authority have no clue about governance.
“It has turned to this level because we have allowed bandits, not the ones in the bushes, but the ones in the urban area, called the urban bandits, to take over leadership,” he said.
El-Rufai, who also served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), emphasised that Nigeria’s leadership crisis stems from citizens repeatedly electing the “worst people” into positions of authority.
5. Tinubu Has Worsened Our Economic Progress – Peter Ameh
The National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Peter Ameh, has accused President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of failing to consider the hardships brought on Nigerians by their policies.
Ameh accused Tinubu of destroying every fabric of the economy within his two years in office.
He shared his reservations during an appearance on Arise News on Friday night, insisting that the way and manner in which the fuel subsidy was removed was insensitive to the President.
Ameh, a frontline political activist, wondered if the ruling party members who are still defending the government live in an alternate universe or are too scared to face the reality that the Nigerian people are facing.
6. Don’t Go To Supreme Court – APC Advises Ighodalo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated Governor Monday Okpebholo for his Appeal Court victory.
APC said the victory of Okpebholo against the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo, aligned with the verdict of the Edo people during the election.
Naija News reports that APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement on Friday, urged Ighodalo to join Okpebholo in developing the state.
APC further commended the Appeal Court for upholding the ruling of the Edo Tribunal on its candidate’s victory.
The ruling party added that with the victory, Okpebholo would continue to deliver dividends of democracy to the Edo people.
7. EFCC Slams Fresh Corruption Charges On Ex-CBN Governor, Emefiele
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fresh corruption charges against the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, accusing him of acquiring a sprawling estate of 753 housing units in Abuja and laundering billions of naira through proxy accounts.
According to court documents obtained by Premium Times, the EFCC on Friday filed an eight-count charge at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Emefiele, while serving as CBN governor, connived with one Eric Ocheme, now said to be on the run, to acquire a prime estate located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
The property in question spans 150,462.86 square metres and reportedly comprises 753 housing units.
Although the EFCC did not name the legal owner of the estate, it had earlier secured a court order to seize the property and subsequently handed it over to the federal government.
However, Emefiele has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, requesting that it overturn the ruling that granted the government full control of the estate.
8. ‘I Did Not Know Poverty Until I Became Emir’ – Sanusi
The Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammadu Sanusi II, has revealed that he only truly understood the depth of poverty in Nigeria after ascending the throne as a traditional ruler.
Sanusi made the remarks in Abuja on Saturday during a public lecture titled “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria,” held in honour of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who turned 60.
Speaking on the disconnect between Nigeria’s elite and the realities of rural life, Sanusi said, “Many of the elite in Nigeria do not know what poverty is. As an economist and former CBN Governor, I saw the numbers.
“But I did not know poverty until I became Emir. You go to the villages and see the water they drink, the houses they live in, the two-block classrooms without roofs.”
He questioned the country’s development priorities, accusing the leadership of prioritising infrastructure in urban areas over basic amenities in rural communities.
9. Tragedy Strikes As 20 Kano Athletes Die In Ghastly Auto Crash
At least 20 athletes from the Kano State contingent have been confirmed dead following a tragic motor accident at the Dakatsalle Bridge in the Kura Local Government Area of Kano State.
The athletes were reportedly on their way back from the just-concluded National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, when the bus conveying 30 of them plunged off the bridge, resulting in a devastating loss of lives.
Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Umar Fagge, confirmed the heartbreaking incident, stating that: “As I am talking to you now, we have counted 19 dead bodies.”
He added that several others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were being rushed to the hospital for emergency care.
Former Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ado Salisu, also corroborated the incident, noting that victims were being transported to Kura General Hospital for treatment.
While confirming the crash, Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Sector Command, Abdullahi Labaran, said: “We just received the report of the accident, so I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties at the moment.”
10. NAPTIP Mulls Legal Action As Speed Darlington Shuns Invitation Over Viral Video
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is weighing legal options against controversial entertainer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, following his failure to honour an official summons over a viral video in which he claimed to have had s3x with a 15-year-old girl.
The singer was expected to appear at NAPTIP’s headquarters in Abuja by 9:00 a.m. on Friday, but officials confirmed to Saturday Punch that he was yet to show up as of noon.
A letter addressed to Okoye and signed by NAPTIP’s Head of Cybercrime Response Team, Ngamaraju Mangzha, had summoned the singer to answer questions related to the disturbing claims made during a live Instagram session.
“As of now, we are still waiting. If we don’t see him, we will take action based on the notice issued. The last paragraph is very clear,” a NAPTIP official who declined to be named told Punch.
Another official said the agency had not received any form of communication or explanation from Okoye regarding his absence.
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