Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed how he rejected an offer of political asylum from the United States despite warnings that he could be arrested if he returned to Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The former leader also recounted how he left the Nigerian Army to pursue farming before his return to the country led to his arrest and imprisonment under the administration of late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Obasanjo shared the experience while discussing his encounter with Abacha in an interview featured in a video published by BBC News Pidgin on Tuesday.

The 89-year-old explained that he ventured into agriculture after leaving office as Nigeria’s military Head of State in 1979.

According to him, his farming business was progressing successfully until Abacha allegedly made plans to eliminate him.

Obasanjo said he had not intended to retire from the Army at the age of 42, but had reached the highest position possible in the military, having become a four-star general and Head of State.

He said, “When I was leaving government as military head of state, there was, I was leaving too early. I didn’t join the army to retire at the age of 42.

“Now I had to retire at the age of 42. At the age of 42, I had become a four-star general. There’s nothing else I can do in the army. I’ve become the military head of state. That’s the highest political office I could rise.

“So what can I do? I decided I would go into farming. It really was going well, and it went well until I was arrested. Abacha had decided that I must be liquidated; otherwise he would not be able to have his way.”

The former President further disclosed that he was unaware of the alleged plan against him until the American ambassador to Nigeria contacted him while he was travelling.

According to Obasanjo, the ambassador informed him that the US government had offered him political asylum because it anticipated that he would be arrested if he returned to Nigeria.

However, he said he rejected the offer because he believed he had committed no offence that warranted an arrest.

He explained that upon arriving in Nigeria, his passport was seized, and he headed to his farm, only to discover that security operatives had surrounded the premises.

Obasanjo said a plain-clothes police officer later approached him, claiming that an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) wanted him to assist with an issue.

He recalled rejecting the invitation, insisting that the AIG should personally come to his farm if he needed his assistance.

The former leader said he eventually drove himself to the police station, where the AIG informed him that he had been instructed to arrest him.

Obasanjo added that he was subsequently detained, and former US President Jimmy Carter later intervened on his behalf, leading to his placement under house arrest.

However, he said security operatives returned one night while he was playing squash at about 1 a.m. and took him away to prison.

He said, “I didn’t know that it was a decision of Abacha that some of us must not be kept free; otherwise, he would feel unsafe. I was put in a place. Then President Jimmy Carter came. He pleaded, and then they put me under house arrest.

“Then they came one day; I was playing squash at about 1 am. They came and said they were taking me away. And they took me away, and from there, I went to prison.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced a ₦10 million financial incentive for every councillor who successfully delivers his political ward for President Bola Tinubu in the January presidential election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Wike made the announcement on Monday while addressing political stakeholders, traditional rulers and other political actors in Kwali.

He explained that the initiative was part of a wider grassroots mobilisation strategy by the Rainbow Coalition to secure support for Tinubu ahead of the election.

The minister urged councillors to work with political leaders and mobilise voters in their respective wards, stressing that those who successfully deliver their wards would receive ₦10 million.

Wike said, “For the councillors, you have a task. I will hold a meeting with you again and I will now say the way I am going to mobilize you but I will give you a bet, like what is happening in the stars, it’s a competition.

“Anybody who delivers his ward, if you deliver your ward, that is what the Rainbow Coalition has decided to do as mobilization and support for Mr President.

“We have to start in the FCT. The Rainbow Coalition all over the federation, as a form of mobilization for Mr President to win this election, we are saying that any councillor that delivers his ward will come and take ₦10 million.

“We want to mobilize for Mr President. So, go to your wards, go and see your leaders. I know only you cannot do it but we are using you as instrumentality to your leaders. Go and meet your leaders and say, ‘Look, there is something that has come. We must not allow this thing to go. Let’s deliver our ward for Mr President’,” he urged.

Meanwhile, the FCT minister also addressed concerns about the welfare and remuneration of councillors in the territory.

The Chairman of the National Councillors Forum of Nigeria (FCT Chapter), Gambo Hamza, had raised concerns over their earnings, disclosing that councillors receive a monthly salary of ₦260,000.

Reacting, Wike described the amount as unacceptable and promised to engage the Permanent Secretary and relevant administrative offices to review their remuneration.

He also pledged to explore ways of addressing bureaucratic challenges affecting efforts to improve the welfare of councillors and strengthen local governance.

President Bola Tinubu has promised Nigerians safer communities, improved protection against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, as well as a more responsive police service if re-elected in 2027.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Tinubu made the pledge in the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 Presidential Election Manifesto, titled From Reform to Prosperity Agenda 2027–2031, obtained by The PUNCH.

The ruling party is scheduled to unveil the manifesto at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

As part of his proposed security reforms, Tinubu pledged to recruit an additional 28,000 military personnel and 50,000 police officers to strengthen the country’s security architecture and combat terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

The President also promised to improve the safety of Nigerians in their homes, workplaces, schools, farms and commercial centres, while strengthening border security and ensuring citizens can live, work and travel without fear.

He said his administration would strengthen the Armed Forces and other security agencies, improve intelligence gathering and deploy modern technology to tackle insecurity across the country.

According to the manifesto, the proposed measures would prioritise the protection of farmers, schoolchildren, traders and other citizens through improved border surveillance, community policing and emergency response systems.

The document stated that between 2027 and 2031, the government would complete and equip four new Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, while recruiting and training the 28,000 additional military personnel already approved.

It also proposed sustained intelligence-led military operations against insurgent and kidnapping networks, alongside improved surrender, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for former combatants.

The APC further pledged to establish specialised zonal counter-terrorism units and strengthen security around schools, markets, places of worship and major transport routes.

The manifesto also outlined plans to expand peace-building, trauma support and deradicalisation programmes, as well as facilitate the safe return of internally displaced persons to their communities.

On policing, Tinubu promised to train and deploy 50,000 newly recruited officers and expand recruitment and tactical training towards achieving a police-to-citizen ratio of one officer to 400 people.

The proposed police reforms would also include digital record-keeping systems, body cameras for officers, geographic mapping tools, emergency response channels and modern forensic facilities to improve crime detection and prevention.

The document further proposed recruiting 30,150 personnel into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to take over static security duties from the police. It also promised to work with federal and state lawmakers, as well as governors, to establish a legal framework for accountable state and community policing.

Tinubu said his administration would introduce integrated security command systems to improve intelligence gathering, identify threats early and strengthen cooperation among security agencies.

The manifesto also proposed boosting local defence production through technology partnerships, including the manufacturing of ammunition, protective equipment, armoured vehicles and tactical drones.

Other planned measures include salary increases and improved welfare packages for security personnel, better housing, faster payment of insurance and pensions to families of fallen officers, and the rehabilitation of police barracks.

The APC candidate also pledged to modernise fire stations, strengthen maritime surveillance and cybersecurity, deploy drones for emergency response and enrol 95 per cent of Nigerians in the National Identity Database.

On border security, the manifesto proposed completing electronic surveillance coverage of mapped borders, expanding electronic gates and passenger-data systems, and strengthening patrols and intelligence-sharing.

It also promised wider deployment of Mining Marshals, Forest Guards and Agro-Rangers to protect mining locations, agricultural communities, grazing routes and forest reserves.

The document further outlined plans to implement the National Protection Policy and Strategy for Critical National Assets, with real-time surveillance of energy pipelines, electricity grids, railways, schools and health facilities.

Healthcare, economy and education

Beyond security, Tinubu’s manifesto contains several promises on healthcare, economic growth, housing, education and electricity.

Under the healthcare component, the President pledged to increase the proportion of functional primary healthcare centres nationwide from 53 per cent to 90 per cent by 2031.

He also promised to expand active health insurance coverage from more than 23 million enrollees to 40 per cent of Nigerians, while reducing out-of-pocket healthcare spending from 71 per cent to below 50 per cent of total health expenditure.

The proposed healthcare reforms include upgrading secondary health facilities across local government areas, improving referral systems, expanding maternal and child healthcare programmes, and providing regular electricity to more health facilities through solar installations.

Tinubu also promised to extend the Maternal and Multiple Interventions in Maternal Mortality Reduction Initiative (MAMII) for free emergency obstetric care from 172 local government areas to all 774 LGAs.

On the economy, the President pledged to achieve annual economic growth of six per cent, facilitate the construction of 200,000 affordable homes and sustain a downward trend in inflation and food prices by 2031.

The manifesto also outlines plans to recruit and train 20,000 additional teachers, reduce the number of out-of-school children, improve learning outcomes and expand electricity generation towards 10,000 megawatts.

Tinubu said his second term would focus on translating the economic reforms and foundations established during his first tenure into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

He added that the administration’s proposed prosperity agenda would extend to households, markets, farms and workplaces across the country.

On the expected outcomes by 2031, the manifesto listed safer communities, lower living costs, improved food security, reliable electricity, more jobs, higher incomes, quality education and accessible healthcare.

It also pledged to halve youth unemployment, expand access to affordable credit to half of all economically active Nigerians, reduce post-harvest losses and improve the movement of goods across states.

For education and healthcare, the document promised to halve the number of out-of-school children, deploy 20,000 additional teachers, expand health insurance coverage and ensure that at least 90 per cent of primary healthcare facilities are functional by 2031.