Human rights organisations Amnesty International Nigeria and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have condemned the detention of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reporter Daniel Ojukwu, demanding his immediate release.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The organisations also called on the Federal Government to discontinue the prosecution of Ojukwu and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, over investigative reports that questioned the expenditure of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).

Ojukwu was remanded at the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to 12 counts of cyberstalking and criminal defamation filed against him.

Naija News reports that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered that the journalist remain in custody until December 1, when his bail application is scheduled to be heard.

Reacting to the development, Amnesty International, in a statement shared on Facebook on Wednesday, expressed concern over what it described as the treatment of journalists who investigate corruption and demand accountability from public officials.

The organisation warned that Ojukwu’s continued detention and prosecution appeared to reflect a broader pattern of using the criminal justice system to punish journalists for their work.

“The continued prosecution and detention of Ojukwu appear to be part of a broader pattern of using the criminal justice system to punish journalists for exposing allegations of corruption and holding public officials accountable,” it said.

Similarly, SERAP urged President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to ensure Ojukwu’s release and end the use of cyberstalking and criminal defamation charges against journalists over their professional activities.

SERAP explained that the case was linked to four FIJ investigative reports published between November 2023 and January 2024, which raised questions about payments of ₦147.1 million and ₦47.5 million for classroom construction projects.

One of the reports questioned an alleged ₦147.1 million payment made by the SDGs office to a restaurant for a classroom construction project in Lagos.

Another investigation examined a ₦47.5 million contract awarded to Tru3 Nigeria Limited, raising concerns about the company’s status and its alleged failure to move to the project site.

The organisation also referenced reports concerning solar panels that reportedly stopped functioning in classroom blocks barely a week after installation.

Another investigation focused on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) forfeiture of ₦241 million allegedly linked to the SDGs office.

SERAP maintained that the allegations raised in the reports should be investigated by the relevant authorities rather than leading to the prosecution of the journalists who brought them to public attention.

“The proper response to investigative reporting that raises questions about public expenditure is to provide explanations, disclose relevant records and, where necessary, investigate allegations of wrongdoing, not to subject journalists to criminal prosecution and imprisonment,” it said.

The Nigeria Police Force filed the 12-count charge against Ojukwu and Soyombo over the four reports concerning Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who served as Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals and was also a former deputy governor of Lagos State.

The police accused the journalists of conspiring to commit cyberstalking and criminal defamation through their publications.

At Tuesday’s court proceedings, Ojukwu pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges. Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, Kunle Lawal, asked the court to remand him in custody.

However, Ojukwu’s lawyer, Atanda Kayode, opposed the request and urged the court to allow his client to remain on the administrative bail previously granted by the police.

Kayode argued that the journalist had not breached any of the conditions attached to the bail.

Justice Abdulmalik, however, declined the request, explaining that the bail application was not ready for hearing. She subsequently ordered that Ojukwu be remanded at the Kuje Custodial Centre pending the December 1 hearing.

The prosecution also informed the court that Soyombo was at large and requested a bench warrant for his arrest.

The judge rejected the application, stating that the FIJ founder had not been brought before her.

Indonesia’s Vice-President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, has resigned amid controversy surrounding his high school diploma.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

His resignation comes amid growing pressure on the government, which is facing widespread public criticism over economic challenges, corruption and its handling of wildfires.

The Speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly, Ahmad Muzani, disclosed that the 39-year-old had submitted his resignation letter to President Prabowo Subianto and parliament.

Naija News reports that calls for Gibran to step down intensified after the Supreme Court annulled his high school qualification last month.

Muzani said the Vice-President met with parliamentary leaders on Thursday to formally submit his resignation from office.

According to him, Gibran informed the lawmakers that he had also forwarded the same letter to President Prabowo.

The Indonesian Vice-President has limited constitutional responsibilities, which largely involve representing the President at official engagements and taking over the presidency if the incumbent becomes incapacitated.

Gibran’s departure also comes as thousands of Indonesians have staged protests in recent weeks over economic hardship, corruption, alleged authoritarianism and the government’s response to months of wildfires. The fires have produced toxic haze that has reportedly left thousands of people ill.

His resignation is also expected to put pressure on the loose political alliance between Prabowo and his predecessor, Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, who is Gibran’s father.

The Executive Director of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies, Khairul Fahmi, described the development as a major political realignment but said it would not necessarily threaten the stability of the government.

“Jokowi will retain political influence, but Gibran’s departure could reduce his network’s direct access to power. For Prabowo, this creates greater room to consolidate his leadership and pursue his own political agenda,” he told AFP.

Meanwhile, Punch Online reported on Wednesday that police had detained more than 150 people following clashes between protesters and security forces in Yogyakarta, south-east of the capital.

The violence followed demonstrations in several cities on Tuesday over economic difficulties, wildfires and stagnant wages.

Police said approximately 100 people gathered near the Yogyakarta parliament at about 8 p.m., throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the building.

Security forces subsequently deployed tactical vehicles to disperse the protesters and recovered six Molotov cocktails and 12 firecrackers.

The Federal Government has settled its outstanding pension obligations to enrolled federal workers, with their accrued retirement benefits now funded up to December 2029, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has announced.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

News reports that PenCom Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, disclosed this on Wednesday while delivering her keynote address at the 2026 Pension Correspondents Association of Nigeria Conference in Abuja.

The development marks a significant improvement in the government’s pension funding, moving from a 21-month backlog to a 41-month surplus.

Oloworaran, who was represented by the commission’s Head of Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Buwai, explained that the latest development means the accrued pension rights of enrolled federal workers who are yet to retire have been funded up to December 2029.

She said, “We are moving from a position where we had, where our full pension rights were 21 months in arrears, to where we are today, 41 months in surplus.

“And 41 months in surplus means that Federal Government employees who have not yet retired and who have enrolled have had their accrued pension rights paid up to December 2029.”

The PenCom chief also stated that delays in pension payments had largely become a thing of the past, adding that retirees now receive their benefits within 48 hours of retirement.

She further highlighted the commission’s progress with the launch of the PenCare health insurance programme and the ₦52,500 minimum pension guarantee unveiled by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.

According to her, the PenCare initiative is designed to reduce retirees’ medical expenses, allowing them to channel more of their monthly pension payments towards other needs.

Oloworaran explained that the programme is being funded by pension operators and PenCom, with an independent board of trustees chaired by the commission’s pioneer Director-General, Muhammad Ahmad.

On the minimum pension guarantee, she said retirees currently receiving less than ₦52,500 monthly would have their payments increased to the approved amount, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements.

She added that some beneficiaries had already received payment alerts during Tuesday’s launch.

The PenCom Director-General also disclosed that the Federal Government had approved additional exit benefits equivalent to 100 per cent of terminal emoluments for eligible retirees, effective January 1, 2026.

According to her, some workers who retired in 2026 and submitted the required documents had already received their payments.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Tolulope Odunaiya, disclosed that the agency had introduced remote verification to ease the process for pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme.

Odunaiya, who was represented by PTAD’s Head of Corporate Communications, Olugbenga Ajayi, said the new system would enable pensioners living in different parts of the world to complete their verification without travelling to Nigeria.

“With the new initiative of this verification without borders, pensioners in the US, in Uganda, in our villages can as well do their verification,” she said.

She also revealed that registration had commenced for PTAD’s proposed health insurance programme ahead of its official launch.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, Anthonia Ifeanyi-Okoro, called for increased investment of pension funds in critical sectors of the economy.

Represented by Olajumoke Akinwa, she said pension assets could contribute to achieving Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy target if properly invested in infrastructure, housing, energy and other productive sectors.

However, she stressed that such investments must be carefully managed to safeguard workers’ retirement savings.

“Properly channelled into infrastructure, housing, energy, and productive sectors, these funds can help finance the growth we seek, while still protecting the retirement benefits of contributors,” she said.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Awabah, Tunji Andrews, announced that the requirements for enrolling in the Personal Pension Plan had been reduced from 25 fields to just four.

He said the adjustment was intended to simplify pension registration, particularly for Nigerians working in the informal sector.

Andrews added that the company had introduced pension registration and contribution payments through Point of Sale (POS) terminals in partnership with Moniepoint and Interswitch.

“As of today, those fields have been reduced to four fields only. Because of that innovation, we’ve been able to put onboarding and payments for PPP on POS terminals,” he said.

He also announced a new initiative called Pension Oga, which would deploy agents to markets and communities to register informal workers, collect their contributions and educate them about the importance of retirement savings.

Andrews called for increased public awareness to encourage more Nigerians to participate in the Personal Pension Plan.

Similarly, the Acting Managing Director of NPF Pensions Limited, Mohammed Dutse, represented by Chukwuma Ohaka, commended improvements in pension administration, particularly efforts to enhance the welfare of retired police officers.

A representative of Citizens Pension Limited, Khayran-Yunusa Aliu, also advocated greater financial inclusion through increased participation in the micro-pension scheme.

However, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Godwin Abumisi, urged the Federal Government to extend the newly approved additional exit benefits to retirees who left service between 2004 and December 2025.

Abumisi, who was represented by Ahmad Ibrahim-Gazali, argued that those who retired during the period should also benefit from the government’s new arrangement.