The Peter Obi Media Office has dismissed claims that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, urged Nigerians living abroad to stop providing financial assistance to their relatives in Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The clarification followed controversy over remarks Obi made during a town hall meeting with supporters in the United Kingdom, where he encouraged Nigerians in the diaspora to urge relatives demanding financial assistance to support leaders capable of delivering good governance.

During the engagement, Obi reportedly said: “You have people at home in Nigeria today who are begging you for money. Tell them no! Let’s put somebody who has proven to be productive.”

In a statement issued on Monday night, the media office’s spokesperson, Idris Zekeri Jnr, said the controversy stemmed from what he described as a misrepresentation of Obi’s comments during his engagement with Nigerians in Europe.

Zekeri alleged that portions of the video had been edited and circulated without the context necessary to understand the former Anambra State governor’s message.

He insisted that Obi neither intended to discourage Nigerians abroad from supporting their loved ones nor disregard the sacrifices they make to provide for family members back home.

“Peter Obi’s remarks were never intended to encourage Nigerians abroad to abandon their parents, siblings, or other loved ones in Nigeria. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the statement said.

The media office acknowledged that many Nigerians living abroad shoulder significant financial responsibilities for their families at home. These include paying school fees, settling medical bills, providing food and helping relatives cope with the country’s difficult economic conditions.

However, it argued that the continued dependence of many households on financial assistance from relatives abroad highlighted the urgent need to address the underlying problems preventing families from meeting their basic needs.

According to the office, Obi advocates building a country where citizens can earn decent incomes, access affordable healthcare and provide quality education for their children without relying on money sent by relatives living overseas.

“Peter Obi’s vision is to create a Nigeria that works for all, a country in which remittances from the diaspora support national development instead of being essential to families’ survival,” the statement added.

The office stressed that the central message of Obi’s remarks was not a call for Nigerians abroad to withdraw financial support from their families, but a demand for better governance and economic opportunities that would reduce such dependence.

It maintained that Nigeria, given its resources and potential, should not leave so many households struggling to survive without assistance from family members outside the country.

The statement described Obi’s message as a call to tackle the root causes of poverty rather than continue managing its consequences.

“He is not asking Nigerians abroad to stop supporting their families. Rather, he is advocating for a Nigeria in which their families will no longer need to depend on them in order to survive,” the media office stated.

Dangote made the statement in Lagos while presenting his “Vision 2030” plan, an initiative aimed at accelerating industrialisation across Africa.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

During the event, the business mogul was asked to choose between spending seven days without his mobile phone and losing access to his private jet for the same period.

In response, Dangote made it clear that giving up his phone would be the more difficult option, explaining that he relies heavily on it to communicate and maintain contact with people.

“Ah… I think it’s easier you put me in prison than to take my phone away. So, you know, I mean taking my phone away is no-go area, okay?” he said.

The billionaire also disclosed that his mobile phone contains more than 13,000 contacts, reflecting the extensive network of relationships he has built over the years.

“I know that would be almost… my number, I have that number since… Twitter… I have more than 13,000 contacts on my phone,” Dangote stated.

When asked how he had accumulated such a large number of contacts, the industrialist explained that he rarely blocks people, allowing his contact list to continue growing.

“Wow. Wow. I hardly… I don’t like blocking people, so a lot of people,” he added.

Dangote is the chairman of the Dangote Group, a major African conglomerate with business interests spanning cement production, fertiliser, manufacturing and petroleum refining, among other industries.

His remarks offered a glimpse into how important his mobile phone is to his daily activities and the management of his extensive personal and business network.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has defended his administration’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy, insisting that Nigeria will not return to the policy despite growing calls from opposition figures for its reinstatement.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The President declared that he had no regrets about ending the subsidy regime, arguing that it had become financially unsustainable and was placing the country at risk of economic collapse.

Tinubu made the remarks on Monday during a political gathering tagged Together till 2027: An Evening with Original City Boy, organised by the City Boy Movement in collaboration with the Relax-Tinubu-Is-Fixing-Nigeria movement.

The two groups are supporting the President’s re-election bid ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential election.

Addressing supporters at the event, Tinubu criticised opposition proposals to restore petrol subsidy, particularly those associated with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

He maintained that reversing the policy would undermine his administration’s economic reforms and efforts to put the country on a more sustainable financial footing.

The President likened calls for a return to subsidy to asking the biblical Moses to return to Egypt after leading the Israelites out of captivity.

“I could listen to my political opponents promising a return to subsidy. Most of all, sometimes I remember my scripture studies, both the Bible and the Holy Quran. When Moses left Egypt, they faced the challenge, and the Red Sea parted and gave way.

“You cannot ask Moses to go back to Egypt. We wake up with ideas, original thoughts, and deep thinking to move this country forward. With your energy, your support, we will never go back to Egypt. No regrets,” Tinubu said.

He expressed confidence in Nigeria’s economic future, insisting that the country was making progress and should remain committed to its current direction.

Tinubu also urged his supporters to see the forthcoming election as a decision about their own future rather than simply a campaign to secure another term for him.

“Nigeria must win this election before any candidate does. You are not campaigning for me. You are campaigning for your own future, and that future is renewed hope. There’s nothing that will push us back,” he stated.

While acknowledging the difficulties Nigerians had experienced over the past three years, the President said he had chosen to take responsibility for the country’s challenges instead of concentrating on the shortcomings of previous administrations.

He argued that Nigeria could not achieve lasting economic growth by continually relying on borrowing to finance its needs.

“We understood that a nation cannot borrow its way to greatness,” Tinubu said.

The President’s comments come amid continued political debate over the removal of petrol subsidy, with opposition figures calling for its restoration as part of efforts to ease the economic burden on Nigerians.

However, Tinubu maintained that his administration would not reverse the decision, insisting that the country must continue on its current reform path.