By Son Tertsea, Abuja

Cardinal John Onaiyekan has explained why the reactions to his interview with Arise TV’s Charles Aniagolu drew more attention than his original remarks, as a reflection of concerns previously expressed by Catholic bishops during a visit to President Bola Tinubu.

The cardinal spoke in an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast while explaining his earlier comments that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government was determined to win the 2027 elections by all means.

He said he had been invited to elaborate on the position taken by his fellow bishops during their meeting with Tinubu and that he fully endorsed the concerns raised.

“Everything that happened at that interview was not coming from me. I was invited to expatiate on the position that my brother bishops took when we went to visit the president of the country,” he said.

Onaiyekan said the controversy surrounding the interview was not necessarily caused by his comments but by the response from people associated with the government.

“I think the main reason was because — I don’t know what pushed them — some of what they call the attack dogs of the government went out of their ways to make certain statements that were not helpful even for government.”

In his view, the comments provoked Nigerians and triggered further public discussion, while he chose not to respond again.

The cardinal also recalled telling Aniagolu that Tinubu was unhappy with the bishops’ message during their meeting, but said they had not expected the president to welcome their concerns.

According to him, the bishops did not visit the president to praise his administration or flatter him, but to communicate the concerns of Nigerians.

“We were not expecting Mr President to be happy with us. We knew he was not going to be happy with what we were saying, but we felt that we don’t have to be going there to make him happy when Nigerians, in the vast majority, are not happy,” he said.

Onaiyekan blamed the country’s leadership for failing to heed advice, arguing that the realities confronting Nigerians were widely reported in the media.

“There is no governor, unless we have a president who is deaf, dumb, and blind, who can tell us that he’s not hearing the truth about what is happening in Nigeria,” he said.

He questioned whether government policies could be considered successful if citizens continued to suffer, insisting that their impact should be measured by improvements in people’s daily lives, particularly those of the poorest. In his words:

“The proof of its validity must be seen in the life, daily life of the people, and especially of the poorest.”

By Michael Lim

As part of effort to reduce the huge backlog of gratuities, the Bauchi State government has completed the payment of gratuity arrears to retired state and local government civil servants who left service in 2012 and 2013.

Payments for the 2014 batch is billed to commence on Monday.

Governor Bala Mohammed has approved the first tranche of N10 billion for the payment of longstanding gratuity arrears owed retired civil servants in the state.

In a statement issued on Friday, the governor’s spokesperson, Mukhtar Gidado, said the Committee on the Verification and Payment of Gratuities had successfully completed payments to pensioners in the 2012 and 2013 batches.

He said the committee had informed pensioners in both the state and local government services that the payment exercise would continue on Monday with the commencement of payments to those who retired in 2014.

According to the statement, subsequent payments will be made in batches, covering eligible pensioners up to 2016.

Gidado said the payments would be conducted at two designated centres including the local government audit office and the State Audit Office.

The committee urged affected pensioners to remain calm and cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure a smooth, transparent and orderly exercise.

It also reaffirmed the commitment of the Bala Mohammed-led administration to clearing outstanding gratuity arrears owed to pensioners at both state and local government levels.

The statement added that the government would continue to take necessary measures to ensure that eligible retirees received their entitlements in a transparent and timely manner.

During the 2026 Pensioners’ Day celebration in Bauchi on Monday, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Bauchi State Council, Comrade Abdullahi Alhassan Misau, disclosed that N3 billion out of the N10 billion approved for the payment of gratuity arrears had been released.

Misau said the amount was meant to cover pensioners who retired between 2012 and 2013, while the files of those who retired between 2014 and 2016 had been screened for payment.

He commended the governor for approving the N10 billion for the exercise but appealed to him to intensify efforts to clear the outstanding gratuity arrears before the expiration of his tenure.

The NUP chairman also urged the state government to address cases involving pensioners whose names were omitted from previous payment schedules and those who were underpaid.

According to him, the affected pensioners had outstanding arrears ranging from two to 30 months.

Misau further disclosed that the governor had approved N2 million for monthly payments to pensioners, describing the gesture as evidence of the administration’s concern for their welfare.

He said the union remained grateful to the governor for the initiative and expressed hope that the government would address the outstanding demands of retired civil servants.

The NUP chairman also appealed to the state government to construct a permanent office for the union, disclosing that it had already acquired land for the project.

“We have been living in rented quarters for over 30 years,” he said.

Misau further commended the governor for implementing the N32,000 minimum pension, which he described as a significant step towards improving the welfare of retirees.

He said the move attracted the attention of the NUP national headquarters in Abuja and led to the governor being recognised by the union as a pensioner-friendly governor.

The state government had earlier announced the commencement of the disbursement of N10 billion as the first tranche of payments towards settling long-standing gratuity arrears owed to about 1,700 retired state and local government civil servants.

The exercise is aimed at reducing inherited gratuity liabilities and providing financial relief to retirees across the state’s 20 local government areas.

By Isa Abdul, Abuja

Wike has ordered the immediate enforcement of operations against unauthorised commercial activities and illegally erected structures along the corridor stretching from Gwagwalada to Asokoro, citing security concerns.

He said the administration had received reports that some individuals were establishing beer parlours, motor parks and other illegal commercial facilities. Giving the order to the Department of Development Control, he said:

“We have been told of some issues of security threats extending from certain areas of Gwagwalada to Asokoro, where some people are trying to open up beer parlour businesses, motor parks, and all of that.

“There are no such approvals, and we will not allow that.”

Wike directed the Department of Development Control to work with security agencies to remove illegal structures and stop unauthorised commercial operations in the affected areas.

He said the operation was intended to prevent potential security breaches and ensure compliance with the FCT’s development regulations.