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PDP PUTTING PRESSURE ON STATE RESIDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS TO CHANGE RESULTS IN ABUJA; LABOUR PARTY MOBILISING FOR ANOTHER ‘ENDSARS’-FESTUS KEYAMO

Published

4 years ago

February 26, 2023

Our usual reliable sources within the opposition parties who still have some modicum of conscience and altruism in their veins have informed us that chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are presently putting undue pressure on some State Resident Electoral Commissioners of INEC to alter the results duly collated in the States before proceeding to Abuja to submit the results.

This is despite the fact that the collated results are already well known by the public and the political parties as they were publicly declared, unit by unit and at the State level and electronically transmitted. This is with a view of creating disparities in both the transmitted results and the hard copies and thereby sparking nationwide crises.

We fully salute the resoluteness and steadfastness of these RECS so far and encourage them to continue their resilience in the face of such pressures. We salute INEC for organising, as we can see for now, one of the best elections in Nigeria from time immemorial.

We also have reliable information that the Labour Party is mobilising some of its misguided youths to hit the streets in major towns and cities across the country next week in protests they have described as ‘another ENDSARS’

We are therefore SPECIFICALLY putting the law-enforcement and security agencies on RED ALERT to rein in these unpatriotic elements who are bent on foisting their will on the rest of Nigerians. We specifically call on security agencies to give the State RECs 24-hour close-guard and maximum protection as they travel to submit their results in Abuja.

We shall henceforth be reporting anyone to security agencies, whether on social media or anywhere else who we identity as planning any kind of insurrection as a result of the yet-to-be announced results.
We all have equal stakes in our country and we shall not stay idly back and watch some disgruntled elements take the laws into their hands.

Thank you.
FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb(UK)
· Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
· Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs

Published

1 day ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

By James Samuel, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.

This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.

“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.

“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”

He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.

“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.

He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.

“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.

She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.

“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.

The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.

The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.

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