Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign from office or abandon any plans to seek re-election in 2027, accusing his administration of failing to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and demonstrating what he described as a lack of compassion for victims.

Obi made the call in a statement shared on his X account on Monday after visiting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde over the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted more than 50 days ago.

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The former Anambra State governor said the Federal Government’s handling of the abduction and the country’s growing security challenges reflected a complete collapse of governance, adding that many Nigerians now feel abandoned.

According to him, the prolonged captivity of the schoolchildren and the increasing wave of kidnappings across the country highlight the consequences of poor leadership.

“The ultimate cost of uncompassionate leadership, as evident in the country today, is turning citizens’ frustration into deep, volatile resentment,” Obi said.

“It is even more traumatising when the leader presiding over that collapse demonstrates clear incapacity and a lack of compassion.”

Obi expressed sympathy with the Oyo State Government and the families of the abducted pupils, saying they had every reason to feel disappointed after more than 50 days without any meaningful progress in securing the children’s release.

He disclosed that he had repeatedly spoken about the incident and appealed to the kidnappers to free the children.

He also revealed that he travelled to Ibadan on July 3 with political economist Prof. Pat Utomi to express solidarity with Governor Makinde and the affected families.

During the visit, Obi said he shared his experience in tackling insecurity as governor of Anambra State and recalled how former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan regularly contacted state governors whenever serious security challenges arose.

Obi, however, said he was shocked to learn that President Tinubu had allegedly not called Governor Makinde over the abduction.

Drawing comparisons with the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, Obi recalled that Tinubu was among those who strongly criticised then-President Goodluck Jonathan and called for his resignation over the handling of the crisis.

“I vividly recall that the current President, Bola Tinubu, led a team of vocal critics who called for President Jonathan’s immediate resignation over the incident. That call for immediate resignation should actually be the case in this matter,” he stated.

The Labour Party chieftain further claimed that more than 13 school kidnappings had occurred under the current administration, arguing that the continued abduction of schoolchildren and other Nigerians showed that governance had failed.

“The situation reflects a total lack of capacity and compassion, compounded by glaring insensitivity. Amid such an apparent display of incompetence, the President should either resign or, at the very least, abstain from seeking re-election for the sake of our dear country.
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This call is patriotic, not political. A New Nigeria is Possible,” Obi concluded.

Seven OPEC+ members decided on Sunday to again raise oil production quotas as Gulf countries reel from the Middle East war.

Ministers from key OPEC+ countries Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman met virtually on Sunday and “decided to implement a production adjustment of 188 thousand barrels per day,” a statement from the organisation said, adding that “this adjustment will be implemented in August 2026”.

Gulf countries had to cut output after the near-paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz orchestrated by Iran during the war in the Middle East, which blocked their oil exports for several months.

Between the first quarter of 2026 and May, combined production by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait — three of the seven countries raising their quotas — fell by some six million barrels per day, OPEC data have shown.
But on June 17, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding, committing themselves to removing obstacles to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz for the duration of talks following the signature.

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Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst at the Swiss bank UBS, told AFP that “for now, production is probably still below” OPEC+’s targets.

Time-consuming restart
Since the memorandum of understanding was signed, ship transport in the region has slowly recovered, with oil prices dropping sharply to levels comparable to those seen before the war in anticipation of a gradual return to normal.

Oil supplies through this shipping lane may already have exceeded ten million barrels a day, according to a US official quoted by the Bloomberg agency.

But the oil currently leaving the strait has up to now been sitting in tankers or storage facilities, said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen, adding that “shut-in production takes time to restart”.

“Assuming shipping continues to normalise, July will show an improvement with August probably being the month where the pickup accelerates,” he told AFP.

Cohesion at Stake

“For next year, everybody is anticipating a surplus,” Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad Energy, told AFP.

Rebuilding the inventories that countries tapped during the conflict should help absorb the flows at first, but producers may face a strong downward pressure on prices later on.

And OPEC+, already weakened by the departure of the United Arab Emirates from the group in May, will have to manage sliding prices while members will push for production increases.

Iraq, in particular, has asked the cartel to raise production quotas to make up for the shortfall it incurred during the war in the Middle East, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said in late June.

But Hansen said the need for a higher quota “is not imminent” as production volumes are still far from their pre-conflict levels.

“Iraq’s request may become part of the 2027 capacity review, where production baselines will be examined,” he added.

At the end of the year, the OPEC+ is indeed due to reassess members’ quotas based on their ability to produce more, which could become a thorny issue.

Courtesy – AFP

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has reaffirmed that his administration will not negotiate with bandits, declaring that security operations against criminal groups will continue until they surrender or face the full weight of the law.

The governor made the declaration through his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Mukhtar Musa, during the inauguration of the Secretariat of the Association of Zamfara State Indigenes Residing in Kaduna on Sunday.

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Speaking at the event, Musa said the Lawal administration remains committed to ending insecurity through sustained collaboration with security agencies across the state.

He disclosed that the state government would continue providing logistics, equipment, ammunition and other operational support to security forces battling banditry.

“The governor will never negotiate with bandits. Those willing to surrender should do so or face the law,” Musa said.

According to him, the government will sustain its offensive against bandits until lasting peace is restored across Zamfara State.

He also stressed the importance of community intelligence, urging residents to promptly report suspicious movements and activities to security agencies to strengthen the fight against insecurity.

Musa assured members of the association that Governor Lawal remains committed to restoring peace and delivering meaningful development across the state.

Describing the gathering as a reflection of unity among Zamfara indigenes living outside their home state, he commended the organisers for establishing the association’s secretariat in Kaduna and disclosed that the governor would visit the association in the future to strengthen ties.

As part of the government’s support, Musa announced a donation of ₦5 million to assist the association’s activities.

Earlier, the association’s Chairman, Alhaji Garba Balarabe, described the inauguration as a historic milestone, saying the secretariat would serve as a centre for unity, coordination and the welfare of members.

He revealed that the association distributed 280 bags of 10kg rice, vegetable oil and spaghetti to less privileged members and appealed to the Zamfara State Government to assist in acquiring a permanent office in Kaduna.

Also speaking, the Zamfara Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Dr. Abdulrahman Tumbido, commended the association’s humanitarian initiative, noting that many Zamfara indigenes had relocated to Kaduna due to insecurity.

Despite the security challenges, Tumbido expressed optimism that peace and stability would soon return to Zamfara.

The National President of the Zamfara State Indigenes Association, Alhaji Usman Balarabe, called for greater unity among members and pledged continued support for women, children and other vulnerable groups.

In her remarks, the association’s Ex-Officio, Hajiya Aishatu Maradun, urged the state government to sustain support for programmes aimed at strengthening the association.

Representing Engr. Abdullahi AbdulKarim Tsafe, Engr. Garba Abubakar formally inaugurated the secretariat.

He praised the association for supporting vulnerable members and recommended translating its constitution into Hausa to enhance understanding and ensure effective administration.

The event attracted government officials, traditional rulers, politicians, community leaders and members of the association from Kaduna, Abuja and other parts of the country.