“They Feared Political Persecution” — Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Opens Up on Colleagues’ Silence During Her Suspension

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has revealed that many of her colleagues in the National Assembly refrained from publicly supporting her during her six-month suspension out of fear of political persecution.

Speaking during the commissioning of a new market in Okene, Kogi State, Natasha said that while several senators expressed private solidarity, they avoided public association with her to protect their political standing.

“When a government official faces challenges, isolation comes naturally,” she said.
“Even when people are sympathetic, they are afraid to associate with you openly for fear of being castigated or persecuted. Many senators stood by me quietly — they called, they visited — but in public, they couldn’t show it. I’m not offended by that.”


The lawmaker described her suspension as illegal, arguing that it exposed the fear and intimidation that influence behavior within government institutions.

Recall that Senator Natasha was suspended in March over allegations involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio, but made her return to the Red Chamber in September after serving her six-month suspension.

Lagos govt announces flexible payment plan for Computer Village relocation.

The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the developer handling the proposed relocation of Computer Village, Ikeja, to Katangowa in Agbado-Oke-Odo, has announced a flexible payment plan to ease the transition for traders.

The announcement was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Alausa, Ikeja, where government officials reaffirmed that the long-awaited relocation of Computer Village would soon become a reality.

In September, the state government gave traders an 18-month deadline to move to the new Katangowa site.

Permanent Secretary, Office of Urban Development, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, said the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is committed to completing the project and bringing an end to years of stalled efforts.

“The current site, originally a residential area, has been adversely affected by unplanned development, displacing many residents,” Oki said.

He explained that Governor Sanwo-Olu, in line with his vision for sustainable urban development, had directed that the new market site be built to international standards for a seamless transition.

According to him, the 15-hectare Katangowa site will include essential facilities such as trailer parks, hotels, banks, a police station, a fire station, and other community amenities.

“The government will provide a 15-hectare site equipped with facilities such as trailer parks, hotels, banks, a police station, a fire station, and other community amenities,” he reiterated.

Anambra Govt Orders Iron Dealers to Relocate to Nteje After Election — “No Going Back,” Soludo’s Aide Warns


The Anambra State Government has issued a firm directive to all iron dealers in Onitsha and Ogbaru, ordering them to relocate to the new permanent Iron Dealers Market at Nteje, Oyi Local Government Area, immediately after the November 8 gubernatorial election.

Speaking during the dedication of the new market, the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Trade and Markets, Hon. Evaristus Ubah (represented by Hon. Ezennia Chukwuemelie Ibekwe), vowed that traders who refuse to move will be forcefully ejected.

“If there are those still remaining in Onitsha or Ogbaru, we will ensure they are relocated here to Nteje. There is no going back after the election,” he declared.


Union Chairman Mr. Evaristus Ejezie expressed gratitude to Governor Soludo for his unwavering support in the market’s construction, describing the project as a divine success story despite numerous challenges. He also appealed to the government to enforce relocation of remaining members, emphasizing that the market will significantly boost state revenue once fully occupied.

Ejezie urged traders who have made payments to submit their evidence for shop allocation, assuring them that transparency and fairness remain the priority.

The market dedication was conducted by Lt. Col. Godspower Anozie of the Salvation Army, Anambra West Division, who prayed for prosperity, unity, and divine protection for the traders.

In his remarks, Chief Humphrey Anuna, President-General of the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), commended the union executives for their vision, describing the Nteje Market as a future international hub that could surpass major building materials markets in Nigeria.

Other union leaders, including Hon. Ejike Ignatius of Allied Building Materials International Market and former chairman Mr. Nnaemeka Onuzulike, pledged total cooperation with the relocation plan, urging members to embrace peace and unity as business activities commence.

The event ended with prayers and blessings for the market executives and their committees, symbolizing a new beginning for Anambra’s booming building materials sector.

Nigeria’s shea is our green wealth. We produce nearly 40% of the world’s supply, yet capture less than 1% of its $6.5bn global market. That imbalance ends now.

I have approved a six-month suspension of raw shea exports, on the recommendation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, to secure supply for local processors, create jobs, and protect a value chain where 95% of pickers are women.

This is a win for our farmers, for our women, and for Nigeria.

VP Kashim Shettima will work with stakeholders to rapidly expand processing capacity and ensure that this reform translates into lasting prosperity.

With new market access opening in Brazil and beyond, we will no longer export poverty and import value. We will create value at home, compete abroad, and deliver prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

~ Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Nigeria’s shea is our green wealth. We produce nearly 40% of the world’s supply, yet capture less than 1% of its $6.5bn global market. That imbalance ends now.

I have approved a six-month suspension of raw shea exports, on the recommendation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, to secure supply for local processors, create jobs, and protect a value chain where 95% of pickers are women.

This is a win for our farmers, for our women, and for Nigeria.

VP Kashim Shettima will work with stakeholders to rapidly expand processing capacity and ensure that this reform translates into lasting prosperity.

With new market access opening in Brazil and beyond, we will no longer export poverty and import value. We will create value at home, compete abroad, and deliver prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

~ Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Medicine dealer callfor a new market in Lagos, complain on a hijack in Idumota wholesales center.

Drug marketers at the Idumota market in Lagos state took a break on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, from there busy schedule. They did not indulge in some unnecessary celebrations, rather they did so for the sake of their business. They went on a peaceful protest against the hijack of the space earlier secured for a Coordinated Wholesale Centre, CWC in the popular market. The protest was to call the attention of the authorities, at the federal and the state levels, to the challenge that has placed them at the mercy of a few people who they claimed were on a mission to frustrate they out of the market. The marketers are therefore asking for the neutralisation of the powers of those few men or the provision of a new space for a second CWC.

Their grievances were expressed in the placards with various inscriptions such as “Return our CWC,” “Give us our land,” and “We want second CWC” among others.
Acting under the body known as Nigeria Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED, they appealed to President Bola Tinubu, through the Federal Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Government and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, PCN, to come to their rescue to approve a second Coordinated Wholesale Centre, CWC, in Lagos State.
Osita Nwajide, Chairman of NAPPMED, Liberation Zone, Lagos Island, made the call during the protest. He said that the proposed second CWC will be guided by fairness, inclusivity, and transparency in allocation of spaces and pricing. Priority, he said, must be given to genuine pharmaceutical dealers/marketers and businesses that have a track record of compliance with regulations.

Marketers appealed that the proposed second CWC be on the Island, preferably Ibeju Lekki and its environs, and the centre should have a zonal spread to ease congestion and improve access across Lagos, as well as incorporate digital traceability systems to monitor drug movement and ensure accountability throughout the supply chain.

“We are passionately appealing to His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, because he is from Lagos State and he knows what we are talking about, kindly come to our rescue, we also appeal to our amiable Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to our rescue” Nwajide said “Lagos is a mega city of over 25 million people with two seaports, Apapa and Tincan, with two airports, another one is going on. One CWC presently with just 720 shops is not enough and we have over three thousand medicine marketers in Lagos Island alone and it demands a bigger CWC.”

Medicine Dealers Call for a New Market in Lagos, Complain of a Hijack of Idumota Wholesale Centre Nwajide further said that over 920 medicine marketers contributed between N100,000 and N1million each in 2011 to buy the land for the CWC, with the hope of operating in a regulated space. He, however, regretted that the place has been hijacked by some individuals which are not even up to 5% of the marketers.

According to him, “They are asking us to pay N93.5 million for a shop from June to December. How many of us can afford that? Many of us are small to medium-scale drug marketers. It’s an impossible demand.”

He said if the demands are not met, there would be looming threat to drug distributions in Lagos State and it will increase black-market drug distribution in Lagos. This could lead to shortage of medicine in the state.

He promised that the second CWC, if built, will be for everybody, there will be room for expansion to be a conducive environment, and we will build over three thousand shops for marketers.

The Era of Empty Promises Is Over — Pres. Tinubu.

President Bola Tinubu says the days of unfulfilled promises and abandoned projects are gone, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to inclusive development.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the commissioning of the rehabilitated Aguma Palace–Radio Nigeria–New Market Road in Gwagwalada, Tinubu said, “The days of empty promises and abandoned projects are behind us. We are not just building infrastructure; we are building confidence in governance.”

He described the road as more than a project, “It is a corridor of dignity for market women, a path to safety for school children, and a road to prosperity for the hard-working trader.” Praising FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, he said, “One such person is Barrister Nyesom Wike.

I thank him for proving that disruption is not a threat to order but a requirement for progress.” He added that for too long, communities outside Abuja’s centre had been neglected: “They have watched their dreams of inclusion delayed by excuses and their hopes depart by shifting priorities.

But we are here to rewrite that history. What brings us together on this historic day is more than a road. It is a reminder that no community under this administration is too far to be seen and nobody is too far to be heard.” On the project’s significance, he said, “We are not just rehabilitating roads; we are rehabilitating trust.”

He concluded that the FCT’s transformation is driven by deliberate reforms, “The newly rehabilitated Aguma Palace–Radio Nigeria–New Market Road is a lifeline to the communities it connects.”