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Gaidam Harps on Importance of Implementing WAPIS Programme
The Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, has reiterated the immense importance the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) programme holds for the Nigerian Police and the nation.
He stated this during the visit of the ECOWAS, European Union, and INTERPOL delegation led by Head of Politics, Press and Information Section European Union (ECOWAS/Nigeria) Zissimos Vergos, to the Ministry Headquarters in Abuja.
The Minister, according to a statement signed by the Press Deputy Director, Bolaji Kazeem and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), stated that Nigeria is at the forefront of addressing the complex challenges of transnational crime and terrorism and the need for efficient and reliable information-sharing mechanisms cannot be overstated.
“The WAPIS system presents us with a unique opportunity to strengthen our law enforcement efforts and foster collaboration among West African countries. This visit marks a significant milestone in our journey towards implementing the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) here in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“By implementing the WAPIS, we will enhance our capacity to collect, store, analyze, and share crucial law enforcement data across borders. This system will enable us to tackle the menace of organized crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and terrorism more effectively,” he said.
Gaidam added that it will empower our law enforcement agencies with the necessary tools to identify and apprehend criminals who operate across national boundaries, ensuring that they face the full force of justice.
The Minister expressed that, the WAPIS system will contribute to the creation of a safer and more secure West Africa; It will foster trust and cooperation among our regional partners, facilitating the exchange of information, best practices, and expertise.
“Together, we can establish a formidable network that transcends borders, allowing us to combat crime collectively and protect the well-being of our citizens. WAPIS in Nigeria would not have been possible without the steadfast support and collaboration of our esteemed partners. The ECOWAS Commission, the European Union, and INTERPOL have demonstrated their unwavering commitment to fostering regional security and supporting Nigeria’s efforts in this critical endeavor.
Earlier, Head of Politics, Press and Information Section European Union (ECOWAS/Nigeria) Zissimos VERGOS who led the delegation stated that the purpose of their visit is to review the specific objective of the program and examine the status regarding the development of WAPIS mechanism within Nigeria law enforcement landscape noting that there is the need for better coordination and dialogue among the security agencies and exchange of information within West Africa region.
In his contribution, the Head of the Regional Security Division (ECOWAS Commission) Colonel Abdourahmane Dieng said that WAPIS is an ECOWAS programme and the need for political support towards the advancement of the process adding that they had identified some issues in the implementation of the programme in Nigeria and the need for the technical mission to support the team in Nigeria.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has narrated how his principal almost sacked him because of Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot.
He said he almost lost his job during the Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa impeachment saga.
Recall that lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly had said that Obasa was impeached to save the integrity and sanctity of the House of Assembly and Lagos State.
The lawmakers, while jointly addressing journalists at the Assembly Complex, said: “It’s just a change of baton. It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable.”
However, with President Tinubu against the impeachment, the Speaker was restored and peace returned to the Assembly.
Addressing members of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, Gbajabiamila said, “I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. Mr President called me to his house in Abuja during the Lagos Speaker Obasa saga.
“He said, ‘I hear this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you,’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir. He is one of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly.’
“Immediately, I told the president that Desmond wasn’t part of them, but the president replied and said that, from the intelligence he received, Desmond was part of them.
“After that meeting, I called Desmond and told him what the president said, and asked him to leave the group if he was part of them. Three days later, the DSS DG called me and said there was a problem.
“He said your name is being mentioned, that you’re the one behind the impeachment saga and that you’re supporting Desmond.
“I spoke to the DSS DG and told him I had spoken to Desmond and he denied being part of the group. I then asked Desmond to make a public statement denying his involvement in the impeachment saga, but till today, he hasn’t done it.”
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.
Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
The simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
