As criticism mounts over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged favoritism towards the southwest in political appointments, former senator Shehu Sani has stepped in to defend the president, arguing that the administration of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari was even more lopsided.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sani responded to recent concerns raised by northern figures like Senator Ali Ndume, who claimed that Tinubu’s government lacks inclusiveness. According to Sani, many Nigerians are conveniently forgetting how appointments were heavily skewed during Buhari’s time in office.

He recalled that several key federal positions under Buhari were filled by people from his home state, Katsina. “The DG of SSS was from Katsina, NIA from Katsina, the ports authority was headed by my sister Hadiza from Katsina, Federal Mortgage Bank, SMEDAN, FRCN, NIMET, NIMASA, Railway Corporation — all from Katsina,” he said.

Sani also pointed out the dominance of northerners in the country’s security structure during those eight years. “Immigration, Customs, Civil Defence, FRSC, Police, Army, Navy — all were headed by northerners at a time,” he added.

He noted that many who are now vocal against Tinubu were silent when similar advantages benefited their own regions. “I’d take their criticisms more seriously if they had spoken up when the same thing was happening under Buhari. But they didn’t,” he said.

While Sani acknowledged that Tinubu’s government must avoid repeating Buhari’s mistakes, he also made it clear that pretending Buhari’s administration was more inclusive is dishonest. “Two wrongs don’t make a right, but let’s not rewrite history. Buhari laid the foundation for what we’re seeing now.”

He ended with a word of caution to Tinubu: “He must not follow that same path. This country is too divided and too fragile for favoritism. Balance is key if we’re to stay united.”

Nigeria’s power sector has gone four straight months without a national grid collapse, according to Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.

Speaking during the sixth Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, Adelabu said the country is seeing more stability in electricity supply due to better generation capacity and ongoing power sector reforms.

He highlighted a recent milestone where the grid handled 5,801.63 megawatts without crashing, a sharp contrast to the past when it would collapse at just 5,000 megawatts.

Adelabu also noted that the April 2024 tariff adjustment for Band A customers boosted revenue in the sector by 70 percent and helped reduce the tariff shortfall by N700 billion.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, emphasized that reliable power remains central to President Tinubu’s goal of industrializing Nigeria.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said many Nigerians ignored its repeated warnings about digital trading platforms like CBEX.

Speaking on Channels Television, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale explained that the Commission had made efforts to educate the public on the risks of such platforms long before the recent crash.

CBEX, an online trading company with links to China, reportedly collapsed on Monday, locking investors out of their funds and resulting in an estimated N1.3 trillion loss. Videos have since circulated showing victims expressing frustration and heartbreak over their lost savings.

Oyewale stressed that the EFCC had previously published a list of 58 suspicious investment companies, warning citizens to steer clear. He said this was part of their effort to prevent scams and protect the public.

He emphasized that CBEX never had any real, registered presence in Nigeria, despite claims of physical offices in places like Ibadan. He also noted that the company operated entirely online and lacked any legal ties to Nigeria.

According to Oyewale, the Commission had done its part by creating awareness and alerting Nigerians to the risks. “The rest is for people to be cautious and protect their money,” he said.

He also pointed to the newly introduced Investment and Securities Act 2025, which now makes it a criminal offense to engage in digital trading without proper licenses and compliance with Nigerian law.