News

2027: APC Forum urges North-Central first term governors to sit up

Published

3 months ago

August 9, 2026

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has urged first term governors elected on the platform of the party in the zone to sit up in order to ensure their return for a second term.

The North-Central APC Forum asserted that improved performance by the governors will translate to victory for the party in the forthcoming election.

The APC Forum made the call on Sunday in a statement released by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, after a second quarter stakeholders consultative meeting in Abuja.

First term governors in the North-Central, who are seeking re-election in the 2027 election, include Ahmed Ododo, Kogi, Hyacinth Alia, Benue, Mohammad Bago, Niger and Caleb Muftwang, Plateau.

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Abdullahi Sule, the governors of Kwara and Nasarawa, respectively, the two other states in the North-Central, are rounding off their second terms in office.

The North-Central APC Forum, while expressing a desire for the APC to retain the control of all the states in the zone after the 2027 elections, said the performance of the first term governors will go a long way in determining their chances of re-election.

It urged the governors to step up in the provision of dividends of democracy as the elections approach.

“We urge the first term governors in the North-Central to sit up in the discharge of their duties as the elections draw closer. Our target as the North-Central APC Forum is that the party will continue to retain control of all the states in the zone.

“As leaders of the party in their respective states, we urge the governors to take the lead towards ensuring that the North-Central remains totally under the control of the APC after the elections. The North-Central was the first geopolitical zone to come under the control of one party, APC, and we as stakeholders are proud of the feat.

“As stakeholders and dedicated party men, we declare our resolve to ensure that the North-Central retains its enviable position as the number one APC zone in the country. To this end, we are calling on the first governors to redouble their efforts in the provision of dividends of democracy to the people. We particularly urge them to pay special attention to security, the economy, agriculture, education, youth and women empowerment, and the general welfare of citizens,” the Forum said.

However, the North-Central APC Forum in the same vein commended the governors of Niger and Plateau states for their achievements in office.

The Forum noted that Bago and Muftwang have recorded notable achievements in various sectors, which it said have improved the living conditions of citizens in the two states. It highlighted improved security, economic advancement especially through investment in modernized agriculture, and empowerment programmes initiated by the governors in their states.

The Forum said Bago and Muftwang have prioritized the welfare of workers and implemented policies which have improved business activities, thereby attracting much needed private investment.

“Following the second quarter 2026 assessment of governance in the North-Central, we believe that the governors of Plateau and Niger states, Mohammed Umaru Bago and Caleb Muftwang, respectively, have recorded commendable achievements in various sectors.

“The Bago administration in Niger State has recorded major infrastructure and industrial projects including the 1,000km statewide road network and flyovers, 500-hectare solar farm and industrial park in Diko/Sabon Wuse, the Minna urban renewal and overhead bridge expansion, and the 500-unit housing estate in Kontagora.

“In Plateau State, the Muftwang administration has executed several landmark infrastructure, as well as agricultural and tourism projects, including the 19.7 km Mangu Bypass, the Plateau Potato Value Chain Project, and the remodeling of hospitality and sports centers like the Hill Station Hotel and Rwang Pam Township Stadium.

“Added to these, the administrations have recorded improvements in security and economic empowerment and several other sectors, which we believe would ensure victory for the APC in the 2027 election. Other first term governors in the zone have also made progress, but we urge all of them to do even more as the elections approach. It is our fervent desire that the North-Central retains its pride of place an the number one APC zone in the country at the end of the 2027 elections,” the Forum added.

The APC Forum expressed confidence that, with the strides recorded by Bago and Muftwang, and the performance of other governors, the pledge to deliver six million votes from the North-Central to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election is on course.

It would be recalled that, in December 2024, the Forum became the first political organization to endorse Tinubu for a second term, pledging six million votes for the President from the North-Central zone.

News

2027: Makinde faults past, present leaders over failure to harness Nigeria’s resources

Published

17 minutes ago

November 5, 2026

PlateauReports

Presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement, APM, Seyi Makinde, has slammed past and present leaders of Nigeria, saying they lacked and still have no ideas on what to do with the country’s abundant natural and human resources.

Faulting Nigeria’s quality of leaders, Makinde said the country has yet to fully harness its potential because of a lack of innovative ideas and effective leadership.

The Oyo State Governor made the assertion on Wednesday in Abuja at the unveiling of his manifesto.

“Nigeria has the resources and the capacity to achieve greatness. Nigeria is rich in natural resources and human resources, but our leaders are poor in ideas, he said.

“Our simple proposition is that government must make life easier for the people. That is all. Nigeria needs a leadership that works.

“The narrative of projecting Nigeria as being poor, I disagree."

The APM standard-bearer also called for greater government accountability, saying every political promise must be tied to a responsible institution, a delivery plan, and measurable outcomes that citizens can independently verify.

Makinde demanded stronger national institutions to bridge the political gaps in the country and reconcile differences, warning that conflicts must not undermine national development.

Makinde, again, criticised the federal government for shifting its responsibilities to states, especially over the country’s persistent power sector challenges, asking Nigerians to hold the government accountable for its promises.

On Nigeria’s electoral act, the Oyo governor said the current policy, as it is, has the potential to produce presidents without sufficient support from most Nigerians and could create opportunities for compromises that undermine democratic institutions.

The APM candidate urged Nigerians to study his party’s manifesto, challenge existing assumptions and join him in pursuing a new political and economic order that delivers meaningful results.

2027: Makinde faults past, present leaders over failure to harness Nigeria’s resources

Health

Six climate measures could save 1.6 million lives yearly – WHO

Published

2 hours ago

November 5, 2026

PlateauReports

Six proven climate and health interventions could prevent 1.6 million deaths annually and generate trillions of dollars in economic benefits if implemented globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed.

The measures, which include heat-health warning systems, access to safe water and sanitation, cleaner household energy and more efficient fossil fuel pricing policies, could generate $3.9 trillion in annual economic welfare benefits and a further $5.4 trillion in fiscal gains.

The WHO disclosed this in a new report titled ‘Global benefits and costs of prioritised actions on climate change and health’, released ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), where countries are expected to present their climate commitments.

According to the report, the six interventions could prevent one in every 40 deaths globally, based on modelled projections, while avoiding 16.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The estimated emissions reduction is equivalent to 31 per cent of global annual greenhouse gas emissions, excluding emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry.

The report, which the WHO described as its first comprehensive assessment of the economic and fiscal returns from scaling up the six recommended interventions, highlights the potential health and financial gains of integrating public health considerations into climate policies.

It argues that many health consequences of climate change are preventable through existing solutions, but governments must implement them across health and other sectors that determine people’s health.

Six interventions

The report identifies six interventions: heat-health warning systems, climate-resilient drinking-water services, basic sanitation services, hygiene and handwashing facilities, cleaner household fuels and technologies for cooking and heating, and efficient fossil fuel pricing policies.

The WHO estimates that five of the interventions could generate $24 in benefits for every $1 invested, with returns expected to be greater in low- and middle-income countries.

Heat-health warning systems are projected to deliver particularly high returns, generating an estimated $835 in benefits for every $1 invested.

The report attributes the high returns to the relatively low cost of expanding existing warning systems and their potential to prevent heat-related illnesses.

Efficient fossil fuel pricing policies, however, are projected to deliver the largest overall gains.

Such policies, including removing inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and appropriately taxing fossil fuels, could prevent 1.2 million deaths annually while generating $3 trillion in economic welfare benefits and $5.4 trillion in fiscal gains.

Health at the centre of climate action

Commenting on the findings, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the climate crisis was also a health crisis, but many of its consequences could be prevented using existing interventions.

READ ALSO: WHO raises alarm as 75% of diabetes cases in Africa remain undiagnosed

He said expanding proven and affordable interventions could save millions of lives, particularly in countries with the greatest need.

“The climate crisis is a health crisis, but much of the harm it causes can be prevented with tools we already have,” he said.

Mr Ghebreyesus urged governments to place health considerations at the centre of climate action as they prepare for the next round of international climate negotiations.

The WHO said countries were already experiencing record-breaking climate shocks in 2026, investing in measures that protect human health and the environment increasingly urgent.

The health body called on governments, development partners and financing institutions to use the economic evidence to scale up the interventions, noting that they could deliver simultaneous benefits for public health, climate mitigation and national economies.