Author: Salome Maji

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, has revealed that Nigeria spends over $1.5 billion every year on dairy imports.

Maiha accredited the it to a significant gap between local production and demand.

Speaking at World Milk Day Conference held in Abuja, he sid, while Nigeria consumes about 1.6 million metric tonnes of milk annually, local production only accounts for 700,000 metric tonnes, leaving a 60 percent deficit that is covered through costly imports.

Furthermore, Maiha condemned the nation’s low per capita milk consumption, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 210 litres per person per year, whereas Nigerians consume only 8.7 litres per person, a volume he described as “barely enough for tea throughout the rainy season.”

“We have a milk supply gap, but more importantly, we have a milk opportunity,” the Minister stated. “The creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development is already yielding strategic interventions.”

Similarly, he announced that the Ministry is implementing the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS) and finalizing the Implementation Framework for the National Dairy Policy. These initiatives aim to boost milk production, generate employment, and improve nutrition.

“This is not just about cows. It’s about people, jobs, economic dignity, and nation-building,” he added.

According to Maiha, part of the strategy includes establishing feedlots and dairy farms, encouraging private sector investment, and working closely with multinationals and foreign partners to transform the sector.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has pledged strong support for Nigeria’s dairy development. Delivering a keynote address, the Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, affirmed the EU’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s livestock and dairy industries.

“We aim to unlock value across the entire dairy ecosystem — from pasture to processing — and attract investments that create decent jobs, especially for youth and women,” Mignot said.

He highlighted that EU dairy companies are already investing in Nigeria and that the EU is facilitating policy dialogue, knowledge exchange, and alignment with Nigeria’s National Livestock Transformation Plan.

The EU envoy identified several critical areas for unlocking Nigeria’s dairy potential, including:

Improving productivity through better feed, farm management, and veterinary services

Modernizing infrastructure, particularly milk collection centers, cold chains, and processing units

Empowering women and youth, who play a pivotal but often overlooked role in rural dairy production

Promoting environmental sustainability with climate-smart and regenerative practices

Expanding access to finance and training for smallholders and entrepreneurs

The minister revealed that the Ministry is also developing a 15-year Livestock Master Plan (LMP), with a detailed 5-year investment roadmap to coordinate implementation and align all sectoral initiatives.

Stakeholders at the event included representatives from federal ministries, international development partners, the private sector, state governments, farmer cooperatives, and research institutions.

A survivor of the ghastly accident which led to death of 22 occupants of the coaster bus that was conveying the Kano State athletes returning from the recently concluded Gateway Games 2024, has explained what led to the crash.

Narrating the how the incident occurred the survivor, identified as Dorothy Okwuzuluike as reported by Vanguard said, a brake failure had led to the ghastly crash.

She recalled as soon as the athletes noticed the gravity of what was happening, they were engulfed with ‘fear, anxiety and feeling of resignation.

Okwuzuluike while speaking in a viral video seen by Truthlive News, from an hospital bed with a bandaged leg that appeared swollen, she said: “All I can remember is like the driver lost control after the bus brake failed.

“The only thing I can remember was that I held onto the seat in front of me firmly. The next thing was that I found myself at the hospital.”

“We spent two days on the road to go to Abeokuta to represent Kano state at the Festival.

“On our way back, we equally spent another two days on the road before the accident occurred.

“The vehicle was not sound, as it was always breaking down along the way. It would break down, we will stop, they will effect repair.

“After another few kilometres, it would break down again. They would carry out repair, and we would move again. It was a horrifying experience.”

Meanwhile, a top official of the Kano State contingent, Ibrahim Umar Fagge also spoke on the incident.

He said: “During the festival, we were reducing our athletes as events were taking place. As your event end, you leave for home.

“So majority of our athletes had returned home before the final day. Only that bus that was remaining.”

He explained that he was always in touch with the contingent.

“We were together with them. The bus had accident in Lokoja, and they managed it to Abuja, where we spent the night.

“This (Saturday) morning, they started their journey from Abuja to Kano. At about 10 a.m., I spoke with about six of them. Then I got a report that our bus had accident at Chirowama.”

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, lauded the former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, over his refusal to step down for President Bola Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential primary contest of 2022 describing the move as a demonstration of courage.

Speaking at the 60th birthday celebration of Amaechi said, Amaechi gave Tinubu a dose of his own medicine.

The former governors birthday which was marked with a weeklong event had witnessed the turn out of Former Assembly Speakers, former first ladies, media partners, socio-cultural groups, youth organisations, and teeming supporters had ended with a dinner at the Transcorp Hilton, Saturday, 31 May, 2025.

The professor while commending Amaechi had served as transportation minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari, said he was particularly moved by his ‘defiance at the primary election which he followed live from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.’

He words: “The main reason I had to be here today is first of all that I admire Rotimi Amaechi’s fighting spirit. And it’s a very consistent one, and the most memorable for me, because I watched this event live on TV all the way from Abu Dhabi.

“I wanted to see the drama of all the primaries going on during the election. I wasn’t really here but I said I want to watch this contest and I’m glad I did.

“Because it gave me a great, most malicious pleasure, rascally if you like, pleasure — to see the incumbent president being given a dose of his own medicine.”

Soyinka said Amaechi’s decision to stay in the race reminded him of Tinubu’s own defiance during the Olusegun Obasanjo era.

“Let me explain this. For somebody we knew as the last man standing when he fought to a standstill, a former president who was manoeuvring himself into a position of changing the constitution and obtaining a third term.

“He keeps denying it but he and I know for a fact and so do others. And towards that goal, he was sort of emasculating the powers of the constituent elements of the federation. And by the end, this president was the last man standing, resisted that effort.

‘’All the others had sort of cowed down because their statutory allocation had been stopped, contrary to the constitution.

“But one man, he was the last man standing. Well, he obtained a dose of his own medicine from Rotimi Amaechi during the primaries. I enjoyed that very much.

“While everybody was, you know, falling over one another conceding, there was one individual who got on the podium and said no, I’m not conceding.

“I didn’t come all the way here to commit ‘lúle’. And that man was Rotimi Amaechi. And I said this is what democracy is all about,’’ the playwright said.

Recall that Tinubu polled 1,271 votes to defeat 13 other presidential hopefuls in the primary election.

Amaechi polled 316 votes to come second, with then Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo receiving 235 votes.

Renowned General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere has rewarded a courageous immigration officer with ₦1 million after the officer turned down a ₦10 million bribe from a wanted Enugu native doctor.

Truthlive News had reported that the native doctor, simply identified as Ezeani , had reportedly been declared wanted over allegations of using human beings for ritual practices at his Enugu residence.

Following the ugly revelation, angry youths set his house on fire, while the culprit tried to escape the country through illegal means.

At the border, he allegedly offered a ₦10 million bribe to an immigration officer in exchange for safe passage. But the officer refused the offer, exposed him, and handed him over to law enforcement.

Apostle Chibuzor , upon hearing the story, traced the officer and sent him ₦1 million to appreciate his integrity and bravery.

The man of God made the kind gesture known via official X handle (@daddyopm).

The Apostle also posted a screenshot of the transfer to confirmed the authenticity of the move.

In a very tragic turn of event, no fewer than 20 athletes from Kano Contingent lost their lives while returning from the just concluded National Sports Festival held in Abeokuta the Ogun State capital.

The ugly incident reportedly occurred when they have almost arrived their destination at Dakatsalle Bridge in the Kura Local Government area of Kano State.

The athletes were said to be returning from from the just concluded National Sports Festival held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Umar Fagge, who confirmed the incident, said many other athletes sustained various degree of injuries following the fatal accident on Saturday.

He explained that the bus conveying 30 athletes fell from the bridge, leading to the death of the 20 athletes.

“As I am talking to you now, we have counted 19 dead bodies,” Fagge said.

Similarly, Ado Salisu, a former Vice President of SWAN, said victims were still being conveyed to Kura General Hospital.

The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Kano Sector Command, Abdullahi Labaran, also confirmed the accident.

He however said that he could not confirm the number of deaths and injured persons.

“We just received the report of the accident, so, I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties at the moment,” he added

Following the massive torrent of defection of several governors and lawmakers from the parties on whose platform they were elected without relinquishing the positions, the National Assembly on Friday pledged to swiftly amend the Electoral Act.

The move is intended to curb the growing trend of defections by politicians who abandon their parties for other political platforms without vacating their elective seats.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, reiterated the commitment of the legislature during a symposium in Abuja held in honour of the Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.

Ogunlana disclosed this while reacting to an earlier appeal by the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo for lawmakers to urgently amend the Electoral Act to halt the gale of defections by public office holders, which he described as a threat to Nigeria’s democratic integrity.

Truthlive News recalls that there has been a wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress,

Itodo warned could significantly alter the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Citing a recent example, he noted that on April 23, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori defected to the APC, effectively collapsing the state’s Peoples Democratic Party structure and taking along PDP’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Similarly, several opposition lawmakers from the PDP, Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party have also crossed over to the ruling party.

“When people contest for office on certain platforms and people give them their trust, and the Supreme Court has said that votes in an election belong to a party, shouldn’t these individuals vacate those particular seats?” he asked.

While his comments drew applause from the audience, Itodo urged for deeper intellectual engagement on the issue.

“It’s not just for clapping. This is an intellectual edifice, and there is room for debate. Can we solve this problem of cross-carpeting and decamping using legal reforms,?”Itodo said.

Responding, Ogunlana assured that the issue will be addressed to strengthen democratic institutions.

The clerk noted the strategic importance of the NILDS Director General’s role and pledged continued collaboration to support legislative reforms.

Ogunlana said, “There is something some of you may not know.

“For you to hold the post he [the DG of NILDS] is holding in the National Assembly, President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Reps Speaker Tajudeen Abbas must be involved. If they are personally involved, then it means you have to personally pay close attention to your activities.”

The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio also shared his sentiment.

While assuring that the Senate is committed to democratic values, the former Akwa Ibom governor praised the leadership of the institute as dogged and resilient.

He was represented at the event by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Identity Card and Population, Senator Victor Umeh.

“This institute, he (Sulaiman) has turned it around so much that anytime you drive into these premises, you know that you are walking into an ambience of a citadel of learning, where people’s minds are developed.

“For us in the legislature, this place is a place where the skills of lawmakers are honed. When you come here, you will understand the basic symbols of lawmaking.

“For us in the legislature, this place is a place where the skills of lawmakers are honed. When you come here, you will understand the basic symbols of lawmaking.

“And once you follow the guides and the lectures they give you, you turn out to be a good lawmaker; the purpose of setting up this institute is very well realised under his leadership,” he said.

The Taraba State Governor, Kefas Agbu has revealed the identity of real killer of his sister, Atsi kefas, reportedly shot by kidnappers along Wukari-Chinkai road last year.

According to Kefas, a police escort attached to his mother’s escorts shot and killed his sister while travelling from Jalingo to Abuja, along the Wukari-Chinkai Road in 2024.

He made the shocking revelation while speaking with newsmen in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.

Governor Kefas said investigation revealed that a police escort shot Atsi at a close range.

He further disclosed that pellets of gun were found in the victim’s body during operation before she subsequently succumbed to death.

Many in Taraba State have believed that the vehicle conveying Atsi and the governor’s mother was attacked by bandits who wanted to kidnap the governor’s family members.

Kefas, while observing a minute silence for Atsi, and the over 50 people who were recently killed in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of the state during an attack, called on the people to embrace peace and love one another.

“Life is very precious to me. You can’t just end someone’s life and think God will be happy with you. My younger sister was shot and killed by a police escort who was inside the same bus with her.

“Investigation revealed that my sister Atsi  was shot at a close range. The policeman is still under investigation so that justice should prevail,” the governor said.

He stated that a commission of enquiry would soon be set up to look into the causes of Karim-Lamido crisis to bring lasting peace to the affected area.

He regretted that the people who should be living peacefully together to develop their areas had embraced crisis, leading to killing of several lives without any justification.

The state police command has yet to make official comments on the governor’s claim as of the time of filing this report.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, berated school where Nigerian students were forced to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, in dark and unfit conditions as seen in viral video recently.

Atiku who described the development as a calling it a ‘national disgrace’, In a statement, called for immediate action to address the systemic failures in Nigeria’s education sector.

Truthlive News recalls that the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies gave WAEC, a 24-hour ultimatum to appear before it on Friday, to address concerns surrounding the ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE.

Meanwhile, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, slammed WAEC, for the delay in the conduct of English Language examination in the ongoing SSCE.

According to the former vice president, this is not merely an unfortunate incident, it is a damning indictment of our systemic failure to uphold the most basic standards in public education.

“It is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and utterly indefensible that in 2025, our children are forced to write critical national exams in pitch darkness like second-class citizens.

“Examination preparedness is a shared responsibility between students and the examination authorities. In this case, it is glaringly evident that the latter has failed spectacularly in their duty.

“I, therefore, demand, unequivocally, that the affected examination paper be retaken in all compromised centres. Anything less would be a grave injustice to the students whose futures hang in the balance.

“Going forward, it is imperative that relevant authorities establish and enforce minimum environmental and infrastructural standards for all high-stakes national examinations.“

Against this backdrop, the Chairman of the Committee, Oboku Oforji, issued the ultimatum, yesterday, following WAEC’s failure to honour an earlier invitation to appear before the panel.

According to Oforji, the committee had invited WAEC to provide explanations over widespread complaints and irregularities observed during the ongoing examinations.

In a statement, Oforji recalled that the committee extended an invitation to WAEC on May 27, 2025, seeking clarification on various issues disrupting the conduct of the exams across the country.

He expressed disappointment at WAEC’s absence during the scheduled hearing, yesterday, describing it as unacceptable given the scale of public outcry over the conduct of the exams.

“The examinations have been riddled with serious irregularities. We’ve received reports of students writing exams as late as midnight in some centres across the country.

“The House felt it necessary to summon WAEC to explain these developments and the trauma candidates are currently facing. However, WAEC responded this morning, saying they couldn’t appear due to their involvement in the ongoing exams. Ironically, this is the very reason we are asking them to appear.”

In a related development, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANs) slammed the WAEC over delay in writing English paper due to alleged leakage.

In a statement yesterday by the National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa, the association said: “We strongly condemn WAEC over the undue delay of the English Language paper on Wednesday ,allegedly due to the leakage of examination questions

“This development, which resulted in the postponement of the examination to an absurdly late period of 4p.m., to 7p.m., demonstrates a shocking level of insensitivity and a gross disregard for the safety and well-being of Nigerian students, particularly those in rural communities.

“The decision to hold examinations at such late hours not only endangers students, many of whom must navigate unsafe routes to and from examination centres, but also disrupts their psychological preparedness and undermines the integrity of the process. WAEC, as a long-standing examination body, is expected to be a beacon of professionalism, preparedness, and efficiency. The repeated incidents of examination paper leakage are a clear indication of systemic failures in WAEC’s security measures and operations.

“NANS strongly believes that these lapses tarnish the credibility of our educational system and unfairly burden Nigerian students, who are already grappling with numerous challenges.”

At least 21 dead bodies were recovered, on Thursday while several persons were declared missing, after a severe midnight flood caused by torrential rainfall wreaked havoc in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.

About 50 residential houses were submerged by the devastating Tuesday night flood, which caught many residents and commuters unawares, resulting in the loss of many lives and widespread destruction of property, sources had said.

Truthlive News reports that the two communities most affected are Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa, in Mokwa town.

Additionally, several vehicles, including commercial vehicles, private cars and trucks, were also trapped in the flood.

Drivers and commuters were seen struggling to navigate through the floodwaters, with no rescue efforts immediately available.

As of the time of this report, 21 bodies, including those of a woman and her two children, had been recovered, while many others remain missing.

Similarly, a woman, her children, and several others who were injured were receiving medical attention, yesterday, at Mokwa General Hospital.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency who confirmed the disaster, in a statement said: “There was a torrential downpour of very high intensity that lasted several hours, and the surging floodwaters submerged and washed away over 50 residential houses with their occupants.

“In response, the agency, in collaboration with the Mokwa Local Government Authority, local divers, and brave volunteers, are conducting search and rescue operations to recover survivors and bodies.

“At present, three survivors, a woman and her two children, are receiving treatment for wounds and shock, at Mokwa General Hospital.

“Twenty-one bodies have, so far, been recovered, while search and rescue operations are ongoing.”

…Celebrating a Distinguished Statesman at 70

The Chairman of Truthlive Media Communications LTD, Deacon Darlington Okpebholo Ray has warmly congratulated Senator Ehigie Uzamere on the joyous occasion of his 70th birthday today, commending his remarkable life of dedication, principle, and service.

In his birthday message, Deacon Okpebholo appreciated the senator’s unwavering support, encouragement, and goodwill over the years.

A staunch architect, Senator Ehigie Uzamere was elected to the Senate in 2007 to represent Edo South Senatorial District and contributed in numerous ways the political and economic lives of the people of Edo and the nation at large.

Deacon Okpebholo wrote: “on the joyous occasion of your 70th birthday, I, Deacon Darlington Okpebholo Ray, on behalf of my family and the entire management and staff of Truth Live Media Communications LTD, publishers of Truth Live News*, heartily congratulate you.

“Your fatherly guidance and belief in our vision have played a significant role in the growth of our organisation and the wellbeing of my family.”

“As you celebrate this remarkable milestone, we pray that God continues to bless you with good health, peace of mind, and the enduring love of family and friends. May this new decade usher in even greater accomplishments and fulfilment.

“Happy 70th Birthday, Distinguished Senator!”, he concluded.