President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Lamido Abubakar Yuguda as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The appointment is in accordance with Section 8(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.

Yuguda’s nomination follows the recent appointment of the erstwhile Deputy Governor, Mr Bala Bello, as Special Adviser to the President on Political Economy.

The President charges them to discharge their responsibilities with renewed dedication, professionalism, and commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability and growth, in their respective roles.

Lamido Yuguda’s last public post was as director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a position he held from 2020 to 2024.

He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, where he graduated in 1983 with a B.Sc. in Accountancy. In 1991, he obtained a master’s degree in Money, Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a CFA charterholder.

He began his career in 1984 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a Senior Supervisor in the Foreign Operations Department.

He also worked as an economist in the Africa Department of the International Monetary Fund from 1997 to 2001, when he returned to the CBN. He retired from the CBN in 2016, after serving as Director of the Reserve Management Department for six years.

-Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President,
(Information and Strategy)
March 11, 2026

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State against Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, ICPC, and four others until March 25 for hearing.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the case to allow parties in the suit regularize their processes.

El-Rufai is demanding N1 billion in damages against ICPC, the Chief Magistrate at the Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja; Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, named as 1st to 4th respondents respectively.

When the case was called, Ubong Akpan, who appeared for El-Rufai, informed the court that the matter was fixed for hearing.

However, he said they had just responded to ICPC’s counter affidavit but yet to respond to that of the IGP.

Abdulsufiano Abubakar, ICPC’s lawyer, and the police counsel, Ezekiel Rimamsomte, confirmed Akpan’s submission.

Justice Abdulmalik consequently adjourned the matter until March 25 for hearing.

The judge ordered that the 2nd respondent (Chief Magistrate) and 4th respondent (AGF), who were not represented in court, be issued and served with hearing notices.

The former governor, in an originating motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, dated and filed February 20 by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, sought seven reliefs.

He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 at about 2pm by the ICPC and I-G, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights .

He said that it was a violation to the dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.

He sought an order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

He also sought an order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages, among others.

Responding, in its counter affidavit, the ICPC said it received a petition against El-Rufai and acting on the petition, it commenced an investigation, leading to the search at his residence.

It argued that its operatives acted under a valid search warrant issued on Feb. 18 and executed on February 19 between 1:37pm and 3:56pm at 12 Mambilla Street, Asokoro, Abuja.

The commission said its officials were accompanied by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, and that the exercise was witnessed by El-Rufai’s wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai.

The ICPC, urged the court to dismiss the suit.

Just a week after it was announced that former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, has entered a plea bargain arrangement with the Federal Government over allegations of N2.4 billion fraud hanging over her neck, she has declared her intention to run for Senate in the 2027 election.

Oduah, a former minister, served as senator representing Anambra North on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

She has been standing trial, alongside two co-defendants, in a fraud related case.

During the last hearing on the matter, prosecuting lawyer and Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, DPPF, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, announced before Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that Oduah had entered a please bargain and started making refunds to the Federal Government.

Oyedepo said: “The defendants have made a move to refund a certain amount of the money into the government coffers.”

He was not specific about the amount the defendants have refunded, but Oduah’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, confirmed what Oyedepo said.

Surprisingly, days after this announcement, Oduah’s posters announcing her intention to run for Senate has flooded parts of Anambra State and the internet space.

It was also learnt that Oduah has already oiled her political machinery, with plans to use the Anambra State ruling party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, as a vehicle to accomplish her ambition.

She had attempted to run for the same position in 2023 on the APGA platform but later rescinded the decision after she found out that wife of then governor of the state, Mrs Ebele Obiano, was in the race on same party platform.

This time the former minister will be challenging two top members of the party for the ticket. They are Mr Primus Odili, the former Chief of Staff to Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who is considered the most popular and acceptable, and Dr Alex Obiogbolu, Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s Special Adviser on Political Matters.

Ekwutosblog  was however unable to speak with Oduah to confirm her ambition, but one of her media aides, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Madam is preparing big for next year’s election.”