.

[Alex Ward @alexbward]

NEW: Days before Trump launched the Iran war, Trump summoned then-ODNI Tulsi Gabbard to the Oval Office.

He asked if the U.S. should go to war.

The IC assessed killing Khamenei would usher in hardliners, regime would close Strait, and Iran would attack in MidEast.

[ThatPortharcourtBoy aka Nnukwu Nmanwu @ThatPHCBoy]

especially you people that are adopting that ijaw culture of not smiling until your in-laws spray you enough money. if not that you are a high way robber, what concerns you an mbaise girl with ijaw culture? anini

[Javier Blas @JavierBlas]

As the US-Iran conflict moves full into economic war fare, a reminder the US benchmark natural gas price is ~$2.7 per mBtu (it’s >$22 in Europe / Asia).

Adjusted by cumulative inflation, the American industry is enjoying one of the lowest natural gas prices ever.

[Waziri Adio @Waziriadio]

In my column in today's @THISDAYLIVE, I discuss what makes the removal of petrol subsidy still an unsettled issue in Nigeria and why the Atiku plan to restore the subsidy is deeply problematic. 👇🏾

https://t.co/T4aMdOl78R

[TERRORIST SURVIVOR 💪🏽 @GbolahanOlanyi0]

Sidin said something that shocked me deeply, and I still remember it clearly.

After we had already paid the N15 million ransom, we were begging him to reduce the additional N55 million he was demanding. On that particular day, I helped him do something on his phone, and he seemed happy with me. Then, out of nowhere, he asked me, “How much do you think your people can raise to free you?”

I told him I honestly didn’t know, but that we could still struggle to raise about N3 million.

Immediately, he became angry.

He looked at me and said, “What is N3 million? I give my wife N1 million to N2 million.”

I was completely shocked.

Imagine being held captive, scared for your life, knowing that your family had already struggled to pay N15 million for your freedom, and then hearing your captor casually say that N3 million was nothing to him, that he gives his wife N1 million or N2 million.

His wife’s name is Adiza. I knew her name because whenever he called her, I would hear him mention it.

That statement broke something inside me. At that moment, I realized just how much money these people were dealing with while my family was struggling desperately to save my life. 💔

Even now, remembering that conversation still gives me chills. 💔😭

[Chidimma @The_Chidimma]

Ikuku ga eku one day, anyi afu na fada yi trouser

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

This might not make me popular but I remain continuously impressed by Carney: to me, one of the few (if not the only) genuine statesman in the West.

It genuinely takes incredible balls and statesmanship - especially for Canada, arguably the western country that's most dependent on the US - to walk away from the table and match Trump's tariffs China-style.

Europe, with far less dependence on the US and considerably more resources than Canada, just pathetically caved and signed on Trump's humiliating terms when in the same situation.

[RAY 🌊 @SlimmytiNY]

“Significantly, all the major cement manufacturers in the country cooperated with the Commission by making their records available except one of them”.

Why not name the unwilling cement manufacturer? Is the company bigger than Nigeria?

[ijustin @justinijeh]

“That is to say, when you see might…military might …federal might…when military base is turned to collation center…”

@HQNigerianArmy

Did you people hear him???!!!

Is this what the military has become under APC???

A federal minister is saying the military was used to subvert the will of the people and undermine the constitution…

Enhhhhn???

Ok.

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

“Poverty is not a lack of character. Poverty is a lack of cash.”

[ijustin @justinijeh]

Let me share a story that is obliquely related to this issue of manifestos…

Many years ago, as a middle management staff at Access Bank, I was chasing a transaction that had the potential to turn my groups profitability and balance sheet around.

The customer had landed a huge slate of contracts with the federal government. It would drive Billions in current account balances and fee fee income.

They needed a guarantee from the bank.

I made the case… wrote the credit analyses, presented the approval memoranda all the way to the management credit committee…

Everything looked good on paper. Almost too good…and it was provisionally approved after some hard grilling by the committee.

But after the meeting…My DMD at the time, the late Herbert Wigwe, called me to his office…

“Justin, I want to meet this customer in person. Schedule a meeting for next week but don’t issue the offer letter until after”

I was agitated…Haba…after all this wahala why can’t we just issue the guarantee and let me book my fees? But oga had spoken…so what to do?

I did as instructed.

We got to Abuja for this meeting as scheduled…

Hebert was just ‘gisting’… I was expecting some hard hitting technical questions, like the ones I had been asked…maybe he just wanted to hear them himself ?

But nah…

just gist…about business, how he got started, what he thought about this and that and the other…some old transactions…with other banks…politics…his relationship with the government and other deals in the pipeline …everything under the sun…but the specifics of the transaction in question.

Meeting ended. I’m confused.

We’re on the way back to the airport and I’m waiting for Herbert to say something.

Nothing.

Just talking about my business in general…other things I was working on. I knew better than to ask what I was really waiting to hear.

Then he drops the bomb just as we are landing in lagos.

“Justin, we’re not doing it”

I felt like exploding…

He continued…

“In the business of credit and banking, you will learn that willingness to repay is more important than the ability to repay…you will find other deals…”

I was deflated, confused, angry…

One guy from one of the top five banks that loves large ticket corporate deals did the transaction eventually. He got promoted for it…

The customer diverted some of the proceeds and the whole thing went sideways.

The guy also eventually got fired for it.

The only time HW revisited the issue was one day we met in the elevator a couple years after, when the news of the matter broke.

“Justin I’m sure you’re happy you didn’t do that transaction now”

I didn’t have to ask which one he meant.

How does any of this relate to manifestos?

They are important and necessary for every candidate to have. They provide clarity and a baseline for how one can evaluate a candidate in a presidential election.

But they tell you NOTHING about the CHARACTER of a candidate. They provide no insight into the most impactful attribute a leader should possess.

That can only be judged by their actions. Their track record. How they have handled previous responsibility or conducted themselves historically.

So by all means let’s have the manifestos and let’s critique them when they are made public by the candidates.

But let us also examine their manifest character, as evidenced by their lives and conduct in the past.

Otherwise the manifesto is hardly worth the paper it’s printed on

End of.

Continue to rest in peace HW.🙏🏾

[Meidas_Charise Lee @charise_lee]

The name Benjamin O. Davis refers to two historic, trailblazing African American military officers: Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first Black general in the U.S. Army, and his son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force and commander of the Tuskegee Airmen. Together, this father and son duo played a vital role in breaking racial barriers and pushing for the complete integration of the United States Armed Forces

[Ayo Shonaiya @AyoShonaiya]

This “Yellow Fever” certificate actually doesn’t make sense. Few years ago, I travelled to Jo’burg with another person, both of us black Africans, coming directly FROM Lagos on same flight.

The other person needed a Yellow Fever certificate (and a visa), but I didn’t need such, simply because I had a UK passport.

The suspicion of you carrying Yellow Fever is based on your passport, not where you’re coming from 🤔

[Ose Anenih, CPM @ose_anenih]

Mussa is in Askira-Uba LGA, Borno State.

On May 15th, suspected Boko Haram terrorists invaded schools in Mussa and kidnapped 42 students.

May 15th was also the day kidnappers kidnapped 44 students and teachers from Oriire in Oyo State.

Those Mussa students, most aged between 2 and 5 years old, are still in captivity.

Why does it seem like we have moved on from them? Where is the media scrutiny on Gov. Zulum and President Tinubu? We saw it in Oyo; why is it not present in Borno?

Two weeks after the Oriire abductions, a high powered delegation visited the town: Femi Gbajabiamila: Chief of Staff to the President; Nuhu Ribadu: National Security Adviser; General Christopher Musa (Rtd): Minister of Defence; Tunji Disu: Inspector-General of Police; Joseph Tegbe: Minister of Power; and Sunday Dare: Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications.

Online, only @Mindset_Post appears to be running a daily, solo campaign for them; while everyone else is distracted by politics and politicians. We are all collectively failing these children with our silence and indifference.

Bring these children back.

[Adewale Adetugbo @aadetugbo]

loooool

@markessien is discovering "affirmative action" from first principles

[Akpridi @mezieska]

They know their environment well

[𝗪𝗠 @WaleMicaiah]

In USD....

Pension Asset
May 2014 ---- N4.33 trillion [$27.8bn]
May 2026 ---- N31.32 trillion [$22.8bn]

In USD

N4.33 trillion in 2014 is more valuable [in $ terms] than N31.32 trillion in 2026.

[Ed Conway @EdConwaySky]

📽️The scale of economic challenges facing @andyburnham in the coming years is titanic.
Here's a primer on a few of them, with new data from the @OBR and @bankofengland 👇
Some staggering charts, inc one showing Britain is currently in the weakest era for econ growth since 1776.

[Marc Porter Magee 🎓 @marcportermagee]

Is it better for kids to grow up rich in a poor country or poor in a rich country?

[Halimah Ahmed (Tiwal'adire) @ahmedhalimah02]

I once witnessed how one of them froze to death from December cold in Bauchi 2009. If you have been to Bauchi, you will know how very cold Dec usually is

I had gone to Ilorin park then to get the package my parents sent for me, the driver had called around 9pm the previous day that I had a package. I told him it was too late and I couldn't come pick it, he told me to come very early in the morning then because he would be on his way out as early as possible.

I left my school around 6:10am and got to the park to see these boys lying all over the place, just as I was waiting for the driver, the shop owner came and used his legs to kick the sleeping boys, all of them scrambled up, except for 1. Next thing I heard was "Ya mutu( He is dead)"

That was my very first encounter with death but what shocked me was the reactions of his fellow almajiris. The way they said it so casually, no emotion what-so-ever and how quickly they picked their plates and crossed to road to start their day as usual.

I don't even know what later happened, just that a few grown ups arrived like an hour later to pick up the body

The fact that those boys are raised in the harshest condition is why they turn out to be cold and dangerous. Fearless and emotionless.