Muhammad Sanusi II, Emir of Kano and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says ending petrol subsidies was necessary to prevent Nigeria from going bankrupt.

Speaking at the Kano International Poetry Festival (KAPFEST) on Saturday, Sanusi described the subsidy regime as an unsustainable drain on public finances.

“Subsidy was simply the government saying, if petrol is N100, Nigerians will pay N70 and I will pay N30,” Sanusi explained. “But beyond that, government fixed petrol at N65 per litre regardless of whether oil was $10 or $100 per barrel. Who paid the difference? The government. That was always going to bankrupt Nigeria.”

The emir criticised successive governments for failing to fix local refineries, arguing that subsidies mainly benefited foreign refiners while exporting Nigerian jobs.

“If you look at the billions and billions spent on subsidy and imagine that money invested in refineries, Nigeria would not be where it is today,” he said. “I have nothing against subsidies if you are subsidising production. My objection has always been subsidy on consumption.”

Sanusi recalled warning against the policy during his CBN tenure in 2012, likening it to “a man running towards a ditch.”

He said Nigeria eventually reached the point where government revenues could no longer sustain the payments:

“At some point, we began borrowing to pay the subsidy, then borrowing to service the debt. It became unsustainable. That is exactly what I said would happen, and this is where we are.”

Sanusi added that while the removal was painful, it should be seen as both an economic adjustment and an opportunity to build a more self-reliant nation.

Ibok-Ete Ibas, sole administrator of Rivers, has urged residents to put aside rivalry and self-interest in the interest of peace and development.

Speaking on Sunday at an interdenominational thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt to mark the state’s transition back to democratic governance, Ibas reflected on Rivers’ turbulent months under emergency rule.

The retired naval chief, appointed in March by President Bola Tinubu after declaring emergency rule, said the state had been “torn by divisions, instability and broken trust” before his intervention.

“By God’s grace, and with the support of Mr President and all of you, we have walked through those difficult days together. The survival and relative stability we enjoy today are testimony to God’s faithfulness,” Ibas said.

He warned politicians to put the state’s peace above personal ambition:

“Political actors must sheath their swords, because no political victory or personal gain is worth the blood of any Rivers citizen. The progress and prosperity of Rivers must come before partisanship.”

Ibas also appealed to young people not to allow themselves to be used for violence, urging them to channel their energy into building a more stable and prosperous state.

He called on community leaders, elders, and religious figures to continue guiding residents and offering prayers for Rivers’ peace.

A medical tribunal in the United Kingdom has heard how Dr Suhail Anjum, a 44-year-old consultant anaesthetist, abandoned a patient mid-surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse.

The incident, which happened at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester in September 2023, was exposed when a colleague walked in on Dr Anjum and the unnamed nurse in a “compromising position.”

According to the BBC, Anjum told staff he needed a “comfort break” and left the operating theatre, asking another nurse to monitor the anaesthetised male patient. He was gone for about eight minutes before returning to complete the procedure.

Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC), said the colleague who discovered the pair was “shocked” but quickly left the room. He confirmed that the patient was not harmed and the surgery went on without further incident.

At the hearing, Anjum admitted to the allegations, describing his behaviour as “shameful” and acknowledging that his actions had put the patient at risk. He apologised to colleagues and the NHS trust, saying:

“It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame. I let down my colleagues, the trust, and my profession.”

He told the tribunal the incident came during a “stressful time” in his family life following the premature birth of his daughter, and insisted it was a “one-off error of judgment.”

Despite admitting misconduct, Anjum has applied to resume medical practice in the UK after living in Pakistan. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service is considering his case.