Author: Olamide Obayemi

By Abimbola Ogunnaike In a bid to provide access to social services in the African countries, the World Bank and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have forged partnership to create proof of identification for 190m Africans. According to ECOWAS, the identification system would help to achieve the objective of West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) programme. The West African regional body observed that despite the high level of intra-regional mobility within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) space– estimated at 70 percent of the population– about 196 million people (roughly 53 percent…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that he is looking forward to his retirement in Daura, Katsina State, after handing over on May 29. Buhari, according to a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said this at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, 5 April, 2023 while receiving the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Wendy Laing. “I will be as far away from Abuja as possible,” the President said, just as he lauded United Kingdom (UK) for cooperation on many fronts, particularly in the rebuilding of the North East, hitherto ravaged by insurgency. According to…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike A Senate report has revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation failed to account for oil delivery to Warri and Kaduna refineries amounting to N102 billion. The Senate on Wednesday, 5 April, 2023 considered and adopted the report of its Committee on Public Accounts which probed the spendings of government agencies using the 2016 audit report. The report said in 2016, the NNPC delivered crude oil to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company without details of what was delivered to the two firms. According to the report, presented by Senator Matthew…

Oyotunji African Village is a village located near Sheldon, Beaufort County, South Carolina that was founded by Oba Efuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I in 1970. Oyotunji village is named after the Oyo empire, a pre-colonial Yoruba kingdom lasting from the 1300s until the early 1800s in what is now southwestern Nigeria. The name literally means “O̩yo̩ returns” or “O̩yo̩ rises again” or “O̩yo̩ resurrects” referring to the African Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, now rising in a new form near the South Carolina seashore. Oyotunji village covers 27 acres (11 ha) and has a Yoruba temple which was moved from Harlem,…

By Seun Oloketuyi (Mr BON) In the game of politics, power and excellence do not usually mix because as they say, power corrupts. This is why politicians all around the world endure harsh scrutiny irrespective of their use of power, achievements and general actions in and out of the political space. A close look at the man Nigerians have come to know as OGD may reveal why he faces even harsher scrutiny. This is because he defies all available stereotypes of career politicians. A brilliant engineer with proven and visible results over the years, OGD seemed to have always been…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Federal Government has said that the 2023 polls are the least violent in the history of elections in Nigeria. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this known in Washington DC during his interactions with some policy institutes in the US capital. The minister is in Washington to interact with international media and the policy institutes set up among others, to provide solutions to global challenges. Among the Think tanks the minister engaged with on the just concluded 2023 polls were Hudson Institute, The Atlantic Council and Wilson Institute. Relying on the data…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Bernard Arnault has dethroned Elon Musk, Founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of the Boring Company; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI; and president of the philanthropic Musk Foundation, to become the richest man on earth, reports Forbes magazine in its latest edition. The magazine reports that Musk has been dethroned as the richest man in the world by Bernard Arnault & family. The Magazine also said the Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, Jeff Bezos ranks number three on the list of…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Former Super Eagles forward Emmanuel Ebiede is hospitalised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State after being detected with Hepatitis B. The retired footballer’s sister Joy confirmed this to an Ogun State based national newspaper on Wednesday, 5 April, 2023. Pictures of the protruding stomach of the 47-year-old ex-international went viral on social media late Tuesday night. Joy, Ebiede’s younger sibling, told the medium that the former Flying Eagles star was rushed to the hospital by club members last Friday. “He is in BMH hospital in Port Harcourt but can’t talk properly now. He’s been here (hospital) since Friday,…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced the extension of the validity period for Air Operator’s certificates. According the NCAA, the extension is for scheduled and non-scheduled operators to five years and three years, respectively. The authority, which explained that the new validity period allows airlines the freedom to carry out their operations without disruption, added that fees and charges had not been updated since 2009. The Chairman, Regulations Committee, Engr. Godwin Balang, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ consultation on the proposed NCAA regulation 2023 in Abuja on Tuesday, 4 April, 2023 “The validity period of the…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Kano State Fire Service has confirmed that at least three female passengers died while 13 other passengers sustained injuries when a commercial bus caught fire on Tuesday, 4 April, 2023. The service Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident in a statement released in Kano, explaining that the commercial vehicle, a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number XE 222 TRN, caught fire around the Government Technical College in Nassarawa Local Government Area of the state. According to the service image-maker, the incident occurred while the bus, coming from Ajingi LGA to Kofar Wambai, erupts into fire.…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Armed invaders have killed a traditional head of the Igbobi community and two persons in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State. It was gathered that the incident happened on Monday, 3 April, 2023 and as of afternoon of Tuesday, 4 April, 2023, a search was ongoing for missing people in the community. The National Chairman of Apa Development Association and State Chairman of Ikobi Community Development Association, Barrister Akpoko Eche, during a telephone chat with a northern based national newspaper confirmed that there was an attack at Igbobi community. “The community leader was adopted and killed…

Demand Restructuring Of Afenifere The Yoruba Afenifere Youths Organisation of Nigeria (YAYON) has called for restructuring of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere.The youth wing of the Afenifere passed a vote of no confidence on the Acting Leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and advised him to “kindly step down as the Acting Leader of Afenifere in the interest of the organisation and the entire Yoruba race.”The Yoruba Afenifere Youths Organisation of Nigeria (YAYON) stated their demands on Tuesday, 4 April, 2023, during the South-West Youth Leaders world press conference held in Lagos after a joint session of Afenifere Youth National…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike A group of youths, under the umbrella of Yoruba Afenifere Youths Organisation of Nigeria (YAY0), have called on Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere to step down from his position as acting leader in the interest of the organization and entire Yoruba race They group gave the advice at a press conference held in Lagos on Tuesday, 4 April, 2023 after a joint session of Afenifere Youth National leaders in Yoruba land, including Kogi and Kwara states. In a communique, the group condemned the suspension of two national officers of Afenifere by…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike As part of an effort to facilitate a seamless parking experience across the metropolis, the Lagos State Government has partnered ARCA Payment Ltd. to develop a parking payment application that will enhance coordinated parking operations. The General Manager of Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA), Mrs Adebisi Adelabu, made this disclosure during a partnership meeting between LASPA and ARCA Payment Ltd. Adelabu stated the partnership was to improve the overall parking system by ensuring a seamless transaction process for permits, registration, inquiry among others. According to LASPA boss, this is a commitment towards integrating technological solutions into the…

The Head of Special Investigations and Fact-checking at PRNigeria, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal has been appointed as the executive secretary of the Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR). His appointment which takes immediate effect was contained in a statement on Monday signed by NADIR’s head of Information and ICT, Fom Gyem. According to the statement, Dahiru a serial award-winning development investigative journalist and fact-checker who was overall Campus Journalist of the year 2020 in Nigeria is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear in the discharge of his new role. With several well-researched fact-checks and investigative reports across…

By Mallam Jamiu Gidado In spite of the initial hiccups, pockets of violence and acclaimed irregularities that trailed the Saturday, 25 February, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, the outcome of the election has come to stay and Nigeria is already marching forward in her fledging democratic enterprise without let or hindrance. Going by the wishful thinking of some doubting Thomases and the unwitting illusion of anti-democratic elements, the election would have been cancelled or declared inconclusive, thereby taking the nation several steps backward in her political trajectory. I personally felicitate with the Jagaban of Borgu for his laudable victory…

The Federal Government has appointed Dr Kamoru Kadiri as the fifth Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State. The appointment, which was announced on Monday, 3 April, 2023, came 15 months after the expiration of the tenure of the fourth rector, Dr Lateef Olatunji, who bowed out of the institution on January 12, 2022. A statement signed by the Director of Information, Public Relations & Protocols of the Polytechnic, Mr Olayinka Iroye, read in part, “The President, Muhamadu Buhari, has approved the appointment of Dr Kamoru Kadiri as the fifth substantive Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa. “The appointment…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Security operatives have arrested three suspects in connection with the killing of two people in Sabon Garin Nasarawa, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Thegazellenews.com reported on Monday, 3 April 2023 state government imposed a 24-hour curfew on Sabon Garin Nasarawa following the violence, on Sunday night, 2 April, 2023, which left two citizens dead and six others injured. The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement on Monday, 3 April, 2023, explained that the incident forced the state government to impose a 24-hour curfew on the area to forestall…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Nigerian champions, Rivers United have pocketed $350,000 after making it to the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup. Stanley Eguma’s side finished in second position in Group B following Sunday, 2 April, 2023 1-0 defeat ASEC Mimosa at the Yamoussoukro Municipal Stadium. They have been joined in the last eight by seven other clubs. The quarter-final draw will hold at the CAF headquarters in Cairo on Sunday. Meanwhile, Rivers United fly back to the country following their clash against ASEC Mimosa. The Pride of Rivers landed in Lagos aboard a Cote d’Ivoire Airline at about 11.45pm Nigeria…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has raised the alarm that he might be killed for taken his case to the election petition tribunal. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared that Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the March 18 gubernatorial election after scoring 276,298 votes. Adebutu, who polled 262,383 votes, came second in the election, losing to Abiodun with 13,915 vote margin. But, the PDP said the electoral body made the declaration in error as it failed to take into account the number of…