Author: Khadijah Olowode

Traditional rulers from the five Local Government Areas in Ondo South Senatorial District have applauded the Niger Delta Development Commission for completing and commissioning the132KV Transmission Line and I32KV/33KV electricity substation at Ode-Erinje in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. Speaking on behalf of the royal fathers during the inauguration of the electricity substation, the traditional ruler of Ode-Erinje, Oba Oladele Akinmoye, expressed gratitude to the NDDC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for bringing light back to the communities in Ondo South. He assured the NDDC that the people would take effective ownership of the power station and continue…

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has launched “Know Your PSP” campaign, an initiative aimed at improving communication and cooperation between residents and Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, responsible for waste collection. Commenting on the initiative, managing director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the campaign was aimed at improving waste management practices throughout the state, adding that the initiative would provide residents with detailed information about the specific PSP operators assigned to their areas, for contact and for reporting issues or requesting additional services. He said, “The ‘Know Your PSP’ campaign is a crucial step in our on-going effort…

A fresh crisis is brewing within the Body of Benchers, the apex regulatory body for the legal profession in Nigeria, as the new Chairman, Asiwaju Adegboyega Awolomo SAN, is accused of unilaterally reconstituting all committees without the customary approval of the Board. Awolomo’s decision to dissolve all existing committees and appoint new members, allegedly bypassing the established protocol of seeking Board approval, had elicited strong reactions from members, with some likening his actions to those of a dictator. One prominent committee affected by this action is the Membership Committee, which Austin Alegeh SAN headed. Alegeh, a former President of the…

The Chairman, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Dr Samuel Nwanosike, has dared Governor Siminalayi Fubara, saying he will not vacate his office at the end of his tenure on June 16. Nwanosike directly addressed the state Governor in a video, stating his intention to remain in office beyond the stipulated date. He cited an extension of tenure by state lawmakers under the leadership of Martin Amaghule as justification due to the state government’s failure to conduct local government elections. Nwanosike asserted that he would continue in his role and warned that the people of Ikwerre LG would resist…

A new book, Ogbeni: The Osun Renaissance Years is due to be released on Saturday, May 25, 2024. Authored by a prominent Nigerian columnist Olakunle Abimbola, the book chronicles the administration of the former Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the ideological inclinations that directed his approach to governance. Abimbola has written under his weekly column “Republican Ripples” in The Nation Newspapers since 2007. The author of the 466-paged book calls it, “An African Guide to Grassroot Politics and Development”. Published by Safari Books, the book is a two-part publication Part One being Oranmiyan and Part Two called…

ActionAid Nigeria has condemned the arrest and detention by the Nigeria Police Force the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Globalupfront Newspaper (Online), Mr. Madu Onuorah in his residence in Abuja. A statement on Thursday, 23 May, 2024, by the Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu read: “It is deeply troubling that the police, who are entrusted with the duty to protect and uphold the law, are increasingly becoming instruments of intimidation and oppression against the media. This pattern of harassing, arresting, and detaining journalists must cease immediately. “The Inspector General of Police must know now that the actions of the…

The Federal Government is moving to tackle cross-border banditry and irregular migration with the deployment of automated border management solutions across the vast borders in the country. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Thursday, 23 May, 2024, in Abuja after inspecting the e-border management centre as well as the Command and Control Centre for the electronic gates at the airports. The Minister said while the e-Border project was over 60 percent completed, the e-Gates Command and Control Centre is now 100 percent completed and awaiting commissioning by President Bola Tinubu. Both centres are domiciled in the Nigeria…

Chairman, Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya has warned against molestation of house helps, noting that it remains a crime punishable under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPPA). He gave the warning at a Stakeholders’ Community Advocacy Dialogue on Sexual and Gender Based Violence, (SGBV) organized by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Thursday at the Council Headquarters in Bwari local government area of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT). Gabaya who was represented by the Head Administration in the Council, Amina Solomon, said the presence of NAPTIP protection officers in the area council provided…

The management of the Bayero University Kano (BUK) on Thursday, 23 May, 2024, hosted members of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the new site of the institution. The parliamentarians’ visit to the university was part of the activities lined up for the Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Parliament holding in Kano. The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas and other management of the institution received the parliamentarians at the Abubakar Rasheed Senate Building. During the visit, Professor Abbas commended the parliamentarians for the visit, saying “this…

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, have called for collective efforts as effective means of fighting economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption. They made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday, May 23, 2024 at the 2024 First Quarterly meeting of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, themed; “The Role of Religious Leaders in Combating Corruption and Cybercrime in Nigeria. The EFCC boss, who spoke through the Director, Public Affairs Department, DCE Wilson Uwujaren, described corruption as a cankerworm that…

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has again reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protect and promote the rights of older persons, with a particular focus on accessibility, infrastructure, and habitat, including transport and housing. This statement was made by the Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Tony Ojukwu OFR, SAN at the 14th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Representatives from all countries, alongside about 35 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and 70 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from around the globe, participated in this crucial meeting. The NHRC has…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has elected the first female speaker in the annals of the regional legislative arm. The new Speaker of the Community Parliament Memounatou Ibrahima, from Togo was elected at the 2024 Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Community Parliament in Kano. She emerged speaker due to the rotation of the speakership of the Community Parliament in alphabetical order in accordance with the provision of Supplementary Act on Enhancement of Power The position of the fifth Legislature of ECOWAS Parliament was held by Sierra Leone. Ibrahima was the third Deputy…

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Thursday, 23 May, 2024, inspected the 49-kilometre Eiyenkorin-Afon-Ojoku-Offa-Odo Otin road project, which is now under construction. The road, which is certain to unleash vast socioeconomic growth along that corridor, is one of the four major roads that the Governor facilitated under the FG’s tax credit scheme and are being constructed by the BUA Group. The three others are: Lafiagi-Shonga-Bacita (83km); Bode Saadu-Kaiama-Kosubosu(130km); and Okuta-Gwanara-Bukuro (32km). These massive road projects complement several other intra-state road networks and the urban renewal initiative of Governor AbdulRazaq within the state. Accompanied by the Commissioner for Works and Transport…

Kyari Reiterates Company’s Resolve to Create Value for Nigeria As part of strategic reforms aimed at unlocking opportunities in the nation’s oil and gas industry, the NNPC Energy Services Limited (EnServ) and Schlumberger (SLB), a renowned global technology company, have signed a technical partnership agreement towards bolstering upstream operations.The agreement was signed at the NNPC Ltd’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, with senior management teams from both companies in attendance.Speaking shortly after the signing, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mr. Mele Kyari described the ongoing reforms within the industry as a trigger for potential release of investments…

The remains of the late Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo, were committed to mother earth on Thursday at the Vaults and Gardens, after a funeral service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish, Victoria Island. Governor Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Barr. (Mrs). Abimbola Salu-Hudeyin, Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro and Chief of Staff, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, attended the funeral service to bid the late Soyannwo farewell. The service was also attended…

In a bid to boost food production in Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, FCA , has facilitated farm inputs, containing fertilisers, seedlings and herbicides, for over 300 local farmers in the agrarian communities of the district for the planting season. The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) provided the farm inputs through the intervention of the Senator. The empowerment is one in the series of agric-focused direct interventions targeted at livestock and crop farmers in majorly agricultural communities of Ikorodu, Epe, and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Areas, under the Lagos East Senatorial District. It will be recalled that…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, 23 May, 2024 approved the recruitment of 338 officers into the state Road Traffic Management Authority to enhance road traffic and regulation across the state. The OYRTMA Chairman, Major Adesagba Adekoya, made this disclosure through a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade in Ibadan, the state capital. Adekoya, who disclosed that about 2, 450 applications were received from qualified candidates, stated this during the screening exercise, held at OYRTMA operational headquarters, Sanyo, Ibadan. He stressed that the screening exercise was a manifestation of responsive governance of…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike In an efforts to defend the naira against the dollar at foreign exchange market, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has banned commercial banks, all financial institutions, public officers, non-governmental organizations, non-Nigerian natural persons, non-resident, non-regulated companies, telecommunication services providers, and others from owning Bureau De Change firms in Nigeria. The Apex Bank made this disclosure on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 in its latest guideline to BDC operators. Thegazellenews.com reports that CBN ordered all BDC operators to reapply for operational licenses in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 (CBN Act) and the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA)…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has disclosed that estimated 700 babies die every day in the country, underscoring the urgent challenge of high maternal and child mortality rates in Nigeria. He stated this on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 while commissioning a newly built Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant and Neonatal Unit at Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, aimed at reducing the state’s contribution to neonatal mortality. Governor Sani, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, said these projects are a direct response to the state’s efforts to address the alarming neonatal mortality rates. “This is…

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) said that the illicit drug landscape was a rapidly changing scene, and modern drug law enforcement had to keep up with the dynamics. He gave the verdict at the training of journalists to scale up the fight against crimes of drug trafficking and wildlife in Nigeria, organized by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA). Marwa said the media as a pivotal partner must be well informed on these changing trends. Marwa at the training organized by the two…