Author: Abimbola Ogunnaike

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced that the State Coordinator for Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Okun Christopher; and his driver, Mr Daniel Effiong Asibong; are missing. The Director Press and Public Relations Department of the Corps, Eddy Megwa, who made this disclosure during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, 7 August, 2024, said they were abducted between Delta and Akwa Ibom States while traveling for an official assignment on Monday, 29 July, 2024. Megwa lamented that since their abduction, all efforts to locate their whereabout have yielded no results. He said the scheme was in touch with their families in…

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has revealed that Nigeria pays $600 million each month on fuel imports. According to him, the expenditure is partly because neighbouring countries, extending to Central Africa, are benefiting from these fuel imports. Speaking during an interview on AIT’s ‘Moneyline with Nancy’, which was shared on the station’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, 7 August, 2024, Edun explained that this situation prompted President Bola Tinubu to eliminate the fuel subsidy, as the country lacked precise data on its domestic fuel consumption. “The fuel subsidy was removed May 29, 2023, by Mr…

Residents of Eruda, a community in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, are presently in mourning mood after four persons died in a suspected food poisoning, thegazellenews.com reports. The victims, it was learnt, reportedly died after consuming amala, a popular staple food. The Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, who made this disclosure during a news conference on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024 in Ilorin, said the health team of the ministry visited the community after a report of a family that lost a number of its relatives after consumption of amala. “On getting there, the claim was that there was…

Nigerian football governing body, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has commenced negotiations with French born tactician Herve Renard and Tom Sanfeit over the vacant Super Eagles job. According to OgaNla Media, the NFF has asked the two coaches for “their financial terms.” Recently, Renard left his role as the head coach of the French national team. The coach in the past, has led Zambia and Ivory Coast to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012 and 2015 respectively. He also coached Morocco at the 2018 World Cup. Sanfeit on the other hand, worked with the Gambian national team from…

The father of Ismail Mohammed in Samaru Zaria, Malam Mohammed, has narrated how soldiers allegedly followed his son home and shot him to death. The bereaved father, who narrated the sad incident to newsmen during an interview, said the soldiers who were scaring people away, followed his son to their house and shot him. “My son, about 19 years old, was outside the house when the soldiers started shooting. He ran inside and locked the door, but the soldiers followed him and shot through the door. I was at Hayin Dogo when Abubakar called to tell me what happened. But…

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the arrest of its personnel who gunned down a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed during the ongoing EndBadGovernance protest in Kaduna State, thegazellenews.com reports. Recall that the young boy was killed on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024 when the troops of the Nigerian army stormed the Samaru community in Zaria to despers the protesters. The security operatives were enforcing a curfew earlier imposed on the ancient city by the Kaduna State Government. The Spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, who confirmed the arrest of the officer through a statement issued on the night Tuesday, 6 August,…

A 16-year-old #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protester in the Samaru community in Zaria, Kaduna State, was on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024 shot dead by a soldier with the Nigerian Army. Confirming the development The Nigerian Army Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyeama Nwachukwu, who confirmed the sad development in a statement issued on the night of Tuesday, 6 August, 2024 titled “Unfortunate death of a protester by a soldier in Zaria,” said that the teenage protester was identified as Ismail Mohammed. According to Nwachukwu, the incident happened on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024 when troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress…

The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, OYOSUBEB, has fixed Wednesday, August 14 to Friday, August 23, 2024, for interview dates for applicants. Recall that the Board recently announced the result of teachers, who sat for its Computer-Based Tests in Ibadan. In a statement by the Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran on Wednesday, 7 August, 2024 the interview sessions will take place at the Board’s headquarters at Agodi, Ibadan. Dr. Adeniran noted that 45, 827 sat for the CBT examination, while only 8,197, met the 50% cut-off mark. In the statement, Dr. Adeniran said…

The Chairman, Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, has formally launched the Commission’s Youth Internship Scheme for 10,000 young people of the Niger Delta region. Speaking at the roll out ceremony in Port Harcourt, Ebie assured that the NDDC was dedicated to advancing the implementation of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and implementation of impactful youth programmes. He said that the Youth Internship Scheme would prepare 10,000 people across the Niger Delta region with the training and experience needed for gainful employment as well as self-employment through entrepreneurship. Ebie explained that…

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has assured that the Commission will continue to play a strategic role in the development of education to ensure sustainable development in the Niger Delta region. Ogbuku stated this in a keynote address during the 2024 Moot and Mock Trial Competition for law Faculties in the universities of the Niger Delta region, held at the Dr Nabo Graham Douglas Port Harcourt Campus of the Nigerian Law School. He said: “The NDDC has intervened in various areas of our educational development, such as its scholarship schemes, building hostels,…

By Yusuph Olaniyonu At a point, the urologist told me that if we didn’t act fast, my enlarged prostate might begin to affect my kidney. The only solution, he said, was surgical intervention… I agreed and that turned out to be a major mistake. During the first surgery, the surgeons ruptured my bladder. In panic, they had to abandon the prostate operation that brought me in.” Perhaps I should not be alive. But I am. Despite the odds, I turn 58 today. I am still frail and fragile. But now, I can stand on my feet again, bearing testimony to…

Actor and broadcaster Patrick Doyle has described his ex-wife and fellow actor Ireti Doyle as a first-class mother.In a recent interview with QEDNG publisher Olumide Iyanda, the veteran entertainer said he will not speak ill of his former spouse though their union did not end on a happy note.Mr Doyle and Ireti got married in 2004, five years after his first wife died of sickle cell anaemia. By 2017, they were no longer together.He told Mr Iyanda that their relationship now is “very cordial”.”Ireti is a first-class mother and provider for her children. She’s taking care of my daughter. How…

Credit Direct Finance Company Limited (Credit Direct), the consumer finance arm of FCMB Group Plc and one of Nigeria’s leading digital-first non-bank financial services providers, has recently received an upgrade to its credit rating from Agusto & Co. to BBB+. According to Agusto & Co., “The upgrade reflects Credit Direct’s dominant position in the industry and its good and consistent profitability, which compares better than most peers in the consumer lending segment.” Chukwuma Nwanze, Managing Director/CEO of Credit Direct, commented on the upgrade of the Company’s credit rating by Agusto & Co, saying,” We are honored and proud to announce…

By Jeff Godwin Doki Ph. D Oedipus Rex, that Greek mythology which has been popularised by Sophocles and Nigeria’s Ola Rotimi, presents to us a king who has demonstrated abundantly that a ruler cannot command everything. In that play, we are dealing with a contrast between the supreme will of the gods and the vain attempts of mankind to escape the evil that threatens them. Destined by the gods to kill his father and marry his mother, all of Oedipus’efforts to avoid that prophecy only reveal his own impotence as a human being. But most importantly, the lesson we learn…

Heirs Insurance Group (HIG), Nigeria’s fastest-growing insurance provider, has announced the appointment of Ibrahim Puri and Sonny Iroche as Independent Non-Executive Directors of its non-life insurance business, Heirs General. The appointments further strengthen HIG’s governance and leadership team. HIG has enjoyed rapid growth since its launch in 2021, as consumers benefit from the Group’s unique offering of digitally driven insurance products and customer-centric service proposition. Ibrahim Puri is an accomplished financial services leader, with over 30 years of experience in banking, fintech, and FMCG industries. He was Group Executive Director at the United Bank for Africa and serves on the…

The death of High Chief Moses Ade Akinmade, the Obamoluwa of Idanre Kingdom, has been announced. The late Obamoluwa is the father of the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Ogun State Governor, Hon. Kayode Akinmade. Announcing the passing of the nonagenarian in a statement issued on behalf of the Akinmade family of Idanre, Ondo State, on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024, Hon. Akinmade, who served as Special Adviser on Media to the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole, stated that the sad event took place on Monday evening. The statement said that even…

A chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Chief Yohanna Margif, has decried the viral video of some young Nigerians hoisting Russia’s national flag during the ongoing national protests in the country, saying it was disrespectful to Nigeria’s sovereignty. Margif expressed his thoughts in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024. He described the development as worrisome, treasonable, and indicative of ignorance on the part of the protesters. The LP chieftain lauded President Bola Tinubu’s swift action when he directed the nation’s security chiefs to promptly crackdown on the culprits and bring them to book. “Firstly, I commend President…

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has called on protesters in Nigeria to accede to appeal by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for dialogue. In a statement on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024, the ECOWAS Commission said it has been “closely monitoring the ongoing protests by citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and deeply regrets reports of violence in the course of the protests and the unfortunate death of some protesters as well as alleged looting and destruction of public and private properties.” The statement added: “The Commission extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathizes with the…

The Borno State Government has reiterated its commitment to address the influx of unaccompanied children into the state. At the centre of recent violent protest in the state were Almajiris (children in search of Islamic education), and the government’s decision is seen as a move to check a future reoccurrence. The state Commissioner of Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, disclosed the decision of the government after a State Security Council meeting on Monday. Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State, chaired the meeting, which was held in the council chamber of the Government House, Maiduguri. The Commissioner said: “The…

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has said that the recent training and certification of officers of the Marine Command of NDLEA in basic diving, advanced open water diving and full-face mask diving will discourage large shipments of cocaine to Nigeria. Marwa, who stated this while receiving a report of the training from the agency’s Director of Seaports Operations, DCGN Omolade Faboyede, said the new capability will send a strong message to international drug cartels that they have no place to hide their illicit consignments on any ship or vessel…