Author: Abimbola Ogunnaike

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has tipped Spain and Barcelona FC mercurial winger Lamine Yamal to win the individual accolade in the future. Rodri stated this after winning the 2024 award on the night of Monday, 28 October, 2024. Addressing Yamal directly, the Manchester City midfielder told him that he will eventually win the Ballon d’Or if he keeps improving. The 17-year-old wonderkid has been in form for Barca this season, scoring six goals and laying on seven assists in 14 games. “Lamine Yamal will win the Ballon d’Or very soon, I’m convinced of it. Keep it up, keep working hard,…

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) has fined Kano Pillars Football Club N2 million for violating the NPFL framework and rules in the course of their Matchday 9 fixture at Nasarawa Utd on Sunday, 27 October, 2024 The Kano club have been charged for a statement from their Media and Communications Directorate quoting their player, Ahmed Musa, in which he made disparaging statements about match officials, an act that was perceived as capable of bringing the game to disrepute. Accordingly, the statement said, “Kano Pillars also failed to ensure the proper conduct of their team resulting to the unruly behaviour…

A member of the House of Representatives, Alexander Mascot Ikwechegh, who assaulted a Bolt driver in a viral video, has expressed regrets over his action. His apology is coming amidst condemnation and outrage from Nigerians and rights activists over the action of the lawmaker. The video, which went viral in the early hours of Monday, 28 October, 2024 captured, the lawmaker angrily confronting the driver, whom he said disrespected him by asking him to step outside to receive his parcel. The situation escalated when he was filmed to have hit the driver repeatedly while allegedly threatening to “make him disappear”…

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA), Farouk Ahmed, has denied a recent media report that the volume of Petrol consumed in the country has dropped to 4.5 million litres per day. This followed the high cost of the product which has increased by about 600 per cent in the last two years, jumping from N198 to N1070. Also, reports by Daily Trust indicated that many filling stations are experiencing low patronage at the moment as many Nigerians have decided to park their vehicles at home. But Ahmed, who spoke during the ongoing 18th Africa Downstream…

The House of Representatives has directed its Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate a member, Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, over allegations of assault on an e-hailing driver. This followed the adoption of a motion on a Matter of Privilege Pursuant to Order 6 of the House Rule, moved by the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere at plenary on Tuesday, 29 October, 2024. Ihonvbere while raising a matter of privilege, drew the attention of the House to the trending video and report over the encounter between a member and a Bolt driver. The House Leader informed the parliament that over the…

Famous Nigerian highlife musician, Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour and his counterpart in the music industry, Kingsley Chinweike Okonkwo, better known as Kcee, are presently in war of words with each other over who owns the Igbo cultural music genre. Flavour accused his colleague, Kcee of copying his style, while the later said they are not on same level in the music industry. Flavour, the ‘Nabania’ exponent took to his X handle on Monday, 28 October, 2024 throw shade at someone for copying his music style. He wrote, “Copy copy akaria.” While Flavour didn’t mention anyone, it didn’t take long for fans…

Famous veteran Nigerian actress, Ngozi Nwosu, has made public how her state abandoned her during illness. Speaking in an interview with Nollywood on Radio, the Abia State born explained that she can never render any free services to her people because of their lack of support. “I have personally decided that there is nothing my Abia State will call me for, that I would go for free. “They would pay through their nose for me to go. I’m from Arochukwu local government area of the state. “It was the fame I had through the roles I played in a series…

Ahead of the Ondo State gubernatorial election, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has urged the people of the state to vote massively for the party. Ganduje, who spoke on Monday, 28 October, 2024 while inaugurating a 305-member national campaign council for the November 16 governorship election, said since President Bola Tinubu is from the region, it would be respectful to vote for the ruling party. Thegazellenews.com reports that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is the chairman of the campaign council, while Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State and Governor Bassey Otu of Cross…

The kidnappers of Rev Fr Thomas Oyode, a Catholic priest and Rector of Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary School, Ivanokpodi, in Agenegbode, Etsako East Local Government of Edo State, have demanded a ransom of N200 million before he can regain his freedom. Recall that the Catholic priest was abducted on Sunday, 27 October, 2024at about 7 p.m. at the seminary school. Oyode was said to have told the abductors to take him in place of the two students of the institution they had kidnapped. It was gathered that the kidnappers made contact with the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, led by Bishop…

A 34-year-old man, identified as Segun Adegbite, was found macheted to death at a construction site near WitchTech Factory on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The Ogun State Police Command Public Relation Officer, state police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the sad development through a statement issued on Tuesday, 29 October, 2024. According to Odutola, the incident was reported to the Sagamu division of the command by one Adedeji Adegbola. The state police image-maker said Adegbola reported that the local security guard attached to the construction site, identified as Hassan, informed him at about 10:00 a.m. on Monday that a violent altercation was taking place…

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife in Osun State Monday, 28 October, 2024 staged a protest and chased out representatives of former Vice Chancellor Professor Wale Omole during an orientation programme for freshers. It was gathered that the incident underscored lingering tensions surrounding the tragic cult-related killings of five students at the university in 1999. The protest erupted when a delegation led by the Laaroke of Wanikin, Oba ‘Kole Ojutalayo, arrived at Oduduwa Hall to represent the Omole Foundation at the orientation event. As they entered the venue, students, supported by the Students’ Union (SU) leadership, confronted the…

Former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, on Tuesday, 29 October, 2024 said he spent over $2 million to support President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election. Dokubo claimed he emptied his bank account to support Tinubu’s presidential election. The former National President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) disclosed this while appearing on Arise TV’s programme, Morning Show. Former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, on Tuesday said he spent over $2 million to support President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election. Dokubo claimed he emptied his bank account to support Tinubu’s presidential election. The former National…

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed the federal government is to establish a Command and Control Centre to check irregular migration into the country. Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure at the induction ceremony for operational officers of the Command and Control Centre for Regular Migration in Abuja. “What we are doing today is the regular migration command and control centre. Very soon, we will come up with the irregular migration command and control centre,” the Minister explained. He assured that very soon the president would be commissioning the e-gates in the international airports, saying that they would not…

African football governing body, the Confederation of African (CAF) has announced dates for the Super Eagles final two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda. According to CAF, the Super Eagles will be away to the Cheetahs of Benin Republic at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan on Thursday, 14 November , 2024. The match day five encounter will kick off at 8pm local time. The Super Eagles final qualifier against the Amavubi of Rwanda will hold at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Monday,18 November, 2024. Augustine Eguavoen’s side tops Group D with 10 points…

The Federal Government has called on state governments yet to comply with the new National Minimum Wage Act and commence payment of the new N70,000 minimum wage to do so. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, made this appeal on Monday, 28 October, 2024 after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, applauding the states that have commenced paying workers the new minimum wage. Akume said the issue of the new minimum wage had always been central to the thinking of the government of President Bola Tinubu, which was why he quickly put in place a tripartite…

The Ogun State High Court, sitting in Abeokuta, the state capital, has struck out prayers made by 16 political parties in the state, seeking to postpone the proposed local government elections indefinitely. Delivering judgment in AB/577/2024 Action Alliance & 15 Ors v. OGSIEC & Anor, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice T. A. Okunsokan, rejected the claims of the political parties that the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) had acted unilaterally and dictatorially by fixing the date of the local government elections without first consulting the political parties. Justice Okunsokan unequivocally held that there was no provision in the constitution…

The Ogun State Government has shut down Obada Grammar School, Obada, Idi-emi over the death of Master Monday Arijo, an SS2 student of the school. This followed the arrest and suspension of the teacher allegedly responsible for the death of the student on Friday, 25 October, 2024, last week as a result of corporal punishment. The Principal of the school, Mrs. Tamrat Onaolapo, who was earlier issued a query for allowing corporal punishment to be used on the pupil against the established rules and regulations in the state, has also been suspended. The closure of the school was based on…

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has assured that the Commission will not relent in providing the needed support to the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies in the region to enable them to function optimally. Ogbuku stated this when the Commissioner of Police, recently redeployed to Rivers State, paid him a courtesy visit at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt. Ogbuku added that despite the commission’s recent donation of operational vehicles and communication gadgets to the Rivers State Police Command, a contract award for supplying Solar – lights to the nine…

Scores of lawyers under the aegis of Ekiti Lawyers Vanguard for Transparency have petitioned the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, against Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja over his alleged controversial rulings and other misconducts. The legal practitioners further accused Nwite of bias and desecration of the hallowed temple of justice with what they described as unjust conducts, maintaining that the judge’s actions were capable of bringing Nigeria to great disrepute if they are not curbed. The lawyers claimed that Justice Nwite’s alleged unjust rulings were embarrassments to the body of benchers,…

By Yushau A. ShuaibIt’s shocking and laughable that ruling parties, which barely secured victories in gubernatorial elections, are now winning local government council elections by landslides.In some states, even parties that had never won elections are sweeping council seats, often at the behest of influential governors seeking to undermine their political rivals. For instance, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State exemplifies how to win elections despite lacking support from traditional power brokers.The abuse of local government councils by state governors in Nigeria is a pressing concern that threatens the very foundation of our democratic structure. While the Federal Government ensures…