Author: Abimbola Ogunnaike

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that the Abuja Light Rail will operate free for two months, after its commissioning on Monday, 27 May, 2024. Wike stated this during the ongoing Ministerial Sectoral Update to mark the first year in office of the President Bola Tinubu administration, held at the Radio House in Abuja, on Thursday, 23 May, 2024. The Minister had earlier stated that the President, Bola Tinubu will commission the Metro rail project for commercial activities on Monday. He however urged residents to begin use of the Metro rails from…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Some operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were spotted at the palace of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, on Thursday, amid growing rumours of the Emir’s imminent deposition. This development follows the passage of the Kano State Emirates Council Amendment Law (Repeal Bill), 2024, by the Kano State House of Assembly on the morning of Thursday, 23 May, 2024. Newsmen who visited the palace around 11 am saw some DSS operatives stationed in the palace. The Kano State Emirates Council Amendment Bill was considered on the floor of the House after scaling…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Kano State House of Assembly has passed Kano Emirates Council Law (Repeal Bill) 2024 after scaling 3rd reading. The law has abrogated establishment of five new Emirates in the state. All offices established under the repealed law have been set aside by the new bill. Also all district heads elevated or appointed under the repealed law are to revert to their previous positions. The Kano State Emirates Council (Amendment number 2) Law, 2024, was sponsored by the Majority Leader and member representing the Dala Constituency, Lawan Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa. The law which created five new…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Night of Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland belongs to Ademola Lookman and Atalanta. The mercurial Super Eagles of Nigeria striker scored three marvellous goals in what a football commentator at the match described as “the greatest night of his life”. It was the first time Bayer Leverkusen were beaten for the entire season. Lookman scored in the 14th minute with a tap in, scored the second in the 24th with an absolute belter outside the box to give Atalanta a 2-0 lead in the first half. He scored the third in the 76th with…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Lagos State police Command on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 confirmed that divers were battling to recover the body of a 30-year-old man who allegedly drowned at Elegushi Beach, Lagos, where he had gone for prayers. The Lagos Police Command spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the sad development, said that a report to the police indicated that the man, simply identified as Samuel, had gone to pray at the beach with his friends. Hundeyin said that a man whose name was not mentioned reported the case to the Ilasan Police Division at about 7:20 a.m. on…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Federal Government has approved a $750 million World Bank loan for the construction of 1,200 mini-grids in rural communities across the country. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, Abba Aliyu, made this disclosure on Tuesday, 21 May, 2024 while addressing journalists at the Alliance for Rural Electrification Energy Access Forum held in Lagos. According to Aliyu, President Bola Tinubu approved the fund for the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up project, which is aimed at providing energy access to Nigerians in rural communities. He noted that the loan was approved to…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for the strengthening of regional economic communities to drive integration and trade ties among African nations in order to deepen democracy and accelerate development across the continent. He said through bitter experience, Nigeria has learned that the solution to poor democratic governance is to have more democracy. President Tinubu ,who made the call during the Summit on the State of Democracy in Africa on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 in Abuja called for revitalization of sub-regional blocs like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), East African Community (EAC) and Southern…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike A former Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Honourable Gausudeen Omotilewa Aro-Lambo is dead, reports thegazellenews.com. This medium learnt that Aro-Lambo died late Tuesday, 21 May, 2024 after a prorated battle with Diabetes and failing eyesight. He was buried in Lagos on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 in accordance with Islamic rites. He was aged 81. Aro-Lambo was the Secretary to the Lagos State Government during the reign of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Governor of the state between 1999 and 2007. Aro-Lambo was a former member of the House of Representatives representing Lagos Island Federal Constituency on…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Shooting Stars Sports (3SC) of Ibadan have qualified for the round of 16 of the Federation Cup, reports thegazellenews.com They achieved the feat on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024 by beating Lobi Stars of Makurdi 2-0 during the Round of 32 match played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu. Prolific Christian Pyagbara scored the first goal of the match in 7th minute. The goal brought out the best in the Makurdi side as they swooped on the Oluyole warlords but the Stars defence stood their ground and repelled all attacks thrown at them by the Makurdi team. Adams…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Coordinator, Mortuary Services, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Dr Ehizogie Egbeobauwaye Adeyemi, has disclosed that the hospital will conduct a mass burial for 270 corpses if their relations fail to claim the bodies within six weeks. Adeyemi, who made this disclosure on Tuesday, 21 May, 2024 while speaking with newsmen, gave the breakdown of the corpses as 201 infants and 69 adults. According to her, UBTH’s management had in a statement gave six weeks ultimatum to the owners of the corpses to claim them. “The 201 infants have been in the hospital since 2023 while…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, received Afrobeat star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, during a courtesy visit. Welcoming his guest on Monday, 20 May, 2024, Akpabio expressed his delight at the visit and showered encomiums on the Afrobeat star for making Nigeria proud with his outstanding performances. “You have made us very proud within the International Community,” Akpabio told Davido, who came in the company of two of his cousins, Tunji Adeleke, son of his late uncle, Senator, Isiaka Adeleke, and Folasade Adeleke, daughter of Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, among others. The…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike An Ondo High Court presided over by Justice Enikuomehin has deposed a first-class monarch in Ose Local Council of Ondo State, the Olute of Ute, Oba Michael Adetunji. Adetunji, a retired military officer, was dethroned after 29 years of prolonged chieftancy tussle between the Olule Omoloja ruling house and the dethroned Oba. Justice Enikuomehin ruled that the deposed monarch, who was a retired major, should stop parading himself as Olute. While ordering a fresh selection process from within the Olule Omoloja ruling lineage, the court, which awarded damages, also affirmed that Oluwole has no right to the…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike At least seven persons lost their lives after inhaling fumes from a generating set inside a music studio along Transformer road in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The deceased persons were said to be working in the studio, owned by one of them identified as Akpos Barakubo, when the incident happened on the night of Monday, 20 May, 2024. According to the residents of the area, the crew members in the studio had worked into the midnight, putting on the generating set due to poor power supply, and slept off in the process. It was gathered that six bodies…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The member representing Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency of Abia State in the House of Representatives, Chris Nkwonta, on Tuesday,21 May, 2024 condemned the alleged killing of Miss Ocheze Ogbonna, a crane operator at the Inner Galaxy Steel Company, by a Chinese expatriate. It was gathered that Ocheze Ogbonna died after the Chinese expatriate working at the Inner Galaxy Steel Company located in Umuahala-Obuzor pushed her down from the crane for rejecting his love advances. In a statement issued on Tuesday, 21 May, 2021, Nkwonta expressed deep sadness on the death of his constituent, Ocheze, describing the…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone “B” Command, Kaduna, has disclosed that it made a seizure of 54,000 sachets of tramadol, donkey bones and other smuggled goods at various locations in the zone worth over N3.1billion between April 17 and May 17, 2024. The Comptroller of the FOU, Zone ‘B’, Ahmadu Bello-Shuaibu made this disclosure on Tuesday, 21 May, 2024. According to him, four suspects were apprehended in connection with smuggled donkey bones and meat. Other intercepted items, according to him, were 12 vehicles (means of conveyance), 174 bags of foreign rice (50 kg…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The APC Youth Solidarity Network, a youth group within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has sounded the alarm over that any attempt to remove the national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje will destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general election. This warning comes in response to the recent failed attempt to remove Ganduje from office. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, 21 May, 2024, Prince Danesi Momoh, national coordinator of the youth group, urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action to stop enemies from bringing down the party. He drew parallels with a…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Following the suspension of the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, by his Kano State ward, as well as the attendant crisis and litigations it has been generating, the North Central APC Forum has solicited for the support of its North West counterpart to get Ganduje out of office so the region (North Central) can reclaim the seat. The forum warned the North West APC against backing Ganduje or passing any form of vote-of-confidence on him. Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, 21 May, 2024 in Jos, Plateau State capital, on the outcome of…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua has revealed that he is not afraid to die because even after death he would still “live on.” According to him, he is made up of many past generations and he will be part of his future generations to come. The former world champion wrote on his Snapchat page: “Don’t be afraid to die as you will always live on one way or another. “In the sense I am Anthony Joshua but I am a make up of many past generations and I will be part of my future generations to come one…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Debt Management Office has disclosed t that the Federal Government has raised N4.9 trillion from N7.3 trillion Ways and Means Central Bank of Nigeria advance. The Director General of DMO, Patience Oniha, made this disclosure on Monday, 20 May, 2024 in Lagos State at an interactive session with primary dealers in Federal Government securities markets. Oniha noted that domestic securities remain a major source of federal government spending. “Last year, we raised N7 trillion as new domestic borrowing. It speaks to the domestic market’s size, resilience, and sophistication, unlike in many African markets. “Out of the new…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Nollywood has received a major boost as Grammy-winning singer, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, ventured into the movie industry. The ‘African Giant’ exponentr is set to make his debut as an executive producer in Black Mic Mac’s upcoming movie ‘3 Cold Dishes.’ Burna Boy would executively produce the movie through Spaceship Films, a company he co-founded alongside Bose Ogulu, his mother. The movie will be co-produced by Black Mic Mac, Ifind, Alma Prods, Asurf Films, and Martian Network. Directed by Asurf Oluseyi and written by Tomi Adesina, ‘3 Cold Dishes’ is a story set across Nigeria, the…