Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday confirmed three of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s nominees of cabinet rank. This was made known in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Eromosele Ebhomele. The House confirmed Abiodun Ogunleye for the position of Commissioner. It also approved two others for the positions of Special Adviser to the governor (cabinet ranks). Their confirmation took place during a plenary presided over by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa. Earlier, Hon. Mojeed Fatai, chairman of the ad-hoc committee set up to screen nominees of the…

Veteran comedian, Bright Okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth, has set a five year plan to quit comedy. Basketmouth said he would be quiting comedy when he clocks 50 years to build his own empire and work in every aspect of the entertainment industry. The 45-year-old, during an interview on Arise TV, explained that he plans to retire after doing a run of yearly comedy shows for the following five years. He said even though he initially gave up a music career in the 1990s to pursue comedy, he had always known he would return to it. “In five years, I…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the 2024 Appropriation Bill with aggregate expenditure of N27.5 trillion. The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, announced this on Monday after the federal cabinet meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The minister also said the targeted revenue for next year is N18 trillion. According to him, further details of the budget will be released when President Tinubu makes his presentation of the budget to the National Assembly. Bagudu also said FEC also approved the revised 2024 – 2026…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the Governor of Sokoto State. In a ruling on Monday, a three-member panel of justices affirmed Aliyu as the winner of the March 18 governorship election after dismissing the appeal of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saidu Umar. Recall that Umar had challenged the outcome of the Sokoto governorship election, citing alleged falsification of certificates, variation of names, election fraud and non-compliance with electoral guidelines. Also, the court held that the subpoenaed witnesses failed to front-load their statement on…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has sacked the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman. The Appeal Court ordered a rerun in five polling units. The State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal had on September 30 nullified the victory of Liman representing Makera State Constituency and ordered a rerun in 42 polling units. This followed a petition filed before the Tribunal by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Solomon Katuka, challenging the election of Liman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In his petition, the PDP candidate alleged gross irregularities regarding the election of the…

Coach Justin Madugu has replaced forward Asisat Oshoala and midfielder Jennifer Echegini after the duo dropped out of the Super Falcons’ squad expected to face Cape Verde in their 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying fixture. NFF’s Assistant Director (Technical), Abdulrafiu Yusuf, said the two players had been sent their flight tickets to travel to Nigeria a whole week before they announced on Saturday that they would be unable to join the squad. “We were surprised that they had the flight tickets for so long and did not say anything, only for them to send different messages on…

The 10th National Assembly (NASS) has reportedly received a total of 32 bills requesting the creation of new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has cautioned the government against establishing new institutions due to insufficient funding for existing ones. Nigeria currently has 52 federal universities, 63 state universities, and 147 private universities, as stated by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in a recent publication. The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) reports that there are 40 federal polytechnics, 49 state-owned polytechnics, and 76 private polytechnics. Additionally, there are 70 federal and state-owned colleges of…

A former Managing Director of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Aliyu Abdulhameed, has been arrested almost a year after he was sacked. NIRSAL is a $500m non-bank financial institution, which was created by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It was created to manage agribusiness-related credit risks in Nigeria. Recall that Abdulhameed was relieved of his duties following allegations of corruption, including a 2018 N5.6 billion wheat project meant for farmers in Kano and Jigawa States. The Board of the CBN endorsed his sack, following approval from the Presidency in December last year. Daily Trust, in…

The Nigerian Federal Government has begun efforts to address the challenges related to the supply and pricing of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly used as cooking gas, following significant price increases. Louis Ibah, the spokesperson for the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, reported that the minister intervened after the price of LPG per kg rose from around N700 to over N1,100 in some areas A recent meeting at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, convened by the minister, saw participation from senior officials of Chevron Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation…

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has reportedly appointed DCP Waheed Ayilara as the Acting Commissioner of Police in Lagos State. Ayilara, a former Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), reportedly replaces former commissioner, AIG Idowu Owohunwa. According to The Nation, Owohunwa was among the twelve Commissioners of Police approved for promotion to Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIG) by the Police Service Commission. Charging officers, DCP Waheed directed all Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in the state to sustain optimum security within their respective domains. He gave this charge…

Alejandro Garnacho smashed in a sensational goal-of-the-season contender as Manchester United beat Everton in the Toffees’ first game since their 10-point deduction. Garnacho’s incredible third-minute effort silenced the fiery home faithful at Goodison Park, as fans vented their fury with anti-Premier League protests following their unprecedented sanction. There looked to be no danger when Diogo Dalot dinked a cross into the box, but Garnacho had other ideas, taking a couple of steps back before leaping into the Merseyside sky and unleashing an unstoppable bicycle kick which sailed over Jordan Pickford and into the net. The goal was the only chance…

Aston Villa came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur on the day they remembered former player and manager Terry Venables. The ex-England manager’s death was announced less than two hours before kick-off, and a minute’s applause was held to pay tribute to a man who won the FA Cup with Spurs as a player in 1967 and as manager in 1991. Giovani lo Celso’s deflected opener looked to have got the early season pacesetters back on track after their unbeaten start came to an end with back-to-back defeats before the international break. But Pau Torres levelled with a header deep…