Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

In the wee hours of Friday, Unknown Gunmen attacked the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made this known in a statement via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle. The electoral umpire also shared photos of burnt vehicles, stating that the gunmen engaged in a duel with security operatives which led to loss of properties during the attack and called for a thorough investigation into the incident. The statement reads, “In the early hours of today, Friday December 1 2023, around 3.30am, gunmen attacked the residence of our Resident…

An helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force has crashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. It was learnt that the helicopter with the number NAF MI-35P crashed at exactly 7.45 am shortly after it took off for an operation against economic saboteurs in Rivers State. As of press time, the cause of the crash remains a mystery. NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, who confirmed the crash, said all those onboard survived with “minor injuries”. Gabkwet, an Air Commodore, explained that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, is on his way to the scene to assess the situation.…

No fewer than 11 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been sacked over allegations bordering on extortion and bribery. Though, the identities and ranks of those dismissed were unknown as of press time, one among the 12 officials of the Authority who appeared before a disciplinary panel was exonerated from any wrongdoing. About 12 officials of the Authority were on Thursday, November 30, 2023, summoned before a disciplinary panel for various offences bordering on corrupt practices and absenteeism. Adebayo Taofiq, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, who confirmed the dismissal on Friday, said the…

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Thursday, presented N703.03 billion budget proposal for the year 2024 to the state House of Assembly. The budget tagged ‘The Budget of Sustained Growth and Development,’ is N230.750 billion higher than the N472.250 billion budgeted for the 2023 fiscal year. Giving a breakdown of the budget, the governor noted that it is made up of N287.37 billion recurrent and N415.66 billion capital expenditures. Abiodun explained that N95.05 billion will be used for Personnel Costs, N27.35 billion for Consolidated Revenue while N59.09 billion will be used for Public Debt Charges. According to him, N105.88…

Ligue 1 strugglers Lyon have sacked Italian manager Fabio Grosso after just seven games in charge. Grosso, 46, leaves seven-time French champions Lyon bottom of the table after overseeing only one victory in his seven Ligue 1 matches. His dismissal comes less than 11 weeks after he replaced the sacked Laurent Blanc in September. Lyon, last crowned champions in 2007-08, confirmed Frenchman Pierre Sage will take charge on a temporary basis. “Olympique Lyonnais would like to thank Fabio Grosso and his assistants for their dedication and professionalism since taking over the professional team,” Lyon said. A 2-0 home defeat by Lille on…

Liverpool have reached the last 16 of the Europa League as group winners with victory over LASK at Anfield. Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo both struck in the space of three first-half minutes before Mohamed Salah’s penalty after the break and Gakpo’s second late on in a straightforward win. Toulouse’s failure to beat Union St-Gilloise ensures Liverpool cannot be caught at the top of Group E. The Reds go through to the knockouts and avoid February’s play-off round. Liverpool had total control inside 15 minutes following a quickfire double. First, Diaz sprayed a ball wide to Joe Gomez before running…

The Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, has said that at least N300 billion is needed yearly for highway repairs. The agency said it planned to explore other funding sources outside budgetary allocation. Managing Director, Emeka Agbasi, spoke during an interactive session with the House Committee on FERMA. He said the appropriations to the agency were inadequate. According to him, the 2023 allocation was far less than the required target, with less than 50 per cent of the total budget released so far. Agbasi, in a document submitted to the Committee, stated that aside from the 90 projects awarded by the…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday closed two medicine stores and a pharmacy in the Lagos neighborhoods of Idumota and Surulere for selling unregistered and controlled pharmaceuticals. Mr Afolabi Aderemi, Deputy Director at NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, stated that the operation was carried out in response to intelligence inputs concerning the stores. Aderemi said: “We are here today because we got a tip-off that controlled drugs are sold in these shops. “By the virtue of the International Convention, there are 71 drugs that ought not to be sold by individuals or pharmacies…

The details of the meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and King Charles III of England in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have been revealed. In a post via his official X account on Thursday, President Tinubu revealed that his meeting with King Charles III significantly strengthened the partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK). Tinubu said he is optimistic about the positive impact of joint efforts on the planet’s future as both nations look forward to setting an equitable global standard for environmental stewardship at the Summit. He wrote, “I had a productive meeting with His Majesty, King Charles…

Oba Sulaimon Bamgbade, the Olofin of Isheri and Adimula of Awori Kingdom, has told the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare, to retrace the origin of the Benin Kingdom to Ile Ife, Osun State. Oba Sulaimon Bamgbade on Thursday said that the Aworis were the first settlers in Lagos. During a visit to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, Oba Ewuare II, said the Benins founded Lagos. The comment did not go down well with a prominent Awori monarch, the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege; some academics and a Lagos chief, among others. “It is in the history…

The United Nations has declared that 2023 will go down in history as the hottest year ever and called for immediate action to stop global warming. The World Meteorological Organisation of the UN issued a warning, stating that extreme weather had left “a trail of devastation and despair” and that 2023 had broken a number of climate records. “It’s an overwhelming din of mismatched sounds,” stated WMO Director, Petteri Taalas. “Greenhouse gas emissions are at all-time highs. The temperature is at a record high worldwide. The rise in sea level is record high. Sea ice in Antarctica is at a record low.”…

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organization, Afenifere, called on the Federal Government to strive towards fulfilling its December deadline for the commencement of refinery operations in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. This comes after President Bola Tinubu’s assurance during a recent meeting with the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart that the Port-Harcourt refinery is set to start operations by December 2023. In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, Oyo State, the organization revealed that the appeal was among the resolutions reached during a meeting held…