Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Choir members of the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, Oke Igan, Akure, Ondo state, abducted a week ago, have regained their freedom. A huge amount of money was paid by the church and families of the victims as ransom, according to a reliable church member. Recall that their abductors had demanded N50 million ransom for the release of the remaining 17 victims after eight of the 25 abducted narrowly escaped from the kidnappers’ den last week Saturday. The choir members of the church were abducted along Ifon-Benin road on their way to a funeral ceremony. A church member told newsmen in…

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, has said that members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) captured in the expanded National Social Register of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Scheme will start receiving N25,000 grants from November. Edu, according to a statement by her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair, disclosed this on Thursday when she visited the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) led by its president, Joe Ajaero, in Abuja. She explained that the decision to include vulnerable pensioners in the CCT scheme was President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s…

The Lagos State government will be doing the groundbreaking of the proposed $100 million African Film City before the end of this month. The project, which will be sited in Epe, is intended to enhance originality in content creation in Nollywood – Nigeria’s film industry. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the announcement on Thursday, at the 12th African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) press briefing held at the Lagos House in Marina. Recall that the state government in October last year, announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Del-York Group for the construction of the project. Sanwo-Olu…

Ogun State government has lifted the curfew imposed on Sagamu town, following deadly clashes between rival cult groups last month. According to a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, the improved security situation across the troubled town informed the decision to lift the curfew. The SSG said normalcy has returned to the town while security agents continue with investigations into the remote and immediate causes of the cult clashes, adding that Governor Dapo Abiodun is committed to ridding the state of all forms of violence. Talabi urged the people of Sagamu to go about…

John McGinn’s header in stoppage time ended Zrinjski Mostar’s resistance and earned Aston Villa their first win in the Europa Conference League. It looked set to be another disappointing night for Villa in the Conference League, having lost 3-2 at Legia Warsaw in their opening game. However, captain McGinn met Matty Cash’s cross in the fourth added minute to deliver the win. The win was no less than Villa deserved and is their first at home in the group stage of a European competition since they beat Ajax 2-1 in the Uefa Cup in October 2008. Villa had plenty of…

Ryan Gravenberch scored his first goal for Liverpool as they beat Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League. Summer signing Gravenberch struck just before half-time, slotting in after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot was parried by Anthony Moris. That goal provided the spark in an otherwise dull first half of few chances at Anfield. Darwin Nunez missed a big opportunity when he prodded wide from Mohamed Salah’s cross, while Gustaf Nilsson headed over from close range for the visitors. The excellent Gravenberch was denied a second just after the hour when his dipping effort was pushed behind by Moris. The visitors applied a…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said 112,351 passport booklets are yet to be collected by applicants as of 5th October 2023. The acting Comptroller General (CG) of the NIS, Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola, disclosed this during a press conference at the Service headquarters in Abuja on Thursday. The NIS said it had cleared all the 204,332 passport application backlogs after the Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s two-week deadline to the Service. While disclosing that 91,981 passport booklets have been collected so far, the acting CG said there were 112,351 others not yet collected. She therefore called on applicants to go…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is collaborating with the Department of State Services (DSS) on the University of Calabar (UNICAL) sex scandal. Dr Peter Afunanya, the Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications of the DSS, revealed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. He said the collaboration was on the sex scandal involving a professor and the erstwhile Dean of Faculty of Law of the Institution. Afunanya said the professor had refused to honour several invitations by the ICPC before his eventual arrest on Oct. 4 in Calabar following a Court Order. “The…

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has assured that international flights will soon take off and land in the Margaret Ekpo International airport, Calabar. He said his administration will partner the management of the airport to ensure that it is well patronized by many local and international flights. Otu spoke when the airport manager, Mr. Ayinla Gbolahan, visited him in Calabar, on Thursday. Otu said, “There was a time the Calabar Airport used to fly international routes, at least to nearby Malabo, capital of Equitorial Guinea, and other neighboring countries, but the reverse is now the case. That situation…

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has set up a committee on payment of ₦30,000 minimum wage to primary school teachers in the state. Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Enugu State wing, Chief Theophilus Odo, made the disclosure on Thursday in Enugu during the 2023 World Teachers’ Day celebration. Odo, who said that he was a member of the committee, thanked the governor for the gesture. Speaking on the theme for this year’s Day: “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage,” he stressed the need for the re-ordering of a new…

England manager Gareth Southgate has recalled Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins for October’s games against Australia and Italy at Wembley. Watkins, who last featured for England in March 2022, continued his impressive start to the season with a hat-trick against Brighton on Saturday. Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling is left out of a fourth successive squad. England play Australia in a friendly on 13 October and Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifier on 17 October. Watkins, 27, said he did not think he could “do any more” to earn a recall after taking his tally to seven goals and three assists…

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has warned that the parcel of land in contention between Orolu and Irepodun local government has been seized by the state government. The visibly annoyed governor also added that he has obtained the cooperation of the Chief Of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, to deploy military personnel to maintain law and order in both communities. Adeleke made this known at the first edition of the Ipade Imole, a public accountability platform held in Osogbo on Thursday. “I am not happy today. These clashes would chase away investors. “As a government, we have seized…