Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

The Nigerian Immigration Service, on Wednesday, revealed that about 7,500 international passports are still awaiting collection in their Oyo State office. The Assistant Comptroller-General of Immigration, Dora Amahian, who is in charge of planning and statistics at the NIS headquarters, made this known in Ibadan. Amahian said some of the passports have been produced since 2020 but were waiting for the owners to claim them The assistant comptroller-general added that the NIS had been sending text messages to the applicants as only a few of them responded to the calls put across to them. Amahian lamented that some applicants submitted…

Mr. Emefiele has been out of the country for several weeks amidst fears he would be arrested by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), who are investigating several allegations against him, including corruption and terrorism financing. A presidency source, however, revealed that the CBN governor got President Muhammadu Buhari’s permission for two weeks of leave which expired Tuesday. His holidays finished on Tuesday, so he ought to have reported to work today,” our source said. It was also learnt that Mr. Emefiele is planning to leave the country again very soon, afraid the secret police could eventually arrest him…

Former world number one and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka has disclosed she is pregnant and said she would miss the 2023 tennis season. Osaka recently withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open, a tournament she has won twice. Osaka has not played a full match since her first-round loss at the US Open and participated in just 11 tournaments in 2022. She had also informed reporters the sport was no longer bringing her joy following a third-round exit at the 2021 US Open. Osaka tweeted on Wednesday announcing her pregnancy, including a picture of an ultrasound. I realize that life…

The National Industrial Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has struck out the regulation of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, prohibiting unmarried female personnel from getting pregnant for being inconsistent with Section 42 of the 1999 Nigeria Constitution (as amended) and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which abolishes discrimination based on gender. In a landmark judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Dashe Damulak also held that the claimant, Miss Omolola Olajide, has a right to challenge the constitutionality of Section 127 of the Police Act and Regulation 127 thereof. Recall that Miss Olajide…

Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has approved the redeployment of three commissioners to various ministries in a minor cabinet reshuffle. This was contained in a statement, issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Mr Richard Olatunde, on Wednesday. According to the statement, those affected are the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Akinwumi Sowore; Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives Services, Mrs Lola Fagbemi, and Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Amidu Takuro. The statement read, “In the minor reshuffle, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sowore moves to the Ministry of Commerce,…

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, said that 93,469,008 voters are contained in the register for the 2022 general elections. In a meeting with 18 political parties in Abuja on Wednesday, Yakubu disclosed that 44,414,846 registered voters are females and 49,054,162 are males. Meanwhile, of the total registered voters, the number of young people between 18 and 34 stood at 37,060,399, representing 39.65% of the total registered voters. In contrast, the elderly between the ages of 50 and 69 stood at 17,700,270, representing 18.94% of total registered voters. According to him, every other arrangement is…

The World Bank Group has once again lowered its growth projection for Nigeria’s economy, citing a weakened oil sector as its primary reason. This was contained in the bank’s Global Economic Prospects report published on Tuesday. According to the projection, Nigeria’s economy will further decelerate to 2.9 per cent in 2023 and is not expected to record any growth in 2024. Specifically, the lender said Nigeria’s growth weakened to 3.1 per cent in 2022 and would further decelerate to 2.9 per cent this year. The Washington-based bank said growth momentum in the non-oil sector was likely to be restrained by…

Despite the ongoing war with Russia, the Ukrainian government on Wednesday expressed its readiness to establish grain hubs in Nigeria and other African countries to boost bilateral ties. This was made known when Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi, led a delegation to the Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Abubakar, in Abuja. Onyeama lauded Ukraine for the grain donation, adding that the gesture was coming even when the country is still at war. He noted, “Notwithstanding the situation in which your country finds itself, you are…

Manchester City have been knocked out of Carabao Cup as Southampton shockingly defeated the Cityzens 2-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium on Wednesday night. In an underwhelming performance, City had no shot on target despite having 73 per cent possession and more passes than Southampton. Also top footballers like Kevin deBruyne, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden among others all featured in the clash and could not garner a win for the Pep Guardiola-led side. Southampton’s Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo scored the only two goals of the match in the 23rd and 28th minutes respectively. Southampton had four shots on target two…

Al Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has sold his 2013 Ballon d’Or award to the richest man in Israel, Idan Ofer. The plaque was auctioned off for charity and fetched a price of around £532,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation. With the real trophy reportedly on display at his Madeira museum, Ronaldo requested that a replica be made to sell at a charity auction in London, according to Marca. Ronaldo has won the award five times during his illustrious career of his five awards, 2013 was a year that saw the then-Real Madrid forward narrowly pip Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery to…

The World Bank says the high costs of borrowing, reduced energy prices in the international market, inflation and slow growth in oil production have weakened Nigeria’s fiscal position. The latest data from the Global Economic Prospects report by the World Bank on Tuesday disclosed. The US-based bank also said Nigeria’s growth dropped to 3.1 per cent in 2022 and will further reduce to 2.9 per cent this year. Policy inconsistency, continued high inflation, and rising incidence of violence are expected to temper growth. Agriculture sector growth is likely to soften because of the destruction from last year’s flooding. The fiscal…

A resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating geopolitical tensions could push the global economy into recession. If this happens, it would mark the first time in more than 80 years that two global recessions occurred within the same decade. The forecast is contained in the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. It said global growth is slowing amid higher inflation and interest rates, reduced investment and disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The report predicts the global economy may grow by 1.7% in 2023 and 2.7% in 2024 while growth in developing economies could decelerate from 3.8%…