Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The Federal Government has said that it is now mandatory for all government organisations and agencies to procure military hardware from the Military Industrial Complex at the Defence Industry Corporation, DICON, Kaduna. While addressing a news conference in Abuja ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Defence Industry Corporation (DICON), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Ibrahim Kana says it is only when the desired hardware is unavailable at DICON that government organisations will be allowed to make procurements from abroad. Kana explained that the new DICON Act signed into law by President Bola Tinubu mandates government agencies…

The independent electoral commissions in Kwara and Anambra states have fixed September 21 and 28 respectively for local government (LG) elections. The Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission said it has set machinery in motion to conduct the local government election next month to usher in the democratically elected chairmen for the 16 LG councils in the North Central state. While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said it is ready for the exercise, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed reservation over the planned exercise. For nearly five years, the 16 local government areas in Kwara State have been run…

President Bola Tinubu has celebrated Rena Wakama for her exploits at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Wakama, who is the D’Tigress coach, led the Nigerian side to a historic quarter-final outing (the first African team to do so both male/female) at the Games before bowing gallantly to the US. Her exploits at the Olympics earned her the best women’s coach prize, an honour Tinubu said is deserving. “President Tinubu states that the recognition of Ms. Wakama, 32, by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), further accents her well-established leadership qualities and dedication to excellence,” presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said in a Monday…

A total of 273 Nigerian Army officers have arrived in Jaji to take the Senior Staff Course Qualifying Examination (SSCQE) 2024, which began on August 11. The examination is crucial for their career progression, determining their eligibility for further training at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) or other international staff colleges. In his welcome address at Ihejirika Auditorium, the Commander Infantry Corps, Major General Olufemi Oluyede, underscored the importance of the exam, noting that it is designed to elevate the candidates to the middle cadre of the Nigerian Army. He urged the officers to give their best…

The West African Examinations Council has withheld the results of 215,267 candidates from the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination. This figure represents 11.92 per cent of the 1,805,216 candidates who took the examination. The 2024 WASSCE commenced on Tuesday, 30th April 2024, and concluded on 24th June 2024. Speaking on Monday while announcing the release of the 2024 WASSCE results, the Head of the Nigeria Office, WAEC, Dr Amos Dangut, stated that the results were withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. He explained that this figure was 4.37 per cent lower than the 16.29…

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has raised serious concerns about the deteriorating state of religious freedom in Nigeria. In a report released over the weekend, the commission criticised the Federal Government for its continued enforcement of blasphemy laws and its tolerance of violence perpetrated by extremist groups against religious communities. The 2024 Annual Report from USCIRF highlighted ongoing systematic restrictions on freedom of religion or belief across Nigeria. The report pointed out that several states were using blasphemy laws to prosecute members of various faith-based groups, including Christians, Muslims, and secular humanists. The commission emphasised that these…

The internet has been ablaze in the last few days with heated clashes between South Africans and Nigerians, sparked by the controversy surrounding the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant. The debate intensified after a finalist of Nigerian descent, Chidimma Adetshina, withdrew from the competition amid accusations against her mother involving fraud and identity theft. Adetshina, 23, who was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent, faced significant backlash on social media due to her Nigerian heritage. The controversy reached a boiling point when the South African Home Affairs Ministry launched an investigation,…

The Peoples Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress, on Sunday, traded words over the recent Supreme Court judgment granting autonomy to local governments. While the opposition PDP described the apex court judgment as a potential source of trouble, the ruling APC called the opposition party an enemy of the people, who did not want the dividends of democracy to percolate to the grassroots. A month after the Supreme Court’s judgment, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, addressed a world press conference in Abuja on Sunday, stating that the matter was not yet settled. On July 11, the…

The death toll from a garbage landslide in the Ugandan capital Kampala has risen to 23, a city official said Monday. People and livestock were buried in mountains of waste at the landfill in the northern Kampala district of Kiteezi on Saturday after a collapse caused by heavy downpours. “The latest confirmed dead are 23,” Kampala city authority spokesman Daniel Nuweabine told AFP, adding that the search for survivors was still ongoing. “Working with other agencies, we are assessing the situation and helping all those in distress,” he added. The area’s resident commissioner Yasin Ndide had said on Sunday that…

American-born Nigerian champion Dubem Amene has announced his retirement from athletics at age 21 following the disqualification of the men’s 4x400m relay squad from Paris 2024 Olympics final. Amene was part of the Nigerian quartet of Ifeanyi Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathaniel, and Chidi Okezie to have qualified for the 4x400m final, having finished second in heat 2 with a Season’s Best of 2:59.81. Unfortunately, their joy was cut short as they were disqualified from competing in the final for an adjudged lane infringement by Ojeli, who ran the first leg, before handing over the baton to Nathaniel. Following the unfortunate news,…