Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Governors from the 36 states of the federation are currently convening in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, they are meeting at the NGF secretariat in the FCT. Some of the governors have already started to arrive at the meeting venue. Those already present at the venue are Governors Lawal Dauda (Zamfara), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Alex Otti (Abia). This is as the governors of Enugu, Peter Mbah and Borno States, Babagana Zulum, sent their deputies to represent them. The agenda of the meeting is currently not made…

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has expressed the commitment the state government to achieve the upgrade of Ibadan Airport in 18 months, stating that the state has resources to drive the project. The governor who said this on Wednesday at the Hijrah 1446 luncheon organised by the state government held at the Presidential Lodge, Secretariat in Ibadan, added that he will announce a committee that will steer the vision to turn the facility to an international standard before the end of the week. Makinde who assured that before the end of his tenure, Hajj pilgrims would be airlifted from…

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has removed 63,000 accounts associated with the notorious “Yahoo Boys” scam group, the company announced in its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report on Wednesday. The accounts, deleted over the past few weeks, were used for financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts. Meta reported that a smaller network of 2,500 accounts, linked to around 20 individuals, primarily targeted adult men in the United States using fake identities. Meta said it identified and disabled these accounts through a combination of advanced technical signals and comprehensive investigations, enhancing its automated detection…

British telecommunications regulator Ofcom said Wednesday it had handed video sharing platform TikTok a £1.9 million ($2.4 million) fine for failing to timely make available safety data. Ofcom criticised the platform, which is owned by Chinese group ByteDance, saying it communicated inaccurate information last year and failed swiftly to address that. “Ofcom has today fined TikTok £1.875 million for failing to accurately respond to a formal request for information about its parental controls safety feature,” the regulator said in a statement. In a statement to AFP, TikTok recognised it had furnished Ofcom with inaccurate data on the use of a…

After many years of wearing the toga of invincibility, the overall head of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, 57-year-old Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh (alias Olowoidiogede, populary known as Temo), has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at his enclave after an initial resistance from him and his horde of hoodlums. In the last two years, the NDLEA had intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira owned by Temo but he has remained largely evasive while a few encounters with him and his armed gangs in his Mushin enclave had resulted in gunfight.…

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has defended Enzo Fernandez following his involvement in posting a clip of his teammates singing offensive chants about French players. The incident occurred during Fernandez’s celebration of Argentina’s Copa América victory, where the song in question contained racist and homophobic remarks about the heritage of some French players. Enzo Fernandez, who is currently on holiday, has issued a public apology for his actions. Chelsea has also responded by initiating an internal disciplinary procedure. In a statement, the club emphasized their commitment to using this incident as an educational opportunity. “We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public…

The National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, said on Wednesday that the government has resumed mass trials of terrorism suspects in the country. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), stated in December 2023 that the Federal Government secured 366 convictions in the trial of Boko Haram terrorists conducted in 2017. In addition, he said 896 suspects were discharged for lack of evidence, while 61 other cases were adjourned for further hearing. In December 2023, the FG also secured the conviction of four Boko Haram financiers. In a statement on Wednesday…

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, on Wednesday, met with ministers on the proposed nationwide protest against economic hardship by Nigerian youths. The meeting was convened behind closed doors and has all the over 40 ministers in the President’s cabinet in attendance. Some of the Minister spotted are Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning). Others are Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), David Umahi (Works), and the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, amongst others. Meanwhile, President Bola…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said employers are now mandated to pay their staff a minimum wage of N70,000. He emphasised that even small-scale employers, including those in informal sectors like domestic work and tailoring must adhere to the minimum wage when hiring additional help. Akpabio said this while passing the new minimum wage bill into law on the floor of the senate. He said: “If you’re a tailor and you employ additional hands, you can’t pay the person below N70,000. If you have a housemaid, you cannot pay them below N70,000. If you hire a driver or a gateman,…

The All Progressives Congress (APC), has lashed out at politician and former presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, over his consistent criticisms of its economic policies which had recently resulted in a rise in the cost of living across the country. On Monday, Obi called for quick action in resolving the current economic crisis in the country. In the post, he highlighted the contrast between Nigeria’s economic performance in the early years of its return to democracy and its current state. He wrote, “When Nigeria returned to democratic governance in 1999, it maintained…