Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is considering introducing a policy to retrieve and destroy Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, that have remained unclaimed for ten years. This proposal is one of 208 recommendations resulting from the commission’s review of the 2023 general elections. The initiative is aimed at addressing the longstanding issue of unclaimed PVCs, with over six million cards left uncollected as of the 2023 elections, including many issued as far back as 2015. Participants in the post-election review suggested that INEC should tackle this backlog by withdrawing PVCs that have been uncollected for extended periods, starting with those…

Abuja Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, alongside his sons Jordan and Joachin, visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Christmas Day at his residence at Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. President Tinubu warmly welcomed the Wike family and commended the minister for his remarkable efforts in transforming the nation’s capital. The President expressed his appreciation for Wike’s dedication to addressing critical challenges in Abuja, including his decisive actions to sanitize land administration and enforce regulatory compliance. Recently, during his inaugural media chat, President Tinubu lauded Wike as a “good man” and a “performing minister,” emphasizing his trust in…

The Garun Mallam Local Government Area of Kano State has shut down the Kwanar Gafan Tomato Market allegedly turned into place of prostitution, adultery, homosexuality and other immoral activities. It was reliably gathered that the alleged immorality being perpetrated by some youths and married women within the premises of the market prompted the local council authority to take the action to restore sanity at the market. The Council’s Chairman, Aminu Kadawa, who confirmed the development, said all occupants in the market were given a seven-day ultimatum to vacate the premises or face the full wrath of the law. He said:…

Two male pedestrians were killed in a hit-and-run incident near Kara Bus Stop on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State on Thursday, Boxing Day. The State Police Command stated on Friday that the accident happened around 5 p.m. The victims were reportedly attempting to cross the expressway without proper caution when they were struck by unidentified vehicles. The command’s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident, stating that the victims were rushed to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, where they were confirmed dead on arrival. She said, “The accident occurred at a point on the Isheri-Olofin corridor when the victims…

The Central Bank of Nigeria has attributed the significant decline in oil revenue for the third quarter of 2024 to ageing pipeline infrastructure and operational inefficiencies. According to the apex bank’s latest economic report for the third quarter of 2024, oil revenue fell by 24.72 per cent to N1.30tn compared to the second quarter of 2024. This drop was largely due to lower receipts from petroleum profit tax and royalties. Also, the revenue figure fell short of the quarterly target by 75.39 per cent, primarily due to frequent shut-ins caused by deteriorating pipelines and installations. The report read, “Oil revenue,…

Tension has gripped residents of Anambra State over the safety of the kidnapped member of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Justice Azuka. Hon. Azuka, according to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, was kidnapped by yet-to-be identified gunmen somewhere at Ugwunakpamkpa area at about 9.20pm on Christmas Eve while returning home for Christmas celebrations. SP Ikenga also said that a team of operatives of the Command had been deployed to rescue the lawmaker and arrest his abductors to make sure they face the full wrath of the law. However, a source…

The Nigerian Army’s Joint Task Force Northwest Operation, Fansan Yamma, has called on the public to rely on verified information to prevent misinformation and unnecessary panic regarding its operations. This appeal was made in a statement issued late Wednesday by Lt. Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, Coordinator of the Joint Media Coordination Centre for Operation Fansan Yamma. The statement addressed recent reports alleging that a military fighter jet bombed civilian structures in Silame Local Government Area, Sokoto State. Lt. Col. Abdullahi clarified that all military operations are conducted following rigorous intelligence gathering and reconnaissance missions. He emphasized that these measures are critical,…

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has pledged ₦670 million to combat malnutrition and enhance maternal and child health services across the state. This was announced during the official flag-off of the second Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Kumbotso Local Government Area. Governor Yusuf disclosed that ₦500 million of the funds will serve as counterpart funding to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for various nutrition initiatives aimed at addressing malnutrition among children and pregnant women. Additionally, ₦170 million has been earmarked for the renovation and upgrading of malnutrition treatment and referral centres. Speaking at the event,…

Pope Francis called Wednesday for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza. He used his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world”) message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to call for talks for a just peace in Ukraine as the country was pummelled by 170 Russian missiles and drones on Christmas morning. “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” the 88-year-old pontiff said, his voice strained and breathless. “May…

Elder statesman Bode George says President Bola Tinubu’s Monday media chat lacks empathy and humanity, stressing that the President, through his statements, is unfeeling to the plight of suffering Nigerians. Drawing inferences from three food queue stampedes that claimed 67 lives in Nigeria last week, George said “there is hunger and anger in the land” yet the President continues to insist that his reforms are working while many Nigerians are becoming poorer by the day and businesses collapsing. “We are not feeling it, it is going worse by the day,” George said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.…