Author: Amina Mohammed

Federal lawmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, is dead. The lawmaker who flew to the United Kingdom since he seriously took ill few weeks ago died Saturday morning in a London hospital. His condition reportedly became critical in the past 48 hours. The cause of death is not clear as at Saturday morning. Ubah was elected Senator in 2019 on the platform of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, and reelected on that platform in 2023. He defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, earlier this year and has indicated interest in seeking the governorship of Anambra State…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), Chief Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday, said the development was to ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable management of external grants mobilised towards the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII). The Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) will report to a Steering Committee/Ministerial Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister, including the Minister of State, Permanent Secretary; Ministry of…

The Nigeria women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, wasn’t allowed to board the delegation’s boat for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Somebody told The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity. However, the Nigeria delegation has not publicly commented. The team made it to the area where it was supposed to board the boat for the ceremony. But the group was denied entry by a Nigerian official who told the players and coaches there were too many people on board. The female basketball players and their coaches then made their way to the athletes’ village after being turned away.…

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has granted the request of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to remand for 14 days, an alleged drug baron, Sulaimon Jimoh popularly known as ‘Olowo Idi Ogede’. The court also ordered an Interim attachment to the Federal Government of Nigeria, a grey-coloured Mercedes Benz SUV GLE belonging to the alleged drug baron, being a proceed of illicit drug dealing in Cannabis Sativa pending the determination of this case. Justice Akintayo Aluko gave the orders while granting an application filed and argued by a deputy commander in charge of the prosecution and…

Former Super Eagles and Chelsea star, Mikel John Obi, has issued a stern warning to footballers of Nigerian descent playing abroad, asserting that Nigeria should not be treated as a fallback option. In a video posted on Friday morning during his appearance on The Obi One Podcast, Obi expressed his views on the matter. He recently interviewed his former coach, Carlo Ancelotti, and emphasised that football talents of Nigerian or African descent should never consider their home country or continent as a secondary choice. “I’ve talked a lot about players not representing their African roots,” Obi said. “We’ve had meetings…

A fresh crisis is brewing in the Labour Party (LP) as a Former Deputy National Chairman, Callistus Okafor, has laid claim to the National Chairmanship position. In a news conference in Abuja, on Friday he said that his decision to “take over” the party was backed by a 2018 consent judgment of the federal high court which according to him was ignored. He noted that at the time, there was a leadership tussle between the late national chairman of the party, Abdulkadir Salam, and another faction led by Salisu Mohammed, who equally declared himself as national caretaker chair of the…

The Central Bank of Nigeria has disbursed $148m to 29 authorised dealers as part of steps to stabilise the foreign exchange market amidst the recent free fall of the naira. A statement posted on the apex bank’s website on Friday noted that the sales were made to the dealers on Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 23, 2024, between an exchange rate of N1470.00/$1 and N1510.00/$1. This development comes two weeks after the CBN sold $122.67 million to 46 authorised dealers in a move aimed at promoting market stability and reducing volatility. A week ago, it also announced that $20,000…

An explosion, suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), occurred at the Buni Yadi market in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, injuring a girl around 12:30 PM on Friday. Captain Muhammad Shehu, spokesperson for the Sector 2 Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, confirmed the incident and reported that another IED was found and safely detonated by the Army. The injured victim is receiving treatment at a local health facility. The explosion was identified as a planted IED, not a suicide bombing. Buni Yadi, located 54 kilometers from Damaturu, has a history of being affected by Boko…

By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN After the right to life, the next important right for every individual is the right to freedom of speech, by which all men and women are conferred with the inalienable right to express themselves freely. In Genesis Chapter 4, God punished Cain for killing his brother Abel without a lawful cause. Even in his state of condemnation, Cain protested the punishment as being too harsh. Genesis 4:13: “And Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I…

Former US president Barack Obama endorsed his fellow Democrat Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House on Friday, delivering a major boost to her campaign to beat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election. “Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support,” Obama said on social media platform X. “At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you’ll join us.” The influential…