Author: Festus Adeloye

Grammy-winning artist Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has equalled Tems’ record as the Nigerian artist with the second-most certified singles in the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) history, with a total of four certified singles each. This accomplishment follows the Gold certification of his collaborative single “Location” with British Grime artist Dave, recognising sales of 500,000 units in the United States. Burna Boy’s previously certified songs in the US include “Last Last” (Platinum), “Ye” (Gold), and “On The Low” (Gold). Wizkid maintains his position as the most certified Nigerian artist in the US, with a total of…

Ahead of the proposed nationwide protest, the Federal Capital Territory police command has deployed a total of 4,200 policemen across the nooks and crannies of the nation’s capital. The command also announced the deployment of explosive ordinance device experts at various strategic locations. The command in a statement on Friday by its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the deployment was to ensure public safety, protection of protesters and to prevent the protests from being hijacked by non-state actors. She added that there would be raids on identified black spots, uncompleted buildings/shanties, and stop and search operations among others in collaboration with…

Emergency responders are currently battling to put out a raging fire that gutted a manufacturing firm at Abule Osun, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Ojo, Lagos. According to eyewitnesses, the fire gutted the firm, JOSIEN Complex in the early hours of Friday. Several items were said to have been destroyed in the process, while men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, and Nigeria Police are on the ground on a rescue mission. As of press time, 11 am, there was neither record of death nor injury in the incident. Permanent Secretary, LASEMA,…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has reported that its job application portal is experiencing downtime due to an overwhelming surge in traffic. On Friday, NNPC launched a recruitment drive for qualified candidates, with the application window set to close on August 20. The agency’s website is currently showing server error messages. In a statement on social media, NNPC explained that their technical team is working diligently to address the issue. “Due to unprecedented traffic to the NNPC Ltd. career page from applicants applying for vacancies, the site is currently experiencing slow load times,” the statement reads. “Our technicians…

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has shut down a total of 571 pharmacies and medicine shops across Bauchi State following a major enforcement operation. During a press conference, the Director of Enforcement at PCN, Pharm Stephen Esumobi, highlighted that the operation involved a total of 762 premises, including 88 pharmacies, 284 patent medicine shops, and 390 illegal medicine shops. Of these, 37 pharmacies, 144 patent medicine shops, and 390 illegal outlets were found in violation of regulatory standards and were subsequently sealed. The PCN’s enforcement operation was carried out in 10 local government areas; Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, Darazo, Ganjuwa,…

The Lagos State Government has closed down several businesses in the Ikorodu area of the state, as a way to tackle noise, air pollution, and other environmental infractions in the state. A statement by the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a statement on X.com on Friday, said the move was after a recently conducted comprehensive enforcement operation in key areas of the state, including Agric, Ibeshe, and Ikorodu. He added that despite prior warnings, several establishments, including hotels, bar, gas filling station, poultry farms, and lounge, continued to flout Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency’s directives. “As…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is set to hire more workers. The NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed this in a statement on Friday. Soneye said the recruitment would be for various positions across various departments within the energy company. He directed interested applicants to visit the NNPC careers page for application instructions. “NNPC Ltd is pleased to announce that we are currently hiring for multiple positions across various departments. We are seeking talented and dedicated individuals to join our team. Visit our careers page for application instructions,” Soneye stated. In an update, Soneye disclosed that due to unprecedented traffic…

A “massive attack” against France’s high-speed TGV rail network was an “outrageous criminal act”, Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said Friday, hours ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. There would be “very serious consequences” for rail traffic throughout the weekend with connections towards northern, eastern and northwestern France halved, Vergriete said, while rail operator SNCF chief executive Jean-Pierre Farandou said 800,000 passengers were affected. Details later AFP

The Federal Government has promised to further strengthen the 50-year old business relations between Nigeria and China. A statement by Special Adviser to the President, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, on Thursday, said President Bola Tinubu gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja, while receiving the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Chen Xiaodong. “For us, it is a new beginning with you. A relationship that has lasted over 50 years must be nourished, nurtured, and promoted. Our mutual commitment to the values of labour, understanding, and development is very important. I am very happy that President…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, revealed that his mother carried his pregnancy for 12 months before his birth by Mrs Benice Obasanjo. The former president attributed the delay in his birth to the influence of some witches and wizards who gave his mother a tough time before God’s intervention. According to a statement issued in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital by his media assistant, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former president gave the assertion during a drama presentation titled “Aremu omo Asabi” held, to mark 66 years remembrance of his late mother, Bernice Obasanjo. The drama was held on Wednesday at…