Author: Festus Adeloye

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda has finally agreed to step down from her position. A ranking lawmaker in the Assembly confirmed the development to TheScrutiny on Monday morning. According to him, Hon. Setonji David who represents Badagry Constituency 2 is expected to take over as the Speaker of the House. “It is true. She (Meranda) has agreed to step down. Setonji will be in charge for now” the lawmaker said in a terse text message to our correspondent. There has been mounting pressures on Meranda, who took over as Speaker following the removal of Mudashiru…

Osun state governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed the newly elected local government chairmen and councillors to stay away from their respective secretariats to prevent clashes with those allegedly occupying the offices illegally. Speaking on Sunday at the swearing-in ceremony held at Government House, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, Adeleke commended the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) for adhering to due process in conducting the elections. Addressing concerns over legal disputes surrounding the polls, the governor noted that while controversies existed, his administration was confident of acting within the rule of law and the constitution. He congratulated the newly elected local government officials…

Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, has said that the South-South remains the strongest region for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zonal congress in Nigeria. Wike made this statement on Friday at the South-South zonal congress in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, where a large number of delegates gathered to elect new leadership of the zonal working committee. The immediate past Rivers state governor emphasised that the Party’s constitution mandates zonal congresses to occur every four years. Consequently, the South-South zonal congress conducted in Cross River State on February 22, 2025, is definitive. Wike remarked on the…

Former Military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) said he did not retire late General Sani Abacha for lack of courage but for his safety and that of those dear and close to him. He made this revelation in his book – “A Journey in Service” launched on Thursday in Abuja. Though Babangida claimed he uncovered plots by Abacha to violently overthrow his administration, he also acknowledged his opposition to the outcome of June 12 election and return to civil rule. He however left him in the military when he “stepped aside” on August 27, 1993, an action many people…

US President, Donald Trump has fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who has served the nation for over 40 years, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the highest-ranking officer in the Navy, from their positions.  This marks the first instance in which two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been dismissed from their senior military roles simultaneously. As part of the transition, retired military officer Caine will return to active duty. However, before he can assume the role of the president’s chief military adviser and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, he must…

The Defence Headquarters has said troops on internal security operations across the country have killed 82 terrorists and arrested 198 criminals within one week. In a statement released on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Markus Kangye, said the troops also rescued 93 kidnap victims in one week and recovered 86 high-calibre weapons and 2,040 weapons across the theatres of operation in the country. According to the DHQ spokesman, 41 terrorists, comprising 10 males, 12 females, and 19 children, surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East. He said troops in the Niger Delta region…

The Federal Government has revealed plans to discontinue its visa-on-arrival policy, describing it as unsustainable and a potential security risk. The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Friday at the graduation ceremony of 100 officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service who underwent a five-day specialised training on the application of Advance Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record data in national security and law enforcement at the service headquarters, Abuja. Explaining the benefits of a data-driven visa system, Tunji-Ojo said, “We believe that it is better for us to make decisions based on objectivity rather than subjectivity. “Of course, that…

The Nigeria Customs Service, Western Marine Command, said it intercepted 53 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 1,958kg with a duty-paid value of N398m in Lagos. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Lomba Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. Speaking on the seizures, the Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Paul Bamisaiye, said that the contrabands were intercepted at Ilase Sea Beach, about 200 nautical miles from the Lagos Anchorage. He said that the smugglers tried to run away but were overpowered by the officers, “they abandoned the boat and jumped into the sea.” “The boat was quickly…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the relocation of 29 correctional centres across the country as part of ongoing efforts to modernise the nation’s custodial facilities. The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, confirmed this development during the commissioning of 39 newly acquired vehicles and five bullet-resistant guard booths for the Nigerian Correctional Service in Abuja on Friday. Tunji-Ojo highlighted that many of the existing correctional facilities, such as those in Suleja and Ikoyi, were established in the 19th century and are outdated. “Suleja Correctional Centre was established in 1914, Ikoyi in 1956, and we even have facilities from the 19th…

The Osun State High Court in Ilesa has ordered the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, (OSSIEC), to conduct elections for the vacant positions of local government chairmen and councillors in all the 30 local government areas and the area office in Osun State. This order was made on Friday, 21st of February, 2025, sequel to a suit brought before the court by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the political parties participating in the election.