Author: Festus Adeloye

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wrote to the National Assembly on Thursday, requesting consideration and passage of the 2025 budget for the Rivers State government.  The President explained that N1.481 trillion is being presented to the National Assembly due to the Supreme Court’s nullification of the state’s 2025 budget and the fact that the state is currently under emergency rule. With the state Assembly not in session during the emergency rule, the National Assembly is expected to assume the legislative functions of the state Assembly per the provisions of the amended 1999 Constitution. According to the President, ₦324 billion of this…

Labour Party presidential candidate for 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has publicly dismissed recent allegations linking him to a secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu over a fabricated debt scandal involving Fidelity Bank, describing the claims as “baseless, malicious, and entirely false.” In a statement posted on his official X handle on Thursday morning, Obi expressed deep concern over what he called a growing business of blackmail targeting his public image. “It’s obvious that the biggest business for blackmailers now is talking about Peter Obi from every negative perspective,” he wrote, adding that even his “solemn spiritual trip to Rome” had…

U.S. President Donald Trump has condemned the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff outside a Jewish museum in Washington on Wednesday evening, calling it a “horrible” act of anti-Semitism. “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the United State.Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen!” the president said. Metropolitan Police chief Pamela Smith said a man and a woman were killed. She said a suspect was arrested and a weapon was recovered.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has stated that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar cannot use the party for his political ambition. Adebayo, who made the remark during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday, added that he will not step down for Atiku. The former presidential candidate also clarified that Atiku had not requested that anybody step down, pointing out that the SDP belongs to Nigerians. “I will not [step down], and he [Atiku] has not said anybody should step down. Neither me nor Vice President Atiku Abubakar can use the…

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has announced a ₦5 million reward for credible information leading to the recapture of seven inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun State, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The escape occurred after heavy rainfall damaged the facility’s perimeter wall at approximately 2:00 a.m. In a statement, Deputy Controller of Corrections and Public Relations Officer Umar Abubakar urged the public to report any information about the inmates’ whereabouts to the nearest security agencies, assuring confidentiality and anonymity. Contact details include: complaintresponsedesk@corrections.gov.ng, info@corrections.gov.ng, or phone numbers 07087086005, 09060004598, and 08075050006. Controller General Sylvester Ndidi…

The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has said that there was no conspiracy against any part of the country following the technical glitch in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Oloyede’s statement comes amid the controversy trailing the five states of the southeast zone and Lagos. Accusations have been thrown at the board, with many alleging that the southeast candidates were deliberately compromised. Dismissing the claims in a meeting with the management of the board on Wednesday, Oloyede said there was no such conspiracy. He also expressed regret over the death of…

The Oyo State Government is investigating the police officer who shot a secondary schoolboy during a routine traffic operation in Ibadan. The incident occurred on Alakia Old Road on Tuesday, causing outrage among residents and calls for justice. The government expressed condolences to the bereaved family and describing the event as sad, shocking and painful. The government stressed out that the incident was totally avoidable, noting that it stemmed from a traffic violation committed by the father of the deceased, who was driving against traffic. According to the statement, around 7:30 a.m., the father of the slain boy was driving…

The National Sports Commission, NSC, has disqualified six athletes in the on-going National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games 2024 holding in Abeaokuta, Ogun State for failing anti-doping tests. The NSC DG Hon Bukola Olopade, warned that any registered athletes discovered with antidoping issues cannot compete for scoring medals at the ongoing National Sports Festival Olopade made it clear after a strategic joint meeting of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee of the Games on Monday “This is in line with global best practices and the World antidoping Agency (WADA) code,” the commission said. The NSC DG charged…

For the first time since February 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has maintained the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 27.5 per cent. CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso announced the decision on Tuesday in Abuja following the 300th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Cardoso said all 12 MPC members voted unanimously to hold all key monetary parameters. The committee retained the Cash Reserve Ratio at 50 per cent for Deposit Money Banks and 16 per cent for Merchant Banks. The Liquidity Ratio remains at 30 per cent, and the Asymmetric Corridor was held at +500/-100 basis points around the MPR. The News…

A prison governor who had a relationship with a drug-dealing gang boss in the United Kingdom (UK) has been jailed for nine years. Kerri Pegg, 42, was seen as a “rising star” of the Prison Service, climbing the career ladder from graduate to governor at HMP Kirkham in Lancashire in six years. But her trial heard she “didn’t play by the rules” and began a relationship with major Liverpool crime figure Anthony Saunderson, helping him secure day release. Sentencing her at Preston Crown Court, Judge Graham Knowles KC told her: “You betrayed the public trust in you and you betrayed…