Author: Festus Adeloye

Billionaire tech mogul, Elon Musk, has announced his departure from the Trump administration, bringing an end to a controversial chapter in the United States governance marked by aggressive budget cuts and mass layoffs. Musk, who held a temporary position as a Special Government Employee, helped oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, ironically dubbed “Doge”, an agency tasked with drastically reducing federal spending and bureaucracy. In a post on his social media platform, X, Musk confirmed his exit, “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity…

Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reiterated his administration’s determination not to yield to blackmail from any quarter, particularly regarding the enforcement of ground rent payments. He stressed that his greatest challenge remains the refusal of some residents, especially the elite, to pay ground rents. “My greatest challenge is people refusing to pay their money. I will speak on that in the next media chat. And people just want facilities; people want infrastructure, but nobody asks where you are getting these funds from. Abuja is not one of the oil cities, we only rely on taxes. These are…

Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o, considered one of East Africa’s greatest literary figures, died on Wednesday, his daughter announced on Facebook. He was 87. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong’o this Wednesday morning,” wrote Wanjiku Wa Ngugi. “He lived a full life, fought a good fight,” she added. Messages of support and respect quickly poured in for the celebrated author, whose decision to stop writing in English and start using only his native Kikuyu made him a powerful symbol of post-colonial African identity. “My condolences to the family and…

Israeli Prime Minister,  Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday that the Israeli military had killed Mohammed Sinwar, the presumed leader of Hamas in Gaza and brother of the late former chief Yahya Sinwar. Netanyahu told parliament while reading a list of Hamas leaders killed in Israeli blitzes: “We eliminated Mohammad Sinwar.” It comes after reports that the chief, who was also one of the October 7 masterminds, had likely been killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 13. Israel appears to have successfully eliminated Sinwar Jr by bombing what it said was Hamas’ command centre under the European Hospital in the…

Controversial Nigerian singer and internet personality, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington or Akpi, has defended himself amid backlash over a video in which he claimed to have slept with a 15-year-old girl. In a follow-up video posted on Wednesday via his social media handle, Akpi claimed the controversial remark was a publicity stunt to promote his music, not a real confession of any bad act. “This video is for all, I guess, fans and followers that are angry that I made a video saying I slept with a 15-year-old,” he said. “I’m an artist. We need controversy to…

The US government has halted the scheduling of new interviews for international student visa applications as it scrutinises applicants’ social media presence more closely. The command was given by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a cable addressed to embassies throughout the world on Tuesday, according to Politico. This implies that US embassies in Nigeria and many other countries would halt scheduling new interviews for persons applying for student visas, such as the F-1 visa. Although this is only temporary, no new candidates will be able to schedule an interview, which is a necessary stage in the student visa…

President Bola Tinubu has said his administration would ensure that every stolen asset from the country is recovered. The president made the declaration while declaring open a Summit on Asset Recovery in Abuja, yesterday. He was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Nadungu Gagare. According to him, asset recovery is a vital tool in our anti-corruption strategy as it is not merely a legal exercise but a moral obligation. “Recovering stolen public funds and channelling them towards developmental needs represents both justice and restitution. “It…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has firmly rejected claims made by social media influencer, VeryDarkMan (VDM), accusing the agency of extortion in its regulatory enforcement at Onitsha Bridge Head Market.  In a rejoinder on Tuesday, the agency described VDM’s comments as inciting and potentially in violation of the Cybercrime Act, stating that it has reported the matter to relevant security agencies for investigation. VDM, in a widely circulated Instagram video surrounded by protesting traders, alleged that NAFDAC extorted ₦700,000 from the traders for a service they were unaware of. He displayed a document he…

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced Mamman Nasir Ali, son of a former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali, and a Sierra Leonean, Christian Taylor to 14 years imprisonment each, over a N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud. Justice Dada jailed Ali and Taylor alongside an Oil firm, Nasaman Oil Services Limited, after finding them guilty of an amended 57-count charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The defendants were first arraigned before the court in 2012 on a 49-count charge of…

Former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has berated the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the protracted crisis rocking the party. Suswam, who spoke on a national television today, faulted leadership of the party for holding secret meetings with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, without the knowledge of major stakeholders. He said that the FCT minister can’t be blamed for the withdrawing on the said agreement. Wike, had in a statement released on Sunday, announced his withdrawal from the reconciliation efforts, blaming Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Enugu State Governor Peter…