Author: Festus Adeloye

The leadership of Labour Unions in Ekiti state has endorsed Governor Biodun Oyebanji for a second term in office, citing his exceptional commitment to workers’ welfare and all round development of the state for their decision.  Speaking at a Labour Round Table Meeting with the Governor at Lady Jibowu Hall of the Government House in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday evening, the labour leaders also vowed to continue to support the governor in the realization of all his lofty policies and programmes aimed at achieving his shared prosperity agenda, with a promise not to allow miscreant disrupt the pace of progress…

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has signed a fresh two-year contract with the club. The 33-year-old centre-back’s previous contract had been set to expire at the end of the season. The Dutchman has joined forward Mohamed Salah, who signed a two-year extension last week, in committing his future to the club. “It was always Liverpool,” said Van Dijk, who had been linked with a move to Paris St-Germain. That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool.” The Dutchman, who has made 314 appearances for the Reds, was named…

Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi- final of the Champions League after defeating Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarter- final stage. Barcelona will square up with Inter Milan in the other semi-final match. The gunners who had a 3-0 lead in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last week, dominated Real Madrid in both legs, winning 2-1 in the second leg with a 5-1 aggregate. In the other quarter-final game, Inter Milan progressed to the semi- final with a 4-3 aggregate win over Bayern Munich.

The Rivers State Government has dismissed a viral report claiming that the state’s Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd), summoned suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, for interrogation. In a statement signed by Sir Dede Friday, Permanent Secretary of the Special Service Bureau in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the government described the report as false and lacking any official source. The statement urged the public to disregard the claim, labeling it as the work of individuals attempting to destabilize the state. It also cautioned against other fake announcements circulating on social media and…

The trade war between China and the United States has taken a new dimension as China now faces tariffs of 245 percent on imports into the United States, “as a result of its retaliatory actions,” the White House was quoted as saying. This development also comes as President Donald Trump authorised an investigation into “national security risks posed by the US’ reliance on imported, processed critical minerals and derived products,” which includes cobalt, lithium, nickel, and rare-earth metals used in the manufacture of smartphones, batteries for electric vehicles, and military equipment. Trump, meanwhile, has said China needs to make the…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has dissociated itself from the ongoing circulation of false, misleading, and criminal messages targeting candidates that registered for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said these messages were being disseminated by suspected fraudsters with the intent to defraud unsuspecting individuals. Benjamin noted that the perpetrators had exploited the numerical variant of UTME, 8863, and merged it with the Board’s sort code, ‘55019’, to create a deceptive sort code that mimics JAMB’s official messaging system. According to him, through this…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a comprehensive investigation into an alleged N1.3 trillion cryptocurrency fraud connected to the now-defunct digital investment platform, CryptoBank Exchange (CBEX). According to the EFCC, the commission is collaborating with the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) to trace local and international suspects involved in the massive scam and get back the monies of those who invested in the scheme. CBEX, said to have been run by a group of foreign nationals in collaboration with Nigerian partners, abruptly shut down operations on Monday. The sudden collapse left thousands of investors locked out of…

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), says Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose  to 24.23  per cent in March 2025. The NBS disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Inflation Report for March 2025, which was released in Abuja. According to the report, the headline inflation showed an increase of 1.05  per cent compared to the  23.18 per cent recorded in February 2025. Furthermore, the report said on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in March 2025 was 3.90  per cent, which was 1.85 per cent higher than the rate recorded in February 2025 at 2.04 per cent.…

The Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Emomotimi Agama has warned celebrities and influencers against promoting unregistered investment platforms. He noted that promoting or endorsing ponzi schemes could attract legal consequences, maintaining that the commission frowns upon promotion of meme coins or projects that harm the public. Agama stated this during a virtual engagement with fintech stakeholders on Monday, April 14, 2025. This is as the commission cautioned the public against investing in unregistered digital investment platforms, amid mounting concerns over the rising popularity of such platforms. This renewed stance by the commission follows social media uproar following the…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has reminded Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.) that by the provision of the 1999 Constitution (As amended), he must report to the National Assembly in running the affairs of the oil-rich state. The Speaker gave the charge in Abuja on Tuesday while inaugurating the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State. Recall that on 18 March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule in Rivers State, following the political crisis that pitched the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, against the State House of Assembly.…