Author: Festus Adeloye

Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has directed the immediate removal of the Tax Clearance Certificate as a prerequisite for students’ registration in state-owned tertiary institutions. The Executive Chairman of the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, Salihu Enehe, disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing in Lokoja. Enehe explained that the governor’s directive aims to ease the burden on parents and guardians while encouraging educational pursuits in the state. “Parents and guardians are no longer required to present a TCC for registering their children and wards in Kogi’s tertiary institutions,” Enehe stated. However, he emphasised the importance of tax compliance,…

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that the “soul of America” is still at stake, as he prepared to deliver his farewell address to the nation before the return of Donald Trump. The 82-year-old Democrat will make a primetime speech from the Oval Office of the White House in which Biden is expected to tout the legacy of his single term in power. Ahead of the address at 8:00 pm (0100 GMT Thursday) Biden also released a letter to the American people which delivered an implicit swipe at Republican Trump. “I ran for president because I believed that the soul…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has clarified that registration for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry has yet to commence. The board assured candidates that details of the registration process will be announced in due course. In a statement shared on its official X account on Wednesday, JAMB also advised prospective candidates to begin preparations by securing their National Identification Number and a unique phone number. “You can get your NIN ahead and a phone number that has not been previously used to register on our platform to generate your profile code prior to the time,”…

One of the contenders for the Alaafin of Oyo throne, Prince Ayobami Ladigbolu, has recounted his experiences during the contest for the crown. In a statement published on Facebook on Tuesday, the prince congratulated the new Alaafin, Oba Abimbola Owoade, describing his emergence as divinely ordained. Reflecting on the competition, the prince expressed disappointment that some of his initial supporters abandoned him in favour of other candidates due to financial constraints. “I learned the value of money in one’s life from the race for the crown of Alaafinate. “Due to financial constraints, some of the people who first backed me…

Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, ending a weeks-long standoff with authorities and becoming the first president to be detained in the nation’s history. Yoon, who faces charges of insurrection over his short-lived effort to impose martial law last month, said he would comply with investigators to avoid “bloodshed”. A former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party (PPP) to election victory in 2022, Yoon could face the death penalty or life in jail if he is found guilty of insurrection. He had sought to evade arrest for…

The Senator representing Borno South senatorial district, Ali Ndume, has stated that he has too much respect for President Bola Tinubu to be a critic of him. Sen Ndune has been vocal over the economic situation under Tinubu stressing that the President is being misled by his advisers. The senator who was a guest on Channels Television’s PoliticsToday on Tuesday refuted claims that he is antagonistic towards President Tinubu but rather his condemnation is aimed at the policies. ”I am not criticising the President but his policies. I am not a critic of this government, it is our government” ”I…

A huge federal probe was underway Tuesday into what caused the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, with millions in the city clamouring for answers. Social media has exploded with theories about what started blazes that tore through the city of Altadena and the upmarket neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, killing at least 24 people and leaving whole communities in ruins. Suggestions include downed power lines, deliberate arson, a stray firework and the reignition of an earlier fire. But Jose Medina of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), which is leading the inquiry, said it was too early to say…

Following a backlog of unpaid debts, the Nigerian Communications Commission has authorised telecommunications companies to disconnect the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes assigned to nine financial institutions. The directive signed by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka on Tuesday and obtained by Channels Television, noted that the affected banks are to pay the outstanding debts by January 27, 2025, or risk losing access to their USSD codes. The regulator did not, however, state the amount of the debt owed by the nine banks. According to the NCC public notice, nine out of 18 financial institutions had not complied with…

Timileyin Ajayi, 32, has been remanded in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Nasarawa State Police Command in Lafia, the state capital for the alleged murder of a 24-year-old corps member, Salome Adaidu. Adaidu, who was serving in Abuja, was reportedly killed during a visit to Ajayi’s residence in the Papalana area of New Karshi, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Ajayi was arrested on Sunday, January 12, while attempting to dispose of Adaidu’s severed head after dismembering her body. He was subsequently paraded at the Nasarawa State Police Command headquarters, alongside the knife and machetes…

Princes from nine royal families in Oyo, collectively known as the Atiba 9, have rejected the appointment of Abimbola Owoade as the Alaafin of Oyo. The Atiba 9 described his appointment as unacceptable and a blatant disregard for Oyo’s revered traditions. Recall that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, presented the staff of office to the Alaafin-designate on Monday. The Atiba 9 criticised the decision, accusing Makinde of basing his action on a proclamation by US-based Awise Agbaye, Prof Wande Abimbola, who claimed that Ifa chose Owoade as the next Alaafin of Oyo. They argued that Owoade’s appointment was not only contrary to…