Author: Festus Adeloye

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Nigeria’s security agencies have reaffirmed their commitment to tackling vote buying and strengthening electoral security ahead of the 2025 and 2026 elections. At the first regular meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, described vote buying as a significant threat to Nigeria’s electoral process. He noted that while arrests had been made in previous elections, more efforts were needed, especially as party primaries approached. He also stressed that electoral corruption extended beyond election day, as delegates were often bribed during party primaries to manipulate…

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy, Daniel Bwala, on Tuesday said he criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the past because he was in the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party. Bwala made this disclosure while speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show. “I criticised Tinubu’e election and administration in the past because I was in the opposition. “The opposition’s work is to criticise the sitting government and hold them accountable. My views changed after I met the President, and he saw a need to appoint me,” he said. Recall that before his appointment, Bwala accused Tinubu of rigging…

The UN chief called on Hamas Tuesday to proceed with planned releases of Israeli hostages, after the Palestinian militants threatened to postpone further hostage-prisoner exchanges agreed under a fragile Gaza ceasefire. “We must avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy,” Antonio Guterres said on X, appealing “to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages”. “Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume serious negotiations.” The ceasefire that went into effect on January 19 largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in the Gaza…

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Joe Ajaero, on Monday, stated that no governor has powers to ban labour unions, noting that union practice falls under the executive legislative list in the Constitution. This is just as he lamented that most governors are now living permanently in Abuja at the detriment of their states. Ajaero was reacting to the proscription of labour unions in state-owned tertiary institutions by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, at a town hall meeting with workers at the NLC Secretariat, Lokoja, the state capital. He said, “Let me say here, union practice falls…

A Magistrate Court sitting in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State has ordered the remand of a carpenter at the Kirikiri Correctional Facility for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl in the Ipaja area of the state. Newsmen learnt from a statement by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency on Sunday that the suspect was arrested following an escalation of the matter by a popular comedienne known as Princess. Princess had in a social media post alleged that a man raped a nine-year-old girl while urging her followers within the area to visit the scene to save the…

The UK government says it has launched an unprecedented crackdown on illegal working, with enforcement activity reaching record levels in January. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the latest figures on Monday, coinciding with the second reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill in Parliament. According to the Home Office, “Immigration Enforcement teams conducted 823 workplace raids across the country, a 48 per cent increase from the previous year. “These efforts led to 609 arrests, marking a staggering 73 per cent rise compared to January 2023.” The surge in enforcement is part of a broader strategy to dismantle smuggling…

The United States is set to impose 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports this week. President Donald Trump said this on Sunday to reporters aboard Air Force One that the tariffs, which he will announce on Monday, will apply to “any steel coming into the United States,” adding this will also affect aluminum. Trump imposed similar tariffs during his 2017-2021 presidency to protect US industries, which he believed faced unfair competition from Asian and European countries. Canada — which Trump has already threatened with tariffs — is the largest source of steel and aluminum imports to the United States, according…

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has paid tribute to the former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, describing him as a visionary leader whose impact on Lagos and Nigeria remains deeply felt. Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, and son, Chizi, lost their lives in a plane crash in the United States exactly a year ago. Speaking at a remembrance event at Eko Hotel, Sanwo-Olu said: “Lagos State has felt his absence very strongly in the last year, and people in this room know truly what I am talking about. “There are projects that would no doubt have moved faster…

No fewer than 10 people have been reportedly killed following a renewed cult clash in Obelle Community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Sunday. The violent incident has triggered panic, forcing many residents to flee the area for safety. This latest violence comes just days after unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, invaded the community on Wednesday, killing seven people. Sources told Newsmen that the renewed violence is a battle for supremacy between two notorious cult groups, Deybam and Icelanders, who resumed hostilities after over two years of uneasy calm.  The attack, where members of one group were…

Rescuers in southern China are searching for dozens of people missing after a landslide tore through a village, killing at least one person. The landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, took place in Jingping village in Yibin city in China’s Sichuan province on Saturday morning, Newsmen report. It left 28 people unaccounted for and buried 10 houses, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Nearly 1,000 personnel, including armed police, firefighters and medical professionals, continued rescue operations on Sunday, after President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to do everything possible to “minimise casualties and properly handle the aftermath”. Some officers navigated through the remains…