Author: Festus Adeloye

No fewer than 12 people have died from Lassa fever in Ondo State, with 112 confirmed cases and 353 reported infections, the state government has disclosed. The Acting Statistician-General of Ondo State, Olusola Ajayi, revealed this on Tuesday in Akure while addressing workers of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority. Ajayi urged the agency to collaborate with health stakeholders to ensure a cleaner environment and help curb the spread of the disease. “We are all in this together, and we must act fast. As of today, Ondo State has recorded 353 cases of Lassa fever, with 112 confirmed cases and…

At least five political parties are expected to participate in the forthcoming Saturday’s local government election in Katsina State. They include: the Accord Party, Booth Party, African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Other parties, numbering up to 86 however did not show interest for reasons only known to them. The chairman of the Katsina State Electoral Commission, Lawal Faskari, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing held at the headquarters of the agency along the Katsina Old Government House, Katsina. Arrangements, according to Faskari, have been concluded to ensure peaceful conduct…

Heavily armed police officers took over local government secretariats across Osun State on Tuesday. This followed the Court of Appeal ruling in Akure, which upheld appeals by the chairman elected under the All Progressives Congress in the October 15, 2022, local government elections. These chairmen and councillors had been removed by Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, in November 2022. However, the Appeal Court ruled in their favour. Following the judgment on Monday, there were disagreements over its interpretation. APC members claimed the ruling reinstated the sacked officials but the state government, through the Commissioner for Information…

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu (retd.), has requested the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate two senior officers of the Zone 7 Police Command over their alleged involvement in a civil land dispute, extortion and abuse of office. Argungu, in a letter to the IGP, urged the setting up of a competent committee to probe the officer in charge of the Legal Unit and the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations of the Zone. In a statement on Tuesday by the PSC’s spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, the PSC chairman accused the officers of violating…

Embattled former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai says he won’t opt for exile despite the many rumours that he might be arrested and tortured by the Bola Tinubu administration. El-Rufai, who has been embroiled in a battle of words with the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said he won’t be intimidated by the current administration. The former governor, in a response to a post by an X user Imran Wakili on the alleged plot to arrest him, said he would return to Nigeria from Egypt before February 20, 2025. He said, “I have been hearing these same…

The Federal Government has commenced ministerial press briefings as part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability in governance. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced this during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday. Idris stated that President Bola Tinubu had directed all ministers to appear periodically before the media to provide updates on their activities and policies. According to Idris, the briefings will serve as a platform for ministers to directly engage with Nigerians, highlight key developments in their respective ministries, and address public concerns. The minister noted that other ministers would also take turns…

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…