Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has backtracked on his directive for security operatives to arrest persons with dreadlocks in Minna, the state capital. Bago, while speaking at a stakeholders’ security meeting held at the government house on Tuesday, had directed security operatives to cut the dreadlocks of such arrested residents and impose fines on them. “Anybody that you find with dreadlocks, arrest, barb the hair, and fine the person. “Nobody should carry any kind of haircut inside Minna. I have given marching orders to security agencies,” the governor said. However, on Wednesday, the governor made a U-turn on his…
Author: Admin
Ghanaian President John Mahama has suspended the country’s Supreme Court chief justice – a move that marks a first in the country’s history. An investigation has been launched and three undisclosed petitions have been filed making allegations against Gertrude Torkornoo, calling for her permanent removal. Chief justices in Ghana enjoy security of tenure – meaning they can only be removed from office on a few grounds, which include incompetence and misbehaviour. The content of the petitions has not been made public and she is yet to comment, while Ghana’s former attorney general has claimed her suspension is an attempt…
By Peter Obi Today, I joined Francis Cardinal Arinze, global dignitaries, and thousands of mourners at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, to pay my final respects to His Holiness, Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21. The solemn lying-in-state ceremony was a moment of deep reflection, as the world bids farewell to a man who embodied humility, simplicity, and selfless service. Pope Francis was more than a Pontiff; he was a moral light in a world darkened by inequality and indifference. His life was a testament to leadership as a sacred duty, one rooted in compassion, truth, and service to…
The Nigeria Customs Service has attributed the continued smuggling of petrol across Nigeria’s borders despite the removal of subsidy to price differential in neighbouring countries. Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during the service’s first quarter performance briefing in Abuja. He explained that despite the removal of the fuel subsidy, it is still profitable for smugglers to take fuel illegally from Nigeria because of the price dynamics. He said the development has made smuggling the fuel pricing very attractive to smugglers. According to him, although Nigeria has ended its subsidy regime, the relatively lower pump price still incentivises…
-laments of marginalisation The Ijaw Youth Council, Eastern Obolo clan in Akwa Ibom State, has restated its demand for the award of surveillance security contract pledged by Sterling Global/Natural Oil Field Services operating in the area. It also raised concern over the alleged marginalisation of the Eastern Obolo Council, lamenting that for over 10 years, successive administrations, beginning from Udom Emmanuel, had yet to appoint any person from the council as commissioner into the state executive council. In a communique issued in Uyo on Wednesday, after a meeting held to inaugurate new chapters as Operational Areas, the group said the…
In a brief but symbolic ceremony, Lieutenant Colonel Onyechi Appolonia Anele has assumed command as the pioneer female Director of Army Public Relations (D APR) in acting capacity, marking a significant milestone in the Nigerian Army’s efforts to promote diversity and gender inclusion. In a ceremony held today, Tuesday 22 April 2025 at the Army Headquarters, Abuja, Lieutenant Colonel Anele took over from the immediate past D APR, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, whom has been redeployed to the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Abuja. Speaking during the handing and taking over ceremony, Lieutenant Colonel Onyechi Anele expressed gratitude to…
By Bassey Ibiatisuho Olympian and current International Technical Official of the International Weightlifting Federation, Coach Lawrence Iquaibom has been elected as a member of the Technical Committee of the Weightlifting Federation of Africa. Coach Iquaibom, a retired Director of Sports in the Akwa Ibom State Civil Service was elected today in Mahebourg, Mauritius at the ongoing African Weightlifting Congress. The prestigious event brought together top officials and stakeholders from across the continent to discuss the future of weightlifting in Africa. In a telephone interview, the widely travelled official said “this forms part of my happy moments in weightlifting, I feel…
Quadri Alabi, the 17-year-old boy who gained national attention after standing in front of the convoy of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, during the 2023 election campaign, has revealed a harrowing experience of being detained and made to clean faeces all day at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos. Alabi made the revelation on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s morning programme, The Morning Brief. Alabi told his story from the beginning: “Since the viral campaign picture surfaced, it seems like some people have been keeping a close watch on me. “Someone even threatened my mum, saying that…
The Vatican has announced that the funeral for Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, will be held on Saturday. His death on Monday at the age of 88 follows a prolonged period of health complications, including a recent respiratory crisis that left him critically ill. The Pope passed away in his apartment, according to the death certificate released by the Vatican. He had been hospitalized earlier this year for bilateral pneumonia and had been receiving treatment for more than five weeks. As preparations for the funeral proceed, the general congregation of cardinals is set to begin…
National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, says the party is working closely with the National Assembly to realise the long-sought goal of diaspora voting. Ganduje spoke while inaugurating a new executive committee for the France chapter of the party in Paris. Creating a legal framework for Nigerians in diaspora to vote in Nigeria during elections has been a long-standing issue. However, in the last quarter of 2024, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Sadiq Abdullahi, lawmaker from Kano state; jointly sponsored a proposed legislation seeking to enable…