Author: Chima Onyido

Amb. Bianca Ojukwu on Thursday in Awka refuted a report that a mass grave with 322 corpses had been found in Anambra. A Nov. 7 report in some sections of the media quoted a Nov. 6 post on the Facebook page of Ojukwu, Secretary to the Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (ATJPC), as the source of the story. “The former Nigerian ambassador to Spain did not disclose the exact area the grave site is located. “She said, however, that the discovery of the grave site was made through testimonies by witnesses who appeared before the ATJPC,’’ the report stated.…

The Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Thursday said 128 people lost their lives in 376 road traffic crashes recorded in the state between January and October 2023 . The Lagos Sector Commander, Mr Babatunde Farinloye, said this at news conference conference in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN)reports that the news conference was organised to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. He said 1,842 people and 662 vehicles were involved in crashes during period ,adding 237 people sustained various degrees of injuries. “The probable causes being excessive speed, dangerous driving…

Labour Party (LP) has urged Nigerians to disregard the news making the round that the Party was working out a merger arrangement with a political party. Mr Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. According to Ifoh, it is purely a news item twisted and sensationalised by a section of the media to embarrass the Party. READ ALSO: U.S., China to resume military-to-military communication – Biden “A news organisation called for a reaction as regards to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for opposition political parties to work together to fight against one…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State, says it will review the Appeal Court’s ruling which affirmed Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the March 18 Governorship Election in the state. The party said this in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, on Wednesday in Lagos. Amode said the party would not relent in its efforts of taking all necessary measures to promote democracy. “The party is in the process of reviewing the judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, which dismissed the main issues raised by the governorship candidate of our party, Dr…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has expressed optimism that its monetary policy initiatives are yielding the desired results. The bank’s Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isa AbdulMumin said this in Abuja on Wednesday, while speaking on the latest National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) figures. The NBS has revealed that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate for October 2023 has surged to 27.33%. The figure marks a 6.24 points increase compared to October 2022, which stood at 21.09%. However, AbdulMumin said the low increase in the average price level in October is an indication that the CBN’s monetary policy stance to tighten, as…

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has announced a cash award of between N10,000 and N25,000 to the state workers, with effect from December to April 2024. Mbah said that the government’s gesture was meant to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal. The governor hoped that the new minimum wage negotiation would soon be concluded. He disclosed this during a joint news briefing with the leadership of the organised Labour at the Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday. He said that his administration was also implementing other social interventions apart from the cash transfer to better the lives of…

Nigerian singer and rapper, Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji, widely known as OlaDips, has passed away at the age of 28 on Tuesday, November 14. The artist, recognized for his street hit ‘Lalakukulala,’ reportedly struggled with depression for the past two years, as confirmed by his management. In 2015, Oladips was announced as one of the winners of the ‘King is Here’ rap competition organised by DBanj. READ ALSO: Nigerian Music Industry Mourns the Death of Rising Star Oladips While the artist is best know for “Lalakukulala,” which he was featured by Reminisce, here are his most recent songs by the late…

The Nigerian music scene is in mourning following the loss of one of its rising talents, Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji, popularly known as Oladips. The 28-year-old artist passed away on Tuesday after a battle with an undisclosed ailment. A close friend shared the sad news, revealing, “I had been in touch with him. I learned he had been ill, but I did not know it was so serious. “I reached out to him on Tuesday, but he did not pick up my calls. That was when I suspected that something had happened. It is very sad news, but he is dead.”…

The Federal Government says it will establish industrial hubs to accelerate job creation to tackle rising unemployment in the country. President Bola Tinubu said this at the 55th International Conference of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) on Tuesday in Abuja. The theme of the conference is: “Sustainable Human Resources (HR), Business and National Development”. Represented by Nkiru Onyejeocha, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Tinubu said that his administration was geared to steer Nigeria towards self-reliance and reduce dependency on others in the face of global challenges. “We envision an unprecedented level of industrial activity, marked…

Nigeria recorded 27,698 Sexual and Gender Based Violence between 2020 and 2023. Mr Sunday Agbakaba, the Data Manager, Federal Ministry Women of Affairs, stated this during the train-the-trainers workshop on the use of the GBV dashboard and reportage, on Tuesday in Umuahia. He said the data was obtained since inception of the GBV National Dashboard between 2020 and October 2023. Breaking down the figures, Agbakaba said the ministry recorded 1,145 fatal GBV cases while 393 perpetrators convicted within the period under review. Agbakaba said the dashboard also showed 9,636 open cases; 3,432 new cases; 1,741 closed cases and 1,895 follow…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says the old Naira banknotes will henceforth remain legal “ad infinitum ”. CBN’s Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isa AbdulMumin, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. The CBN had introduced redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 denominations in October 2022. The apex bank also set certain deadlines for legal tender status of the old design of the denominations to cease to exist. However, in March, the Supreme Court extended the validity of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 till Dec. 31. READ ALSO: 6 dead, another 6 injured in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway auto crash…

Worried by the increasing cases of drug peddling and abuse in Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has solicited the support of LGA chairmen, security agencies, members of the NURTW and pharmaceutical companies in combating the scourge. The Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen Buba Marwa, who said the agency had arrested no fewer than 35,000 drug peddlers and secured 6000 convictions, solicited the support of the chairmen and organisations at an interactive meeting with them in Maiduguri on Tuesday. Marwa said that the remaining cases were still pending in court, adding that the support…

The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, Lagos State, said on Tuesday that it generated a total sum of N3.05 billion in 10 months. The Controller of Customs in the command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, disclosed this to newsmen at a news conference in Seme, Lagos. Bomodi said the command would continue to sustain tempo in harnessing all revenue components to achieve desired goals. “The target for the command for the year 2023 is N1,966,000,000 Only. READ ALSO: AGF complies with court order, takes over Stella Odua, CCECC’s trial “As of the end of October 2023, the command has collected N3,050,100,…

The Abia Government has shut down 197 ‘substandard’ private schools as part of its efforts to reform the education sector in the state. The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Okey Kanu, said this when he addressed newsmen at the Government House, Umuahia on the outcome of Monday’s state Executive Council meeting. Kanu said that about 900 private schools in the state had so far been inspected in the ongoing inspection of private schools. READ ALSO: Yiaga Africa seeks establishment of electoral offences commission He said that the exercise followed government’s resolve to improve the standard of education in the…

The Director of Servicom at the University of Calabar , Prof. Patrick Egaga was on Sunday night abducted by gunmen at the University staff quarters. Egaga who is a professor at the department of Special Education in the institution was said to have been abducted at his resident. The Police Command in Cross River which confirmed the abduction in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Calabar on Monday, said that action has been initiated to secure his release. The command’s spokesperson, SP Irene Ugbo who confirmed the incident, said that though the family didn’t report the…

Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State is taking the lead with over 65,000 votes after the collation of results in all local government areas (LGAs) in the state. Diri is seeking reelection in the Bayelsa Governorship Election held on Saturday. He contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). After the result of Southern Ijaw was declared, the margin between Diri and his closest challenger, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), climbed to 65,088. READ ALSO: Mother Kills 11-Month-Old Baby in Benue, Blames Poverty Diri polled a total of 175,196 votes while Sylva trailed with 110,108 votes. Officials of…

Renowned Nigerian comedian, Bovi Ugboma, popularly known as Bovi, said he received marriage proposals from three actresses, despite being married. The comedian said the actresses proposed to him when he attended the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), on Saturday. In a post on his Instagram page on Sunday, Bovi shared photos and videos from the AFRIFF event and stated, “Last night @afriff 3 actresses offered me marriage for a year. I turned them down because the offers came with responsibility.” READ ALSO: Bayelsa Guber Poll: Gov Diri’s Lead Narrows Following Brass LGA Results Reacting to it, actress Sharon Ooja lightly…

The lead of Governor Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Bayelsa State Governorship Election, which stood at over 60,000 during the suspension of collation on Sunday night, has now decreased to 58,577 after the inclusion of Brass Local Government Area results. The result from Brass LGA, the political base of Timipre Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), played a significant role in reducing the margin. READ ALSO: Fresh Tragic Boat Accident Kills 20 Children, 12 Parents in Taraba Timipre Sylva garnered 18,431 votes, while Governor Diri trailed with 12,602 votes. With this development,…

Renowned Nollywood actor John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, is currently battling with both health challenges and a family dispute. The actor, who is recovering after he had his leg amputated, has confront the dispute between his wife and daughter over donation funds. The thespian’s wife, Stella Maris Okafor, has alleged that his adopted daughter, Jazmine, has hijacked the money donated by good-willing Nigerians to the actor. Taking to her Instagram account, Stella while reacting to some accusations debunked a rumour which stated that she demanded money to buy a car with funds donated for Mr Ibu’s upkeep. READ…

The trial of Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola a.k.a Naira Marley charged with cyber crime, was on Monday, stalled before a Federal Court Lagos, as the court did not sit. The trial judge, Justice Nicholas Owiebo is said to be attending a judges’ conference.. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the defendant on charges bordering on cyber crime. IThe anti-graft agency preferred the charges on May 14, 2019 Fashola, who sang the popular song: “Am I a yahoo boy”, was consequently, arraigned on May 20, 2019 before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, but he pleaded not guilty. READ ALSO: KDSG…