TRENDZ

 In the wake of the recent coup that is sweeping across Africa, with that of GABON being the current, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged the military leaders in Nigeria to resist the temptation to follow the path of the Gabonese army regarding the ousting of President Ali Bongo in a bloodless Coup d’etat. On Wednesday, August 30, 2023, it was reported that military leaders in Gabon took over power from President Ali Bongo, whose family had held on to power in the Central African country for a combined 56 years. The development comes barely over a month after military leaders in the Niger Republic deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup. Reacting to the latest incident in Gabon, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, MURIC’s Executive Director, advised Nigerian military leaders to remain apolitical and shun the whispers of military intervention in Nigerian democracy. Akintola's advice was conveyed in a statement on Wednesday evening, in which he also condemned the sit-tight syndrome adop...

  Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has given an explanation as to why Nigerians chose President Bola Tinubu over the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, in the February 2023 general elections. The fiery Minister declared this in an interview granted on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The Minister, also the former Governor Rivers State, argued that had Peter Obi been a better candidate, Nigerians would have voted for him instead of Tinubu. The Minister also openly admitted that he supported the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Tinubu, at the very expense of the torchbearer, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the controversial poll. When asked whether Obi would have adopted a better approach to resolving Nigeria's knotty economic challenges if he had been elected, the FCT Minister tried to shy away from the questi...

Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Soludo The governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has announced an interim response strategy to cushion the impact of petroleum subsidy removal on the citizens of the state. The Governor said this in a state broadcast in Awka, the state capital, on Monday. According to him, the fundamental re-setting of the macroeconomic framework which Nigeria was going through was long overdue though it came with hardship. He said Anambra state was in support of the Federal Government agenda and would partner it to make sure that Anambra residents benefited maximally from the federal programmes  despite the fact that they belong to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). " In the meantime and over the remaining four months of the year as well as within the context of our 2023 budget framework, we are rolling out a few immediate and medium-term measures. "Anambra government will be distributing rice to over 300,000 households in the coming weeks acro...

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Human Rights Activist, Femi Falana, has raised strong worries over the Federal Government's allocation of ₦5 billion for fuel subsidy removal palliatives, referring them as diversionary and wasteful. Falana made this assertion during an interview on Friday, August 18, 2023, aired on Channels Television. He stressed that the very root cause of the economic challenges that are facing the nation lies in the dollarisation of the economy. He highlighted the necessity for addressing this foundational issue rather than merely providing temporary interventions as solution. Falana expressed his belief that the Central Bank of Nigeria's decision to float the Naira on the foreign exchange market was a wrong step taken, claiming that it has contributed to the country's ongoing economic woes. According to him,  "The majority of the interventions we're witnessing are short-term and sometimes even serve as distractions from the primary concern, wh...

The 14th Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. (NAN) Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the 14th Emir of Kano State, has encourage the Nigerian masses not to feel intimidated by political leaders in the country, saying " We take too much rubbish " from politicians. Sanusi, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, voiced this in a video that has now gone viral on social media.  Speaking in the video, the former Emir warned that if politicians are given free reigns, coming generations of Nigerians might have no country to lay hold to as their own. He also said the fact that most Nigerians are not participants in the political fray does not, in any way, make them inferior to their leaders, adding that the citizens are too scared in their comfort zones. Sanusi noted by saying “ We cannot be intimidated by somebody because you are a president or you are a governor, and we cannot tell you that you are wrong." Speaking further, he said, “We have chosen different parts. If I had gone i...

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, in an event, has explained why addressing corruption in Nigeria has been very difficult and looking like an impossible task. The speaker, in his speech, affirmed that there’s a high level of corruption within the corridors of power, which according to him has slowed down Nigeria’s ability to reach its full potential. Abbas made this known this while speaking at an event held by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on Policy Dialogue on Corruption, Social Norms and Behavioural Change in Abuja on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. The speaker pinpointed behaviours, norms, attitudes, expectations, weak governance structures, lack of transparency as some of the factors that contribute to the thriving of corruption in the country. He was quoted of saying  “Despite this recognition, certain corruption-inducing behaviours, norms, attitudes, and exp...

Alex Otti, Governor of Abia State The Panel of Inquiry for the Recovery of Government Property and Funds in Abia has come out to assure the public that there shall be no witch-hunt in the discharge of the assignment that was given to it. The chairperson of the panel, retired Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe, gave this assurance  on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 in Umuahia. At the inaugural sitting of the panel, she was quoted to say " The panel will discharge its duty faithfully and impartially." According to her, the panel was mandated to thoroughly investigate alleged looting of government property and funds and the conversion of the resources to personal use by some government officials between May 2015 and 2023. She affirmed that the panel would make use of all the powers provided by the Laws of Abia State of Nigeria (2005) in relation to the obtaining of evidence in conducting its proceedings. Justice Duruoha-Igwe said “ Ours is not an inquisition and we shall not carry on as if...

  Earlier in the previous week, Nigerians all around the world were taken by surprise when we saw our very own comedian and skit maker known as Josh2Funny on the popular American TV show, America's Got Talent. On the show, Josh2Funny came out thrice acting as a supposed contestant, and these three times, he came out with three different acts.  Though he got no 'YES' from any of the judges, yet he ended up captivating and capturing the hearts of the audience in a stunning way as well as getting the baffled judges to do nothing but laugh. Since the posting of the video on social media, the only question majority of the viewers all over the world have been asking is: HOW WAS JOSH2FUNNY ABLE TO PULL THIS ACT? How was he able to, not only go to America's Got Talent, but also come out not once, not twice, but three times. During an interview with the Punch Newspaper, Josh2Funny explains how everything came together. Here is what he said about the act. JOSH2FUNNY : I was invi...

  Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation. As Nigerians await the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) on the February 2023 presidential election, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has urged Nigerians to be well prepared, mentally and emotionally, for any outcome. The organisation made this call in a statement by its Secretary General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro on Monday, August 14, 2023. However, the organization expressed its concern over the conduct of the presidential election, saying that " the introduction of electronic transmission of votes was expected to enhance " the electoral process but the “ outcome left many Nigerians disheartened and demoralised. ” The organisation maintained that Nigerians awaiting the verdict of the PEPT judges with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. It is against this background that the Ohanaeze made a call on Nigerians to prepare for surprises in the tribunal’s ruling...

A former member of the Imo House of Assembly, Mrs Ngozi Obiefule, has come out to laud Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s choice of a female running mate and she described it as an evidence of his commitment to gender balance. The lawmaker commended Governor Uzodimma for agreeing to heed the call for greater women’s participation in governance and called on politicians at all levels to follow the same path, as this is, according to her, in line with the National Gender Policy, demanding for 35% affirmative action for women. Obiefule, who represented Isu state constituency in Imo on two-term, made this known while interacting with newsmen in Owerri on Monday. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Uzodimma, candidate of the ruling APC for the November 11 governorship election in Imo, unveiled Mrs Nnedinma Ekomaru as his running mate on Saturday. Obiefule stated that with zero women representation in the current Imo Assembly as constituted, the governor’s choice of Ekomaru was significant of h...

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in responding to the recent sharp fall of the naira to over ₦950/$ in the parallel market, coupled with an exacerbating scarcity of foreign exchange, has issued a strict warning to commercial banks involved in the unlawful trading of foreign exchange across the country. Allegations have been making waves that certain commercial banks have been diverting foreign exchange away from legitimate channels and channeling them into the unofficial foreign exchange market. The acting Governor of CBN, Folashodun Shonubi, delivered these crucial remarks during a lecture entitled " Diaspora Remittances and Nigerian Economic Development " in Abuja. He highlighted the urgency of enforcing strict measures to fight and curb the illicit remittances to ensure that funds are directed and channeled through proper avenues to bolster economic growth. Shonubi, unequivocally, declared " We will not hesitate to expose and condemn the commercial banks engaged i...

The former president of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, has openly challenged Christians in Nigeria to fully involved in politics , through participation, to clean up the corruption that has eaten deep into the electoral process in the country. According to the former President, the involvement of the church in the nation's politics will bring about required sanitisation in the electoral process in Nigeria that has been, overtime, characterized by corruption. Obasanjo made these statements at the 57th annual convention and 67th anniversary of The Gospel Faith Mission International held at the Gospel City, Ogunmakin, on Lagos/Ibadan expressway in Ogun State on Saturday, August 12, 2023. Speaking on the theme, ‘The Roles of the Church in Nation Building at a Time Like This,’ Obasanjo said the church must rise to the occasion and save the country at a time like this when insecurity, hopelessness, poverty, and depression are prevalent. “ The foundation of election in Nigeria is c...

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has called on Christians in Nigeria, especially his church members, to pray against fresh wars, within and outside the country’s borders. This call was made by the clergyman during the church’s 71st Annual Holy Ghost Convention Service, tagged “ Beyond Expectations ” on Friday night in Mowe, Ogun State. He stated that the country already has many wars that it is fighting, such as kidnapping, terrorism and killings He was quoted of saying “ Surely, we don’t want more wars, we want to win the ones we are fighting, not fresh ones whether inside or within our borders. “Those of you who believe in peace in every section, should stand up and pray to say. "Father, have mercy on Nigeria because of those of us who are your children. “I encourage you all, God still answers prayers, do not be discouraged because tomorrow will be alright,do not be distracted. Nigeria still needs a lot of prayers."...

With the happenings in some parts of Africa with the latest happening in Niger Republic, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has openly condemned the call for the military to interfere in the country's democracy, stating that it is highly unpatriotic and wicked of anyone to ask for this. The Director Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, in a statement issued  on Friday 11, 2023 in Abuja, stated that this was an attempt by unpatriotic and wicked elements to distract the military from responsibly performing its constitutional responsibilities. Gusau said the DHQ frowned at the report being circulated online about welfare issues in the Armed Forces of Nigeria. According to his statement, the leadership of the armed forces has prioritized the welfare of its personnel and will continue to do so. The statement reads: “The military hierarchy detests any attempt by any individual or group to instigate the law abiding military to embark on any unconstitutional change of government in the...

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, says the Nigerian Navy has decided to take advantage of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies to enhance its operational activities. Ogalla made this known during the presentation of a paper by navy participants of National Defence College (NDC) Course 31, entitled “ Artificial Intelligence and Ship Maintenance: Strategic Options for the Nigerian Navy by 2035 ”. He revealed that the use of AI, was considered very important because it is significantly and positively changing the maritime industry, adding that the Nigerian navy was embracing it to improve the availability of ships towards enhancing operational effectiveness. He said that ships were increasingly becoming sophisticated with advancement in technology and incorporation of AI and other emerging technologies in their construction, adding that the Nigerian navy must be up to date in the adoption and integration of these technologies in order ...

A Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) service provider, Seiminiyifa Franklin Matthew, has taken to his social media page to recount his experience as a seasoned CAC service provider. According to him, " CAC registration looks simple but is very legal, and if care is not taken. It can land you in jail." Stated below is his experience First, let me school you. You see, CAC Registration is divided into 2 phase.  1. Pre-registration phase: This is when you want to register a fresh Business name, Company & NGO. In This phase. There is little or no risk at all. Just ensure you do not defraud anybody when you are paid to carry out registrations. The risk of going behind bars when a job goes sour is like  4%.  2. The POST Incorporation phase: This has to do with everything you do after the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)  has issued you a Certificate of Incorporation. Such as filing of annual returns, change of company name, change of director,  re-allotment ...

The President of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has on Thursday August 10, 2023, addressed the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government over the military coup that overthrew the democratic government in Niger Republic. Reporting the news, NaijaNews  stated that Tinubu, who is the Chairperson of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, addressed the leaders of the regional body at an Extraordinary summit held at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Here is the full opening speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the meeting. Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government; Your Excellency, the President of the ECOWAS Commission; Your Excellency, President of the African Union Commission; Your Excellency, President of the UEMOA Commission; The Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in West Africa and the Sahel; and Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen. 1. Let me commence by welcoming you all ...

Popular Nigerian skit maker, comedian and activist Adebowale Adedayo, otherwise known as Mr Macaroni, has called out the Nigerian senate for their selfishness and corruption. Mr Macaroni took to his verified Twitter page to blast them as he responded to a viral video of the Nigerian senate making rounds on social media on August 9, 2023. In the video, Godswill Akpabio, Nigerian senate president, was seen informing the members of the senate that they had been allocated an allowance in order to 'enjoy their holiday'. Mr Macaroni, in his tweet that is making waves, questioned Akpabio and the other leaders. His tweet reads, " These are the leaders that have asked struggling Nigerians to make sacrifices if they want things to work in the country. So while Nigerians are going through unbearable hardship, our leaders are sending money to themselves to enjoy holidays." The activist cum comedian expressed his dissatisfaction over the lack of sacrifice of the leaders, noting th...

A physically challenged barber has been remanded in police custody for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl. According to citinewsroom.com, the suspect, identified as 45years old Abdul Razak, allegedly committed the crime on Monday, August 7, 2023 at Nayilifond, a suburb of Yendi in the Northern region of Ghana. The prosecution led by Inspector Nicodemus Yorke said the offence violates section 101 (2) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29). He prayed the court, presided over by Judge Anthony Aduku-Aidoo, to remand the suspect, saying investigation was still in progress on the alleged crime. He argued that the police needed more time to carefully look at the evidence and circumstances surrounding the alleged crime. A request which Judge Aduku-Aidoo granted. Razack is expected to make his next reappearance before the court on the 15th of August. His involvement in such crime has left majority in his neighbourhood in a state of shock as he is said to be a respected Muasin (someone wh...

It is so shocking how a woman who was attacked by a hungry crocodile survived the incident after about 1 hour and 30 minutes struggling for freedom in the jaws of the deadly reptile. According to reports, Falmira De Jesus, a 38-year-old worker at a palm oil plantation in Indonesia's West Kalimantan Province, was collecting water from a shallow stream covered by green grasses in Ketapang Regency on July 27 when a crocodile attacked her from ambush. As the mother of two drew near the stream, the crocodile grabbed her leg and dragged her under the water. Falmira's scream for help, while battling the crocodile to avoid submerging her, alerted other workers on the plantation who rushed and came to her rescue. In a video that has gone viral, she was seen struggling to keep her head above water while her coworkers dip wooden poles into the water, and others hit the surface of the water with sticks in a bid to save her. Witnesses had claimed that the crocodile held Falmira for 90 minut...

  Canadian rapper, Tory Lanez, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. This comes after he, Tory Lanez, was declared guilty for shooting hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion in the foot after the pair left a Los Angeles party in 2020. Lanez was found guilty on three gun-related charges in December and has been held in jail since. The shooting, which polarised the music world, left Megan Thee Stallion needing surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot. According to the LA District Attorney, George Gascón, the judgement is that Megan's fame "has brought an important spotlight on the issue of violence against women". The hearing which began on Monday and ended on Tuesday, ended a high-profile case in which Megan Thee Stallion was subjected to what prosecutors called "repeated and grotesque attacks." Meanwhile, the prosecutors had asked the judge for a 13-year prison sentence as they claimed that Tory Lanez deserved a lengthy sentence, than what he was give...

No fewer than three suspects have been arrested over the death of a police constable in Konkiyel village of Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The state police spokesman, SP Ahmed Wakil made this known on Wednesday. According to him, six of the suspects’ accomplices were still at large. Wakil, in his statement, stated that the constable, Mr. Bala Magaji was on official duty in Konkiyel village when he was attacked by the mob that cut him with machete and hauled stones at his head. Wakil stated that “three suspects have so far been arrested over the incident while six others are still at large. “ Suspects arrested have confessed to the gruesome killing of the officer with a machete, sticks and stones,’’. According to him, one of the suspects, in his confession, stated that they attacked the constable in the dark and dealt him multiple machete blows. “ Other accomplices used stones and sticks to hit the officer on the head, resulting in multiple injuries and loss of blood. “Sy...