Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational (NASU) and Associated Institutions have instructed their members across the country to mobilise for a national demonstration.  In a circular sent to all branch chairmen of the two unions and made accessible to the media in Abuja on Sunday, the unions announced that the demonstration will begin on July 9, 2024, across the federation’s state chapters, followed by a national protest in Abuja on July 18. The circular was signed jointly by NASU’s General Secretary and SSANU’s National President, Peters Adeyemi and Mohammed Ibrahim. The…

Troops from the Nigerian Army assigned for counter-terrorism operations in Yobe State have foiled a Boko Haram terrorist attack on high-tension electric pylons in the state.  Attacks on electricity infrastructure have increased recently, resulting in blackouts in affected areas. On December 28, 2023, terrorists in Borno State demolished three electricity towers, T193, T194, and T195, using improvised explosive devices. In June 2024, vandals demolished two towers, T193 and T194, on the 330 kilovolt single-circuit transmission line in Borno State. Concerned about the attacks, the federal government stated a desire to employ “power rangers” to protect electrical infrastructure across the country.…

Sadiya Umar-Farouq, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, has been ordered by the Federal High Court in Lagos to account for N729 billion in payments made to 24.3 million underprivileged Nigerians over the course of six months.  The court also ordered the former minister to give a list and information about the recipients who received payments, as well as the number of states covered and the amounts paid to each state. Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu delivered the decision in June in response to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project’s Freedom of Information petition, FHC/L/CS/853/2021. The group…

President Bala Tinubu’s stint as chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government ends today (Sunday).  The Authority’s 65th Ordinary Session is being held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, and he is anticipated to transmit the torch to another leader. Tinubu was unanimously elected head of the authority during its 63rd Ordinary Session in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, in July 2024. Since then, the Nigerian leader has faced obstacles, including military coups in member states. The president first took a firm stance against unlawful government transitions in the Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea and oversaw the…

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in possession of illicit substances. Yusuf Abdulrahman, a 25-year-old Batch C Corper, was arrested by the NDLEA at the Corpers Lodge in the Sumaila area of Kano State on July 3, 2024. His arrest was announced by the NDLEA in a statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi. According to the Babafemi, “In Kano, operatives on Wednesday, July 3rd, arrested a youth corps member, Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, at Corpers Lodge, Sumaila area of the city, with 1.250 kg…

Mr. Takai Shamang, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has been kidnapped in his hometown of Biniki, Kaura Local Government Area, Kaduna State.  His daughter, Mrs. Grace Abbin, confirmed the event to NAN on Sunday. She claimed that gunmen seized her 78-year-old father from his home in Biniki at 8 p.m. on Friday. Shamang is the President and Founder of the Gantys Aid for Widows, Orphans, and Needy Foundation, also known as GAWON. Between 1982 and 1989, he served as President General of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers, which has since become the National…

The National Electricity Grid on Saturday experienced another collapse, the fourth this year. The system failure led to a nationwide blackout in states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The national grid collapsed for the first time in 2024 on February 4, followed by a nationwide blackout on March 28 and another system collapse on April 15. Also, the grid collapsed for the fourth time this year at 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, according to electricity distribution companies. In a statement, Kaduna Electric, which serves Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states, said, “We regret to inform you that the power…

A robot has suffered bullying from human attendees at the recently concluded artificial intelligence exhibition in Shanghai. In a now-viral video, some humans at the event kicked, brutalised, and slapped the robot while making jokes about it. The machine, which faced the cruelty, could be seen looking for a place to hide; however, the bullying continued to the cheering of the crowd. In other news, Chronicle NG reported that the city council of South Korea claims a robot administrator committed suicide last week by plunging down a set of stairs; the loss is being lamented by the local media as…

Nollywood actress-turned-politician Tonto Dike has shown that she has the milk of human kindness in her veins by feeding over 2,000 children in the ghetto area of Ajegunle, Lagos State.  The Tonto Dikeh Foundation organised the effort, which seeks to better the lives of displaced and underprivileged women, girls, youths, and children in Africa, regardless of political, religious, or cultural backgrounds. Speaking through her project manager, Mr. Henry, at the event, Tonto Dikeh stressed the importance of feeding the children, given the current socio-economic hardship in the country. “The Feed 2,000 Children Project is one that we have planned to…

The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, has instructed operatives to raid cultists’ hideouts across the state, including hotels.  According to the authorities, the command intends to stop the Confraternity Day celebration from taking place in order to avoid potential attacks and bloodbaths by competing cult groups in any region of the state, including higher education campuses. The command stated that it received information about a planned statewide celebration of its founder’s day from the feared cult group ‘Neo-Black Movement’, commonly known as ‘Aye’ or ‘Black Axe’. Grace Iringe-Koko, the command’s spokesperson, revealed this in a statement released in…