Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority has announced that the 50% BRT fare concession that was introduced in response to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s instruction will terminate on August 2, 2023. This was revealed in a statement released on Saturday by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority on its X account. The temporary 50% fee discount will cease this Sunday, with transit fares returning to pre-August 2 levels on Monday. The agency asked citizens to be aware of the change and to make the appropriate preparations for the return of regular transit fare rates that were in place prior to the…

No fewer than 128 people were killed and dozens injured in Nepal when a strong earthquake struck the western area of Jajarkot, officials said on Saturday, as houses in the area collapsed and buildings as far as New Delhi in neighbouring India shook. The magnitude-6.4 quake struck at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) on Friday, according to Nepal’s National Seismological Centre. The quake was estimated at 5.7 by the German Research Centre for Geosciences, down from 6.2 by the US Geological Survey. The quake is the deadliest since 2015, when two earthquakes in the Himalayan country killed almost 9,000 people. The…

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has apologized to the people of the state for the state’s current political crisis. Fubara who described the issue as “regrettable anxieties of the last few days,” added that sacrifices were necessary for peace to rule. Fubara made the remarks in a signed statement titled ‘Peace is priceless,’ which was distributed to journalists on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the state capital. While mentioning the bombing of the state House of Assembly building and the resulting schism among lawmakers, Fubara noted that his visit to the House was to examine the extent of the damage caused…

The executive governor of Akwa Ibom State, Gov. Umo Eno, has approved the transfer of N450 million as counterpart financing for the ‘Nigeria for Women Project,’ a World Bank initiative aimed at empowering women in the state. Eno made the announcement while hosting a World Bank group led by Nigerian Country Director Shudham Chaudhury at the Government House in Uyo on Thursday. While reiterating his administration’s willingness to collaborate in critical areas of agriculture and rural development, the governor stated that the organisation’s mission was consistent with his administration’s “ARISE Agenda.” The governor promised that the state will work to…

The Federal Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has issued a new Immigration Levels Plan, which will serve as a framework for its operations. The Immigration Levels Plan is published once a year to advise operations and prospective immigrants on how to apply. IRCC expects to welcome more than 465,000 immigrants to Canada in 2023 and roughly 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024. It intends to accept an extra 500,000 immigrants in 2025 and 2026. In terms of sponsorship, the spousal, partner, and children programme anticipates admitting 82,000 people in 2024 and 84,000 in both 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile,…

Grammy-award-winning musician Damini Ogulu, popularly called Burna Boy, has offered Nigerian bloggers money so that they will stop reporting about him. In a statement on his verified X account on Friday, the ‘On the Low’ crooner stated that although he had never paid any media house to publicize his brand, he was open to doing so now in exchange for no publicity. Burna Boy tweeted, “How far? All these Instablogs, PulseNg, e.t.c. abeg make all of una do meetings, then decide how much I go give all of una make una forget my name totally. I know I never paid…

English Premier League referee, Anthony Taylor, has been demoted to the English Championship for his poor decision-making. Taylor was in charge of officiating the Europa League final, which saw Roma denied a penalty on a clear handball by a Sevilla player. Following multiple complaints during the season, the most recent was the terrible performance in the last game between Wolves and Newcastle. Taylor, who officiated Newcastle’s disputed penalty against Hee-Chan Hwang in their 2-2 draw with Newcastle last weekend, will now oversee Preston’s Championship game against Coventry on Saturday. As a result, the English federation demoted him to the championship.…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have announced plans to go on a nationwide strike in response to the assault and kidnapping of their president, Joe Ajaero. According to a press conference conducted on Friday, the strike will take place on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. The leaders of the joint union have issued a six-point demand to the Federal Government, including the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police in Imo State and the Area Commander, among other officials, for their alleged complicity in the brutalization and humiliation of Ajaero and other workers.…

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX Trading Ltd, a cryptocurrency exchange service, has been found guilty of stealing $8 billion from consumers of his now-bankrupt company. The 31-year-old was convicted on Thursday in what has been termed one of the “biggest financial frauds on record.” After a month-long trial, a 12-member jury in Manhattan federal court convicted Bankman-Fried on all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy on Thursday. The verdict came just one year after FTX declared bankruptcy. Damian Williams, a top federal prosecutor in Manhattan who talked with reporters after the verdict, said that while players like the FTX…

Kenyan President William Ruto has announced that there will be an end to visa requirements for all African visitors by the end of the year. Kenya has become the fourth African country to abolish visas for African nationals, following Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin. For the past decade, the African Union (AU) has sought unrestricted travel for Africans inside the continent. Speaking at an international conference recently, Ruto said, “It is time we realised that having visa restrictions amongst ourselves is working against us.” However, according to Africa’s Visa Openness Index, which assesses how open each African country is to…