Author: Vincent Osuwo

Jamiu Abiola, the late Chief MKO Abiola’s son, has stated that if his father had been allowed to assume the presidency during the 1993 presidential election, Nigeria would have seen significantly better economic development. Speaking at Channels Television’s June 12 Special Forum on Thursday, which commemorated 26 years of uninterrupted democracy, Jamiu reflected on the global economic environment at the time and described the annulment as a missed opportunity for Nigeria to benefit from a period of international economic growth. “Nigeria would have been better because, at that time, it was a very special time in global times; that 1993…

Bhoomi Chauhan, a woman who was supposed to board the Air India flight that tragically crashed in Ahmedabad has spoken about her narrow miss, claiming she missed the plane by only 10 minutes. According to a Mail Online news article on Friday, Bhoomi Chauhan was on her way to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat to board aircraft AI-171 to London when heavy traffic created a significant delay, preventing her from boarding. Her late arrival saved her from a catastrophic crash that claimed 241 lives and left only one survivor. However, due to heavy traffic, she arrived at the…

Gunmen killed four people, including a nine-month-old baby, in Nkiendowro, Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State. The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, resulted in the deaths of two ladies and one male, with two others injured. The four were claimed to be transporting tomatoes from their farm in the Nkiendowro community to the Farin-Gada market in Jos when gunmen ambushed them, killing them. Joseph Chudu, the spokesman for the Miango Youths Development Association, confirmed the deaths to reporters in Jos on Thursday. According to Chudu, the victims were taken to the mortuary, while the injured were sent to the hospital,…

Lekan Abiola, a son of the late Chief Moshood Abiola—the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election—has revealed that former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) (retd.) has apologised to the family for invalidating the historic polls. Lekan revealed this on Thursday, during the MKO Abiola Memorial Symposium and preparations for the launch of a forthcoming book titled “MKO Abiola: Symbol of Democracy”, held in Lagos State. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the event, Lekan stated that the family felt a sense of relief following Babangida’s public acknowledgement and apology. “We returned from the United…

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has intervened in the dispute between Air Peace and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, following a confrontation at Lagos Airport last Wednesday. In a statement issued on his X page on Friday, Keyamo confirmed that he has been in direct contact with both parties since the incident occurred and has instructed aviation agencies to refrain from making hasty conclusions. “I have directed all aviation agencies to exercise restraint and adhere to the principle of hearing all sides before drawing conclusions,” the minister said. Keyamo appealed for calm and urged both…

Prosecutors in the Dominican Republic announced Thursday that they had arrested the owners of a nightclub that collapsed in April, killing 236 revellers, on manslaughter charges. Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel Espaillat were detained after the roof of the Jet Set club collapsed in the early hours of April 8 during a merengue artist Rubby Pérez show. Perez, 69, was one of the victims of Central America’s biggest catastrophe in decades, along with two retired Major League Baseball players and a province governor. Antonio Espaillat, a 59-year-old businessman, later revealed that the roof of the storied venue had been…

President Bola Tinubu asked Nigeria’s security agencies on Thursday not to harass citizens who criticise his administration, confirming his commitment to defending democratic rights, notably the right to free expression. During his Democracy Day speech at Abuja’s National Assembly Complex, the president stated that criticism, even of perceived unpleasant policies, must be permitted in a free society. He said, “Do not be afraid to hear an unkind word spoken against you. “Some of the best advice a politician gets sometimes comes from his most ferocious opponents, if they think well, though. We do not seek silence because the imposed silence…

Chief Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and 1999 presidential candidate, claimed that he, not Olusegun Obasanjo, won the election that restored Nigeria to civilian rule. Falae, who appeared on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Thursday as part of a special Democracy Day show, said that he was the legitimate victor of the 1999 presidential election but was denied a mandate due to results tampering. The elder statesman said that, based on a legal analysis of the vote tallies conducted by his legal counsel, late Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, he defeated Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic…

A Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been apprehended by the Australian Federal Police for allegedly trafficking students from Papua New Guinea and forcing them into unpaid labour on farms across Queensland under the guise of educational scholarships. 56-year-old Abubakar was arrested on Wednesday at the Brisbane Airport upon arrival from Papua New Guinea, where she was primarily based. Her arrest comes on the heels of a two-year investigation by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team, which launched a probe into her activities in July 2022 after receiving a tip-off from Queensland Police. According to the AFP, “A group of…

An Indian family of five was among the victims who died in the ill-fated Air India plane crash on Monday. Pratik Joshi, a software professional, was en route London from India with his entire family; his wife and three kids, when the plane crashed. Chronicle NG gathered that Joshi had been living in London for six years. Until his demise, he had long dreamed of building a life abroad for his wife and three young children, who stayed back in India. After years of waiting for due clearances, the dream was finally coming true. Our correspondent gathered that two days…