Author: Vincent Osuwo

Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has said that he would have removed the petrol subsidy and floated the naira if elected president, but would have done so gradually and in a more organised manner. Speaking during an interview with Arise Television on Monday, Obi emphasised that, while he supports the policies, their implementation by the current administration was poorly managed. Obi said, “I have consistently maintained that I would have removed the fuel subsidy. “If you go to my manifesto, it is there, along with the steps I would have taken in an organised…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project Nigeria (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and halt what it describes as a “purported threat” by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to shut down 34 foreign embassies in Abuja over unpaid ground rents. In a statement on X on Monday, SERAP warned that such action would violate international law and diplomatic conventions. “President Tinubu should urgently caution and direct the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately withdraw the threat to close down 34 embassies in Abuja,” the group stated. SERAP referenced Article 22 of the Vienna…

No fewer than 34 foreign embassies in Abuja risk being shut down by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) due to unpaid ground rents dating back to 2014. The FCTA’s publication revealed that several diplomatic missions collectively owe a total of N3,662,196 in ground rent, sparking enforcement action led by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. The development follows the minister’s directive on May 26 for officials to commence enforcement actions on 4,794 properties revoked due to non-payment of ground rents spanning 10 to 43 years. However, President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting a 14-day grace period for defaulters to clear their…

Former Senate Chief Whip Senator Ali Ndume has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of being taken over by “kleptocrats” and “kakistocrats”, saying that individuals around the president are causing more harm than good. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Ndume did not mince words when he said that key members in Tinubu’s inner circle are motivated by self-interest and ineptitude. Ndume stated, “I see people lying and telling the president what he wants to hear.” “My position is that the people who are supposed to help him are the ones deceiving him or damaging his image.” The Borno…

Chelsea Football Club has confirmed the signing of Mamadou Sarr from French club RC Strasbourg, with the teenage defender signing a long-term contract until 2033. According to a statement released on Monday via the club’s website, the 19-year-old had a standout 2024/25 season with Strasbourg, appearing in 28 games across all competitions and playing a critical role in helping the club secure a spot in the UEFA Conference League play-offs with a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1. “Mamadou first showed his high potential in the academy of RC Lens before joining Lyon. Having progressed through the club’s youth ranks, he…

The management of the University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, Rivers State, has demanded a probe into the death of one of its students, Godwin Akpan, a 300-level Computer Science undergraduate, who was allegedly killed by a stray bullet fired by a yet-to-be-identified military man. Akpan’s family accused the police of a cover-up in the circumstances behind the death of the student outside the university campus. The family stated in an interview with our correspondent that the Rivers State Police Command were deliberately shielding the alleged killers of Akpan by not disclosing their identity. The deceased’s brother, Francis Akpan, revealed that…

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps, announced on Sunday that it has detained 170 individuals in the first three years since the state’s anti-open grazing law was passed. Following ongoing violence between farmers and herders, the State House of Assembly enacted the anti-open grazing bill, which was signed into law by the late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in 2020. Speaking on the development on Sunday, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, Commander of Amotekun Corps, affirmed that the introduction and enforcement of the anti-open grazing law had significantly alleviated the state’s herder-farmer conflict. He, however, mentioned that…

President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Sunday amid ongoing protests against immigration raids, despite California Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections. Newsom formally requested the Trump administration rescind the order to deploy the troops. The governor requested a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, which he then shared on X. “We didn’t have a problem until (U.S. President Donald) Trump got involved. “This is a serious breach of state sovereignty – inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re needed,” Newsom wrote. “Rescind the order. Return control to California.” Trump assented to a memorandum on Saturday deploying…

The Kano State Government has urged the federal government to reimburse the state for major economic losses caused by the prolonged ban on Sallah Durbar festivities. Alhaji Tajo Othman, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, made the call during the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II’s Sallah homage visit to Governor Abba Yusuf, who was represented by his deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo. Kano’s joint security agencies have banned Sallah Durbar activities for several years due to security concerns raised by the state’s ongoing emirship conflict. Othman bemoaned the significant economic loss caused by the discontinuation…

A plane carrying no fewer than 20 people crashed in the US state of Tennessee on Sunday, with some on board taken to hospital for injuries, according to state and federal officials. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, in a statement on X, said that its troopers were assisting police “at the scene of a plane crash on Old Shelbyville Road” in central Coffee County. “Some have been airlifted to nearby hospitals. This is an active scene,” it said, adding that more updates would follow. Pictures on social media showed a small, white plane with its nose deep into the grass and…