Author: Vincent Osuwo

Ike Abonyi, a renowned journalist, writer, author, and columnist, has refuted claims made by social media user Deji Adeyanju that Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, promised him money in exchange for his support. Abonyi, who stated that he personally brokered and attended the meeting between Obi and Adeyanju ahead of the elections, described Adeyanju’s allegations as false. In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, Abonyi stated that Obi made no monetary or material offer during their three-hour conversation, contrary to Adeyanju’s account on social media. “I was at the meeting Deji had…

Some Nigerian professors have demanded that their pay be increased to at least N2.5m per month, claiming that anything less was no longer acceptable. Protests erupted on various campuses on Tuesday, as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities criticised the Federal Government for failing to follow the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement. Lecturers have long complained about low pay and deteriorating working conditions in academia. With teachers earning around N500,000 per month, some have been compelled to crouch in quarters, while others battle with students for space on buses designed for undergraduates. Documents obtained by Chronicle NG show that…

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed encouraged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday to select a Southern Christian as its presidential candidate in 2027. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Mohammed said that a southern candidate would assist the PDP in avoiding the scandal that plagued the All Progressives Congress in 2023. He stated that when deciding on a ticket, the PDP must consider Nigeria’s religious and regional diversity. Mohammed stated, “What I want to say is we have not absolutely chosen or narrowed down on any person. Everybody should know that PDP is open. “It’s open in…

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has stated that he and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde would make a “perfect match” on a single ticket if the People’s Democratic Party fields them in the 2027 presidential election. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Mohammed refuted claims that he had already been named Makinde’s running partner, although he insisted that the PDP still has the option. He claimed that to reflect Nigeria’s variety and avoid the controversy of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, the party should propose a Christian from the South as its presidential candidate, with a Muslim from the North…

Sokoto State was plunged into sadness on Thursday evening following another boat tragedy in Shagari Local Government Area, in which hundreds of passengers were believed to have died. This is the third boat disaster in Sokoto in one month. Aminu Liman Bodinga, Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on the State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday, saying officials from SEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the National Inland Waterways Authority had begun search and rescue operations. According to eyewitnesses, the boat, which was carrying numerous passengers, collapsed in the middle of the river,…

The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has announced that, with effect from August 29, 2025, all postal shipments from Nigeria to the US, except letters and documents, will attract a mandatory prepaid customs duty of $80 or its naira equivalent. NIPOST noted in a public message to its customers on Friday that the increased charges are the result of a recent Executive Order signed by the United States Government that suspends de minimis exemptions for all postal shipments worldwide. It stated the instruction was made under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. “The Nigerian Postal Service wishes to inform our esteemed…

Kenechukwu Oluwanifemi Uba, a Nigerian student, has been named the “Top in World” candidate for the November 2024 Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (Speaking Endorsement). Uba, a Caleb British International School student in Magodo, Lagos, got the Outstanding Cambridge Learners Award from Cambridge University Press & Assessment for her outstanding performance. This was said in a statement signed by the spokesperson for the proprietor and founder of the Caleb Group of Schools and University, Prof. Elvis Otobo, and made accessible to PUNCH Online on Friday. The certificate, signed by Rod Smith, Group Managing Director of International Education at…

Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho has arrived at Chelsea’s training ground ahead of his expected £40 million ($54 million) signing from the Red Devils, Blues manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday. On Thursday, the two Premier League teams reportedly reached an agreement, with Ruben Amorim no longer requiring the 21-year-old at Old Trafford. Garnacho arrived at Chelsea’s training facility in Cobham, southwest of London, on Friday to undergo a medical and settle conditions. “I know he is around here,” Chelsea manager Maresca told reporters. “I don’t know exactly where.” When asked how Garnacho will fit into his team, Maresca said,…

Moscow criticised Emmanuel Macron on Friday for what it called “vulgar insults” after the French president referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “predator” and “ogre”. In an interview with LCI last week, Macron advised European leaders not to trust Putin. “For his own survival, (he) needs to keep eating … That means he is a predator, an ogre at our gates,” Macron said. He made the statements during a momentous meeting with US President Donald Trump along with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies in Washington. Russia’s foreign ministry berated the remarks, saying, “They cross the line…

The US President Donald Trump administration has withdrawn former Vice President Kamala Harris’s Secret Service security protection, a White House official said Friday. The government terminated an extension approved by then-President Joe Biden for the lost Democratic presidential candidate, Harris, whose six-month tenure of protection as ex-VP ended on July 21, according to CNN. A senior aide to the former Vice President expressed gratitude to the US Secret Service for their professionalism, dedication, and commitment to safety. Harris, who has kept a low profile since losing the election, will go on tour this autumn to promote a book about her…