Author: Vincent Osuwo

Over 1.5 million candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scored below 200, according to data released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday. According to JAMB, the statistics show that only 420,415 candidates scored above 200, representing just over 21% of the total. The board also mentioned that fewer than 1% managed to score above 300, underscoring a widespread performance drop across the board. Among those who sat for the exam were 40,247 underage candidates, permitted by JAMB to showcase what it described as “exceptional abilities”. However, just 467 of them—approximately 1.16%—met…

Nigerians have criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the reason behind the arrest of popular social media critic Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan. Chronicle NG reports that VeryDarkMan was arrested immediately after he, his mother, and friend Steven Avuara left a GTBank branch in Garki, Abuja. According to Mr Avuara who briefly spoke to the lawyers, they had visited the bank to complain about unexplained deductions from Mrs Otse’s account. Moments after leaving the bank, they were reportedly locked inside a security booth for several minutes before being ambushed by armed men in black uniforms. The…

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world. Trump stated that he was authorising the US Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America’s movie industry was dying “a very fast death”. He criticised the “concerted effort” of other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a “national security threat”. “It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.…

No fewer than 10 people have died, and 70 have been hospitalized after strong winds caused four tourist boats to capsize in southwestern China. On Sunday, sudden strong winds caused the boats to capsize in a river in Guizhou’s Qianxi city, killing 84 people, according to official media. The death toll rose to ten after the body of one missing individual was discovered on Monday. The tragedy occurred as China celebrated the tail end of its week-long May Day holiday, a busy season for travel. Chinese President Xi Jinping had advocated “all-out efforts” in the search and rescue. According to…

Nigerian Afrobeat star David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, has joined a growing call on social media demanding the release of online personality VeryDarkMan, who was reportedly arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday. VeryDarkMan, famous for his outspoken social media commentary, was taken into custody for an undisclosed offence. Prior to the arrest, he had posted about visiting a GTBank branch in Abuja to lodge a complaint regarding an alleged deduction from his mother’s account. The development has sparked widespread reactions online, with fans, supporters, and celebrities rallying behind the social media critic and calling for…

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has warned the public over the operations of scammers providing non-existent postgraduate scholarships to naïve victims. Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director of Corporate Affairs of the Commission, issued the warning in a statement released in Port Harcourt on Sunday. She revealed that the scammers were collecting money from members of the public under the guise of providing scholarship spots. “The attention of the NDDC has been drawn to fraudulent emails and messages sent to applicants of the commission’s Postgraduate Foreign Scholarship Programme,” she said. Thompson-Wakama showed that the fraudulent emails, apparently sent from nddcregistry@gmail.com and…

President Bola Tinubu will meet with the leadership of electricity-generating companies to address the ₦4 trillion power sector debt. According to a statement by Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and Media Relations to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, Bolaji Tunji, the Federal Government has pledged to address the debt urgently following high-stakes talks between Adelabu and chairmen of Generating GenCos in Abuja on Tuesday. According to the statement, the minister told GenCos executives that the government will prioritise quick payment of a major portion of the N4 trillion debt, with the remainder covered by other loan instruments. He stated that…

Human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi has threatened to sue those behind his arrest and incarceration over the stalled defamation case between him and legal luminary Afe Babalola (SAN). In December, police seized Farotimi in Lagos and sent him to Ekiti, where he was accused of defaming Babalola in his book ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. An Ekiti Magistrate court remanded him for 21 days, but Babalola ultimately withdrew the charge, capping several weeks of legal wrangling. Those who thought the subject was over may be in for another round of battle. This is because Farotimi has threatened to sue…

Mele Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has denied reports that he is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of $2.9 billion set aside for refinery rehabilitation. In a statement made on Saturday on his X account (previously Twitter), Kyari denounced the reports as “clear mischief” and a premeditated attempt by unnamed individuals to destroy his reputation. “Over the past few days, and particularly in the past two hours, I have been inundated with calls from concerned…

Bayern Munich won their 34th Bundesliga title after second-placed Bayer Leverkusen were unable to beat Freiburg on Sunday. This is the first major trophy for both Harry Kane as a player and Vincent Kompany as a manager. Bayern were expected to seal the title on Saturday at RB Leipzig, but a late goal from Yussuf Poulsen delayed their celebrations once more. However, Leverkusen fell behind 2-0 at Freiburg after conceding goals either side of halftime, including an own goal by defender Piero Hincapié, and their chase was cut short despite a late flurry that saw them equalise through Florian Wirtz…