Author: Vincent Osuwo

The President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government will spend N3 trillion on the new minimum wage as well as pension and gratuity payments.  Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, announced this on Friday during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which is chaired by Olamilekan Adeola. During the meeting, the minister presented the committee with the general concepts of the newly modified 2024 budget. Recall that President Bola Tinubu approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 for Nigerian workers during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress on Thursday.…

In an unprecedented escalation of ongoing student protests, protesters stormed a small jail in Narsingdi, central Bangladesh, on Friday, liberating hundreds of detainees before setting fire to the facility, according to a police officer. “The inmates fled the jail, and the protesters set the jail on fire,” the police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I don’t know the exact number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds.” Moushumi Sarker, a top government official in Narsingdi district, confirmed the jailbreak but did not provide any other information. Ripon, a local resident who lives near the jail, reported…

The Katsina State Police Command apprehended Umar Hassan, a 13-year-old teenager, and three other suspects, Lawai Umaru, 70, Ibrahim Lawai, 22, and Abdulganiyu Isah, 22, for supplying information to terrorists.  Briefing reporters at the command headquarters on Thursday, Police Public Relations Officer ASP Abubakar Sadiq said the informants’ actions resulted in multiple attacks on villages and unsuspecting members of the public, including cattle rustling and kidnapping in the state. “On July 3, 2024, at about 08:00 hrs, the command, in collaboration with members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps (KSCWC) attached to Dansoda village, Dandume LGA, Katsina State, succeeded…

President William Ruto of Kenya has appointed a partly new cabinet on Friday, kicking off a process to build a “broad-based” government following a month of huge and occasionally deadly protests against his administration.  Ruto announced the names of 11 potential ministers in a televised address after firing almost his entire cabinet last week in an effort to defuse the greatest crisis of his nearly two-year rule. “While the events of the past month have caused tremendous anxiety, concern, and uncertainty, the crisis has presented us with a great opportunity, as a nation, to craft a broad-based and inclusive citizen…

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 12 suspects to the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in connection with the alleged murder of Christiana Erekere, a female police inspector.  The accused, including a groom named Efeoghene Uwheraka, were charged with 13 charges of conspiracy to murder, among other offences. They were charged with murdering a police officer who stopped them for a search operation in the Taabaa community of Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, on their way to Akwa Ibom State for a wedding ceremony. The police crew became agitated when they questioned the legitimacy of…

Philips Shaibu, the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, claimed on Friday that he is already an unofficial member of the All Progressives Congress. He stated that the only reason he remained in the Peoples Democratic Party was that he had yet to officially leave the ruling party in Edo. When asked why he was supporting the APC governorship candidate in Edo during an appearance on Arise TV’s morning show on Friday, the deputy governor stated that his spirit had left the PDP. “In the PDP now, everybody can support whoever they like. On the issue of supporting a candidate,…

The IA Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has donated N250,000 to Saint Academy School in response to the building collapse in Jos, Plateau State, which killed 22 students and injured 132. Mrs. Ibironke Adeagbo, the foundation’s founder, sent a message to journalists on Thursday expressing her heartfelt condolences to everyone affected by the fall. Ibironke characterised the occurrence as heartbreaking, sharing their emotions at this difficult time. According to her, the deaths of young people and the injuries of many others are tragedies that affect everyone. She also praised the courage and tenacity of individuals who worked tirelessly to help people…

The medical examination of the 17-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by a police officer at the district H Command in the state’s Ogudu district has ended. SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police’s public relations officer, verified this in a statement on Friday. Hundeyin stated that the results had been handed over to the police for further inquiry into the occurrence. He said, “The test result. It has been handed over to the police, and the investigation has continued.” Hundeyin, who did not reveal the results of the test, continued, “There will be another update in no distant time.” Our…

Argentina’s vice president, Victoria Villarruel, has defended Enzo Fernandez following the racism controversy surrounding the team’s Copa America victory.  A video circulated on social media showed Fernandez and some of his colleagues singing a racist song about French players with African heritage. After the video went viral, Fernandez issued an apology for the song’s inappropriate words. FIFA stated that they would initiate an investigation into the matter, while Chelsea would also conduct its own investigation. Wesley Fofana would criticise the behaviour of his Chelsea teammate as well. Villarruel has now taken to social media to express his support for the…

Teenage Japan gymnast Shoko Miyata has been withdrawn from Japan’s team for the Paris Olympics after being caught smoking and drinking, officials said Friday. The 19-year-old, a global bronze medalist and the captain of Japan’s women’s gymnastics team at the Games, was sent home from their training camp in Monaco after admitting she had broken their code of conduct. “With her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) secretary general Kenji Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo. Nishimura stated that the association had been informed that…