Author: Vincent Osuwo

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, said that measures are being taken to address the team’s woes and secure qualification for the prestigious tournament. When asked whether he would change coaches or keep Finidi George, who was hired in April, the NFF President reacted in a video shared by photojournalist Pooja via X on Thursday with a combination of acknowledgment and optimism. “It’s a very sad moment for Nigerian football; we can’t run away from that,” he admitted. “But all I want to assure you is that we are working tirelessly in collaboration with the minister…

President Bola Tinubu will, on Friday, receive a draft bill seeking Nigeria’s return to a regional system of government. The proposed bill, authored by a chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural association, Afenifere, Akin Fapohunda, and titled “A Bill for an Act to substitute the annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria’, seeks, among others, new extant laws to be cited as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.” It was gathered last week that the said bill was disowned by the House of…

General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has accused Finland of protecting Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. Musa announced this on Wednesday during a Channels Television special programme commemorating Nigeria’s Democracy Day anniversary. He urged Nigeria’s government to take decisive action, including diplomatic initiatives, to counter the threat presented by the Ekpa, IPOB’s factional commander. His words: “We have repeatedly complained about the issue of i. He is in Finland, and the Finnish government is giving him all the support, and he is doing what he is doing,” he said. “The…

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo stated on Wednesday that governors and other elected officials should be paid the minimum wage to reflect Nigeria’s actual realities. He stated that, despite the flashy lives depicted by governors and elected officials, the country was experiencing a severe financial crisis. The governor spoke during a special edition of The Platform, which is hosted by The Covenant Nation, to encourage national development. According to him, Nigeria’s economic troubles are aggravated by government officials’ expensive lives, which are funded at the expense of the country’s resources. “Let’s come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very…

The United States has expanded its sanctions against Russia, including a new crackdown on banks working with sanctioned entities.  It expands on a December initiative to target foreign banks believed to be supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The United States also imposed sanctions on the Moscow stock exchange, forcing it to cease trade in dollars and euros. It also attempted to restrict Russia’s use of technology, such as chips and software. In December, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions on banks that do business with over 1,200 individuals and organisations suspected of aiding Russia’s war…

Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been suspended by the Office of the Head of Service following a sexual harassment complaint.  The Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, stated that the permanent secretary would be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations against him. “The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up,“ a senior director in the OHCSF told our correspondent in Abuja. Following a petition presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar against Lamuwa, the HoS formed a committee to investigate…

The federal government has urged organised labour to take into account the wider economic consequences of their demands for an unjustifiably higher national minimum wage.  The admonition was delivered by Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation. Idris warned that the N250,000 minimum salary proposed by labour may damage the economy, cause a mass layoff of workers, and endanger the wellbeing of Nigerians. The labour unions, on the other hand, denied President Bola Tinubu’s assertions that a deal had been reached on the new national minimum wage during his Democracy Day speech on Wednesday. The Tripartite Committee on the…

Organised labour, made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), and the Trade Union Congress(TUC), has refuted President Bola Tinubu’s assertion that an agreement had been reached on a new national minimum wage. In his nationwide broadcast to mark Democracy Day, Tinubu asserted that the Federal Government and organised labour had come to an agreement on the much-discussed new minimum wage. Tinubu disclosed that the new minimum wage accord will shortly be formalised through the submission of an executive bill to the National Assembly. The president highlighted that, in response to workers union demands, his administration opted for democracy over dictatorship.…

Nigerians have applauded Sen. Shehu Sani for his “non-partisan” and “patriotic” Democracy Day speech to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday. While speaking at the Democracy Day dinner held in Abuja on Wednesday, Sani mentioned that “a national anthem, pledge, or constitution cannot unite a nation.” Speaking on the need to unite the country, the senator who represented Kaduna Central at the Senate mentioned that “a national anthem will not unite a nation, a national pledge will not unite a nation, and a constitution cannot unite a nation.” Sani went on to say, “a nation is united by the ideals of…

“A national anthem, pledge, or constitution cannot unite a nations.” These were the words of Sen. Shehu Sani to President Bola Tinubu during the Democracy Day dinner held in Abuja on Wednesday. Speaking on the need to unite the country, the senator who represented Kaduna Central at the Senate mentioned that “a national anthem will not unite a nation, a national pledge will not unite a nation, and a constitution cannot unite a nation.” Sani went on to say, “a nation is united by the ideals of freedom; a nation is united by equity and by justice.” Speaking on the…