Author: Vincent Osuwo

Nigerian businessman Emeka Okonkwo, popularly called E-money, has claimed that one of the people who falsely accused him of being partially responsible for Junior Pope’s death has been arrested by the police. E-money announced the news on his Instagram page on Thursday. Last weekend, E-money denied allegations made by two social media users and certain Instagram blogs that he was involved in Junior Pope’s death as a result of a rumoured love affair with his wife. E-money claimed the allegations as insulting to the deceased’s memory and cruel to the bereaved family. He also urged the public to provide the…

The dethroned Emir of Kano State, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II has been reinstalled as Emir, according to credible reports.  This decision came after the Kano State House of Assembly passed a resolution to depose the incumbent Emir and abolish the state’s four new Emirates, which were constituted under a contentious 2019 law. Though it has not been formally announced, it has been reported that Sanusi II has been reinstated and will be in Kano on Friday. According to sources, “certainly, with the passage of the bill, Sanusi automatically stands reinstated. There is no need for confirmation; the thing to do…

General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who has commanded Chad’s junta for the past three years, is set to be sworn in on Thursday following a closely disputed election victory in the north-central African nation.  Deby officially won 61% of the vote on May 6, which international NGOs termed neither credible nor free, and which his biggest competitor dubbed a “masquerade.”. In April 2021, a junta of 15 generals declared him interim ruler after his father, iron-fisted president Idriss Deby Itno, was assassinated by rebels after 30 years in power. The swearing-in signals the end of three years of military administration…

Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President, has stated that he will continue to run for the oval seat as long as his health allows. He also remarked that he was inspired by the narrative of former American President Abraham Lincoln, who had to run for president several times before being elected. “Of course, I will keep contesting again and again as long as I am alive and healthy,” Atiku said during an interview on the Hausa service of the Voice of America in Abuja. Atiku was the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate during the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections. He…

The Kano State House of Assembly has dissolved all four newly formed emirate councils in the state, which were created by the immediate past governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje. The dissolution of the impacted Emirates followed deliberations on the House floor during session on Thursday. The Kano State Emirates Council Amendment Bill was debated on the House floor on Thursday morning, following second and third readings. Earlier, Deputy Speaker Muhammad Butu noted that repealing the ordinance will restore Kano’s lost grandeur because the separation of the emirate into five decreased the state’s capacity and dignity at the national level.…

Veteran actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, along with music icon Mike Okri, has slammed the Federal Government’s recent acceptance of a ban on smoking and the glamorization of money rituals and deaths in Nigerian films, skits, and music videos, calling the move “a joke” On Wednesday, the federal government, through the Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, approved the “Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Product, Nicotine Product Promotion, Glamorization, Display in Movies, Musical Videos, and Skits” in pursuance to Section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004. The NFVCA president made…

President Bola Tinubu condemned the recent wave of democracy reversals by military juntas in the West African sub-region on Wednesday.  Tinubu, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, has advocated for discussions to empower the regional bloc to establish well-funded standby military forces “to help contain military adventurers and rampaging waves of terrorism and religious extremism” in the sub-region. “The tragedies of our nations and histories inspire our concern about the reversals of democratic governments, particularly in West Africa. That is why we are alarmed by the military coups in Mali, Guinea-Conakry, Burkina Faso, the Niger…

Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman of the Super Eagles have been overlooked for the end-of-season accolades because neither player was nominated by Italy’s football federation for the division’s annual MVP award. On Wednesday, Serie A officially unveiled the list of players for the end-of-season honours, but no Nigerian made the shortlist. The current Serie A awards structure, now in its sixth season, contains several categories, including equal prizes for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers, as well as the league’s overall MVP, who will be announced directly, without a shortlist, on May 24. For the best striker award, AC Milan’s Rafael…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all existing Bureau de Change Operators (BDC) to reapply for fresh licenses in their preferred category.  This was disclosed on Wednesday in a circular published by the central bank and signed by Haruna Mustafa, Director of the Financial Policy and Regulation Department. However, BDC operators have rejected the new licensing standards, claiming that they go against best global practices. However, the CBN stated that the changes aimed to streamline BDC operations and improve financial accessibility. The CBN stated that BDCs were expected to follow corporate governance standards as well as anti-money laundering,…

The tripartite committee on the new minimum wage, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), the organised private sector, and the federal government, has adjourned until next Tuesday, May 28, to resume deliberations after Wednesday’s meeting in Abuja ended in an impasse.  The Federal Government, the organised private sector, NLC, and TUC were unable to achieve an agreement on the new minimum wage during the Wednesday meeting. According to sources at the meeting, the administration originally stayed firm on the N54,000 proposal made on Tuesday, claiming a lack of cash. However, the government was forced to submit…