News & Announcements

Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, AAC, expressed disappointment that Bola Tinubu, the incoming president, had chosen not to run in the 2023 Abuja Marathon.

This was said by Sowore on Saturday in an address to journalists in Abuja.

He also expressed disappointment that Mohammed Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was not present for the competition.

The rights activist took part in the inaugural Abuja International Marathon as one of its participants.

He said, “This is the first Abuja marathon, I participated and I ran longer than I expected. I expected that the Minister of FCT would be here.

“I was even expecting Tinubu to be here, but apparently, I am the only presidential candidate standing after the election.

“I ran with kids, great kids. I am of the opinion that we are wasting a lot of talents in this country.”

Sports, in Sowore’s opinion, were a crucial tool for bringing Nigerians together and creating jobs for the youth.

Abel Omoruyi, the chairman and chief executive officer of Iyare Motors, has passed away.

Omoruyi, who was also the boss of the well-known transportation firm, reportedly passed away on Friday night.

The headquarters of Iyare Motors, a nationwide company, are in Benin City, Edo State.

Omoruyi will be sadly missed by the residents of the state, according to a statement released by the Edo State Government on Saturday and signed by the governor, Godwin Obaseki.

The governor described the late businessman as a “thoroughbred businessman and philanthropist extraordinaire” who was a rallying point for the advancement of the transport sector in Edo State and Nigeria.

“He was a visionary, beacon of hope, and a rare breed of leader who epitomized the very best of the human spirit. His unwavering commitment to excellence, doggedness, and penchant for innovation will remain a shining example for generations to come,” he said.

Nestlé Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to closing the technical skills gap by giving young people the knowledge and abilities they need to contribute to the industrial acceleration that Nigeria’s economy needs.

At the third graduation ceremony for the Nestlé Technical Training Program in Abaji, Abuja, Wassim Elhusseini, the managing director and chief executive officer of Nestlé Nigeria, made this statement.

Elhusseini said, “At Nestlé, one of our focus areas is to contribute to the efforts to help young people develop the capabilities and skills they need to participate in growing our economy. The technical training program prepares youth to access economic opportunities either through employment or the creation of their enterprise with the acquired skills.

“This is important in view of the statistics showing that over 13.9 million youths are either unemployed, in unstable employment, or underemployed. I am very happy to announce to you today, that all graduates of this batch have been employed by Nestlé Nigeria. So, you see, this initiative is not only good for the individuals who participate and for their families and communities but also good for our company; a win-win. We are indeed creating shared value.”

Precious Iyamu, one of the 20 recipients of certificates of completion, said the training program’s successful completion is a tremendous accomplishment.

He said “This platform is an opportunity that we do not take for granted. We will make you proud. I can confidently tell young people across the country that they should not give up hope, as their dreams and aspirations are attainable if they put in the required work and dedication to prepare themselves to access opportunities when they become available.”

Through an intensive 18-month program, Nestlé Nigeria prepares participants for the prestigious London City and Guilds technical certification by teaching them machining, mechanical fitting operations, electrical operations, instrumentation operations, and automation skills.

Sunday Dare, the minister of youth and sports development, also spoke at the event. He was represented by the assistant director of the ministry’s enterprise development and promotion department, Hamid Nagogo, who urged the company to keep working with the government to give young people more opportunities for skill development.

The Director of Human Resources Management, Muhammed Bashir, spoke for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, when he remarked, “Technical knowledge and other practical skills are critical tools required for the growth and development of any nation.

“I commend Nestlé Nigeria for her efforts in empowering the youth through education and training as this will go a long way to create a skilled workforce that can meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.”

The Lagos State Police Command reports that it has detained a couple (name withheld) for allegedly kidnapping themselves and demanding N5 million in ransom.

SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokesperson, verified this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.

According to Hundeyin, the couple—a 53-year-old technician and a 48-year-old body masseuse and bone setter—were both detained on Wednesday and Thursday after a man’s relatives reported the alleged kidnapping.

According to the pair, who admitted to the crime, they plotted the self-kidnapping in order to obtain N3 million to pay for their house in Lagos’ Badagry neighborhood.

“The man brought the idea and sold it to his wife. He did not deny it before the police. He said he did it through text message for a purpose. He said he did it because he wanted to re-buy his house back with N3 million.

“The man claimed he decided to organise self-kidnap because none of his brothers and sisters doing well and some living abroad are willing to assist him financially.

“He claimed that if they hear of his kidnap with his wife, they would negotiate with the kidnappers and pay the money,” the spokesperson quoted the man as saying.

Hundeyin also out that the couple had been abducted while still residing in their Badagry home, and that the wife and three children were present when police arrived at the residence on Tuesday.

According to him, the police asked the woman to accompany them to the Ikeja police headquarters, but she begged them to let her come the next day, on Wednesday, and they agreed.

According to the creator of the image, the wife showed up at the station as she had promised and was detained for self-kidnapping, while the husband was detained on Thursday the following day.

“She admitted that she supported her husband in the crime. She also admitted that her husband discussed the matter with her and she gave her approval because they never thought it will turn out negative.

“The woman claimed if the plan worked out, it would have been the easiest way to raise the money to buy back their house since her husband’s brothers in the UK are not willing to help him,” he quoted the woman’s confession to the police.

Hundeyin questioned why the woman couldn’t raise the necessary funds for the project after pointing out that she claimed to serve an average of three clients for either bone setting or stroke massaging at a cost of roughly N150,000 each person depending on the patient’s condition.

He said, however, that the couple had apologized and asked their families and the police for forgiveness.

The image maker said that the suspects advised members of the public to avoid crime and never be interested in family or another people’s wealth.

An 18-year-old man named Taofeek Adeagbo has been paraded by the Oyo State Police Command for allegedly killing his father.

Rashidat, the mother of the suspect, was also detained for covering up the crime.

The incident took place at Tede, Atisbo Local Government Area of the state, according to state police public relations officer Adewale Osifeso, who paraded the accused with 23 other people in Ibadan on Friday.

Osifeso said, “On Friday, 21 April, 2023, around 8am, one Taofeek Adeagbo of Somola area, Tede, reported at the Tede Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same day around 6.30am, his nephew, Ismail Adeagbo, came to inform him that when he woke up around 6am, he met his father, Jimoh Adeagbo, lying dead where he was sleeping inside the compound with a serious mark of violence on his forehead.”

According to him, a preliminary investigation showed that the suspect killed his father by striking him in the head with an iron rod while he was sleeping.

According to reports, the suspect confessed to the crime.

“He confessed further that his mother, Rashidat Adeagbo, was aware that he killed his father and concealed the information. The said Rashidat Adeagbo was also arrested,” Osifeso added.

Rashidat, however, claimed in an interview with our journalist that when she awoke, she discovered her husband’s lifeless body on the floor.

She said, “I woke up the children for the early morning Islamic prayers only to see the lifeless body of my husband on the floor. I raised the alarm and people gathered in our compound. Taofeek had gone out to inform family members of the demise of his father.

“I had seven children for my late husband even though we normally quarreled, I would never wish him dead. The family members reported the case at the police station.

“A combined team of the police asked for all the children but I thought Taofeek had not come back, only to discover that he was hiding under the bed. I asked him whether he knew anything about the death of his father and he confessed to the crime,” she said.

On Saturday, the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, said that he had obtained a guarantee from the contractors working on the Kara end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway that the section of road will be finished and accessible to traffic by Sunday, April 30, 2023, at the latest.

Abiodun revealed that he obtained the contractor’s promise on Friday through the Federal Comptroller of Works after conducting an on-the-spot analysis of the root cause of the ongoing traffic congestion that had been upsetting the public.

He said, “On Friday, I stopped at Kara and made a piece of my mind known to the contractor handling the Kara end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, my stopping there was with respect to the very poor traffic management and the resulting traffic gridlock subjecting innocent travellers to untold hardship.

“I am glad to note that I was able to extract from the firm handling the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway through the Federal Comptroller of Works a commitment to complete the construction causing the bottleneck on or before Sunday 30th April and open the road to allow free flow of traffic both outbound and inbound Lagos.”

However, Abiodun expressed confidence that the contracting company’s commitment would go a long way toward ensuring that the ongoing gridlock that affects drivers on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is a thing of the past.

As the road is about to be opened to vehicular traffic, he pleaded with those using it to exercise some patience with the government.

Former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan officially opened the road in 2013 at a cost of N167 billion and under a contract with Reynolds Construction Company Limited and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, respectively.

Before the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), took office, the road was supposed to be opened.

The elimination of fuel subsidies has not yet been suspended, according to the Federal Government’s Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.

The Federal Government intended to broaden the subsidy elimination committee to include state governors and teams from the new government, according to a statement made on Friday by Yunusa Abdullahi, the Minister’s Special Adviser for Media and Communications.

The statement read, “Against the backdrop of the story in some media that the Federal Government has suspended the removal of petrol subsidy, the government has said that it has not suspended the removal, but has rather expanded the subsidy removal committee to include teams from the incoming administration and the state governors.”

In an earlier report, the Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, said the National Economic Council agreed that the subsidy must be “removed now, rather than later,” as the nation could not afford it anymore.

She said, “Council agreed that the fuel subsidy must be removed earlier rather than later because it is not sustainable. We cannot afford it anymore. But we have to do it in such a way that the impact of the subsidy is mitigated on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.”

On the $800m loan acquired from the World Bank as subsidy palliative, the minister stated, “So far, what we have is $800m that has been secured and intact. Again, that is a matter for discussion.

“The states may have their own plans; they may want to have their own designated programmes different from what the Federal Government may want to do.

The 2023 Population and Housing Census, which was initially slated for May 3–7, 2023, has been postponed with the approval of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), until a date to be decided by the incoming administration.

On Friday, April 28, 2023, in the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President met with a few members of the Federal Executive Council and Nasir Isa-Kwarra and his staff, the chairman of the National Population Commission.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, released a press release on Saturday morning that included this information.

“In arriving at the decision to postpone the census,” the statement says, “the meeting reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last census, to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people.”

According to Mohammed, Buhari stated that significant progress had been achieved in the planning and execution of the now-postponed census, and he also praised the NPC’s technique for conducting an accurate and reliable count.

“The President noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, conduct of first and second pre-tests, the recruitment and training of ad hoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

“He also commended the methodology being put in place by the Commission to conduct accurate and reliable Census, especially the massive deployment of technology that is capable of delivering world class Census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.”

The statement added, “The President further directed the Commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate these achievements.”

“The meeting was attended by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha,” the statement concluded.

It was previously stated that there were signs that the census for 2023 may be delayed. There have been requests for the census to be delayed from various quarters for a variety of reasons, including inadequate planning, a lack of funding, supervisors’ lack of preparedness for the exercise, credibility difficulties caused by the scheduling, and security concerns, among others.

A Kenyan lady who used to live large on Instagram has reportedly di*d in Malaysia while trafficking dr*gs for her Nigerian boyfriend.

The deceased lady identified as Brenda arrived at a Malaysian airport and started acting weird, attracting the attention of security guards.

She then fell to the ground and started shaking and foaming at the mouth.

Apparently, one of the bags of coc@ine she had carried in her stomach had ruptured.

She was rushed to a hospital in Malaysia where she di*d while undergoing treatment.

When forensic doctors investigated the body, they found 34 capsules of cocaine in her stomach.

Brenda used to live large on Instagram but few people knew that she was a drug trafficker.

She was always globetrotting and enjoying lavish vacations.

Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president, will leave for Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, on Friday to attend the 2023 Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend, which has the subject “Global Africa.”

Osinbajo has made two trips to Nairobi in the past seven months since he attended William Ruto’s inauguration as president of Kenya last September.

The Ibrahim Governance Weekend Forum will bring together influential voices from throughout Africa and beyond to talk about pertinent topics regarding the development of the African Continent.

“Specifically, Prof. Osinbajo will attend the IGW Africa Leadership opening ceremony later today and speak at the first session tomorrow,” a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, read.

In the statement titled ‘Osinbajo to speak in Nairobi at 2023 Mo Ibrahim Governance Forum, themed Global Africa,’ Akande said the VP will join other leaders to discuss “Africa’s Weight in the World, Highlighting the Continent’s Assets and Potentials.”

William Ruto, the president of Kenya, Donald Kaberuka, the former president of the African Development Bank, and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organization, are among the guests speakers.

Osinbajo is also scheduled to meet separately with President Ruto and Andrew Mitchell, the British Minister of State for Development and Africa, at the IGW.

Mahamadou Issoufou, the 2021 Ibrahim Laureate President, would be honored personally during the inaugural ceremony at a gathering of international and African leaders.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which organizes the yearly event, was founded in 2006 with a strong emphasis on the value of effective leadership and good governance for Africa.

“The Vice President is expected back in Abuja soon,” Akande noted.