‘I’M READY FOR WAR – DELE FAROTIMI DARES AFE BABALOLA Embattled human rights activist, Dele Farotimi, on Sunday said he is ready to face his ongoing trial. Farotimi said his battle axes have been sharpened, and his guns primed, ready for war. “I am strong enough to rumble unruffled against principalities and powers, but I am human enough to retain …

FROM MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS TO TRAGIC STAMPEDES: 20 MOST DOMINANT EVENTS OF 2024 As the year winds down, IMOLEAYO OYEDEYI captures some of the most dominant events that shaped political discourse and challenged the effectiveness of government policies for the masses Ibadan Explosion A series of explosions in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, shattered the early excitement of 2024, raising …

LIST OF POLITICAL BIGWIGS WHO DECAMPED FROM OPPOSITION PARTIES TO APC IN 2024 List Of Political Bigwigs Who Decamped From Opposition Parties To APC In 2024 The Nigerian political space in the year 2024 witnessed a series of dramas with the initiation of merger discussions among opposition parties in anticipation of the 2027 general elections.The year also witnessed the defection …

SERAP TO TINUBU: PUBLISH YOUR ASSETS, ENCOURAGE SHETTIMA, OTHERS TO DO SAME The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to request the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to publish his assets. The organisation also called on the President to encourage Vice-President Kashim Shettima; ministers; leadership of the National Assembly; state governors; and chairmen of Nigeria’s …

PUTIN APOLOGIZES FOR AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES CRASH, WITHOUT ADMITTING RESPONSIBILITY Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has apologized for the fact that an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed after entering Russian airspace in Grozny, Chechnya on Wednesday, but did not say that Russia was responsible. Putin said Saturday that Russia’s air defense systems were active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny, according …

NAIRA PROJECTED TO REACH ₦‎1,804/$ ON 2025 VOLATILITY PROJECTIONS The Nigerian naira is projected to depreciate to a weighted fair value of N1,804.45 in the coming year as tendency of volatility persists. This is according to a new report by Lagos-based investment and research firm Afrinvest titled ‘Beyond The Rhetorics: Transforming Reforms to Tangibles. The research company revealed that while …

SOKOTO KILLINGS: WE’RE SORRY – VP SHETTIMA APOLOGIZES TO FAMILIES Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has apologised to the families of the victims of the bombing in Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State. This was contained in a statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, on Saturday. Recall that 10 people were killed in airstrikes on Wednesday, December 25, …

FUBARA PREVENTED WIKE FROM MAKING RIVERS HIS PRIVATE ESTATE – ODILI The former governor of Rivers State and one-time presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Peter Odili, has said Governor Siminalayi Fubara stopped the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, from turning the state to a private estate. Odili disclosed that Governor Fubara summoned an unusual …

YOU CAN’T BE ONLY PRESIDENT OF YORUBA – NORTHERN LEADERS OPPOSING TAX REFORM BILLS Northern leaders, including members of the National Assembly, the League of Northern Democrats, and the Northern Elders’ Forum, have expressed strong disapproval of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration on tax reform bills. During his maiden media chat, Tinubu acknowledged that the bills might not be widely accepted, …

MAN DG CONDEMNS CLOSURE OF COCA-COLA, GUINNESS FACTORIES BY LAGOS GOVT, SAYS ACTION ILL-TIMED Segun Ajayi-Kadir, the director-general (DG) of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), has condemned Lagos state for closing factories belonging to Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, and Guinness Nigeria. On December 24, the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) sealed the factories for extracting groundwater …

AUTO-CRASH CLAIMS 13 LIVES, INJURES ONE IN ONDO At least 13 people lost their lives in a road accident along Ikare-Akoko/Owo Road on Saturday in Ondo State. The State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Samuel Ibitoye, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Akure, the state capital. “FRSC regrets to inform the public about a …

OPPOSITION POLITICAL BIGWIGS PLOT TINUBU’S OUSTER IN 2027 In the wake of the American and Ghanaian presidential elections, several political movements have emerged in Nigeria, each aiming to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. In both the United States and Ghana, the opposition defeated the ruling parties in landslide victories. In the US, former President Donald Trump of the …

DYING FOR A HANDOUT: THE DESPERATE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL IN NIGERIA In the past week, Nigerians, and indeed, the international community, were greeted with the unfortunate stories of hapless Nigerians who lost their lives in a stampede while attempting to secure a handout to keep their bodies and souls together. The recent events, the stark reality of the daily struggle …

TINUBU GOVT PAYS AFE BABALOLA, OLANIPEKIN, 23 OTHERS ₦1.1BN The Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Justice, has disbursed approximately N1.1 billion in professional fees to renowned lawyers Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Wole Olanipekun (SAN), and 23 other law firms over three years, according to data from GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks government expenditures. …

BORDER COMMUNITIES SAY NO FOREIGN BASE IN SOKOTO COUNTER NIGER’S MILITARY LEADER Some border communities have refuted claims by the Nigerien Junta leader, Abdurrahman Tchani, that there was a forest called ‘Gaba’, where foreign military established their base in Sokoto state. Our reporter who visited some of the border communities discovered that such forest didn’t exist anywhere in the state. …