POLITICAL TRANSGENDER: AKWA IBOM GOVERNOR REPLIES KENNETH OKONKWO Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has responded to actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo, who recently referred to him in an Arise TV interview as a “political transgender” — someone who acts like a man but has the genitals of a woman. Okonkwo stated this while expressing his disappointment at the …

TWB KEY FACTS ABOUT THE OGONI NINE Who Were They? The Ogoni Nine—Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine—were activists from Ogoniland, Nigeria, fighting for environmental and social justice. 📷Their Cause: They led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), demanding accountability from oil companies …

ALIKO DANGOTE RETIRES AS DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY CHAIRMAN Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc has announced the retirement of Aliko Dangote as chairman of its board of directors, effective June 16. In a statement on Wednesday, Temitope Hassan, the company secretary, said Dangote, one of the founding directors, had served with “exceptional leadership, integrity, and vision” since 2005. “Under his leadership, Dangote …

MAKE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS COMPULSORY – FORMER INEC CHAIRMAN, JEGA Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega has demanded that mandatory electronic transmission of results be added to the electoral law. According to him, that would help improve transparency and accountability in the country’s electoral process. Jega made the call on Thursday, June 12, …

NO IDEA HOW I SURVIVED AIR INDIA CRASH – SOLE SURVIVOR OF AIRCRAFT CARRYING 242 PASSENGERS Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the London-bound Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff, says he “has no idea how he survived”. The Boeing 787-8 flight crashed upon departure from Ahmedabad Airport en route to London’s Gatwick airport on Wednesday evening. …

IT’S A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU IN DISARRAY – PRESIDENT TINUBU MOCKS PDP, LP President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says it is a pleasure to see members of the opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) in disarray. The president made the remarks on Thursday, June 12, during a joint sitting of the National Assembly to mark …

IN TWO YEARS, TINUBU BORROWED MORE MONEY THAN THREE PRESIDENTS COMBINED – PETER OBI Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been driving democracy backward as the system has been in recession since he took over two years ago. He said this on Thursday in a statement titled …

NIGERIAN GOVT RESPONDS TOPETITION OVER TWO BOOKS WHICH CLAIM THE IGBO FOUNDED ILE IFE. The Nigerian Government has responded to a petition over two books which claim that Ile-Ife was founded or was first occupied by the Igbo. The petition, titled Petition to Defend Yoruba History from Ethnic Distortion in Nigerian Textbooks, was submitted by the Concerned Citizens of Yoruba …

PRESIDENCY APOLOGIZES FOR LISTING FASORANTI, MADUNAGU AMONG POSTHUMOUS HONOURS AWARDEES The Presidency has issued a formal apology after wrongly listing two living Nigerian icons, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Dr. Edwin Madunagu, under the Posthumous Honours category during President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech at the National Assembly. The mix-up, which drew swift public attention and confusion, occurred during the President’s …

LONDON-BOUND AIR INDIA JET WITH 242 SOULS CRASHES AFTER TAKEOFF A London-bound Air India flight has crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, with over 242 souls believed to be on board. The flight AI171 crashed upon departure from Ahmedabad Airport en route to London’s Gatwick airport on Wednesday evening. Images from the city showed thick smoke rising into the sky, …

TINUBU GRANTS PRESIDENTIAL PARDON, CONFERS NATIONAL HONOURS ON “OGONI 9” President Bola Ahmed Timubu has conferred posthumous national honours on nine Ogoni activists who were brutãlly executed by General Sani Abacha in 1996 Those granted pardon were Ken Saro Wiwa (CON), the leader of the Ogoni Nine and his fellow travellers, Saturday Dobee (OON), Nordu Eawo (OON), Daniel Gbooko (OON), …

NIGERIA WON’T BECOME ONE-PARTY STATE -:TINUBU President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ruled out the possibility of Nigeria becoming a one-party state under his watch. Addressing a joint session of the National Assembly on the occasion of democracy day celebration on Thursday in Abuja, Tinubu, however, said he would not advise opposition parties to put their house in order. He said, …

TINUBU CONFERS HONOURS AWARD ON HEROES OF JUNE 12 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred national honours on distinguished Nigerians who fought for June 12. Those honoured with posthumous national honours were: Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (GCFR), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu (CON), Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (CON), Alhaji Balarabe Musa (CFR), Pa. Alfred Rewani (CFR), Bagauda Kaltho (OON), Chima Ubani (OON), Dr. …

NO AMOUNT OF PRAYERS CAN ERASE THE DEATH OF SIX MILLION IGBOS – GROUP TELLS GOWON Igbo women under the aegis of Igbo Women Assembly, has berated the former Nigerian Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon over his comment on the Civil War, stating that no amount of his prayers would atone for the blood of over six million …

ENUGU ASSEMBLY PASSES 23 EXECUTIVE BILLS, 14 MOTIONS TO END SECOND SESSION The Enugu State House of Assembly has passed 23 executive bills and 14 motions in its second session. The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Uche Ugwu, stated this at a plenary on Wednesday to formally end the second session of the Assembly. THE WHISTLER reports that the …