Author: Yusuf Lawal

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assured voters in Ondo State of improved logistics and result management during the November 16 governorship election. Yakubu made this promise during an assessment tour of the INEC office in Ondo State, where he evaluated the commission’s preparedness. *Key Areas of Improvement* – _Logistics_: Ensuring polling units open promptly on election day – _Result Management_: Efficient handling and dissemination of election results Yakubu emphasized that INEC has learned valuable lessons from previous elections, including the last one, and is committed to addressing the two major challenges ¹. He…

A 16-year-old boy, Nuhu Haruna, has been apprehended by the Katsina State Police Command for allegedly killing his stepmother, Rabi Haruna, 40, during a violent altercation. The incident occurred in Fenza village, Dutsinma Local Government Area. According to ASP Abubakar Sadiq, Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna was arrested on October 21, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. Sadiq disclosed, “On October 21, 2024, at about 1:00 p.m., the command arrested one Nuhu Haruna, male, aged 16, of Fenza village, Dutsinma LGA, over a case of culpable homicide. The suspect reportedly struck his stepmother with a stick on her stomach during a misunderstanding,…

A Kuje Magistrate Court has granted bail to House of Representatives member Alex Ikwechegh, representing Aba North and South, in the sum of N500,000. Ikwechegh was arraigned for allegedly assaulting Bolt driver Stephen Abuwatseya outside his Abuja residence. The incident gained widespread attention after a video surfaced on social media, showing Ikwechegh threatening the driver and boasting that he could make him “disappear without a trace”. This sparked outrage, with many calling for Ikwechegh’s prosecution. Ikwechegh’s counsel had earlier confirmed that the lawmaker would be arraigned before the court by noon on Wednesday. The driver’s counsel, Deji Adeyanju, has been…

Fast-rising Afrobeats sensation, Ayra Starr, has revealed the reasons behind her single status in a candid interview with Coco Jones for Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians issue. The 22-year-old singer disclosed that her expectations for a romantic partner are exceedingly high, making it challenging for anyone to meet them. “I have very high standards. If it’s gonna be hard to meet it, it’s gonna be bye-bye,” she stated. Ayra Starr expressed gratitude for not entering the dating scene before achieving stardom. “I’m so happy I wasn’t really dating before I started music. I didn’t really know what I was missing.”…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported that the naira is showing signs of stability, thanks to recent interest rate hikes and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) efforts to address foreign exchange backlogs. This positive development is a welcome respite for Nigeria’s economy, which has faced significant challenges in recent times. *Key Factors Contributing to Naira Stability* – Recent interest rate hikes – CBN’s interventions to clear overdue foreign exchange obligations The IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report highlights the importance of these policy actions in stabilizing the currency. “Policy actions by local authorities have also resulted in positive developments;…

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has taken a bold step towards restructuring the federal ministries, scrapping the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development. This decision was made during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja. *Ministry Restructuring Details* – The Niger Delta Ministry will be replaced by the Ministry of Regional Development, which will oversee regional development commissions, including: – Niger Delta Development Commission – North West Development Commission – South West Development Commission – North East Development Commission – The National Sports Commission will take over the responsibilities of the Ministry of Sports Development – The…

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination for Private Candidates, 2024 – Second Series, will take place from October 25 to December 20, 2024. *Key Examination Details* – _Registration Period_: Extended to October 29, 2024 – _Examination Dates_: October 25 – December 20, 2024 – _Testing Mode_: Hybrid (on-screen multiple-choice and paper-based essay/practical) – _Walk-in-Candidate Opportunity_: Available 24 hours before each paper According to WAEC, “The examination will adopt the hybrid mode of delivering the examination, which implies that, the objective or multiple-choice questions would be rendered on-screen and candidates…

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez has responded to Lionel Messi’s surprise endorsement for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Messi, Inter Miami’s captain, recently tipped Martinez to win the prestigious award, citing his impressive performance in the Copa America. Messi had stated, “Lautaro deserves the Ballon d’Or more than anyone else. He was the top scorer in the Copa America.” This endorsement has generated buzz, with Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, and Kylian Mbappe also in contention. Martinez, Messi’s Argentina teammate, revealed that they hadn’t discussed the award. “We didn’t talk about this award. I was just pleased he was…

Nigeria’s national grid collapsed again on Saturday, October 19, 2024, leaving millions without power. This marks the third grid failure in just one week, following previous collapses on Monday and Tuesday. The latest outage occurred at 8:16 a.m. Saturday, with power generation plummeting from 3,042 megawatts at 8 a.m. to a mere 47MW by 9 a.m. The national grid is a complex network of power generation, transmission, and distribution systems. A collapse occurs when the entire transmission system fails, causing widespread electricity outages. This can happen due to technical faults, insufficient generation, transmission challenges, or overloading of the grid. The…

Former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has lifted the lid on Neymar’s shocking transfer decision, revealing the Brazilian ignored his advice to join the Premier League instead of Paris Saint-Germain. In 2017, Neymar made a stunning €222 million switch to PSG, a transfer record that still stands today. However, Suarez believes his former teammate made a grave mistake. Suarez recounted his conversation with Neymar, saying, “[We said] ‘Ney, if you want to win it all, stay with us [at Barcelona]’. We said ‘Ney, at least go to England, Manchester City. Their football is better, but in France…'” Suarez firmly believes Neymar…