Gov Otu Approves ₦1.5bn Youth Empowerment Scheme

Photo: Governor Bassey Otu By Mandy Park Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu has approved the release of ₦1.499 billion for the implementation of the Cross River Youth Skill Acquisition and Start-up Empowerment Programme, a landmark initiative aimed at equipping 2,620 young people across the state with vocational, technical and digital skills as well as business start-up equipment. The approval was granted at the State Executive Council meeting as part of the administration’s commitment to accelerating youth employment, enterprise development and inclusive economic growth. Speaking shortly after the…

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Harbottle College Celebrates Graduation Ceremony

Photo: Master Solomon Kanu and mother at the occasion By: Mandy Park Joy and excitement filled the atmosphere at Harbottle College, Ikorodu, Lagos, on Friday 24 July as their outgoing students were celebrated with a graduation ceremony. The classes that graduated were: KG 2, Primary 5, JSS 3 and SS 3 Master Solomon Kanu, one of the school’s outstanding students, graduated from the Senior Secondary School SS3 at the institution’s graduation ceremony. The colourful event brought together parents, teachers, friends, alumni and well-wishers to celebrate the graduating students, marking the…

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Police Insist Ajiran Murders Trial Must Proceed, Ask VeryDarkMan to Submit Evidence Through Due Proces

By: Mandy Park The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reiterated that the criminal trial arising from the Ajiran murders should be allowed to proceed without interference from media campaigns or public pressure, urging social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to present any evidence against the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos, AIG Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, through established legal channels. The Force made its position known in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani…

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Makinde carpets EFCC over Osun account freeze

PHOTO Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde By Mandy Park Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has condemned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over its directive freezing the Osun State Government’s bank account, describing the action as an abuse of power and a threat to Nigeria’s democratic institutions. The anti-graft agency had directed First Bank Plc to place a Post No Debit (PND) restriction on the Osun State Government’s statutory allocation account as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of N11 billion ecological and intervention funds.…

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EFCC’s fight against corruption mustn’t be tool for political intimidation – Obi

Photo NDC presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi By Mandy Park Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has warned against using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) anti-corruption mandate as a tool for political intimidation, saying law enforcement actions must never cast doubt on the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process. Obi made the remark while reacting to the reported freezing of the Osun State Government’s bank accounts by the ‏Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), just days before the state’s governorship election. Although he reiterated his support for a vigorous…

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Jimi Benson lauds Tinubu over military salary review, Army expansion

President Bola Tinubu By Mandy Park The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, MFR, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving an upward review of the salaries and welfare packages of personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as well as the expansion and reorganisation of the Nigerian Army. Benson, in a statement issued on behalf of the committee, described the measures as “historic, visionary and timely interventions” that demonstrate the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture and improving the welfare of military…

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PFIPC scandal: Family alleges Reps moved to quiz Adeyemi in custody without lawyers

Acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi. By Gloria Ibeh The family of the purported Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, on Thursday alleged that members of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the PFIPC are attempting to question him in police custody without the presence of his lawyers. Speaking with our correspondent, Adeyemi’s brother, Peter Adeyemi, claimed that the committee visited the facility where Adeyemi is being held but that he declined to answer questions due to…

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NCoS removes Ibara boss, two others over inmate’s viral TikTok video

PHOTO . Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) By Mandy Park   The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has removed the officer in charge of the Ibara Medium Custodial Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, alongside two other principal officers, following a viral TikTok live stream by an inmate on death row. The service confirmed that the inmate was in unlawful possession of a prohibited mobile phone, which has since been recovered during a search operation and secured as an exhibit. In a statement issued on Thursday by the agency, the Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester…

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NANS rejects Northern exclusion claims in passport reform

Photo . The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) The Northern Caucus of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has dismissed allegations that the Federal Government’s passport centralisation policy is intended to marginalise Northern Nigeria, insisting that the reform is a nationwide administrative measure aimed at enhancing service delivery and security. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the students’ body described reports linking the initiative to regional discrimination as baseless, misleading and politically driven. It urged Nigerians, particularly those in the North-East and North-West, not to be swayed by what it…

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Atiku questions EFCC’s Independence after Tinubu’s directive

ADC presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar By Mandy Park Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has questioned the independence of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the reported court order freezing the Osun State Government’s bank accounts. In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the President’s intervention has undermined repeated assurances that anti-graft agencies operate without interference from the…

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