NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Supreme Court on Friday, declared Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the duly elected Governor of Delta State.   The Supreme Court took the decision after dismissing all three appeals challenging Oborevwori’s victory at the March 18 governorship election.   In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the apex court, in its lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, held that the appeals against Oborevwori lacked merit. The court dismissed an appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Delta State, Ovie Omo-Agege, to overturn Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s election. The Supreme Court concluded that the appellant failed to provide sufficient evidence of over-voting and noncompliance with electoral laws.   The panel also dismissed the appeals filed by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kenneth Gbagi, as well as that of the Labour Party (LP) against Oborevwori. Due to time constraints a

President Bola Tinubu says his administration is committed to remodelling institutions of higher learning to achieve the purpose for which they were established. The president stated this on Day 3 of the 54th convocation of the University of Lagos, on Thursday. The visitor to the university, who was represented by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, noted that institutions, especially universities, were central to the attainment of a new Nigeria. According to him, there is a need for all the support and necessary changes to be put in place to make the country achieve the desired aim of Nigerians as a people. “We have done well in infrastructure and culturally, and we need to be proud of who we are and what we represent as a people. “Let me commend all the organs of this university that, through doggedness, have made commitments that led to today’s ceremony. “I am confident that with the quality of teaching and research that the university has instilled in our gra

My name is Udonna Michael Mnwe. I was born on January 1,1996, in Mbala, Abia State of Nigeria.  I am a citizen of Nigeria. I am not a dual citizen of any other country. My parents are Uwazurike and Okwudiri Mnwe. I am seeking asylum in Canada because, my life is in grave danger in my home country, Nigeria, simply because I am a h8mosexual. My problem may have started from the day I was born. I came out of my mother’s womb with an unusual very light skin colour in an area where the majority of people have very dark skin. My skin tone has always drawn attention to me; both positive and negative attention for that matter. Hence, this is the reason why the entire town call me “Nwoke ocha” meaning a light skin male or “Oyibo” meaning a white man. As soon as I became aware of my surroundings, I was preyed upon by men around me, who found me very attractive just like a girl. I started primary school in the year, 2000, and finished in 2006. On the day I confirmed that I would be going to start

Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association has inaugurated the Nomad Vigilante group in Nasarawa State to complement conventional security agencies. Alh. Bello Bodejo, the National President of the association who inaugurated the group on Wednesday in Lafia,  said that its formation became imperative given the increasing security challenges in the country. He said that the first batch of the vigilante comprised 1,144 Fulani youths from various communities in the 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Nasarawa State. Bodejo added that the profiling of other interested persons was ongoing, as they target to recruit up to 4,000 youths for proper coverage of all Fulani communities. The national president also promised that the group would assist in fishing out all criminal elements in Fulani communities and hand them over to the security agencies for necessary action. He explained that the vigilante group would assist conventional security agencies in the areas

The Federal Government has approved the ratification of the Investment Promotion and Protection (IPPA) agreements between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Doris Uzoka-Anite, minister of trade and investment, confirmed this while briefing journalists after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu. According to Uzoka-Anite, “With the approval, the Federal Government will forward the already-signed IPPA agreements to the National Assembly for ratification.” The minister said her ministry can now invoke Article 26 of that agreement, which gives it a mandate to review and amend some sections of the IPPA to conform with the current IPPA model in use, which is a 2016 model. According to the minister, “We will immediately proceed to invoke the section that will enable us to review and amend the sections that were not originally viewed to be favourable. On the rising cost of goods and services, as well as the high cost of

As January is drawing to an end, students have decried the prolonged wait for the commencement of the education loans. Their umbrella body, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) lamented that the loan portal had not yet been opened for students to apply as of the time of filing this report. It also expressed worry at the recent hikes in tuition by some higher institutions amid the delay in the loan implementation and called for the disbursement of the loans before month-end. But the federal government has said January is a reality for the commencement of the student loan scheme with plans of timely students’ access to the credit facility within 30 days. However, speaking exclusively on behalf of the students, the coordinator of NANS Zone C, Comrade Anzaku Shedrack, urged President Bola Tinubu to fast-track the implementation of the student loan before the end of January. He also emphasised the need to include NANS as one of the committees that will supervise

President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON has sympathised with the government and people of Oyo state over the explosion that rocked Bodija, Ibadan on Tuesday killing 7 people and injuring over 70. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, the Senate President expressed sadness at the accident lamenting the loss of lives and property. “With a heavy heart, I wish to commiserate with Governor Seyi Makinde, the good people of Oyo State and indeed victims and their families in this unfortunate occurrence. I am very distraught at this accident happening, especially at the beginning of the year. “I pray that the Almighty God will forgive the sins of those who lost their lives in the explosion and welcome them in His kingdom. And for those who sustained injuries, it is my prayer that they will receive healing in good times. For the families that suffered different losses, may God replace all that they have lost”. The Senat

Digital entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, has spotlighted the chief reasons why multinationals are exiting Nigeria and warned that if nothing was done, more of such businesses and indigenous ones may close shop in the coming months and years. In a press statement, Ekeh who is the Chairman of Zinox Technologies Limited, a Nigerian conglomerate with international affiliations, urged President Bola Tinubu to address the critical issues of corporate blackmail and bullying, which he said frustrate the Federal Government’s effort at promoting ease-of-doing-business in the country. While acknowledging that scarcity of forex is a challenge for businesses operating in Nigeria, he said these challenges can be surmounted especially with the new push by the Tinubu government to inject more forex into the system. He stated that the depreciation of the naira, which dropped from N422.00/$ in June 2023 to N951.94/$ in December 2023 at the official window, following the floating of the naira by

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has introduced an undergraduate internship program aimed at identifying, training, and empowering future entrepreneurs on university campuses nationwide. The Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, officially launched the program at Baze University in Abuja, announcing a target of 10,000 internship placements through the initiative in 2024. Mr. Odii highlighted that the agency has secured commitments from prestigious firms to provide opportunities for students, allowing them to gain practical knowledge and experience. The initiative, named the “SMEDAN Undergraduate Internship Programme,” is designed to offer hands-on entrepreneurial experience to students through quality internships at renowned organizations. The program aims to identify and nurture potential entrepreneurs, fostering innovation and talent in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sub-sector. Charles Odii emphasized the agency

The Anambra state Traditional rulers council has officially responded to the Anambra state government, on the recent suspension of HRH Igwe Damian O. Ezeani. In a press release made available through the Chairman of the council of traditional rulers in the state, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka A. Achebe CFR, mni, the council in a 14 point letter bemoaned the dimension that was taken by the state government in the suspension of Igwe Damian O Ezeani.  He said he was suspect that the suspension letter was an after thought as it was already trending on social media for over 24 hours prior to their receipt of the letter. " I was embarrassingly inundated with phone calls and messages from traditional rulers and other persons seeking clarification from.me as Chairman of ASTRC regarding a situation to which I was not privy. Your letter to Igwe Damian O Ezeani was copied to the Commissioner of Police, and Director DSS, Anambra state, bit not to the chairman of the ASTRC."