Politicians across all divide gathered today at the University of Ibadan to attend the 7th Annual Senator Abiola Ajimobi Roundtable and 75th Posthumous birthday held at the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies.
The National Leader of APC, Abdulahi Ganduje, Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, Deputy Senate President of the National assembly, Senator Jubril, Senate leader, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi, Senator Fatai Buhari, Senator Teslim Folarin, FIRS Boss, Zach Adedeji Rt.Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, Oyo State Speaker, among several others were present at Ajimobi’s Posthumous birthday, held at Senator Ajimobi Resource Centre.
The former Governor of Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, Abiola Ajimobi on June 25, 2020, Ajimobi breathed his last during COVID-19 and succumbed to the cold hands of death six months and nine days after he clocked 70.
Other dignitaries that attended the posthumous remembrance were Senator Sarafadeen Ali, Senator Yunus Akintunde, Former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan Olubadan of Ibadanland, Soun of Ogbomosho, Oluwo of Iwo, Prof. Julius Ilovbere who was also the lead paper presenter.
A trainee herbalist, Ifagbenga Taiwo, who was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly slaughtering his 41-day-old son in the Keesi area of Adatan, Abeokuta, the state capital, has disclosed that he carried out the act under a spell.
VOA news reported on Wednesday that the incident occurred last Monday after the baby’s mother, Raimat Wasilat, laid him on a bed while washing clothes outside their home.
Wasilat was said to have returned to the room and met his son with a slit throat, prompting her to raise the alarm, which attracted their neighbours and the police.
Multi-billion-naira worth of shipments of Methamphetamine and Loud, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis meant for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season, concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada, have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos after months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargoes across three continents.
For the first time in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations, two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilograms were on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th December 2024, recovered from separate containers bearing vehicles and spare parts coming from Canada and heading to warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin area of Lagos.
While one of the containers going to Ladipo market through the Sifax bonded terminal was examined on Thursday 12th December, not less than 5.001kg methamphetamine hidden in a bag wrapped in bed sheet that came in a Toyota Camry car, was recovered, even as a businessman, Isaac Onwumere linked with the consignment was promptly arrested.
The other container bearing automobile spare parts checked on Friday 13th December was found to contain 1, 735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags with a total weight of 867.5kg and six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3kg. At least, two businessmen: Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
The two meth consignments have a combined weight of 83.301kg worth One Hundred and Twenty-Four Million Nine Hundred and Fifty-One Thousand Naira (124,951,000.00) while the 867.5kg Loud is worth Two Billion One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N2,168,750,000.00) in street value.
The seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments with Customs and other port stakeholders. This followed months of intelligence processing and tracking of the consignments from their ports of loading in Canada to the landing port in Lagos by combined Special Operations Units in NDLEA and the Tincan Port Strategic Command of the Agency.
The first container with 5.001kg meth came under the radar of NDLEA’s intelligence network on 4th October 2024 when the preparation for the shipment began in Toronto, Canada, monitored through 8th October when the shipment was received at the rail ramp, loaded on the rail and departed to Montreal, Canada where it arrived and was unloaded the following day 9th October. The consignment was further monitored till it was loaded on a vessel on 19th October through when the vessel arrived and discharged at Antwerp in Belgium on 30th October after which the consignment was trans-shipped and loaded on 14th November before arriving Lagos port on 1st December and released to a bonded terminal two days after.
The second shipment containing 867.5kg Loud and 78.3kg methamphetamine followed the same route. It came under NDLEA’s intelligence tracking on 8th October 2024 when the consignments were delivered to the shipper in Toronto, Canada, loaded on the rail on 14th October and arrived Montreal the following day, 15th, after which they were loaded on a vessel to Europe on 20th October. After arrival and trans-shipment at Antwerp in Belgium on 6th and 17th November respectively, the consignments were tracked till they arrived and discharged from the vessel at Lagos port on 6th December before being moved to the terminal on 10th December.
At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state, no fewer than Six Hundred and Thirty-Six Thousand Six Hundred (636,600) bottles of codeine-based syrup worth Four Billion Four Hundred and Fifty-Six Million Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N4,456,200,000.00) in street value were intercepted in shipments from India on Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th and Friday 13th December 2024.
The seizures were made during joint examination of four containers by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies at the port following processed credible intelligence on the shipments.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of City Comprehensive College, Ogidi, Anambra; Government Secondary School, Toungo, Adamawa; Bonny Camp Primary School, Victoria Island, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Yarganji, Kano, while Oyo state command of NDLEA delivered WADA enlightenment lecture to leaders, elders, youths and residents of Tapa community, Tapa, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the Special Operations Units, Tincan, and Onne Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that the operational successes should show the drug barons and cartels that the Agency has the capacity and intelligence network to track their movements and their consignments even before getting to Nigeria. He said they will continue to lose heavily if they fail to back down on the criminal trade.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has acknowledged the difficult economic conditions in Nigeria, urging citizens to endure what he described as “unintentional hardship” caused by ongoing reforms,
Speaking at the 48th convocation ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Tinubu, represented by Tope Fasua, the Special Adviser on Economy to the Vice President, assured Nigerians that the reforms are designed to benefit everyone in the long run.
Tope Fasua affirmed that President Tinubu’s reform is necessary to set the Nigerian economy on the right path. He however charged Nigerians to exercise patience as the reform is already yielding positive results.
The Ondo State Police Command has reported a tragic incident in which a middle-aged man set his estranged wife ablaze before taking his own life. In a statement shared on Thursday via its official X account, the Command disclosed that the man, whose identity has been withheld, lured his estranged wife to their former home under the pretense of collecting her wardrobe.
However, the encounter took a devastating turn, leaving the man dead and the wife with severe burn injuries. The police confirmed that the woman is receiving medical attention, while investigations are ongoing to uncover the full details of the incident.
The tragedy has sparked discussions about domestic violence and mental health, with many calling for increased support systems and awareness to prevent such occurrences. The statement read:
“Mr A was married to Mrs A, but along the line, they had issues that made them stay apart.
“Mr A called Mrs A to come over and carry a wardrobe. When she got to the house, he started with threats of killing himself but later locked the door so that both of them will die together.
“Mr A, with the aid of fuel and lighter, set himself and Mrs A ablaze. Mr A died on the spot while Mrs A had major burns. In less than 48 hours, Mrs A has been referred to the 3rd hospital. Stay away from toxic partners.”
Authorities have urged the public to prioritize their safety and avoid toxic relationships.
The national caucus leaders of the Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, on Friday paid a solidarity visit to lawyer and author, Mr Dele Farotimi, at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre to deliver a private message from their national leader, Chief Adebanjo and to enquire about his wellbeing.
Farotimi, a member of the national caucus of Afenefere, is being remanded in prison amidst a suit against him for allegedly defaming the founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola.
According to a statement by the Deputy Secretary General, Alade Rotimi-John, the Afenifere leaders expressed their disappointment at “the travesty occasioned by the chief magistrate who presided over the case on Tuesday when he declined to see the need to give urgent attention to an application for bail for a bailable offence, particularly since it is already a deeply disturbing miscarriage of justice for Mr Farotimi to have been remanded in the correctional centre in the first place.”
The statement said, “Afenifere will wait to consider its next line of action after the ruling of the chief magistrate on December 20.
“The national caucus leaders of Afenifere in attendance at the correctional centre today (Friday) included Chief Supo Shonibare, Basorun Segun Sanni, Mrs Nike Olujembola, Mrs Toyin Falade, Pastor Olayemi Olajuyinnu and Mr Tunde Babarinde, among others.”
The leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has stated that she identifies as Yoruba rather than broadly as “Nigerian.”
Speaking with The Spectator in an interview, she explained that her limited connection to northern Nigeria, which she described as a haven for Islamism and Boko Haram, influences her perspective.
According to her, “I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba].
I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emphasized that there is no “magical solution” to Nigeria’s ongoing electricity challenges, attributing the issues to decades-old infrastructure.
During a visit from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, he noted that while Siemens Energy is making efforts, improvements will take time due to aging transmission lines.
Tinubu also highlighted reforms aimed at decentralizing power generation and distribution, encouraging foreign investment in alternative energy sources.
He assured that the government is committed to utilizing Nigeria’s resources for rural electrification and enhancing the power sector.
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has reiterated her controversial stance on Nigeria, stating that she will not shy away from speaking candidly about her homeland. This declaration follows criticism from Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima over her characterization of the country as a “socialist nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity.”
In a statement issued through her spokesperson, Badenoch emphasized her commitment to addressing issues with honesty and realism rather than polishing Nigeria’s global image.
“Kemi is not interested in doing Nigeria’s PR; she is the leader of the opposition in the UK,” the spokesperson said. “She tells the truth. She tells it like it is. She’s not going to couch her words, and she stands by what she says.”
Born Olukemi Adegoke in Nigeria, Badenoch has often highlighted her Nigerian heritage but has also been openly critical of the country’s governance and systemic challenges. Her remarks have sparked mixed reactions both in Nigeria and abroad, with some lauding her forthrightness and others accusing her of perpetuating negative stereotypes.
Badenoch’s comments come amid heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s political and social landscape. Vice-President Shettima’s rebuke underscored the sensitivity of such remarks from someone of Nigerian descent now holding a prominent position in British politics.
Kemi Badenoch, who adopted her surname after marrying her Scottish husband, Hamish Badenoch, has built a reputation as a straightforward and often polarizing figure. As the first person of Nigerian origin to lead a major UK political party, her comments carry significant weight, amplifying debates on issues of governance, corruption, and national identity.
While the controversy continues to unfold, Badenoch’s refusal to soften her stance demonstrates her commitment to her principles, even at the risk of alienating a segment of her Nigerian audience. Whether this approach will bolster her political career in the UK or strain relations with her country of origin remains to be seen.
The Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport, situated along the llisan-Iperu route in Ogun State, has received approval for commercial operations from Nigerian aviation regulatory bodie
In a statement released on Wednesday, the agencies praised the airport’s advanced infrastructure, calling it “world-class” and a “point of pride for Ogun State.”
They pointed out essential facilities such as the control towins, athe amonitori are compliant wity, treativince standards.
The airport is also touted to be among the finest in West Africa.
“There has been notable enhancement in the facilities since my previous visit.
The infrastructure here is comparable to any standard airport around the world,” said Aerodrome and Airspace Stendates ate cAo Mohammed lauded the quality of work carried out under Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration, stressing the importance of acknowledging the successful completion of the project.
