Category: Featured

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun – MFR has described the passing of Mr Olusegun Awolowo Jr., grandson of former Nigerian nationalist, and statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as a deeply profound personal loss.

Abiodun, who described the lawyer and ex- executive director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, as a gentleman par excellence, voice of courage and consummate public servant, at 62 as a deeply shocking incident, said he received news of his passing with utter disbelief, but will however treasure memories of his acquaintance.

He said that to all who knew him, Mr Segun Awolowo was affable, highly intelligent, extremely affable and easy going, adding that he will be sorely missed.

He said: “It is extremely hard to process the news that Segun Awolowo Jr. is gone, but we submit unreservedly to the decision of the Almighty God, who has called him into His bosom.

“We are deeply heartbroken, but we will take consolation in the exemplary great lessons his life taught us, for he was such a jolly good fellow.

“Born two months after his father’s death, Awolowo Jr. was acquainted with grief from childhood, but he rose above the challenges and became an icon in his own right.

“After Awolowo working with the law firm of Abayomi Sogbesan & Co. and also with the law firm of GOK Ajayi & Co. after his call to bar in December 1989, he served in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration as a Special Assistant on Traditional Institutions, Legal Due Diligence and Legal Matters.

“His record as Special Assistant to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and as Secretary for Social Development and Secretary of Transport from 2007 to 2011 executive director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council from 2013 to 2021, was unblemished.

“He gave his best in advancing the fortunes of Nigeria, and it was not by accident that he was, in July 2021, he was unanimously elected as the President of National Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) from ECOWAS member States.

“His earthly sojourn may have been brief, but it was hugely impactful. I commiserate with his dear wife and children, the Awolowo family, and Nigerians in general. May his gentle soul rest in sweet repose.”

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a motorcycle rider, Godonu Lowe, after he was found conveying the corpse of his wife in a sack while attempting to flee Omolende Village, Idogo, in Ilaro.

The suspect was intercepted on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at about 1:05 p.m., following credible intelligence received by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ilaro. Police operatives, acting on the tip-off, stopped the motorcycle and discovered a tightly fastened sack on the rear seat. Upon inspection, the bag was found to contain the lifeless body of an adult woman, later identified as the suspect’s wife.

According to the police, the corpse bore visible signs of violence, including injuries and bleeding around the neck, indicating a possible homicide. A blood-stained cutlass was also recovered, further raising suspicion of foul play. The suspect was immediately taken into custody, while the body was moved to the State Morgue in Ilaro for autopsy and preservation.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, commended the anonymous informant whose swift report aided the arrest. He urged residents to continue sharing timely and credible information that could help prevent and detect crimes, noting that even minor observations could be crucial to saving lives.

The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident in a statement issued from the State Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu following his decision to postpone a scheduled trip to both the G20 Summit in South Africa and the AU-EU Summit in Angola. The party argues the postponement is emblematic of what it sees as the president’s ongoing mismanagement and failure to prioritize the security and welfare of Nigerians.

According to State House sources, Tinubu delayed his departure after “security briefings” over two major security crises: the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and a deadly bandit attack on church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State. The presidency stated that Tinubu has directed the military and police to increase deployment in these troubled zones.

In its rebuke, the PDP recalled past comments where its leaders accused Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima of being “not prepared for governance,” particularly condemning their frequent foreign trips while the country grapples with worsening insecurity.

Debo Ologunagba, PDP’s spokesperson, was especially scathing in his remarks. He called Tinubu’s one-year foreign vacation and multiple trips abroad “insensitive” and a stark demonstration that the administration is out of touch with ordinary Nigerians. He also reiterated that the president should stop making “performance claims that contradict reality,” pointing out that citizens continue to endure “hardship, insecurity, and hopelessness” under his watch.

Beyond the security issue, the PDP accused Tinubu’s administration of wasteful spending — including the use of taxpayers’ money for international travel — while the government struggles to deliver on basic services.

The opposition party’s reaction suggests that Tinubu’s postponed trip could become a flashpoint for renewed political attacks, framing it as yet another example of what they call “executive rascality” amid a deepening security crisis.

Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, on Thursday matriculated over 2,000 new students into its National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The ceremony, held at the institution’s auditorium, marked the official induction of the students after they took the matriculation oath administered by the Acting Registrar.

The Acting Rector of the institution, Dr. ’Gbade Akinteye, in his address, congratulated the new students and described the matriculation as the beginning of an important journey in their academic and personal development. He urged the freshers to embrace discipline, focus on their studies, and make responsible choices throughout their stay on campus.

Dr. Akinteye highlighted the remarkable progress the institution has made under the administration of Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, noting that the Polytechnic has enjoyed a stable and uninterrupted academic calendar over the last few years. He added that the consistent academic schedule has strengthened public confidence in the institution and improved its national reputation.

He also emphasized landmark achievements such as the hosting of the Polytechnic’s maiden inaugural lecture, the steady increase in student enrollment, and the full accreditation and re-accreditation of several academic programmes by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). According to him, these developments have expanded the institution’s academic offerings and improved the employability prospects of its graduates.

The Acting Rector further celebrated the Polytechnic’s national recognition, recalling that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) ranked Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic as the 3rd Best Polytechnic in Nigeria in 2024. He described the ranking as a “clear testimony of our commitment to excellence, discipline, and quality service delivery.”

Dr. Akinteye also mentioned infrastructure upgrades, including the completion of two new lecture room blocks to support the growing student population, as well as improved staff welfare and faster NYSC mobilization for HND graduates.

“As you begin your journey with us, I urge you to make use of every opportunity this institution offers,” he told the matriculating students. “Attend your classes, stay disciplined, join productive activities, and prepare yourselves for the competitive world ahead. We are committed to giving you a peaceful and conducive environment that will help you succeed.”

The event was well attended by dignitaries, including members of the Management Team, Heads of Departments and Units, Directors, and members of the Students Union Government. Also present were Mr. Ismail Babatunde from the JAMB Zonal Office, Ibadan, and CSP Oludare Julius, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Eruwa Division, who joined other guests, including parents, guardians, and members of the press, to witness the colourful ceremony.

Amotekun operatives in Ondo State have arrested a 19-year-old suspected serial motorcycle thief, Oyediran Ayomide, who fled from Omu-Aran in Kwara State after allegedly attacking a commercial motorcyclist with a sledgehammer and stealing his bike. The suspect reportedly lured the victim to a remote farm settlement under the pretense of taking a call before hitting him on the head and escaping with the motorcycle.

After committing the crime, Ayomide fled to Ore, Ondo State, where he planned to use the stolen motorcycle for commercial transport. However, as he attempted to return to the crime area believing the victim might have died, Amotekun officers on border patrol under Operation Le Won Jade tracked and arrested him in the Ajue community.

The suspect confessed to the crime during interrogation and detailed how he executed the attack. Amotekun’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Jimoh Adeniken, disclosed the arrest during a media briefing in Akure, noting that the operation demonstrates the agency’s increased vigilance against cross-border criminal activities.

Following his arrest, Ayomide was handed over to the Kwara State Local Government Security Initiative for further investigation and possible prosecution. Authorities in Kwara expressed gratitude to Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa for the inter-state collaboration that made the arrest possible, stressing the importance of joint security efforts in curbing border-related crimes.

The Kwara State Government has ordered the immediate closure of schools across four local government areas following rising insecurity in the affected communities.

The directive was communicated on Wednesday through the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing, which conveyed the government’s decision to school heads and teachers.

In a circular obtained by Newsmen, the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, announced that schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs should shut down indefinitely.

Agboola explained that the union acted strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns about fresh security threats in Kwara South.

He said the order was urgent and necessary, noting that the region had been experiencing escalating security challenges that required immediate intervention. School authorities were urged to comply without delay.

“This decision was occasioned by the security challenges ravaging the area and the efforts of the government to control the situation,” the circular stated, assuring teachers that further information would be provided as events unfold.

The shutdown comes barely a day after suspected bandits attacked a church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, killing three worshippers and abducting over 35 others during a night service.

Also on Wednesday, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq announced plans to push for the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku to strengthen security response and protect vulnerable communities.

The Oyo State Government has reiterated its commitment to the Ibadan Circular Road project, emphasising that it is being executed with a clear vision and a deliberate objective to attract unprecedented investment opportunities into the state.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, he explained that the current agitation is not unexpected even when it appears to have been hijacked by a few individuals with a different agenda

The commissioner said that for a defining project of this nature, avoided by past administrations, the government is left with no choice but to see the project to its conclusion

The government said that the imminent all-inclusive meeting between it and genuine land owners is what everybody should look forward to, instead of preemptive and volatile remarks that tend to confuse the citizenry.

The commissioner said as far as the government is concerned, the issue of compensation is ongoing, while the issue of resettlement is up for discussion as soon as an appointment is agreed between government officials and genuine stakeholders.

Oyelade cited examples of demolitions and compensations by the state governments paid in the past and this present administration which include dualization of Idi Ape, Bashorun, Akobo and Odogbo Baracks road; dualization of Ilorin express junction, ikoyin road, Taki leading to the Soun Palace at Oja-igbo in ogbomosho; dualization of Saki Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Ilesha Ibaruba road; dualization of Idi Ape, Bashorun Akobo, Olurunda-Aba including the Ashi overhead bridge; rehabilitation of Bere Orita/Orita Aperin, Akanran, Gbedu and Dagbolu Road; dualization of Ibadan/Oyo Iseyin Okeho junction road; dualization of challenge/Odo -Ona Elewe Road and many more roads adding up to sixteen (16) in numbers.

According to him the compensation paid for all these combined is two billion, three hundred and twenty-six million, fifty-nine thousand, four hundred and fifty-three naira( #2,326, 059,453) for a total of 250km of roads across the state

The Commissioner said that in the first phase of the ongoing Ibadan Circular Road project spanning 32.2 kilometres from Abiola Ajimobi Technical University to Badeku Junction, only 1,354 buildings were affected out of a total of 7,340 structures for the entire 110km, noting that 5,986 buildings, representing 82%, were not affected by the exercise.

According to him, “The sensitive process of verification makes it important for the government to engage in a painstaking yet humane approach.”

” In this regard, over Eight Hundred Million (#800,000,000) has been paid to about 200 verified claimers while the process for further disbursement is actively going on.”

“Government is not unaware of the activities of land speculators who have moved in batches into the area to ply their trade irrespective of the government’s instructions to avoid new constructions /transactions within the marked corridor.”

The Information Commissioner said that the government remains optimistic in spite of the unnecessary militancy of a few, stressing that the vast majority of our people understand the bigger picture of what the State Government intends to achieve.

He appealed to the protesters to immediately stop the disruption of social and commercial activities in the city of Ibadan

He added that the Seyi Makinde Administration will remain transparent in the implementation of this inevitable project

The National Judicial Institute (NJI) has debunked viral social media claims that judges sang the political chorus “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand” during the opening of the 2025 All Nigeria Judges Conference in Abuja. In a statement by its spokesperson, Kolade Umoru, the NJI said the allegation is “entirely false and unfounded,” stressing that the only song sung at the event was the National Anthem.

The Institute clarified that the tune associated with President Bola Tinubu was briefly played by the Guards Brigade Band as part of their ceremonial protocol while escorting the President to the podium, not by judges. It added that judges only stood out of respect for the President, not in support of any political message.

Reaffirming its neutrality, the NJI said the judiciary remains non-partisan and insulated from politics, warning that misinformation capable of undermining public trust in institutions should not be circulated.

• Ex–presidential candidate consoles Kebbi, Kwara victims • Says terrorists now dictate life across northern states

Former presidential candidate, Gbenga -Hashim, has raised fresh alarm over what he described as the Federal Government’s “loss of operational control” of security in Northern Nigeria, following renewed terrorist attacks in Kwara and Kebbi States.

Hashim, in a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, said the latest assaults, including the killing of two security operatives in Rogun Village, Kpada District of Patigi LGA, aswell as another attack in Ekiti Local government, Kwara State, show that terrorists now operate across the North “without fear of the state.”

Terrorists reportedly stormed a police outpost in Rogun on Sunday night, engaging officers in a prolonged gunfight before overwhelming the facility. The attack occurred just days after 25 schoolgirls were abducted and a vice principal murdered in Kebbi State, in addition to the killing of a senior Customs officer in Bagudo LGA.

“These coordinated attacks are evidence of a nation sliding toward total collapse,” Hashim declared.

“From Niger to Zamfara, Kaduna to Plateau, Bauchi to Kebbi, and now Kwara, terrorists determine the rhythm of life in too many communities. The Federal Government has lost control.”

He described the Patigi and Ekiti attacks as particularly disturbing, noting that the Middle Belt corridor had historically been considered relatively stable. The incident, he warned, marks a dangerous expansion of terrorist activity and underscores “a total failure of intelligence and policing.”

“What we are witnessing is a quiet surrender of northern Nigeria to non-state actors. Rural communities are under siege. Schools are unsafe. Police posts are now battlefields. This is not governance; this is abandonment,” he said.

Hashim also referenced recent reports of a serving military general ambushed after terrorists allegedly intercepted his communication, insisting the development proves insurgents now possess “advanced capability and extraordinary daring.”

“If terrorists can attack a police outpost in Kwara and kill officers without consequences, what hope is left for villagers? If 25 girls can be taken in Kebbi without immediate rescue, what remains of the meaning of government?” he asked.

He stressed that effective state authority is now limited mostly to state capitals, while “vast rural territories have fallen under the shadow of armed groups.”

“Outside the state capitals, sovereignty is collapsing. Villages are governed by fear, by bandits, by terrorists. The silence from those in power is complicity. Many villagers now pay taxes to terrorists,” he lamented.

Hashim condoled with families affected by the Kwara and Kebbi attacks and demanded an urgent national response, including a radical overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture.

“Unless drastic steps are taken now, Nigeria risks tumbling into a new and uncontrollable phase of disintegration,” he warned.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.

In response to the request by the governor of Kwara State, President Tinubu has ordered the deployment of more security men to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, and directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers.

President Tinubu was scheduled to leave Abuja today to attend the 20th G20 Summit of leaders in South Africa and thereafter proceed to Luanda to attend the 7th AU-EU Summit.

Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Tuesday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure.

He now awaits reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who paid a sympathy visit to Kebbi on his behalf, as well as reports from the police and the Department of State Services regarding the attack in Kwara.

President Tinubu reiterates his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls, abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home, safe.