Day: January 13, 2025

The Dead Race to Nowhere

Emporium Reporters

The race to be socially accepted is leading many people to their downfall. Young people who should ordinarily be at peace with themselves are deeply troubled by the needless, self -inflcited pressure they impose on themselves. A man in his forties sees himself as a failure because he hasn’t acquired luxury cars, purchased a lavish mansion, or reached a point of extravagant spending. To him, he has failed – forgetting that no time is ever too late for a man to succeed. Crime records reveal that young people between the…

FG to Blacklist 18 Banks Over N200 Billion USSD Debt

Emporium Reporters

By Ibrahim I. Newton   The Federal Government is poised to blacklist 18 banks for failing to settle nearly N200 billion owed to Nigerian telecom operators for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services. The move, expected to be announced tomorrow, follows years of unresolved debt that has strained relations between the banking and telecommunications sectors.   In December 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) issued a final directive to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to resolve the N250 billion…

National Assembly queries JAMB over N1.95 Billion expenditure on Meals and Fumigation

Emporium Reporters

The National Assembly has expressed serious concerns over the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) expenditure of N1.95 billion on meals, refreshments, security, cleaning, and fumigation in 2024. The queries were raised during a joint committee session on revenue projections for 2025, led by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East).   JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, presented the board’s financial report, revealing that while JAMB remitted N4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, it also received N6 billion from the Federal Government in the same year. This raised questions from…

Makinde Vows to Prosecute Kingmakers,Oyomesi Over Alleged Bribery in Alaafin Selection

Emporium Reporters

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has pledged to prosecute members of the Oyomesi and other officials implicated in bribery allegations during the selection process of the new Alaafin of Oyo. The governor’s declaration follows reports that a sum of N15 million was allegedly offered to some chiefs by a contender for the Alaafin stool.   Speaking during the official presentation of the Staff of Office and Certificate of Appointment to the newly appointed Alaafin, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, Governor Makinde emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in the traditional…

JUST IN: Lagos Assembly Ousts Speaker Obasa Over Alleged Financial Misconduct

Lukman Laleye Babalola

By Idris O.Babalola   The Lagos State House of Assembly has removed Mudashiru Obasa from his position as Speaker, citing allegations of financial mismanagement. The impeachment occurred during a session held on Monday, January 13, 2025. Deputy Speaker Lasbat Meranda, representing Apapa Constituency 1, has been appointed as his successor.   Obasa’s removal follows accusations of withdrawing N43.5 billion for lawmakers’ backup vehicles and other contentious expenditures, part of a broader sum of approximately N90.5 billion withdrawn from the state’s coffers between January 2023 and the third quarter of 2024.…

Ibadan Funfair Tragedy: Court Grants Bail to Naomi, Oriyomi Hamzat, School Principal

Lukman Laleye Babalola

An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has granted bail to Olori Naomi Silekunola, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and Abdulahi Fasasi, who were arrested in connection with the tragic Christmas funfair that led to the deaths of 35 children in Ibadan, Oyo State.   The court’s decision was delivered by Justice K. B. Olawoyin on Monday, following a hearing where the trio’s bail applications were considered. The accused individuals, including the founder of Agidigbo FM, Hamzat, and Fasasi, the principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, are facing charges of conspiracy,…

NOA Launches Nationwide Campaign to Raise Awareness on Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)

Lukman Laleye Babalola

In a proactive effort to address public concerns regarding the potential outbreak of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Nigeria, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has initiated a nationwide awareness campaign. The campaign aims to educate citizens on the virus, its symptoms, and preventive measures.   Dr. Olufemi Ayoola, Director of Health and Social Care at NOA, disclosed that the directive was issued to ensure Nigerians are equipped with the necessary information to prevent the virus from reaching the country. He clarified that the initiative is not intended to incite panic but…

Suspected Internet fraudster arrested with Girlfriend’s severed head in Nasarawa …. Police identify victim as serving Corps Member

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Security operatives in Nasarawa State have apprehended a man suspected to be involved in internet fraud, commonly referred to as a ‘Yahoo boy,’ after a grisly discovery in the Agwan Sarki Orozo community. Acting on an intelligence tip-off, authorities found the suspect in possession of a polythene bag containing the severed head of his girlfriend, concealed in an uncompleted building.   During preliminary questioning, the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime, disclosed that the rest of the victim’s remains were at his residence. This revelation has sent shockwaves through the…

Makinde presents Staff of Office to 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Prince Akeem Owoade

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Oyo State Governor ,Seyi Makinde officially presented the Staff and certificate of office to Prince Akeem Abimbola Owoade, the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, in a brief ceremony held on January 13, 2025, at the state government house in Agodi, Ibadan. The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Bayo-Lawal, former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, high-ranking chiefs from Oyo Town, religious leaders, and the esteemed Ifa Custodian, Prof. Wande Abimbola, who conducted the Ifa divination for the selection of the…

Monday Lines Alaafin: Some words for king and chiefs By Lasisi Olagunju

Emporium Reporters

The oba under our law is not a king; he is a chief. That is why the law governing the appointment and removal of the oba and his ìjòyè is called Chiefs Law. The colonial government made it so. The oba was not recognised as king by the law – because the English king/queen was the sovereign here, and there could not be more than one king in a kingdom. They didn’t stop at that. What the oba occupied or vacated was a ‘stool’, not a ‘throne’. Only the English…