Month: July 2025

Buhari: A tale of two deaths By Lasisi Olagunju

Emporium Reporters

June 2015, freshly minted President Muhammadu Buhari hosted General Olusegun Obasanjo at the Villa. “Whatever anyone might have done to you in the past, please forgive and forget,” Obasanjo advised the new president. Buhari looked up, surprised. His countenance changed. “Including Ibro?” “Yes, especially Ibro,” Obasanjo answered very quickly and curtly. The two leaders exchanged glances. Silence. The ‘Ibro’ in that discussion is General Ibrahim Babangida. The question on whether Ibro should be forgiven was a surprise to Obasanjo because twice, Buhari was in IBB’s home seeking his endorsement ahead…

The body of the Yoruba king By Lasisi Olagunju

Emporium Reporters

Okuku town in present Osun State has a well-recorded history of cultural promotion and preservation. Ulli Beier’s ‘Yoruba Beaded Crowns’ (1982) and Karin Barber’s ‘I Could Speak until Tomorrow: Oriki, Women and the Past in a Yoruba Town’ (1991) are two of the contributions of Okuku to Yoruba cultural history. The late Yoruba playwright and culture icon, Adebayo Faleti, told me in 2004 that he wrote one of his major plays in Okuku in the 1950s.   Oba Moses Oyewole Oyinlola was Olokuku of Okuku from 1938 to 1960. A…

Education Ministry debunks fake news on 2025 WAEC and NECO Exams, warns against misinformation

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Federal Ministry of Education has strongly refuted false claims circulating online regarding the cancellation of the 2025 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, described them as misleading and entirely fabricated.   In a press release signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the Ministry categorically distanced itself from the misinformation and reassured the public of the credibility and orderly conduct of both examination bodies.   According to the statement, the 2025 WAEC examinations have been successfully concluded, with only a…

Falana to Okpebholo: Retract Threat Against Peter Obi or Face Legal Action

Emporium Reporters

Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has issued a stern warning to the Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, over a recent threat directed at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.   Falana’s response followed remarks made by Governor Okpebholo at a political rally in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area. The governor allegedly stated: “There’s a new sheriff in town. [Peter Obi] cannot just come into Edo without informing me. His security will not be guaranteed. If anything happens to…

TDF slams Atiku over Fuel Subsidy Criticism, demands Practical Alternatives

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Democratic Front (TDF) has berated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his persistent criticism of the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing his stance as repetitive, confused, and lacking in substance.   In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the group said it was dismayed that Atiku continues to label the subsidy removal as “hasty and thoughtless,” despite mounting evidence of its benefits.   “It is even more worrisome that the former Vice President has continued…

Tinubu Media Volunteers applaud President Tinubu for Honouring Buhari with State Burial

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Tinubu Media Volunteers (TMV) have commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what they described as an “exceptional display of loyalty and patriotism” in honouring the late former President Muhammadu Buhari with a state burial.   In a statement jointly signed by the group’s Chairman, Chukwudi Enekwechi, and Secretary, Segun Ogedengbe, the TMV lauded the President’s gesture, noting that it was a befitting tribute to a statesman who significantly influenced Nigeria’s political landscape for nearly two decades.   “We note that from the period late President Buhari took ill, President…

TDF to ADC: Stop Scapegoating Tinubu, embrace Internal Democracy

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Democratic Front (TDF) has faulted the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for what it described as an attempt to scapegoat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the party’s internal crisis.   This followed comments by the interim National Chairman of ADC, Senator David Mark, who alleged that the Tinubu-led administration was using the courts to frustrate his party’s political progress.   In a statement jointly signed by TDF Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the group said the ADC leadership was using blackmail to cover…

Dabiri-Erewa hails Gbemi Disu’s appointment as SVP at WorldQuant University

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has congratulated Nigerian-born global education executive, Gbemi Disu, on her recent appointment as the Senior Vice President, Global Partner Development at WorldQuant University (WQU).   In a statement released on Saturday by NiDCOM’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Dabiri-Erewa described the appointment as “another shining testament to the impact and excellence Nigerians in the Diaspora are bringing to world-class institutions.”   The NiDCOM boss said that Disu’s new role represents a strategic bridge-building function, one…

Houston Mayor seeks Direct Nigeria–Houston Flights, Nigerian Consulate to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Mayor of Houston, John Whitmire, has called for the establishment of direct flights between Nigeria and Houston, as well as the opening of a Nigerian Consulate in the U.S. city, to boost bilateral ties and better serve the growing Nigerian community in Texas.   This formed the crux of discussions during a diplomatic meeting held in Houston between Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), and Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, who represented Mayor Whitmire.   With Houston recognized as home to one of the…

NUJ FCT Press Week: Journalists are Workers in the Vineyard of Truth – Archbishop Kawas declares

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The 2025 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, continued with a spirit-filled thanksgiving service on Sunday at World Harvest Ministries, Jikwoyi, where media professionals sought divine strength and unity amid mounting challenges in the journalism landscape. Delivering a sermon themed “Seeking Deliverance from the Athens Troubles of Life,” Archbishop Professor Leonard Bature Kawas urged journalists to remain spiritually alert and courageous. Drawing from Matthew 16:18–19, he reminded the congregation that they have been entrusted with divine authority and must resist fear, deception, and intimidation.  …