Author: Alade Adisa

In a response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu and his government in the faraway United States, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, has stated that Nigeria’s democracy endured severe setbacks under the former general. The Special Adviser claimed that successive administrations struggled to rectify the damage left by Obasanjo and that President Tinubu is now making significant progress in addressing these issues. In a statement shared on his X account on Monday, Dare said Obasanjo has lost any moral authority to criticize the current government, stressing…

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has disclosed the party’s strategic plan to secure total political dominance in the South-West. This push includes winning upcoming governorship elections in Osun and Oyo states, aiming for a unified political landscape across the region. Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, made this revelation following the announcement of Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa’s victory in the Ondo State governorship election. He emphasized that the ruling party is committed to expanding its influence and ensuring political uniformity across all South-West states. The former governor said, “Our next target now is this geopolitical…

The Labour Party governorship candidate in Ondo State, Ayodele Olorunfemi, has expressed his disappointment over his defeat in Saturday’s election, attributing his loss to former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner, having secured 366,781 votes across all 18 local government areas. Agboola Ajayi of the PDP followed with 117,845 votes. The State Returning Officer, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, announced, “Ayedatiwa Lucky Orimisan of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby returned elected.” Olorunfemi’s campaign was…

There appears to be some confusion among some on the communications and media structure in the Presidency, and on who exactly is at the top of the ladder. Rightly so too, given the overlap in the designations of the Special Advisers and (Senior) Special Assistants tasked with managing the media, communications and orientation function(s) for and on behalf of the President. It needs not be so. But the confusion didn’t start today, even if it is more pronounced now, not helped by the overlapping and confusion nature of designations, largely unspoken expectations of deliverables from the different offices, unclear and…

Chadian authorities have reportedly detained several security personnel accused of colluding with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) factions to facilitate attacks on defensive sites in Baggara, Lac Province. The arrests, part of Operation Haskinate, were revealed in a series of interrogation videos received on 15 November 2024. The videos depict the suspects, including one from the Guran ethnic group, known for historical opposition to the late President Idriss Déby and his Zaghawa-led administration. The Guran, associated with the late Hissène Habré, have been implicated in tensions with the Zaghawa tribe, currently led by President Mahamat Idriss Déby. During interrogation,…

Xi Jinping used his final meeting with Joe Biden to send a clear message to Donald Trump: China wants to be friends, but is ready for a fight if necessary. With Biden set to leave the White House in January, China’s leader took Saturday’s meeting as a chance to spell out his approach toward Trump. That entails finding a way for the world’s two biggest economies to get along, with Xi emphasizing that the US and China shouldn’t fight a “new Cold War,” and a conflict between them isn’t inevitable.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State which returned Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. In his reaction to the outcome of the election, the former president said the voters had spoken lucidly and loudly about the confidence they have in the party and the governor. Buhari said in a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Sunday that the voters had expressed their wish through the ballot box, adding that this should be respected by other stakeholders. The former president said the election’s outcome had shown that…

•Says NNPC probe long overdue Executive Director of Patriots for Advancement of Peace and Social Development, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi has called for a comprehensive audit of the Nigerian power sector. Responding to recent statements by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who suggested $10 billion is needed to ensure 24/7 electricity, Shinkafi, in a recent interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, stated, “Nigerians are tired of hearing stories, for the past two decades since the inception of our democracy in 1999, more than two trillion us dollars have been injected into the power sector, but the canker-worm, the cancer…

The proposed hike in internet data tariff, voice calls, and short message services (SMS) have pitted telecom operators and subscribers against each other. Recently, telecoms operators under the aegis of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), and the Association of Licenced Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said the sector may not survive if the regulatory body, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) fails to approve a new tariff regime. The associations argued that rising operational costs, weakening Naira, and increasing the price of energy and infrastructure maintenance have severely affected telecom companies. This has, however, attracted a swift response from…

G20 leaders gather in Brazil on Monday to discuss fighting poverty, boosting climate financing and other multilateral initiatives that could yet be upended by Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House. US President Joe Biden will attend his last summit of the world’s leading economies, but as a lame duck whom other leaders are already looking beyond. The main star of the show is expected to be Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has cast himself as a global statesman and protector of free trade in the face of Trump’s “America First” agenda. Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da…