Author: Alade Adisa

President Bola Tinubu has officially received Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. Modi arrived on Saturday evening and was welcomed on Sunday morning with an elaborate ceremony that included the Indian national anthem and a Guard of Honour mounted by the Brigade of Guards. The ceremonial reception also featured a 21-gun salute, followed by the inspection of the parade. Following the formalities, Tinubu escorted Modi into his office for a closed-door meeting. The two leaders are expected to sign multiple bilateral agreements aimed at strengthening Nigerian-Indian relations. The agenda includes delegation-level discussions and…

No fewer than 15 Northern states spent an approximate sum of N45 billion on different poverty alleviation programmes in the first six months of 2024, a Punch report has revealed. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported on Friday, that Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to 33.88 per cent in October 2024, up from 32.70 per cent in September. Much earlier in January, the inflation rate was 29.90 per cent, indicating that it had increased by 13 per cent within the first 10 months of the year. However, the northern states, a region that reportedly has the highest poverty rate in…

Social media figure Idris ‘Bobrisky’ Okuneye has filed a lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Assembly, alleging that they violated his fundamental rights. NEW DAILY PRIME reports that the controversial crossdresser has been embroiled in controversy since social media influencer Martins ‘VDM’ Otse leaked an audio recording alleging that he paid the EFCC N15 million to drop money laundering charges against him. Bobrisky claimed he served his six-month jail term in a private apartment in the recording, also alleging that Falz, a musician and his father, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, approached him for…

Minority Leader of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Lukman Adeleye, was reportedly abducted by unidentified gunmen on Saturday while casting his vote at Ward 15, Ibefun, in Odogbolu Local Government Area, Ogun State. The assailants, suspected to be military personnel, allegedly whisked Adeleye away to the Ilese barracks. According to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity, preliminary investigations suggest the arrest might have been orchestrated by a powerful individual. The Director-General of Adeleye’s campaign organization, Hon. Olujimi Oloja, confirmed that the lawmaker is in the custody of military personnel. He criticised the alleged military interference in…

On the back of the recent appointment of Daniel Bwala, a former aide of ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar by President Bola Tinubu as his Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House), the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has advised Bwala to seek forgiveness from Vice President Kashim Shettima. Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Atiku Campaign as his Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House) was engaged by President Tinubu on Thursday, adding him to his media team. The senator also said by forgetting the past utterances and actions of Bwala and appointing him, the president has…

Leading global financial institution, the World Bank has identified $32 million in unaccounted funds in a Nigerian water sector project, suggesting that those handling the project could have mismanage or embezzled the funds. The Bretton Wood Institution’s Integrity Vice Presidency (referred to as ‘INT’ in the report) flagged the discrepancies after a forensic review in the newly released FY2024 Sanctions System Annual Report. According to the Bank’s findings, the funds, intended to bolster water infrastructure, were not adequately accounted for, prompting an intervention to safeguard the project’s integrity. The World Bank engaged with the project team, including Nigeria’s Task Team…

Chidimma Adetshina, Nigeria’s representative at the 73rd Miss Universe competition, is full of joy after finishing as the first runner-up at the prestigious global pageant held in Mexico on Sunday. The final moments of the prestigious event at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, early Sunday morning, saw an electrifying face-off between Nigeria and Denmark, as the two women stood poised to claim the crown. Ultimately, Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjaer Theilvig, won the crown, taking over from Miss Universe 2023, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua. Adetshina expressed excitement and pride in an interview following her success and shared on X.com by…

There are indications of a looming debt crisis as Nigeria’s external debt may rise to $45.1 billion by the end of 2024, with the Federal Government planning to secure additional external funding. This follows a report from the Debt Management Office (DMO), which revealed that the country’s external debt stock increased by $780 million in the second quarter of 2024, growing from $42.12 billion in March to $42.9 billion by June 2024. Last Thursday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a $2.2 billion external borrowing plan as part of the Federal Government’s 2024 Appropriation Act financing programme. Speaking on the…

Gunmen suspected to be cultists have reportedly killed a soldier and four people at North Bank, a suburb of Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State. This dastardly act occurred on Friday night. In the past few weeks the North Bank area of Makurdi has been embroiled in rival cult clashes that has claimed several lives and properties. Eyewitness accounts disclosed that two yet-to-be-identified young men killed on Friday night were not members of any confraternity but victims of rampaging cultists. The chairman of the vigilante group known as Operation Shara in the North Bank, Nura Umar, said that four…