Author: Alade Adisa

A prominent Nigerian physician, politician, and former director general of the Labour Party campaign organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has died. He passed away at the age of 72 on Thursday. According to sources close to the family, Dr. Okupe had been critically ill in the weeks leading up to his demise. His health had reportedly deteriorated significantly, prompting concern among his loved ones and supporters. According to reports, his death was linked to cancer, marking the end of a long struggle with the illness. In October 2023,Okupe was hospitalized with prostate cancer and was flown to Israel for treatment. However,…

President Donald Trump on Thursday issued exemptions on tariffs for a wide range of goods coming into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada, two days after putting in place sweeping 25% tariffs that rattled stock markets, as businesses warned the move would increase prices for consumers. The exemption would apply to goods compliant with the North American free trade agreement reached during Trump’s first term and will last until April 2, when Trump plans another round of retaliatory tariffs on goods from a range of countries. About half of goods coming into the U.S. from Mexico would fall under the…

Former president Barack Obama sat courtside at a Los Angeles Clippers game Wednesday — but notably without his wife, Michelle. Instead, Obama was spotted third-wheeling with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie Snyder, TMZ reported. The 44th president appeared to still have a blast watching the LA squad take down the Detroit Pistons 123-115. Former president Barack Obama sat courtside at a Los Angeles Clippers game Wednesday — but notably without his wife, Michelle. Getty Images When his attendance was announced on the big screen at the brand new Intuit Dome, Obama jumped to his feet and waved…

The state department has ordered an immediate pause on most US foreign assistance to South Africa, according to a cable seen by the Guardian, officially implementing a contentious executive order by Donald Trump. The directive, issued on Thursday, implements Executive Order 14204 targeting what the administration called “egregious actions” by South Africa. It orders all state department entities to immediately suspend aid disbursements, with minimal exceptions. “To effectively implement EO 14204, all bureaus, offices and missions shall pause all obligations and/or dispersion of aid or assistance to South Africa,” reads the cable, signed by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio.…

Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has reacted to the six months suspension slammed on her by the Senate after her sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, had earlier recommended her suspension and also advocated that her salary and security details be withdrawn during the period of her suspension. The recommendations were subsequently put to voice votes and the lawmakers unanimously agreed that the Senator representing Kogi Central be suspended for six months. However, while the lawmakers were still voting on the recommendations, Senator Natasha told her…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye for questioning over allegations of N138 million fraud. The anti-graft agency alleges that the former minister was involved in the misappropriation, violation of the procurement process, and diversion of public funds to the tune of N138,413,253.89 in the course of disbursing the ministry’s 2023 budget. According to the TheCable, a source within the EFCC said the former minister arrived at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday at about 11 am and was still being interrogated at the time of this report. The source…

President Donald Trump has announced a major reversal on his tariffs on Mexico, saying he is enforcing a one-month pause out of ‘respect’ for President Sheinbaum. The U.S. imposed 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada on Tuesday, rocketing the country into a trade war. But Trump announced Thursday that Mexico will get a one-month exemption because the country has agreed to his conditions to halt the flow of fentanyl through the southern border. ”After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay tariffs on anything…

Ailing Nigerians were on Thursday given a lifeline by the president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as he approved a subsidy on kidney dialysis, cutting the cost from N50,000 to N12,000. The subsidy is being implemented across the six geopolitical zones at some federal medical institutions. Participating institutions include the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute-Meta, Lagos; the Federal Medical Centre Jabi, Abuja; the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan; the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) Maiduguri. Others are the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta; Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Lagos; the Federal Medical Centre, Azare; University…

European leaders on Thursday said they would stand by Ukraine and spend more on defence in a world upended by President Donald Trump’s reversal of U.S. policies. “Europe must take up this challenge, this arms race. And it must win it,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said as he arrived at the summit in Brussels. “Europe as a whole is truly capable of winning any military, financial, economic confrontation with Russia – we are simply stronger,” Tusk said. Many EU leaders hailed the European Commission’s proposals this week to give them fiscal flexibility on defence spending, and to jointly borrow…

….As US steps up deportations U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation. The move, expected as soon as April, would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden’s administration. The department oversees some 100,000 public and 34,000. The planned rollback of protections for Ukrainians was underway before Trump publicly feuded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week. It is part…