Author: Gbenga Olaleye

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday inaugurated the new Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs in Ibadan, marking a significant step towards revitalising traditional governance and strengthening unity among the state’s royal institutions. The inauguration ceremony was held in the House of Chiefs Hall at the State Secretariat, Ibadan. The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Arusa I, was named the inaugural chairman of the council and will serve a two-year term. However, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, one of the foremost traditional rulers in the state, was notably absent from the event. The inauguration followed…

The Kogi State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) has expressed confidence that it will exceed the achievements recorded under the NG-CARES 1.0 programme following the approval of additional financing for the implementation of NG-CARES 2.0. The General Manager of the agency, Chief Momoh Dauda, disclosed this during a two-day capacity-building training for members of Local Government Review Committees and Desk Officers, held in Okene on Wednesday. According to him, the new phase of the programme is designed to deepen social protection interventions and expand support for poor and vulnerable households across Kogi State. The Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and…

The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has disclosed that it approved and classified 1,185 films between January and December 2025, reflecting sustained growth and heightened activity in Nigeria’s film industry. The figure represents an increase from the 1,088 films approved in 2024, indicating a steady rise in film production and distribution across the country. The disclosure was made on Wednesday by the Director of Corporate Affairs of the board, Mr Ogbonna Onwumere, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). According to Onwumere, the increase in film approvals underscores the vibrancy of Nigeria’s creative…

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a new agreement aimed at improving the quality of Nigeria’s university education system and ensuring long-term stability in the academic calendar. The deal formally replaces the controversial 2009 FG–ASUU agreement, which had been at the centre of repeated industrial actions and prolonged strikes over unresolved issues. The signing and official unveiling of the agreement took place on Wednesday at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Conference Hall in Maitama, Abuja. The event was attended by key stakeholders in the education sector, including the Minister of Education, Dr…

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed that he has received threats to his life as a result of his role in driving Nigeria’s far-reaching tax reforms, underscoring the high personal and political stakes involved in restructuring the country’s fiscal system. Oyedele made the revelation in Abuja on Tuesday while speaking at a governance colloquium organised to mark the 50th birthday of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman. According to him, attempts to overhaul Nigeria’s tax architecture inevitably attract resistance from powerful interests…

Cracks have continued to widen within the Rivers State House of Assembly as two more lawmakers publicly called on their colleagues to withdraw the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu. The lawmakers, Barile Nwakoh, who represents Khana Constituency I, and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor Constituency II, appealed during a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. Their intervention comes barely two days after two other Assembly members broke ranks to advocate restraint and dialogue, signalling growing internal opposition to the impeachment move. Earlier in the week, Sylvanus Eyinna Nwankwo, the Minority Leader of…

by: Gbenga Olaleye & Aleem Ismaeel Senior members of Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have expressed cautious optimism mixed with deep scepticism over the Federal Government’s newly negotiated agreement with university lecturers, warning that salary levels, implementation gaps, and political interference could continue to destabilise the nation’s higher education system. Speaking in separate interviews, Dr Nwogu Godwin of the Department of Adult Education at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and the FUOYE ASUU Chairman acknowledged some positive developments in the agreement. Still, he stressed that longstanding structural issues remain unresolved. Dr Godwin noted that trust between ASUU and…

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has said Nigeria no longer needs passive graduates but active, solution-driven citizens capable of addressing the country’s social, economic, and developmental challenges. Hamzat remarked on Tuesday in Osogbo, Osun State, while delivering a speech as chairman of the occasion at the 15th convocation lecture of Fountain University, Osogbo. He was represented at the event by the Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr Layode Olanrewaju. Speaking against the backdrop of persistent concerns that many school leavers are ill-prepared for the realities of today’s labour market, the deputy governor urged graduating students to…

The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, has sought to allay widespread public fears surrounding Nigeria’s newly implemented tax laws, insisting that neither the old tax regime nor the new one empowers any authority to tax money sitting in Nigerians’ bank accounts. Adedeji clarified on Tuesday during a programme on Journalists’ Hangout, aired on TVC, amid growing anxiety and rumours that the tax reforms, which took effect on 1 January 2026, would allow automatic deductions from personal or corporate bank accounts based on transfers, savings balances, or transaction narratives. “Whether old tax law or new…

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified efforts to broaden its political base ahead of the 2027 general election, calling on former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and other prominent political figures to join the party. The call followed the inauguration of the party’s North-East Zonal Congress Committee, which the ADC described as part of a renewed drive to strengthen its internal structures, promote internal democracy, and reposition itself as a viable national alternative. The development was disclosed in a communiqué issued on Tuesday by the factional National Chairman of the ADC, Mr Nafiu Gombe, after the…