Author: Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi

Despite the rising cost of living around the world, many Nigerians — especially Ijebu indigenes — from Europe, America, and other parts of Africa attended this year’s Ojude Oba festival, held at the Awujale Pavilion in Ijebu Ode. They arrived dressed in bright lace, colourful aso-oke, and stylish designer shoes, gathering to pay tribute to their king. For many in the Nigerian diaspora, Ojude Oba is more than a festival — it is a living, breathing link to home, a cherished reunion with friends and family, and a joyful declaration that no matter where life has taken them, this one…

Business leaders, skilled workers, and families across the UK are raising fresh concerns over the government’s latest immigration reforms, as a sweeping extension to settlement rules begins to take hold. Under the changes, immigrants will now have to wait ten years — double the previous period — to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), a status that offers long-term security and access to public benefits. The move, aimed at reducing net migration, is already rippling across key sectors of the economy. For one City of London banker, documented by Bloomberg, the cost is immediate: an extra £40,000 a year…

Kano, Nigeria — Senate Deputy President Barau Jibrin has called on newly defected members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rally behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and help consolidate the party’s recent political gains across Kano State and the wider region. Speaking at a high-profile reception for the defectors, Barau described the political movement they left behind as “kwan-kwa-tsiya” — a Hausa phrase meaning “generating poverty.” He urged the new APC members to align with the administration’s development agenda and work towards improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians. “We must unite to build a stronger APC and support President…

White paper outlines tougher visa restrictions, longer settlement periods, and new controls on universities in bid to cut migration The Government has set out a wide-ranging package of proposed changes to the UK’s immigration system, designed to make it harder to move to and settle in the UK, as part of its pledge to reduce net migration. In a new white paper published on 12 May 2025, entitled Restoring Control Over the Immigration System, ministers propose stricter visa conditions, tougher rules on settlement, and a series of measures affecting international students and their dependants. Although the white paper does not…

A Sri Lankan asylum seeker accused of recruiting child soldiers for the Tamil Tigers has won the right to remain in the UK after British judges ruled there was not enough evidence to support the claims. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had previously been denied asylum in France, where a court found grounds to exclude him under international law due to suspected involvement in war crimes. In Britain, the Home Office also attempted to block his asylum claim, arguing that he had enlisted children under the age of 15 to fight for the Liberation Tigers of…

An illegal immigrants right to remain in the UK will be reconsidered after a judge issued a contradictory ruling on whether he has a genuine relationship with his daughter. Andrew Kung’u Gichuhi, a Kenyan national, initially won his appeal to stay in Britain on the grounds that it would be unreasonable to expect his daughter to leave the country. However, in the same judgment, the immigration judge also stated that the father-daughter relationship had broken down, sparking legal confusion. After the Home Office challenged the decision as “irrational”, an upper tribunal has now ordered the case to be reheard. The…

Nearly 30,000 people deported since election as Home Office targets rogue employers The Home Office has stepped up its battle against illegal working in the UK, making thousands of arrests and deportations in a sweeping crackdown launched since Labour came to power. New figures reveal that between 5 July 2024—just one day after Labour’s general election win—and 31 May 2025, immigration enforcement officers arrested 6,410 individuals suspected of working illegally in Britain. This represents a staggering 51 per cent rise on the previous year under the Conservative government. As part of Labour’s flagship Plan for Change, enforcement teams have made…

When you hear the word Winners Chapel, the first name that comes to most people’s minds is that of the founder of the church, Bishop David Oyedepo, followed by Bishop David Olatunji Abioye, the first Vice Chairman of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel). He was also the Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church in Goshen City. In this report, we focus extensively on Bishop Abioye’s life, his steadfast commitment to his calling, and the new path he has embarked after his retirement from the winner’s chapel, offering insights into servant leadership and the evolution of ministry in contemporary times.…

Russia has seized on the spectacular public falling out between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, offering the world’s richest man a politically charged lifeline: asylum on Russian soil. In what analysts describe as a classic Kremlin move to exploit divisions within the West, a senior Russian MP has publicly suggested that Moscow would welcome Musk should he find himself in need of refuge. The offer comes after Trump allies called for Elon Musk to be deported from the United States over his misunderstanding with his former boss, Donald Trump.  Their bitter spat has triggered political waves and economic fallout —…

Elon Musk and President Donald Trump engaged in a heated public feud on Thursday, an unexpected figure emerged at the centre of their dispute: the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a dramatic twist, Musk alleged that the U.S. government has withheld the full release of files related to the Epstein case because Trump’s name appears in them. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who recently left his role in the administration over opposition to Trump’s controversial “Big Beautiful Bill,” made the explosive claim on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the…