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President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned to the country on Monday evening after about a month trip to Paris, France. A press statement from Office of the President-elect indicated that Tinubu was received by a mammoth crowd of enthusiastic associates and supporters who thronged the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja where his plane touched down.  The President-elect was in company with his wife, Senator Remi Tinubu, and son, Seyi Tinubu. Among those at the airport to receive him were Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila as well as Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger), former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. Also at the airport were former   Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, APC Deputy National Chairman, North, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Deputy National Chairman, South, Barrister Emma Enekwu, and National Woman Leader, Dr. Bett

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissolved its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) inaugurated last year to prosecute the 2023 presidential election. The dissolution was contained in a statement on Saturday night, jointly signed by the Director General of the APC PCC, Governor Simon Bako Lalong and the Secretary of the council, James Abiodun Faleke. The party on behalf of the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, President Muhammadu Buhari; the president-elect, Bola Tinubu and other leaders, thanked all council members, leaders and supporters for working assiduously for the resounding victory of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. “Since the campaign council began in September 2022, we have witnessed an unprecedented, relentless, and engaging mobilisation of our members nationwide and in the diaspora towards securing the majority popular votes for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential ticket. The journey has been a worthy one with our hard-won victory. The credit goes

Oyo state governor, 'Seyi Makinde, on Sunday, declared that his administration will not relent until it achieves its set goals as itemized in the roadmap for sustainable development of Oyo State, 2023-2027. The governor, while speaking at the special thanksgiving organized in his honour and to celebrate the 89th birthday of his Aunt, Chief Mrs. Victoria Modupe Alo (Mama Akure), reassured the people of Oyo State of his dedication to its growth and development.  The thanksgiving which was witnessed by members of the Makinde and Omorege families as well as top government officials was held at the Rehoboth Cathedral, Victory International Church, Complex, Oluyole, Ibadan. The governor called on religious leaders and residents of the state to continue to pray for his administration, saying that people in government need divine wisdom to navigate through the treacherous and slippery political terrain. According to him, his administration was able to achieve close to 80 per cent of its se

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, asked Nigerians who he might have hurt in his near-eight-year misrule, to forgive him. Similarly, a section of the social media is asking for forgiveness for Aishatu Dahiru, popularly known as Binani. Dahiru is the woman who, before the April gubernatorial election re-run in Adamawa State, was considered a political exemplar and one who typified the assumed political purity of the female gender. Very few narratives of the concept of hurt and forgiveness are as gripping as the grisly story of Father Michael Lapsley. As he walked into the sitting of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that morning, Lapsley was a study in pain, sobering pain. What remained of his two arms were ugly stumps. In their place was a pair of equally ugly pincers. One of his two eyes had been gouged out too; his eardrum shattered. As he tottered into the hall, dead silence accompanied every of his gaits. In April, 1990, three months after Nelson Mandela’s release f

Otunba Dr. Michael Adeniyi Ishola Adenuga is going to be 70 come Saturday 29 April, 2023.   It's a date many had looked forward to, but the business titan and one of the richest Africans in history is, in his usual character, disappointing those expecting a mega celebration. The boardroom guru has decided not to have a loud parties on that day. According to those close to him, Chairman of Globacom and Conoil Plc has chosen to be at home with his family reflecting and thanking God for 70 years of abundant grace. He is said to have also appealed to people planning to celebrate him to do so modestly. Perhaps the only significant thing to signal a celebration is that he has taken special birthday pictures released for media purposes.  Those who have really followed the life of this great African businessman-extraordinaire and philanthropist may however not be shocked by this - as Dr. Mike Adenuga does not do his things the usual way. He is not known for throwing big parties around, exc

The former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Queen Silekunola Naomi Ogunwusi has finally opened up on her purported plans to return to the palace. Naomi, who recently clocked 30, speaks extensively with Samson Folarin of ThePunch. It was a quite revealing interview, during which the former Olori speaks on her life's experiences and how they have shaped her into who she is. Enjoy it. Queen Silekunola Naomi Ogunwusi is a woman of different parts. Can you provide a highlight of your journey so far? I started ministry at a very young age, or let me say that I started to have a good relationship with God at a very tender age. Before I got to know the Lord, I was having some supernatural experiences. However, at the age of nine, I gave my life to Christ, and got baptised with the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in tongues. I went through primary and secondary schools at the Akure Academy before I got admitted to Adekunle Ajasin University. I became popular there. I was going to 18 years when

Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced an internet fraudster, Austine Famaa to two years imprisonment for impersonation. Famaa was jailed on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, after pleading "guilty" to a two count charge preferred against him by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He pleaded guilty to the charge. In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, U .I. Nwokorie prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly. Counsel to the defendant, D .O. Kelly prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that the defendant was a first-time offender.    Justice Obile convicted and sentenced the defendant to one year imprisonment on each of the counts, with One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100, 000.00) as option of fine payable into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The judge also ordered that one iPhone

Oyo State Governor, 'Seyi Makinde, on Friday, stated that his administration has laid a very solid foundation for governments that would come after him, adding that his successors will ride on the initiatives of his administration to achieve better things for the state. The governor, while receiving the State Executive Council members and other Muslims members of his administration led by the Deputy Governor, Barr Abdul-Raheem Bayo Lawal, congratulated Muslims for the completion of Ramadan fast. The governor said that all the achievements attained by his government were the collective efforts of the cabinet. He maintained that the people that will come after him will do more and surpass his achievements because he has been laying a solid foundation for the future. He said that there are lots of talents among the Christian and Muslim faithful whom he said will take the  state to greater heights. He  expressed the hope that the state would produce more of Makindes and Adebayos in the

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to dismiss a petition filed by Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying the reliefs sought are not grantable. The commission argued that while Shettima, the vice president-elect, was duly nominated and sponsored to contest the election. It also said that Tinubu and Shettima were duly declared and returned as elected and issued Certificates of Return having fulfilled the requirements of the constitution to be declared winners and returned. INEC, the 1st respondent, stated this in its reply filed on Monday night at the PEPC’s Secretariat by its lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, in Abuja. The commission prayed the court to either “dismiss or strike out the petition for being grossly incompetent, abusive, vague, nebulous, generic, general, non-specific, ambiguous, equivocal, hypothetical and academic.” Obi, the 1st petitioner, and LP, the 2nd petitioner, ha

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the just concluded general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has been detained at a London airport, according to information from the head of his campaign media, Mr. Diran Onifade. Onifade in a statement on Wednesday also said Obi was harassed by London immigration officials and placed for detention but for the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport. According to him, the LP Presidential candidate in the February 25 Presidential poll arrived the Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the queue for the necessary Airport protocols when he was accosted by immigration official who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside. “He was questioned for a long time and it was very strange for a man who lived for over a decade in that country. “Since Obi’s face was already an international frame, especially for Nigerians, Africans home, and in Diaspora who are likely to be Obidients, the

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has described petition filed at the tribunal by Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Peter Obi against the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of All Progressive Congress, APC as the winner of February 25 presidential election as grossly incompetent, abusive, vague, nebulous, generic, general, non-specific, ambiguous, equivocal, hypothetical and academic. Mr Obi, the 1st petitioner, and LP, the 2nd petitioner, had sued INEC, Sen. Bola Tinubu, Sen. Kashim Shettima and All Progressives Congress (APC) as 1st to 4th respondents respectively. The petitioners are seeking the nullification of the election victory of Tinubu and Shettima in the Feb 25 presidential poll. Tinubu, who defeated 17 other candidates who took part in the election, scored a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 6,984,520 votes in the poll; Obi came third wi

There is story of two Ghanian brothers trending on social media presently. It's the zero to hero success story of Abu Bakr Bapube and Nuhu Bapube.  The story, as shared by Abu Bakr Bapube on his brother's Facebook page, is nothing but a great motivation for the youths. To be focused, persevered and hard working for them to be successful.  Reminiscing on their humble beginnings, Abu Bakr spoke about how they were able to pick the pieces of their lives together by selling charcoal, having lost their father at a tender age. He said: "He is my kid brother and friend. Charcoal was the business and we did it happily without any resentment. That was how we paid our school fees because dad died quite early (may Allah have absolute mercy on his soul). I Remember during my university days (1st degree), we went to Kumasi-Asokwa to deliver charcoal to a customer whose son was then in high school. We pleaded if the son could help us and the woman quickly intervened by saying ‘my son ca

A suspect in the case of an Ibadan-based Instagram cloth vendor, Adeshina Olayinka, popularly called Khadi, who died at Wetland Hotel, Akobo, in Ibadan, is in police custody, according to a source in the hotel. Remember Olayinka reportedly died after the man she was with checked out early on Thursday morning, and a phone call was made to Khadi’s room by the receptionist who confirmed her safety. The suspect was said to be currently detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan. An investigation by our correspondent further revealed that the suspect, name withheld, voluntarily presented himself to the police at Akobo Police Station having heard that his attention was needed by the police over the death of Olayinka. When our correspondent visited the hotel, the manager and supervisor were not on seats, but a staff member, who did not want his name in print, told PUNCH Metro, “We wouldn’t have known until 12 noon check out time if not for the power bank that on

The Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Bayo Lawal and his wife, Mrs Ajibola Lawal have pledged adequate support for the Federation of Muslim Women's Association of Nigeria (FONWAN) in carrying out their philanthropic gestures. This was as members of the associations paid a courtesy call on the deputy governor and his wife at their residence to offer special prayers for the family and the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde. The deputy governor declared that for ages, he has been channeling 80% of his resources to charity adding that he and his wife  have dedicated their entire life to serve humanity with whatever Almighty Allah has provided for them. Addressing FONWAN, Alhaji Bayo Lawal commended the philanthropic gestures of the association for the downtrodden and humanity in general, he noted that Governor Seyi Makinde runs all inclusive administration stating that this administration will not derail from the covenant of service with the people. He added that this admini

A 71-year-old man popularly called Baba Jos at Aba Alamu area of Apata, Ibadan, has reportedly died after smoking colorado. The man, who until his dead was a landlord in the community, died last Sunday after three days in coma. The old man, who was notorious for being addicted to alcohol and tobacco, fell into coma immediately after taking the drug and eventually gave up the ghost three days after. Sources at the Aba Alamu community informed that after collecting rents from some of the tenants in the 16-room one- storey building he inherited from his late mother, Baba Jos visited a joint to take alcoholic drinks and cigarettes as usual. That happened about ten days ago. At the joint, the old man reportedly met some boys smoking colorado, and they invited him to join them. “Baba Jos, who had not tasted the hard drug before agreed and started smoking the stuff, because he was already drunk”, one of the sources explained. The source further explained that immediately the man smoked the st

The management of an Ibadan-based hotel, Wetland has said that its helping the Oyo State Police Command in their investigation to unravel the mysterious surrounding the death of popular Ibadan online vendor, Adesina Olayinka aka Khadi. Khadi's dead body was found in the hotel room on Thursday, after lodging with a yet-to-identify man the previous night. The hotel management has however expressed regrets towards the death of Khadi, who died in their hotel, at Akobo area of Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State. The hotel's authorities described the sad event as unfortunate. Saying that they are fully in cooperation with the Nigeria Police in their investigation to ensure the truth about the cause of death of the deceased is uphold, and the perpetrator of the evil is brought to book. While speaking through an official statement made available to journalists, the hotel management urges the general public to be patient during what they described as a difficult time in an official s

It has been in the news that there is no love lost between two prominent pastors who are blood brothers, Wale Adefarasin (of Guiding Light Assembly) and Paul Adefarasin (of House on the Rock) for a long while now. It is such a silent-but-loud irony that two men of God, born of same well-to-do parents could fall apart so widely. Recall it was earlier reported few months back that Pastor Paul Adefarasin conspicuously shunned his elder brother, Pastor Wale Adefarasin's 70th Birthday. The crux behind the gulf between them has also been a top-kept secret. However, they are both doing well in their private lives and ministries.  However, the loss of their mum finally brought the two brothers together recently. They lost their mum, Mrs. Hilda Joanne Adefarasin (nee Petgrave), who passed unto glory peacefully in her home, on the evening of Sunday the 5th of February 2023, at the age of 98 years, She was buried on March 17, with dignitaries from all walks life joining the family to bid thei

Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has felicitated Christians in the state and across the world on the occasion of the Easter festival, urging them to allow the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to guide their thoughts and actions. The governor gave this indication on Sunday, in an Easter message posted on his social media handles. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as praying for Christians and wishing them a happy celebration. The statement said: “As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, may His sacrifice continually guide our thoughts and actions every day. Happy Easter.”

Two weeks ago, Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State was rocked with death of three prominent personalities. The trio of Alhaji Rasheed Adesokan, popularly known as 'Baale Bodija'; Chief (Mrs) Justina Ogundoyin, mother of the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin and a popular socialite Mr Sunday Adebayo Adeagbo aka 'Sunny Shooting' all died, in succession, within four days. While Alhaji Rasheed Adesokan (Baale Bodija) died on Saturday 25 March, 2023, at the age of 75, after a brief illness. He died while receiving treatment at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan. Both Tina Ogundoyin and Sunday Adeagbo, however, lost the battle of life on Sunday 26 and Tuesday 28 March, respectively, at 63. The deaths of these celebrities have since thrown into a deep mourning not only the Ibadan social establishment but also the business and religion circles. Infact many are yet to term with the deaths, especially that of Tina Ogundoyin and Sunday Ad

Kongi, Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate, a deity before whom many Nigerians tether goats, sprinkle oil, pour libations and offer ekuru of appeasement, is going through ferment. It is a period comparable to that low moment which, the Yoruba say, when big misfortunes wrestle one down, smaller travails defecate into one’s mouth – Ti iya nla ba gbe’ni san’le, kekeke a ma g’ori eni. In an elegy to Adegoke Adelabu who died in a 1958 road crash, his NCNC political party bard, Ilorin, Kwara State-born Odolaye Aremu, narrated his sudden death and the emergence of voices of diatribes against this Oluyole petrel and the sorry fate that bedeviled him posthumously more brilliantly. Awon osa kekeke wa nsope Sango o ponmo’re – Smaller gods with less vibes and lesser grits, on account of his misfortune, now clamber on Sango, god of thunder, lord of the storms, commander of lightning. As they mocked him, they claimed that this god, feared at home and in villages, lacked the bravura of a god. This was the fate