Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Manny Ita Tens of thousands of residents in the eastern senatorial district of Sokoto State have begun a mass exodus toward the Niger Republic following a series of dire warnings and renewed attacks from notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji. Local stakeholders and security analysts confirmed on Saturday, January 17, 2026, that over 20 settlements in the Isa Local Government Area (LGA) have been largely deserted as families abandon their ancestral homes to seek refuge across the international border. ​The humanitarian crisis escalated after a viral video emerged showing long convoys of overloaded vehicles and pedestrians carrying basic belongings out of…

Manny Ita The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) issued a comprehensive clarification on Friday, January 16, 2026, to address widespread public concern regarding rumored new taxes on electronic money transfers and personal savings. In a statement signed by Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the NRS Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, the agency dismissed reports of a new levy on “principal sums,” describing such narratives as “misleading” and designed to cause unnecessary panic within the financial system. ​The revenue agency emphasized that the 7.5% Value-Added Tax (VAT) currently being discussed is not a fresh imposition under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025,…

Tinubu ends Abu Dhabi summit, back to Nigeria While away, UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu has arrived Abuja after attending the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where he witnessed the signing of a trade agreement between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the President’s return in a statement released on Saturday. The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu returns to Nigeria after Abu Dhabi trip.’ The President departed Nigeria for Paris on Sunday, December 28, 2025, for the remaining portion of his annual leave.…

Oil & Gas Key Player Rone Shines as Winner of New Telegraph, Sun Newspaper 2025 Awards Rone and Tinubu Rone is honoured as a symbol of indigenous innovation, strategic leadership, and national pride. The Chief Executive Office, Julius Rone, Chief Executive Officer of UTM Offshore, has been named New Telegraph Personality of the Year 2025 in recognition of his trailblazing role in transforming Nigeria’s gas sector and the investor of the year award for Sun Newspaper. Rone, widely referred to as the “Gas king,” Rone has distinguished himself as a visionary entrepreneur whose leadership is driving one of the most…

Federal varsities get 40% pay rise, increased allocations Top 20 federal universities allocations increased from N438.85bn in 2025 to N533.1bn in 2026. Budgetary personnel allocations to some federal universities in the country have recorded a substantial increase following the Federal Government’s approval of a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff and the introduction of new and enhanced allowance packages. An analysis of the Federal Government’s 2026 budget estimates revealed that personnel cost allocations to the top 20 federal universities rose from N438.85bn in 2025 to N533.1bn in 2026, indicating an increase of N94.25bn, or about 22 per cent…

Nigerians avoid deportation, take to waste bins as hideout in UK Undocumented Nigerians and other Africans who chose to live in the United Kingdom have been sleeping in waste bins on the streets to evade deportations. In 2025, the UK government decided on a major overhaul of immigration policy, tagged ‘Plan for Change.’ The policy sent a wave of fear among migrants as those without legal status were deported in mid-2025. The Home Office announced that 43 asylum seekers and offenders were returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana. “Those removed had no right to be in…

Oyo council leadership: Alaafin registers disapproval by being absent File: Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade From all perspectives, there’s possibility that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, may head to court to challenge the emergence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Ladoja, as Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs. Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday presented Ladoja as the chairman of the council. But Alaafin stayed away from the event held at the House of Chiefs Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital. The inauguration followed the passage of the Oyo State Council of Obas…

Boxer Anthony Joshua Back To Training 19 Days after… Joshua and his late friends ran into a stationary truck at the expressway. Anthony Joshua has resumed training in the gym after surviving a recent car accident that claimed the lives of his two associates. Joshua sustained minor injuries in the crash, which occurred on December 29, on the Lagos–Ibadan expressway, with Kevin Latif Ayodele, the boxer’s personal trainer, and Sina Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, dying at the scene. A Lexus SUV, conveying the former heavyweight boxing champion and his late friends, rammed into a stationary truck at the…

Imam Abdullahi Abubakar is dead, saves over 200 Christians File photo: Imam Abdullahi Abubakar Earned national and international recognition for his act. Abdullahi Abubakar, the Chief Imam of Yelwa, Gindin Akwati in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, has passed away, leaving behind a legacy of courage and interfaith solidarity. The late cleric became widely known in June 2018, when armed attackers stormed communities in Barkin Ladi. During the violence, he opened his mosque and home to shelter 262 Christians, refusing to hand them over despite threats to his own life. His brave act earned him national and international recognition, including the…

Odo-Kekere Community public school building collapses in Ikorodu, Lagos Parents and community leaders demand safety standards and the need to renovate deteriorating school buildings. A public school building in the Odo-Kekere Community, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, partially collapsed on Thursday evening, sparking alarm among residents but fortunately causing no injuries. The incident occurred after school dismissal hours, when a section of the school structure gave way with a loud sound that attracted neighbors to the location. Emergency response teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) arrived quickly at the…