Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

By 3:00 PM on Thursday, City Café was already buzzing. Chairs were filled, laughter was in the air, and new faces especially from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) were finding their way into the Benin Writers Society’s family. The July edition of Poetry Playground, with the theme Tirades on Trust had officially begun. And at the centre of it all, holding the energy together, was Edo State’s foremost compere, Talker. THE OPENING: SETTING THE TONE Talker opened the event with a warm ‘meet and greet,’ introducing members present and making sure the new UNIBEN students felt the pulse of the…

President Bola Tinubu has approved salary increase for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces, with the lowest-paid private expected to earn about N187,000 monthly under the new pay structure. About 250,000 military personnel are expected to benefit from the salary review, which takes effect from September 1. According to a statement by the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, officers above the rank of colonel, including brigadier-generals, major-generals, lieutenant-generals and generals, will receive a 30 per cent salary increase. Personnel from colonel to warrant officer will receive a 50 per cent increase, while those from private to staff sergeant will enjoy an…

Elegbede Abiodun Aiming to provide financial support for small-scale entrepreneurs and strengthen the role of micro businesses of the country. SMEDAN invites eligible nano and micro enterprises to apply for the non-repayable grant aimed at supporting growth and job creation. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has reopened its Conditional Grant Scheme portal, allowing eligible nano and micro business owners across Nigeria to apply for a non-repayable N50,000 grant designed to support business growth and employment creation. The programme targets small enterprises that require financial support to improve operations, expand their activities and strengthen productivity without…

Adegoke shares corn to supporters. Elegbede Abiodun People react to his gesture in both positive and negative stance for a man of his calibre to stoop this low in distributing corn by the way. The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in Oyo State, Taofeek Adegoke, on Tuesday stirred reactions after a video of him distributing boiled corn to supporters by the roadside went viral. In a now-trending video, Adegoke was seen standing beside a pot of boiled corn, personally handing it to supporters who thronged around him. The supporters, who struggled to receive the corn directly from the…

File photo: Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf The Kano State Government has approved the appointment of 19 new permanent secretaries and the redeployment of 14 serving permanent secretaries across Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state civil service. The state Head of Civil Service, Hajiya Bilkisu Shehu-Maimota, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director of Public Enlightenment, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Rukayya Uba-Sulaiman, on Tuesday in Kano. According to Uba-Sulaiman, the appointments are a call to greater responsibility and selfless service to the people of the state. The statement read, “I have the pleasure to…

File photo: King Ochacho announcing ₦400m mansion as wedding gift to TikTok star Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, and his wife, Elizabeth Amadou, alias Jarvis * Also announces school fees payment to mark birthday of Ice King. Real estate entrepreneur, King Mohamed Adah, popularly known as King Ochacho, has described the ₦400m mansion he gifted to TikTok star Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, and his wife, Elizabeth Amadou, alias Jarvis, as “small money.” Ochacho stated this during a TikTok livestream on Monday, two days after the couple’s wedding in Lagos. The mogul said the gift was insignificant to…

File: RCCG founder’s daughter, Pastor Titilayo Adewale A daughter of the founder of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Titilayo Adewale, has denied claims that she criticised the church’s leadership for allegedly sidelining the legacy of her late father, Pa Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi. In a statement released on her Facebook page on Monday, Adewale described as false a viral statement attributed to her, which claimed that many senior pastors in the RCCG were unaware that her father founded the church and that she had called for greater efforts to preserve his legacy. She said, “My attention has been drawn…

The younger sister of Afrobeats star Ayra Starr, Saltiana, popularly known as DJ Salt of Life, says suspected area boys damaged her car in Lagos after mistaking her for the singer. Saltiana made the claim in a series of posts shared on her Instagram Story on Sunday, where she lamented what she described as growing harassment of motorists by street touts in the state. According to the DJ, the incident occurred on Saturday, leaving her saddened by the damage to her vehicle. “They damaged my car yesterday (Sunday) and honestly it was so sad!!!” she wrote. She said the situation…

The United Kingdom Government has announced that applications for the 2026 Chevening Scholarship will open on August 4, 2026, offering Nigerians and other eligible candidates the opportunity to pursue a fully funded one-year master’s degree at universities across the UK. According to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, applications will run until October 6, 2026, with the programme aimed at professionals who have demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to creating positive change in their communities. Funded by the UK Government and partner organisations, the Chevening Scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses, travel costs and access to a global…

Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation and the Confederation of African Football during the inspection of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Iganmu, Lagos, ahead of this year’s CAF Awards. Photo: Babajide Sanwo-Olu Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that the state is ready to host this year’s CAF Awards after a five-man team from the Confederation of African Football inspected the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, the designated venue for the ceremony. Two months ago, at the Africa Summit in Nairobi,…