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Folarin Kehinde

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Exam Malpractice: WAEC withholds over 200,000 results

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results of 262,803 candidates.

The exam spanned seven weeks from May 8 to June 23, 2023.

Addressing reporters on Monday in Lagos, WAEC’s Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO), Patrick Areghan, said, the withheld results represented 16.29% of the total 1,613,733 candidates that sat the examination.

According to him: “The results of 262,803 candidates, representing 16.29% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. This is (6.54%) lower than the 22.83% recorded in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2022.

“The reasons for this are not far-fetched. Candidates are no longer ready to study, they lack self-confidence, and their preparations for examinations are poor. There is over-reliance on the so-called ‘Expo’, which is non-existent. Candidates got frustrated when they got to the examination hall and discovered that all they had celebrated was fake.”

He said the council would continue to sanction cases of examination malpractice, advising parents to stop funding the so-called “expo” (illegal scouting for question papers outside of examination halls) for their children.

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BREAKING: El-Rufai, Danladi missing as Senate confirms 45 nominees

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The name of the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai was on Monday missing from the list of the ministerial nominees confirmed by the Senate.

Also missing on the list was the name of Senator Abubakar Danlandi from Taraba State and former Nexim Bank, MD, Stella Oketette (Delta State).

The Senate after the screening exercise which took place about them a week approved and confirmed a total of 45 out of the 48 nominees sent by President Bola Tinubu.

There were couple of petitions including those sent by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) were presented against the former governor during the screening.

The lawmaker representing Kogi West, during the ministerial screening, moved against the former Kaduna State governor.

Karimi, after El-Rufai’s presentations, stood up and told the chamber that he had a petition written against the former governor over the issue of insecurity in Southern Kaduna.

He said, “Your performance in any office you find yourself in the country has been outstanding. In the bureau of public enterprises, your record is there, in FCT as a minister, your record is there, and as two-time governor of Kaduna state, you did well.”

Raising a brown envelope, Karimi further stated, “But, I have a very strong petition against you that borders on security, unity, and cohesiveness of the Nigerian nation.

“And I think that the petition has to be considered in this screening exercise.”

Karimi then proceeded to lay the petition before Jibrin Barau, the deputy senate president, who was presiding over the screening exercise at the time.

Barau in response said, “I don’t know if you followed the normal process, but this is the opportunity for nominees to explain and showcase themselves, later we will come to confirmation and approval.”

Other senators commended el-Rufai, noting that the former governor is competent enough to be a minister.

Also, the lawmaker representing Kaduna North, Ibrahim Kalid, said he and his two colleagues from the state, as well as all the residents, are in support of el-Rufai’s nomination as minister.

Meanwhile, after making his presentation, the Senate President at the plenary refused to take the petition, leveled against the former governor and said a number of petitions were submitted against a number of the ministerial nominees.

Akpabio said, “This is not the place to consider petitions, we will sit with the petitions later and refer them to relevant authorities.
“Please, take a bow, my brother.”

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Coup: Niger Republic Gets Prime Minister

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nearly two weeks after the military took over power in Niger Republic, the coup plotters have named former economy minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the country’s new prime minister.

A spokesman for the military junta made the announcement on television late on Monday night.

Lamine Zeine was formerly the minister of economy and finance for several years in the cabinet of then-president Mamadou Tandja, who was ousted in 2010, and most recently worked as an economist for the African Development Bank in Chad, according to a Nigerien media report.

At the end of July, the military ousted the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum and suspended the constitution in the country of 26 million inhabitants.

Under Bazoum, Niger had been one of the last strategic partners of the West in the fight against the advance of Islamist terrorists in the Sahel.

An ultimatum from the West African community of states ECOWAS to the coup plotters to reinstate Bazoum expired on the weekend.

Otherwise, ECOWAS would take measures that could include force, the ultimatum said.

The prime ministers of the ECOWAS member states will now meet in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Thursday to discuss how to proceed.

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Meet Nigeria’s Super falcons midfielder who became a medical Doctor at 25

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Here is 25 years old Dr. Michelle Alozie.

She is a medical doctor and footballer.

Michelle is a Nigeria Super falcons midfielder.

She made her senior debut for Nigeria on 10 June 2021 as a 65th-minute substitute

She was born and brought up in the United States of America.

Interestingly, Alozie has attended the Granite Hills High School in her hometown, the Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and the University of Tennessee.

She plays for Hosting Dash in National Women’s Soccer League in United States of America

She is currently representing Nigeria at the ongoing #FIFAWWC in Australia and New Zealand.

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BREAKING: Senate okays the appointment of the 45 out of 48 ministerial nominees

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Senate has approved the appointment of 45 out of 48 ministerial nominees sent to the chamber by President Tinubu.

The nominees were screened and approved on Monday, August 7, 2023.

Among those whose nomination was approved are Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers).

The screening of the nominees began on July 27, 2023, when Tinubu sent the first list of 28 nominees to the Senate.

Six days later, the president forwarded an additional 20 names to make the total number of ministerial nominees 48.

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Keyamo Apologises To Senate, Takes A Bow As Ministerial Screening Concludes

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Festus Keyamo, SAN, apologised to the Senate on Monday evening over his failure to honour invitations by the relevant legislative committee overseeing the Ministry of Labour and Productivity where he had served as a minister under the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

This followed a rowdy session at the Senate during his ministerial screening earlier in the day where Senator Darlington Nwokocha (Abia Central) accused Keyamo of disrespecting the Ninth National Assembly and accusing the last Assembly of being corrupt.

Tendering an apology “without reservation”, the former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity provided more insight into the circumstances.

“Maybe it was as a result of the lack of knowledge of the fact that this matter had long been resolved between us and the members of that committee,” he told the Senate with a more sombre disposition than hours earlier.

“Subsequently, there were so many hearings – budget defence and all that – we attended under a very convivial atmosphere. So, the apology is without reservation. I apologise.”

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BREAKING: Senator Moves Motion For Suspension Of Keyamo’s Ministerial Screening

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

There is drama at the Senate plenary as a Senator has demanded the suspension of screening of a ministerial nominee from Delta State, Festus Keyamo.

The senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha, on Monday, moved a motion for the suspension of the former Minister of State, Labour and Employment.

Nwokocha’s motion was seconded by a senator from Abia-South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio thereafter subjected the motion to a voice vote, but the lawmakers were divided on the matter.

This publication reports that the red chamber is in a rowdy session, as at press time.

The Senate is in a closed-door session to deliberate on the motion. It stems from Keyamo’s refusal to honour the 9th National Assembly’s summons in the last administration

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Sports

BREAKING: Super Falcons Crash Out Of Women’s World Cup

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Super Falcons have crashed out of the the FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing to England on 4-2 penalty shootouts.

Neither of the teams were able to hit the back of the net inside 90 minutes, forcing the match to go into extra time which also ended in stalemate.

Nigeria’s loss ended the Falcons’ prospect to surpass their earlier record of progressing beyond quarter finals in the global competition.

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Entertainment

BREAKING: AY Lagos Mansion Catches Fire

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nigerian comedian, Ayodeji Makun, popularly known as AY Comedian, has reacted to the fire incident that struck his Lagos home late on Sunday.

In a viral video, recorded by a social media user @Postsubman and sighted by Politics Nigeria, shows that AY’s house was gutted by fire on Sunday.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, many colleagues and fans of AY, including his younger brother and fashion designer, Yomi Casual, sympathised with the comedian and his family.

Expressing gratitude to God for his family’s safety, the comedian took to his Instagram page to share videos and pictures of his wife and children, who are presently on vacation abroad.

He wrote: “Family and God. That is what’s important. Everything else comes and goes. Can’t wait to join you guys in the US in a few days.”

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Fashola denies writing judgement for presidential election tribunal

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A former minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola has denied that he is writing judgement for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

A Twitter user, Jackson Ude, had alleged that Fashola and some lawyers working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) were drafting a judgement for the tribunal judges.

Ude posted that “Former Lagos State Governor and former Minister for Works, Babatunde Fashola and some APC lawyers are allegedly writing the judgement Bola Tinubu and APC intend to hand over to the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal.”

However, in a statement on Sunday, Fashola’s special adviser on media, Hakeem Bello, insisted that the allegation is “baseless and defamatory”.

Bello called on security agencies to take action against those spreading fake news, while also claiming it was part of a plot to undermine the judiciary.

Fashola expressed his disappointment with the spread of this false information on social media platforms and has called on security agencies to take action against those responsible for spreading fake news.

“In response to the allegation, Fashola clarified that he has been away from Abuja for an extended period of time, rendering the claims entirely unfounded.

“The former minister believes that these allegations may be part of a wider campaign to undermine the judiciary by those who seek to manipulate the institution for their own gain,” the statement read.

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