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Governor Soludo
Headlines

Anambra Govt Condemns Assault on NYSC Member, Arrests Security Operatives

by Nelson Ugwuagbo August 19, 2025
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Anambra State Government has condemned the assault on a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Ms. Jennifer Elobor, by operatives of the state’s security outfit, confirming that those involved have been arrested and detained.

The incident, which sparked outrage after a video went viral on social media, showed armed operatives storming a corps members’ lodge and accusing the occupants of internet fraud despite their display of NYSC identification cards and uniforms. The footage further revealed the officers beating Ms. Elobor, tearing her clothes, and leaving her partly unclothed.

Reacting to the development, Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s Special Adviser on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, described the attack as “unfortunate and unacceptable” during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday. He confirmed that the operatives had been taken into custody and placed under investigation.

According to Emeakayi, the incident occurred during a joint security operation known as Operation Udo Gatchi. He explained that the operatives were pursuing suspected cultists on motorcycles when they entered a residential compound and began conducting searches.

“In the process of searching the houses in line with their mandate, the unfortunate incident involving the corps member occurred. While they were acting within the law, their conduct in that instance was unacceptable,” he said.

He added that the state government responded immediately once the assault was reported.

August 19, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Lagos declares August 20 holiday for Isese festival

by Folarin Kehinde August 18, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has declared Wednesday, August 20, 2025, as a work-free day for public servants in commemoration of the annual Isese Day celebration.

The announcement was contained in a circular signed by the Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro, dated Monday, August 18, 2025, and addressed to top government functionaries across ministries, agencies, local councils, and parastatals.

According to the circular, “It is hereby notified for general information that this year’s Isese Day Celebration will hold on Wednesday, 20th August, 2025.”

Reaffirming the state government’s cultural policy, the statement stressed: “In reaffirming the commitment of the State Government towards promoting our indigenous culture, tradition and preserving our heritage, while providing necessary support for traditional Institutions in the State, Mr. Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has declared Wednesday, 20th August, 2025 as Work Free Day for Lagos State Public Servants in commemoration of the Day.”

The circular further directed that government offices will reopen the following day.

“Consequently, work resumes on Thursday, 21st August, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. Accordingly, all Accounting Officers are enjoined to note the contents of this Circular and give it the deserved Service-wide publicity,” Agoro stated.

Isese Day is dedicated to celebrating Yoruba culture, spirituality, and indigenous traditions, and has in recent years been officially recognised in Lagos State to promote inclusivity and cultural preservation, the release noted.

 

August 18, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Retired federal workers to earn additional N32,000 monthly – FG

by Folarin Kehinde August 18, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

All retired federal employees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) are soon to start receiving a N32,000 monthly pension increase.

The sum will be paid to each of them from a N758 billion bond approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for clearing all outstanding pension liabilities.

President Tinubu okayed the bond to ensure that the retirees also benefited from the National Minimum Wage Amendment Act 2024 and Consequential Adjustments.

The N32,000 is the baseline every retiree in the education and health sectors, as well as security and the Armed Forces on the CPS will earn monthly, irrespective of his or her accumulated savings.

President Tinubu had on August 6, directed the “prompt implementation of long-overdue pension increases and a minimum pension guarantee, which would provide a safety net for the most vulnerable pensioners under the CPS.”

An official of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) confirmed to The Nation that ‘’with the National Assembly’s recent concurrence with the President’s directive, the bond proceeds will soon be available to settle the retirees.”

Another official of the commission, who shed more light on the initiative, said: “The pension increase for CPS retirees and the minimum pension guarantee means setting a baseline amount that every retiree under the Contributory Pension Scheme would receive, no matter how small their accumulated savings are.

‘’This acts as a financial safety net to protect the poorest and most vulnerable retirees from falling into poverty.”

PenCom’s Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, had earlier explained how the N758 billion bond for pension payments would be allocated across three critical categories.

She said: “N253 billion of the bonds will be dedicated to clearing accrued rights. These are entitlements due to federal workers employed before the CPS commenced in 2004, and those who had about three years to retirement at the time.

‘’This intervention clears the backlog of accrued rights payments and will put an end to the delays in pension disbursements that have caused frustration in recent months.”

On longstanding arrears, Oloworaran explained that, “N387.5 billion will be committed to pension increases dating back to 2007. That is almost two decades of increments left unpaid. This administration has decided to take the matter seriously and settle all outstanding pension increases from 2007 till date.”

She added that N107 billion has been earmarked for the Pension Protection Fund, which is designed to support low-income retirees.

She said: “This fund is meant to augment pensions for low-income earners to enable them to earn a living wage.

“We are working with relevant agencies to conclude the bond issuance quickly. Once that is done, Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) will credit retirees’ savings accounts, and retirees will be able to claim their entitlements without delay. PFAs have committed to prompt payments once funds are available, while PenCom will provide oversight to ensure beneficiaries are paid immediately.”

According to Oloworaran, the intervention is central to restoring trust in the CPS.

“Confidence in the CPS has waned in recent years due to unresolved liabilities. This payment initiative allows us to rebuild trust and demonstrates that the government is committed to protecting the welfare of ordinary Nigerians,” she said.

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) had last year announced the pension adjustment, confirming that retirees would receive an additional N32,000 per month following the passage of the new minimum wage law.

 

August 18, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

JUST IN: Akpabio returns from London vacation amid health speculation

by Folarin Kehinde August 18, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has returned to Nigeria after a short vacation in London, dispelling widespread rumours about his health.

Akpabio arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 4am on Monday and was received by senators, aides and supporters at the presidential wing.

His absence after attending the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 29 to 31, had sparked speculation on social media that he was critically ill and hospitalised.

Speaking with journalists on arrival, Akpabio dismissed the rumours, describing them as baseless.

“There’s nothing like such. I’m fit as a fiddle. I only stopped over in London for a short vacation,” he said.

 

August 18, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Paternity Fraud: 25% of fathers not biological parents – Report

by Folarin Kehinde August 18, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nigeria’s leading DNA centre, Smart DNA, has released its 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report, highlighting a surge in immigration-related DNA cases amid the country’s ongoing “Japa” wave, while paternity disputes remain a persistent concern.

According to the report, released on Sunday in Lagos, immigration-related DNA testing rose sharply to 13.1 per cent of all cases between July 2024 and June 2025, a trend driven by families seeking documentation for relocation abroad.

“The increase reflects the growing number of dual-citizenship families securing foreign papers for their children, often as ‘second passport’ insurance,” the centre noted.

The report also shows that Nigeria’s paternity exclusion rate remains at 25 per cent, meaning one in four presumed fathers tested are not the biological parents of the children in question. Though slightly lower than the 27 per cent recorded in 2024, the figure underscores the scale of uncertainty in family structures.

Findings further revealed that firstborn children are most affected by paternity discrepancies, with firstborn sons accounting for 64 per cent of negative results.

The study also pointed to a striking gender divide in DNA test initiations: men requested nearly 90 per cent of paternity tests, compared to just 11.8 per cent initiated by women.

Smart DNA’s Operations Manager, Elizabeth Digia, called for urgent interventions through legal reform, healthcare integration, and public education.

Nigeria lacks specific paternity fraud laws, unlike South Africa, leaving men with little legal recourse after years of financial responsibility for children proven not to be theirs,” she said.

Digia urged that DNA testing be integrated into family health programs and premarital counselling, stressing that misconceptions still fuel mistrust.

“Many believe DNA testing is only for wealthy families or assume physical resemblance guarantees paternity. Our role is to provide certainty through accurate testing while encouraging sensitive handling of this life-changing information,” she added.

The centre concluded that the data paints a troubling picture of family trust, identity, and the socio-economic pressures shaping Nigerian households today.

 

August 18, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Ibom Air: I can’t face my real estate business clients – Emmanson cries out

by Folarin Kehinde August 18, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Comfort Emmanson, the passenger at the centre of the altercation with Ibom Air crew members, has said the incident has left her traumatised and ruined her reputation.

In a video shared on her Instagram story on Sunday, Emmanson recounted that she was stopped from leaving the aircraft after the Lagos-bound flight landed on August 10, 2025.

She alleged that the flight attendant who earlier insisted she switch off her mobile phones dragged her back into the plane, tore at her hair, clothes and jewellery, and broke her phones.

She said she was then stripped partially naked as other staff and bystanders recorded her while mocking her.

According to her, being exposed in such a manner and seeing the videos shared online have caused her deep emotional pain.

She lamented that the recordings have been turned into social media content and WhatsApp stickers, leaving her too ashamed to face clients in her real estate business.

She partly said, “Going out of the aircraft, this lady Juliana stopped me. I asked her, why did you stop me? Why are you stopping me from going out of the aircraft? Everybody had left so I needed to go out. She didn’t say anything to me, she was just staring at me with the same bad eye. That was when I remembered that this was the same person instructing me to put off my phone. That was when I started recording and then she backed the person facing me and I told her to let me pass but she didn’t answer me, she ignored me.

“When she noticed I was making a video, she now pulled me back inside the aircraft and dragged my frontal, dragged my gold from my neck, my clothes, and my phones. The phone broke. The pain of doing that to me was when I went to poke her.”

August 18, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

National grid records 2% improvement in capacity

by Folarin Kehinde August 17, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nigeria’s national power grid recorded a modest improvement in its operational performance for July 2025, with an increase of 2% in its plant availability factor compared to the previous month.

Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), shared by the Nigeria National Grid on its official X handle on Saturday, revealed key insights into the country’s power sector.

According to the report, Nigeria’s power grid, with a total installed capacity of 13,625 MW, had an average available capacity of only 5,577 MW in July, representing a 41% plant availability factor.

This was a 2% improvement over the figures for June 2025. The average generation also saw a slight uptick, rising by 0.3% to 4,340 MWh per hour, although the average load factor dropped by 3% to 78%.

The report highlighted the contributions of several major power plants. The largest contributors to energy generation were: Egbin: Averaged 665 MWh per hour with a 93% load factor.

Delta: Contributed 417 MWh per hour with an 86% load factor; Kainji: Recorded 354 MWh per hour with an impressive 98% load factor; Okpai: Generated 344 MWh per hour with a 93% load factor; and Ihovbor 2: Added 403 MWh per hour at a 90% load factor.

Despite these positive contributions, the report also exposed significant underperformance. Afam 1, with a 726 MW installed capacity, and Alaoji 1 both recorded 0% availability for the entire month of July. Similarly, Sapele Steam 1, with a 720 MW capacity, managed only a 3% availability.

The NERC factsheet also noted that the grid’s stability continued to be a concern. The frequency operated outside the set limits of 49.75 Hz and 50.25 Hz, while the voltage also breached its acceptable range, with a high of 347.87 kV (1% above the limit) and a low of 301.10 kV (4% below the limit).

 

August 17, 2025 0 comments
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HeadlinesUncategorized

2027: You are banned from playing politics — FG to civil servants

by Folarin Kehinde August 15, 2025
written by Folarin Kehinde

Ahead of the 2027 general election draws nigh, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has issued a stern warning to civil servants against engaging in political activities while in service.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday during the Quarterly Stakeholders and Citizens Engagement interactive session, Mrs Walson-Jack emphasised that civil servants must remain neutral and uphold the rules of the service.

Addressing concerns about a trending Supreme Court judgement, she clarified that while civil servants are allowed to be card-carrying members of political parties to protect their fundamental right of association, this does not permit partisan conduct.

Mrs Walson-Jack stated, “It’s an old judgement, and it is still very much in force.

But what that judgement said was that civil servants can be card-carrying members of a political party, just so that their fundamental human right of association is not denied. It went on to caution that civil servants must abide by the terms and conditions of their service.

“We all know a civil servant is supposed to be non-political. So your first responsibility is to be neutral, non-political, and do your job.”

She further warned, “You cannot go and be partisan. You serve the government of the day with neutrality. Anything contrary will be dealt with in accordance with the rules and regulations of the public service.”

 

August 15, 2025 0 comments
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Headlines

Dangote Group Pledges Full Support, Compensation for BBNaija Star Phyna’s Sister Injured in Truck Accident

by Nelson Ugwuagbo August 15, 2025
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Dangote Group Plc has pledged full medical support and compensation for Mrs. Ruth Otabor, sister of Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Ijeoma “Phyna” Otabor, who was injured in a recent accident involving one of the company’s trucks in Auchi, Edo State.

The incident, which occurred last week along the Auchi axis, left Mrs. Otabor hospitalised at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital. Eyewitnesses said the crash caused heavy traffic in the area until emergency responders and security personnel arrived at the scene.

In a statement on Thursday, Dangote Cement Plc confirmed that senior officials and its insurance team had visited the accident site, liaised with law enforcement, and met with the victim and her family at the hospital.

“Following the recent road accident in Auchi involving one of our trucks, we are ensuring full support for Mrs. Otabor, including comprehensive medical care and appropriate compensation, in line with our welfare policy,” the company stated.

The group reaffirmed its commitment to the well-being of those affected by its operations, expressing hopes for Mrs. Otabor’s full and speedy recovery.

August 15, 2025 0 comments
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Bauchi Governor
Headlines

Bauchi Governor Appoints Chinese National as Economic Adviser

by Nelson Ugwuagbo August 15, 2025
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has appointed a Chinese national, Mr. Li Zhensheng, as Economic Adviser to the state government.

The announcement was made during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Bauchi State Government and the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre, held in Bauchi.

Governor Mohammed said the appointment and partnership aim to transform Bauchi into a hub for international cooperation. The agreement is expected to attract investments and drive projects in key sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and trade.

August 15, 2025 0 comments
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