Aliyu Yaro, a 19-year-old boy in Adamawa State has allegedly killed a child born to his girlfriend.

The incident occurred in the northern Adamawa town of Mubi, where the teenage father, Aliyu Yaro, reportedly went to the house of his girlfriend, who had previously expressed frustration with the infant, urging him to take responsibility for the child.

According to police investigations, Aliyu claimed that after receiving repeated calls from his girlfriend to take the baby, he went to her house at night. After sending her on an errand, he took the three-day-old infant from her home.

Aliyu admitted that he brought the baby to his own house, where he fed the infant with sour milk, leading to the baby’s death by the following day.

He said he then buried the baby’s body around 9:00 p.m. in the Girpata area of Mubi.

Aliyu explained that he had impregnated his girlfriend, Safiya, and that after she gave birth, she frequently called him to take responsibility for the child.

He claimed that Safiya had threatened to harm or abandon the baby if he didn’t assume responsibility, which compelled him to go for the child.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Nguroje, stated that the Commissioner of Police, Morris Dankombo, has ordered that the case be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation and prosecution of both Aliyu and Safiya.

Chidinma Adetshina, Nigeria’s representative in this year’s Miss Universe contest, will be fulfilling her childhood ambition of featuring in the glamourous global show next weekend in faraway Mexico.

The journey as she noted in a social media video has been tortuous and discouraging but the quest to wear the golden crown has kept firing her on.

“My mind says I’m tired, I can’t do it anymore, but my heart is saying don’t give up.

“This journey hasn’t been easy for me mentally and emotionally. The tears, the pain, the trauma,” she said.

Indeed, the beauty queen had passed through thick and thin to get this far.

Some months back, she was nearly disgraced by the South African government, when her South African identity was queried.

In fact, her problem started when she became a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant only to face backlash over her eligibility due to her Mozambican and Nigerian heritage.

In her recent video on social media, she opened up about her challenging journey to the upcoming Miss Universe contest in Mexico.

“This journey hasn’t been easy for me mentally and emotionally. The tears, the pain, the trauma.

“The days I felt like giving up, the days I felt unworthy and undeserving. However I refuse to let anyone or anything dim my vision.”

Born to a Nigerian father and Mozambican mother, Adetshina’s journey to the Miss Universe competition has dominated headlines.

After that, she joined the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant and was crowned the winner, representing Taraba State. She is set to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe event on November 16.

She said she has dreamt of walking the Miss Universe stage since 2017.

“Seven years later, I, Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina will be walking the Miss Universe stage. Win or not I am so proud of myself and filled with so much joy and fulfillment for I am about to accomplish what once seemed impossible. I envisioned this moment and I’m about to make it a reality.

“This achievement is not only mine but it’s for Nigeria, it’s for Africa. Your support and encouragement have been the fuel to my fire.”

As Adetshina prepares to take the stage in Mexico, she’s been sharing updates about her journey on social media, from stunning photos to day-to-day activities leading up to the final

Cross, a former Big Brother Naija contestant, has publicly made an announcement about his spiritual transformation on social media, revealing that he has been arrested by God. 

Cross expressed commitment to representing God’s glory and love, citing Joshua 24:15 NKJV: “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

He encouraged others to join him in serving God, emphasising the power of faith and redemption.

He wrote on X: “I have been arrested by GOD, moving forward I belong to JESUS CHRIST who is the Savior of the world. He has called me to do his work and build his Kingdom. A lot of revival is happening right now on earth. And he wants us as his children to join his agenda. All you need to do is call on him and truly believe that he is your Lord and Savior. And he will answer.

“My LIFE and CrossNation will represent him and his glory from today till end of time. For GOD is LOVE and LOVE is GOD (ICSO)

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15 NKJV.”

Aunty Ajara, the popular small-sized Nigerian actress, has opened up how she got pregnant through rape and lost the baby three days after birth.

The Nollywood actress made this known while revealing the most painful circumstances she has ever been.

Speaking in her latest interview with actress Bimpe Akintunde on ‘Wasila Coded’ podcast, Aunty Ajara explained that the rapist was a family friend of her uncle.

In a now trending video on social media, Ajara stated that the guy admitted to rapping her.

“I was raped by a guy who was a friend to my Aunty husband’s brother. I gave birth to the baby through CS, but he died on the third day.”

Watch her speak below:

Andy Boyo, the renowned movie director and patron of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), has shared how he was expelled from school because of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Fela, the legendary Nigerian artist and political advocate, passed away in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1997 at 58.

Fela is seen as the main creator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music style that mixes West African rhythms with American funk and jazz.

Boyo, however, is preparing to bring the iconic life of the Afrobeats legend to the silver screen in a much-awaited biographical film.

After three years of planning, Boyo has obtained the rights to the music and is ready to begin filming in Nigeria, the UK, and the US in 2025.

Rumours suggest the high-profile movie will have an extensive cast, including 27 actresses portraying Fela’s wives.

Boyo, recognized for his successful films such as “Untamed” and “Spirit of Assassins,” will also direct, write, and produce the biographical film.

Speaking on his love for Fela and the project he is working on, Boyo said “this project is a labour of love.”

Boyo said: “Fela has always been my passion, I was expelled from Glorious College, Ibadan, for sneaking out to watch him perform at the University of Ibadan’s ‘Havana Night.’ Fela was my mentor; I admired his personality and music. When I returned to the school, I got expelled from school.”

The movie will tell the story of Fela’s existence, battles, and victories as the ruler of Afrobeats. Thanks to Boyo’s skill and commitment, this film is set to revolutionize the world of cinema, challenging the status quo of African film.

No fewer than seven states and the Federal Capital Territory have failed to approve the minimum wage expected to commence in October this year.

This is as 25 states have commenced payment or made a pronouncement on the amount to pay as the minimum wage.

The states that have yet to approve a particular minimum wage amount are Zamfara, Sokoto, Osun, Cross River, Imo, Plateau, Taraba, and the FCT.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that paying the N70,000 minimum wage may take a long time in Zamfara, as the state just began paying the old N30,000 minimum wage.

Recall that the N30,000 minimum wage took effect in April 2019, but Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State commenced the payment to the civil servants in June this year.

The state has yet to make any statement on the N70,000 minimum wage as of the time of filing this report.

Also, Sokoto State has yet to commence payment of the minimum wage despite Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s promise that his administration would be among the first states to do so.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, had declared that his administration would pay the minimum wage, but the state has yet to approve any amount or commence payment of the minimum wage.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in the state, Bimbo Fasasi, said the state was about to finalise the implementation process.

Fasasi, a member of the Labour/Osun State Government negotiation committee on the new minimum wage, said, “We are getting there, we are at the stage of comparing tables and exchanging tables between us. I’m confident we will soon have a meeting point and we will be able to make formal announcements and implementation will most definitely follow immediately.”

Cross River State has also not approved the N70,000 minimum wage.

On May 1, 2024, Governor Bassey Otu of the state announced N40,000 as a new minimum wage for civil servants before the national minimum wage.

TUC Chairman in the state, Monday Ogbodum, said labour unions were still negotiating the new minimum wage with the state government.

The minimum wage is also yet to take effect in Imo State, though Governor Hope Uzodimma assured workers that his government was committed to its implementation.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the state government and labour were already discussing the minimum wage.

The Vice Chairman of TUC in the state, Charles Amaru, disclosed that there was no agreement on payment by the state government yet.

He said, “The organised labour is still discussing with the state government on the template for payment. The discussion is prone to having fruitful outcomes and the government has said that everyone will be comfortable with the amount that will be paid.”

There has been grave silence on the minimum wage in Plateau State, just as the Taraba State Government has yet to commence the payment of the N70,000.

On September 5, 2024, Governor Agbu Kefas of the state said he was prepared to pay the new national minimum wage, adding that the Head of Service and the labour were already discussing the implementation.

The FCT has yet to speak on the minimum wage implementation as of the time of filing this report.

However, workers across the country have continued to lament the lingering economic hardship, noting that N70,000 is no longer enough for them.

The workers who spoke randomly with Saturday PUNCH said the fuel and electricity tariff hikes, inflation, and high cost of living have seriously reduced the value of the N70,000.

A staff member of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Abuja, who pleaded anonymity stated that the labour leaders made a mistake by accepting the N70,000 minimum wage without considering the economic reality.

“We were not expecting our leaders to accept the N70,000 as minimum wage because the price of foodstuffs, fuel, electricity tariffs, and fuels continue to go up.

“The amount is not enough for us at all. The living standard in Abuja is high and it is a reality that we cannot survive on N70,000 every month.”

Also, a civil servant at Ayedire Local Government, Osun State, said the N70,000 was not proportionate to the economic hardship, adding that the minimum wage couldn’t feed a family for two weeks.

He queried, “What is the quality and quantity of the foodstuffs to buy with N70,000? How long will it take to exhaust the minimum wage in the face of fuel hikes and inflation? Life is not easy for us.”

Recall that the organised labour said they accepted the N70,000 minimum wage because of President Bola Tinubu’s promise not to increase fuel prices.

But the fuel price was increased in September and has continued to increase since then, a development that made the Nigeria Labour Congress declare that the president betrayed the labour unions.

The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, on September 20, said Tinubu betrayed the organised labour, using fuel as bait.

Ajaero noted that the cost of petrol has undermined the benefits of the N70,000 national minimum wage, urging the government to urgently address the pressing issues of hunger, poverty, and frustration affecting Nigerians.

Ajaero recounted discussions with Tinubu before the acceptance of the N70,000 minimum wage, stating that during negotiations, the president offered the option of accepting the N70,000 wage without further increase in fuel prices.

The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical is set to begin fuel exports to South Africa, Angola, and Namibia, Saturday PUNCH can confirm.

A highly credible source, who confirmed this exclusively to one of our correspondents on Friday, said the management of the 650,000-barrel per-day capacity refinery was at advanced stages of talks with the countries to start lifting fuel.

Our correspondents gathered that four other African countries – Niger Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso and Central Africa Republic – had also started negotiation with the refinery.

Saturday PUNCH was reliably informed that more countries were being expected to signify interest in lifting fuel from the refinery in the coming months.

Ghana was recently reported to have expressed interest in buying petrol from the $20bn Lekki-based refinery.

The Chairman of the National Petroleum Authority, Ghana, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, said the arrangement with Dangote refinery would end his country’s monthly $400m fuel imports from Europe.

“I can confirm to you that talk is actually at advance stage with Ghana, Angola, Namibia and South Africa, while initial discussion is coming up with Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Central African Republic,” the source said.

When asked why marketers are insisting on not buying from Dangote despite the refinery’s capacity, the source said the dealers had hidden agenda.

“However, between now and January 2025, their plan would be exposed. Dangote refinery remains the hope of this country for a sustainable supply of petrol and the refinery has the capacity to serve the entire country,” the source added.

Meanwhile, local marketers have resolved to import fuel from outside the country.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria last week insisted on fuel importation after accusing the Dangote refinery of selling fuel to Nigerians at an exorbitant price.

The marketers are awaiting the approvals of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to import cheaper petrol.

The marketers argued that importing more affordable petrol would offer relief for consumers still adjusting to the price surges following the removal of fuel subsidy.

However, to proceed, the marketers requested access to foreign exchange from the CBN, and permits from NMDPRA to ensure compliance with fuel quality and regulatory standards.

The NMDPRA has, however, refuted claims that IPMAN and PETROAN were allowed to obtain petrol import licence as associations.

An official of the NMDPRA, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the agency could not approve the request of oil marketers to obtain import licence as an association, but based on individual requests.

The source added that individual application was the stipulated law and could not be shelved.

“The truth of the matter is that they can’t apply for petrol import licence as a body or association. Individual marketers have to apply by themselves before they can be granted that licence. They have to apply by themselves. We are not going to give the permit jointly so they can’t apply as an association.

“So, this also means that if individual marketers don’t apply for it, we can’t approve it.”

Responding, the National Public Relations Officer of PETROAN, Dr Joseph Obele, said the association applied for the import licence about one month ago through its newly incorporated trading wing.

He described Dangote as an “aggressive competitor” who would go to any length to monopolise the market.

“You should know that Dangote is just out to close all the doors and windows so that no person enters the market. He is determined to ensure that nobody enters the market as a competitor. We assure Nigerians that as soon as the regulatory agency approves our authority to import, this price of PMS that is causing pain to Nigerians right now will crash to the barest minimum.

“The product we are planning to import is one of the best products so far, far better than his (Dangote) own, but he is just telling Nigerians that any product that is coming into the country is not better than his own.

“We call on Nigerians to support the call for dismantling monopolies so that we can liberate the market; otherwise, we will remain in the trap we are. We are trapped at the moment; we are trapped with exploitation and the only way out of the trap is to dismantle every dimension of monopoly and we are calling on Nigerians to support us,” Obele said.

Baltasar Engonga, the former Director-General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency, has been remanded in custody at Malabo’s Black Beach Prison.

Engonga’s arrest came shortly after reports surfaced accusing him of recording over 400 explicit videos involving the spouses of influential figures in the country.

This revelation emerged amid an ongoing fraud investigation into the 54-year-old economist, prompting officials from ANIF to conduct an unannounced search of his residence and office.

During the search, authorities reportedly uncovered numerous CDs containing footage of these encounters, The PUNCH reports.

The leaked videos have ignited widespread public outrage and intense media scrutiny.

In response, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo dismissed Engonga from his position.

According to Decree No. 118/2024, issued on November 4, the dismissal cited “irregularities committed in the exercise of his functions, as well as inappropriate family and social conduct incompatible with public service duties.”

On Friday, a video circulated widely on social media showing Engonga appearing in court, restrained with handcuffs on both his hands and feet.

French blog Afrikmatin confirmed that Engonga, officially relieved of his duties on November 6, 2024, was subsequently chained and transferred to Malabo Central Prison. He is facing charges related to corruption and embezzlement.

Furthermore, UGStandard, an online news outlet, reported that the sex tapes began to spread on social networks while Engonga was already detained at Black Beach Prison on accusations of misappropriating public funds, as corroborated by state broadcaster TVGE.

In a fact-check published on Wednesday, Dubawa verified Engonga’s detention on corruption charges, affirming that he is currently being held in Black Beach Prison.

The proposed tax reforms by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have continued to spark significant controversy, with northern state governors and National Assembly members taking new steps to block the president’s initiatives.

According to sources, the latest pushback within the National Assembly is being led by governors from the seven states in the North-West and six from the North-East, with two additional governors from the North-Central region joining their ranks.

However, not all northern governors are opposed to the reforms. Reports indicate that four governors from the region are in support of Tinubu’s proposals. Of these, three belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and one is affiliated with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Pressure is mounting on two presiding officers from the North-West in the National Assembly to align with the dissenting northern governors. Sources have revealed to Saturday Sun that influential traditional rulers and religious leaders have been engaged to persuade the officers to obstruct the bills’ progress. It remains uncertain whether these officers will yield to such pressures.

Meanwhile, a group of northern lawmakers, led by former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, has been actively rallying against the tax bills in both legislative chambers.

Ndume, in multiple public statements, has dismissed the bills as “dead on arrival” and criticized them as detrimental to the northern region.

“The proposed tax increases would further burden Nigerians,” Ndume argued. “The middle class is already on the brink of disappearing. If people cannot sustain their livelihoods, additional taxes are not feasible. First, we need to improve living conditions so that citizens have disposable income before considering increased taxation. It’s common sense—you cannot ask for a blood donation from someone who’s already anemic.”

While many senators have refrained from publicly voicing their opposition, insiders suggest that efforts to subvert the bills are ongoing behind the scenes.

Despite the growing resistance, President Tinubu has made it clear that he does not intend to withdraw the proposed tax reforms.

However, he has expressed willingness to incorporate legislative feedback and amend the bills where necessary.

The reform package, which has drawn widespread scrutiny, includes key legislative pieces aimed at overhauling tax administration.

These include the Nigeria Tax Bill to reduce redundant taxes, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill to standardize processes nationwide, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill proposing a rebranding of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill designed to create a unified tax management body.