Former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Salihu Moh. Lukman on Thursday gave an insight into the level of political reengineering and realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying opposition leaders have commenced negotiations.

While he didn’t disclose the identities of those involved in the negotiations, he said they also include some “alienated APC leaders”.

In a New Year message issued in Abuja, Lukman however lamented that most Nigerian politicians are not disposed to competitive political culture, largely because they are driven by personal ambitions to contest elections.

He said; “While acknowledging that opposition political leaders, including alienated APC leaders have commenced negotiations towards producing alternative political platform, it must be also recognised that most Nigerian politicians are not disposed to competitive political culture.

“Largely because most politicians are driven by personal ambitions to contest elections, the default mindset is about imposition and manipulating processes to achieve personal ambitions. This must stop.

“We must remind all our political leaders that if they want to prove their altruistic value and demonstrate strong disposition towards rescuing Nigeria, therefore beyond the pretentious claims of subordinating personal ambitions towards the emergence of the new platform, opposition political leaders in the country should commit themselves to allow political competition in the country as the basis for the emergence of political leaders at all levels”.

The former Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF added that opposition leaders must be reminded that so long as they approach the process of leadership selection in the country based on a strategy to impose themselves, they are also part of Nigeria’s problem.

“To Nigerians, we need to all wake-up and seek to take our destiny in our own hands. The source of strength and audacity of Nigerian politicians is derived from the docility and passivity of ordinary Nigerians. Once the majority of Nigerians concede politics as the monopoly or exclusive vocation of so-called politicians, the risk of undermining political competition and producing bad leaders with the attendant consequences of remaining in a permanent state of misery, disbelief and negativity will be high”, he stated.

Adanma Luke, the producer of the movie in which late actor Junior Pope was set to appear, has opened up about her battle with depression and suicidal thoughts following the tragic loss.

Pope tragically passed away on April 10 in a boat accident on the River Niger in Asaba, Delta State, while en route to a movie location.

The incident also claimed the lives of four other crew members, leaving the film industry in a state of shock.

In an Instagram post, the filmmaker described the aftermath of Pope’s death as “very dark,” sharing that she had considered suicide due to the intense backlash she received on social media.

She also revealed that the emotional toll led her to stop breastfeeding her three-month-old baby.

Adanma expressed profound gratitude for the support she received from movie producer Uche Nancy during this harrowing time.

She credited Uche for her unwavering emotional support and encouragement, which helped her cope with the overwhelming circumstances.

“With so much tears in my eyes, after so much pressure and expenses in April I reached out to this beautiful soul @uchenancy and she said Ada, don’t worry I dey for you. Just let me know if there’s more to do and i won’t abandon you. She spoke as if she was me and gave me instances of why i should stay alive and strong,” Adanma Luke shared.

“It lifted my soul even though I was contemplating suicide at that time and lost interest in whatever was happening and just needed to exit this world because it was indeed a very dark period for me. I had to stop breastfeeding in less than 3 months due so much sadness in my heart, depression, calls and hash words from families of the deceased and online fans.

“To be sincere I was online because my phone was the closest thing to me at that point. My mom took away my child so i don’t feed or breastfeed my child with sadness. I only come online to cry away my pains from the hurtful words being thrown at me and feel a little better from some good friends and fans who choose to love me regardless.

“Whatever I did or posted then was what my mindset was all about. Please help me say a kind prayer for this beautiful soul @uchenancy because she didn’t just help me with the huge financial support but also made sure I’m doing okay till now. I can’t end my 2024 without appreciating you my beautiful hardworking woman @uchenancy may God continue to bless you richly.”

The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to set an example by utilising Nigeria’s healthcare facilities for his medical needs instead of travelling abroad.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, stated that such a move would encourage Nigerians to trust the nation’s health institutions and curtail the country’s long-standing issue of medical tourism.

But the ruling All Progressives Congress warned Obi not to incite Nigerians against President Tinubu, particularly with his claim that the President had failed to address the worsening economic and security challenges in his first 18 months in charge.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Obi urged the President to consider using facilities like the National Hospital in Abuja or any of the Federal Medical Centres across the country.

“It is time for you to visit our national hospitals. For instance, consider conducting your next medical examination at one of our National Hospitals or regional FMCs in Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi, Calabar, Umuahia, or Akure, among others,” Obi said.

“This will allow you to assess the state of healthcare facilities available to Nigerians. It will also help you understand the condition of our hospitals and clinics, enabling you to make informed decisions on how to upgrade and make them more efficient.”

In the past 18 months of his administration, President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have collectively undertaken 42 trips across 27 countries, spending over 180 days abroad.

Tinubu alone has spent 124 days abroad, visiting 16 countries on 29 trips, prompting speculation that some of these trips, particularly to France, were for medical reasons.

Obi stressed the need for President Tinubu to take responsibility as a leader by addressing critical issues firsthand.

 He also urged the President to travel by road to experience the state of the nation’s highways.

“You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar in Cross River State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, a distance of less than 100 km, or from Benin in Edo State to Warri in Delta State,” Obi suggested.

He recalled a similar instance during his tenure as governor when he took former President Olusegun Obasanjo on a federal highway trip from Awka to Onitsha.

He said, “You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar in Cross River State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, a distance of less than 100 km, or from Benin in Edo State to Warri in Delta State. I recall taking President Olusegun Obasanjo on a trip from Awka to Onitsha on a federal highway when I was the Governor of Anambra State.

“That journey prompted him to immediately approve the reconstruction of parts of the road by the Anambra State government, with subsequent reimbursement by the federal government. Such actions are immensely valuable.

“Make both impromptu and planned visits to our tertiary institutions, where our children and future leaders are being trained, are essential to familiarize yourself with the available infrastructure, facilities, and amenities. These visits will provide valuable insight into whether the resources of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund are being utilised optimally and what is needed to sustain the education system.”

On political matters, Obi dismissed speculation about a merger with the Peoples Democratic Party or the New Nigeria People’s Party.

His clarification came two days after NNPP’s presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, denied knowledge of any such pact.

Obi emphasised that he had no formal agreement with any political party but rallied all lovers of democracy to unite and oust the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.

Reacting however,  in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC accused Obi of hypocrisy, saying his New Year’s message is ‘misleading and appears intended to score cheap political points.’

Morka emphasised that the claim portrayed the former governor as a leading ‘doomsayer’ at a time when all indicators show the country is rebounding in significant measure across all sectors.

He said, “In reality, 18 months later, the economy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has shown a steady record of progress. Despite these and other initial beneficial outcomes of ongoing reforms, the administration is doubling its effort to ensure their fullest benefits for the transformation of our country.

“It is a thing of irony that Obi, who now arrogates to himself to be omniscient and philosopher’s stone, when it comes to our nation’s challenges, left no record of significant achievement, let alone transformation of any kind, in his eight-year tenure as Governor of Anambra State.

“Like his co-travellers in the PDP, Obi’s obsessive pessimism and endless but futile effort to incite public outrage against the administration is borne out of the realization that Tinubu is unwittingly cementing their political irrelevance by his visionary and full-throttle reform.

“Under the banner of the Renewed Hope Agenda, President Tinubu is dutifully turning our nation’s fortunes around. We urge Nigerians to remain confident of better days ahead.”

The Nigerian naira weakened to N1,541.36/$ on the first day of trading in the New Year.

According to the NFEM rate data available on the website of the Central Bank of Nigeria, this is a 0.36 per cent depreciation compared to the closing rate of 2024 which was N1,535.82/$.

Some authorised dealers quoted the dollar at N1,545/$, an improvement compared to the N1,550/$ quoted on Tuesday while others quoted the naira at N1520/$ at the close of trading on Thursday.

At the parallel market, the naira closed trading at N1,655/$  compared to N1670/$ on Tuesday.

The naira had recorded a 40.9 per cent depreciation in 2024 when compared to the official rate at the close of 2023, which stood at 907.11/$.

The significant depreciation comes amid the CBN’s introduction of several foreign exchange policies aimed at enhancing market transparency and attracting foreign investors.

The latest reform was the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System which set new guidelines for authorised Foreign Exchange dealers in December. This introduction saw the naira gain some semblance of stability.

Meanwhile, in the money market, the Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate experienced downward movements across all maturities, signalling liquidity in the banking system. However, the Open Repo Rate fell by 0.61 per cent to 26.69 per cent, while the Overnight Lending Rate decreased by 0.55 per cent to 27.25 per cent.

Trading in the secondary market for FGN bonds was subdued, resulting in a slight uptick in the average yield to 19.76 per cent. In Nigeria’s sovereign Eurobonds market, buy pressure across the short, mid, and long ends of the yield curve led to a  6 bps decrease in the average yield to 9.62 per cent.

Nigerians visiting Thailand can now apply for visas electronically.

The Royal Thai embassy in Abuja set the applications’ start date at January 1 after announcing they were no longer accepting physical applications.

The policy also applies to citizens of Ghana, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Chad.

In a statement, the embassy said all applicants must be residing within the aforementioned countries when applying for the visa.

 

The embassy said it has the right to cancel the visa applications should the applicants fail to provide evidence of their presence within the aforementioned countries.

“Travel booking confirmation must be provided upon submission of your visa application. This includes return flight details showing applicant’s name, departure and return date, all flights en route from the aforementioned countries to Thailand,” the embassy said.

“Upon receiving your application, it takes within 5 working days to get your visa.”

 

The embassy said the processing time can take longer in certain cases.

Intending travellers were advised to apply for a visa at least 4-6 weeks before the departure date but not more than three months before.

All applications must be completed online via www.thaievisa.go.th

Fuji music icon, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1, left guests in awe as he surprised his longest-serving band member, Fatai Oluperi Ayinla, with a N20 million gift during his New Year concert on January 1, 2025.

The heartwarming moment unfolded at the ‘New Year Dance’ event held at the Balmoral Convention Center, Sheraton Ikeja, Lagos.

KWAM 1 took the stage to express his profound gratitude to Ayinla for his years of dedication and exceptional contribution to the band’s success.

As the crowd erupted into cheers, KWAM 1 presented the substantial amount to Ayinla, acknowledging his loyalty and significant role in the band’s journey.

The emotional tribute was met with loud applause from the audience.

In addition to the N20 million, Nollywood actor, Femi Adebayo, the producer of ‘Seven Doors’, also showed his support by donating N500,000 to Ayinla as a token of appreciation for his years of service.

Toyosi Etim-Effiong, wife of Nollywood actor, Daniel Etim-Effiong, has disclosed how she and her husband later ended up as a couple.

The duo who have been married for seven years were on the Off Air podcast with media personality, Gbemi Olateru aka Gbemi O.

Responding to a previous question, Toyosi revealed that Daniel settled down with her because the lady he was in a relationship with as at the time, wasn’t ready to tie the knot.

A clip from the show which surfaced online saw her say:

“The reason why he left the person he was with was because she said she wasn’t ready to settle down, but me, I was very ready.”

Recall that the couple have been in the news recently as a result of the perculair dynamics of their relationship.

The actor had recently stated that he has a problem with setting boundaries and his marriage was chaotic for him at the beginning.

His wife also revealed that she does not trust her husband one hundred percent.

This revelation has sparked quite a number of reactions from Nigerians.

Omololad stated, “So he didn’t marry you for love, you were the fallback plan, no wonder!!

Theella_space stated, “This woman and her trophy husband again.”

Another netizen, dekinggideon wrote, “When the desirable is not available, then the available becomes the desirable.”

Portharcourtmarket wrote, “Which means he married you for marriage sake, not cause you’re the one he truly loves? Okay we hear you!!!

Nigerian singer, Ayodeji ‘Wizkid’ Balogun has hit another milestone as the first African artiste to surpass 8 billion streams on Spotify.

The 8 billion streams include both leads and features.

His collaborative hit with Canadian superstar, Drake, ‘One Dance,’ is his most streamed song on the platform with over 2 billion streams.

‘One Dance’ holds the Guinness World Record for the first single to hit 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Wizkid’s most streamed album on the platform is the deluxe edition of his fourth studio album, ‘Made In Lagos’ with about a billion streams.

Meanwhile, Burna Boy has hit 7.2 billion streams on Spotify, making him the second most streamed African artiste on the platform.

He is the most followed Afrobeats artiste on the platform.

American content creator Vicky, has shared her observations about her visit to Lagos, Nigeria.

While acknowledging the city’s vibrant social scene, Vicky highlighted the more pressing issues of hunger and poverty that affect many of its residents.

Vicky stated that during her visit, she was struck by the contrast between the city’s lively nightlife and the struggles faced by many of its people.

She expressed concern that some visitors may overlook these issues, focusing instead on the entertainment part of it.

Vicky emphasized the need for support and prayers for Nigeria, suggesting that tangible assistance and missions could help bring about positive change.

Vicky wrote …

“I recently visited Lagos, Nigeria, and while it’s known for its nightlife and clubs, I couldn’t help but notice the bigger picture. So many people there are struggling with hunger and poverty—it’s heartbreaking. It’s sad to see visitors focusing only on the parties when there’s such a clear need for help. Nigeria needs prayer, missions, and tangible support, not just tourism for entertainment. Let’s pray for this country and find ways to contribute to real change..”