The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, yesterday, urged the Federal Government to allow graduates performing their mandatory one-year programme in the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, to serve within their geopolitical zones.

Afenifere advised the Federal Government given the increasing rate of kidnapping and banditry across the country.

While commending the Federal Government and security agencies for rescuing kidnapped NYSC members who were on their way from Akwa Ibom to Sokoto State, the organization urged the government to equip security agents better for optimum performance.

Afenifere, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi, reiterated its advocacy for enrollees to the NYSC scheme to serve within their geopolitical zones rather than going from one part of the country to the other.

The association further observed that these pockets of ‘achievements’ appear to be dwarfed by the avalanche of security challenges people are facing in different parts of the country.

Alluding to recent incidents, Ajayi noted that fear of kidnappers and attacks by bandits including cattle rustlers, are now rampant.

The Afenifere spokesman, who observed that kidnappers now seem to go for groups and high-profile individuals, called the attention of those concerned to factors responsible for banditry and kidnapping.

The organization stressed that attention should be given to the prevalence of ungoverned or under-governed spaces where the government’s control is ineffective.

Afenifere added that absence or paucity of government presence in such areas makes people of the area vulnerable to exploitation by terrorist groups, traffickers and other criminal elements.

He said: “The porosity of the borders has increased the influx of small arms and light weapons from the Sahel region – thus heightening the incentives for crimes and banditry.

“Illegal mining has created room for poor governance in the areas affected – resulting in poor service delivery, displacement of the local people, increasing unemployment as farmers and youths are forced out of their farmlands – a situation that is making these set of people to be ready recruits for banditry.”

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has granted a one-month moratorium to traders and other market stakeholders involved in exploitative pricing, urging them to reduce the prices of goods.

Mr. Tunji Bello, the newly appointed Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, made this announcement during a one-day stakeholders’ engagement on exploitative pricing held on Thursday in Abuja.

Bello stated that the Commission would begin enforcement actions once the moratorium period ends.

He explained that the meeting was convened to address the increasing trend of unreasonable pricing of consumer goods and services, as well as the unethical practices by market associations.

What the FCCPC is saying

In his remarks, Bello cited a finding by the Commission, highlighting that a fruit blender known as Ninja, priced at $89 (N140,000) in a popular supermarket in Texas, was being sold for N944,999 in a supermarket located in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Bello wondered about the basis for the arbitrary hike in the price of the blender compared to Texas, United States of America.

He said the unwholesome practices including price fixing were threatening the stability of the economy.

”Under Section 155, violators whether individuals or corporate entities face severe penalties including substantial fines and imprisonment if found guilty by the court.

”This is intended to deter all parties involved in such illicit activities.

”However, our approach today is not punitive. I, therefore, call on all stakeholders to embrace the spirit of patriotism and cooperation.

”It is in this spirit that we are giving a moratorium of one month before the Commission will start firm enforcement,” he said.

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On his part, Ifeanyi Okonkwo, the Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Traders, FCT Chapter, noted that the charges on imported goods at the ports have also played a significant role in the surge in prices.

He urged the Commission to establish a task force and include the association in its enforcement efforts.

Meanwhile, the FCCPC boss said the government was aware of most of the problems raised by the market stakeholders.

“We have heard and you have genuine issues and the government has the responsibility to address the problems but generally, let us talk to ourselves too.

”There are also gang-ups to exploit consumers by traders,” he added.

Moreover, other market stakeholders who spoke at the engagement said that the high cost of transportation, insecurity, and multiple taxation among others were reasons for the continuous increase in prices of goods and services.

The Nigerian women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has made history by rising to eighth place in the latest FIBA rankings, released on Thursday.

This significant leap of four spots secures their position among the top 10 teams globally, making them the first African team – men or women – to break into the top 10 of the FIBA world rankings.

D’Tigress’ impressive performance at the Paris Olympics fueled their historic rise. Notable achievements include:


– Defeating Australia in their first game, securing their first Olympic victory in 20 years.

– “A brilliant performance” against France.

– Defeating Canada to become the first African side to qualify for the Olympic basketball quarter-finals.

Although they lost to the United States in the quarter-finals, D’Tigress’ remarkable display earned their head coach, Rena Wakama, the title of “best coach of the women’s basketball event.”


The top five teams in women’s basketball remain, United States (Olympic champions), Australia, France, China, Spain.

D’Tigress’ groundbreaking achievement solidifies their position as six-time AfroBasket champions and a force to be reckoned with in global women’s basketball.

-Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote said that by entering the textile industry, his company lost billions of naira in investment

-The billionaire businessman also said he was forced to sell his bank, Liberty Merchant Bank, for N1.2 billion

-He said the government failed to offer any protection through policy decisions, which resulted in the closure of the two factories

Behind every success story, there is always that struggle which is not so known to many. Such is the case of some billionaires like Aliko Dangote, who had records of failed businesses before finally becoming Africa’s number one billionaire.

Dangote shared personal experience during his keynote speech at the 2024 Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) summit in Abuja, according to an Independent.ng report. He claimed his company lost billions of naira in investment due to his entry into the textile sector.

Dangote talked about his challenges in the rapidly expanding Nigerian textile industry and why his two plants had to close.
Following the 1960s textile boom, the chairman of the Dangote Group said his company invested billions of naira in the sector.

However, the two plants were shut down because the government did not protect policy decisions. Dangote stated that he was forced to sell Liberty Merchant Bank for N1.2 billion to cover the pensions and gratuities owed to Nigeria's textile mill employees.

“When textile businesses were booming, we set up our textile mills called Dangote General Textile Mills in Kano. Then, we massively invested billions at that time

“We also went and bought the foreign shareholder of Nigeria Textile Mill, which was a textile mill set up for the Western Region by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. That was 1960. At the end of the day, there was no government protection. We had to shut both the two factories."

The billionaire claimed that the Nigeria Textile Mill presented the most obstacle because most of its employees had been there for 25 to 30 years, making it challenging to pay their pensions and gratuities.

Dangote said: “Luckily for us, somebody now came and said he wanted to buy our bank, Liberty Merchant Bank. By the time we sold Liberty, I cashed out N1.2 billion. After cashing out N1.2 billion, the industry consumed N985 million to pay pensions and gratuities just to get out of the business. That is how we now got out of the business. We burnt our fingers."

Dangote claimed that even when former President Obasanjo then encouraged him to make investments in the textile sector, he had to decline the suggestion because of his prior experiences.

Tragedy struck in Zamfara State when Halliru Liman, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Wasagu Division in Kebbi State, was reportedly shot dead by a soldier at a military checkpoint.

The incident occurred in the Danmarke area of Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday.

According to Abubakar, DPO Liman was en route to Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State to attend a meeting when his journey was abruptly cut short at the military checkpoint manned by personnel attached to Operation Dadarin Daji.

Despite identifying himself as a police officer, Liman was shot on the spot by the soldier.

The Zamfara State Police Command has called for a thorough investigation into the incident, stressing the need for accountability and justice.

The statement reads, “On August 28, 2024, at approximately 1030 hours, SP Liman was brutally murdered by military personnel led by one Hassan, attached to OPHD Sector 6, Dan Marke area of Bukkuyum, Zamfara State.

“The circumstances surrounding this heinous crime are alarming and unacceptable.

“SP Liman, who was on his way to attend a monthly conference in Birnin Kebbi, was stopped by military personnel despite identifying himself as a police officer.

“In a shocking display of aggression, Hassan pointed his gun at SP Liman and shot him in the head, resulting in his instant death. We condemn this unprovoked attack in the strongest possible terms and demand a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident

“The military’s actions are a clear violation of the rules of engagement and the principles of inter-agency cooperation. We urge the relevant authorities to take immediate action to address this egregious incident and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

“The police and military must work together to maintain peace and security, not engage in violent confrontations that undermine public trust. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of SP Halliru Liman and assure them that we will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served.”

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has been plunged into darkness after the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) disconnected the institution’s power supply due to unpaid electricity bills.

This development was confirmed in a statement released by the university’s management on Wednesday, highlighting the growing financial strain caused by escalating electricity costs.

UNILAG has been struggling to cope with rising energy expenses, a situation exacerbated when EKEDC recently upgraded the university’s tariff classification from “Band B” to “Band A.” This upgrade led to a significant increase in monthly electricity bills.

Prior to the tariff change, the university was paying between ₦150 million and ₦180 million per month.

However, under the new “Band A” category, the June bill nearly doubled, soaring to almost ₦300 million—a 100% increase that has left the university financially strained.

The university management expressed deep regret over the ongoing blackout that has affected the campus since Tuesday.

They explained that despite ongoing negotiations with EKEDC and a recent payment of ₦180 million made on August 20, the institution was abruptly disconnected from the power supply on August 27, without any prior notice.

“Just two weeks after our meeting, we were hit with a staggering bill of nearly half a billion naira (₦472 million) for July, further increasing our debt burden! We kept our promise and paid ₦180 million on August 20, yet on August 27, EKEDC disconnected us without notice and has refused to reconnect the university to the national grid,” the statement read.

The university management assured the community that they are actively working to resolve the issue with EKEDC. In the meantime, they urged calm and announced that power supply across the campus would be rationed until further notice.

Police operatives in Lagos have arrested a nurse over the death of a 36-year-old woman simply identified as Abiola in the Lekki area of the state.

She reportedly died after undergoing a botched buttocks enlargement procedure at a clinic in the Lekki-Phase 1.

BBL is a popular enhancement surgery that sculpts the buttocks while removing excess fat from other body areas.

Read Also: What you need to know about FG’s ban on under-18 WAEC, NECO candidates
The spokesman for the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident in a statement.

He said the deceased’s driver reported the incident at the Maroko Police Division.

“Upon their arrival, the clinic owner directed a nurse to administer the injection on Abiola. Moments later, chaos ensued as the woman lost consciousness and started gasping for breath.

“Desperate for help, the driver rushed Abiola to another hospital in Lekki Phase 1 but she was confirmed dead by the staff on duty upon arrival.

“Detectives from the command had visited the scene, gathered evidence, inspected and photographed the woman’s remains, and subsequently transported the corpse to a morgue for autopsy.”

“The nurse has been taken into custody while an investigation into the incident continues.”

Meanwhile, experts have warned that complications from butt enhancement can lead to death, particularly if conducted by a quack.

The Federal Government’s decision to ban under-18 candidates from sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examination Council has sparked mixed reactions.

The Federal Government introduced the 6-3-3-4 system of education in 1983 with the primary focus of meeting the educational needs of its citizenry and equipping the youths with sellable skills that would make them self-reliant.

More than two decades later, a modified system, Universal Basic Education (UBE), also known as the 9-3-4, was introduced, with a curriculum expected to meet global best practices.

Experts have, however, observed that the implementation of the education policies led to the menace of admitting underage children into secondary schools.

The trend of parents pushing their children to finish their education at a very tender age has become alarming.

It has been observed that parents encourage their children to skip primary five and six and “jump” into Junior Secondary School. At the end of secondary school, a Nigerian is expected to be about 18 years old, but many students often graduate at 16 or less due to skipped grades.

Read Also: Nigeria needs effective leadership to address unhealthy inter-ethnic relations, says University Don
This is also applicable to Senior Secondary schools as some parents push their children into taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) while in SS 2.

This development has led to many students graduating from secondary schools at ages 14, 15 and 16, and getting admission into tertiary institutions in the country.

The consequence is that younger, immature candidates who ought to be in the controlled space of their parents find themselves unrestrained in a tertiary school environment.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme that the Federal Government had instituted a new age policy for secondary school leaving examinations, setting the minimum age at 18.

This means underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the Senior School Certificate Examination, both crucial for advancing to tertiary education.

The directive also affects the West African Examinations Council, which administers the WASSCE, and the National Examinations Council responsible for the SSCE.

Since the pronouncement, the minister has received both hail and knock.

Mamman confirmed that the age limit to undertake the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, overseen by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, will also be 18.

He added that this was not a new policy.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time,” Mamman stated.

Last month, Mamman, in a meeting with JAMB and other education stakeholders, insisted that the UTME should be set at 18 years.

Mamman stated: “JAMB is hereby notified that there is now a ban on underage students, those under the age of 18, from our tertiary institutions for the 2024 admissions… It doesn’t require a statement of the minister… we are only restating what is in the law.”

However, the law sparked criticisms, particularly from university stakeholders, as many of those categorised as underage candidates had already taken the UTME without anticipating the directive. This posed a threat to potential 16 and 17-year-olds, who had already passed the UTME and were seeking admission into universities.

Following the disapproval, the minister reversed the directive, allowing candidates from 16 years to be admitted into the university as it previously stood until 2025.

However, following Sunday’s pronouncement, Mamman insisted that there was no going back on the policy.

The National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, maintained that ASUU had not yet discussed the matter, but stated on a personal note that children should follow the standard academic progression: six years in primary school, six years in secondary school, and then move on to university at the age of 18.

Also, Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar berated the Federal Ministry of Education over the policy.

He wondered how such anti-scholarship regulation was the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting Nigeria’s educational system.

A former Presidential Spokesperson, Dr Doyin Okupe, says the present economic indicators show that the nation’s economy is beginning to make a recovery and an obvious turnaround is now clearly observable.

Okupe, a former Director-General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, made this remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

He was reacting to the criticism of President Bola Tinubu by Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, over the socio-economic challenges in the country.

NAN reports that Afenifere had on Wednesday expressed concern over what it described as the near collapse of the economy.

The Yoruba group expressed the concern in a communique issued at the the end of its quarterly meeting held in Ogun .

In the communique, signed by its Deputy Leader, Chief Oladipo Olaitan ,and Deputy Secretary -General, Mr Alade Rotimi-John ,the group said that the state of the economy had left the people perplexed with hardship.

Reacting, Okupe said that Afenifere spoke well about the current socio-economic challenges ,but its response was belated.

“It is commendable that Afenifere, a pan- Yoruba socio- cultural organisation and now political group,has always lived to its nationalistic stance.

“This it does by criticising the government of the day in spite of the fact that a Yoruba man , Asiwaju Tinubu, is the current President of the country.

“This is one of the outstanding and commendable attributes of the Yoruba people as a race and Afenifere has been consistent in this patriotic display of true nationalism.

“However, while it is true that the country and its citizens are undergoing very harsh socio-economic conditions, principally because of strong and brave economic policies put in place to correct the economic quagmire brought on the country by the previous administration.economic indicators show that the economy is begining to make a recovery and an obvious turn around is now clearly observable,” Okupe said.

According to him, all hands must now be on deck to support the administration to succeed in its efforts to revamp the economy.

(NAN)

Nigerian-born UFC star, Israel Adesanya, has revealed what led to his decision to become a professional fighter.

This is as he also urged aspiring athletes not to follow his footsteps but to create their own path and draw inspiration from him and other celebrated athletes.

Fielding questions when he attended a Celestial Church of Christ service in Lagos, the Last Stylebender said he started fighting as a way of looking out for himself.

The fighter, who was decked in Celestial garment in a video sighted by our correspondent online, said he decided to become a professional fighter when he realised he was good at fighting.

He also highlighted the roles played by his father, saying he wouldn’t have become a fighter without his father’s support.

When asked why he took fighting as a profession, he said, “That’s a long story, but for me, I was just standing up for myself. It was what it took to learn how to fight and eventually, I realised I was good at it and I took it as a career and it worked out well so far.”

Adesanya also claimed faith has played a major role in his career, adding that after preparing for fights, he also holds onto faith.

He said, “Faith is something you have to have in this life. You can’t walk by side, you have to walk by faith. Faith has guided me a lot through my life and not just my career alone.

“I just trust in myself and trust in the high power. I trust and believe in who I am and I stand steadfast in it.”

“I prepare for my fight through training, hard work, and sometimes, you don’t know what the outcome is going to be and you just have to have faith.

“Faith is something I hold on to in life in general and it helps me in all parts of my life and even in my career,” Adesanya added.

On his advice for aspiring athletes, the last stylebender said, “Don’t try and follow in my footsteps. I’d say create your path. Get inspiration from someone like myself and what I have done and use it to further yourself in your own life.

“I feel like people trying to copy what someone’s done right now isn’t worth it. If you’re inspired by what someone has done, take that inspiration and use it in your own life.”

The PUNCH reports that the Nigerian-born athlete, who arrived in Lagos last Wednesday, received a hero’s welcome despite his recent UFC 305 loss to South African fighter, Dricus Du Plessis.

He had also visited his hometown of Esa-Oke in Osun State.

Adesanya had also been spotted enjoying the Lagos nightlife as he hit a popular club on Lagos Island Friday night.

The mixed martial arts star shared glimpses of his outing on his Instagram stories, drawing attention from fans and celebrities alike.

Despite losing to Dricus du Plessis in a thrilling UFC 305 main event, Adesanya reportedly earned more than the reigning champion.

The bout, which took place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, saw Du Plessis successfully defend his UFC Middleweight Championship for the first time, forcing Adesanya to tap out in the fourth round.

The fight, which was the first-ever UFC title clash between two African fighters, held significant historical importance and generated substantial financial rewards for both competitors.

According to reports from The Sportster, Adesanya, a former two-time middleweight champion, was guaranteed $750,000 for the fight, while Du Plessis got $500,000.