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...faces backlash
Veteran Nigerian actor and filmmaker Kanayo O. Kanayo is under fire after making controversial remarks about unmarried women over the age of 30 during a recent interview.
Speaking on the SIL Show, the actor offered his take on why many women remain single in their 30s, sparking widespread criticism on social media.
According to Kanayo, many women who are unmarried past 30 refuse the advances of younger men in their 20s because they are attracted to wealthier, older, and married men.
He claimed that these women often receive lavish gifts such as cars and houses from wealthy men, which leads them to dismiss the more modest proposals from men their age.
Kanayo suggested that by the time these women reach their 30s, they find themselves less attractive to men their own age, eventually becoming “a prayer point.”
The actor’s statement quickly went viral, drawing backlash from many social media users who criticized him for generalizing and passing judgment on women’s personal choices.
Several people expressed their discontent, labeling his comments as outdated and insensitive.
Many pointed out that there are numerous reasons women may remain unmarried, which are far more complex than Kanayo’s oversimplified analysis.
Kanayo further stirred controversy by describing women in their early 30s as being in a “state of emergency,” implying that their chances of finding a partner were slim.
His remarks were met with a wave of rebukes, with many questioning his understanding of the challenges women face in relationships and marriage.
Crisis is brewing between Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and widow of his predecessor, Betty Akeredolu, over plans by t to organise a memorial lecture in honour of the deceased governor.
Former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu passed on December 28 last year, following a protracted illness.
Aiyedatiwa, his deputy, was immediately sworn in as governor in accordance with constitutional provisions.
To honour the legacy of the former governor, the state government plans to organise a memorial lecture on Friday, December 27.
However, Mrs Akeredolu, has chided Aiyedatiwa for allegedly organising a memorial lecture for her late hisband without informing the family.
In a statement posted on her verified X account, the former First Lady said the lecture being organised was not for her late husband.
She said it was an “entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head.”
According to her, “Lucky can’t be serious! Which legacy? Mtcheew. Lecture, my foot! This is not for Aketi because I and my family are not aware. Damn it!
“As the saying goes, you and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved. This is an insidious propaganda carried too far!
“Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway. Anybody close to Aketi and Arabinrin becomes your enemy. Your minions are scared to get close otherwise they lose their appointments.
“Now, you want to pretend by organising one yeye lecture for Aketi’s memorial as an entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head. You are on your own o! If this is not #yahoo #419 lecture, tell me what it is!”
However, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the planned lecture was an exclusive event of the state government.
He clarified that the organisers extended invitation to the late Akeredolu’s family.
[TheNation]
Award-winning Nollywood actress Funke Akindele and popular content creator Kamo State have ignited widespread reactions after a video of them sharing a kiss surfaced online.
The clip, taken on the set of Akindele’s latest project, Everybody Loves Jennifer, quickly went viral, sparking mixed reactions from fans and critics alike.
In the video, Funke Akindele, surrounded by cast and crew members, is seen sharing a surprising kiss with Kamo State.
Following the kiss, Kamo State humorously pretended to faint, drawing laughter from onlookers.
A fellow crew member joined the theatrics, playfully slapping him back to “consciousness.”
This humorous moment, however, has divided netizens.
While some criticized the pair for what they deemed inappropriate behavior, others dismissed the act as harmless fun between colleagues.
Interestingly, Kamo State recently tied the knot with his fiancée, with highlights from the wedding still trending online.
The timing of the video has further waves of discussion online with many sharing their opinions.
Former Kano State Governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Wednesday pledged, “to significantly reduce the All Progressives Congress’ votes in Kano State during the 2027 elections.”
Kwankwaso made the declaration while receiving former councillors and senior special advisers, who served under the previous administration during a meeting at his residence in Kano, with stakeholders from Tsanyawa Local Government Area.
He credited the hard work of his team during the 2023 elections, which sidelined the Peoples Democratic Party to struggle to secure only 15,000 votes in Kano.
He noted that his party, the New Nigeria People’s Party “achieved this remarkable feat despite being a new political platform coupled with the late start of its campaign.”
“Now, it’s our turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano come 2027”, Kwankwaso added.
The former governor emphasised the need for dedication and grassroots mobilisation to solidify the NNPP’s position as a dominant political force in Kano and beyond.
He encouraged his supporters to remain focused on delivering results that would secure the party’s success in future elections.
[Punch]
The 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna was a beehive of activities on Wednesday, as veteran Nigerian Dancehall musician, Daddy Showkey, serenaded wounded soldiers and their families with good music.
The performance by the veteran gala singer was in commemoration of the Christmas celebration and organised by Tribute to Our Troops Foundation in collaboration with the Office of the Chief of Defense Staff and Chiefs of the tri-service – Army, Navy and Air Force.
Showkey, who wore a military regalia, told newsmen that he had been performing for years to honour Nigerian military troops who sacrificed their lives for all Nigerians.
He added that performing for the wounded soldiers was a form of therapy for them to feel relaxed and ease stress amidst their medical conditions.
Showkey, also known as the Ghetto Soldier, said a lot of good things would come from him, adding: “It is not about music alone, it is about changing people’s lives which is the most important thing for me.”
The founder of Tribute to Our Troops Foundation, Ms Olivia Adom, said the event, which brought the barrack community and outsiders together, was to emphasise the need for respect and honour to the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
She added that the gathering was to reinvigorate and improve civil-military relationships while calling on Nigerians to embrace the path of creating a sustainable healthy relationship with the armed forces.
“The armed forces have given up their freedom and homes. They signed off their human rights to protect the country’s integrity,” she said.
Adom said the Foundation was designed for the armed forces under the purview of the Department of civil-military Cooperation to honour fallen heroes and celebrate the serving men and women who fight endlessly to keep the country’s territorial integrity intact.
Earlier, the Chief of Civil-Military Relations, Defence Headquarters, Rear Adm. Idi Abass, said the performance was another non-kinetic line of operations.
Abass stated that the Chief of Defence Staff’s ambition was to have people-centric armed forces.
He, therefore, said the event was one of the ways that could project the military in the eyes of the civil population.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that present at the event included the Corps Commander Artillery, Maj.-Gen. Marcus Kangye and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigeria Army, Maj.-Gen. Mayirenso Saraso, among other senior officers and soldiers.
NAN
Crisis is brewing between Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and widow of his predecessor, Betty Akeredolu, over plans by t to organise a memorial lecture in honour of the deceased governor.
Former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu passed on December 28 last year, following a protracted illness.
Aiyedatiwa, his deputy, was immediately sworn in as governor in accordance with constitutional provisions.
To honour the legacy of the former governor, the state government plans to organise a memorial lecture on Friday, December 27.
However, Mrs Akeredolu, has chided Aiyedatiwa for allegedly organising a memorial lecture for her late hisband without informing the family.
In a statement posted on her verified X account, the former First Lady said the lecture being organised was not for her late husband.
She said it was an “entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head.”
According to her, “Lucky can’t be serious! Which legacy? Mtcheew. Lecture, my foot! This is not for Aketi because I and my family are not aware. Damn it!
“As the saying goes, you and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved. This is an insidious propaganda carried too far!
“Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway. Anybody close to Aketi and Arabinrin becomes your enemy. Your minions are scared to get close otherwise they lose their appointments.
“Now, you want to pretend by organising one yeye lecture for Aketi’s memorial as an entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head. You are on your own o! If this is not #yahoo #419 lecture, tell me what it is!”
However, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the planned lecture was an exclusive event of the state government.
He clarified that the organisers extended invitation to the late Akeredolu’s family.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the former minister of women affairs, says she did not regret her actions as a cabinet member in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The former minister spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, who was among the five ministers sacked by Tinubu in October, said she could not have acted better than the way she did while in office.
Her time as the minister was characterised by controversy, including issuing a threat to sue the United Nations (UN) for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for Nigeria.
Responding to why the president relieved her as a minister, Kennedy-Ohanenye said she was not a “witch” to have known the reason.
“I’m not a witch to know why I was sacked, and I have decided not to think about it,” the former minister said.
“The important thing is that I have been sacked, and I have refocused on what I was doing before.”
However, she noted that her commitment to defending vulnerable individuals in society remains unchanged.
On why some Nigerians think she was not diplomatic as a minister in handling some issues, Kennedy-Ohanenye said she was handling sensitive cases that involved a lot of human sympathy.
Kennedy-Ohanenye argued that she was appointed as a minister to serve the people and not to act as someone bigger than the people.
“Being a minister of women affairs as at that time, I was handling sensitive cases,” she said.
“You can be in the office, and they will show you a girl who was raped. You will see the substance from the man in her. I wonder what you expect me to do.
“Some of them said, ‘she does not carry herself as a minister. She goes to the police station herself. Why can’t she be in her office and call the IGP?’.
“I’m sorry for some people, the way they think. As a minister, you are supposed to be a servant; you listen to the people and respond quickly before things go wrong.
“I don’t know what people think about being diplomatic when things are damaging.
“I have no regrets in the way I did my job. I don’t have regrets. I don’t think I could have done it better.
“That was the highest way I could have done it. That issue of being diplomatic is what I don’t understand.”
[TheCable]
The National Leader of Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has lost his wife, Mrs Julia Olubusola Akintoye.
She died yesterday. She was 88.
Spokesman for Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho), Mr Olayomi Koiki, confirmed the development to The Nation, saying the deceased passed on peacefully.
He said the family would announce the funeral arrangements later, adding that ‘’it respectfully requests time to grieve privately during this difficult period.’’
He added: “It is with sorrow but even greater gratitude to God for a life extremely well spent that we announce the passing away of our dearly beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and sister, Mrs Julia Olubusola Akintoye, wife of Prof. Banji Akintoye – National Leader of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement.
“She peacefully departed this life in the early hours of today (yesterday) at the age of 88.
“Funeral arrangements will be announced by the family at a later date.
“The family respectfully requests time to grieve privately during this difficult period.”
An airstrike in two Sokoto communities, Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa, has left 10 civilians dead, sparking conflicting accounts between local authorities and the military.
The incident, which occurred at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, saw bombs dropped by military jets reportedly pursuing bandits in Silame Local Government Area.
The council chairman, Hon. Abubakar Gitta Rana, disclosed that the airstrike also killed livestock, describing it as an “erroneous” attack on innocent villagers.
In contrast, the Joint Task Force (JTF) North West, Operation Fasan Yamma, insisted the operation targeted Lakurawa terrorists and denied hitting civilian structures. A statement by Lt. Col. Abdullahi Abubakar emphasized that the airstrike was justified, cautioning against misinformation spread by terrorist groups and collaborators.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu, accompanied by state APC leader Sen. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko and Labour Minister Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, visited the affected communities to condole with victims’ families.
He participated in funeral prayers for the deceased and described the incident as a tragic mistake.
“The jets were on a mission to eliminate criminal groups but mistakenly bombed innocent civilians. This is unfortunate, and a thorough investigation will be conducted to prevent future occurrences,” Aliyu stated.
The state government announced a donation of ₦20 million and 100 bags of foodstuffs to assist the bereaved families. It also pledged to cover the medical expenses of those injured in the airstrike.
The tragedy highlights the challenges of precision in military operations and raises questions about accountability in counterterrorism efforts.
[Vanguard]
VIDEO: Queen Naomi’s release delayed by a powerful order from above – Her mum, in tears, cries out
AFOLABI
The mother of Queen Naomi, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has finally broken her silence, speaking out passionately about the unbearable situation her daughter now finds herself in.
Recall that Queen Naomi was among those arrested after the tragic stampede in Ibadan, which claimed the lives of several innocent victims, following her ortganization of a Christmas funfair meant to bring joy to children.
In the aftermath, as Queen Naomi and other organizers were detained and arraigned in court, her mother, devastated by the turn of events, took to her daughter’s official Instagram page to express her heartache and confusion.
She shared that, like any caring mother, Queen Naomi had always gone above and beyond to create joyous experiences for children during festive seasons, having successfully organized similar events in the past without a single casualty.
Through her tears, Queen Naomi’s mother passionately declared that her daughter never intended for any of this to happen, her heart broken by the unwarranted suffering that had befallen the families of the victims
She spoke of a dark and mysterious force, an order from above, which seemed to be standing in the way of her daughter’s release. Her words, heavy with confusion and frustration, reflected the emotional burden of a mother who could not comprehend why her daughter remained trapped in a situation so far beyond her control.
In a final desperate plea, the hearbroken mum called on the government, the police, to recognize her daughter’s good intentions and to temper justice with mercy.
More...
As Christmas festivities light up the season, Nigerian celebrities are flooding social media with touching family photos that radiate joy and togetherness.
Although this year’s celebrations are marked by simpler styles and modest decorations, the warmth and cheer remain unmistakable.
Popular stars such as Adeniyi Johnson, Seyi Edun, Nuella Njubigbo, Mercy Johnson, and Tonto Dikeh have charmed their fans with snapshots featuring matching pajamas, vibrant outfits, and beautifully adorned Christmas trees.
For some, this holiday holds extra significance. Newlywed Queen Atang is celebrating her first Christmas as a wife, while actor Williams Uchemba is basking in the joy of fatherhood after welcoming a baby boy with his wife, Brunella Oscar, just weeks ago.
The federal government has earmarked N100 billion for the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in its proposed 2025 budget.
According to an analysis of the budget, the programme falls under the Service Wide Vote (SVW) and is managed by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The school feeding initiative, suspended earlier this year on January 12, followed the suspension of Halima Shehu, CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), over alleged financial misconduct.
In August, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced plans to relaunch the programme.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to providing adequate resources to sustain and enhance educational initiatives nationwide.
Edun highlighted the programme’s significance, stating, “Feeding children in schools not only improves their health and wellbeing but also encourages them to stay in school.
This will help reduce the number of out-of-school children.”
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese has attributed the recent stampedes in Oyo, Anambra, and Abuja to the government’s failure to tackle the hunger crisis effectively.
The tragedies which occurred during food distribution events claimed several lives and highlighted the desperation of many Nigerians.
In his Christmas message, Bishop Kukah expressed sorrow over Nigeria’s struggles despite over 60 years of independence. He described the nation as “still walking in darkness,” citing a lack of progress tied to greed, nepotism, and ethnicity.
“Imagine if light shone on our politics, public service, and institutions,” he said. “Nigeria’s journey to greatness remains hindered by forces prioritising ethnicity and religion over citizenship. These feelings of exclusion drive many to frustration and violence.”
He emphasized the importance of embracing diversity, urging Nigerians to align with the ideals of the national anthem, which promotes unity despite differences in tribe and tongue.
Bishop Kukah also addressed barriers discouraging Nigerian youths from active political participation. While acknowledging the progress made since the passage of the Not Too Young to Run Bill in 2018, he noted that high costs of running for office and lack of internal democracy remain significant obstacles.
He commended young Nigerians who have won elections but called for reforms to make politics more accessible to the youth.
The Bishop praised the federal government’s educational loan scheme but advised that it should extend beyond university students to include those pursuing vocational and technical skills.
He urged the government to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensure the scheme’s implementation fairness, enabling more youths and their families to benefit.
“Poverty should never exclude anyone from obtaining a quality education,” he said, encouraging youths to take advantage of the initiative.
Bishop Kukah lauded the strides made in fighting insecurity but called for a detailed work plan with clear deadlines to secure the nation.
He linked insecurity to unemployment and violent extremism, stressing that addressing these root causes is crucial for sustainable peace.
“Insecurity is the child of corruption. Without tackling unemployment and extremism, the violence will persist,” he stated.
Reflecting on the recent stampedes, the Bishop lamented the conditions of hunger and desperation that led to the tragedies in Okija, Ibadan, and Abuja.
He criticized the government for not acting decisively to address the food crisis, stating that these deaths were avoidable.
“The desperation of citizens reflects the government’s failure to address hunger effectively,” he said. He urged the government to collaborate more closely with institutions working for the common good to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Bishop Kukah extended his condolences to the families of the victims and called on the government to ensure every Nigerian’s dignity and well-being.
An Azerbaijani airliner carrying 67 people crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Christmas Day, leaving 38 dead and 29 injured, officials confirmed.
Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was en route from Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic and made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Kanat Bozumbayev, disclosed that 29 survivors, including two children, were rescued from the wreckage with 11 of the survivors are reportedly in critical condition.
Footage from the crash site showed dazed and bloodied survivors emerging from the charred remains of the plane.
“The bodies are in poor condition, mostly burnt, all collected,” Bozumbayev said. “Now they will be in the morgue, and identification will take place.”
“There is only one survivor whose identity remains unknown, according to Bozumbayev. “She is unconscious, has no documents, and is in the hospital,” he added.
President Aliyev expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, offering condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. He declared December 26 a national day of mourning in Azerbaijan.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and pray for the swift recovery of those injured,” Aliyev wrote on social media.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, spoke to Aliyev on the phone and expressed his condolences, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Speaking at the CIS meeting in St. Petersburg, Putin also said that Russia’s Emergency Ministry sent a plane with equipment and medical workers to Kazakhstan to assist with the aftermath of the crash.
Kazakhstani, Azerbaijani and Russian authorities said they were investigating the crash.
Embraer told The Associated Press in a statement that the company is “ready to assist all relevant authorities.”
The flight’s passenger list included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals. Kazakh authorities had initially reported 32 survivors but later revised the number to 29 as investigations continued.