The Kwara State environmental task force has sealed off 14 buildings for violating environmental regulations, specifically for failing to provide adequate toilet facilities. The buildings affected are located in the Sabo-Oke (8 buildings) and Onikun-Kewu Street, Adabata (6 buildings) areas within Ilorin South and Ilorin West local government areas.

Hajia Nafisat Musa Buge, the Commissioner for Environment, disclosed this during a press briefing on Wednesday. She highlighted the state government’s dedication to ensuring a hygienic environment to prevent the spread of cholera and other health issues.

“Our Environmental Health Officers have begun house-to-house inspections of toilet facilities to promote healthy living among residents,” Buge said. Recent inspections found buildings with exposed human waste due to faulty soakaway systems, which posed serious health risks. As a result, these buildings were sealed.

Buge assured the public that inspections would continue across all 16 local government areas to enforce compliance with environmental laws. She urged landlords to provide proper toilet facilities in their properties and warned that failure to comply would result in prosecution under Section 5, Subsection 2 of Kwara State Environment Laws.

The commissioner also called on residents to support the government’s efforts in maintaining a clean and safe living environment for everyone.

Nollywood’s resilient star, Bisola Badmus, has been inundated with an outpouring of love and support following her heart-wrenching revelation about her ongoing battle with a brain tumor.

The actress, recently opened up about her struggles during a candid appearance on Biola Adebayo’s show.

In that revealing interview, Bisola laid bare the painful realities of her estranged relationship with her alleged baby daddy, Fuji icon KWAM 1 (King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall).

 

With raw emotion, she detailed how the singer has allegedly neglected his responsibilities towards their son, Malik, leaving her to shoulder the overwhelming burden of parenthood alone.

However, amidst the heartache came a beacon of hope. Following her passionate outcry, Biola Adebayo joyfully announced that Bisola’s son had just been awarded a scholarship from a kind-hearted Nigerian, a generous gesture that brought a sigh of relief to the struggling mother.

Biola expressed her gratitude to everyone who has rallied around Bisola, offering love and support since the interview aired.

Adebayo also shared the heartbreaking losses Bisola has endured: the passing of her mother, father, and younger brother, all while now battling her own sickness.

 

She wrote;

“THANK GOD WE FINALLY GOT A SCHOLARSHIP FOR MALIK! OLUWASEUN” God continue to help her, I pray she will never lack money and the gift of good people around you Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us since yesterday. Im grateful.,

“Within a few years, she lost her dad, mum and her younger brother. Now she has a Brain Tumor sad she has spent quite a fortune and she’s still spending. Thank God she’s getting better, but she needs all the love she could get now”

SEE HER POST BELOW

In the comments section of Biola’s announcement about the scholarship, fans seized the moment to voice their frustrations with KWAM 1, dragging him for his apparent lack of involvement and responsibility.

SEE REACTIONS BELOW

 

Nollywood’s vibrant comic actress and filmmaker, Ariyo Oluwakemisola Apesin, widely known as Kemity, recently dropped a bombshell about her chaotic romantic life that left jaws dropping.

In an electrifying live session with the fiery content creator Neecee Boss, streamed on her page, Kemity opened up about the tumultuous realities of love, marriage, and the men who have come and gone in her life.

Kemity, a mother of two, with a voice heavy with emotion, revealed a heart-wrenching experience involving her baby daddy that shattered her world.

 

According to her, while she was in the throes of labor at the hospital—teetering between life and death and fighting to bring her daughter Ifeoluwa into the world—her baby daddy, the very man who was supposed to be her pillar of support, was caught in a scandalous act of infidelity.

 

This follows the Yoruba movie star’s December 2023 announcement that she is officially off the market after sharing a video of herself proudly wearing her engagement ring.

Kemity revealed that she said “yes” to her boo and promised to share more details about their engagement.

 

In the heartwarming proposal video shared by one of her colleagues, Kemity looked stunned as her partner popped the question beside their Christmas tree, both dressed in matching Christmas pajamas.

Celebrating with her on Instagram were stars like Funke Akindele, Biola Bayo, Omowunmi Ajiboye, Yetunde Barnabas, Afeez Owo, Itele, and Bukola Adeeyo.

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Last modified on Thursday, 19 September 2024 07:41

As the 2024 CAF African Footballer of the Year award slowly approaches, debates on who will win the men’s category have surfaced on social media.

With that in mind, we have compiled five reasons why Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman is guaranteed to win the prestigious African Footballer of the Year 2024 award.

Following the impressive form of Victor Osimhen in 2023, the Nigerian international became the fifth Nigerian footballer ever to clinch the award and the first in the 20s era to ever do so.

It is safe to say that Nigeria is returning to being the dominant force in African football as another Nigerian international, Ademola Lookman is perfectly poised to clinch the award making it back-to-back wins for Nigeria.

Questions as to what qualification Ademola Lookman possesses to win such an award have been asked and given his impressive run in the Serie A and also at AFCON 2023, it is safe to say that the winger is definitely not far from winning the award.

Can Ademola Lookman win the African Footballer of the Year 2024?

As things stand, Ademola Lookman is in the best position to be crowned the African Footballer of the Year 2024. The major prerequisites to clinch the award have been ticked by the Nigerian international at both club and national level.

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Ademola Lookman’s individual stats

Ademola Lookman’s individual stats as a footballer for Atlanta in the 2023/2024 series A and Europa League season were exceptional and the Nigerian international has also carried the form into the 2024/2025 season at the club.

The winger has been exceptional and is not shy of creating chances and also converting them himself.

One performance that would not be forgotten for days or years to come would be his trailblazing performance at the UEFA 2023/2024 Europa League final fixture Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen where he became the first African footballer in the history of any UEFA competition to score a hattrick in the finals.

Ademola Lookman’s Serie A stats (2023/2024)

  • Matches Played: 31
  • Goals Scored: 11
  • Assists: 7
  • Shots on Target: 25
  • Yellow Cards: 4
  • Red Cards: 0

Ademola Lookman’s UEFA Europa League stats (2023/2024)

  • Matches Played: 11
  • Goals Scored: 5
  • Assists: 1
  • Shots on Target: 9
  • Yellow Cards: 2
  • Red Cards: 0

Lookman’s Ballon d’Or 2024 nomination

Ademola Lookman became the only African player to be shortlisted in the final 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2024 Men’s Player of the Year award. This is a huge booster for his quest for the African Footballer of the Year 2024, as him being the only player with a nod in the men’s category recognizes his exceptional abilities in the 2023/2024 season. It remains to be seen if he would make the final top 10 shortlist at the award ceremony but Lookman seems to be focused now on working hard in the 2024/2025 season.

 

Ademola Lookman at AFCON 2023

Ademola Lookman was a game-changer for Nigeria at AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast. It is safe to say he played a huge role in Nigeria’s progression to the finals of the tournament against all odds.

AFCON performance of both the player and his country would also be a huge decider in determining the winner of the African Footballer of the Year and as of the moment, the Atalanta forward ticks the two boxes with ease.

Ademola Lookman delivered an impressive performance during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with the following key stats:

  • Goals Scored: 3
  • Netted twice in the Round of 16 against Cameroon.
  • Scored the decisive goal in the quarter-final clash with Angola.
  • Assists: 1
  • Matches Played: 4
  • Man of the Match Awards: 1 (in the match against Cameroon)
  • Big Chances Created: 2
  • Chances Created: 7
  • Key Passes: 6

Importance in both the national team and at club level

The importance of a player at both national and club level would also play a huge role in selecting the African Footballer of the Year in the Men’s category.

The importance of a player in any team can be determined by the number of appearances such a player makes for his side and how much of a game-changer he is in such a team.

Over time Ademola Lookman has exerted his dominance in both the national and the club level making it almost impossible for both teams to function effectively in his noticeable absence.

Whenever Lookman is on the field of player there is always an extra spring in the gameplay of both Nigeria and Atalanta as he can be found opening spaces and creating chances during an attack.

Ademola Lookman titles won

Recognizing football as a team sport is also important which is why aside from what you have achieved as an individual on the field of play, what your team has achieved also plays a huge role in determining the winner of the Footballer of the Year award.

With Ademola Lookman’s side Atalanta picking up the UEFA Europa League title in the 2023/2024 club football season with him being a major contributor in guaranteeing his side the title in the finals, the scales of the African Footballer of the Year 2024 have officially tipped in his favour.

These five key reasons could tip the scales in favour of Ademola Lookman for the highly coveted African Footballer of the Year awards 2024.

Nigerian musician Paul Okoye, aka Rudeboy of the P-Square duo, has insisted on splitting with his twin brother, Peter Okoye.

Recalls that the crisis between the two brothers became public after Paul, in an interview, accused Peter of petitioning the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arrest him.

However, expressing his frustration during an Instagram live session on Wednesday, Paul claimed he did most of the work while others benefitted.


Speaking in pidgin, he said: “Those days of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop, I no dey do again. So I would rather continue working for myself. Every time, only me dey sing all the songs. I no dey do again.”

The singer had recently noted that the rift between him and his brother is more complicated than it is viewed.

P-Square first split in 2017 and reunited in November 2021.

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, declined assent to the Presumptive Tax Bill passed by the state House of Assembly, citing the current plight of the people.

 Makinde rejected the bill on the grounds that it would impose additional burdens on the poor, stating that the people were already struggling due to the current economic reality in the country.

“Anything that will put money in the pocket of the people is what I am interested in, so they can use it where it is needed most. At this time, I’m not interested in any policy that will empty their pockets. I’ll continue to fight poverty and not fight the poor,” the governor said.

Makinde expressed his position on the bill while recognising the Speaker of the Oyo Assembly, Debo Ogundoyin, during the flag-off of the upgrade of Samuel Akintola Airport to an international standard. 

He stated that he would not implement the bill for the moment.

The governor, however, praised the Assembly for the initiative, which he believed was aimed at increasing the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.

Last week Thursday, the Oyo State House of Assembly passed the State Presumptive Tax Bill, 2023, which provides for the imposition, administration, and collection of presumptive tax on individuals and entities whose income cannot be ascertained due to lack of financial records.

The bill outlines various presumptive tax rates for different enterprises, including artists and sign writers, barbers, bricklayers, carpenters, grinding mills, gas refilling depots, hairdressers, horticulturists, photographers, plank sellers, plumbers, welders, mechanics, block makers, saw millers, book stores, and typing studios.

Under the section of the law titled: “Oyo State Negotiated Presumptive Tax Rate,” owners of adult wear boutiques are liable to pay a minimum of N10,000 yearly and maximum of N50,000; barbers to pay from N3,000 to N10,000; artists and sign writers to pay from N5,000 to N50,000; bicycle repairers to pay between N2,000 and N10,000; bookshop/stationary stores to pay a minimum of N10,000 and maximum of N20,000; bricklayers to pay from N10,000 to N30,000; sellers of building materials to pay from N15,000 to N50,000; furniture makers to pay N25,000 to N40,000; carpenters are to pay between N10,000 and N35,000; gas station operators are to pay between N25,000 and N45,000; while photographers to pay between N2,000 and N5,000.

Also, plumbers are to pay between N2,000 and N10,000; welders to pay from N5,000 to N20,000; fruit sellers to pay from N1,000 to N5000; sallers/repairers of handset to pay between N2,500 and N4,000; shoemakers to pay between N500 and N2,000; laundry shop owners to pay from N1,000 to N2,500; block makers to pay between N15,000 and N25,000; vulcanisers to pay between N2,500 and N7,500; mechanic/welder/rewire are to pay between N1,500 and N5,000 and plank sellers to pay between N2,500 and N10,000.

The bill stipulates that a taxable person who fails to make the payment of the tax shall be liable to pay the sum and a penalty equal to 10 per cent per annum, while those who maintain up-to-date records and file returns within the stipulated period shall be granted a rebate of two per cent of the tax payable.

The law also specifies that persons subject to presumptive tax must file returns on or before 90 days from the commencement of each year.

 Upon payment of all tax assessments, taxable persons will be issued a tax clearance certificate.

The Federal Government has called on agencies recruiting for the private sector to adhere to the N70,000 minimum wage, warning that any deviation would not be tolerated.

According to the FG, the new minimum wage is necessary to address the current economic reality, emphasising that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, stated this on Wednesday while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.

Daju, who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali, said, “The minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers.

 

“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage. The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions.

“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”

In his remarks, the President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, asked the government and Nigeria Labour Congress to clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross, stating that all ambiguities in the Act should be highlighted and explained.

 

 According to Okoye, the EAPEAN is already committed to the minimum wage, as well as providing decent jobs for Nigerians and guarding against the exploitation of human resources.

“As a labour union in the private sector, we are committed to the implementation of the minimum wage. We are a law-abiding and guided association. Our principals and clients have also keyed into the minimum wage.

“However, the government must clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross. The government and NLC should address all ambiguities in the minimum wage,” he stated.

Speaking at the programme, the Chairperson of the NLC, Lagos State chapter, Funmilayo Sessi, said the prevailing hardship had made a mess of whatever income any worker was earning in Nigeria, calling on private employers to ensure the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage.

She said: “The N70,000 isn’t enough in the current economic realities. By the time the consequential adjustment is concluded, all private employment agencies should immediately start paying their workers the N70,000 minimum wage.

“The NLC in Lagos State will see to the strict enforcement of the minimum wage. EAPEAN should avoid confrontation with the NLC on the minimum wage.”

The Osun State Police Command on Wednesday said it had arrested seven suspects for selling human parts and water used to bathe corpses in the state.

A statement signed by the acting Police Public Relations Officer for Osun State Police Command, Mr. Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, said the suspects arrested included two mortuary attendants -Johnson Daniel, aged 43, and Adetunji Okunade, aged, 42 years.

Giwa-Alade, who listed others arrested for the crime as, Olaniyan Azeez, Balogun Temitope, Oladapo  Hammed, Kazeem Rasaq, and Asaka Rauf, said the suspects were arrested upon credible information from a good-spirited individual that, Daniel, a mortuary attendant at lpetu-ljesa was selling remains of corpses deposited at the mortuary where he worked to native doctors.

“The said suspects use these remains from the mortuary attendant (Johnson Daniel) for different ritual purposes. Daniel also confessed that he conspired with one other mortuary attendant named Adetunji Okunade ‘m’ to sell the remnant of water used in bathing corpses to interested native doctors.

 

“In the course of an investigation, a search was conducted at the residences of these suspects which led to the recovery of fragments of substances suspected to be a human skull at Asaka Rauf ‘m’ and Oladapo Hammed ‘m’’s residences, while a female pant and a notebook containing instructions on ritual practices were recovered from Balogun Temitope Asimiyu’s residence,” Giwa-Alade said.

The Osun Police Command spokesperson also said three people were arrested for canvassing support for the Yoruba Nation in the state.

According to him, Oluwafemi Fagbuyi, who was picked up at Obada Market in Ikire, where he was addressing people, told his audience, “to denounce their allegiance to Nigeria as a nation. He claimed that Nigeria ended in 2014 after 100 years of amalgamation.

 

He displayed the Yoruba Nation’s flag in the process.

“The case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department after preliminary investigation. Through diligent investigation, Joy Faseyiku, ‘F’, 63 years and Alabede Janet, ‘F’, 64 years were arrested in Osogbo and Ikire town respectively in connection with the crime. Investigation has been concluded and the suspects have been charged to Federal High Court accordingly.”

Last modified on Thursday, 19 September 2024 02:18

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has urged members of the party’s recently dissolved National Working Committee (NWC), led by Julius Abure, to put aside their differences and collaborate with the National Caretaker Committee to rebuild the party.

Obi made this appeal through Datti Baba-Ahmed during the inaugural meeting of the caretaker committee held in Abuja on Tuesday night. He emphasized the importance of unity within the party as it navigates its restructuring phase.

The former governor categorically stated that it was the party’s constitution that led to the unseating of Abure following the expiration of his tenure, reaffirming the legitimacy of the caretaker committee’s formation.

Obi’s call for reconciliation comes at a critical time for the Labour Party as it seeks to strengthen its foundations and prepare for future electoral challenges.

Obi said, “Listen, my friend, no governor unseated Abure; the constitution unseated him. Abure’s time elapsed. Nobody unseated him. As of today, Abure is our good friend and a loyal member. We want him back in the fold; we have roles for him to play.

“We didn’t have crisis. We managed a transition that was a bit bumpy and that was it. I tell you, no other political party of our size could do that in the time and manner that we did.

“We are a political party who went all the way to the Supreme Court claiming our 10 million votes. They were only able to give us six million votes. So we are a force to contend with in Africa. What we’ve done has never been done before. When PDP came, they had the military. We had nothing.”

Obi noted that the opposition party was ready to repeat and surpass the feat recorded during the 2023 elections in 2027 by producing a majority in the National Assembly and winning the presidential seat in 2027.

Earlier, the chairman of the Labour Party National Caretaker Committee, Senator Nenadi Usman, assured party members of the committee’s determination to rescue the party from the current challenges and restore and rebuild it as a veritable alternative platform for Nigerians.

She assured the committee’s readiness to lead the party on the path of reconciliation within the short time of its assignment.

Usman stated, “We are on a rescue mission, not just for the Labour Party, but I tell you for our dear nation, Nigeria. The interest this committee has generated extends beyond party lines.

“The number of telephone calls I have received not just from Labour Party members, but people from other political parties who told me that if we get this thing right, we will walk together. So we have a huge task.

“Our party, by the grace of Almighty God, will become a platform for all disenfranchised and unhappy Nigerians. People who are not happy with the way things are going, we are going to be the platform for them by the grace of God. Therefore, we must view this as a significant national assignment.”

The Lagos police command says it has launched an investigation into a viral video of an officer involved in an altercation with an elderly woman.

POLICE COMMENCE INVESTIGATION INTO VIDEO OF POLICE OFFICER IN ALTERCATION WITH ELDERLY WOMAN

On Sunday, a video showing a police officer manhandling an elderly woman in her car began circulating on social media.

The officer was said to have demanded N250,000 from the woman which she refused to pay, before the altercation began.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson in Lagos, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned the action of the officer, noting that the inspector and his supervising deputy superintendent have been brought in for questioning.

Hundeyin said the incident took place in the Alagbado area of Lagos in the first week of September.

He assured the public that the investigation would be “swift, thorough and conclusive”.

“The command condemns the unprofessional conduct of the Inspector as it does not represent the ethics and operational standards of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement reads.

“The command equally assures Lagosians that the investigation will be swift, thorough and conclusive.

“We will ensure that the officers are disciplined as appropriate, and members of the public are updated accordingly.”

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Last modified on Thursday, 19 September 2024 01:54