A former spokesman of the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has charged President Bola Tinubu, ex-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi to step aside ahead of the 2027 elections.

Okonkwo said Tinubu, Obi, and Atiku are not fit to contest in the 2027 election, stressing that they have failed Nigerians.

Speaking on Arise TV, the Nollywood actor also criticized the opposition for their failure to form a consolidation and work together against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to Okonkwo: “I completely agree with you that we need new faces, 100%, and that was why I have said that Atiku, Peter Obi, and Tinubu should step aside.

“The reason is that the ruling party has failed, and the opposition has failed. Are you aware that in the House of Representatives, you have more opposition members than the ruling class?

“I’m saying you don’t just finish an election, and the first thing you start talking about is the next election. You consolidate and form alliances amongst yourselves to work together as the opposition.

“If all the opposition members in the House of Representatives had come together, they would have produced the speaker and the vice.”

Galatasaray coach, Okan Buruk, has given an insight on how he convinced Victor Osimhen to join the Turkish Super Lig club.

Recall that Osimhen was heavily linked with moves to Al Ahli and Chelsea on transfer deadline day.

The Nigerian striker ultimately decided to join Galatasaray on a season-long loan from Napoli, failing to join either Chelsea or Al Ahli. 

Speaking on how he convinced Osimhen, Buruk said he had a personal conversation with the 25-year-old, during which he outlined his playing style to the player.

“I have a style and a method, like a video chat with a footballer on the phone… I spoke to Osimhen and he was convinced,” Buruk told Milliyet via Napoli Magazine.

“He found it very exciting to come to Galatasaray. I already had the idea of playing with a double striker. Such an opportunity should not be missed.”

Two American tourists, Liza Gatsby, and Peter Jenkins, have recounted what led them to spend over 36 years in Nigeria instead of the 10-day transit visas that were approved for them in 1988.

The two tourists made the revelation in an interview with a content creator, David Nkwa, monitored by our correspondent on Wedsnesday.

According to them, they never planned to stay in Nigeria beyond their approved days of visitation until they saw the need to save drill monkeys in the country because they were impressed by the dominance of interesting opportunities in areas of Science and Wildlife Conservation, the roads, the hospitality of Nigerians and the living condition that appeared better compared to America in those days.

“I’ll tell you what I like about Nigerians. Okay, that’s what makes Nigeria different from every other country in Africa. They would say ‘hey! Oyinbo, come in na, sit down, make we talk. Make I go buy you the drink.’ That is the difference between Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

“There were a lot of interesting opportunities in areas of Science and Wildlife Conservation that we became involved in, and we’re still here 36 years later. We arrived with a 10-day transit visa, and we have been here for 36 years.

“We founded a nonprofit organisation called Pandas that ranches monkey drills in Bano and Calabar in Cross River State. I don’t think that one species is more important than another, just like I don’t think that human beings are more important than drills or elephants are more important than whales; I think we are all of equal value, and the drill is a scarce species, it’s one of the rarest animals in Africa and it’s one of those animals you never thought you would even see when we were traveling across Africa, you know I had my Wildlife Field Guide and you look at the pictures,” Gatsby, one of the tourists said.

Speaking on why Calabar was their place of choice, Jenkins said they had done their research and that aside from Cameroon, Calabar was another place for monkey drills, stressing that no scientist or tourist had discovered that those animals were living there until 1987 when they consulted the local people in the community and got funding to make it habitable while conserving the rare species of Monkeys and other animals including girafees.

Jenkins added, “I love Nigeria, this is a great place. Come and live in Calabar and be at rest.When we got here, the population of Nigeria in early ’90s and the late 80s was around 65 million.

“The amount of natural resources that were still intact was extraordinary, and the density of wildlife generally in the forest was better compared to today. In fact, it’s appallingly low now, but in those days, this was a wonderful place to do research. Communities were very welcoming in those days; life was cheap; here, diesel, which is what our Land Rover ran on, was 35 Kobo, and with 29 kobo to the market, you would come back with two heavy bags with change in the pocket.

“We were comfortable and found Nigeria habitable. It was the best value country on this continent by far. The food was cheap, the road was perfect. There was no gallop deaper than a botlle cap.”

Meanwhile, Gabsty identified the lack of patriotism as the challenge facing many Nigerians while berating the growing negligence of the country’s culture, heritage, identity, music, traditional herbs, and healing.

“Nigerians don’t have pride in Nigeria’s natural heritage. I think that’s a big issue because that’s what it takes to try to make a difference. People don’t take pride in their cultural identity, language, traditional herbs, and healing.

“There was this huge wealth of knowledge when we came here on traditional healing and herbs from the forest, and that was another thing that put value on the natural resources here, but which of these old herbalists have an apprentice who is learning from them and when these old guys are gone all that knowledge is going to be lost?

“You go to the market now; we see herbal teas and herbal cures imported from China. How do we know that those things work? What’s wrong with our traditional ones here?” She queried.

Aremu Afolayan, the Nigerian actor, regrets not getting involved in “Yahoo Yahoo”.

“Yahoo Yahoo” is a colloquialism commonly used in Nigeria. Its prevalence among young people has become a pressing national issue.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Aremu said people had been trying to get him into becoming a “Yahoo boy”.

The 44-year-old actor said he “regrets” not participating in the cybercrime, adding that hard work “feels useless”.

“All of D days wey dem dey talk about Yahoo Yahoo, na today I regret pass say I no do am,” he wrote in pidgin English.

“Legitimate hustling has never felt super useless.”

Aremu is one of the sons of the late thespian Adeyemi Afolayan. Adeyemi, better known as Ade Love, was an actor, director and producer.

Ade Love is the brother of actress Toyin Afolayan as well as the father to film actors, Kunle Afolayan, Gabriel Afolayan, Moji Afolayan, and Aremu.

Aremu is married to Kafilat Quadri. The couple has a daughter named Iyunade Afolayan.

Last year, Aremu went on an expletive-laden rant to register his displeasure at his family members for not buying him a car.

“Why can’t I find a single person in my family to buy me a car in this life till I become older? What kind of useless head do I have?” he asked.

“I don’t have any useful family members.”

Vice-President Kashim Shettima is currently presiding over the national economic council (NEC) meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja.

The meeting is attended by Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The vice-president, by the provisions of Nigeria’s constitution, is the chairman of NEC.

The NEC meeting, held monthly, deliberates on the coordination of the economic planning efforts and programmes of the various levels of government.

The council comprises the 36 state governors, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the minister of finance, the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), and other government officials and agencies, whose duties hinge on the economy.

Gates is in Nigeria as part of his foundation’s ongoing commitment to Africa’s development.

On Tuesday, Dangote announced the commencement of petrol production at the Dangote refinery.

According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the refinery is expected to supply 25 million litres of petrol daily in September.

The 650,000-bpd capacity refinery began operations in January with the production of diesel and aviation fuel.

The police in Lagos have arraigned two employees of Keystone Bank Limited, Ebele Okpala and Perpetua Onyeto, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over their alleged involvement in an N35 million fraud.

The Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police docked Okpala and Onyeto before Justice Deinde Dipeolu on a five-count charge of conspiracy, theft, money laundering, and obtaining money by false presence.

The police prosecutor, Eliot Ejie, told the judge that the defendants committed the offences sometime in July 2023.

Ejie, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), also informed the court that Okpala, who worked in one of the bank’s branches in Anambra state, in connivance with Onyeto, who worked at a branch of the bank in Nsukka, Enugu State, to commit the financial fraud.

He further claimed that the first defendant fraudulently transferred N35 million from a company’s account to her account as proof of funds to facilitate her daughter’s approval of a Canadian Visa.

He maintained that the offences contravened sections 1(1)(c) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and were punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.

The prosecutor also insisted that the offences violated sections 516 and 383 (1) of the Criminal Code Act LFN 2004. Sections 21(a) and 18 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 are punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

After arguments on their bail applications, Justice Dipeolu admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each with two sureties in like sum.

The matter has been adjourned to November 6 for the two defendants’ trial.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wednesday condemned the increase in the pump price of fuel to over N1,000 per liter in various parts of the country, describing it as a brutal assault on the sensibility and wellbeing of Nigerians.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Limited, NNPC, had yesterday increased its pump price of fuel from N617 per litre to N897 per litre. An action, that has been widely condemned by Nigerians.

Reacting to the increase by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, PDP said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration has plugged over 150 million Nigerians to below poverty line, noting that businesses are collapsing daily as the Naira now exchange for over N1,600 to a Dollar with over 34% inflation rate and over 40% unemployment rate which are expected to rise further with the latest draconian increase in the price of fuel.

Read the full statement below:

“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejects the punishing increase in the pump price of fuel to over N1,000 per liter in various parts of the country describing it as a brutal assault on the sensibility and wellbeing of Nigerians by the insensitive and arrogant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

“The thoughtless increase in fuel price especially at this time, is a huge recipe for crisis as Nigerians cannot bear its worsening effect on the suffocating economic hardship which they currently face under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC administration.

“The secretive and corrupt administration of the petroleum sector and persistent increase in fuel price under the Tinubu-administration without due regard to the wellbeing of the people is akin to pushing Nigerians to the wall and daring them to do their worse.

“The APC administration has consistently shown itself to be anti-people, unconcerned and deaf to the agonies of millions of Nigerians who can no longer afford their daily meals, medications and basic support for families due to the catastrophic high cost of living occasioned by the insensitive and reckless policies of the Tinubu administration.

“Today, under the Tinubu-led APC administration over 150 million Nigerians have sunk below poverty line, businesses are collapsing daily as the Naira now exchange for over N1,600 to a Dollar with over 34% inflation rate and over 40% unemployment rate which are expected to rise further with the latest draconian increase in the price of fuel.

“There is practically no hope in sight under the current APC government policies as major multi-national companies continue to exit our country in droves in the face of ill-conceived and ill-implemented macro-economic policies.

“The admission by the APC-led Federal Government that it has handed the fate of Nigerians to oil racketeers in the name of free market economy further validates the position of the PDP that the Tinubu-led administration has abdicated the primary purpose of government; which is to provide for the welfare and security of the citizens.

“President Tinubu is the Minister of Petroleum Resources and cannot exonerate his government and officials from the secretive and fraudulent management of the petroleum sector which is fast pushing our nation’s economy to the precipice. 

“Moreover, it is inexplicable that the APC administration continues to increase fuel price despite the scandalous revelation in the public domain that it is secretly paying a whopping N5.4 trillion as fuel subsidy for 2024

“The APC government has now become an enabler of a cabal of corrupt APC rent-seekers who apparently derive pleasure in inflicting pains on Nigerians while hugely benefiting from the proceeds of incessant increase in fuel price to satisfy and fund their luxury appetite and consumption.

“With the hopeless state of affairs of our nation today, our Party wonders what President Tinubu, during his numerous trips abroad, says to his foreign counterparts in nations where leaders prioritize the welfare of their people!

“Nigerians will recall that the PDP had on several occasions offered constructive advice and suggestions on the management of the economy which the APC government in its arrogance in failure ignored.

“Our Party restates that with a deft, transparent and innovative management of resources, economic potentials, comparative advantage and national refining capacity, petrol should not sell more than N250 per liter in Nigeria.

“The PDP calls on President Tinubu to save the country from further socio-economic dislocation by immediately reversing the latest provocative increase in fuel price and revisit all life-discounting and suffocating policies of the APC government”.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has announced free legal representation and support for victims of the #Endbadgovernance protesters across the country.

Newly inaugurated President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe made the disclosure on his verified X handle on Wednesday.

Osigwe said he had directed all branches of the NBA to monitor the trials to ensure that no defendant suffers injustice, adding that he had launched a free support initiative for the protesters.

He said, “I have directed the branches of the Nigerian Bar Association @NigBarAssoc to monitor the trials of the #EndBadGovernance protesters. Additionally, I have launched a Pro Bono support initiative for protesters who lack legal representation.

“The Nigerian Bar Association Citizens’ Liberties Committee (NBA-CLC) has been tasked with liaising closely with the Chairmen and Human Rights Committees of NBA branches in regions where protesters are currently being prosecuted. This ensures that no defendant suffers injustice.

“The NBA legal team will continue to monitor court proceedings to ensure that trials are conducted with strict adherence to due process, safeguarding the legal rights of all defendants.

“The Nigerian Bar Association legal teams are in courts and will continue to monitor proceedings to ensure that the rule of law is upheld, the human rights of defendants are protected, and justice is served”, he said.

Recall that some of the arrested protesters were arraigned in court and remanded in prison custody for allegedly “plotting a war against Nigeria and attempting to topple President Bola Tinubu’s administration”.

Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court in Abuja, had on Monday ordered the remand of 10 persons after the prosecutor, Simon Lough, opposed their bail applications.

Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been assured that as soon as the civil servants start receiving the new minimum wage that was approved by the Federal Government, their monthly allowance would also increase.

NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Yusha’u Ahmed gave this assurance while addressing corps members at the Kebbi and Sokoto states Orientation Camps located at at Dakingari and Wamakko in both states respectively.

Brig.-Gen. Ahmed said the corps members’ selfless and immense contributions to the socioeconomic development of the country cannot be underestimated.

According to a press statement by Caroline Embu, the acting director information and public relations of the NYSC, Ahmed also implored them to use the opportunity of the service year to develop themselves and plan for greater heights in the future.

He further advised the corps members to embrace the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme to acquire vocational skills that would make them self-reliant after the service year.

“At least, learn a skill while in camp and after the Orientation Course, you continue with the post-camp training.

“Try to acquire a skill that would enable you to create jobs and employ others instead of searching for jobs. We have many ex-corps members across the country who are doing well in their different vocations today”, the DG said.

He added that the NYSC Management has partnered many reliable organisations like the Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Industry, Unity Bank, Access Bank, NNPC Foundation among others, that have been assisting in giving loans and grants to corps members.

General Ahmed also assured that the Scheme would not post any corps member to a place where their safety is not guaranteed, while also advising them to be security conscious at all times.

While presenting her camp situation report to the Director General, the Kebbi State Coordinator, Mrs Aghata Banki Okolo said a total of 1,195 corps members have been registered, comprising of 1,077 for Kebbi and 118 that were dislodged from Zamfara State.

“They are responding positively to all camp activities and instructions. We also have a total number of 240 camp officials that have been applying emotional intelligence in the discharge of their duties,” she added.

For his part, the NYSC Sokoto State Coordinator, Alhaji Yakubu Yaro Usman informed General Ahmed that the corps members have exhibited high sense of discipline and acclimatised to camp environment with adherence to camp regulations.

He added that the Corps population comprised of 1,488 members made up of 682 males and 606 females for Sokoto State, with 134 males and 66 females that were dislodged from Zamfara State.