How Boko Haram was defeated in northeast — Buratai reveals

The former Chief of Army of Staff, Tukur Buratai has said subduing and defeating Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast was due to the cooperation of the locals in the region.

Buratai made this known in an interview with newsmen on Friday.

The former army general turned politician said the people of the northeast understood the need to oust the insurgents and they cooperated with the military.

He claimed the ability to win the hearts of the people turned the table around and further helped the military to carry out a seamless operation.

Anambra: Again, hoodlums attack police station, kill two

Some yet-to-be-identified assailants have attacked a police station at Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, killing two members of the state vigilante service in the process.

The reason for the attack had yet to be ascertained but sources said the incident happened late on Friday.

According to sources in the area, the assailants were on their way to attack the police station when they met the vigilante operatives on patrol and immediately opened fire on them, killing two of them instantly.

Although there were conflicting figures as to the number of the vigilante operatives that were killed, while some sources said two, others said three.

Bendel Insurance host Gombe United, seek to extend unbeaten streak in NPFL

Group A leaders, Bendel Insurance will look to extend their unbeaten streak in the Nigeria Premier Football League when they host Gombe United at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City today (Saturday).

The Benin Arsenals have won all their five league games this season (the only club to have achieved the feat).

Monday Odigie’s side also scored nine goals and conceded once.

Another win against Gombe United will further underline Insurance title credentials.

They want me dead, Adegboruwa alleges

Human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa on Saturday raised an alarm over attempts on his life.

The lawyer said he’s been targeted for his convictions, advocacies and actions regarding the campaign for good governance, rule of law and accountability.

In a statement, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) stressed that he does not belong to a political party and has no affiliations.

Adegboruwa said he only deploys his professional experience, knowledge and services to campaign for a better society, where justice and peace shall reign.

50,000 runners battle for $500,000 as Lagos marathon begins today

 

The 8th Gold-Label Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, on Saturday, kicked off amidst fanfare, with runners expecting a good show.

Checkmating the LGBT Incursion In African Politics - The Nigerian Case Study & Consequences

\By Kwame Ibrahim,  

The number of Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) persons in Nigeria, though largely undocumented officially, has continued to rise exponentially, especially amongst teenagers, youths and adults. According to several projects related fact finding researches and spontaneous polls conducted in some institutions of higher learning and amongst clusters of young people in social media groups and platforms, this is common everywhere but more pronounced in cities of Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Abuja, Maiduguri, Ibadan, Kaduna and Owerri.

VIDEO: APC, PDP represent darkness, Peter Obi is light – Babachir Lawal

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has described the duo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the old system which represents ‘darkness’.

Babachir said he has seen the light and left the darkness.

The former SGF stated this on Friday while featuring on Channels Television’s 2023 Verdict programme.

Babachir explained that he dumped APC to support Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, after realizing he (Obi) was the ‘light’.

#BBTitans: I used ‘Kayan mata’ to attract Senators as an escort, Nana reveals

Big Brother Titans housemate, Nana has said she used popular s_x enhancer, Kayan Mata, to attract Senators.

Nana revealed this during a conversation with Yvonne, Olivia and Yaya.

The Kaduna State indigene who had earlier said she doesn’t enjoy s_x disclosed that she was able to attract the right clients and if she had listened to her friends, she would have built a house and bought a car from the proceeds.

“When I got it, the senators I gathered, Jesus… back to back, I’m always flexing like if they have a trip with escorts. My friends used to say if I was wise when I was gathering money, I would have had a car and house.

Work permit delays Onuachu’s debut for new club

Paul Onuachu will not take to the field when his new club Southampton takes on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday (today).

The Nigeria international linked up with the Saints on transfer deadline day from Belgian Pro League outfit, KRC Genk.

The South Coast club paid €18m but €3 in add-ons to sign the lanky striker.

Onuachu is, however, yet to be granted a work permit by the British Home Office which will make him eligible to play in the Premier League.

Clubs told Premier League to ban Man City – Guardiola

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has claimed up to nine clubs wrote to the Premier League asking for the champions to be banned.

Guardiola stated this while reacting to Chelsea’s splurge in the January transfer window.

Since the summer transfer window, the Blues have spent over €600 million on new signings.

That included a record transfer worth €120m for Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, with seven other players added to Graham Potter’s squad throughout last month.

Election results will shock El-Rufai, says Babachir Lawal

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi is gaining support in “unexpected areas”.

Lawal stated this while speaking on Friday during an interview with Channels Television.

He said Labour Party’s growing popularity will shock critics.

Reacting to comments made by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that Obi cannot win, the former SGF said the outcome of the election will be shocking.

2023: Ganduje exposes Emefiele’s alleged plan to ruin APC’s chances

The Governor of Kano State on Friday said the naira redesign was never the agenda of the All Progressive Congress, APC, but a calculated plan by the Central Bank Governor, Goodwin Emefiele and a few cronies surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari.

He made the allegations during an interview on the BBC Hausa radio service.

The currency swap has already put over two hundred million Nigerians under pressure as people in some parts of the country’s southwest have begun protesting the lack of physical cash flow.

Ganduje said that by next week if issues regarding the currency issues were not resolved following a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and state governors, the governors would take a step to ensure that the plan by the Central Bank Governor and a few other people do not plunge the country into crisis.

New Naira note: Emefiele rules out extension of 10-day, begs Nigerians

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, Goodwin Emefiele has ruled out the possibility of extending the 10-day grace for the old Naira notes to remain in circulation.

He appealed to Nigerians to endure the pains emanating from difficulties in getting the newly redesigned Naira notes from financial institutions.

The governor who made the appeal on Friday during a press conference in Lagos said the pain is temporary, stressing that cash will be available in no distant time.

He said the leadership of the apex bank had appealed to commercial banks to manage the situation properly while the cash circulates.

NBC fines Pro-Tinubu TV station, TVC and Arise News over hate speech

 

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Continental Broadcasting Services Limited, owners of Television Continental (TVC), for airing “hate speech and inflammatory comments”.

 

In a letter dated February 3 and signed by Balarabe Ilelah, NBC director-general, the commission said it monitored TVC’s “consistent” breach of the Nigeria broadcasting code regarding the coverage of activities for the general election.

 

The commission said “hate speech, inflammatory, derogatory and unfair comments” have been broadcast by the station, adding that the trend had become a house style on TVC.

 

The commission cited references to a media briefing by Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Council (APC) presidential campaign council, as well as comments by Bola Tinubu, APC presidential candidate.

 

Buhari was shocked when he heard Lawan was anointed presidential candidate — El-Rufai

 

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says President Muhammadu Buhari was shocked when he was informed that Senate President Ahmad Lawan was the “anointed” presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

Speaking on Thursday while responding to questions on a programme on TVC, el-Rufai said the president said he had no idea about the choice of Lawan.

 

In June 2022, hours before voting at the APC presidential primary was scheduled to start, Abdullahi Adamu, national chair of the party, had announced the senate president as the consensus candidate for the party.

 

“It’s just an information he gave us. All of us are entitled to our opinion. We are all democrats. This decision was never taken by the NWC, but an information given to the NWC,” Sulaiman Argungu, APC national organising secretary, had said at the time.

I’ll defeat Oyetola in court, Gov Adeleke boasts

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State is confident he will defeat his predecessor Gboyega Oyetola despite the tribunal judgement in his favour.

The governor spoke on Friday in Osogbo at a meeting with Unit-to-Unit Ambassadors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun West District.

Adeleke stressed that the judiciary plays an important role in strengthening democracy, recalling pronouncements that had helped to stabilise the nation.

Noting that he has unshaken faith in the system, the Osun governor described himself as a beneficiary of judicial intervention.

Why Arsenal allowed exit of three players, Arteta reveals

Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, has given reasons why the club allowed the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga, Marquinhos and Cedric Soares to leave Emirates Stadium during the January transfer window.

Arsenal strengthened with the arrivals of Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho, while Lokonga, Marquinhos and Soares were allowed to leave Arteta’s side on loan.

However, Arteta is now saying that Arsenal allowed Lokonga, Marquinhos and Soares to leave the north London club because the players needed more playing time.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League tie with Everton on Saturday, Arteta said at his pre-match press conference when asked to rate Arsenal’s business in the January window: “A really tricky one but in the end a really positive one.

‘Little opportunity and they are misbehaving’ — Tinubu hits Adeleke at Osun rally

 

Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are “misbehaving” in the state.

 

Speaking on Thursday at a rally in Osogbo, capital city of Osun, Tinubu said the APC administration of Gboyega Oyetola would soon return to continue its “good work”.

 

Adeleke was declared winner of the governorship poll held on July 16, but Oyetola had claimed that there was overvoting in 749 polling units across 10 LGAs of the state.

 

Oyetola’s argument was upheld by the Osun election petition tribunal and he was consequently declared the winner of the election in a judgment delivered on January 27.

Akeredolu to Buhari: Cash, petrol scarcity may yield unpleasant consequences, act now!

 

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to address the scarcity of naira notes and petrol price hike.

 

The petrol crisis and scarcity of naira notes are resulting in protests in parts of the country.

 

However, after a meeting with governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday, the president requested seven days to take a “major decision” on the naira note scarcity.

 

In a statement on Friday, Akeredolu said the current situation is a recipe for “unpleasant consequences” if not properly handled.

 

 “The struggles and actual fights recorded in banking halls, ATM and POS points, and markets across the country are disquieting. The choice of this period for the implementation of a policy, which bears an instant negative impact with no discernible mitigation in sight, raises serious suspicion of partisanship on the part of the CBN,” the statement reads.

 

‘In solidarity with the people’ —Gov. Makinde suspends campaign over petrol, cash scarcity

 

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, has announced the suspension of his campaign activities over the lingering petrol and cash scarcity.

 

Residents of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, today, took to the streets to protest the scarcity of petrol and naira notes.

 

In a statement on Friday by Wasiu Olatunbosun, Oyo commissioner for information, the governor suspended the campaign “in solidarity with the people”.

 

“As a mark of honour to citizens and residents of Oyo state, the executive governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde has directed that all campaign activities of the party at all levels be suspended until further notice”, the statement reads.