Author: Olugbenga Fashina

Fehintola Anikulapo-Kuti was one of the wives of the legendary Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. She was also the mother of Seun Kuti, who today carries on his father’s musical and political legacy. Though much of her personal story remains undocumented, Fehintola is remembered as an integral part of the vibrant community that shaped one of Africa’s most influential cultural movements. Fehintola was among the twenty-seven women whom Fela married in a single traditional ceremony on February 20, 1978. The wedding was held at the Kalakuta Republic in Lagos, Nigeria, Fela’s self-declared commune that served as both home and headquarters…

A man boarded an Ibom Air flight and st0le N290,000 naira from a foreign passenger’s luggage in the overhead bin. The foreign passenger noticed his bag was missing and raised an alarm. A woman who saw the th!ef move the bag pointed him out. When search was carried out on him, the st0len money was found under his seat. Airport security arr3sted him and escorted him off the plane. A passenger said his bag only had one shirt inside when it was checked. Just imagine a man paid N200k for a flight ticket just to st3al N290k, was he trying…

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU PARDONS HERBERT MACAULAY, VATSA, LAWAN, GRANTS CLEMENCY TO 82 INMATES Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, sentenced to death over a treason charge in 1986, has received a posthumous pardon from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Vatsa, a poet, was among the 17 people who received presidential pardons following the endorsement of the National Council of State, which met in Abuja on Thursday. President Tinubu also granted a posthumous pardon to Herbert Macaulay, a Nigerian nationalist and co-founder, along with Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Macaulay was the party’s…

Dr Oluwole Kukoyi at 70

The federal government has taken action against those who forge certificates by instructing all Ministries, Departments, Agencies, as well as military and paramilitary groups, to initiate a mandatory verification process for all staff members’ academic credentials starting from October 6, 2025. In light of growing apprehensions expressed by academics regarding the diminishing educational standards and the proliferation of fraudulent certificates nationwide, the government has mandated the country-wide enactment of the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD). According to a circular issued on August 8, 2025 (Reference: 58524/111C/579) and endorsed by Senator George Akume (CON), the Government…

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has paid tribute to the late Inspector-General of Police and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase, Ph.D., NPM, FDC, CFR, describing his passing as “a loss that rests heavily, not only on his family, but on the Nigeria Police Force and the nation at large.” The IGP gave this tribute on Wednesday, 24th September 2025, at the Day of Tributes in Celebration of the Life and Times of Late IGP Solomon Ehigiator Arase (Rtd), an event organised to honour the remarkable life, career, and contributions…

Seplat Energy, the Nigerian oil and gas group co-founded by Austin Avuru, plans to invest between $2.5 billion and $3 billion in the country over the next five years. The move follows Seplat’s landmark acquisition of ExxonMobil’s shallow-water assets last year, a deal that transformed it into one of Nigeria’s largest energy producers. CEO Roger Brown called it “a truly transformational step” for the company. Most of the new investment will go into drilling and offshore infrastructure, while a significant share is earmarked for gas projects such as the ANOH Gas Plant and LNG development. Seplat expects joint-venture gas sales…

The four day training of AKTS staff members preparatory to the commencement of operation on the A uja Kaduna Train Services commenced on Monday, 22nd September 2025, at Idu Station, Abuja. Dr. Kayode Opeifa had earlier promised the entire staff members of AKTS that they would be trained ahead of the resumption of train operations in the AKTS corridor in line with recommendation of the in-house investigation panel. In attendance were: Dr. Zang James (Director Corporate Planning), who held brief for the MD; Mr. Paschal Nnorli (Liaison Officer), holding brief for the Director of Human Resources; Engr. Adesegud M. Ogunade…

PRESIDENT TINUBU RECEIVES OGONI DIALOGUE REPORT, AWARDS POSTHUMOUS HONOURS TO OGONI FOUR President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately engage the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Ogoni people, and other relevant stakeholders with a view to finalising the modalities for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland. President Tinubu issued the directive on Wednesday, following the presentation of the report by the Presidential Committee on the Ogoni Consultations, chaired by Professor Don Baridam, at the State House in Abuja. Governor Siminalayi of Rivers State led the Ogoni delegation to…

Damning allegations of certificate forgery dominated Tuesday’s session of the Coroner’s Court in Akure as Professor Adolphus Loto, former Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, detailed how the late Registrar, Mr. Ezekiel Imole Adeniran, lived on forged academic credentials. Prof. Loto, a Professor of Restorative Dentistry, told the court that the deceased paraded qualifications from institutions that later disowned him. Most notably, the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, confirmed via official correspondence that Adeniran was never their student and had not been awarded the diploma in Leadership and Management or the MBA degree he claimed. He…