Author: Olugbenga Fashina

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR AMUPITAN AS INEC CHAIRMAN The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025. President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical. Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed…

Pa Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola once told his fellow ministers during prayer meeting to kneel down for a SHORT prayer. After about 2-3 hours of kneeling down, the ministers became frustrated & sat down, leaving only Apostle Babalola still on his knee praying for about 5-6 hrs. The following day, they asked him “Baba, if you ask us to pray a short prayer with you which took almost 6 hours, How many hours will your LONG prayer last?” He prayed so much that his knee made a hole in a rock. The hole is still there on a big rock…

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…