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 GOVERNOR FINTIRI PRESENTS STAFF OF OFFICE TO GUBO YUNGUR  Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri today presented the Staff of Office to His Royal Majesty, Gubo Johnson Diyo Matalo as the first Gubo Yungur in Dumne. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to justice, equity, and cultural heritage, assuring that the Yungur Chiefdom has come to stay.   The Governor charged the new monarch to foster unity, uphold justice, ensure security, and harness the area’s vast economic potential. "A people empowered by history and united by purpose can never be stopped," he declared. More photos below. 

 LAGOS CHRISTIAN INTENDING PILGRIMS ARRIVE SAFELY IN JORDAN  In the early hours of Saturday, February 8, 2025, the second batch of the 122 Lagos intending pilgrims arrived safely in Jordan. Led by esteemed government delegates, including Mr. Adewunmi Gbolahan Ogunsanya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs,l; Mrs. Florence Yetunde Gbafe, Board Secretary; Bishop Prof. Rufus Oguntuase, Vice Chairman; Mr. Adedamola Adeoshun and Mrs. Abiodun Naz-Musa. Before their departure, Mrs. Florence Yetunde Gbafe, Board Secretary of the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, urged the pilgrims to conduct themselves with integrity, fear of God, and exemplary ambassadors of Lagos State. This development follows the successful return of the first batch of Lagos State Christian pilgrims on January 1, 2025, after a fulfilling pilgrimage exercise to Israel and Jordan. More photos below. 

 LASG REDEPLOYS LASPPPA DISTRICT OFFICERS  The Lagos State Government has redeployed District Officers of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) to enhance service delivery.  The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, made this known on Friday during a meeting of the District Officers at LASPPPA Headquarters, First Secretariat, Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja. He explained that the movement of officers was informed by the need to bring about new challenges and re-energise the system as the redeployment mainly affects those who have spent more years in a district and officers on Grade Level 16 and above, whose experience and expertise will best serve policy formulation at the headquarters. According to Dr. Olumide, the strategic move was aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, boost productivity and improving service delivery to the people of Lagos. "The redeployment, which takes immediate effect, will not only guid...

 Gospel Singer Paul Nwokocha's Marriage to Second Wife Ends in Divorce Renowned gospel singer Paul Nwokocha's marriage to his second wife, Mrs. Goodness Nwokocha, has officially come to an end. According to a family source, the marriage dissolved after Goodness returned the bride price to Paul Nwokocha's family. The couple tied the knot in September 2023, after Paul Nwokocha separated from his first wife, Alice Nwokocha, whom he accused of maltreating him. However, marital issues surfaced in May 2024, when Goodness allegedly began experiencing mistreatment in her new home. Sources revealed that Goodness was treated more like a housemaid than a wife, leading to escalating tensions in the marriage. It was also disclosed that Goodness had no prior relationship with the gospel singer before their marriage and had relocated from Lagos to marry him at the insistence of his uncles, without conducting any background checks. With the return of the bride price, the marriage has been ...

 ‘I won’t apologise to you’ — Naja’atu Muhammad dares Ribadu Naja’atu Muhammad, the founder of Northern Star Youth Initiative, says she would not retract her statement or issue an apology to Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA). In a video posted on social media, Muhammad said she stands by her earlier comments that Ribadu once reprimanded President Bola Tinubu; George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); and Orji Kalu, senator representing Abia north. Recently, Muhammad said during his stint as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ribadu accused Tinubu, who was governor of Lagos at the time, of corruption. Muhammad, a former commissioner in the Police Service Commission (PSC), said Ribadu is now serving in a government led by people he once upbraided. On Tuesday, the NSA, through a letter from Ahmed Raji, his lawyer, requested a public apology and retraction from Muhammad over the remarks. Nasir el-Rufai, a former minister...

 No explosion at Warri Refinery, says NNPCL The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) said there was no explosion at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).  Its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye stated this in a rejoinder which stressed that any contrary report was utterly false. Soneye said routine maintenance was in progress in the plant. The statement reads: “NNPC Ltd wishes to clarify that there was no explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC). Any reports suggesting otherwise are completely false.” NNPCL recalled that on January 25, 2025, operations at WRPC Area 1 were intentionally curtailed to carry out necessary intervention works on select equipment, including field instruments that were impacting sustainable and steady operations.  “The intervention works are essential to ensure the production of on specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and K...

 ‘It’s comical,’ Shehu Sani slams Reps proposal for 31 new states A former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has faulted the proposed creation of 31 additional states besides the country’s 36 existing states. PUNCH Online reports that the House of Representatives Constitution Review Committee proposed the creation of 31 new states in the country. The proposal was contained in a letter to the House of Representatives read during Thursday’s plenary by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session in the absence of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas. Reacting to the development in a post via his X page on Friday, Sani described the proposal as ironic and comical, saying that politicians just want to carve out mini colonies for themselves. The former lawmaker stated that the country doesn’t need new states because many states depend on federal allocation for survival. He wrote, “While many states are dependent on federal allocation for their survival, the House of Represe...