States are broke, nothing done in 100 days, By Dele Sobowale.  Just as Emilokan got into Aso Rock and discovered that the Federal Government’s revenue for the next three years has been spent by Buhari, before he left, all the new governors are facing empty purses in addition to mountains of debts to pay.   Money talks”; and virtually all the state government just finishing their first 100 days in office had very little to say because they are broke. In the past, print media was bombarded with 100 days reports from every state. We sometimes had insufficient space for them. Now, we have next to nothing to publish. As the deadline drew near, I actually got in touch with some Chief Press Secretaries of some states to ask them if they had any press release. Hitherto, the new Governors were too eager to announce what they did in such a short time. In my long experience on these pages, most of what was touted as “achievement” was a lot of malarkey – hastily implemented de...

Obasanjo under fire for issuing order to Obas.  Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is under attack over his alleged order to some Yoruba traditional rulers to stand up to greet him. Obasanjo was seen in a trending video ordering some people believed to be traditional rulers in Oyo State to stand up and greet him. The incident was said to have happened at the commissioning of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH’s College of Agricultural Science and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin, on Friday. In the video making the rounds on the internet, the former president tongue-lashed the traditional rulers from Oke-Ogun, Ibadan, Oyo and Ibarapa, and termed their effrontery as disrespect to ‘constituted authority’, because they failed to stand up when the governor and himself climbed the rostrum for their addresses. “Wherever a governor or president is sitting, traditional rulers must show them respect”, Obasanjo was seen saying. The elder statesman’s action drew t...

Soun Ogbomoso: Fame, money, not my intention of becoming king — Oba Olaoye.  The historical city of Ogbomoso was on Thursday, agog as the newly installed Soun of Ogbomosola land, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Laoye Orumogege III, moved to the main palace to receive members of the community and dignitaries who converged to rejoice with him on his coronation. While receiving dignitaries from different walks of life, the newly installed Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Olaoye, said he is not interested in making money or name on the throne. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of residents of the ancient city. In his inaugural speech, the Soun said his aim was to put Ogbomoso in its rightful place. Oba Olaoye was installed as the new Soun of Ogbomoso by kingmakers, led by the Are Ago of Ogbomoso, High Chief Solalaje Otolorin, in the early hours of Friday September, 8, 2023. The monarch urged the aggrieved people to unite with him for the development of the town. He added that it was God that s...

Nigeria swinging dangerously away from true democracy, says Obi.  . Cites executive, legislative, judicial corruption as reason The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP in the February 25, 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said transactional politics, disrespect for the rule of law, endemic corruption in the executive, legislature and the Judiciary are pulling Nigeria dangerously away from democracy. Obi stated this in a series of posts on his X account (formerly Twitter) as Nigeria joined other countries of the world to mark the 2023 edition of the International Democracy Day celebration, on Friday. The LP candidate has since announced his decision to contest the Judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court which upheld the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that President Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress won the February 25, election. Obi wrote, “On this year’s celebration of International Democracy Day, we m...

Nigerians hail Abdulrazaq for appointing men with disability Permanent Secretaries in Kwara.  In the bustling heart of Nigeria, Kwara State has become a beacon of hope and inclusivity. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq recently made history by appointing two physically challenged individuals as Permanent Secretaries simultaneously, marking a first in the state’s history. It brings to three, the number of such appointments in his government, having made a similar one in his first tenure. This unprecedented move has stirred the hearts of Nigerians across the nation, reinforcing the popular adage, ‘There’s ability in disability.’ Peter Ayanwale, a blind man who formerly served as vice principal at the Kwara State School for Special Needs, was one of the newly sworn-in secretaries. His remarkable journey to the pinnacle of his career has been nothing short of inspiring. “Until a few days ago, when our names were announced, I had no idea. When my friend called me to congratula...

NNPC debunks plans to move headquarters to Lagos.  The Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. has denied speculations that it plans to move its headquarters in Abuja to Lagos. Mr Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) NNPC made the denial at the resumed investigative hearing of the ad hoc committee on the acquisition of OVH Energy by NNPCL on Friday. Kyari said that contrary to the petition by petitioners, the company had no plan of moving its headquarters to Lagos, adding that this was in spite of its present status of a private company, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. He said the insinuation might not be unconnected with the fact that 70 per cent of its operations were in Lagos, adding that moving the headquarters would incur additional cost on the company. He said the NNPC Ltd. had merged its operations and moved the right people where they were required to function. According to him, the registered headquarters of NNPC Ltd. i...