Author: Safiu Kehinde

Safiu Kehinde The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other emergency services have rescued a Toyota Camry driver trapped under a 40ft container. The Agency’s General Manager, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said this in a statement on Monday, in Lagos. The statement was signed by Mr Taofiq Adebayo, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA. Bakare-Oki listed other emergency services involved in the rescue operation as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency. He explained that a 40-foot loaded container, en route to Apapa, fell onto a Toyota Camry with a registration number,…

Safiu Kehinde One dead, 14 victims rescued as Police foiled kidnap attempt by bandits in Katsina State. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the state’s Police Command spokesperson, ASP Abubakar Sadiq. According to Sadiq, armed bandits had, on Sunday, attacked two commercial vehicles at Dan’arau village along Magama Jibia road in Jibia area of the state. However, swift response by a team of operatives led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Jibia foiled the kidnap attempt as they opened fire against the bandits. Unfortunately, two of the rescued victims were caught in the fire exchange…

Safiu Kehinde Ebonyi state governor, Francis Nwifuru, has on Saturday, confronted civil servants caught diverting materials, meant to be disbursed to Primary Healthcare Centres, for sale. In a now viral video on X, the governor bursted a store where hoarded ante-natal and immunization registers were kept for sale by the suspected civil servants. Addressing the culprits, Nwifuru expressed his disappointment as recounted observing the use of exercise books as registers at PHCs due to the lack of the diverted printed materials at the centres. “This is the register for daily ante-natal, and you decided to sell it. Whereas, we don’t…

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement fired heavy rocket barrages at Israel on Sunday, and the Israeli military said houses had been destroyed or set alight near Tel Aviv, after a powerful Israeli airstrike killed at least 29 people in Beirut the day before. Israel also struck Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, where intensified bombardment over the last two weeks has coincided with signs of progress in U.S.-led ceasefire talks. Hezbollah, which has previously vowed to respond to attacks on Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv, said it had launched precision missiles at two military sites in Tel Aviv and nearby. Police said there were…

At least 24 people have died after two boats carrying mostly Somali nationals capsized off the coast of Madagascar, local authorities said. A statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said efforts were underway to “ensure the safe return of the survivors”. The two boats carried a total of 70 passengers. The vessels were discovered adrift off Madagascar’s north coast on Saturday in the Indian Ocean. It is believed their engines had failed. A senior Somalian government official told local media that survivors were rescued by fishermen. Survivors say they were trying to reach the French island of Mayotte, a…

Chioma is adamant that Hope, the baby boy she is holding in her arms, is her son. After eight years of failed attempts to conceive, she sees him as her miracle baby. “I’m the owner of my baby,” she says defiantly. She’s sitting next to her husband, Ike, in the office of a Nigerian state official who spends the best part of an hour interrogating the couple. As the commissioner for women affairs and social welfare in Anambra state, Ify Obinabo has plenty of experience in resolving family disputes – but this is no ordinary disagreement. Five members of Ike’s…

Agency Report Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under the aegis of ECOWAS Small Business Coalition (ESBC), have proposed the creation of a railway corridor connecting all ECOWAS countries, in addition to the existing road network. They made the call at the end of their inaugural exhibition and workshop which held from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The event was organised by ESBC, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The coalition noted the difficulties that the small business operators face in transporting their goods and services between and…

Safiu Kehinde The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NYCP) has commended the Senate for suspending the confirmation of the appointments of the Governing Board of the newly established North-West Development Commission (NWDC). Mr Isaac Abrak, Chairman of NCYP, made the commendation in a press statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Kaduna. Abrak, who urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure inclusive representation, said the decision by the leadership of the senate demonstrated its commitment to fair representation and equity in the region. “We believe this move was made in good faith to enable Tinubu to include Christians on the board,…

Agency Report The Pink Awards has honoured Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for literary excellence and social impact. Princess Veronica Okei, the initiator of the awards, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pink Awards aims to celebrate outstanding individuals and organisations for achievements and contributions, as well as promote a culture of excellence and recognition. According to the statement, the decision to honour Soyinka at the Pink Awards 11th Anniversary and Sixth Annual Award Ceremony is because he represents the core values for…

By Bola Tinubu and Emmanuel Macron In the present era, international relations are often framed as if there were only two possible outcomes for States: to dominate, or to be dominated; to vassalize, or to be vassalized. Nations are supposed to make a choice in favour of this or that hegemon, this or that bloc. The lesson we are learning from our experience as Heads of State of two countries whose bilateral relationship has been deepening over the last twenty-five years is quite different. From our shared perspectives, we can very confidently say that we see our relationship as a…