Author: Victory Odibo

Agency Report The UK Government has awarded 68 Nigerians the Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships to study a wide range of master’s degrees and PhD programmes in the UK in 2026. In a statement on Wednesday, the British High Commission said pre-departure ceremonies were held in honour of the scholars in Abuja and Lagos. According to the mission, 12 scholars received Chevening scholarships, while 56 scholars have been awarded the Commonwealth scholarship so far.  Chargée d’Affaires, British High Commission Abuja, Ms Vicky Seymour congratulated those who succeeded in securing scholarships through the highly competitive application and interview process. “Chevening and Commonwealth…

Agency Report Ace filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has said Nollywood producers may leave YouTube as a distribution platform if the Naira strengthens significantly against the U.S. Dollar. Afolayan stated this in an interview with former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, on the Nidacity Podcast, while discussing the increasing migration of Nollywood filmmakers to digital platforms. According to him most filmmakers who have migrated to YouTube will abandon the platform if the exchange rate was to fall significantly. He  argued that the financial incentive was a major reason filmmakers are moving their productions to the platform. The filmmaker said although YouTube offered…

Agency Report The United Nations (UN) says the Ebola outbreak continues to spread in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with more than 3,200 deaths reported. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric gave the update on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the UN headquarters in New York. “Today, our Humanitarian Coordinator, Damien Mama, began a four-day visit to North Kivu to assess response efforts and review the broader humanitarian situation. “Last Friday, the Government, together with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and partners, launched a revised Ebola multisectoral response plan…

Agency Report The Nigerian equities market on Tuesday halted its three-day bullish rally as investors lost N1.879 trillion, following increased sell-offs ahead of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery IPO. Mr Aruna Kebira, Managing Director, Globalview Capital Ltd., attributed the market downturn to investors repositioning their portfolios ahead of the Dangote Refinery IPO. Kebira said investors were selling down their holdings to raise funds in anticipation of the offer, resulting in a significant imbalance between sell and buy orders. “Preparations for the Dangote Refinery IPO caused the downturn in performance today. “The number of people selling is high. Today, our sales were…

Odibo Victory The Lagos State Police Command has cautioned residents against jungle justice, warning that mob action resulting in serious injury or death could amount to a criminal offence, including murder or manslaughter. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, gave the warning in a video announcement made available to newsmen on Tuesday. The warning came after a man was allegedly killed by a mob on Lagos Island following a road accident, just two weeks before his wedding. Adebisi said the responsibility for investigating alleged crimes and determining whether a suspect was guilty or innocent rested with the police…

Agency Report The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy and thundery weather conditions across the country from Wednesday to Friday. NiMet, in its weather outlook released in Abuja, forecast patches of clouds over the northern region on Wednesday, with prospects of morning thunderstorms accompanied by light rains over parts of Taraba and Kebbi. The agency predicted isolated thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rains over parts of Taraba, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna states later in the day. “For the North-Central region, thunderstorms accompanied by light rains are expected over parts of Nasarawa, Niger, Benue and…

Agency Report The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ondo State Command, says it has seized more than 5356.7kg of illicit drugs in the state in last two months. This is as the command said it had arrested 59 suspects comprising 52 males and seven females, in connection with various drug-related offences. The state Commander of NDLEA, Mr Gabriel Folayemi, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Akure while addressing journalists on the activities of the command. Folayemi said the seizures formed part of a series of operational successes recorded by the command since he assumed office on July 24. He…

Odibo Victory The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate operating around Iju-Ishaga and Oke-Aro areas of the state. This was disclosed by the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, in a statement on Tuesday. According to Adebisi, the suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) following credible intelligence. Adebisi said the suspects, who are between the ages of 22 and 30, were apprehended at their hideout in Idi-Oro, Mushin, after sustained intelligence gathering by the operatives. According to her, a search of their hideout led to the recovery…

Agency Report The Police Command in Akwa Ibom says it raided a criminal hideout and arrested a suspected notorious criminal allegedly involved in arson, robbery and other criminal activities. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Uyo. John said that the hideout was around Ikot Akpabong Village in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state. She said that the operation followed credible intelligence received on Aug. 31, about the activities of the suspected criminal gang. According to her, the operatives subsequently carried out a coordinated operation targeting the…

Odibo Victory Big Brother Naija (BBN) season 11 housemate, Joshua Alekewumu (Tram) has emerged as the Head of House (HoH) for Week 7 after winning a tense multi-round challenge. The challenge, which took place at the Arena on Monday, featured four skill-based games testing the housemates’ focus, memory, precision and endurance. The Outgoing Week 6 Head of House, Abi, was allowed to compete again and participated in the first game, Trail Ball, but was eliminated early. Keivo, Bells, Sheba, Araga, Yusuf, Barry, Chimsom Chuka, Oyin, Tram and Temi Nkem advanced to the second round, The Colour Trick. Keivo, Bells, Sheba,…