Author: TheLagosianMagazine

By Peter Omopo  Tension has gripped the Okoloke community in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State following the abduction of a first-class traditional ruler, Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, by unknown gunmen in the early hours of Thursday. According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers stormed the monarch’s palace around 2:00 a.m., overpowering palace guards before abducting the royal father and fleeing to an undisclosed location. The incident has plunged the community into shock and fear, with concerned residents gathering at the palace to offer prayers and call for swift government intervention. No contact has yet been made by the…

By Peter Omopo  Brazilian state oil giant, Petrobras, is eyeing a return to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector with a renewed interest in frontier deepwater exploration, according to the Presidency. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday. He said Petrobras, which previously exited its operations at Nigeria’s Agbami field, is now actively engaging Nigerian authorities as both countries prepare for the 2025 Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism (SDM). The development was confirmed during an interministerial review meeting held at the Presidential…

By Peter Omopo  The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has confirmed that technical errors affected the scores of some candidates in the recently released 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at JAMB headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, Oloyede acknowledged the public outcry that followed the release of the results on May 9, noting that the concerns prompted an immediate audit of the UTME process. He described the situation as “an easily avoidable error” that cast a shadow over what had otherwise been considered one of the board’s…

By Peter Omopo  The Federal Government has approved two major power infrastructure projects in Oyo State, aimed at strengthening the national grid and improving electricity access across the region. According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bolaji Tunji, media aide to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, the approvals were granted during Monday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. The projects include the revitalisation and concession of the Ikere Gorge Hydropower Plant and the construction of a new high-capacity substation in Ibadan. The new substation is to be sited in the Lalupon/Ejioku area of Lagelu Local Government and is expected…

By Peter Omopo  The National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted a provisional licence for the establishment of the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, making it the second state-owned university in Benue State. The licence was formally presented on Wednesday by the NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, to the state’s Deputy Governor, Samuel Ode, who represented Governor Hyacinth Alia at the ceremony in Abuja. According to Ribadu, the new university, to be located in Ihugh, Vandeikya Local Government Area, brings the number of state-owned universities in Nigeria to 68, and the total number of universities in the…

By Peter Omopo  Former Governor of Jigawa State and one-time National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Sule Lamido, has alleged that the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election was driven by fears within the military over a N45 billion debt allegedly owed to the election’s presumed winner, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola. Lamido made the claim on Tuesday in Abuja during the public presentation of his autobiography titled Being True to Myself. He stated that the military high command at the time feared that Abiola, if sworn in as president, would demand repayment of…

By Peter Omopo  A social media storm erupted on X (formerly Twitter) this week after a British user’s comment about Nigerian immigrants triggered a heated debate — and eventually, a bold challenge to an English language proficiency contest. The controversy began when UK doctor and commentator Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) posted on Monday that 20% of the UK care workforce hold non-British passports, highlighting their essential contribution to the sector. “Starmer would have us believe these carers are the ‘squalid’ result of a ‘failed experiment’. I say they do vital, necessary, humane, skilled work and they are worth their weight in…

By Peter Omopo  French Prime Minister François Bayrou is set to appear before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday in what is shaping up to be the most critical moment of his five-month tenure, as lawmakers probe allegations of longstanding abuse at a Catholic school he was once linked to. Bayrou, 73, is expected to answer questions regarding claims that he was aware of decades of physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France during his time as Education Minister from 1993 to 1997. The centrist politician, now serving as the sixth prime minister under President…

By Peter Omopo  The Nigeria Police Force has debunked social media allegations suggesting that one of its helicopters was used to deliver food supplies to bandits in Kogi State, describing the claims as false and a deliberate attempt to discredit its security operations. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, clarified that the helicopter seen in a viral video was engaged in a legitimate security operation in the Obajana area of the state on Saturday, May 10, 2025. “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to address a video currently circulating online, depicting a police…

By Peter Omopo  The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a high-level review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results following widespread public outcry over technical glitches and poor performance. The review session, scheduled for Thursday, will bring together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, school principals, examiners, and key education stakeholders to assess the conduct and outcome of the examination. The meeting will also include representatives from professional and educational bodies such as the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, and…