Author: TheLagosianMagazine

By Peter Omopo  In a bid to ease overcrowding in correctional facilities across Ogun State, the Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, on Thursday ordered the release of 67 inmates from three custodial centres. The inmates were freed during a jail delivery exercise held at the Oba Custodial Centre. According to Justice Dipeolu, 35 inmates were released from Sagamu, 20 from Oba, and 12 from the Ibara facility in Abeokuta. Addressing journalists, the Chief Judge explained that the periodic review and release of inmates is part of her constitutional responsibility to ensure the justice system does not unduly punish individuals awaiting…

By Peter Omopo  Tensions flared in Osun State on Thursday as members of the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN), Osun chapter, staged a protest against the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), accusing its staff of unethical practices and customer exploitation. The protesters, who marched through the Osogbo/Ibokun road, carried placards with messages such as “Band is a fraud,” “Enough of IBEDC Exploitation on Transformers,” and “Make meters available to all customers,” demanding an end to what they described as oppressive practices by IBEDC officials. Speaking to journalists, the state chairman of LECAN, Kayode Adebayo, alleged that IBEDC staff…

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…