Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has assured Ghanaians that their President, John Mahama, would bring the required positive change in the country.

President Tinubu, along with some governors from Nigeria, graced the swearing-in ceremony of Mahama on Tuesday.

In his address, released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said the swearing-in ceremony was a celebration of democracy in Africa.

He commended former President Nana Akufo-Addo for the seamless transition of power to the incumbent.

Nigeria’s leader assured of his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with Ghana across all sectors and other African countries.

The statement read:

“It is always good when a friend and brother can visit the home of a close neighbour to celebrate his success and progress with him.

“We celebrate African Democracy today as Ghana and her beloved people mark the transition from one democratic government to another. This moment does more than symbolize another milestone in the evolution of Ghanaian democratic society. It lays to bed the question of whether Ghana and Africa are capable of democratic and productive endeavours. Ghana has answered that question resoundingly. It is time that Africa’s critics stop forgetting the strides your nation, Nigeria and others have made by continuing to ask us to prove ourselves. We have nothing to prove to anyone except ourselves. We have found the critical path to our success. We shall lift our nations out of poverty and build a resilient economy at our own pace.

“Today, I am here not only as the President of Nigeria but also as an African in resolute support for Ghana and her people. This moment is a source of pride and honour for you, the entire Continent, and its Diaspora.

“The sun is out, and the sky says daylight, but I see today a Black star rising high in the African sky. This black star shines over this nation, and its rays spread across this Continent with a sense of shared history, hope, compassion, unity, and devotion to our common welfare.

“While others may seek to demean Africa and keep brother pitted against brother, that shining star reminds us of who we are. Better yet, it reminds us of who we can be. That star means that we shall always strive to work together. Even when we disagree, we shall dialogue and discuss until we reach an agreement. Never, never shall we harm others and never allow any outsider to hurt us or disrupt the unity for which so many of our heroes gave their sweat, blood, and very lives to achieve.

“The spirit of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, is here today, lifting that star higher and higher. Just as Ghana draws inspiration and a well of strength from Kwame Nkrumah and many of its past leaders, Nigeria similarly draws inspiration from its founding leaders who not only fought for her independence but also cherished the close relationship between our two nations.

“May we always walk in the way and the spirit of these enlightened leaders.

“Ghana is in harmony with that spirit, and President John Mahama’s inauguration today reflects that.

“Your new president is a man of patriotic vision and substance. He loves his nation and its people to the core. He believes that your nation has a mission and intends for you all to fulfil it. No one can ask more of a leader than that.

“President John Mahama and I share a deep friendship. My dear brother, I am here to work with you. You know you can count on Nigeria’s support and goodwill whenever needed. We are your brothers and sisters. The bond is strong and cannot be broken.

“May your administration be a profound success and progress for you, Ghanaians, and our entire region.

“I am confident that the new government, under the leadership of President John Mahama, will work with Nigeria to strengthen this powerful bond, leading to greater shared prosperity for our people. I have no doubt that your administration will bring about positive change and progress.

“Your ascension to power should also mark a new and invigorated momentum in pursuing subregional integration and progress. With laser focus, we can tackle our people’s most pressing concerns: poverty, youth unemployment, instability, insurgency, and many other problems hampering our desired progress.

“May Ghana’s democracy continue to grow stronger. May progress and prosperity be your portion. Let us all look forward to a future filled with hope, opportunity, and prosperity.

“God bless Ghana and its Beloved People.

“God bless Nigeria and its Beloved People

“God bless ECOWAS

“God bless our Beloved Africa.

“I thank you for your kind attention.”

The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, urged the state high court in Ibadan not to grant bail to the ex-queen of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Shilekunola, Hamzat Oriyomi, and a school principal, Fasasi Abdullahi.

The court had on December 24 remanded the trio in prison over the death of 35 children during a Christmas Funfair they organised in Ibadan, which resulted in a fatal stampede.

The defendants spent both Christmas and New Year’s Day at the Nigerian Correctional Services facility in Agodi.

During Tuesday’s hearing at High Court 8, Ring Road, Ibadan, the defence counsel urged the court to admit them to bail but the  Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, opposed the bail requests, insisting that the applicants had not shown sufficient grounds for their release.

“The bail request of the applicants must not be granted by the court,” Aikomo stated. He also countered claims of persecution by the state government, describing them as unfounded.

Earlier, the defence counsel argued that their clients’ detention was unconstitutional, citing procedural irregularities and challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

They maintained that the “holding charge” used to remand the suspects was not recognised under Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

Waheed Olajide, representing Fasasi Abdulahi, principal of Islamic High School, Basorun, argued that the detention was unjustified.

“No formal charge is preferred against the applicant before any court of competent jurisdiction,” Olajide said.

He further emphasised Abdulahi’s poor health condition, stating, “The law makes provision for exceptional circumstances, which include ill health, upon which the suspects can be released on bail. The applicant is battling with his health and needs to be taken care of medically.”

Silekunola’s lawyer, Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN), described her continued detention as unconstitutional.

“Anybody can be detained, but it must be in accordance with the law, irrespective of the offenscs committed,” he argued. “The applicants are being held in detention pursuant to a holding charge which is not known in the criminal administration of justice. Oyo State Government has acted illegally with the continuing detention of the suspects in the prison custody. All the evidences presented by the defense counsel to buttress their case are zero.”

Hazmat’s lawyer, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), similarly contended that the detention violated constitutional provisions.

“The holding charge used to clamp the suspects in the prison custody is not known in the criminal administration of justice,” Sobaloju argued.

Justice K.B. Olawoyin, after listening to submissions from both sides, adjourned the ruling on the bail applications till Monday, January 13, 2025.

The chairman of Nasarawa local government area council in Kano State, Yusuf Imam, popularly known as ‘Ogan Boye,’ has approved the appointment of 60 aides to serve in various capacities within the council.

The appointments were conveyed in a letter dated January 6, 2024, and signed by the Local Government Secretary, Ado Muhd Hotoro. According to the letter, the move was part of the chairman’s efforts to promote development and strengthen governance in the local government area.

“Sequel to the efforts of the Honourable Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government to promote and develop the local government area, I wish to convey the approval for the appointment of the following prominent individuals to various roles across different fields and professions,” the letter stated.

The list of appointees includes 18 Special Reporters tasked with overseeing various departments, markets, and primary healthcare centers. Other positions filled include Executive Assistant, Chief Protocol Officer, Chief Details Affairs I and II, Principal Personnel Secretary, and eight Director Generals, among others.

The letter emphasised that the appointments were made based on merit, dedication, honesty, and commitment, reflecting the chairman’s vision for effective governance.

Chairman Imam expressed confidence in the appointees, urging them to perform their duties diligently to support the local government’s development agenda.

HND graduates with part-time National Diploma backgrounds staged a protest on Monday at the Lagos NYSC secretariat, decrying a proposed policy barring them from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

The demonstrators, holding placards with messages such as “Say No to Discrimination in NYSC” and “Equal Rights for All,” called for an immediate reversal of the policy as Batch C Stream II registration commenced.

Majaro Temitope, an HND graduate from Yaba College of Technology, described the policy as discriminatory, noting it unfairly penalises those who switched from part-time National Diploma (ND) programmes to full-time HND studies.

“Many of us struggled through our ND on part-time, only to face exclusion now. We hope our peaceful protest sparks a dialogue,” Temitope said. He urged the NYSC Director-General and the Minister of Education to intervene.

The protesters claimed to have written to relevant authorities, including the NYSC and JAMB, without receiving a response.

Adebola Osunfunrewa, from the Education Rights Campaign, criticised the proposed exclusion, calling it a setback for Nigeria’s educational system.

“How can over 3,000 graduates eager to serve be denied in a country facing teacher shortages?” he queried.

Responding to the protest, the Lagos NYSC Coordinator, Christiana Salwang, represented by Assistant Director Ehimuenma Itohan, assured the graduates their concerns had been forwarded to the NYSC Director-General.

“The director general is reviewing the matter and is committed to addressing your grievances within policy guidelines,” Itohan stated, urging protesters to remain calm.

The outcome of the deliberations remains awaited as the mobilisation process continues.

Three persons, including two women, have been crushed to death in a ghastly motor accident on Tuesday morning at Takie Roundabout in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

It was gathered that the accident happened when a container-laden truck lost control and overturned onto a commercial tricycle, killing its three occupants instantly.

The incident happened around 9:30am, leaving people in the area in shock.

According to an eyewitness, the truck lost control while negotiating a bend around the roundabout, causing the container to fall and crush the tricycle, commonly referred to as ‘Keke NAPEP’.

It was gathered that two female passengers and the tricycle operator were trapped beneath the container.

Despite rescue efforts, all three were eventually discovered dead.

Authorities are currently working to remove the container from the road to ease the free flow of traffic in the area.

Motorists have been advised to exercise caution when approaching the accident site

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed off a Chinese supermarket in Abuja for allegedly selling expired products labeled exclusively in Chinese without the required English translations.

NAFDAC, in a statement on Tuesday said that the supermarket, located at Azba Mall, 2 Durban Street, Wuse 2, is managed by Chinese nationals who claimed they were in the process of obtaining a NAFDAC license and translating product labels into English, in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Director of Investigation and Enforcement of the NDLEA, Pharm. Shaba Mohammed, who led the enforcement, said the action followed credible information about regulatory violations at the supermarket.

“We conducted due diligence to verify the claims,” he said.

Mohammed said the agency will continue its investigation to determine how such products, which violate labeling regulations, were imported into the country without being intercepted.

He added that the investigation would extend to the warehouse where the goods were stored, noting that 90 per cent of the products on the shelves were labeled in Chinese.

“This action aims to protect public safety by preventing the sale of these items,” he emphasised.

“Selling products labeled in foreign languages without English translation is a clear violation of our laws. If a product is labeled in languages such as Arabic, Chinese, or Hindi, it must have an English translation. More than 90 per cent of the products we found were labeled in Chinese.”

He also highlighted concerns about Nigerian customers being unable to read the labels. “Some of the products are expired and still being sold,” he pointed out.

“Even if the supermarket had a Global Listing permit, the products should have been labeled in English. They have not provided any NAFDAC documents for these items. This is unacceptable, which is why we had to seal the supermarket,” he said.

He stressed that NAFDAC will invite operators of the supermarket for a thorough investigation.

“You cannot operate in Nigeria and disregard our laws. This is a country, and we have rules that must be followed,” Mohammed stressed.

The Nigerian Police Force have announced the arrest of 751 suspects for cybercrime-related fraud in the year 2024.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi who reeled out the score card explains that 14 convictions have been secured during the period under review with 508 cases.

Adejobi also explains that a total of $840, 000 was recovered for victims of cyber crimes, while a total of N914 million, as well as a total of over $115,000, are frozen in different bank accounts and crypto wallets.

A further breakdown of the report according to the force PRO includes the recovery of 26 vehicles, sixteen houses 16 houses and 39 plots of land.

Daniel Bwala, the special adviser on policy communication to President Bola Tinubu, says governors opposed to the tax reform bills are prioritising revenue over the welfare of Nigerians.

The proposed legislations comprise the Nigeria tax bill, Nigeria tax administration bill, Nigeria revenue service establishment bill, and the joint revenue board establishment bill.

One of the most contentious elements is the proposed revision of the value-added tax (VAT) sharing formula, which has drawn widespread opposition, particularly from stakeholders in northern Nigeria.

During a presidential media chat in December 2024, Tinubu said the tax reform bills “have come to stay”.

 

The president also signalled a willingness to make concessions to address stakeholder concerns.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Monday, Bwala said the tax bills are not regional issues.

He added that the debate over the passage of the bills is part of the normal lawmaking process in the country’s legislative system.

 

“There are governors who are from other parts of Nigeria that are not from the north who are also objecting to it. There are some of them who are not vocal on it but have expressed their minds,” Bwala said.

“I choose to make my argument completely out of this prism of regionality. Because that is where it is inflaming the passion.

“The tax reform bills have come to stay, and they will be passed. Let us forget that it is the north vs the south; it is the governors who are going to be impacted.

“It is the governors from states where their income will reduce if the derivation is applied. These set of governors are in the majority of the states and not limited to the north.

“Maybe the governors from the north have decided to be vocal about it.

“But in the midst of this cacophony of positions between the governors and the federal government remember, even the case of local government autonomy wasn’t a case of region, it was still the governors because local government autonomy from the beginning was considered an initiative that would weaken their powers… that is the same approach we are giving to this tax.

“To the governors who believe or think that their revenues are going to go down, to tell them that if our focus is the Nigerian people, then it should be more about the generality of Nigerians who are more than 36 anyway.

“Because the governors are 36 plus the minister of the FCT which makes it 37. But those who will be impacted positively by the implementation of this tax are 200 plus million people in Nigeria.

“Because if you look at the content, you will see a lot of initiatives that will benefit the Nigerian people.”

A former prison officer in the UK has been sentenced to 15 months in jail after being filmed engaging in sexual activity with an inmate.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was identified by senior prison staff when the footage surfaced online and quickly went viral.

Abreu was arrested at Heathrow Airport while attempting to board a flight to Madrid with her father.

She had previously admitted to misconduct in public office.

Andrew Davy, the governor of Wandsworth, expressed the broader consequences of Abreu’s actions in a statement to Isleworth Crown Court.

He stated that her behavior had undone “less than a day” the years of effort female staff had invested to build respect and trust in the all-male prison.

He also noted that many female staff members reported being “hit on” more frequently by inmates and now felt “considered fair game.”

The court heard that the incident captured in the viral video occurred between June 26 and 28, and further investigation revealed additional misconduct.

A recording of Abreu performing a sex act on the same inmate was discovered on her prison-issued body-worn camera.

She admitted to having sexual relations with the prisoner on another occasion as well.

Judge Martin Edmunds KC described the viral video as part of a pattern of repeated misconduct rather than an isolated incident.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that investigations into the two prisoners identified in the video are ongoing.

A spokesperson for the Prison Service commented: “While the overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, we’re catching more of the small minority who break the rules by bolstering our Counter Corruption Unit and strengthening our vetting processes. As today’s sentencing demonstrates, where officers do fall below our high standards we won’t hesitate to take robust action.”

The Prison Officers’ Association, which represents prison staff, acknowledged that corrupt individuals like Abreu undermine the efforts of their colleagues but emphasized that such cases represent a small minority.

Cases of the infection human metapneumovirus (HMPV) have surged across northern Chinese provinces in recent days, mainly among children.

The virus – responsible for packed hospital waiting rooms in China and eerily similar to the early days of Covid – has seen a ‘marked increase’ in recent weeks – slightly higher than at the same time last year.

HMPV typically causes symptoms similar to the common cold, including a cough, runny nose or nasal congestion, a sore throat and a fever that clears after around five days.

But more severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, with sufferers experiencing shortness of breath, severe cough or wheezing.

Experts urged to be cautious of flu-like symptoms over fears it could be HMPV.

Professor John Tregoning, an expert in vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, told MailOnline that it has very similar symptoms – in children at least – to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.

‘It is part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we are exposed to and, like other viruses, it will transmit in coughs, sneezes and in droplets.

‘Protecting yourself by being in well-ventilated spaces, covering your mouth when you cough and washing your hands will all help,’ said Professor Tregoning

Similar to the advice related to Covid and RSV, those infected must ‘rest, stay hydrated and try not to spread it to others’, he added.

‘If you do feel very unwell, go to your GP. As it is a virus, antibiotics won’t have any effect.’

Unlike Covid, there is no vaccine yet or specific antiviral treatment for HMPV and treatment primarily involves managing symptoms.

Jaya Dantas, a professor of international health at Curtin University in Australia added: ‘We need to use a cautious and measured approach, as we know so much more since the Covid pandemic.

‘We need to get tested, stay home and away from others, wear a mask in public and protect our most vulnerable.

‘In young children, the elderly and those who are immune compromised, HMPV can lead to severe cases and can move to the lower respiratory tract and may lead to pneumonia.’

Other experts, however, cautioned that the rise in cases ‘is not something that should cause undue concern’.

Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, added: ‘HPMV has been known about since 2001, and has been circulating in humans for at least 50 years – probably a lot longer.

‘Unfortunately, it is associated with pneumonia, particularly in young children, but this is thankfully rare.’

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, also told MailOnline: ‘Almost every child will have at least one infection with HMPV by their fifth birthday and we can expect to go on to have multiple re-infections throughout life.

‘It is one of the leading viral causes of respiratory infections in children under five-year-olds.

‘In England, we have seen a fairly marked increase in recent weeks.’

However, he added: ‘One of the issues involved in these types of infection is that they are being diagnosed more frequently, so it is not always easy to know whether, year-on-year, increases are due to actual increases or just because we are diagnosing a greater proportion of infections.’

Health officials in Beijing have downplayed the developments as an annual winter occurrence.

But the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that rates of multiple flu-like illnesses are on the rise.

In its latest report, for the week of December 29, data suggested that 7.2 per cent of outpatient visits to local hospitals in northern provinces were due to a flu-like illness.

This was up 12 per cent on the previous week and above the levels for the same week every flu season since 2021.

Data for the southern part of the country suggested that 5.7 per cent of outpatient visits were due to flu-like illness.

This was up 21 per cent on the previous week, and also above the level for the same week in 2021 when 4.1 per cent of visits were due to flu-like illness.

It was, however, below the levels in 2022 and 2023.

The UK itself is currently battling its own tidal wave of flu. Surveillance programmes that monitor England’s outbreak suggest flu hospital admissions are quadruple that of a month ago.

Figures show that more than 4,500 beds alone were taken up by flu patients every day last week, up 3.5 times on the same week last year.

Of these, 211 were in critical care – up 69 per cent on the previous week.

Experts also said they expect ‘things to get worse before they get better’ given more people have socialised indoors over the Christmas and the New Year period.