Big Brother Naija reality star, Tolani Baj, has expressed readiness for a romantic relationship.

Co-hosting the latest episode of the Bahd And Boujee Podcast with actress Moet Abebe, Tolanibaj lamented her difficulty in finding love.

“I don’t understand how my man is out there like your missing rib is still missing. I’m your rib. How are you surviving without your missing rib? You’ve peace of mind, you can sleep without your missing rib? I’m tired, I’m ready to complete you,” she said.

Abebe asked, “Are you sure that you’re putting yourself out there strategically?”

Tolanibaj replied, “I don’t care about strategy. This is the thing about Lagos. That’s why I said Lagos is dirty. Why do I’ve to be strategic? Why can’t a man just see me and say this is her, this is my rib that I’ve been looking for?

“I’m beautiful, I don’t play games. I’m ready to be loved. I pray that in season 3 of this podcast my missing rib would have found me.”

The Naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market on Friday to end the week on a positive note after nine days of depreciation.

FMDQ data showed that the Naira gained at N1505.30 against the dollar on Friday from N1510.10 traded on Thursday.

This represents an N4.8 gain against the dollar compared to the N1510.10 traded the previous day.

Similarly, the Naira saw a gain and traded N1515 against the dollar at the foreign exchange market on Friday.

This is the first time the Naira has appreciated since June 18, 2024, when it traded at N1482.72 per dollar at the official forex market.

The development comes as Nigeria’s external reserves rose to a record high of $34.07 billion on June 26, 2024.

The Federal Government has received at least 103 Nigerians deported from Turkey over migration related issues.

Some of the issues were expired visas, irregular migration, among others.

Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NCFRMI stated this on Friday during the deportees’ profiling in Abuja. 

Represented by Amb. Catherine Udida, the Director Migration Affairs in the commission, Ahmed said that the commission expected 110 deportees but received 103, all males.

“Some of them have been in the deportation camp for some months, and now that they are here, we are hoping to follow up on all the allegations gathered in their profiling.

“We will go through the profiling forms, because some of them have said that their passports were seized.

“We are going to follow up with the Turkish authority, because the passports are still the property of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he assured.

According to him, the NCFRMI is the mandate agency responsible for all returnees, irrespective of their status.

“We equally have a programme where we train them and thereafter reintegrate them into the society”, the Federal Commissioner stated.

Seriake Dickson, a senator representing Bayelsa West District in the National Assembly on Friday described those behind oil theft in the Niger Delta as “big players” who reside outside the region.

The Senator, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the allegation at Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta while visiting the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oboro-Gbaraun II, Aketepe, Agadagba.

Dickson said although Ijaw youths were tagged to be behind oil theft, they lacked the capacity and technical know-how to understand how pipelines operate.

“Those big players behind the crude oil theft are not from the region but are based in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the world,” he said.

He explained that the Ijaw people were living in the creeks, earning their daily livelihood on the waterways and farmlands when the alleged thieves polluted the land with their nefarious activities.

“We have no means and no capacity to engage in the high-level operations that result in the daily loss of Nigerian crude oil produced from our place.

“Those who have the capacity to compromise and infiltrate the national security system and infiltrate the national petroleum system; those who have the capacity to hire the tankers and shuttle vessels, they are not Ijaws.

“We do not have the capacity to do that! We do not even have the experience to be involved in that kind of operation,” he said.

The legislator, who is also the state ex-governor, said such high-level operations needed a lot of resources, coordination, funding and international networking.

He, however, urged Nigeria to step up her game in the international arena by pushing for the designation of her stolen crude oil.

“Those who, on a daily basis under declare what is produced; those who have refused to properly monitor and record what is produced for over 50 or 60 years should take the blame.

“It is not the Ijaw youth – harmless people without the capacity and without the technical know-how,” he said.

He, however, commended the traditional ruler for ensuring peace in his kingdom and the entire Niger Delta.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dickson also visited Dr Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, founder of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL).

He commended Ekpemupolo for the wonderful job he had been doing with his private security outfit, TSSNL, to boost the nation’s oil revenue and ensure the regeneration of the region’s ecosystem. (NAN)

Former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has called on the federal government to consider scrapping the local government system if state governors continue to hinder its effective operation.

Ogbeh highlighted concerns over the inefficiency of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, citing issues of governance control and alleged mismanagement of funds by governors. He emphasized that little improvement has been seen despite calls for local government autonomy and recent legal actions against governors for misusing local government funds.

Speaking on the socio-political programme “Inside Sources with Laolu Akande” on Channels Television, Ogbeh, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed frustration over disappearing funds meant for local government administration. He criticized the lack of visible development projects despite significant federal allocations.

“If we don’t want the local government system, let’s scrap it. But if allowed to function properly, it could be a fantastic system,” Ogbeh asserted.

He urged the federal government to withhold monthly allocations to states where governors appoint caretaker committees for local government administration, labelling such committees illegal according to Supreme Court rulings.

“Don’t send them cash; deduct their allocations and retain it,” Ogbeh insisted. He argued that governors failing to manage local government affairs adequately undermine national stability and development.

“These failures are creating dangerous problems for the country,” he concluded, emphasizing the urgent need for effective governance at the grassroots level to benefit all Nigerians.

An Immigration officer, Dabiet Onyemi Gilbert, has been sentenced to one year in prison for defrauding a job seeker of N800,000. 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted Gilbert on a one-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence. After receiving a petition from the victim and conducting an investigation, the EFCC brought the case to court, leading to Gilbert's conviction.

Justice H.H. Kereng of the Gombe State High Court who presided over the case, handed down the sentence after listening to testimonies. 

The Oyo State Government has approved the recruitment of 7,500 teachers and 3,000 non-teaching staff for the state’s post-primary education sector, aiming to enhance its quality.

Akinade Alamu, Chairperson of the Oyo State Post-Primary Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), announced this on Friday in Ibadan. He emphasized that the recruitment will be merit-based and encouraged all qualified candidates, including those with physical challenges, to apply.

Alamu highlighted the importance of merit-based employment for quality education and stressed the necessity of adhering to the application guidelines. He cautioned applicants against applying for both categories simultaneously, stating that each candidate must choose either the teaching or non-teaching category.

Interested candidates with the required credentials can apply through the provided link within a two-week period. Applicants must have a National Identification Number, a functional email, and phone numbers, among other requirements.

Audu Ogbeh asks FG to stop payment of LGA funds to governors with caretaker committees
The recruitment process includes an online application, a CBT examination, and an oral interview. Alamu praised Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde for approving the mass recruitment initiative.

“Oyo State government’s huge investment in the education sector is yielding positive results as our students are doing well on all fronts. Therefore, the government is set to recruit more teachers, in addition to those on ground,” he said.

According to Mr Alamu, the recruitment exercise is being supervised by an inter-ministerial committe that would ensure a seamless exercise.

The Permanent Secretary, TESCOM, Haroon Lawal, was quoted as saying that the recruitment is aimed at fortifying the teaching and non-teaching sector of the state’s secondary education.

At least 30 British citizens of Nigerian origin will be on the ballot in the United Kingdom’s elections scheduled for Thursday, July 4.

An analysis of the list of candidates by a UK election data supplier, Democracy Club, showed that 20 British-Nigerians will be representing mainstream parties, including the Labour Party, the Conservatives Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the Reform UK, while the rest are from smaller parties or contesting as independents.

The new Parliament is expected to be the most diverse in Britain’s history as more ethnic minorities, including Nigerians, in mainstream and fringe parties, are making strong overtures to the electorate with persuasive manifestos.

To stand as a candidate in a UK Parliamentary General Election, a candidate must be at least 18 years old and a citizen of a commonwealth country who does not require leave to enter or remain in the UK, or has indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Some of the candidates are seeking re-elections to the parliament, others are appearing on the ballot paper for the first time, hoping to get the votes of their constituencies.

A yet-to-be-identified suspected electricity vandal has been electrocuted while attempting to steal transformer cable which belong to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.

A statement on Friday by the Head, Corporate Communications of EEDC, Emeka Ezeh, said the incident happened in the early hours of Friday.

Ezeh, who described the incident as “tragic and very unfortunate,” lamented the increasing rate at which vandals attack electricity installations within the EEDC’s network daily.

Ezeh said, “In the early hours of today (Friday), the lifeless body of a yet-to-be-identified vandal suspect was found within the space of a distribution transformer belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc located around Missionary Avenue, Coal Camp, Enugu.

“From all indications, it is presumed that the power supply must have been restored while the deceased was cutting the armoured cables, which resulted in him being electrocuted.

“Vandalism has been a big challenge to the company, and there is no way this can be addressed without the support of critical stakeholders.”

Ezeh lamented the increasing rate at which criminals plunder electricity installations within EEDC’s network daily, noting that it has adversely impacted not just the quality of service to its customers but also its revenue.

Meanwhile, the organisation in a statement on Friday, said, “The attention of the EEDC has been drawn to a video circulating on the social media space, made by one Mazi Okechukwu Cyril Nwuche who claims to be a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, and the Anambra State Chairman of South East Electricity Consumers Association, purporting that EEDC is calling on its customers to apply for a free prepaid metre.

“This information is not only incorrect but laced with mischief aimed at misleading unsuspecting customers and creating confusion within the space.

“Whilst EEDC encourages its customers in need of meters to apply and have their premises metered, it is important that they are armed with the right information, and that they also understand the procedure in place for metre acquisition.”

The Ikorodu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos State has approved the request of Mohbad’s family to conduct a second autopsy.

This development comes after the family expressed dissatisfaction with the initial autopsy results, which were deemed inconclusive.

Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, at age 27, under controversial circumstances.

Following public demand for clarity on his cause of death, his body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

According to reports from The Cable Lifestyle, the samples from Mohbad’s gastric content, blood, bone marrow, liver, kidney, and lung were collected for toxicological analysis.

The anatomical and pathological examination disclosed an injury on his right forearm, and it was noted that his body, exhumed after moderate to severe decomposition, showed no significant findings that could determine the cause of death.

The toxicology report indicated the presence of Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, but its concentration was not at a fatal level. Antihistamines are typically used to treat allergy symptoms and other conditions like stomach issues, colds, and anxiety.

The report concluded that the exact cause of death could not be established, but it suggested a possible drug reaction due to the lack of significant findings in both the post-mortem and toxicology reports. Notably, the body had neither undergone an autopsy nor been embalmed before burial on the second day after death.

However, the family rejected the initial autopsy report due to its failure to determine the cause of death.

During a recent hearing on June 26, 2024, the Ikorodu Magistrate’s Court granted permission for a second autopsy, allowing Mohbad’s family and their legal representatives to pursue further investigation into his cause of death.