The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule has warned government officials against the ‘get rich quick’ syndrome.

The Governor spoke on Tuesday when he hosted the state Deputy Governor, Emmanuel Akabe, who led a delegation of government officials to him on a Sallah homage in Gudi, Akwanga local government area.

He urged the government officials to join him in building the state.

“What I have noticed over and over is that people look for this quick money to come and they take the money and it doesn’t benefit them in any way whatsoever.

”The sad thing is for somebody to accumulate illegal wealth and then die. People don’t even know where the money is hidden,” he said.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to institutionalising policies and projects that would outlive his tenure.

Sule emphasised that he is taking every measure to ensure that investors coming into the state are protected even after he leaves office in 2027.

“We are doing everything to ensure that we protect some of the investors that are coming by putting some legal instruments that would protect investments.

”It is one of the reasons why the investors are showing interest to invest in the state,” he said.

The delegation was made up of commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistants, as well as heads of agencies, departments and parastatals.

The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the governance system in Nigeria, submitting that the government is not working for the people.

In an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, Obi insisted that Nigeria is not a democratic country.

The former Anambra State Governor submitted that it is simply a lie to describe what Nigeria is operating as democracy, stating that the country lacks the tenets and yardsticks of measuring democracy.

Naija News reports he lamented that the citizens are not getting any benefit from the government and their votes are not allowed to count at the polls.

According to him, Nigeria’s democracy had been progressing since 1999 but is now suffering a collapse under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“I have said it, and I maintain that there is no democracy in Nigeria today. Nigeria today is not a democratic country. Let’s stop telling ourselves lies. If you look at all the tenets and yardsticks measuring democracy, it doesn’t exist here.

“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Today, the government we have is not of the people.

“It is not by the people because the people didn’t vote. It wasn’t their votes. I’m not just talking about the presidency; it’s across the line. Look at what happened in Edo. Can you call that democracy?

“It is not the vote of the people. And it is not for the people. I have just told you that I went to an IDP camp where we have thousands of people. No primary health care.

“They were begging me to have one nurse, which I said I must make sure they have. They don’t even have a primary school, which again I have told them I will make sure it happens,” Obi said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), replacing Mallam Mele Kyari.
The announcement, made on Wednesday, comes as part of a sweeping overhaul of the NNPCL board, which also saw the removal of Chairman Chief Pius Akinyelure and all other board members appointed in November 2023.

The newly reconstituted 11-member board features Ahmadu Musa Kida as Non-Executive Chairman, alongside Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO.

Adedapo Segun, who succeeded Umaru Isa Ajiya as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) last year, has been retained as a member of the new board.

The board also includes six non-executive directors representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones:

North West: Bello Rabiu
North East: Yusuf Usman
North Central: Babs Omotowa, former MD of Nigeria LNG
South South: Austin Avuru
South West: David Ige
South East: Henry Obih
Additionally, Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the Ministry of Finance, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All appointments take effect from April 2, 2025.

Who is Bayo Ojulari?

Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari, who hails from Kwara State, brings over three decades of experience in the oil and gas sector to his new role.

Until his appointment, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. Under his leadership, Renaissance spearheaded a $2.4 billion acquisition of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) through a consortium of indigenous energy firms.

Ojulari is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He began his career with Elf Aquitaine, where he was the first Nigerian process engineer, and later joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991.

His international experience spans Europe and the Middle East, where he worked in various technical and leadership roles including strategic planner, asset manager, field developer, and production engineer.

In 2015, he was appointed Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

Ojulari has also served as Chairman and Board Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Smokers are being urged to kick the habit for 2025 after a fresh assessment of the harms of cigarettes found they shorten life expectancy even more than doctors thought.

Researchers at University College London found that on average a single cigarette takes about 20 minutes off a person’s life, meaning that a typical pack of 20 cigarettes can shorten a person’s life by nearly seven hours.

According to the analysis, if a smoker on 10 cigarettes a day quits on 1 January, they could prevent the loss of a full day of life by 8 January. They could boost their life expectancy by a week if they quit until 5 February and a whole month if they stop until 5 August. By the end of the year, they could have avoided losing 50 days of life, the assessment found.

“People generally know that smoking is harmful but tend to underestimate just how much,” said Dr Sarah Jackson, a principal research fellow at UCL’s alcohol and tobacco research group. “On average, smokers who don’t quit lose around a decade of life. That’s 10 years of precious time, life moments, and milestones with loved ones.”

Smoking is one of the world’s leading preventable causes of disease and death, killing up to two-thirds of long-term users. It causes about 80,000 deaths a year in the UK and a quarter of all cancer deaths in England.

The study, commissioned by the Department of Health, draws on the latest data from the British Doctors Study, which began in 1951 as one of the world’s first large studies into the effects of smoking, and the Million Women Study, which has tracked women’s health since 1996.

While an earlier assessment in the BMJ in 2000 found that on average a single cigarette reduced life expectancy by about 11 minutes, the latest analysis published in the Journal of Addictionnearly doubles the figure to 20 minutes – 17 minutes for men and 22 minutes for women.

“Some people might think they don’t mind missing out on a few years of life, given that old age is often marked by chronic illness or disability. But smoking doesn’t cut short the unhealthy period at the end of life,” Jackson told the Guardian. “It primarily eats into the relatively healthy years in midlife, bringing forward the onset of ill-health. This means a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.”

Although some smokers live long lives, others develop smoking-related diseases and even die from them in their 40s. The variation is driven by differences in smoking habits such as the type of cigarette used, the number of puffs taken and how deeply smokers inhale. People also differ in how susceptible they are to the toxic substances in cigarette smoke.

The authors stress that smokers must quit completely to get the full benefits to health and life expectancy. Previous work has shown there is no safe level of smoking: the risk of heart disease and stroke is only about 50% lower for people who smoke one cigarette a day compared with those who smoke 20 a day. “Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial, but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be,” they write.

The Department of Health said smokers could find advice, support and resources on the NHS Quit Smoking app and the online Personal Quit Plan, which tailors its advice to individual’s preferences.

Prof Sanjay Agrawal, a special adviser on tobacco at the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Every cigarette smoked costs precious minutes of life, and the cumulative impact is devastating, not only for individuals but also for our healthcare system and economy. This research is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the UK.”

The Guardian, UK

President Bola Tinubu has dissolved the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, removing Group CEO Mele Kyari and Chairman Pius Akinyelure alongside all other directors appointed in November 2023.

A new 11-member board was announced early Wednesday, with Bashir Bayo Ojulari taking over as Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as the new non-executive chairman. The changes, effective immediately, come as part of Tinubu’s push to “enhance efficiency, attract investment, and drive gas commercialisation”.

New Board Composition

The reshuffle introduces fresh faces, including:

- Adedapo Segun (Chief Financial Officer, retained from previous board)

- Bello Rabiu (North West),

• Yusuf Usman (North East),
• Babs Omotowa (North Central)

- Austin Avuru (South-South) -David Ige (South West)

-Henry Obih (South East)

- Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya (Federal Ministry of Finance)

- Aminu Said Ahmed (Ministry of Petroleum Resources)

Immediate Mandate: Strategic Review & Value Maximisation

Invoking his powers under the Petroleum Industry Act (2021), Tinubu directed the new board to conduct an urgent review of NNPC’s assets and joint ventures to ensure optimal performance and profitability.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who announced the changes via X, stated that the overhaul aims to restore investor confidence, boost local content, and accelerate Nigeria’s energy transition."

Famous Nollywood actress, Eniola Badmus, has revealed her future political ambitions.

The former plus-sized actress revealed her intention of becoming a senator in the near future in a recent Instagram post wherein she reminisced about her old body.

Badmus, who is the Special Assistant on Social Events and Public Hearings to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Tajudeen Abbas, also revealed her plan of becoming a minister in the future.

She wrote, “There are days when I miss my old body, the fullness, the softness, the way I took up space without hesitation. I miss how familiar it felt, how I knew its curves like the back of my hand, how certain outfits hugged me just right. There was comfort in that body, a sense of identity I never had to question.

“But then, I look at my new body, and I see growth not just physically, but emotionally. This body has carried me through change, through challenges, through moments of doubts and discovery. It moves differently, it feels different, but it is still mine. And just as I learned to love my body before, I am learning to love this one now.

“Missing who I was doesn’t take away from appreciating who I am becoming. Both versions of me deserve love, respect and kindness. And in this journey of transformation, I remind myself that no matter the size, my worth remained unchanged.

“Happy new month.

#incomingsenator

#incomingminister

#eniolabadmus.”

Recall that Eniola Badmus shocked Nigerians with her amazing transformation after sharing her inspiring weight loss journey from 170kg to 85kg in 2021

Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) have arrested two principal suspects involved in the killing of 16 Nigerians of Northern extraction in Uromi, Esan North-East local government area of Edo State last week.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the DSS in Uromi, following credible intelligence. Operatives of various security agencies were hunting for other key suspects involved in the unfortunate incidents

Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, had on Monday during a condolence visit to Kano State, revealed that 14 suspects had already been arrested in connection with the killing and were to be moved to Abuja for further interrogation.

Governor Okpebholo, who visited the State to condole with the government and families of the victims, had vowed that justice will be served and those involved in the killing will be brought to justice.

Governor Okpebholo had also assured families of the victims that adequate compensations will be paid.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday evening by the Edo State governor’s media office, said the two principal suspects arrested by officials of the DSS, have been transferred to Abuja, the nation’s capital, for further interrogation and prosecution by the relevant authorities.

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ordered a replay of the 2025 AFCON qualifier between Cameroon and Kenya after an extensive investigation uncovered credible evidence of match-fixing.

In an official letter addressed to the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), CAF revealed that FIFA’s Integrity and Compliance Unit, in collaboration with CAF and global sports integrity agencies, found irregularities in the match played on October 16, 2024, in Yaoundé.

A forensic review of match footage and intelligence reports highlighted instances of match manipulation involving multiple individuals.

Kenyan goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been specifically named, and his actions during the match raised significant concerns regarding compliance with FIFA’s anti-match-fixing regulations.

CAF will cover all expenses related to the replay to ensure no financial burden is placed on either federation.

The Cameroon vs. Kenya game will be replayed at a neutral venue within the next 60 days, to be determined by CAF.

Several Kenyan and Cameroonian players, including Matasi, were under formal investigation. If found guilty, they could face severe sanctions, including lifetime bans.

The Football Kenya Federation must fully cooperate with the investigation and provisionally suspend any implicated individuals from all FKF-sanctioned competitions.

Cameroon won both games against Kenya in the qualifiers with a 0-1 away win before beating the East Africans 4-1 in the reverse fixture en route to qualifying for the 2025 AFCON.

Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has declared that she is “not a bastard” and “not afraid of anyone” while addressing a massive crowd of supporters during her homecoming in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State on Tuesday afternoon.

Her return came amid heightened political tension, as the Kogi State Government and Police Command had earlier imposed a ban on public gatherings, citing security concerns. In response, the chairman of Okehi LGA, Hon. Amoka Eneji, also imposed a curfew on the LGA in a bid to halt Natasha’s planned homecoming and Sallah celebration with her constituents.

Switching between Ebira and English languages, she declared, “I am glad I came home. And nobody and nothing can stop me from coming home.”

The crowd erupted in cheers as she reaffirmed her identity and connection to Kogi Central.

“I am an Ebira person. Dr. Akpoti is my father. I know my home. I am not a bastard,” she stated emphatically.

Reiterating her stance, she continued, “I am an Ebira girl. This is my land. I am the daughter of the late Dr. Jimoh Akpoti. I am not a bastard, and I am not afraid of anybody.”

Natasha’s visit came amid a ban on public gatherings imposed by the Kogi State Government on Monday, citing potential threats to public peace. In a move to enforce the ban, Okehi LGA Chairman, Hon. Amoka Eneji, declared a curfew across the council area in an attempt to prevent Natasha’s homecoming event.

Despite the restrictions apparently to stop her planned homecoming Sallah party, Natasha’s supporters defied the curfew, turning out in large numbers to welcome her back.

“Yesterday, we heard on the news that rallies, gatherings will not be allowed, that roads will be blocked, and convoys leading into the state will not be allowed. I knew that we were the targets. But then I said, this is not political season, this is not campaign time,” the embattled lawmaker said.

“We are not having a rally. This is just me, the senator representing Kogi Central, coming down to her people to celebrate this festive time – the Sallah with you, and there is nothing wrong with that. I am breaking no law. This is Nigeria. We have the right to be free, to express our choice in gatherings and celebrations.”

The Nigerian Army has announced the commencement of online registration for its 89 Regular Recruits Intake Exercise for trades, non-tradesmen and women.

The recruitment exercise which was made public on Monday via the Army’s official X handle, aimed at enlisting qualified candidates for the positions.

According to the Army, the registration period will run from March 31 to May 7, 2025, encouraging interested individuals to apply via the official recruitment portal at https://recruitment.army.mil.ng.

In a detailed breakdown of the eligibility criteria, the Nigerian Army emphasised that applicants must be single Nigerian citizens by birth and possess a valid National Identity Card (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN).

Interested candidates must also be medically, physically, and psychologically fit in accordance with the Army’s standards, and must not have any criminal conviction by a court of law.

Also, applicants must have at least four passes, including English Language, in WASSEC/NECO/GCE/NABTEB, and tradesmen/women must possess a valid trade test/certificate.

Applicants must present a valid birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission, hospital, or local government council as part of the application requirements.

The announcement also gave the age limit at 18-22 years for non-tradesmen/women, and 18-26 years for tradesmen/women, and such persons’ minimum height requirements are 1.68m for male candidates and 1.65m for female candidates.

A state of origin certificate is also required as part of the requirements.

The Nigerian Army reaffirmed that the recruitment process is entirely free of charge, warning applicants against making payments to any individual or group claiming to influence the selection process.

“Candidates are advised to conduct their own due diligence and not engage in any form of financial transaction to secure recruitment,” the statement read.

The Army also stated that successful recruits will enjoy several benefits, including career opportunities in the military, regular and enhanced pay allowances, opportunities for further education and interaction with people from diverse backgrounds.

Other benefits include health and insurance housing in choice locations across Nigeria, pension and gratuity upon retirement, and the opportunity to serve the nation within and outside Nigeria.

Interested candidates must apply via the official portal https://recruitment.army.mil.ng.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a screening exercise from June 2 to June 19, 2025, at their respective states of origin.

To maintain the integrity of the recruitment process, the Army warned that all documents submitted will be thoroughly verified by the appropriate issuing authorities.

“All those with fake documents will be handed over to the police for prosecution,” the Army cautioned.

The Nigerian Army also reminded applicants that there will be no pre-selection computer-based test, and all shortlisted candidates must participate in the physical screening exercise at designated centers.

The Army’s announcement concluded with an appeal to young Nigerians to take advantage of this opportunity to contribute to national security and territorial integrity.

“Join the Nigerian Army and contribute to the preservation and protection of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Army stated