The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has confirmed that suspended Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has started making peace warm-ups in the wake of a protracted political crisis that rocked the oil-rich state earlier this year.

Speaking during a media parley with select journalists on Monday at his Abuja residence, Wike disclosed that Fubara recently visited him in company of two other governors and an elder statesman as part of his reconciliatory moves.

The FCT Minister, however, said that while he is open to peace, genuine reconciliation must go beyond symbolic visits.

“Yes, he came with two governors and one elder person. Unfortunately, the two governors are APC governors. So, I will not pursue him. He said he wants peace. That’s fine. I also want peace,” Wike stated.

Wike’s comments came months after the political standoff between him and his estranged political protege, Fubara, plunged Rivers State into a constitutional crisis.

The crisis escalated when President Bola Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, the Rivers State House of Assembly, and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.

President Tinubu subsequently appointed an interim administrator to oversee the state’s affairs for a period of six months, a development that drew both criticism and support from politicians and stakeholders nationwide.

Though details of the crisis remain layered in political intrigue, it is believed that the falling-out between Wike and Fubara stemmed from disagreements over political control, loyalty, and governance style.

Wike, who is an influential member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had handpicked Fubara as his successor, but their relationship deteriorated over alleged plans by Fubara to hijack his political structure in Rivers.

However, while making remarks on Monday, Wike stressed that genuine peace must be reflected in actions, not just rhetoric.

He frowned on alleged ongoing protests and media attacks reportedly orchestrated by Fubara’s loyalists, which he said contradicted the spirit of reconciliation.

“I told him, ‘Look, I don’t think you have the capacity to really make this peace.’ That’s why when I read what I read yesterday, I felt so bad. Why? If you are making peace, your people are demonstrating every day; if you are making peace, your people are busy on television insulting people. How do you feel in that case?” Wike asked.

He further said, “You must take steps. Have you met the assembly people? There are leaders you should meet. It is not to say, ‘I want peace.’ You must show it by conduct and action.”

Wike further alleged that Fubara was misled by other governors in the early stages of the crisis, suggesting that those who goaded him into confrontation have since abandoned him.

He said, “Governors came pushing him, where are they now? I think the governors are enjoying their own. Fubara is a young man. I warned him, saying, look, go this way, go this way and you will not have problems.”

The FCT Minister maintained that he remained committed to President Tinubu’s peace directive but stressed that all parties must act in good faith for a lasting resolution.

“The President has called for peace severally and I cannot sit down when the President has called for peace and I say, ‘I don’t want peace,’” Wike noted.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has disclosed that a total of 162 individuals lost their lives in various emergency incidents across Lagos State between January 1, 2024 and March 30, 2025.

This was revealed in a detailed operational report released by the agency through its spokesperson, Nosa Okunbor. 

According to the report, the Pre-Hospital Care Unit of the agency attended to 5,366 cases during the 15-month period.

While 5,204 victims were successfully rescued and treated, 162 persons were confirmed dead.

Among the deceased were 124 adult males and 30 adult females, as well as 6 male and 2 female children.

“In the year under review, the Pre-Hospital Care Unit of the Agency attended to 5,366 cases during operations between 1st January 2024 and 30th March 2025. Out of this number, 162 were recovered dead, while 5,204 victims were successfully rescued and treated by the agency’s pre-hospital care.

“From the 162 dead that were recovered, 124 were adult males, 30 were adult females, and 6 male and 2 female children were also lost. Out of the rescued and treated 5,204 victims of various incidents, there are 1,801 adult males, 1,691 adult females, 131 male children, and 1,581 female children,” LASEMA stated.

From January to April 2025 alone, the unit attended to 1,031 injured persons, comprising 420 adult males, 603 adult females, and 8 children.

In the same four-month span, 45 fatalities were recorded — 38 adult males and 7 adult females.

In total, LASEMA responded to 2,143 emergency incidents between January 2024 and April 2025.

Of this number, 1,675 incidents occurred in 2024, while 468 cases were handled between January and April 2025.

“Out of the 5,366 cases recorded during operations in the last 16 months, 1,031 injured were rescued and attended between 1st of January and 30th of April, 2025.

“From this number, 420 adult males and 603 females were attended to in the last four months, while 6 male and 2 female children were attended to between 1st January and 30th April, 2025.

“However, in the same period of time, 45 deaths were recorded in the last four months. This comprised 38 adult males and 7 adult females,” the agency noted.

The most common emergencies attended in 2025 included road accidents (147 cases), truck/tanker incidents (110), fire disasters (94), and medical emergencies (63). April 2025 alone saw 121 incidents, with road accidents again topping the list.

A closer look at local government areas revealed Alimosho, Lagos’ most populous LGA, led in recorded cases with 332 incidents, followed by Ikeja (242), Eti-Osa (221), and Kosofe (181).

LASEMA also reported its continued operations across multiple specialised response units, such as the Eagle Base (Cappa), Tiger Unit (Alausa), Shark Unit (Lekki), Cobra Unit (Onipanu), Dolphin Squad (Igando), Whale Unit (Epe), and Lion Squad (Agbowa).

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, said the energy giant will resume crude oil drilling activities at the Kolmani oil field, located on the border between Bauchi and Gombe States.

Ajulari made the disclosure in an interview on the BBC.

Recall that in 2022, the NNPC, under the leadership of Mele Kyari focused on resuming oil exploration at the Kolmani Oil Field.

According to the state-owned company, the Kolmani project aims to diversify Nigeria’s oil production beyond the Niger Delta and tap into a potential one billion barrels of crude oil.

Speaking to BCC, the GCEO disclosed that preparations are already underway to relaunch the project.

Ojulari said, “We will continue to work with the government in Kolmani and other areas. Besides the oil drilling work, we will also ensure that we complete the gas pipeline project from Ajaokuta to Kano.

“The projects would allow the previously closed businesses to be reopened so that they could continue to operate and open new ones.

“This will create benefits in the region, which will lead to the benefit of everyone because the wealth will grow. We have to go back and carry on with this work.”

Ojulari expressed NNPC’s readiness to revive the project.

The GCEO said that Northerners viewed the drilling in the North as a move toward gaining a stronger foothold in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Crude oil drilling is historically dominated by the South.

Ojulari’s move to restart the project comes at a crucial moment as Nigeria grapples with economic challenges and seeks to increase domestic crude production and enhance energy security.

Ojulari also said the NNPC has resolved its feud with the Dangote refinery.

“We, as Nigerians, must hail Dangote’s courageous efforts. Whatever he is investing in, he is doing it in Africa“. We have addressed the feud between the NNPC and the Dangote Refinery. Very soon, people will start seeing the impact.

“We are cooperating, and better days are ahead. Marketers will buy fuel at the refinery any time they want. If there are any obstacles, we will address them. It won’t be in the news anymore that NNPC and Dangote are fighting; now, we are working together for the interests of Nigerians.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a major crackdown on UK immigration to reduce migration numbers through tougher rules on work and study visas.

Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street on Monday, Starmer said the country needed a “clean break from the past” to fix a “broken” immigration system.

He pledged that net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the year to June 2024, according to the UK Home Office, would fall “significantly” under his government.

“Migration will fall, that’s a promise. Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control. Enforcement will be tougher than ever,” he stated.

The Prime Minister said that under the new plans, overseas care workers would no longer be eligible for UK visas.

“For years, we’ve had a system that encourages businesses to bring in lower-paid workers rather than invest in our young people. That is the Britain this broken system has created. It ends now,” Starmer said.

Other key measures include raising the English language requirement for visa applicants and extending the minimum period of residency required to apply for permanent settlement from five to ten years.

Starmer said the changes would “back British workers” and reward “those who genuinely contribute to Britain’s growth and society. Settlement in this country must be a privilege that is earned, not a right automatically granted.”

The announcement comes ahead of the publication of the government’s long-awaited immigration White Paper later today, which is expected to lay out the full details of the policy shift.

Some proposals may require new legislation and are unlikely to take effect until the next parliamentary session in 2026.

The government aims to cut the number of lower-skilled workers entering the UK by 50,000 next year, with immediate changes expected in the care sector. However, critics have raised concerns about the impact on staffing in key industries.

Amy Clark, commercial director of a care home chain in Cornwall, told BBC Radio 4 that ending overseas recruitment would create “significant problems”.

“We are very reliant on foreign workers,” she said. “Recruiting locally is very, very difficult,” she said.

This should be one of the areas of agreement by both the Labour and UK Conservative Party who are currently advocating for a deportation bill to curb immigration.

Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, had on Friday called on Starmer to adopt a bill proposed by her party that would stop about two million immigrants from getting automatic British citizenship by next year.

“From next year, two million immigrants could automatically claim British citizenship. That’s nearly twice the population of Birmingham,” Badenoch stated.

“We’ve introduced a deportation bill because we are committed to bringing immigration down.”

The bill, unveiled on May 6, outlines strict measures to reduce immigration.

Among its key provisions are the deportation of all foreign criminals, mandatory age checks, tighter visa regulations, limiting the use of the Human Rights Act in immigration cases, making asylum support repayable, and denying permanent residency to those dependent on government benefits.

Badenoch had previously proposed a stricter immigration policy that would extend the waiting period for British citizenship to 15 years.

Meanwhile, the Home Office is expected to publish the full immigration White Paper by the Labour governmentlater on Monday.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike has accused some governors of instigating the lingering political crisis in Rivers State.

At a media briefing on Monday, Wike attributed the face-off between him and the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to the influence of some governors.

The minister, who confirmed that Fubara has commenced a peace move by visiting him with two governors from the All Progressives Congress, APC, mocked Fubara, saying those who pushed him are still enjoying their seats while he is out in the cold.

“Governors came pushing him, where are they now? I think the governors are enjoying their own.

“Fubara is a young man, I warned him saying, look, go this way, go this way and you will not have problems.”

Wike also stated that the lifting of the state of emergency earlier imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu may not end the crisis.

He said, “Assuming that we don’t settle this problem and the state of emergency is called off, has it ended the problems? No, because the Assembly will still be as firm as they have been.

“So the crisis will still be there, they will not pass your budget.”

The UK government has raised the residency requirement for permanent citizenship from 5 to 10 years, sparking policy debate.

The British government has announced a significant overhaul of its immigration and citizenship policies, proposing that migrants must reside in the UK for at least ten years before becoming eligible for citizenship. Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that residency in the UK is a “privilege, not a right.

The new policy, which doubles the current five-year residency requirement, includes exceptions for individuals who have made a “substantial contribution” to the British economy or society. Professionals such as nurses, engineers, AI specialists, and other high-skilled workers may qualify for an expedited path to permanent residency.

A key element of the plan is the extension of English language requirements to all adult dependents for the first time. The reforms were included in UK “White Paper on Immigration,” aimed at curbing overall net migration.

According to Sky News, the reforms are designed to signal a decisive break from past approaches. Starmer is expected to stress the need for immigrants to integrate and contribute meaningfully, saying the new framework will lead to “lower net migration, higher skills, and stronger support for British workers.”

The changes come amid growing public pressure on the government to address both legal and illegal migration, particularly in light of the rise in popularity of the Reform UK Party.

Under the current system, migrants can apply for permanent residency after five years, and for citizenship 12 months later. In 2024, 162,000 people were granted permanent residency, while 270,000 were naturalized as citizens—an increase of nearly one-third from the previous year.

The proposed model, referred to as “contribution-based citizenship,” aims to reward individuals who pay higher taxes or serve in priority sectors. The Home Office is also considering fast-track options for community leaders and other public contributors.

While the specifics are still under review and will be subject to public consultation later this year, the overarching goal is to tie citizenship eligibility more closely to economic and social contributions, rather than just time spent in the country.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared that ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has questions to answer over an alleged naira abuse.

In a post shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, the anti-corruption agency emphasized that the law applies to everyone, stating: “Nobody is above the law. Tompolo will have questions to answer!”

The post included an image reportedly showing the naira being misused.

Controversy arose after a video surfaced online on Sunday, posted by user Harrison A, who tweets as #harreceipts.

The clip, which quickly went viral, was captioned: “EFCC, see Tompolo and the Naira o.”

The footage, said to be from Tompolo’s 54th birthday celebration in April, shows him dancing while another man sprays ₦1,000 notes in his direction—a practice the EFCC has previously condemned as naira mutilation.

The EFCC has previously acted against other high-profile figures for similar offenses.

Lagos socialite Emeka Okonkwo, popularly known as E-Money, was arrested for allegedly spraying both naira and U.S. dollars.

More recently, Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo and comedian Ayo Makun (AY) were also invited for questioning over currency-related allegations.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party has no path to victory in the 2027 elections unless it confronts internal divisions and selfish agendas.

Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and a prominent PDP figure, issued the warning during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday.

He expressed deep concern over what he described as the party’s self-inflicted wounds and leadership failure.

“Leadership is key, if you don’t show the right leadership you will suffer for it and this is what I have been saying,” Wike stated, lamenting what he perceives as a vacuum of strategic direction in the party.

He criticized the backlash faced by the current governor of Delta State and his predecessor over their political choices, particularly the decision to support President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

“When people talk about the governor of Delta State and his predecessor moving out of PDP to APC, what wrong did he do? That he said he was going to support Tinubu, that was the crime.”

Wike further questioned the silence over similar political alignments within the PDP itself.

“But the Chairman of the BoT who is the conscience of the party adopted Otti for second tenure. Why are people not commenting about that?
The Chairman of PDP BoT adopted Alex Otti, governor under Labour Party, for second tenure.”

He accused the PDP leadership of tolerating impunity and failing to function like a serious opposition party ready to challenge the ruling APC.

“No opposition party allows impunity, it’s only the ruling party. Opposition is going to organize itself to take over the affairs of government.
How many times have they made efforts? How many people have you wooed? Rather they are after Wike; they abandoned what they are supposed to do – the only crime is that Wike is a minister under APC government.”

Highlighting his own contributions, Wike reminded the party of his political strength during the 2023 general elections.

“I’m the only former governor who did not support the presidential candidate but made sure PDP won 100 percent in the governorship, State Assembly and National Assembly.
Let any sitting governor or former governor come out to say that happened in their states.”

He issued a stern warning to PDP leaders about the consequences of exclusionary politics and internal manipulation.

“If PDP doesn’t take care, watch out for what will happen because selfish interest can kill an organization. You haven’t won an election but you are excluding people.”

Wike ended with a foreboding note, suggesting that the same miscalculations that cost the PDP dearly in 2023 are being repeated.

“You want to play the same game you played in 2023, it will backfire. I have told people that this smartness will not help you. Wike is telling you now to stop this smartness.”

Popular Nollywood actor and producer, Femi Adebayo, has presented his recent victories at the 11th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards to his father and veteran actor, Adebayo Salami.

Adebayo’s latest movie series, Seven Doors, emerged one of the biggest winners at the prestigious event held on Saturday, clinching three awards — Best Lead Actor (Femi Adebayo), Best Lead Actress (Chioma Chukwuka), and Best Score/Music (Tolu Obanro).

On Monday, Femi shared a heartwarming video on Facebook showing the moment he squatted before his father, who held the AMVCA trophies and offered prayers for him.

The touching moment resonated with fans, many of whom applauded the actor’s display of humility and gratitude.

“There are moments awards can’t measure—like this one. Humbled beyond words as my father, Alhaji Adebayo Salami and my dear mothers poured prayers over me today,” Femi’s caption read.

“Seven Doors may have triumphed at #AMVCA2025, but the true foundation of everything I am… is right here.
Their sacrifices, their prayers, their love—without them, there is no me. This win is ours,” he added.

Despite the celebration, not all reactions have been entirely positive. A fan, tweeting under the handle #OriretanHonour, suggested that Adebayo should consider featuring his father less in his productions. The tweet read in part: “Good job but limit featuring your dad always not to ruin your work.”

The movie, which had garnered 11 nominations, has been praised for its storytelling and performances however a fan, tweeting under the handle #OriretanHonour on X.com, suggested that Adebayo should consider featuring his father less in his productions.

The fan wrote on Sunday, “Femi Adebayo, the way your Seven Doors is bagging awards without promo needs to be studied. Jagun Jagun was greatly promoted but Seven Doors just suddenly popped up, took everyone unaware yet is the biggest. Good job but limit featuring your dad always not to ruin your work. Congrats but be wise.”

In his response Femi defended his decision, stating, “I appreciate the love and the concern. But let me gently say, success doesn’t have to wear noise all the time. Seven Doors has won and will keep winning because it is built on solid storytelling, not just hype.

“As for featuring my dad, Dr. Adebayo Salami (PhD) a living legend. If having a master of the craft in my work ‘ruins’ it for you, maybe the problem isn’t the casting, it’s your understanding of legacy and excellence. Oh yeah, let me add, na God dey promote, and when grace speaks, even silence trends. Thanks for the congrats.”

Seven Doors is a Nigerian historical drama series directed by Femi Adebayo, Adebayo Tijani and Tope Adebayo. It follows King Adedunjoye, a reluctant monarch whose reign is haunted by a generational curse.

To break it, he must marry six more wives—opening “seven doors”—despite his deep love for his wife, Amaka.

Popular Nollywood actor, Adeniyi Johnson, has recounted how he narrowly escaped an attempted robbery in Lagos State upon his return to Nigeria.

The actor narrated how the incident happened on his Instagram account on Monday.

Sharing a video and an image to show the damages done to his car, the 47-year-old actor noted that the situation could have been worse if he were not “smart and at alert”.

The film star also revealed that the attack happened in a flash, with three armed thugs surrounding his car and attempting to vandalise it. 

“Story time again. Lagos needs better security than those stop and search that ask oga how weekend anything for us. Got back to the country I mean my country and na robbery dem take welcome me, imagine o.

“Thank God for smartness and alertness! If not, the attached video would have been worse! It all happened within 15 seconds. I heard a big bang on my windshield, and the next thing I saw were 3 thugs all over my car.

“Trust me they were more but that was all my eyes out of fear could count! 1 on the driver’s side and 2 on the other side. From both sides I heard ‘yo mirror e’ (remove the mirror) and the other side ‘fo glass e’ (break the windshield). All these happened because of two ‘mumu’ trailers with smoke occupying the whole road and not driving on their lanes! While looking for a way to manoeuvre and overtake, I fell victim o. This happened after Alapere,” he wrote.

The actor also disclosed that this was the second time he had experienced such an incident this year.

“Once you descend from the third mainland bridge and approach the secretariat before Magodo. Guys please stay woke and be safe. The only damage done is the last slide. God is God. Ekule o.

“I forgot to mention this is the second time I’m experiencing this. The first time was April around 7:15 pm. Today’s own was around 11 pm. God keep keeping us,” he added.