Author: Ayo

Nigerian music stars have made a sweeping statement at the 67th Grammy Awards nominations, occupying all but one spot in the Best African Music Performance category. The nominees were announced on Friday, November 8. _Category Nominees_ – Yemi Alade – “Tomorrow” – Asake featuring Wizkid – “MMS” – Chris Brown featuring Davido and Lojay – “Sensational” – Burna Boy – “Higher” – Tems – “Love Me JeJe” American artist Chris Brown made the cut with his song “Sensational,” featuring Nigerian stars Davido and Lojay. Rema and Tems also secured nominations in the Best Global Music Album category for their albums…

The Plateau State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has wrapped up its ember months safety campaign, tagged “Speak Up Against Dangerous Driving: Crashes Kill More Passengers Than Drivers.” The campaign, which kicked off on November 6, 2024, in Jos, aimed to reduce road accidents during the peak travel season. *Campaign Highlights* – Press briefing and town hall meeting to sensitize the public – Distribution of fliers and motorcade carnival to raise awareness – Call to action for travellers to report reckless driving Sector Commander Maxwell Plateau emphasized the need for behavioural change among drivers, stressing that passengers…

Nigeria’s Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and other relevant agencies to immediately implement the recommendations of the inter-agency committee to address the persistent national grid collapses. The minister’s order comes after the national grid experienced its 11th collapse this year, causing widespread power outages across the country. The investigative panel revealed that poor maintenance culture, inadequate and aged equipment, and other challenges are the underlying reasons for the incessant grid collapses. The panel outlined recommendations to be achieved in one month, six months, and one year, including reviewing relaying philosophy, capacity development…

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has sounded the alarm, declaring 2024 “virtually certain” to surpass 2023 as the world’s warmest year since records began. This dire prediction comes ahead of the UN COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, where nations will convene to discuss crucial funding increases to combat climate change. However, the recent U.S. presidential election outcome, with Donald Trump’s victory, has tempered expectations for meaningful progress at the summit. The COP29 talks aim to secure commitments from countries to reduce their reliance on CO2-emitting fossil fuels and transition to cleaner energy sources. According to C3S Director Carlo…

Following President Bola Tinubu’s reprieve on Monday, several minors aged 14-17, arrested during August’s #EndBadGovernance protests, recounted their traumatic experiences in custody to The PUNCH. The minors, arrested for alleged treason and inciting mutiny, described their experiences as “hellish.” Umar Ali, 15, said, “We saw hell; we suffered a lot. We sometimes stayed for three days without food. And even when we were given food, it was always not enough.” Ali denied involvement in the protest, stating he was arrested while heading to the market. Ibrahim Aliyu Musa, another minor, revealed they were kept with hardened criminals and often went…

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has extended warm congratulations to Donald Trump on his re-election as the 47th President of the United States. In a statement titled ‘President Tinubu Congratulates President-elect Trump,’ Tinubu expressed eagerness to strengthen ties between Nigeria and the US amidst global challenges and opportunities. Tinubu emphasized his anticipation of closer collaboration with the US to tackle global challenges and enhance economic cooperation. “Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens,” he stated. Tinubu believes Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership.…

Nigeria’s national power grid suffered its 10th collapse since January 2024, leaving millions without electricity. The latest incident occurred at 1:50 pm on Tuesday, with power generation dropping from 3,631MW to 0.00MW between 2 pm and 3 pm. TCN spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, confirmed the partial disturbance, stating, “This followed a series of lines and generators trippings that caused instability of the grid and, consequently, the partial disturbance of the system.” Mbah assured that TCN engineers were working to quickly restore bulk power supply to affected states. “Presently, bulk power supply has been restored to Abuja, at 2.49 pm, and we…

The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has reignited controversy by demanding instant results on election night, declaring “We want the answer tonight” at his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This swing state is crucial in the tightly contested election between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. Trump’s insistence on immediate results has raised eyebrows, considering the uncertainty surrounding the timely finalization of election outcomes. Delays in counting postal votes in various states are expected to hinder the rapid announcement of results. Trump’s stance is reminiscent of the 2020 presidential election, where he prematurely declared victory on election night and called…

The Federal Ministry of Works has issued a 14-day termination notice to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, effectively ending the company’s involvement in the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway rehabilitation project. This decision follows the company’s failure to comply with the reviewed cost, scope, and terms of the contract, as well as its refusal to remobilize to the site. The contract, initially valued at N155.75 billion, was awarded to Julius Berger in 2017 and flagged off by former Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in 2018 ¹. While Sections II (Kaduna-Zaria) and III (Zaria-Kano) are nearing completion, Section I (Abuja-Kaduna) has…

Nollywood actor and producer Femi Adebayo’s film ‘Jagun Jagun’ emerged victorious at the 20th Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), held in Lagos State over the weekend. ‘Jagun Jagun’ won three prestigious awards: – Best Male Actor in Supporting Role – Achievement in Visual Effects – Achievement in Makeup Adebayo shared the exciting news on his social media page, celebrating the film’s success. Other notable winners at the AMAA included: – Daniel Oriahi’s ‘The Weekend’ (four awards) – Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s ‘The Queenstown Kings’ (four awards) ‘Jagun Jagun’ was initially nominated in seven categories: – Achievement in Production Design – Best…