Author: News Room

I am happy that Oga Yakubu Mohammed was able to publish his highly readable memoir before his final call on Wednesday, January 14.  The last time we met was when I visited him on August 12, last year, and he presented me with an autographed copy of Beyond Expectations, his 422-page memoir.  The book, expectedly, bristles with humour and vignettes of wisdom.  It is Mohammed’s testament about journalism and public service.  It is his offering to the coming generations.  In November last year, Dan Agbese, his co-traveller and a principal character in Beyond Expectations, died.  Now Mohammed has joined him. …

Ingryd Academy, a technology talent outsourcing and training company, has gone fully digital and also become an examination centre, expanding access to its courses globally. The announcement was made by Managing Director, Khadijat Abdulkadir, during the Panel Session, “The Talent Playbook: The Tech Talent Playbook – Raising Next-Gen Talents,” at the Tech Revolution Africa Conference over the weekend in Lagos. A statement from the firm on Sunday stated that Abdulkadir explained that the shift to digital aims to provide users with more flexible access to courses, compared to the past, when all classes were conducted physically. “Ingryd is launching its…

The Lagos State Sports Commission has taken a significant step in advancing its global sports agenda by entering into a strategic partnership with British Cycling. This comes after the National Sports Commission also reached an agreement with the British Cycling Association to enable Nigerian cyclists train in Manchester, ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland A delegation led by British Cycling’s Director of Sport and Participation, Ms Amy Gardner, paid a working visit to the commission, where both parties held high-level discussions centred on knowledge exchange, skills transfer and technical capacity building, aimed at strengthening cycling development in Lagos…

The Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow has reportedly ordered BitRiver CEO Igor Runets to remain under house arrest amid tax evasion charges.  The founder and CEO of Russian Bitcoin mining firm BitRiver, Igor Runets, has reportedly been detained and charged with multiple counts of tax evasion. According to reports from local media outlets such as RBK and Kommersant on Sunday, Runets was detained on Jan. 30 and is facing three charges for allegedly concealing assets to evade taxes.The outlets cite court documents from the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow, which indicate that Runets was charged on Jan. 31 and ordered to be placed under…

Whether he’s in the studio or in front of the Netflix cameras, Chet Hanks is all about stretching his creativity muscle — especially if it includes a possible collaboration with his mom, Rita Wilson. “I can’t afford her,” Hanks, 35, exclusively told Us Weekly of possibly working alongside his mother on Saturday, January 31, while attending the Clive Davis Pre-Grammys Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. “I’d probably have to sign my life away,” he jokingly added of his mom’s affordability, before dishing on what type of collaboration he would be interested in. “I don’t know,…

At the just-concluded 56th convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the Vice-Chancellor, Folasade Ogunsola, announced that 78-year-old Hammid Taju was the oldest PhD graduate of the event. Mr Taju, who earned his doctorate in French, returned to school after a long career in public service and banking. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, he speaks about why he decided to study French at his age and what the achievement means to him. PT: At 78, many people are thinking about retirement. What made you decide to pursue a PhD instead? Mr Taju: The decision to pursue a PhD…

Several strange deaths in our public and private health facilities in the last two months, have renewed concerns about the quality of healthcare delivery in Nigeria. This scourge has bedevilled the country for too long. The healthcare system, which primarily compromises the recovery and well-being of patients, requires the urgent intervention of regulatory authorities. What brought this to the front burner of public concern, not too long ago, were the deaths of twin babies – Testimony and Timothy – on 25 December, a day after their parents had taken them to a Lagos-based Primary Health Centre for a routine vaccination.…

No fewer than 80 worshippers abducted during a church service in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have been reunited with their families after escaping from their captors. The Village Head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’azumi, confirmed the development in an interview on Sunday. He explained that while initial reports suggested that about 177 worshippers were kidnapped during the attack, subsequent findings revealed that 80 of them managed to escape and sought refuge in neighbouring communities. According to Dan’azumi, 86 worshippers remain in the custody of the bandits. He expressed concern over attempts by some individuals to…

The combined team of operatives of the Edo State Police Command and the State Security Corps, ESSC, have arrested two suspected armed robbers in Benin City. DAILY POST reports that the spokesperson of the Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Ugbor Division, led by CSP Oliver Agu, on Friday, at about 2:40 a.m. Ikoedem gave the names of the suspects as Gondas Innocent and Tasman Nanman. She said the arrest of the suspects followed a distress call of an armed robbery at Uwadia Street, off Ogunmenyi Community, Benin City. She said that on…

Abia State Governor and leader of the Labour Party, Dr Alex Otti, has described the exit of the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as highly regrettable, admitting that his departure represents a major loss to the party amid its lingering leadership crisis. Otti spoke in Abuja during a meeting with members of the party’s Board of Trustees, leaders of the National Caretaker Committee and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress. The meeting came barely 24 hours after the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party faulted the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission…