Day: January 8, 2021

Inside Petitions that forced Sanwo-Olu to Cancel LASU VC’s appointment

Precious Ibekwe

  Lagos State Governor and Visitor to Lagos State University (LASU), Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has cancelled the ongoing process set up for the appointment of a substantive ninth Vice Chancellor of the University based on strong petitions he recieved against the process. Spokesman for the Governor, Gboyega Akosile, who declared this in a statement obtained by Platforms Africa, maintained that the Governor Sanwo-Olu’s decision on the cancellation came after a thorough investigation and stakeholders engagement, which were necessitated by various petitions against the selection process. Over ten petitions written by…

Read More

FIFA 84-year old ex-President, Sepp Blatter, Hospitalised

Lukman Olasunkanmi

    Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter is in hospital in a serious but stable condition. According to the UK’s Daily Mirror, Blatter’s daughter Corinne announced the news to Blick, saying: “My father is in the hospital and is getting better every day. He needs time and rest. “On behalf of my family, I ask for privacy”. Blatter’s state of health is considered serious, according to reports, but he is not believed to be in life-threatening condition. This isn’t the first time the 84-year-old has been hospitalised, with the Swiss suffering…

Read More

Nigeria Okays January 18 for Varsities’ Re-Opening

Gbenga Adeoti

  The National Universities Commission (NUC) has given Nigerian universities the go-ahead to re-open for academic activities on January  18, 2021. This comes a few weeks after the Commission ordered all tertiary institutions to remain shut indefinitely, in response to the second wave of COVID-19. The Commission said universities should adhere strictly to safety measures put in place to curtail the spread of the virus. It said on resumption of academic activities,  universities must not under any circumstance, violate the full circle of semester system, consistent with the benchmark minimum…

Read More

‘Trump considering pardoning himself’

Wonuola Olujobi

  United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump is considering pardoning himself in the final days of his administration, according to the New York Times. The paper cited two anonymous sources said to be privy to Trump discussing the subject with his aides. In several conversations since the November 3 election, Trump has told advisers he is considering giving himself a pardon, the news outlet reported on Thursday. The president is reportedly weighing both the legal and political implication of a self-pardon. However, the paper could not confirm whether he has…

Read More

Over 2m Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram, Bandits – Minister

Aliyu Aliyu

  Over two million Nigerians have been displaced by bandits and other criminals in the North-East and North- Western parts of the country. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk, disclosed this at an interaction with State House correspondents after leading a delegation to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, on Thursday. Farouk maintained that her ministry had been using the limited resources at her disposal to cater for the needs of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the country. She said: “As at…

Read More

Blacks would’ve been treated differently at Capitol Hill riot – Biden

Wonuola Olujobi

  The United States President-elect Joe Biden has declared that African-Americans would have been treated differently by the Police if they were the ones that staged a violent protest at the Capitol Hill. Describing the riot as the darkest in America’s democracy, Biden, in a televised press conference, expressed displeasure over the “lenient treatment” given to pro-Trump protesters who invaded Capitol Hill by the US police. Protesters against racism would have been dispersed with force, he said. He recalled how anti-racism demonstrators were dispersed with maximum force by police in…

Read More

Bonny Light hits 2021 highest, trades for $54.11 per barrel

Damola Oyede

  The Price of Nigeria’s premium crude oil grade, Bonny Light, has surged to $54.11 per barrel, apparently the highest in 2021. The new price is an excess of $14 per barrel when compared to the $40 per barrel benchmark of the nation’s 2021 budget. This came as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, and others pressed for stability in the market. OPEC, which concluded its 13th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting (ONOMM), held via videoconference, January 5, 2021, called for the cooperation of all stakeholders in order to…

Read More

Challenges ahead as Ghana president Akufo-Addo takes Second Oath of Office

Aoko Benjamin

  Nana Akufo-Addo has been sworn in for a second term as Ghana’s president, hours after scuffles between rival politicians broke out in parliament. He faces the twin challenges of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and trying to boost the economy Soldiers were briefly deployed after the unusual scenes in one of Africa’s most stable democracies. The president defeated his main rival, former President John Mahama, in December’s tightly fought election. Ghana has had more than 50,000 confirmed cases of the virus, and like many countries has experienced major economic…

Read More

COVID-19 And The Professors by Femi Adesina

Femi Adesina

  I hate to see professors die. And in recent days, we have lost three of them to the strange ailment called COVID-19, currently ravaging the world. Within two weeks, we lost three professors in quick succession. Habu Galadima, Director-General, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). Femi Odekunle, renowned criminologist and member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC). And Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos. Each time a professor dies, I say to myself: what a waste! All the learning, gone. All the intellect,…

Read More