Owojela's Blog-Latest Naija News and Gist

The Federal Government has secured the release of Zainab Aliyu who was arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.

Prof. Emmanuel Ingwu has been appointed the acting VC of CRUTECH an hour ago, Owojela's Blog reports.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu says the president didn’t need to inform the national assembly of his ”private” trip to the UK. The presidential spokesperson said this on Sunday while appearing as a guest on Channels TV programme.

The Kogi state chapter of the All Progressive Congress(APC) has said that the state governor, Yahaya Bello, would not get its ticket just as his Lagos state counterpart, Akinwunmi Ambode, Information Guide reveals.

David Adeleke a.k.a Davido has taken to his Twitter handle to launch a heavy attack on Osun state Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, after news filtered in that a lawsuit seeking the disqualification of his uncle, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has been filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Yomi Shogunle has revealed why police are clamping down on prostitutes in the nation’s capital, Abuja. According to the ACP, those unhappy about the “clampdown of prostitutes” must know that prostitution is a sin in the two major religion in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. — As well as a crime under the law of the country.

Barcelona are taking inspiration from Pep Guardiola’s tactics against Liverpool in the Premier League this season, as they prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League clash, ESPN reports.

Barcelona senior officials are ready to give Philippe Coutinho a chance to prove his worth at the club, Goal reports.

Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ripped into Anthony Martial following their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, SportsMail reports.

Liverpool defender, Andy Robertson, has issued warning to Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash.

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid star, Michael Owen, has predicted the outcome of the Champions League semi-final clash between the Reds and Barcelona.

Senator Shehu Sani of Kaduna Central has described as tragic and unfortunate the kidnapping of the Chairman, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Muhammad Abubakar Mahmud, alongside his daughter and the killing of his driver along Kaduna-Abuja highway on Monday.

The Oyo State Government has met with representatives of labour unions on the implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage in the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, has reacted to the case of Zainab Aliyu, the student incriminated in drug-related matters and being detained by Saudi Arabian authorities.

A 34-year-old Nigerian, Samuel Nkennaya, has been killed while another Nigerian, Chinonso Nwudo, is in critical condition in a South African hospital following mob attack.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has reacted to report of him planning to defect back to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it was replacing election servers in its headquarters and state offices across the federation.

Denis Suarez has confirmed he will not play for Arsenal again this season. The midfielder who is on loan from Barcelona, played just six times and failing to find the net since the move.

Raheem Sterling has been crowned the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, adding to his PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Students of Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, OSUSTECH, have shut down academics activities in the institution as they are currently protesting what they described as outrageous school fees introduced by the school’s management.

President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has been appointed as an “Ambassador-at-Large” of the International Human Rights Commission, IHRC.

Netflix is keeping up its habit of canceling shows after three seasons, no matter what the level of interest. The service has dropped Santa Clarita Diet just weeks after its third season premiered on March 29th. It's not clear what prompted the decision, although it's fairly unusual for Netflix in that the zombie romcom not only had star power (most notably Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant) and its fair share of fans, but was strictly an in-house production. Other shows receiving the axe in recent months have come from external studios, such as the Marvel shows and One Day at a Time.

Google is banning a major Android developer DO Global and removing its apps from the Google Play Store after it was discovered the company was committing ad fraud. Nearly half of the developer's more than 100 apps have already been removed from Google's app marketplace and it's expected the rest will disappear in the coming days, according to BuzzFeed.

SpaceX is one step closer to fulfilling its plans of launching a host of internet satellites. The FCC has approved its revised plan that would fly over 1,500 of its Starlink satellites at a lower orbit of 'just' 550km (about 342 miles). The move clears the path for an initial Starlink launch "no earlier than" May, the company said. Theoretically, the lower flight path allows coverage with fewer satellites, lowers latency and reduces the chances of space debris.

The Galaxy Fold won't make its planned launch date as Samsung looks into problems experienced by several reviewers with test units. In the meantime, the folks at iFixit did what they do best and pulled one apart, but on Thursday explained their choice to "withdraw" the teardown. While iFixit usually gets a device specifically for the purpose of pulling it apart, this one was apparently provided by a third party. Samsung then asked that "trusted partner" to have the teardown removed and iFixit -- while insisting it didn't have to -- acquiesced to keep the peace.

Uber’s  announcement of its IPO pricing earlier today came with a $500 million belated Easter egg. The payments giant PayPal is making a half-billion-dollar investment in the company, paying $47 per share, which gives the company a valuation of $78.8 billion (in the middle of the range of Uber’s IPO pricing of $44-$50 per share).

The antitrust argument that says big tech needs breaking up to stop platforms abusing competition and consumers in a two-faced role as seller and (manipulative) marketplace may only just be getting going on a mainstream political stage — but startups have been at the coal face of the fight against crushing platform power for years.

Uber, the transportation-on-demand behemoth, today filed its much-anticipated updated S-1, where it announced that it would be pricing its initial public offering at $44-50 per share. Selling 180 million common shares, Uber  plans to raise between $7.9 billion and $9 billion ahead of its public debut on the NYSE, valuing it at $84 billion — squarely in the middle of the $80-90 billion that was projected as late as yesterday. With the greenshoe, shareholders selling shares in the IPO, it could raise as much as $10.4 billion.

A former police chief has called on Google to amend its technology to help stop the spread of terrorist material. Ex-Met Police assistant commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says it is a disgrace a jailed radical preacher ranks top for search term "British Muslim spokesman".

The US financial markets regulator has resolved its row with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk over his use of Twitter. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Mr Musk of breaching a court order to not share information which could impact the financial markets, without pre-approval.

English actor, Idris Elba and model Sabrina Dhowre have officially tied the knot in a three-day wedding ceremony in Morroco. The couple got engaged in February 2018, when Elba went down on one knee and proposed to Dhwore in London.

The Board’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Bwari. Benjamin said that screening of the results would soon be over and the result released.

Part of the journey is the end, and while Avengers: Endgame is not a definitive end to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as fans have come to know and love, it is the ultimate climax of an experience that has been teased over 11 years and 21 movies.

Nine Nigerians have reportedly been arrested in the United States for allegedly defrauding people and businesses of over $3.5 million. The United States attorney for the southern district of New York, Geoffrey S. Berman and the special agent in charge of the Tampa, Florida, field office of U.S. immigration and customs enforcement’s Homeland security investigations (“HSI”), James C. Spero said this in a statement on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

President Muhammadu Buhari has donated the sum of $500,000 to the government of Guinea Bissau to support its election process. The president also approved the donation of 350 units of electoral kits, 10 motorcycles, five Hilux vans and two light trucks to Nigeria's West African neighbours.

Abdullahi Bodejo, President of Miyetti Allah has given a strong reason why power may stay put in the north after President Muhammadu Buhari ends his second term in 2023. According to the leader of the sociocultural and economic group, an average Northerner has no problem staying on the queue for a whole day just to vote but an Igbo will rather be in his shop for those hours.

Former Manchester United midfielder, Paul Scholes, is set to make an unexpected return to the club, as part of the club’s summer restructuring, the UK Metro reports. Scholes came through the famous academy as part of the ‘Class of 92’, alongside the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

Paul Pogba has asked Manchester United to sell him this summer, after provisionally agreeing a whopping £10.3million-a-year deal with Real Madrid, AS reports. Pogba has grown tired of life with the Premier League giants and is determined to move on in the summer.

Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has revealed he regards a key advantage for Liverpool in Premier League title race. Guardiola said Liverpool benefitted from their failure to progress in both the League Cup and FA Cup.

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) House of Assembly candidate for Obingwa East constituency of Abia State in the just concluded 2019 general elections, Chigozie Onyeukwu Ubani, has resigned his membership of the party.

Kaduna State Police command has arrested 34 suspects involved in different crimes. The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, while briefing newsman in Kaduna said those arrested include nine (9) suspects for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery; sixteen (16) suspects for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and armed robbery; six (6) suspects for criminal conspiracy armed robbery and cattle rustling; two (2) suspects for criminal conspiracy attempt to commit an offence to-wit kidnapping and being in possession of firearms; and one (1) suspect for criminal conspiracy, extortion, defamation of character and giving false information.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has denied a newspaper report that 70 per cent of medicines in Nigeria were fake. A press statement by Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General of the agency on Friday, said that a study jointly carried out by NAFDAC, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2005 revealed that fake medicines stood at 16 per cent.

The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said that since the return of democracy in 1999, Nigeria has had leaders who became Presidents of the country against their wish.

The Senator representing Osun West senatorial district, Ademola Adeleke has dismissed as laughable and an abuse of court process a suit seeking his removal as a senator. A statement issued Friday night by Hon Niyi Owolade, Adeleke’s Legal Adviser, stated that the purported constituents who filed the suit are proxy forces of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Gboyega Oyetola whom he accused of waging futile legal harassment following signs of an imminent end to their usurpation of Osun governorship seat.

The Federal Government has offered employment to 168 corps members who won the President’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Honours Awards. The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, announced this at the award ceremony, which held on Friday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

An Almajiri who turned graduate,Dan Yakubu and currently observing his mandatory National Youth Service, has been trending on social media after his story emerged on the internet.

Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP)  and head Crime Reduction Unit, Abayomi Shogunle, has taken to his Twitter handle to share some few tips with Nigerians on how to deal with police during an encounter.

Alternative singer Adekunle Gold, has explained the reason behind him reaching out to former MTN Project Fame Winner, Olawale, who was seen riding an Uber.

“You know my background. I was born into a big home and at that age, you really didn’t think there was anything. But seriously, maybe I wouldn’t have done it today.”

The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has passed a bill that is seeking to pay monthly life pension for former members.