‘Dangote N8b’, ‘Rabiu N5b’, who gave what at IBB’s book launch (DailyTrust)
The crème-de-la-crème of the Nigerian society assembled at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, on Thursday, for the launch of the autobiography of ex-Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).
Entitled, ” A Journey in Service,” President Bola Tinubu was the Special Guest of Honour at the event which was also the fundraising for the IBB Presidential Library Project.
While many donors chose not to publicly disclose their contribution to the project, Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, donated N8 billion, which is, to be paid at N2 billion annually over the four years allocated for the project’s completion. Read more
President assents to bills on federal universities in Ekiti, Osun (NewTelegraph)
The National Assembly has secured the assent of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Bills establishing the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences in Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State and the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies in Iragbiji, Osun State.
According to a statement issued from the Office of the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the president made this decision yesterday after the signing of the two legislations establishing the two universities at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday.
Bamidele sponsored bills to establish the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences in Iyin- Ekiti Kingdom, Ekiti State and the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State respectively in 2023 and 2024. Read more
Kidnapper Evans now prison teacher, willing to forfeit 14 trucks (Punch)
Convicted billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, has told the Lagos State High Court, sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, that he is now a teacher at the correctional centre in Kirikiri after obtaining a teaching diploma in economics from the Yewa College of Education, and is no longer a criminal.
Evans said he was prepared to surrender all his property, as part of a plea bargain agreement, should the court consider his application on compassionate grounds.
This was contained in his application for a plea bargain.
He pledged to forfeit his 14 brand new trucks to the Lagos State Government for sale, with the proceeds to be transferred to the victims of his criminal activities, as part of the proposed plea bargain arrangement. Read more
Ugbor: Fulani herdsmen have taken over 40% of Benue land (ThisDay)
A member of the House of Representatives representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in Benue State, Hon Terseer Ugbor, has sent a Save Our Soul message to President Bola Tinubu and nation’s security agencies over the nefarious activities of suspected Fulani herdsmen terrorising his home state. Deji Elumoye reports.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Terseer Ugbor, has raised the alarm that suspected Fulani herdsmen have taken over 40 percent of the entire land in Benue State with thousands of people displaced.
Speaking in Abuja on the recent onslaught on Benue people by the herdsmen, Ugbor, who alleged that no fewer than 13 persons were massacred by the herdsmen on Monday, said their dastardly act has produced more orphans in the state. Read more
AGF asks Adeleke to stop LG poll, says A’Court has restored APC chairmen (Channels)
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has asked Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to put the local government election scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2025, on hold.
According to the justice minister, the Court of Appeal, Akure division, on February 10, 2025, nullified the judgement of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, delivered on November 25, 2022.
The AGF said the verdict of the appellate court implied that the All Progressives Congress (APC) local council chairmen formerly sacked by the lower court have been restored. Read more
3 States With Highest Cost Of Living (Leadership)
Following the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Imo State has the highest cost of living in Nigeria with an all-items inflation rate of 17.77 per cent in January 2025. Imo’s food inflation stood at 16.80 per cent .
Prior to the rebasing, food accounted for over 50 per cent of the CPI calculation. With the revised structure, the influence of food prices has been reduced to 40 per cent The updated CPI also includes more product varieties, increasing from 740 to 934 items, and now tracks expenditure on services more comprehensively.
Following Imo State, the two states with the highest inflation rates in January 2025 are.
Ebonyi – All-items inflation rate of 16.13 per cent and food inflation of 16.88 per cent . Read more
‘Inflation accounts for 77% of SMEs’ challenges’ (Guardian)
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria are leveraging digital payments, innovation, and partnerships to expand their reach and strengthen business operations, according to the third edition of the Mastercard SME Confidence Index.
The index however showed that inflation accounted for 77 per cent of the challenges battling small businesses in the country, disclosing that 99 per cent of SMEs in Nigeria are now accepting digital payments, with businesses now capitalising on cashless transactions to enhance efficiency, improve customer experience, and build financial resilience.
Mastercard noted that this digital shift is enabling SMEs to grow in an evolving business environment, with many prioritising secure payment solutions and financial inclusion initiatives. Read more
Govt contributes only 15% to Nigeria’s GDP — Aliko Dangote (Tribune)
The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that the government’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is only 15 percent, while the rest comes from the private sector.
Dangote, whose wealth recently surged by almost 100 percent, made this revelation on Thursday while speaking at the launch of the autobiography of former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, ‘A Journey in Service’, and the unveiling of the former leader’s presidential library in Abuja.
The billionaire businessman, who emphasised the importance of the private sector, also stated that Nigeria has a larger private sector than the entire African continent. Read more
Madonna responds to Donald Trump’s ‘king’ post: ‘If this is a joke, i’m not laughing’ (Billboard)
Madonna has shared her latest thoughts on the current activities of US President Donald Trump.
The Queen of Pop’s latest comments on Trump came following a controversial post from the official White House X account on Wednesday (Feb. 19). Sharing a fake Time magazine cover, the title was altered to feature Trump’s name, while a caption reading “long live the king” appeared above a smiling portrait of the President, adorned with a crown.
The post, which was shared after his administration ordered New York to end congestion pricing, was also accompanied by a quote attributed to Trump, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING.” Read more
France hands over its Port-Bouët military base to Ivory Coast (AfricaNews)
Ivory Coast officially took control of Port-Bouët, the last remaining French military base in the country on Thursday.
Paris officially handed the camp over in a ceremony that included a changing of the guard to mark the transfer of security responsibilities to the Ivorian army.
France has been present in Ivory Coast for decades, but the handover comes as the majority of its forces leave countries across West Africa. Read more
Body returned from Gaza is not Bibas mother, Israeli military says (BBC)
One of four bodies returned from Gaza to Israel on Thursday is not hostage Shiri Bibas, as claimed by Hamas, the Israeli military said.
The news that Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who would now be aged five and two, were dead triggered an outpouring of grief in Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has informed the Bibas family that the bodies of her sons have been identified after their remains were given to Israel by Hamas on Thursday. Read more
Kellogg’s joint press conference with Zelensky cancelled at Washington’s request (KyivPost)
A planned joint press conference following Thursday’s talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the US’s Ukraine-Russia Special Envoy Keith Kellogg has reportedly been canceled.
The meeting was canceled at Washington’s request, according to Reuters, citing Ukraine’s Presidential Office.
Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday and had a conversation with Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on Thursday. Read more
Musk claims Ukrainians ‘despise’ Zelensky (RT)
The poll suggesting that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is popular at home has been rigged in his favour, billionaire Elon Musk, a major ally of US President Donald Trump, has claimed.
“It should be utterly obvious that a Zelensky-controlled poll about his OWN approval is not credible!!” Musk wrote on X on Thursday. He wrote his post in response to an unsourced claim on X that the US government had provided grants to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), which released a poll suggesting that 57% of Ukrainians have confidence in Zelensky.
“If Zelensky was actually loved by the people of Ukraine, he would hold an election,” he added, claiming that Zelensky was “despised by the people of Ukraine” and “would lose in a landslide.” Read more
Judd Apatow to make new Norm Macdonald documentary for Netflix (FarOut)
Director Judd Apatow is currently making a new documentary celebrating the life of late comedian Norm Macdonald for Netflix.
Taking to Instagram, Apatow shared: “We need your photos and videos of Norm Macdonald for a documentary we are creating for Netflix. So if you happen to have anything you think might be helpful please e mail us at NormMacdonalddoc@gmail.com.”
Apatow continued: “If you just know about any interviews or interesting videos you think we may not have heard about or be able to find ourselves— that would also be very helpful. Or just tell us your favorite Norm moments. The link is in the bio link tree. Thank you!!!” Read more
Social media use by children rife ahead of under-16s ban (BBC)
More than 80% of children in Australia aged 12 or under used social media or messaging services last year that are only meant to be used by over-13s.
The country’s internet regulator eSafety found YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat were the most popular platforms used by young children.
It comes as Australia plans to implement a social media ban for under-16s that is expected by the end of this year.
The companies examined – Discord, Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Reddit, Snap, TikTok and Twitch – did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read more
Durosinmi bags brace as Viktoria Plzen qualify for round of 16 (CompleteSports)
Nigerian forward Rafiu Durosinmi bagged a brace as Viktoria Plzen beat Ferencvaros 3-0 in the Europa League second leg play-off.
Viktoria Plzen advanced into the round of 16 on a 3-1 aggregate win.
Durosinmi, 22, opened the scoring in the 27th minute before grabbing his second goal on 38 minutes to put his side 3-0 ahead.
Pavel Sulc doubled Viktoria Plzen’s lead with 10 minutes left to play in the first half. Read more
Lookman looks beyond Atalanta as PSG lurks around (Guardian)
Super Eagles and Atlanta striker, Ademola Lookman, is reportedly considering his next move as his time at the Italian Serie A club nears an abrupt end, following a heated fallout with head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini.
The current African Footballer of the Year is unhappy with the manner the coach singled him out for blame after their Champions League exit on Tuesday night.
Although Lookman was expected to leave the modest Italian outfit after a sterling two-year stint, which saw him leading the team to the Europa League title in the 2023/24 season, Tuesday’s events are said to have put the motion into top gear. Read more
World champion Dubois out of Parker fight with illness (BBC) Heavyweight Daniel Dubois’ world-title defence against Joseph Parker on Saturday is off after the champion fell ill two days before the fight.
The Briton was being medically evaluated in Saudi Arabia and missed Thursday’s news conference, before being withdrawn later in the evening.
Dubois, 27, was scheduled to make a second defence of his IBF title. There is no information on the nature of his illness. Read more
Spain’s ex-football boss Luis Rubiales fined over forced kiss (Channels)
A Spanish court on Thursday found former football chief Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault over the forced kiss he gave star forward Jenni Hermoso and fined him, but acquitted him of the charge of coercion.
Prosecutors had sought a prison term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales — one year for sexual assault and 18 months for coercion for having allegedly pressured the player to downplay the incident afterwards.
Judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto at Spain’s High Court found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault over the kiss and fined him 10,800 euros ($11,300), but spared him a prison sentence. Read more
McDavid snaps overtime winner as Canada trumps United States in 4 Nations Face-Off final (CBC)
Connor McDavid scored at 8:18 of overtime as Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in a riveting 4 Nations Face-Off final Thursday.
The Edmonton Oilers captain took a pass off from Mitch Marner in front ripped a shot past Connor Hellebuyck to set off wild celebrations.
Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett had the goals in regulation for the Canadians, with Marner recording two assists. A stellar Jordan Binnington made 31 saves. Read more
Emma Raducanu ‘stalker’ handed restraining order by police in Dubai (Metro)
Emma Raducanu has decided to drop formal charges against the ‘stalker’ (Picture: Sky Sports)
The ‘stalker’ who targeted Emma Raducanu at the Dubai Tennis Championships has been handed a restraining order by local police.
Raducanu was in tears and in clear distress during her match on Tuesday after a spectator was removed and banned for ‘fixated behaviour’.The British tennis star described the harassment she endured as a ‘difficult experience’ in an Instagram post on Wednesday. Read more