*SOME NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER HEADLINES+, 23/06/2025*

Tinubu, govs mourn as 13 slain Kaduna travellers buried

Blackout: TCN Restores Electricity To N/East

FDI: FG backs $400m rare earth plant in Nasarawa, promises 10,000 jobs nationwide

Pastoral crisis: 11 states embrace FG ranching plan as killings surge

JAMB fixes mop-up UTME for 96,838, delists 113 centres

Police confirm 30-man attack on Rivers LG administrator

Owo Massacre: Tension in Ondo over Govt demolition of Cenotaph honouring victims

Lagos shuts Oko-Oba Abattoir indefinitely over environmental violations

Oluwo bans alcohol in palace premises

Iran votes to close Strait of Hormuz after US strikes on nuclear facilities

Suicide bomber attack church in Syria, kills at least 20 people

Sierra Leone’s Bio Succeeds Tinubu As ECOWAS Chairman

Community mourns as another Nigerian dies in India

Nigerian bags 43 months jail for defrauding US citizens


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*DID YOU KNOW?*

* The funeral of Winston Churchill on January 30, 1965 was the largest state funeral to ever happen in British history, with representatives from 112 nations attending and 350 million Europeans watching live on TV. Churchill died on January 24, 1965, at the age of 90 after suffering a severe stroke nine days earlier.

* India produces the most butter globally. In 2024, India churned a total of over 6.9 million metric tons of butter while the European Union came second with around 2.1 million metric tons.
-----------------------------

We’ll reshape economic diplomacy to build a progressive West Africa – Tinubu

Terrorism: Tinubu calls for activation of ECOWAS Standby Force

Constitution Review: Senate proposes public hearing in six geopolitical zones

Court declines to hear EFCC over failure to vacate Diezani’s property

Rivers man arraigned for assaulting ladies in nightclub

Army raids kidnappers’ den in Ilorin, arrests 8 rescues 2 victims

Abducted Anambra NDLEA boss regains freedom

NDLEA arrests Kwara poly student, makeup artist in drug sting

Presidency refutes Lamido’s claims on Tinubu’s June 12 role

Report on 753-housing project nearly ready – Committee

Minister urges MINILS DG to address mismanagement allegations, embrace reconciliation

Dangiwa endorses Journalists’ Village plan

ATM usage drops as POS agents handle N223tn

233,000 retirees to benefit from N11.9bn monthly payment – PenCom

FG distributes free fertilisers amid N200bn agric investments

FG to ensure inclusive education in secondary schools nationwide

FG reaffirms plan to revive dormant energy assets, seeks increased production

TCN eyes PPP model to bridge infrastructure gap

Energy Commission sets performance benchmark for air conditioners

Onne port receives LNG-most advanced ship

Renewed Hope: NDDC plans retreat, agric summit for Niger Delta

Nigeria must rethink foreign-modelled education – Highstone VC

ABUAD makes history, ranks 84th best university globally

UniCal joins beneficiaries of OPay’s N1.2bn 10-year scholarship programme

Shariah Council furious over killings of Kaduna wedding guests in Plateau

Editors set to converge in Enugu for pivotal Guild conference and elections

NMA pushes Lagos to extend doctors’ working years

Benue killings: Ortom blasts Alia, Falana seeks justice

We want justice, not war, Itsekiri leaders seek FG intervention

Iran-Israel: Petrol may hit N1,000/litre as oil price soars

2027: Senator Wamakko disowns false VP ambition claim

PDP defies INEC, insists on June 30 NEC meeting

Coalition: ADA leaders begin mass mobilisation nationwide

ADA won’t stop Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 — APC Chieftain Okechukwu

Cancel N63.5bn Government House renovation, Oyo APC tells Makinde

Osun APM chair slams Adeleke over state’s poor VAT ranking

Diri clears air on defection rumours to APC, dismisses speculations

Gov Mbah inaugurates social homes board, grants clemency to 11 prisons inmates

Sanwo-Olu, celebrities attend Troost Ekong’s foundation charity match in Lagos

Alia suspends aide arrested by EFCC over sextortion, cyberbullying

Kano gov to revive abandoned bilingual colleges, ties with China, France

LASG slashes parking fee after tanker drivers’ strike

Ondo partners FG to empower 3,000 livestock farmers

We‘re working with other agencies to rescue abducted Judge — Bayelsa CP

Owo Attack: Ondo demolishes multi-million Naira memorial park

Windstorms kill five in Sokoto, damage Gombe NYSC camp

Oba of Benin proclaims five chieftaincy titles

Ooni’s palace faults viral video on Ooni-Alaafin Abuja encounter

Police quiz suspects over sale of Fasehun family farmland in Akure

Lightning strikes kill 32 cows worth N100m in Ogun

Gun repairer, six others nabbed in Enugu, firearms recovered

One dead, 3 rescued as 40ft truck crushes korope bus in Lagos

Mother of 14-year-old killed by police van in Delta demands justice


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*TODAY IN HISTORY*

* On this day in 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Just over half of the electorate voted for “Brexit”, Britain’s exit from the EU. The UK had been part of the union since 1973.

-----------------------------

Just start. You will learn so many lessons just by doing. – Richard Branson


Good morning

*Compiled by Hon. Osuji George [email protected], +234-8122200446*

This news not make me happy about former governor of oyo state late Adebayo Alao Akala 's children
Crisis rocks Alao-Akala’s family as daughter seeks DNA test for siblings, exhumation of ex-Gov’s body
by Segun Showunmi, Ibadan
A legal battle has broken out in the family of former Oyo Governor Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala after his first daughter, Mrs Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, approached an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan for an order for a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test on seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased.
She is also seeking for an application for the exhumation of the late Governor’s body to carry out the DNA test.
In a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the State High Court, ring road, Ibadan with Motion Number I/443/2024, Alao-Aderinto, through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope (SAN), is praying the court to direct that the DNA tests be carried out on herself, including siblings, Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju, a serving member of the House of Representatives, Tabitha and Olamikunle, as listed in the motion on notice filed before the court.
She also said the tests be conducted at a court approved, accredited laboratory to determine their true biological relationship with the late Governor.
As part of the application, Alao-Aderinto is also seeking an order of court, directing exhumation of Otunba Alao-Akala’s remains from the mausoleum built in the former governor’s Ogbomoso country home for the purpose of carrying out the paternity test.
The results of the tests, she pleaded, should be filed under a sealed envelope and delivered directly to the presiding Judge for pronouncement in open court.
The fresh application brought before the court is a new twist in what has become a messy and prolonged family feud over the vast estate of the late politician, who died intestate on January 12, 2022.
The crisis, which has been brewing silently since his burial became public in October 2022 when one Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be one of the deceased’s daughters, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of Oluwatoyin, the first child.
According to Alao-Aderinto, this singular act was a deliberate and unlawful exclusion that contravene applicable laws guiding intestate succession in Nigeria.
In her affidavit and accompanying exhibit filed in support of her motion, she accused the duo of manipulating facts to claim sole control over the estate, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.
The estate in question is said to be massive, spreading across several properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, United Kingdom and the United States of America, including a five-star hotel in Ghana, vehicles and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions in naira, dollars and pounds sterling.
Her position on the deceased father’s estate stems from the strong resolve at ensuring that every individual, including nuclear and extended family members, aides of the former Governors, who served him meritoriously without blemish and yet to identified children among many others are catered for, as against the alleged winner- takes-it -all approach adopted by the duo of the defendants.
The said administrators listed only seven individuals as legal heirs but the position, as articulated by her counsel, is that there is no consensus on the paternity of these persons and the inclusion of some and exclusion of others in the administration of the deceased’s estate raises troubling questions of authenticity and equity. It is on this basis she seeks judicial intervention through scientific means.
In an August 2023 letter made public, her counsel Oladipo Olasope SAN, warned that the exclusion of the claimant who is the first daughter of the late Alao-Akala, violated both moral norms and legal rights, stressing that unless resolved, the dispute could further polarise the family and damage the late governor’s political legacy.

*The Marriage Advice ..*


1. **Choose Love, Always:** Even in moments when you find it hard to like each other, choose to love. Love is a commitment, not just a feeling.

2. **Be Present:** Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. When you're together, try to keep your phone off, giving each other your full attention.

3. **Prioritize Time Together:** Make time with your spouse a top priority. Budget for regular date nights because time is the currency of relationships, and investing in your marriage is key.

4. **Surround Yourself with Support:** Keep company with friends who strengthen your marriage. Distance yourself from those who might tempt you to compromise your character.

5. **Laugh Together:** Make laughter the soundtrack of your marriage. Share joyful moments, and even in tough times, find reasons to laugh together.

6. **Team Up in Arguments:** In every disagreement, remember that you’re on the same team. There’s no winner or loser; you either win together or lose together. Work as partners to find solutions.

7. **Be Each Other’s Strength:** A strong marriage isn’t about both being strong at the same time. It’s about taking turns being strong for each other when one of you feels weak.

8. **Value Intimacy:** Prioritize what happens in the bedroom. While a strong marriage takes more than s=x, it’s nearly impossible to build a strong marriage without it.

9. **Give 100%, Not 50/50:** Marriage isn’t about splitting everything down the middle. Divorce is 50/50; marriage is 100/100, with both partners giving their all.

10. **Give Your Best:** Offer your best self to each other, not just the leftovers after you’ve given your best to everyone else.

11. **Embrace Uniqueness:** Learn from others, but resist comparing your marriage to anyone else’s. Your life is uniquely yours.

12. **Don’t Put Marriage on Hold:** Don’t neglect your marriage while raising your kids, or you might end up with an empty nest and an empty marriage.

13. **Be Transparent:** Never keep secrets from each other. Secrecy is the enemy of intimacy.

14. **Build Trust:** Never lie to each other. Trust is the foundation of a strong marriage, and lies will break it.

15. **Admit Mistakes:** When you’ve made a mistake, admit it and seek forgiveness humbly. Be quick to say, “I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

16. **Forgive Quickly:** When trust is broken, be quick to forgive. This promotes healing and opens the door for trust to be rebuilt. Say, “I love you. I forgive you. Let’s move forward.”

17. **Practice Patience:** Your spouse is more important than your schedule. Be patient with each other.

18. **Model Love for Your Children:** Live the kind of marriage that inspires your sons to be good husbands and your daughters to be good wives.

19. **Protect Your Spouse:** Never speak badly about your spouse to others or vent about them online. Always protect them, in all places and at all times.

20. **Wear Your Ring:** Your wedding ring is a constant reminder that you’re connected to your spouse and that you’re off-limits to the rest of the world.

21. **Connect to Faith:** Being part of a faith community can make a world of difference in your marriage and family.

22. **Pray Together:** A marriage is stronger with God at its center. Pray together regularly.

23. **Choose Kindness:** If you have to choose between saying nothing or saying something mean to your spouse, choose to say nothing every time.

24. **Stay Committed:** Never consider annulment as an option. A perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.

The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.

"NO VICTOR, NO VANQUISHED”? NO, SIR. JUST THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT
A Truthful Dissection of Gen. Gowon’s Crocodile Tears

✍Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu

"I always remember the Civil War. It was the most difficult period of my life. It was not my choice…” So says General Yakubu Gowon: decades after the fact, as if the burden of memory alone could exonerate a man from the burden of responsibility.

But memory, stripped of remorse, becomes theatre. And this latest performance by the old General, wrapped in prayerful tones and wistful platitudes, is exactly that a theatre of moral evasion. What was presented as reflection was in fact deflection. A man who presided over the darkest chapter in Nigeria’s history now seeks to launder his conscience with the sponge of spirituality, mouthing prayers as if that were enough to bury three million truths beneath the soil of forgetfulness.

No, sir. You did not pray. You played. You played politics with people’s lives. You played Russian roulette with the destiny of a region. You played central command while entire communities burned. You stood at the gates of peace and walked away. The blood did not flow because you had no choice, it flowed because you made a choice. And the choice was war.

You stood beside Odumegwu Ojukwu at Aburi in Ghana. There, both of you spoke, agreed, shook hands and made a pact. You returned to Lagos to a hero’s welcome, but before the ink of trust could dry, you tore it apart. You listened to federal hawks, buried Aburi under the rubble of Decree No. 8, and turned your face from peace. You betrayed a solemn covenant for the sake of power. That betrayal, not the first shot fired, is where the war truly began.

The records are stubborn. They do not bend to nostalgia. They remind us that before a single Biafran soldier took up arms, thousands of Igbos had been hacked down in the North. Pregnant women butchered. Children beheaded. Men dismembered in full daylight. Railway stations were turned into morgues. Churches, into chambers of death. Kaduna. Kano. Jos. The North descended into madness, and the East was served grief on a plate of silence.

You, sir, presided over that silence. You were Commander-in-Chief, not a curious passerby. You issued words but withheld justice. You gave speeches, but not shelter. You watched a people bleed and called it unfortunate. And now, years later, you whisper: "It was never out of hatred." But hatred needs no introduction when its fruit is genocide.

And then came your famous phrase, carved into Nigeria’s post-war psyche: “No victor, no vanquished.” It sounded noble. It rang loud. But it rang false. Because the war ended, yes, but justice never began. Biafrans were not vanquished by force alone, they were buried beneath the rubble of reconstruction. Their economy was stripped. Their currency devalued. Their children starved. Their land mined and their dignity mocked. What you called reintegration, we lived as retribution. What you labeled reconciliation, we endured as marginalisation. The victor danced in national attire. The vanquished crawled through national amnesia.

Sir, you had the chance to become a Mandela long before South Africa birthed one. You had the moment. The world watched. The African continent stood still. But you chose empire over empathy. You chose command over compassion. You chose to keep Nigeria one by breaking a people in half. And now, the same mouth that sanctioned the guns says, "I prayed to God." Perhaps you did. But God is not mocked by crocodile tears. Not when the skulls of infants still haunt the red soil of Nsukka, Aba, Umuahia, and Onitsha.

Prayer is not repentance. Repentance begins with truth. And the truth is that you, along with others, enabled a war that was avoidable. You squandered the peace we almost had at Aburi. You enabled pogroms with your silence. You denied justice its wings and handed the world a bullet instead. And when it was all done, you wrapped the pain in poetry and hoped the music would make us forget.

But we remember. Not because we hate. But because we bleed.

This is not a call to bitterness. It is a call to honesty. To name what happened. To look the children of Biafra in the eye and say: Yes, you were wronged. Yes, we failed you. Yes, the war was avoidable. And no, it should never have happened.

Until then, sir, do not cloak yourself in prayer while justice lies unclothed. Do not speak of love when you could not uphold truth. Do not say “it was not my choice” when history has proven otherwise. And above all, do not try to rewrite what we lived.

You may now carry the Bible in one hand. But the other hand still drips with memories. Your legacy may wear the robe of elder statesmanship. But it remains stained by silence, by betrayal, and by the bones of those who trusted your word at Aburi.

So here, General Gowon, is what history truly says:
You may cry now, but the tears do not wash the blood away.
You may kneel today, but that does not undo the horror of yesterday.
You may pray, but the ghosts still answer with questions.
And until Nigeria confronts its past with courage, it will never know peace that lasts.

We forgive. But we do not forget. We move on. But we do not move blind.

Because truth, bitter as it may be - is still better than convenient lies.

✍Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu
Social Cum Political Analysis|Tuesday, June 10, 2025

You need not aspire for or get any new state. Get rid of your present thoughts, that is all.

*"I want to remember your face so that when I meet you in heaven, I will be able to recognise you and thank you once again."*

When Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola in a telephone interview, was asked by the radio presenter, "Sir what can you remember made you a happiest man in life?"

Femi said:
"I have gone through four stages of happiness in life and finally I understood the meaning of true happiness."

The first stage was to accumulate wealth and means. But at this stage I did not get the happiness I wanted.

Then came the second stage of collecting valuables and items. But I realised that the effect of this thing is also temporary and the lustre of valuable things does not last long.

Then came the third stage of getting big projects. That was when I was holding 95% of diesel supply in Nigeria and Africa. I was also the largest vessel owner in Africa and Asia. But even here I did not get the happiness I had imagined.

The fourth stage was the time a friend of mine asked me to buy wheelchair for some disabled children. Just about 200 kids.

At the friend's request, I immediately bought the wheelchairs.

But the friend insisted that I go with him and hand over the wheelchairs to the children. I got ready and went with him.

There I gave these wheel chairs to these children with my own hands. I saw the strange glow of happiness on the faces of these children. I saw them all sitting on the wheelchairs, moving around and having fun.

It was as if they had arrived at a picnic spot where they are sharing a jackpot winning.

I felt REAL joy inside me. When I decided to leave one of the kids grabbed my legs. I tried to free my legs gently but the child stared at my face and held my legs tightly.

I bent down and asked the child: Do you need something else?

The answer this child gave me not only made me happy but also changed my attitude to life completely. This child said:
"I want to remember your face so that when I meet you in heaven, I will be able to recognise you and thank you once again."

What would you be remembered for after you leave that office or place?

Will anyone desire to see your face again where it all matters?

*This is a must read piece. It got me thinking. I am sending it to all my friends. I pray it does same to everyone.*

Try to touch lives , God bless you.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

If you’re married or not married yet but you want to be a good husband and a great dad someday read this.

This isn’t hearsay. It’s my personal experience talking

1. Don’t keep late nights.
One of the things that earned me serious respect in my house is simple: I come home by 7pm.
I learned it from my dad.
No late-night hanging around. You avoid a lot of unnecessary wahala that way.
If you must stay late. Let your wife know who you are with where you are.

2. Listen to your wife.
I told a newly married friend:
If your wife is a good woman—listen to her.
Women have strong instincts. From experience, 99% of what my wife says turns out right.
Two old men in their 80s even told me the same thing peace starts from listening. Her opinion really matters bro. Don’t take it for granted.

3. Don’t be an absent father.
My kids no dey joke with me.
I bath them. I play with them. I take them out.
And guess what? Children don’t forget.
The little things hold big memory when they grow up. Make out time to always be presents.
This is very important ooo. So you won’t come to say your kids love your wife more than you.

4. Do house chores.
Yes. As a man.
I sweep, I clean, I help. It doesn’t make you less of a man.
It teaches your sons that housework isn’t “woman work.”
It creates bonding with your wife. If I can do it and still have peace-you can too. My kids know I can cook because I do it sometimes. They don’t see it as a big deal anymore.

5. Stick with one woman your wife.
Let me tell you the plain truth:
There is no trophy for sleeping with everything in skirt.
Mekwe is mekwe.
If you want to spice things, spice it with your wife.
Men who stay faithful grow faster mentally, spiritually, and financially. Real men have one woman while boys sleep with anything under skirt anyways choose where you belong.

6. Say “I love you” to your wife and kids.
Even if you’re showing it, still say it.
Some of us never heard it growing up.
Now I say it to my wife and kids daily.
And they say it back.
It makes them expressive, open, and confident.
Teach them to your kids early.

7. Don’t take advice from everybody.
Only learn from people whose homes you respect.
People can advise you how to run your home
but they won’t let you advise them.
If washing your wife’s bra brings peace, my brother wash it well.
At the end of the day, what you need is peace, not public opinion.

8. Never raise your hand on your wife.
No matter what. Don’t do it.
The day you raise your hand even once you’ve damaged something in that home.
Even if you stop, the scar remains.
Your kids will see it and think it’s normal.
The best punishment is silence or just leave the house when you feel like you’re losing control.

9. Last but not the least:
It is your duty as a man to provide for your home.
Do it with pride, no matter the hustle.
Whether you’re pushing wheelbarrow or sitting in office own it.
But also share responsibility, so you don’t break down early trying to carry everything alone.
And as you build yourself, build your wife too.
Nobody knows tomorrow.
How you treat your wife and kids today will determine how they treat you in old age.

What I just wrote is for intentional men
Men who want to be present. Men who want to build.
Men who are called simps or finished men just because they love and lead their homes with sense.

If you’re not one of them, skip the post.
No need to argue or feel triggered.
Those I’m speaking to already know themselves.
Because at the end of the day The kind of man you are at home matters more than the one you act like outside.

Copied.

Dear Parents and Teachers: A Heartfelt Plea on Behalf of Our Daughters…. By Esomnofu Chidiebube Ifechukwu

If you are a parent—especially of a girl child—please, I beg you, take special care. I am not in any way suggesting that boys don’t deserve our attention; they absolutely do. But let’s be honest: female children mature faster—emotionally, physically, and mentally. And because of that, they often face unique vulnerabilities at a much earlier age.

I’ve been teaching for over a decade now, and from my earliest years in the classroom, especially in senior secondary school, I observed something deeply troubling. You walk into a class, full of passion and commitment, ready to teach mathematics or any subject—and then, midway into your explanation on indices or algebra, a hand goes up. But instead of a question related to the topic, you hear:

“Sir, I like your trousers.”
“You look handsome today.”
“Are you married?”
“How old are you?”

These are not academic questions. They are signs. Signs that these children are at a sensitive stage of self-discovery. Their minds are searching for validation, attention, affection—even if they don’t understand it fully. And without the right guidance, they may seek it in the wrong places.

That is why parents must be vigilant—not overbearing, but intentionally present. Don’t just buy clothes, pay fees, and think your job is done. Talk to your daughters. Guide them. Warn them. Watch them. Be their safe space.

And to my fellow male teachers, I speak with a heavy heart: not every compliment is an invitation. Not every glance is a green light. You are not just a teacher of subjects—you are a teacher of values. Be disciplined. Be responsible. These girls are not temptations; they are someone’s daughter, someone’s hope, someone’s entire world. Please, don’t be the one who ruins that world.

If we fail to mentor these girls with integrity, we risk handing them over to a world that will not be as merciful. Let us raise them with wisdom, not leave them to figure life out through regret.

Because when a girl child stumbles—especially due to the silence or failure of the adults around her—the scars often last a lifetime.

Please, let’s do better. For our daughters. For our conscience. For the future.