Category: cover

 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday said the United Kingdom would begin talks with other countries on establishing “return hubs” for failed asylum seekers as part of efforts to tackle irregular migration.

 

Speaking during an official visit to Albania, Starmer told GB News, “What now we want to do and are having discussions of… is return hubs, which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned… and we’ll do that, if we can, through return hubs.”

 

The Labour leader is under increasing pressure to reduce the number of irregular migrants arriving in the UK, particularly those crossing the English Channel in small boats.

 

The issue has gained urgency amid the rising popularity of the hard-right Reform UK party, led by anti-immigration figure Nigel Farage.

 

During his two-day trip to the southeastern European country, cracking down on illegal migration was high on the agenda.

 

The visit comes after Starmer’s government, which took office following last year’s general election, scrapped a controversial plan by the previous Conservative administration to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda.

Earlier this week, Starmer also unveiled a raft of new immigration measures aimed at tightening the UK’s borders.

 

These include reducing the number of overseas care workers, extending the time required before migrants can apply for settlement, and introducing new powers to deport foreign criminals.

 

The Labour government had pledged in its election manifesto to significantly cut net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months to June 2024.

 

That figure followed a peak of 906,000 in 2023, a sharp increase from the average of 200,000 throughout most of the 2010s.

 

While legal migration has surged, the UK has also witnessed record levels of irregular migration. According to an AFP tally based on UK interior ministry data, more than 12,500 people have crossed the Channel so far this year.

 

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin Professor Wahab Olasupo Egbewole (SAN), has applauded the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Ishaq Oloyede, for his transparent and accountable leadership in addressing issues surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results.

 

In a letter dated May 15, 2025, and shared on Facebook, Professor Egbewole praised the Board’s approach in managing the controversies that followed the release of the UTME results.

 

PUNCHONLINE reported that Oloyede, in a press conference on Wednesday, admitted that the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was marred with errors.

 

Addressing particularly the public admission of errors that affected over 300,000 candidates, the letter read, “As a University, we want to put on record the fact that the Board approached the issues that arose on the result with truthfulness and nothing was hidden from the public,” the Vice Chancellor wrote.

 

He lauded the JAMB registrar’s commitment to ethical leadership, noting that the handling of the situation demonstrated “courage, honesty of purpose, integrity, strength of character,” and served as a model for the younger generation.

The Vice Chancellor particularly commended the Board’s rare decision to accept full responsibility for the errors, despite the fault originating from a service provider.

 

According to him, such openness and integrity are “uncommon phenomena in Nigeria.”

 

Professor Egbewole, who also identified the JAMB Registrar as a distinguished alumnus of UNILORIN, extended the institution’s pride in his exemplary leadership and described him as a “worthy ambassador” of the university.

 

“We pray that God will continue to lead you and grant you the grace to be of more invaluable service to our country,” he added.

 

The 2025 UTME, which had faced criticism following technical issues that led to the disruption of thousands of candidates’ results, prompted swift intervention and a public apology from JAMB, along with steps to address the affected candidates

 

The Lagos State chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party has said it will adopt a consensus mode of primaries to choose its candidates for the July 12 Local Government election in the state.

 

The Lagos State Publicity Secretary of NNPP, Mr Richard Benson, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.

 

Benson said, “We are adopting the consensus approach for our primaries.

 

“In places where we have many aspirants, we shall ask others to step down for the popular and strong aspirants to fly the party’s flag.”

 

He, however, said that the date for the primaries had not been fixed, assuring that it would hold within the window provided by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission.

He added, “We are fully involved and participating in the local government election in Lagos.

 

“We are going to win some seats because we have areas where we are strong.

 

“We are going to win in our strongholds. We will spring a surprise in the election.”

 

When asked to list the party’s strongholds, the spokesman said that he would not reveal the areas so as not to let out the party’s strategy for the election.

 

NAN

 

The Lagos State Government has restricted working hours on building sites statewide to the hours of 7.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Saturday.

 

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, in Alausa on Thursday.

 

He said, “The restriction order must be strictly adhered to by all those involved in building construction in the State, as relevant Government Agencies would enforce compliance.

 

“However, concession to work outside these hours could be granted, subject to formal application that would be treated on its merits.”

 

According to Olumide, the move to restrict working hours on building sites was expedient to protect the environment, combat building collapse, and promote social well-being and wellness.

 

He urged residents to report any site found to be violating the order.

 

In 2024, following the collapse of a two-storey building that claimed the lives of five construction workers at Arowojobe Estate, in the Maryland area of Lagos State, the General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency, Gbolahan Oki, banned people, particularly labourers, from sleeping at construction sites in the state.

Oki gave the directive in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of the Public Affairs Unit, Olaoye Olusegun.

 

The statement read in part, “Henceforth, nobody should be found sleeping in any building under construction after the close of work, especially at night.

 

“LASBCA officials will be inspecting construction sites across the state, especially at night, to ensure that nobody is sleeping inside any building under construction.

 

“Construction period in the state remains from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday excluding Sundays.

 

“Henceforth, any property developer or owners who engage workers to carry out construction work on Sundays and beyond 7 pm on Monday to Saturday will have his or her property sealed indefinitely.

 

“This directive becomes necessary to safeguard the building construction industry and ensure that buildings in the state are safe, secure, and fit for habilitation,” the statement added.

 

The Federal Government has restated its commitment to the development and deployment of information technology to advance education in Nigeria.

 

Minister of Education Dr. Olatunji Alausa gave this assurance at the 2025 Information Technology Professional Assembly held at the NAF conference centre, Abuja, saying the government was aware of the importance of IT in the 21st century and its potential for widening access to education at all levels on Wednesday.

 

The annual IT Professionals’ Assembly, organised by the Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria), brought together industry players, government officials, policy makers, lawmakers, academia, civil society and all strategic stakeholders to deliberate on IT-based issues.

 

The minister noted that information technology is a critical sector and the flagship of other professions, adding that at the government circle, it is a profession that is taken seriously in the course of the nation’s aspiration for sustainable development.

 

Alausa, whose speech was read at the event by a Deputy Director of Science Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Olie Frank, however, expressed concerns about quackery in the IT profession while urging CPN to strictly enforce its regulations by ensuring that all individuals and corporate organisations that are into information technology practice register with the Council to allow for effective regulation of computer education and practice in Nigeria.

“The Federal Ministry of Education is conscious of your efforts at enforcing the Act that established CPN by making it mandatory for all individuals and corporate organisations that are practising information technology in Nigeria to be duly registered with CPN.

 

“The global practice is for professionals to regulate their profession properly in order to exterminate quacks and undesirable elements from making incursions into the profession,” he said.

 

Earlier, President and Chairman of the Council of CPN, Kole Jagun, noted that the yearly IT Professionals’ Assembly has created a niche for itself as a gathering of information technology professionals and practitioners in Nigeria and the diaspora to discuss and strategise on emergent issues in IT in order to come out with recommendations and decisions that would impart positively on the industry and the nation.

 

He added that this year’s event, which is the 19th in a series of Information Technology Professionals’ Assemblies, would focus on issues aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s cyberspace from cyber threats, online fraud, fake news, and hate speech, while fostering international alliances and promoting local technology development.

 

“This gathering is more than just a meeting; it is an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and inspire one another. The rapid evolution of technology demands that we stay ahead through continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and professional networking,” he state.

 

The Kogi Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, has said that strong synergy between the Nigeria Police Force, and Nigerian Navy, particularly the Marine Police, would enhance waterways security in Nigeria.

 

The commissioner said this when Students of Junior Course 99 (JC 99) of the Nigerian Navy Department of Maritime War College, paid an operational visit to the police command in Lokoja.

 

Dantawaye commended them for choosing the command as one of the stops on their operation tours across the country.

 

“It’s my belief that this visit will significantly sharpen the effectiveness and professional readiness of the marine police officers.

 

“Again, this will further consolidate the collaboration and synergy between the police and navy, particularly marine police as it relates to waterways security,” he said.

 

The guest lecturer for the event, Ali Usman, state marine police officer in Kogi, made a presentation on: “Consolidating Multi-Agency Cooperation for Enhancing Nigeria’s Maritime Security.”

 

Usman traced the history of marine police, its structure, roles, and specific operations within Kogi, highlighting operational challenges and recommending solutions for stronger synergy between the marine police unit in Kogi and NNS Lugard.

 

In his remarks, the Team Leader and Director, Department of Maritime Warfare, Commodore A.O. Ojebode acknowledged the open-hearted reception by the CP and his management team.

Ojebode commended the depth of the lecture and discussions, which he described as critical in enhancing national maritime security.

 

He said the operational visit was in line with the JC 99 course theme: “Consolidating Multi-Agency Cooperation for Enhanced Nigerian Navy Operations.”

 

“The Nigerian police force, being a critical security agency with direct responsibility for internal security, is chosen for this engagement to enable students to interact, learn, and develop pragmatic solutions to security challenges through enhanced cooperation.

 

“⁷This historic visit reaffirms the commitment of the Nigerian police force and the Nigerian navy to building a stronger, united front against all maritime and inland waterway-related threats,” he said.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit is a core component of the JC 99 curriculum aimed at exposing the students to real-time operations, fostering inter-agency collaboration, and enhancing their understanding of national security architecture, particularly in inland maritime environments.

 

Ojebode, who led the team, was accompanied by two Chief Instructors, eight directing members of staff, and a total of 120 students, including 21 female officers and two international representatives from Ghana and the Republic of Congo.

 

The Kwara State Government has ordered the immediate closure of Government High School and Government Day Secondary School, Adeta, Ilorin, following repeated incidents of student unrest.

 

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Peter Amogbonjaye.

 

According to the statement, the State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, said the decision was necessary to restore order and ensure safety.

 

This action comes after violent clashes between students, disruption of academic activities, and vandalism of school property within the two institutions.

 

He explained that only students currently sitting the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations and their teachers would be permitted on school premises during the exam period.

“Dr Olohungbebe added that students who are involved in the SSSCE examinations are enjoined to always put on their identification cards while coming to the school premises and urged parents and guardians to allow their children and wards to stay with them at home,” the statement read.

 

He warned that security officers would apprehend any student flouting the directive.

 

The government reiterated its commitment to maintaining discipline and safety across all public schools in the state.

 

NAN

 

The students of Tai Solarin University of Education have cried out over recent robbery attacks in their host communities by some unknown criminals in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun.

 

PUNCH Online learnt that the rampant criminal activities in areas like Ijele, Abapawa, Imaweje, among other localities where students reside, have posed a serious threat to their lives.

 

This was disclosed in an open letter addressed to the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, co-signed by the Students’ Union President, Tomide Abidakun, and General Secretary, Kehinde Olalekan, on Thursday.

 

They called for the state government intervention, noting that this insecurity has caused fear, and it is affecting their studies.

 

It was gathered that the students get ambushed, robbed, and sustain injuries from the violent attacks, restricting most of them from moving freely in the area

 

“This crisis began to escalate on Wednesday, May 8, 2025, with an armed robbery reported around 10:30 PM at the Council junction, a key route leading into our campus.

 

“That night, students were ambushed, beaten, and robbed of their mobile phones, ATM cards, power generators, and even had their accounts emptied at gunpoint.

 

“Since then, we have received daily reports of robberies and harassment, especially during the ongoing e-tests,” the letter partly reads.

 

According to the SU representatives, they alleged inaction from the state’s security agencies, including “Ogun Police Command, So-Safe Corps, and the Amotekun Security Network”.

They claimed that they get heartbreaking responses, despite multiple reports and cries for help, as there has been no consistent security patrol or visible protection.

 

“We are often met with disappointing excuses such as,” No fuel for the patrol vehicle”, “Our bike is faulty”, “Mobilise us first”.

 

“In several painful instances, students have been extorted by security personnel, turning victims into funders of their own safety.

 

“It is heartbreaking to witness law enforcement agencies switch roles, leaving students to organise their own local surveillance, while those officially responsible sleep or look away,” the statement noted.

 

The students acknowledged the concerns of the community leaders with the provision of local vigilantes, but they highlighted that the security men are poorly equipped and inefficient to combat the kind of armed threat in the area.

In the letter, they requested that the state government immediately deploy skilled security personnel, creation of a dedicated joint task force comprising Police, So-Safe, and Amotekun to conduct daily patrols.

 

They also demanded a declaration of a state of emergency on security until peace is restored, and disciplinary action on erring officers who neglect their duty or extort students.

 

The Ogun students also threatened to stage a mass protest if the silence from both the government and security agencies continue.

 

Efforts to contact the spokesperson for Ogun Police Command, Omolola Oguntola, was proved abortive as she neither responded to calls nor texts as at the time of filing this report.

 

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has woken from an induced coma after undergoing surgery to repair a serious abdominal injury, according to a report by BBC Sport.

 

Awoniyi had the first part of the surgery on Monday after sustaining a ruptured intestine during a match. As part of the procedure, he was placed in an induced coma on Tuesday to allow medical staff monitor his condition. The second stage of the operation, which involved closing the wound, was successfully carried out on Wednesday.

 

“Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi has woken from an induced coma after undergoing surgery to repair a serious abdominal injury.

 

“Having had the first part of the surgery on Monday, he spent Tuesday in an induced coma as medical staff monitored his progress as part of the procedure.

 

“Awoniyi underwent the second stage of the operation, including closing the wound, on Wednesday – a process that was successful,” the report stated.

 

Meanwhile, the incident has drawn nationwide sympathy, with former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi expressing concern over the player’s condition.

“I read with deep concern the unfortunate incident involving our own Taiwo Awoniyi, a resilient son of the soil, who, while giving his best on the field for Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League, suffered a severe injury in the line of duty,” Obi said.

 

He added, “It is both painful and telling that, even after colliding with the goalpost and sustaining what has now been revealed as a ruptured intestine, he pressed on, a testament to the Nigerian spirit: strong, unyielding, and ever-committed.”

 

Obi urged Nigerians to stand in solidarity with the footballer and his family.

 

“Let us not take this lightly. We must appreciate and celebrate such young men who continue to lift our flag high, even at great personal risk… May he recover fully and return stronger,” he said.

 

Also providing an update, Nigerian photojournalist Adepoju Tobi Samuel, popularly known as OgaNlaMedia, popsted that Awoniyi is responding well to treatment.

 

“I just spoke with a family member of Taiwo Awoniyi, he’s recovering well. His wife is around him, and he’s responding to treatment. Hopefully, we should be able to speak with him soon,” he wrote.

 

Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has dared Arise TV anchor and former presidential spokesperson, Dr Reuben Abati, to a fight over what he described as disrespectful and mischievous comments made on live television.

 

Oshiomhole issued the challenge on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he reacted to a recent episode of Arise TV’s The Morning Show in which Abati questioned former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

 

“I was particularly shocked that a senior editor could ask the immediate past governor of Delta state, Okowa, mischievously, I must say, with all due respect, ‘did you get permission from Oshiomhole that your sins will now be forgiven before you decided to decamp to APC?’” Oshiomhole said.

 

Oshiomhole, who is a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress and ex-governor of Edo State, said he found it absurd that Abati would imply he had such powers within the APC.

 

“How can you ask that? What is my status? I am in the legislature. Is the legislature responsible for the prosecution of anyone wrong in any way?” Oshiomhole questioned.

 

Although he did not mention Abati by name during the interview, Oshiomhole’s references to the journalist’s past and political career pointed clearly in his direction.

 

He also took a swipe at Abati’s past, referencing his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after his time as President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesperson.

 

“The man who made that statement was at a time invited by the EFCC after he was Jonathan’s spokesman, shamelessly. Thereafter, EFCC arrested him. Was I the one who granted him bail to leave PDP to go where he is?” he stated.

Oshiomhole further accused Abati of deliberately refusing to acknowledge his role in labour movements, especially on May Day.

 

“Even on Labour Day, he was saying some labour leaders who had been involved in picketing and fought for workers; he could not even credit me with the fact that I led the protest. This is a guy who wrote ‘Oshiomhole the people’s president’ when I was president of the NLC.

 

“Rather than crediting me with that, he said when they leave NLC, they now go and become governors,” Oshiomhole said.

 

The senator concluded with a direct challenge.

 

“If you are angry because you wanted to be a deputy governor and you lost an election in Ogun state, is that the reason you are paranoid, that every opportunity you want to abuse me? If you want to abuse me, don’t hide behind the TV; let’s meet in the street and fight it out,” he said.

 

Abati was the running mate to Buruji Kashamu in the 2019 Ogun State gubernatorial election under the People’s Democratic Party.

They lost the election to Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress.