The Ambode Comeback Crusaders has appealed to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to consider former Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election in the state.
In an open letter dated September 28 and addressed to the APC National Chairman and Lagos State Chairman, the group’s convener, Abiodun Fashola, described Ambode as a proven leader whose first term in office from 2015 to 2019 delivered “exemplary leadership” in infrastructure, public transportation, and healthcare.
The letter argued that Ambode’s financial expertise strengthened Lagos as a leading economic hub, while his inclusive approach to governance positioned him as “a leader who listens to stakeholders and the populace.”
“As you deliberate on candidates for the upcoming elections, I urge you to consider the broader implications of Ambode’s second term. His proven track record and vision for the future align seamlessly with APC’s commitment to progress and development,” the letter read in part.
The group maintained that bringing back Ambode would “propel Lagos into a new era of prosperity and innovation” while reinforcing APC’s image as a party of progress.
The letter was copied to President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and other stakeholders in the state.
Ambode, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, succeeded Babatunde Fashola as governor in 2015 but was denied a second-term ticket in 2019 after losing the APC primary to Sanwo-Olu.
The Federal Government has approved a policy that makes submission of students’ theses and final year projects into the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank, a compulsory requirement for mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps.
PUNCH Online gathered that effective from October 6, no graduate, whether trained in Nigeria or abroad will be mobilised for or exempted from the NYSC without proof of compliance.
The new directive was contained in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s approval on Saturday.
The circular stated that the “NYSC mobilisation criteria [have been adjusted] in accordance with the President’s regulation requiring proof of NERD Policy compliance for all prospective corps members, regardless of where they were educated.”
The policy requires all students to deposit their academic outputs, such as theses or project reports, into the national database. According to Section 6.1.23 of the NERD guidelines, the measure serves “as a quality assurance check and as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”
Explaining the intent of the reform, NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima, said,”Apart from the mandate to verify for authenticity as a national flagship, the NERD digitisation programme has a clear objective, to raise the bar in the quality of academic content, output and presentation nationwide.”
She added that the database will capture every detail of academic work deposited.
“Each item shall feature the full name of the student, those of his supervisor, co-supervisor if any, and that of the Head of Department, as well as the sponsoring institution and department,” Galadima explained.
On why the move matters for university supervision, she stressed:
“If our eminent scholars are aware that their names will appear next to those of the students they supervise on a globally available digital platform, there is the likelihood that each lecturer would up his or her standard.
“Very few lecturers would want their names associated with poorly produced academic works.”
In March, while declaring the NERD policy effective, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had emphasised that submission of academic outputs would become obligatory.
“The approved stipulations for mandatory submission of academic outputs as provided in Sections 2.3, 4.3(1), and 7.6.11(c), among others, of the approved National Policy for the NERD Programme shall become obligatory requirements in Nigeria,” Alausa said.
A copy of the approved policy also revealed that President Tinubu endorsed an academic output monetisation mechanism to reward students and lecturers.
“This ensures students and lecturers can earn lifetime revenues from their academic deposits,” the document stated.
According to the SGF’s circular, the enforcement will apply to all graduates from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and foreign institutions.
It clarified that the new rules “do not affect serving corps members or those mobilised before the October 6 enforcement date.”
With the reform, the Federal Government said it aims to curb certificate racketeering, secure Nigeria’s intellectual property, and strengthen the credibility of higher education qualifications.
Schools, libraries, and parks were closed on Monday in Valencia in eastern Spain after heavy rains prompted a red alert and fears of a repeat of deadly floods that hit the area last year.
Spain’s national weather agency, AEMET, warned of a “very complicated situation” in the Mediterranean region.
The overnight downpours caused localised flooding and a ravine to overflow in Aldaia, one of the towns hardest hit by October 2024’s floods that killed more than 230 people. No injuries have been reported.
AEMET warned of “extraordinary danger” in the provinces of Valencia and Castellón, as well as the province of Tarragona in the neighbouring region of Catalonia.
Schools and universities will stay closed in the city of Valencia on Monday, as well as public spaces including libraries, parks, gardens, markets, and cemeteries, local officials said.
Last year’s disaster sparked public anger over warning systems and emergency response, fuelling tensions between Spain’s left-leaning central government and conservative regional authorities.
Residents continue to protest, accusing officials of failing to provide timely alerts.
Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding from extreme rainfall.
The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency has assured Nigerians of the health safety of genetically modified organisms
The Director-General of NBRDA, Abdullahi Mustapha, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Mustapha gave the assurance against the backdrop of ongoing debates and conversations around GMOs, which he described as based on general misinformation.
According to Mustapha, the agency remains committed to bridging the gap of ignorance through evidence-based engagement, sensitisation, and research-driven advocacy.
Mustapha added that the agency’s core mandate is to promote and conduct innovative research in agriculture, health, industry, the environment, and other strategic sectors, based on a commitment to humanity.
“Our top priority is the well-being of Nigerians. We will never compromise public health or safety in the pursuit of innovation,” he said.
Mustapha said GMOs were globally recognised as safe for human health and the environment.
According to him, the approval of GMOs in Nigeria is subject to strict biosafety regulations by the National Biosafety Management Agency.
“It is important for Nigerians to know that GMOs are safe. Around the world, they have been researched for decades, regulated by rigorous international standards, and tested extensively.
“Here in Nigeria, no GMO product enters circulation without the full approval of the NBMA, which subjects every product to thorough risk assessments,” he said.
Mr Mustapha said that the NBRDA has intensified efforts to sensitise and engage stakeholders, including farmers, policymakers, scientists, youth, and civil society, about biotechnology.
He said that through training programmes, community outreach, open forums, and field demonstrations, the agency was rebuilding public confidence and countering misinformation with facts.
German airline group Lufthansa said Monday it will cut 4,000 jobs, nearly four percent of its workforce, underscoring the slump gripping Europe’s largest economy.
Lufthansa said the majority of the job cuts would be in Germany and take place by 2030, targeting administrative rather than operational positions.
The group, which employs around 103,000 people, includes Eurowings, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels Airlines, as well as the recently acquired Italian flagship airline ITA Airways.
Germany is facing a second straight year of recession, with unemployment at a decade high.
The downturn has hit some of the country’s corporate giants hard, squeezed by Chinese competition, high energy costs and slow adoption of new technologies.
Lufthansa’s announcement comes just days after another major German company, industrial giant Bosch, said it would cut 13,000 jobs, or three percent of its global workforce.
“The Lufthansa Group is reviewing which activities will no longer be necessary in the future, for example due to duplication of work,” the company said in a statement.
“In particular, the profound changes brought about by digitalization and the increased use of artificial intelligence will lead to greater efficiency in many areas and processes,” it said.
Lufthansa set new financial targets for 2028-2030, including an adjusted operating margin of eight to 10 per cent.
Nepal has imposed travel bans on ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli and four former senior officials as part of an investigation into deadly unrest earlier this month, the interior minister said Monday.
Youth-led protests that began on September 8 over a brief social media ban, economic hardship and corruption quickly morphed into nationwide fury after a deadly crackdown.
Two days of violence left at least 73 people dead, the parliament and government offices were burned down, and forced the government’s collapse.
In addition to Oli, travel bans have been placed on former home minister Ramesh Lekhak, former head of the National Investigation Department security agency, Hutaraj Thapa, and two other senior bureaucrats.
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who is leading the Himalayan nation until elections in March 2026, set up a commission to probe the violence.
The restrictions were recommended Sunday by the commission.
Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal told AFP on Monday that the ban is “already in effect.”
Commission member Bigyan Raj Sharma said in a statement on Sunday that the five men must obtain permission to even leave the Kathmandu Valley as they “may need to appear for investigation at any time”.
The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) estimates the private sector, including automobile, hotel and retail industries, endured losses worth $600 million.
Former prime minister Oli has blamed “infiltrators” for inciting bloodshed and alleges rifles used in the protests came from another source.
Ex- Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney says the spirit and identity of Manchester United have disappeared, and he has no confidence in manager Ruben Amorim’s ability to turn the situation around.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sounds, United’s all-time leading goalscorer described the club as “broken” and admitted he now attends matches expecting them to lose.
According to BBC Sport on Monday, Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat at Brentford on Saturday meant they have collected 34 points from Amorim’s 33 league games in charge and have still to win successive matches.
The club are said to remain supportive of their head coach despite the damaging loss which left them 14th in the Premier League table.
But Rooney added that some current players “don’t deserve to wear the shirt”, the side “needs a new engine” and supporters are “waiting for the club to crumble”.
“I am not seeing anything which is giving me any confidence, there needs to be big changes in my opinion,” said the former England striker, who won five league titles during 13 years at Old Trafford.
“Manager, players, whatever that is. Whatever it takes to get Manchester Untied back,” Rooney said.
No fewer than 5,000 students of the University of Benin risk being barred from writing the second-semester examinations scheduled to commence on Monday, for failing to pay their school charges.
In a memo signed by the Registrar of the institution, Mr Ademola Bobola, the university announced the strict enforcement of its “no payment of school charges, no examination” policy, insisting that repeated reminders to defaulters had been ignored.
“The university management is in receipt of the list of students who have failed to pay their school charges despite repeated reminders.
“These students have also failed to subscribe to the students’ loans being provided by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND),” Bobola said.
The registrar said all efforts to encourage the affected students to either pay their fees or access the NELFUND facility had yielded no positive response.
“With the second-semester examination set to begin on Monday, Sept. 29, these students shall be barred from writing the examination if they fail to pay their school charges or subscribe to the students’ loan by NELFUND,” he said.
Bobola disclosed that the Senate had directed provosts, deans, directors, and heads of departments to publish the list of all defaulters by 8 a.m. on Monday.
According to him, this measure is to enable affected students to confirm their status and make last-minute payments before the examinations commence.
He added that an enforcement task force headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) had been set up to monitor and ensure strict compliance with the directive.
“Management expects full cooperation and compliance by all stakeholders to maintain the university’s high standards,” he stated.
Similarly, on April 10 2025, PUNCH Online reported that the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, had begun and implemented a “no school fees, no exam” policy. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, disclosed this during a pre-first semester examination roadshow around the main campus in Port Harcourt.
Zeb-Obipi also warned students to resist the temptation of diverting the school fees given to them by their parents to gamble or related acts, thereby making things difficult for themselves and their sponsors.
American rapper Cardi B has made history as the only female rapper to debut her first two studio albums at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Her sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, debuted at the top spot with 200,000 equivalent album units in its first week, following the groundbreaking success of her debut project, Invasion of Privacy (2018), which also launched at number one.
The accomplishment was confirmed by Billboard on Sunday, in an official post on Instagram, which read, “ Cardi B scores her second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as ‘AM I THE DRAMA?’ debuts atop the tally. ”
“With 200,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States, according to luminate_data, it marks 2025’s biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman.”
“’AM I THE DRAMA?’ is Cardi B’s second full-length studio project, and follows her chart-topping debut, ‘Invasion of Privacy,’ in 2018.”
Beyond this historic feat, Am I The Drama? also recorded the biggest first-week sales of 2025 for a female hip-hop/R&B artist, fueled by massive streaming figures and strong physical sales from multiple vinyl and CD variants.
Cardi B is expected to embark on an arena tour in February 2026 to promote the album.
In addition to her chart-topping success, Cardi B also earned a Guinness World Record for the most drone deliveries in one hour. On September 19, 2025, she partnered with Walmart and Wing Drone Delivery to distribute 176 signed CDs of Am I The Drama? across the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area in Texas.
The official Guinness confirmation stated, “Most deliveries by UAV drones in one hour: 176, by @iamcardib, @AtlanticRecords, @Wing & @Walmart at multiple locations today across the Dallas–Fort Worth region, Texas, USA.”
The initiative marked a groundbreaking moment in music marketing — the first time an artist has tied a world record to an album release using drone technology. Cardi B described the rollout as “a special moment for my fans and a crazy new way to drop music.”
The Ogun State Government has berated Senator Gbenga Daniel over his criticism of Governor Dapo Abiodun following a stop-work order on the ongoing rehabilitation of the 260-metre Paddy Arikawe Oye-Igbimo Road in Sagamu.
The government described the senator’s comments as “reckless and misleading,” accusing him of deliberately distorting facts and inciting the public with false claims.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Kayode Akinmade, the state government said Daniel thrives on stirring controversy instead of respecting due process.
“Only a mind bent on mischief will describe adherence to due process as obstruction.
“The same contractor has since accepted the government’s recommendations, which makes Daniel’s claims even more misleading,” Akinmade stated.
The state government argued that Daniel remains the only federal lawmaker in Ogun State constantly embroiled in disputes over constituency projects.
“It is ironic that Senator Daniel, who spent years undermining state institutions while in power, now pretends to seek collaboration.
“A genuine statesman would comply with established processes rather than attempt to impose shoddy and unsafe engineering works on the people,” Akinmade said.
The state government further recalled what he described as Daniel’s history of disregard for the law, including a previous standoff over property verification in Sagamu.
“Daniel, who is currently under suspension by his party’s state executive, has made it a pastime to attack the government at every turn.
“He complains about roads, yet how many did he construct as governor? Meanwhile, the present administration has built over 1,000 kilometers of roads across the state,” the aide added.
He concluded that while the senator may continue his “media war,” the Abiodun administration would not compromise the rule of law.
“Daniel may continue to play to the gallery, but we will never endanger the public simply to satisfy the whims of a single individual,” Akinmade stressed.
PUNCH Online had reported that the face-off follows a September 17 letter by the Ogun Ministry of Works directing contractor Minim and Tonye Nigeria Limited to stop work on the road project for failing to obtain the requisite approvals.
Daniel’s camp, however, accused the state government of sabotage.
His media aide, Steve Oliyide, described the stop-work order as “counterproductive and premeditated acts to deny the people of the state from enjoying the fruits of good governance under President Tinubu.”
“This is not the first project the state government has stopped. The Sagamu-Aiyepe road already has a budgetary approval, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and no sooner than the contractors were mobilised to site than the Ogun State government moved in,” Oliyide said.
He also cited similar clashes over projects in Ijebu Ode, alleging a deliberate attempt by the Abiodun administration to frustrate federal interventions in Ogun East.
“If the state government continues like this, they are just deliberately sabotaging the efforts of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards impacting the lives of the people positively.
“It is a sabotage of the Federal Government’s efforts and an attempt to portray the President in a bad light before the people,” Oliyide added.
