Supporters of Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and Peoples Democratic Party governorship hopeful Ladi Adebutu on Friday exchanged slogans during the funeral service of the mother-in-law of former Ogun State Governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, in Abeokuta.
The incident occurred during the burial service of Mrs Sabainah Opawole, mother of Yeye Olufunke Daniel, at Ibara Baptist Church.
Mrs Opawole died about two weeks ago at the age of 93.
The service was attended by Governor Dapo Abiodun, Mrs Bola Obasanjo, who represented former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Adeola, Adebutu, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo and Senator Shuaib Salisu, among other dignitaries.
The atmosphere turned political when Adebutu was invited to pay tribute to the deceased.His supporters began chanting, “Say Lado for 2027” and “Ogun for Ogun,” in apparent support of his governorship ambition.
The chants were immediately countered by supporters of Adeola, who responded with solidarity songs in support of the senator’s 2027 governorship aspiration.
The development briefly disrupted the church service, prompting Daniel to appeal for calm.“We are here to pay our last respects to my mother-in-law. This is not the appropriate place for political campaigns or slogans,” the former governor told the congregation.He urged supporters of both politicians to respect the solemnity of the occasion, adding that there would be enough time after the service for political activities.Following his intervention, calm was restored, and the funeral service continued without further interruption.
By Mass Communication Students, Grace Polytechnic, Omu-Eleni.
Residents of Omu-Eleni Community in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State have expressed deep frustration over the persistent poor telecommunication network affecting their daily lives, businesses, financial transactions, and communication.
This was revealed during a vox pop conducted by students of the Department of Mass Communication, Grace Polytechnic, Omu-Eleni, to gather firsthand opinions from members of the community on the growing network challenges.
Many residents lamented that the poor quality of service from major telecommunications providers, including MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile, has become a major obstacle to economic and social activities within the community.
One of the respondents, Mr. Adetayo Adeyinka, described the situation as unbearable, explaining that several financial transactions he attempted throughout the previous day were either declined or delayed due to network failure.
According to him, even transactions that were eventually processed experienced significant delays before beneficiaries received them.
“Our community urgently needs improved network infrastructure. Telecommunications companies should install additional network masts because, at the moment, none of the available networks is reliable,” he said.
Another resident, Alhaja, noted that the problem became more severe during the week, affecting not only internet services but also voice calls and electronic banking.
She appealed to the telecommunications companies and relevant government agencies to install additional network masts to improve service delivery in the community.
Also speaking, Director, a resident and business operator, explained that he initially believed the issue was peculiar to Airtel until he discovered that subscribers on other networks, particularly MTN, were facing similar challenges.
He observed that network services often disappear completely for several hours, disrupting commercial activities, especially for Point of Sale (POS) operators whose businesses depend heavily on stable internet connectivity.
According to him, unstable network service has resulted in financial losses as customers are forced to seek alternative locations to complete transactions.
Another respondent, Ibrahim, disclosed that the network problem has persisted for between seven and eight months.
He expressed disappointment over the poor service despite subscribers paying regularly for airtime and data subscriptions.
“We are paying for services we are not enjoying. The companies should improve their infrastructure so that residents can receive value for their money,” he stated.
Similarly, Mr. Ajayi Ade Sola described both Glo and MTN services in the community as extremely poor.
He explained that despite having active data subscriptions and airtime, he often cannot browse the internet or make phone calls.
He recalled an occasion when he urgently needed to contact his brother for financial assistance but was unable to do so because of the network outage.
“I am appealing to the government and the network providers to come to our aid. Communication has become very difficult in this community,” he appealed.
Another resident, Mrs. Adeyiga Bose, also confirmed that Glo services are particularly poor in the area.
She joined other residents in appealing to both government authorities and telecommunications companies to urgently address the situation and restore reliable communication services.
The recurring complaints from residents indicate that poor telecommunication infrastructure is affecting virtually every aspect of life in Omu-Eleni, including education, business, healthcare access, emergency communication, and digital financial services.
Small-scale business owners, especially POS operators and traders who depend on electronic payments, appear to be among the worst affected by the prolonged service disruption.
Residents are therefore calling on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecommunications service providers, and relevant government authorities to urgently investigate the causes of the persistent network failure and provide lasting solutions through the installation of additional network masts and the upgrading of existing infrastructure.
The vox pop conducted by the students of the Department of Mass Communication, Grace Polytechnic, Omu-Eleni, highlights the growing concern of residents and underscores the urgent need for improved telecommunications services to support economic development and enhance the quality of life within the community.
The Arewa Community in Ogun State has thrown its weight behind the gubernatorial ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, pledging to mobilise support for him across the state’s 20 local government areas.
This followed a consultative and interactive meeting held on Tuesday at the constituency office of Senator Yayi in Ilaro, where Arewa leaders declared their readiness to embark on a door-to-door sensitisation campaign ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.
The Arewa delegation was led by leaders including the Director-General of the Southwest Arewa Community, Alhaji Shehu Usman; the Senior Special Assistant on Inter-Ethnic Affairs and Coordinator of Arewa Door-to-Door for Yayi, Prince Hadi Sani; the Sarkin Hausawa of Egbaland, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Hassan; the Sarkin Hausawa of Aworiland, Alhaji Muhammadu Badamasi; the Sarkin Hausawa of Owode Yewa, Alhaji Umar Muhammed Nalado; the Sarkin Hausawa of Sagamu, Alhaji Inuwa Garba; and the Sarkin Hausawa of Ilaro, Alhaji Lawan Musa.
Also leading the delegation were the Chairman of Ogere Market, Alhaji Bura Muhammed; the Ogun State Women Leader of the Arewa Community, Hajiya Sadiya Garzali; and the Youth Leader, Alhaji Yusuf Adam.
Speaking at the meeting, Alhaji Shehu Usman described Senator Yayi as a detribalised Nigerian and a deeply transformative and progressive leader who has continued to prioritise the welfare of the people at all times.
On his part, Prince Hadi Sani said the Hausa community had found in Senator Yayi the right man to consolidate the gains of the Dapo Abiodun administration in the area of peaceful coexistence and inter-ethnic relations. He disclosed that the community had, in furtherance of this, decided to brand 10 buses for the senator’s campaign and would be going door-to-door to canvass support for “the people’s senator.”
Senator Yayi, who represents Ogun West in the Senate, has in recent weeks intensified consultations with various interest groups and traditional institutions across the state as part of efforts to build a broad-based coalition ahead of the 2027 poll.
He was declared the consensus gubernatorial candidate of the APC in Ogun State following endorsements from party stakeholders across the three senatorial districts.
The Senate, on Wednesday, rejected a request to launch an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, insisting that the matter is already before the courts and under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The controversy, which has dominated public discourse for over two weeks, centres on a purported federal agency that allegedly secured a ₦1.3bn allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite the Presidency maintaining that no such agency exists.
The renewed request was brought before the Senate by the lawmaker representing Kano South Senatorial District, Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu, who had made a similar attempt last week without success.
Kawu again sought to have the upper chamber investigate how the budgetary provision was included in the 2026 budget, but the Senate declined.
Ruling on the request, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the National Assembly could not investigate a matter already before a court of competent jurisdiction.
Akpabio also noted that President Bola Tinubu had directed the ICPC to investigate the controversy within 30 days, making a separate Senate probe unnecessary at this stage.
He said, “In my view, the issue has been overtaken by events, as the culprit has been charged to court. It is now sub judice to attempt to go into it again. Mr President has already directed an investigation.
“If we go into it now, we will probably be jumping the gun.”
Last week, Kawu argued that the Senate had a constitutional responsibility to scrutinise how the controversial allocation found its way into the national budget, irrespective of the executive’s investigation.
He said, “I commend Mr President. But he can’t do our work. We, as the National Assembly, are supposed to conduct our own investigation. My concern is about the budget.
Who came to the National Assembly to defend the agency?”
His request was, however, rejected.
Following the Senate’s decision last week, the lawmaker told journalists that his concern was not about whether the agency existed but about safeguarding the integrity of the National Assembly’s appropriation process and establishing how the ₦1.3bn allocation was approved.
On Wednesday, he again attempted to raise the issue under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, but senators maintained their earlier position and declined to entertain the motion.
The controversy involves Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
Adeyemi, who has since been arrested by the police, is facing criminal charges over alleged impersonation and related offences.
He is also embroiled in a dispute with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after alleging that the presidential aide demanded a ₦400m bribe and sought 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed ₦27.4bn take-off grant.
The Presidency has denied the allegations against Gbajabiamila and insisted that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council does not exist.
Despite this, the 2026 Appropriation Act contains a ₦1.3bn provision for the purported agency, covering both recurrent and capital expenditure.
President Tinubu subsequently directed the ICPC to investigate the circumstances surrounding the purported agency and the controversial budgetary allocation, with the anti-graft agency expected to submit its findings within 30 days.
Children aged 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK will face a voluntary overnight social media curfew, alongside a shutdown of infinite scrolling and mandatory breaks in AI chatbot use, under new plans announced by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.
According to a report by The Independent UK on Tuesday, the measures form part of the government’s wider restrictions on children’s social media use, and will see default settings block access for older teenagers between midnight and 6 am.
Kendall, in a statement, said, “These measures will be crucial in helping young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends, all of which are fundamental to building a happy, healthy and fulfilling adult life.
“We want young people to enjoy the benefits of technology while having the tools to make the online world a place where they can thrive.”
The Independent said features designed to keep users engaged, such as never-ending video reels and algorithmic feeds, will also be automatically switched off under the new defaults.
However, the report noted that critics have questioned how effective the measures will be, given that 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to turn off these default settings themselves.
The curfew plan follows last month’s announcement of a broader social media ban for under-16s by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government, expected to cover platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but not messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal, from next spring, according to the newspaper.
The report added that responsibility for working out key details of the policy will fall to Andy Burnham, who is set to become prime minister after winning the Makerfield by-election.
Kendall is also reportedly pushing new safeguards for children using artificial intelligence, including requiring under-18s to take regular breaks while using chatbots, and a crackdown on AI services that give dangerous, misleading or unverified mental health advice.
Ministers are said to be considering banning chatbots deemed a serious threat to children.
Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott reportedly criticised the plan, describing it as “another dog’s dinner from Labour” and arguing that curfews teenagers can simply switch off “won’t achieve anything.”
