General
Tinubu, Obi, Elumelu, Others Lose Twitter Verification Badges
By Adedapo Adesanya
Many influential figures, among them businessmen, athletes, music stars, actors, and even religious leaders, have lost their blue tick on the popular social media platform, Twitter.
The legacy blue checks, which Twitter imprints on official accounts for free to help curb impersonations and spam, were supposed to end on April 1 but Mr Elon Musk, its owner, shifted the end date to April 20.
With the legacy checks gone, Twitter will have verification marks only for paid users and businesses, as well as government entities and officials.
Many Nigerians are not exempted, with the likes of President-elect, Mr Bola Tinubu, and his opponents, Mr Peter Obi and Mr Atiku Abubakar, all losing their Twitter verification badges.
Nigerian businessman and chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr Tony Elumelu, also saw his badge removed and took to the app to react.
“[I] woke up to see that my verification tick has disappeared. Wahala!” he wrote.
Now, if a user sees a blue check mark and clicks on it, the label reads: “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”
Largely followed accounts like Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Bill Gates, former US president Donald Trump and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, have all lost the marks.
Reports show that the initial rollout of the change appeared to be glitchy, as blue checks disappeared and reappeared on some accounts. Some other high-profile legacy verified accounts also didn’t seem to lose their checks, at least at first.
Mr Musk, however, responded to a tweet that cited an article by The Verge reporting that basketball player Lebron James didn’t pay for a Twitter checkmark — but still received one.
Mr Musk said that he is “paying for a few” Twitter Blue subscriptions “personally.”
Author Stephen King and actor William Shatner were also reported to be enjoying this privilege from the Twitter CEO.
This move by Twitter could see the rise of impersonation of high-profile users and confusion over the veracity of the information on the platform.
The move could also discourage some high-profile users at risk of being imitated on the site from using the platform. Immediately following the disappearance of legacy blue checks, some users began tweeting that they planned to leave the site.
Paying for Twitter Blue may be a huge fence to scale for many Nigerians as foreign exchange accessibility, following a downward review of benchmarks, may make it hard to pay the stipulated $8/month or $84 per year subscription fee.
Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to a user’s account and offers early access to select features, like Edit Tweet, among others.
General
Pastor Ogbueli’s Abuja Night of Glory Holds Today
By Blaise Udunze
Momentum is gathering for the Abuja Night of Glory taking place today, Friday, December 5, 2025, at the main bowl of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
The crusade is being hosted by Dominion City Church headed by Pastor David Ogbueli and it starts by 7pm.
The all-night programme will feature dynamic worship leaders like Nathanial Bassey, Dunsin Oyekan, Theophilus Sunday, Chioma Jesus, Kaestrings, Sunmisola Agbebi Okeleye, Minister GUC, Ebuka Songs, Anthony Kani, and DC Angels.
Reputed as a teacher of righteousness and anointed minister of the gospel, evidenced by the miracles that have trailed his ministry, and one who champions the cause of the poor through empowerment initiatives, Dr. David Ogbueli will be joined by renowned ministers from within and outside Nigeria, including Evangelist Andres Bisonni, Dr. Charles Ndifon, Evangelist Dan Scott, Apostle Ikechukwu Nnajiofor, and several others.
Night of Glory has, in previous editions held across Nigeria’s cities, recorded remarkable results, such as immediate healings and freedom from chronic ailments, recovery of vision and movement after many years of paralysis, along with liberation from dependencies and emotional distress. Numerous participants have also shared testimonies of breakthroughs and big personal changes after the experience. Organisers state that this year’s event, in Abuja, is anticipated to exceed previous editions.
The event is intended for all individuals trusting God for divine intervention in any area of life.
Understanding the role of faith in the destiny of individuals and nations, a dedicated prayer session for Nigeria will take place during the crusade to tackle some of the current challenges being faced in the country and also to uplift he leaders and institutions before God.
Attendance is free, and registration is encouraged via the QR codes on event banners. Organisers expect a massive turnout as worshippers travel from across the country for what is anticipated to be a transformative encounter.
Adequate security and free transportation have been put in place ALL over the city of Abuja, while those outside Abuja are expected to join online.
General
Rivers Speaker, 15 Other Lawmakers Leave PDP for APC
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Martin Amaewhule, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the plenary on Friday, Mr Amaewhule joined the ruling party from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), along with 15 other members of the state parliament.
This development comes some months after they had earlier declared their support for the APC in the wake of a crisis with the state governor, Mr Sim Fubura.
The lawmakers had an issue with Mr Fubura, which led to a state of emergency declared on the oil-rich state by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025.
This embargo was only lift in September 2025 after the duration of the six-month emergency rule in the state.
A few days ago, members of the Rivers Assembly passed a vote of confidence on President Tinubu, backing him to remain in office till 2031, when he would have spent eight years in office if re-elected in 2027.
Announcing their defection today, the lawmakers pinned their decision on the crisis rocking the PDP at the national level.
It is not certain if their political godfather, Mr Nyesom Wike, who is the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will join them in APC.
Mr Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, has been accused of instigating the crisis in the opposition PDP. He was expelled from the party last month at a national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
General
Nigeria Risks Brain Drain in Energy Sector—PENGASSAN
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has warned that Nigeria risks massive brain drain in the oil and gas sector due to poor remuneration.
The president of PENGASSAN, Mr Festus Osifo, said at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union on Thursday in Abuja that the industry was facing challenges arising from Naira devaluation and inflation, noting that, oil and gas skills remained globally competitive.
Painting an example, he said, “A drilling engineer in Nigeria does the same job as one in the US or Abu Dhabi,” noting that the union must take steps to bridge the wage gap to prevent members from leaving the country for better opportunities abroad.
“If we don’t act, the brain drain seen in other sectors will be child’s play,” he said.
According to him, PENGASSAN has recorded significant gains through collective bargaining across oil and gas branches.
“We signed numerous agreements across government agencies, IOCs, service and marketing sectors,” he said.
He said the agreements brought relief to members facing rising costs of living, adding that, the association’s duty is to protect members’ jobs and enhance their pay.
Mr Osifo urged companies delaying salary reviews and those foot-dragging as a result of the prevailing economic realities, to do the needful.
He said the industry employed some of the nation’s best talents, making competitive pay critical to retaining skilled workers.
“This industry recruits the best. Companies must provide the best conditions,” he said.
On insecurity, Mr Osifo urged government to take decisive action against terrorism and kidnappings across the country.
“We are tired of condemnations. government must expose sponsors and protect citizens,” he said.
He urged government at all levels to prioritise tackling insecurity through better funding and equipment for security agencies.
Mr Osifo said PENGASSAN supported calls for state police to improve local security response, adding that decentralising policing will protect citizens better than rhetoric.
He also said economic indicators meant little, if food prices remained high and farmers could not return to farms due to insecurity.
“Nigerians want to see food on the table, not macroeconomic figures,” he said, urging the government to coordinate fiscal and monetary policies to ensure economic gains reach households.
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