General
25,907 Vulnerable Osun Citizens to Get Stipends
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Osun State Government has ordered the payment of stipends to 25,907 vulnerable citizens as part of palliative measures following the mandatory lockdown in the state.
The Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, also directed the immediate distribution of Debit Cards linked to the accounts of the beneficiaries in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability.
This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Lawal Azeez Olayemi, in Ile-Ife, during the distribution of the Debit Cards to the beneficiaries.
Mr Opeyemi said there had been an approved payment of N20,000 each to 15,289 elderly citizens and people living with disabilities captured under the Special Grant Transfer (SGT) scheme.
He added that approval had also been given for the immediate payment of N7,500 stipends to 10,618 beneficiaries who are vulnerable youths captured under Public Workfare (PWF) programme.
The Commissioner, who maintained that the administration of Governor Oyetola was committed to the people’s welfare, noted that the gesture would go a long way in transforming the lives of the beneficiaries.
He clarified that the disbursement of the funds under the SGT and PWF was different from the Federal Government Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) recently launched by the Governor.
The Commissioner added that the Governor has also mandated the immediate release of the monthly and quarterly stipends to the beneficiaries as part of efforts to alleviate the effects of hardship that the people are going through due to the lockdown.
According to him, the gesture would go a long way to promote the general well-being of the beneficiaries and by extension, make life pleasurable for them.
He said the scheme, which started in July 2019, was a partnership between the Osun State Government and World Bank.
“This is a collaboration between the state government and World Bank designed to alleviate poverty, hunger and unemployment among the people in the state. We commenced the exercise in line with the governor’s directive to ensure that every beneficiary under the scheme gets paid.
“There are two categories of beneficiaries. The first are the set of people living with disabilities and the aged. They are 15,289 and captured under the Special Grant Transfer (SGT). Also, there is Public Work Fare (PWF) which is designed for the youths and the beneficiaries under this are 10,618.
“The elderly ones and those living with disabilities are given N20,000 each quarterly while the beneficiaries under the Public Workfare (PWF) each take home N7,500 monthly.
“We started the distribution of Debit Cards last week Friday where we captured Irewole, Isokan, Iwo, Ede-North and Ede-South local governments respectively. We have also captured Atakumosa- East, Ilesa-East, Oriade and Boluwaduro, Ife-East, Ife-Central, Atakumosa-West, Ila and Ife-North local governments.
“We are moving next to Orolu, Boripe, Ifelodun, Olorunda, Odo-Otin, Osogbo, Ife-South, Ifedayo, Irepodun and Ejigbo local governments.
“Though this programme has been on since last year’s July but to ensure a high level of transparency and accountability, the state Governor had approved the production and distribution of Debit Cards to the beneficiaries.
“Before now, the beneficiaries used to receive their stipends by hands, but with this new technology, the process will be easier.
“The Debit Cards which is linked with the beneficiary’s account is aimed at ensuring easy access to funds. This social intervention programme is different from the Federal Government Conditional Cash Transfer recently launched by the governor,” Mr Olayemi said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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