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Awujale: Ogun govt frustrating selection process, Fusengbuwa Ruling House alleges

The Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, has accused the Ogun State Government of sponsoring individuals within the family to frustrate and derail the process for the selection of the next Awujale of Ijebuland.

Owoyemi made this known when he featured on the Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese, Ijebu, while expressing concern over what it described as the prolonged delay in the appointment of a new Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.

The former ICAN President also declared as ‘void’ a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, September 20, 2026, which, according to him, is intended to announce the emergence of another Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and demonise the existing Fusengbuwa family structure.

He insisted that, as the recognised head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, the ruling house had already completed its internal selection process in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.

He said the ruling house was given 14 days to complete its internal nomination process but concluded the exercise within 10 days, after which it submitted the required documents and the names of its candidates to the Awujale kingmakers.

Owoyemi said the kingmakers were then expected to conclude their own stage of the process within seven days and present a single candidate to the Ogun State Governor for approval and enthronement.

He questioned the continued delay and what he described as interference by the Ogun State Government in a process which, according to him, had already commenced and was being conducted in line with the applicable traditional and legal procedures.

The Fusengbuwa Olori Ebi further alleged that certain mutinuous individuals were being encouraged by interested personalities within Ogun state Government structure to initiate a parallel process capable of undermining the authority of the ruling house.

He consequently maintained that any meeting, decision or announcement purporting to select another candidate outside the process already completed by the ruling house would be invalid.

The development comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over the stalled process for selecting the next Awujale.

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House had earlier approached the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode in suit number HCJ/149/2026, seeking orders compelling the Governor, the kingmakers and other parties to conclude the selection process.

The matter has been adjourned to September 23, 2026, following the return of the case by a vacation judge to the administrative judge for reassignment.

Also the leadership of the ruling house has again on the 16th of September sued other members of the family from parading themselves as leaders or interfering with the leadership structure. The suit is numbered HCJ/167/2026.

The ruling house has maintained that it completed its part of the process within the stipulated period, while alleging that the subsequent stage was halted following petitions and security reports which, it said, were not made available to the ruling house.

The Awujale stool has remained vacant since the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona on Sunday 13th July 2025, after 65 years on the throne.

The latest development is expected to further heighten the dispute over the process and authority for determining the next occupant of the revered Awujale stool.

Barau Sacks Aide Over ‘Abba Must Go’ Post

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has relieved one of his aides, Umar Alhassan, popularly known as King Indara, of his appointment following a controversial social media post targeting Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Shitu Madaki Kunchi, Senator Barau said the dismissal was necessitated by Indara’s ‘indiscipline and disrespect’ after he authored posts bearing the phrase ‘Abba Must Go.’

The Deputy Senate President described the action as contrary to the values of respect and decorum upheld by his office and inconsistent with the principles of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

‘Accordingly, we announce his removal from the position of Special Legislative Assistant (SLA) in the office of the Deputy Senate President as of September 18, 2026,’ the statement read. Barau, who represents Kano North, reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC and prayed for the party’s success ‘from top to bottom.’

Indara, who is also a popular Kano TikToker, posted on his Facebook page on Friday that Kano is for Kwankwaso, while noting that he remains a member of the APC.

NCAA: Letran rides Denzil Walker’s hot hands for 2-0 start

Letran has found early success in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament behind Denzil Walker’s hot start.

Following the Knights’ 99-62 rout of the San Sebastian Stags on Saturday, coach Allen Ricardo had high praise for Walker.

He even went as far as to say that Walker is Letran’s ‘missing piece’ in their redemption bid.

‘He’s one of the missing pieces for us. For the past two games, he’s been playing really well,’ he said. ‘For me, him stepping up is okay.’

‘Denzil knows the system. He knows how to deliver at the right time.’

Against the Stags, Walker turned in 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks, built on 4 triples.

The former UP Fighting Maroon announced his arrival in the NCAA last Sunday when the Knights defeated the Perpetual Help Altas on opening day, 84-77.

Walker registered 21 points, 2 steals and a block against the squad the Knights eliminated in the semifinals last year.

But as good as Walker has been, Ricardo wants to see his other players step up as well.

‘Hopefully, others step up too. Of course, it can’t all just be him,’ he said.

‘We need others to step up too because this is a long season. We’re also trying to build confidence for the other players too.’

I want my ex-husband to give our child N50, 000 per month for food -Woman

A mother, Fatima Jibril, has dragged her ex-husband, Muhammad Mahmud, before a Shari’a Court sitting at Magajin Gari, Kaduna, Kaduna State, seeking child custody and N50,000 monthly maintenance fee.

The complainant’s lawyer, Abubakar Jibril, told the court that his client husband got divorced in January and took their two-year-old child to his mother ever since.

‘We want the child to continue to be in the mother’s custody while the father takes full responsibility for school fees, health and general well-being,’ the lawyer pleaded.

In his defense, the defendant, who spoke through his counsel, Mahmud Ibrahim, said he can only pay N25,000 maintenance fee.

The judge, Malam Mu’awiyya Shehu, asked if she would accept that and she answered in affirmative.

The judge adjourned the case to September 22 for ruling.

’Bola’: Sunday Dare slams Atiku for addressing Tinubu by first name

Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sunday Dare, has criticized the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, for stripping the president of his official status and merely addressing him by his first name at a media briefing.

Atiku, at a press conference on Friday where he called on the present administration to reduce the price of fuel to give succour to Nigerians, had evaded the official status of President Tinubu and simply addressed him as ‘Bola Tinubu.’

He said: ‘Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because Atiku Abubakar proposed a government intervention.

‘He should just take the idea, rename it if he wishes, and even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less.’

Dare, in a post on his X handle, @SundayDareSD, accused the former Vice-President of insolence.

Dismissing the ADC presidential candidate’s appeal to President Tinubu to intervene and moderate the price of fuel, Dare declared that ‘Nigerians do not need lectures on fiscal management from a political wanderer whose decades-long pursuit of the presidency has been defined by perpetual opportunism.’

His post read: ‘Alhaji Atiku’s manner of addressing President Bola Tinubu as Bola is the height of insolence. It is a clear descent into the abyss of unbridled desperation and an unravelling mind.

‘To seek to lecture a sitting president with the unbridled insolence of dropping his first name, petulantly barking instructions, and dictating how governance should be run within a truncated timeline is the height of political hubris.

‘Nigerians do not need lectures on fiscal management from a political wanderer whose decades-long pursuit of the presidency has been defined by perpetual opportunism. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing the heavy, foundational lifting required to restructure an economy crippled by decades of structural inertia and subsidy hemorrhaging.

‘Atiku’s sudden conversion to the gospel of interventionism rings hollow. This is a desperate strategy by a perennial seeker of power who weaponizes transient national discomforts for electoral mileage.’

Laguna solon dares Pulong Duterte: Show evidence of anomalous projects

Laguna First District Rep. Ann Matibag on Saturday, Sept. 19, said her office will welcome any evidence of anomalous projects against her district if there were any, after Davao City Rep. Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte claimed to have documented videos.

‘If Congressman Duterte has documents or videos showing possible irregularities in projects in my districts, he should submit them, together with the specific project details, to the proper authorities,’ she stated in a statement.

Her pronouncements followed Duterte’s assertion that his office is in possession of videos showing alleged anomalous projects in San Pedro, Laguna.

He said that the contractors of some of those projects were Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya, both of whom were linked to several government infrastructure projects under investigations.

However, Matibag said, ‘My office will cooperate fully in securing the records and in any lawful inquiry,’

The Laguna First District Rep. stressed that she had no position in ‘directing, conducting, or speaking’ for any investigations of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

She maintained that she and her spouse, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, have separate public duties and responsibilities.

Any concerns on the NBI’s probe must be directed to the agency, she added.

‘Director Melvin Matibag likewise has no role in my congressional office. We are husband and wife, but our public responsibilities are separate,’ she stressed.

She then emphasized that the same standards must be applied to anyone, further calling to allow proper investigative procedures to take course to reveal the truth.

‘My position is simple: apply the same standards everywhere, examine the official records, and follow the evidence. I will neither shield anyone found responsible for wrongdoing nor pass judgement without facts and due process,’ she said.

The NBI previously stressed that it is probing alleged flood control irregularities not only in Davao City, but also in other areas such as in Cebu, Bulacan, and Pampanga.

PCG to make final sweep of ill-fated M/V June Aster’s engine room

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will conduct a final sweep of the engine room of M/V June Aster in Coron, Palawan on Saturday (Sept. 19).

This comes after responders successfully removed water and gained access to the flooded compartment.

The PCG said its response team was working on the engine room on Friday (Sept. 18) as search and investigation operations continued following the maritime disaster involving the vessel.

The final sweep will be carried out by a joint team from the PCG, Philippine National Police Forensic Group, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Coron Municipal Police Office.

Meanwhile, two divers from the vessel’s designated salvor held an initial underwater survey of the M/V June Aster as part of preparations for its salvage plan.

The survey is intended to provide information needed to develop the vessel’s salvage operations.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, Coast Guard District Palawan Deputy Commander Capt. Adonis Añasco and four PCG legal officers also met with the victims’ families.

The officials listened to the families’ concerns and inquiries on the ongoing response and provided legal assistance, the PCG said.

According to the PCG, it will continue search, investigation and response operations while providing assistance to families affected by the tragedy.

The PCG did not provide additional details on the number of casualties or the circumstances surrounding the vessel’s sinking or flooding in its latest update.

At least 76 persons are confirmed to have died in the blaze that engulfed the vessel on September 9.

How and why Sunrise, Leno lost in Paris

There are good reasons why Leno Adesanya and his company, Sunrise Power Transition Company lost their case at the International Chamber of Commerce, ICC, an outcome that sparked widespread nationwide celebrations across Nigeria.

The ICC threw out the USD 2.35 billion claim by Sunrise on the Mambila Hydro Electric Power Project over the weekend and, as widely reported, and also rejected a USD 400 million settlement claim, ordering instead, the company and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria about USD 11. 82 million in legal and other expenses.

As a news person – perhaps the only one- in the Nigerian team present at the January 15 2025 sitting of the tribunal in Paris, one was privileged to witness the universe of corruption, falsehood, deceit and lies by Sunrise and its owners melt on the floor of Ritz Carlton Hotel’s meeting rooms.

At the hearing, Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari featured as strong pillars of the country’s defense against this flagship scheme similar to the P and ID in using international arbitration to steal billions of dollars from the country using fraud, deceit and lies, and as did some others including the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu and Buhari Ministers, Engineer Sulaiman Adamu and Babatunde Raji Fashola.

It was, however, clear from day one that Leno and company would lose this case following the failure of all the witnesses they invited, including, of course a beautiful lady from Senegal allegedly providing comfort to one of their government contacts.

At a stake in Paris was the extraction of USD 660 Million and a second one to follow for USD 2.7 billion from the country’s treasury through bogus claims of failed contracts.

The two past Presidents, alongside other key witnesses were prevailed upon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise to the occasion of defending the nation against fraudsters whose stock in trade was to bribe and get government contracts, only for them to use such projects to obtain huge sums of money as costs for settlement using arbitration.

In the year before, the English Supreme Court saved Nigeria from the theft of USD 11 billion through similar schemes, and President Tinubu vowed ‘ not again.’

The team to Paris was led by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

At its meeting of 21 May 2003, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, chaired by the then President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, considered a memo for the issuance of Mambila contract to Leno and his company, and refused to give its approval, asking that the memo be withdrawn while noting that the establishment of new power plants must be done through a competitive process.

In spite of the above background, on 22 May 2003 – the next day and seven days before the end of President Obasanjo’s first term – the Minister of Power and Steel at that time, Dr. Olu Agunloye, sent Mr. Adesanya of Sunrise a letter purporting to indicate a preliminary ‘approval’ for Sunrise to have a role in the construction of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station with a value of USD 6 billion.

As far as credibility and reputation are concerned, Sunrise got the so-called ‘award’ without any prior expertise on such projects or any real assets.Documents placed before the tribunal by Nigeria included filed statements by Sunrise at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC that the company had no turnover in 2017, 2018 or 2019, and had total net declared assets of only N1,000,000 (one million Naira). At the time they received the ‘award,’ the financial position of the company was N318,685 on 3rd December, 2004 and N270,370 as of 31st December, 2005.

A new Minister wrote to Leno Adesanya of Sunrise to confirm the non-approval of the FEC, on 3 September 2003 and therefore, the company had no contract whatsoever with government.

A new tender process was initiated and the contract was awarded to two Chinese companies, CGGC and CGC. At a later meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, the Nigerian president requested funding by ChinaExim bank of the Mambila project, and requested President Xi to nominate credible companies to execute the contract.

President Xi gave an instant commitment of the Chinese government to promoting the promote the project. Sunrise wahala began by demanding payment of (1) GBP 33 million as the costs that it had allegedly incurred ‘on preparation for the execution of the project’; and (2) USD 1.2 billion, which allegedly represented 20% of the USD 6 billion estimated cost of the Project ‘as projected profit of our client [Sunrise] on the project.’

Sunrise sought to prevent the Project from moving forward by taking the following steps: One, filing a claim at the Federal High Court against Nigeria’s Minister of Power, the Attorney-General of the Federation, CGGC, and CGC and two, they sought an order preventing any development of the Project except through Sunrise and, in the alternative, claimed the sum of USD 960 million in alleged damages.

As a result of the Sunrise litigation, the project was held up for all these years. ChinaExim withheld funds – as would any lender – pending the resolution of the legal tussle.

In order to move the Project forward, Nigeria entered into settlement discussions with Sunrise, CGGC, and CGC. The settlement discussions were inherited by the administration of President Buhari.

In those discussions in 2012, the Federal Ministry of Power entered a ‘General Project Execution Agreement’ with Sunrise and Sinohydro (another Chinese contractor that Sunrise had involved) (the ‘GPEA’), an initial agreement with Sunrise relating to the Mambilla Project.

On the 14th January, 2015, a letter was signed by the Federal Ministry of Power supposedly giving approval for Sunrise to be engaged as the local content partner on the Project.

On 9 November 2019, a meeting was held between, on the one hand, Sunrise, represented by Mr. Adesanya, and, on the other, Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the Minister of Water Resources in London.

At that meeting, it was made clear to Mr. Adesanya / Sunrise that any settlement negotiated would, of course, depend on approval by the president.

At this meeting, Mr. Adesanya offered to accept a figure of USD 500 million, and the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Water Resources – no doubt under pressure to settle the dispute so that the Project could proceed – made a counter-proposal of USD 100 million.

After a series of meetings, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and the Ministers of Power, Finance and Water Resource agreed to propose the sum of USD 200 million as a full and final settlement of Sunrise’s claims, subject, understandably to approval of the President. This proposal was accepted by Sunrise.

On 25 March 2020, a second document entitled ‘Addendum to the Term[s] of Settlement’ was signed between Sunrise and representative of Nigeria. Again, the document provides for a potential doubling of Nigeria’s liability by another USD 200 million in case of delayed payment.

On 31 March 2020, the ‘Terms of Settlement’ and ‘Addendum to the Term of Settlement’ were presented to President Buhari for the first time for his approval. Upon reviewing the documents, the President decided not to grant approval. In a hand-written and signed note dated 20 April 2020, the President withheld his approval for entry into these documents, on the basis that ‘FG [the Federal Government] hasn’t got USD 200m to pay [Sunrise]’.

Despite repeated attempts, President Buhari wasn’t convinced that Nigeria should pay USD 200, or even higher to someone who did nothing but merely presented an unauthorized contract document.

From here, Sunrise commenced another arbitration against Nigeria alleging a violation of the terms of settlement, at which it asked to be paid USD 680 million.

President Tinubu welcomed the tribunal verdict as the removal of the ‘ biggest legal hurdle’ in the path of the 3,960MW Mambila power project, describing it as an affirmation of Nigeria’s determination not to succumb to the ‘predatory and exploitative claims by local and international entities and their enablers and funders.’ Well said.

The next steps he needs to take, in national interest and in honor of the late president whose heart was in the Mambila project until his death, is to urgently link up to the Chinese leader, to get him to fulfill his longstanding promise to fund the power project.

Garba Shehu is a Nigerian journalist and politician who served as the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari

Asean to set AI cooperation rules

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is set to lay down common rules on how artificial intelligence (AI) should be used and governed across its member states, particularly as concerns over the technology grow.

According to Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty, the planned Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement (Defa) would not only tackle economic integration across the region but also set guardrails for how advanced technologies-such as AI-should be governed.

The Defa would also seek to establish a regional framework for cooperation on AI, including the reskilling and upskilling of workers as adoption of the technology accelerates across the region.

‘Even governance and the responsible use of artificial intelligence are also included,’ Gepty said at a briefing ahead of the Asean Economic Ministers’ meeting in Manila.

Gepty said Defa negotiations had already concluded and the text had undergone legal scrubbing. Heads of state of Asean member countries are expected to sign the agreement during their summit in Manila in November.

The Defa is intended to accelerate Asean’s digital transformation and enhance regional economic integration by improving cooperation in digital trade, e-commerce, electronic payments, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.

‘For businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises, this can help create a more predictable and trusted environment for selling, transacting and expanding across Asean,’ Gepty said.

Asean’s digital economy is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2030 from about $1 trillion.

The Defa is only one of the 19 priority economic deliverables the Philippines has set for its Asean chairship.

During meetings from Sept. 19 to 22, member-states’ economic ministers are also expected to discuss the implementation and general review of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

GUYANA-CRIME-Murder suspect deported to Guyana after 10 years on the run

A second man wanted in connection with the 2015 murder of sex worker Noel ‘Nephi’ Luther is now in the custody of Guyanese authorities following his deportation from the United States.

Kanand Ojha arrived in Guyana on Friday and was handed over to local law enforcement at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport before being flown to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport. He was subsequently taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters.

Ojha was arrested in Queens, New York, on September 8, 2025, by the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force in connection with the murder. His removal from the United States followed coordinated action involving the Guyana Police Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, the US Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations and other US law-enforcement partners.

Guyana had issued a wanted bulletin for Ojha in July 2019.

Luther was shot at about 2:35 a.m. on July 22, 2015, at the corner of Carmichael and Quamina Streets in Georgetown. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Reports at the time said the incident stemmed from a dispute involving a client who had allegedly returned to the area with Ojha. Ojha was accused of shooting Luther once in the chest before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.

Ojha’s alleged accomplice, Ron ‘Andel’ Forde, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2017 after pleading guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter in connection with Luther’s death.

The Guyana Government had previously said Ojha’s arrest resulted from continued collaboration between the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Chambers and US authorities under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters framework.

With Ojha’s return to Guyana, local authorities are expected to proceed with the legal process concerning the murder allegation against him.