Category: PM News

Yinka Theisen, who was formerly engaged to actor Linc Edochie, has stirred controversy on social media after shading May Yul-Edochie, the estranged wife of Nollywood actor Yul Edochie.

In a lengthy post shared online, Yinka mocked May for still bearing Yul Edochie’s last name despite publicly seeking a divorce and filing a cease and desist letter against her estranged husband.

She wrote:

‘Linc Edochie is my ex-fiancé. I have an ex-husband. Your queen granted an interview and could not call Ezedike her ex. She wrote a cease and desist and called herself Mrs. Yul-Edochie. She still carries not only the man’s last name but his first name. Her followers are still fighting that Judy is not Ezedike’s wife but his mistress.’

Yinka went on to accuse May’s supporters of hypocrisy, claiming they were refusing to accept that Yul had moved on with actress Judy Austin.

‘What exactly are you folks fighting for? You should be worried for your queen. She has NOT let go. Rather than focus on me, gather around her and encourage her. Yul picked Judy because he was given an ultimatum by your queen,’ she added.

In her fiery post, Yinka also alleged that May’s actions during the years of her marriage contributed to the turmoil surrounding the Edochie family, hinting that Yul suffered emotional strain from the online drama.

‘If Yul had kpaied, she would have continued her life. What you guys did to that man for the past four years could very well have ended his life,’ she wrote.

The Kwara State Police Command has firmly denied a viral social media rumour alleging that a female police officer serving in the state was kidnapped and murdered.

According to widely circulated online posts, a female police inspector working as a prosecutor was reportedly abducted and later found dead in the Oloje area of Ilorin. However, the police have dismissed the claim as ‘completely false and distressing.’

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, warned the public against spreading unverified information capable of inciting panic.

‘The Command wishes to state unequivocally that this report is not only false but also misleading, with the intent to cause panic in the state,’ the statement said.

She urged the public to disregard the claims, stating that no female police officer has been reported missing or abducted in any police division within Kwara State.

Ejire-Adeyemi also clarified that there is no police division named ‘Ogidi’ in the state, as falsely mentioned in the viral posts, describing the reference as a deliberate attempt to mislead unsuspecting members of the public.

The Command, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Adekunbi Ojo, remains committed to safeguarding lives and property, maintaining public order, and ensuring transparency in its operations.

‘The Command is working closely with other security agencies to maintain safety across the state. We urge residents and media outlets to refrain from sharing unverified or sensationalised reports that could trigger unnecessary fear or tarnish the state’s image,’ she added.

Residents are advised to rely only on official police information, which can be accessed via the Command’s verified platforms on X (@kwara_ppro), Facebook (Kwara State Police Command), and its official WhatsApp Channel.

A suspected scammer posing as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been exposed after attempting to defraud a social media influencer through a fake Zoom conference setup.

The impersonator reportedly called influencer JJ Omojuwa, claiming to be the Kogi Central lawmaker and insisting he ‘call back a code’ to join a supposed virtual meeting.

Omojuwa on his X page said, he quickly realised it was a scam when the caller grew desperate and appeared to be receiving background coaching on what to say.

‘It was obvious from the person’s desperation to have me send the code over. But I see how this could have worked for other people,’ he wrote on social media.

He confirmed that the real Senator Akpoti had nothing to do with the call.

Meanwhile, Senator Akpoti recently returned to the Senate after serving a six-month suspension over alleged misconduct. She resumed plenary duties on October 7, reconnecting with colleagues after months away from the chamber.

Foreign nationals living illegally in the country can still regularise their stay thorough a new initiative tagged ‘Post-Amnesty Voluntary Return and Documentation Programme (PAVRDP), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said

PAVRDP was designed for foreign nationals who failed to regularise their stay or exit the country during the Expired Visa Initiative, which ended on Sept. 30, 2025, the Service said in a statement on Friday.

In the statement signed by its Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI), Akinsola Akinlabi, the Service also informed that the PAVRDP which commences on Oct. 13, was designed to provide an opportunity for affected foreign nationals

This, the service said, would be to report themselves voluntarily at the nearest Immigration Command for registration and documentation.

Upon documentation, the NIS each individual’s circumstances would be assessed on a case-by-case basis before an appropriate action was determined in line with the provisions of the Immigration Act, 2015, and related regulations.

The NIS warned that any foreigner who had breached the conditions of his or her visa and failed to report to the NIS would be arrested.

‘They will be detained, and removed from Nigeria as provided by extant immigration laws, with long-term entry bans applied,’ NIS said.

The NIS further cautioned that aiding and harbouring illegal immigrants remained a punishable offence under Nigerian law.

The service added that the breach of conditions of regularization of stay also constituted an offence, advising individuals, companies, and organisations to desist from such acts to avoid prosecution.

‘The NIS remains committed to promoting humane, seamless, and orderly migration, ensuring compliance with extant immigration laws, and strengthening national security through effective migration management,’ the NIS said.

The European Commission has launched a probe into U.S. tech giants, Apple, Google, YouTube, and Snapchat, over alleged failure to protect minors online.

EU Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said on Friday that the companies may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) by not ensuring adequate privacy and safety for children.

‘EU law is clear – minors must have a very high level of privacy and security online. This is not always the case,’ Virkkunen said at a meeting of EU telecom ministers in Horsens, Denmark.

Brussels is demanding detailed information from the four platforms to assess how they protect young users.

If violations are confirmed, the companies could face fines of up to 6% of their global revenue.

The EU suspects YouTube’s age checks are easy to bypass and that its algorithms may promote addictive content to minors.

It also wants answers from Apple and Google on whether children can access gambling apps through their stores, and from Snapchat over claims that underage users can buy drugs on the platform.

The DSA requires tech platforms to swiftly remove illegal content and protect users, with tougher rules for larger firms.

Virkkunen stressed that while ‘kids have the right to connect and access information,’ online platforms must ensure their safety.

Tensions have risen between Brussels and Washington over the law, with U.S. President Donald Trump recently calling the EU’s digital rules ‘anti-competitive.’

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to appoint a new prime minister in France later on Friday, as he remains under huge pressure to resolve the country’s political deadlock.

It is not yet clear whether Sébastien Lecornu, who resigned after just four weeks in office, will stay on after all, or whether a new person will fill the role.

Before making his decision, Macron invited the leaders of the parties in parliament to the Élysée Palace for consultations at 2:30 pm (1230 GMT), French media reported.

The only parties not present will be Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and left-wing party France Unbowed (LFI).

Various names have been suggested in the media for the country’s next premier, including Socialist leader Olivier Faure, former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, centrist politician Jean-Louis Borloo as well as François Villeroy de Galhau, the head of France’s central bank.

Macron is under time pressure, because if highly indebted France wants to get a budget for the coming year in place in time, according to the constitution it must be submitted to parliament by Monday at the latest, and by a prime minister.

Fresh elections could be another potential path out of the crisis.

Former premier Édouard Philippe, who served under Macron from 2017 to 2020 and plans to run in the next presidential election, on Thursday urged the president to step down, saying it was the only way to overcome the months of deadlock.

Macron should announce he is ‘organising an early presidential election,’ Philippe told RTL radio.

Nollywood actress and politician, Tonto Dikeh, has opened up about her short-lived music career, revealing that the negative influence of her closest friends was the major reason behind her failure in the industry.

The 40-year-old film star shared this on Friday, October 10, while singing ‘God Is Good’ by Don Moen in a video posted on her Instagram page.

Tonto, who ventured into music in 2013 with songs like ‘Hi,’ ‘Crazically Fit,’ and ‘Jeje,’ and collaborations with artists such as Solid Star and Terry G, said she never truly had the talent for singing but was pressured by friends who convinced her otherwise.

Reflecting on that period, she described her failed music attempt as a reminder of a time when she surrounded herself with the ‘worst kind of friends,’ warning her fans to be cautious about the company they keep.

She humorously claimed that if she actually had the voice to match her ambition, she would have outshined celebrated singers like Tiwa Savage, CeCe Winans, and Whitney Houston.

‘If I could sing ehn, una for don dey sick of me. Who is Tiwa? Who is Whitney? Who is CeCe Winans? Watching this video reminds me of the time I had the worst kind of friends who pushed me to release an album,’ she said.

Oyin Olugbile has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature, taking home the prestigious $100,000 award for her captivating fantasy novel, Sanya.

The announcement was made at the Grand Award Nite held on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Olugbile’s Sanya triumphed over The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma and This Motherless Land by Nikki May, both of which were strong contenders for the coveted prize.

Olugbile’s masterful debut explores themes of love-lost, found, and lost again, set in a richly imagined empire so enchanting that even the Òrì?à are held spellbound.

The judges lauded Sanya as a ‘fascinating novel’ with ‘an unrelenting pace and an intriguing plot that immediately grabs attention.’

Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairperson of the Advisory Board, described the shortlisted works as ‘exceptional,’ adding: ‘Each work distinguishes itself through masterful plotting, characterisation, and a command of language that transports readers into imagined worlds. These are not merely stories-they are carefully woven realities, compelling in beauty, stirring in emotion, and unflinching in their engagement with urgent societal issues.’

Olugbile holds a B.A. (Hons) in Creative Arts from the University of Lagos, postgraduate certificates from the Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School Online, and the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), as well as an MSc from King’s College London.

She currently works as a Social Impact Management Consultant and serves as the Chief Curator of the Experience Factory (EXF), an education enterprise curating out-of-classroom learning experiences for young people across disciplines including Arts, STEM, Health, and Financial Literacy.

Sanya is her debut novel.

President Bola Tinubu congratulates Al’amin Muhammed Idris, chief executive of Interface Africa, on winning the NextGen Innovation Challenge.

Interface Africa, representing Kaduna, won a cash award of £1.5 million at the challenge’s grand finale, held on Thursday at the Hilton London Paddington.

The NextGen Innovation Challenge is a national initiative spearheaded by the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) in partnership with UKALD London.

Inspired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the challenge is designed to unlock Nigerian youths’ innovative potential

President Tinubu commends Interface Africa for its effort in providing affordable solar financing to small businesses in Africa, noting that the cash award will support the company’s mission to increase access to clean energy in underserved communities.

The President strongly believes that the innovative potential of Nigerian youths is boundless; hence, his administration’s deliberate policies and programmes to harness and catalyse this vital resource.

President Tinubu also commends the other 104 participants and encourages them to keep innovating, improving lives, and shaping humanity’s future.

This week has been Customer Service Week across the world, and as always, it is a time to celebrate customers and appreciate those who serve them. At the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the celebration has been full of colour, excitement, and unity. From themed dress days to fun activities, staff across the country took time to appreciate the people who make their work meaningful, the taxpayers.

But beyond the glamour and celebration, this year’s Customer Service Week has given everyone at FIRS another reason to reflect on the kind of leadership the agency has been blessed with. Since Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman, came on board, he has shown that leadership is not just about policy but about people, and when I say people, I mean the people of Nigeria. He has brought a human touch to tax administration and changed the way many Nigerians perceive the agency.

Today, FIRS is not just an agency collecting taxes across Nigeria; it is a people-driven institution that listens, understands, and responds. Through innovations such as the TaxProMax platform, electronic invoicing, and an active online presence, people and businesses can now file returns, make payments, or access information with ease. Every transaction is secured and verifiable through a unique Invoice Reference Number and QR code, while taxpayers without internet access can conveniently use the *829# USSD code to retrieve their TIN, verify tax clearance certificates, locate nearby offices, or make quick inquiries. It is now easy for anyone to pay taxes or ask questions, as FIRS experts are always ready to assist through the website, social media, or call centers.

The Tax Boss is a man who knows his onions and leads with direction and purpose. FIRS has built a strong culture of courtesy and service excellence. Staff are reminded that taxpayers are partners in progress and that respect, fairness, and timely service are necessary to good governance. This change has increased public trust and strengthened the agency’s reputation as a responsive institution. Today, if you ask ten Nigerians, nine will tell you they now understand taxes better and why they are important. We have never had it this good.

His calm confidence, intelligence, and people-first approach have changed the atmosphere within the Agency. Staff now take pride in serving, knowing that their work makes life easier for millions. Taxpayers, too, are beginning to see FIRS differently, not as a burden, but as an institution they can trust.

As this year’s Customer Service Week comes to an end, with the theme ‘Mission: Possible,’ Nigerians can agree that Dr. Zacch has made it more than just a theme; he has made it our reality. He has shown that change is possible in public service. He leads by example, puts people first, and ensures that FIRS has become a true model of what responsive governance should look like.

At the end of the day, Dr. Zacch is a tactical leader whose results speak louder than words. What he has built at FIRS tells its own story. It is a system that works, a team that serves, and a nation that believes again. Nigerians can now see that the mission is truly possible.

Happy Customer Service Week to the Tax Boss, the entire FIRS team, and the ever-supportive taxpayers across Nigeria. Together, we keep building a better country for everyone.

Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is the Technical Assistant, Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.