Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Big Brother Naija Season 10 winner, Imisi Ayanwale, has officially received her grand prize, ?80 million in cash and a brand-new SUV from Innoson Motors.

The presentation ceremony took place on Tuesday at Ilupeju, Lagos, where representatives from Innoson handed over the car keys to the reality TV star.

Imisi won BBNaija Season 10 on Sunday, October 5, after topping the votes with 42.8%, beating finalists Dede, Koyin, Sultana, and others.

Her total prize package is valued at ?150 million, including cash, the Innoson SUV, and other rewards from the show’s sponsors.

Imisi now joins the list of female BBNaija winners like Mercy Eke, Phyna, and Ilebaye.

Fans and celebrities have flooded social media to celebrate her victory, describing it as ‘well-deserved.’

Big Brother Naija season 10 winner Imisi Ayanwale, has opened up on Kaybobo’s admiration towards her despite his constant teasing.

While speaking during an interview, Imisi claimed that Kaybobo disliked fellow housemate Faith, because he also like her.

She added that Kaybobo’s attitude, however, made their dynamic confusing and unpredictable.

‘He hated Faith because I liked Faith. Kaybobo is always like that once he knows I like someone, he starts poking fun at them. At times when he’s not with his mic or camera, there’s a way he looks at me or acts differently. I don’t know. but I think he likes me. I really think he does,’ he said.

Ahead of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will depart Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday, October 8, aboard Royal Air Maroc, as they begin the final phase of their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The team is scheduled to arrive in Morocco’s industrial and economic capital, Casablanca where they will settle into camp before heading to Rabat for the tournament proper.

While in Casablanca, the Flamingos will intensify their build-up with two high-profile international friendlies first against New Zealand on October 10, followed by a clash with Paraguay on October 14.

The team will then move into the official FIFA hotel in Rabat on October 15, where all participating teams will be housed for the competition.

The Flamingos have been drawn in Group D, alongside Canada, France, and Samoa. Nigeria will kick off their campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 19, before facing France three days later both matches scheduled for 8 p.m Nigerian time at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 2) and Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 1) in the city of Sale.

Their final group stage encounter will be against Samoa on October 25, with kickoff set for 5 p.m. at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 3) still in Sale.

Head Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side head into the tournament full of confidence, having played 10 tune-up matches, scoring an impressive 44 goals without conceding any.

Their dominant form in camp so far, coupled with a well-balanced squad, underscores their determination to go one step further than their quarter-final finish at the last edition in the Dominican Republic.

An Abuja High Court on Tuesday adjourned until Oct. 21 to enable the EFCC to list a witness that will testify in the trial of former National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki on an amended 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, dishonest release and receiving various sums of money to the tune of N33.2 billion.

The former NSA was accused of misappropriation of security funds in the accounts of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

He was arraigned alongside a former General Manager with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa.

Others are two firms: Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.

The EFCC arraigned the four defendants afresh on March 25 and accused Dasuki, among others, of releasing the equivalent of N10billion in foreign currencies from the NSA’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the 2014 presidential primary election of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Dasuki and his co-defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, marked as FCT/HC/CR/43/2015.

At the resumed hearing of the case ,the prosecution witness, Adariku Michael, a detective with the EFCC informed the court that the anti-corruption commission received intelligence report on Sept. 21, 2015 bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.

He alleged the NSA moved huge sums of money between October 2014 and April 2015 to accounts of various companies.

The witness said the report was assigned to a special taskforce team headed by ACE 1 Halimah Kazeem, which he was a member, to carry out investigations on the report.

‘I got to know about this case when the commission (EFCC) received intelligence report on Sept. 21, 2015 bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.

The witness said that on receiving the report, the special taskforce promptly swung into action and wrote letter of investigation activities to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It was at this point that counsel for Baba-Kusa, Solomon Umoh SAN, told the court that the witness was not listed by the prosecution on the list of witnesses in the paper the EFCC served the defence team.

‘This is against the provisions of Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA),’ he said.

The Prosecution counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, however, told the court that the witness had given evidence before the Chief Judge, in the case.

He further submitted that several documents were tendered by the prosecution as exhibits through the witness.

‘ This case had lasted almost 10 years,’ he said.

Atolagbe, however, sought an adjournment for the prosecution to do the needful.

This was not opposed by the defence team.

Based on this, the presiding judge, Justice Charles Agbaza, adjourned the case until Oct. 31 for continuation of hearing.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released a new set of rules for Point-of-Sale (PoS) agents and their operations.

These rules, known as the Guidelines for the Operations of Agent Banking in Nigeria, were issued on October 6, 2025. They replace all previous versions and take effect immediately.

The goal is to make financial services safer, reduce fraud, and improve service quality across Nigeria’s PoS network. As of March 2025, Nigeria had 8.36 million registered PoS terminals, with 5.9 million actively in use.

CBN has given agents until April 1, 2026 to fully comply with the new rules.

Here are the 10 most important things PoS agents should know:

1. Exclusive partnership

Each PoS agent can now work with only one financial institution – either a bank or a fintech. Agents cannot serve multiple principals at the same time.

2. Dedicated account required

All transactions must go through a special agent account or wallet created by the principal bank. Any operation outside this account is illegal and can lead to blacklisting or termination.

3. Transaction limits

CBN has set new limits for PoS transactions:

N100,000 cash-out limit per customer daily

N500,000 cash-out limit weekly

N1.2 million total transaction limit per agent daily

For deposits and bill payments, the limit is N100,000 per transaction and N500,000 weekly.

4. Stricter eligibility

Anyone under 18, those with unpaid loans, criminal records, or blacklisted BVNs cannot become agents.

Businesses must show proof of registration, tax compliance, and enough capital to operate.

5. Real-time operations and fixed location

All PoS terminals must process transactions in real time and stay within their registered location. Moving or sharing devices without official approval is not allowed.

6. Mandatory training

PoS agents must undergo training twice a year on topics such as customer service, fraud prevention, and financial literacy. This applies to both individuals and companies.

7. Customer protection

Agents must always:

Give receipts for transactions

Display their principal’s name and contact details

Clearly show approved service charges

Inform customers that services depend on fund availability

8. Daily reporting

All transaction details – including withdrawals, balances, and limits – must be sent electronically to the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), which will report them to the CBN.

9. Relocation rules

Agents cannot move or close their business location without written notice and approval from their principal. A minimum of 30 days’ notice is required.

10. Penalties for violations

Agents who break the rules may face fines ranging from N2 million to N20 million. Serious or repeated offences can result in suspension or loss of licence.

A new World Health Organisation (WHO) global report shows the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million – a 27% drop in relative terms. Yet, tobacco still hooks one in five adults worldwide, fuelling millions of preventable deaths every year.

‘Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,’ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. ‘In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people. Governments must act faster and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control policies.’

For the first time, WHO has estimated global e-cigarette use – and the numbers are alarming: more than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping. This includes:

Adults: at least 86 million users, mostly in high-income countries.

Adolescents: at least 15 million children (13-15 years) already using e-cigarettes. In countries with data, children are on average nine times more likely than adults to vape.

The tobacco industry is introducing an incessant chain of new products and technologies for its aim to market tobacco addiction with not just cigarettes but also e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products among others, which all harm people’s health, and more worryingly the health of new generations, youth and adolescents.

‘E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,’ said Etienne Krug, WHO Director of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention Department. ‘They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.’

More Women Are Quitting Tobacco Than Men

While there has been a steady decline in tobacco use for both men and women across all age-groups during 2000-2024, women have been leading the charge to quit tobacco. They hit the global reduction target for 2025 five years early, reaching the 30% milestone back in 2020. Prevalence of tobacco use among women dropped from 11% in 2010 to just 6.6% in 2024, with the number of female tobacco users falling from 277 million in 2010 to 206 million in 2024.

By contrast, men are not expected to reach the goal until 2031. Today, more than four out of five tobacco users worldwide are men, with just under 1 billion men still using tobacco. While prevalence among men has fallen from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024, the pace of change is too slow.

Regional Picture

South-East Asia: Once the world’s hotspot, prevalence among men nearly halved – from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024. The Region alone accounts for over half of the global decline.

Africa: Prevalence is the lowest of all regions at 9.5% in 2024, and the Region is on track to meet the 30% target. However, because of population growth, the absolute number of tobacco users continues to rise.

Americas: The Region has achieved a 36% relative reduction, with prevalence dropping to 14% in 2024, though some countries still lack sufficient data.

Europe: This is now the highest-prevalence Region globally, with 24.1% of adults using tobacco in 2024, with women in Europe having the highest global prevalence at 17.4%.

Eastern Mediterranean: Prevalence is 18%, with tobacco use continuing to rise in some countries.

Western Pacific: With 22.9% of adults using tobacco in 2024, down from 25.8% in 2010, the progress in this Region is the slowest. While women have low prevalence at 2.5%, men have the highest prevalence of all regions at 43.3%.

Actions Needed

WHO is urging governments everywhere to step up tobacco control. This means fully implementing and enforcing the MPOWER package and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, closing loopholes that allow the tobacco and nicotine industries to target children, and regulating new nicotine products like e-cigarettes. It also means raising tobacco taxes, banning advertising, and expanding cessation services so that millions more people can quit.

‘Nearly 20% of adults people still use tobacco and nicotine products. We cannot let up now,’ said Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care. ‘The world has made gains, but stronger, faster action is the only way to beat the tobacco epidemic.’

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said its operatives has destroyed 66,078.57kg of skunk cannabis and arrested 54 suspected drug traffickers during its September operations in Edo.

Commander of Narcotics in the state, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin while presenting the command’s operational scorecard

According to him, the successes are achieved through intelligence-led operations across multiple local government areas of the state.

‘Our intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of 54 suspected drug traffickers, comprising 43 males and 11 females.

‘In a proactive measure to curb cannabis cultivation, six illicit plantations spanning over 26.43 hectares were destroyed,’ Ofoyeju said.

These plantations, he said, were located in Ugbogui Forest (Ovia South West), Ataroro Forest (Owan West), Urohi Forest (Esan West) and Ogu Forest (Iguiben LGA), with an estimated yield of over 66,000kg of skunk cannabis.

The NDLEA boss said the command also intercepted 1,506.57kg of assorted narcotics, including 1,502.26kg of cannabis sativa, 3.96kg of tramadol, and 0.087kg of Nitrazepam.

Others, he said, were 0.044kg of Swinol, 0.116kg of Danabol (Molly), 0.018kg of Methamphetamine, 0.028kg of cocaine, and 0.014 kilograms of heroin.

In one major operation, the commander said the operatives intercepted a truck along Wareke-Auchi Road conveying 82 bags of cannabis concealed in bags of charcoal, weighing 1,025 kilograms.

He said two suspects (names withheld) both from Zamfara were arrested in connection with the seizure.

He added that another raid on a notorious drug flashpoint along Wire Road, Benin City, led to the arrest of a 43-year-old man from Uhumwonde Local Government, allegedly found with 98 pinches of crack cocaine weighing 13g concealed in a wooden stool.

Ofoyeju noted that despite an annual court vacation that slowed prosecutions, the command secured one conviction, filed four new cases, and had 118 drug-related cases ongoing at the Federal High Court, Benin City.

He said the command also provided counselling and rehabilitation support to 32 individuals, including 10 clients undergoing therapy.

He said the command was had intensified anti-drug sensitisation campaigns in markets, schools, and correctional facilities across the state.

‘We are determined to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating in Edo State.

‘The command remains committed to safeguarding our communities, reducing drug demand, and ensuring that offenders face justice,’ he stated.

Ofoyeju, however, identified logistical challenges such as poor terrain and lack of operational vehicles in forested areas, which often impede the agency’s efforts to combat illicit cultivation.

He reaffirmed NDLEA’s resolve to sustain momentum in the ongoing war against narcotics, describing the latest achievements as ‘a critical step toward reclaiming the safety and health of Edo citizens.’

Veteran Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has opened up about how fellow filmmaker Ruth Kadiri inspired her to embrace YouTube filmmaking.

Speaking on the Nollywood on Radio podcast, Omotola recounted how Kadiri persistently encouraged her to join the growing community of Nigerian filmmakers leveraging YouTube to showcase their works.

According to Omotola, the conversation took place while she was on vacation in 2023.

‘I came on vacation in 2023, and Ruth called me. She said, ‘Mama, do you know what’s going on? There’s a whole revolution with YouTube.’ She showed me numbers and everything,’ Omotola said.

The award-winning actress noted that Kadiri described YouTube as a ‘phenomenal platform’ that allows creators to have total control over their content.

‘She told me, ‘You can do what you want on YouTube, but I think you should get in on this. You would do very well.’ She didn’t let me rest,’ she added.

Omotola revealed that after much persuasion, she decided to give it a try.

‘That girl gave me no peace of mind. So I called my producer and said, ‘Let’s just try something.’ We shot the first project in four days and used the fifth day for cleanup. I surprised myself. I was thankful to her for giving me the courage to try.’

The success of her debut project on YouTube eventually inspired her to produce Mother’s Love, a feature film that later premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

‘Mother’s Love came because I was under pressure. I just told my producer, ‘What if we did a feature film?’ and that was it. We started planning immediately and shot it in less than two weeks,’ she shared.

Omotola admitted that she initially felt nervous about her comeback to the screen.

‘It took long to release because I was scared people might laugh at me or say it wasn’t good enough,’ she said.

Former Interior Minister and current National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, recently stirred controversy by suggesting that Nigeria’s political parties should be allowed to nominate officials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking at a panel session on electoral innovation hosted by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership in Abuja, Aregbesola argued that the current method of appointing the INEC Chairperson, National Commissioners, and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) is ‘deeply flawed.’

According to him, parties with at least five members in the National Assembly should be empowered to nominate individuals to lead INEC, claiming that such a model would ‘solve all the issues’ of bias and manipulation in Nigeria’s electoral system. In his words: ‘If the parties now betray themselves to allow one of them to run away with it, fine.’

While Aregbesola’s critique of the current system has merit – particularly his point about the risk of executive overreach when the President appoints the electoral umpire – his proposed remedy is not only misguided, but fundamentally threatens the very independence of Nigeria’s electoral process.

There is no credible democracy in the world where political parties directly nominate election officials. The logic is simple: an election management body must be insulated from partisan influence to maintain neutrality, fairness, and credibility. Allowing political parties – the very contestants in elections – to nominate INEC officials would be akin to letting football teams select the referees who officiate their matches. It violates the principle of impartiality that underpins democratic elections.

Moreover, Aregbesola’s suggestion directly contradicts the spirit and letter of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which explicitly prohibits electoral officials from being members of political parties. The framers of the Constitution, in their wisdom, understood that even the perception of political bias in INEC could fatally undermine public confidence in elections.

It is puzzling that a man of Aregbesola’s political experience – one who fought a long and hard legal battle to reclaim his mandate as governor of Osun State in 2010 – would now advocate a system that could easily have denied him that victory. Would Aregbesola have trusted an INEC dominated by officials nominated by the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Certainly not.

If anything, Aregbesola’s statement reflects the frustration many Nigerians feel about INEC’s recent credibility challenges, particularly after the 2023 general elections. However, the answer lies not in politicizing the Commission further but in strengthening its institutional independence.

What Nigeria needs is not partisan control of INEC, but transparent and accountable appointment processes. Civil society organisations, professional bodies, and judicial councils should play greater roles in screening and recommending nominees, while the National Assembly’s confirmation hearings must be made more open and rigorous. The President should no longer have unilateral power to appoint the INEC Chair and Commissioners without meaningful checks.

Furthermore, INEC’s funding and administrative autonomy must be constitutionally guaranteed and practically enforced. An electoral body that depends on political goodwill to function can never be fully independent.

Aregbesola’s call, though perhaps well-intentioned, would reverse decades of progress in depoliticising Nigeria’s electoral system. Nigeria must not trade independence for convenience. The credibility of elections rests on the impartiality of those who conduct them – and that impartiality must never be up for negotiation.

The path forward is clear: reform INEC, yes, but do so through constitutional safeguards, institutional transparency, and public accountability – not through political capture disguised as innovation.

Nigeria’s democracy cannot thrive if the lines between player and referee are blurred. Aregbesola’s proposal may ignite debate, but it should be firmly rejected as both impractical and dangerous to the survival of electoral integrity.

Nigerian activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju has raised concerns over the credibility and transparency of BBNaija’s grand prize.

Deji on his X handle on Monday, expressed his thoughts on the reality TV show while questioning their grand prize payment.

The lawyer also claimed that past winners end up poorer after winning the show.

‘Do they really give BBNaija winners the prize money? The reason I am asking is because many of them end up looking extremely broke thereafter,’ he wrote

Deji’s post stirred reactions from fans, with some demanding that he mention the names of former winners who became poorer after the show.