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Yemi Alade Says She Quit Smoking After Short Stint in University

Afropop star Yemi Alade has revealed that she briefly struggled with smoking during her university years, admitting that what started as teenage experimentation quickly became a nightly habit. Speaking with Chude Jideonwo, Alade said the challenges of hiding her smoking in public and the negative impact on her vocal health—essential for her music career—were major reasons she decided to quit. She recalled: “Some people say I don’t smoke, I don’t this, I don’t that. When I was in the university I tried smoking. I did not work out. But before it did not work out, it worked out a bit too much. I started needing to smoke before I go to bed. I was getting addicted to that lifestyle. But also, in public, I would hide the cigarette. “So, I was like, ‘What’s this life; the discomfort that I can’t go to bed without smoking and then when I go out, I am going to hide the cigarette? As a teenager in the university trying to figure out life, I also made certain decisions for myself that if I’m going to hide to do something, I will not do it. Because I like to be aware of my environment and my decisions. And I just said I don’t think cigarettes are for me. “They are not for me. And they harmed me, they affected my voice anyways. So I stopped. Smoking for me did not last up to a year.” Alade’s honest account sheds light on her early struggles and the deliberate choices she made to protect her health and her career.

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69-Year-Old Retiree Joins University of Ibadan as She Matriculates

Mrs. Kate Bosede Akomolafe, 69, captured attention at the University of Ibadan’s Distance Learning Centre (DLC) matriculation ceremony on Friday as she took the oath of admission alongside more than 5,000 new students for the 2024/2025 academic session. The oath was administered by the university’s Registrar, Mr. Ganiyu O. Saliu, during the event, which welcomed students into 16 different programmes under the DLC. Photos of Mrs. Akomolafe at the ceremony quickly went viral on social media, earning admiration for her determination to pursue higher education later in life. According to the university’s official Facebook page, #UniIbadan, she is a retired Data Processing Officer who previously worked with R.T. Briscoe Motor Company. Wearing her matriculation gown and cap, Mrs. Akomolafe smiled broadly as she joined the ranks of Nigeria’s premier university. Now a pig farmer and former flour distributor, she enrolled in Social Work to enhance her ability to manage her non-governmental organisation. Born on December 22, 1956, she earned her West African School Certificate in 1976 from Government Secondary School, Creek Road, Port Harcourt. Nearly five decades later, she retook WASSCE and NECO exams in 2023 to secure the credits necessary to pursue her dream of earning a university degree. Speaking to the new students, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Peter O. Olapegba, representing Vice-Chancellor Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, encouraged them to pursue excellence through deliberate effort. In a statement titled “Genuine Success is Achieved Through Deliberate Choices,” Professor Olapegba urged students to be mindful of their actions and relationships, reminding them that each interaction and lecture contributes to shaping their future. He stressed that students are “solely responsible for the outcomes they will realise in UI, a vibrant community where academic study is harmoniously balanced with social engagement,” and warned against misconduct, highlighting the university’s zero tolerance for behavior that could tarnish its reputation. Professor Olapegba added that true success will be measured not only by academic performance but also by the depth of students’ insight, their resilience, and the positive impact they make on the world.

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Warri–Itakpe Train Services Suspended After NRC Derailment, Passengers Safe

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has temporarily suspended train services on the Warri–Itakpe route following a derailment on Saturday evening. The incident involved two of the train’s seven coaches at Kilometre 212+8m in Agbor, Delta State, around 7:30 pm. Preliminary investigations point to possible track vandalism as the cause. NRC Managing Director Kayode Opeifa confirmed that all passengers were safely evacuated and accounted for, with no injuries reported. “All passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No casualties or injuries were recorded,” he said. Recovery and security teams are currently working at the site. Train operations will resume once a thorough security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure is completed. The derailment comes just four days after the NRC resumed services on the route on 29 October 2025, following a suspension that began on 2 August due to recurring technical faults. The Warri–Itakpe line, covering over 300 kilometres, is Nigeria’s longest modern rail route. The NRC expressed regret for the disruption and assured passengers that services would return to normal once the track is deemed safe. Between 2020 and 2025, over 188 rail-related incidents were reported across Nigeria, many linked to vandalism and criminal activity. Previous derailments have raised safety concerns. In August, an Abuja–Kaduna train derailment injured seven passengers, while a 2019 Lagos derailment at Ashade Railway Crossing claimed one life. The NRC continues to prioritize passenger safety and has instructed ticketing agencies to process refunds for those affected.

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Davido Sends Flowers And Love Note To Wife Chioma

Afrobeats superstar Davido delighted fans with a romantic gesture for his wife, Chioma Adeleke, sending her a bouquet of flowers accompanied by a heartfelt note. On his Instagram story, Davido shared a photo of the flowers with the message: “I love you today, tomorrow, and always. I miss you so much. Your loving husband.” Despite his busy tour schedule, Davido made sure to show his affection, and Chioma responded by reposting the story with a sweet caption: “My sweet husband.”

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Tinubu To Meet Trump To Address Alleged Christian Genocide In Nigeria

The Presidency has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will meet with United States President Donald Trump in the coming days to discuss allegations of a Christian genocide in Nigeria. The announcement was made by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, in a post on X on Saturday. His statement followed Trump’s recent comments accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians from deadly attacks. According to Bwala, the planned meeting will focus on deepening counterterrorism cooperation and addressing misconceptions about the nature of terrorist violence in Nigeria. “Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interests in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” Bwala wrote. “President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms, and President Tinubu has adequately utilised that opportunity in the fight against terrorism, with massive results to show for it. “As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or all faiths, those would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in the State House or the White House.” The development comes after Trump declared Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” claiming Christians in the country face an “existential threat.” In a post on Truth Social, he alleged that “radical Islamists” were responsible for “mass slaughter” and warned that the United States could cut off aid or take military action if the killings persist. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote. He added that he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare possible plans of attack. Trump’s comments followed similar accusations by US lawmaker Riley Moore, who urged Washington to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and suspend arms sales until the government demonstrates a “tangible commitment” to protecting Christians. The Nigerian government has repeatedly dismissed the genocide claims, insisting that terrorist attacks in the country affect citizens of all faiths and are not religiously motivated. Bwala stressed that both Tinubu and Trump are committed to strengthening global peace and security, saying the upcoming meeting will serve as an opportunity to clear misunderstandings and reinforce cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

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Wolves Sack Vitor Pereira After Winless Run Leaves Club Bottom Of EPL

Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked head coach Vitor Pereira after a woeful run of results left the club bottom of the Premier League table and without a single win this season. Pereira’s final game in charge was Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Fulham — a performance he admitted was Wolves’ “worst” since his arrival. The loss extended their winless streak to 10 league matches, with only two points collected so far. The 57-year-old Portuguese coach signed a contract extension in September, keeping him at Molineux until 2028, but growing frustration among fans and a lack of progress made his position untenable. Wolves also suffered a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup last week, crashing out at the round of 16. Pereira joined the club in December 2024 after the dismissal of Gary O’Neil, when Wolves sat 19th in the Premier League with just six points from their first 19 matches. He initially revived their fortunes, leading them to safety with a 16th-place finish thanks to ten wins in their final 22 games. That momentum soon faded. Following a six-game winning streak in April, Wolves have now gone 14 league matches without victory — losing 11 of those fixtures, including back-to-back defeats to Burnley and Fulham. Tensions between Pereira and the supporters boiled over last weekend when he appeared to argue with fans after the late loss to Burnley, amid chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning.” The same chants echoed at Craven Cottage a week later. “Two months ago they sang my name because of what we did last season,” Pereira said after the Burnley match. “Now, without results, they sing my name maybe to sack me. But if I were a supporter, I would still feel proud of my team because they worked and showed mentality.” Wolves’ problems deepened over the summer when key players Rayan Aït-Nouri and Matheus Cunha departed for Manchester City and Manchester United respectively. Despite adding seven new signings, Pereira failed to steady the team’s decline, leading to his dismissal.

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Young Abuja Teacher Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Raping 9-Year-Old Pupil

Nigeria’s fight against child sexual abuse gained momentum on October 29, 2025, when the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja condemned 19-year-old teacher Abdullahi Abbass to life behind bars for the anal rape of his nine-year-old male pupil. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) welcomed the decision as a “landmark judgment,” hailing it as a beacon of hope for survivors and a fierce deterrent for predators. Under Justice M. Osho-Adebiyi’s gavel, the court exposed the depths of Abbass’s betrayal. As the boy’s class teacher at a private school in the Kwali Area Council, he weaponized trust on March 19, 2025. After classes ended, Abbass dispatched another student to retrieve the child from home, only to drag him to a shadowed street for the unspeakable assault. In a testament to resilience, the young victim wasted no time in revealing his ordeal to his mother, igniting a chain of events that led to Abbass’s arrest and trial on charges of rape and sexual abuse. The conviction invoked Section 2 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, enforcing the maximum penalty of life imprisonment and reinforcing the law’s unyielding shield for the innocent.NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, spotlighted the verdict’s ripple effects, applauding the seamless teamwork with the Nigerian Police and judicial partners. “This fitting retribution will echo through our Sex Offenders Register, warding off would-be violators,” she asserted. Bello spotlighted the expedited probe as proof of NAPTIP’s redoubled zeal in dismantling networks of domestic violence, rape, and sexual predation nationwide, vowing an unrelenting push for justice everywhere.Grim Parallel: 12-Year Sentence for Seminary Teacher in Anambra Defilement CaseThe Abuja ruling casts a harsh light on a pervasive scourge, mirrored in Anambra State’s recent reckoning. On June 19, 2025, a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court in Awka imprisoned 34-year-old teacher Pascal Ofomata for 12 years after he defiled his 11-year-old male JSS 1 pupil at St. Christopher’s Junior Seminary in Onitsha. Justice Peace Otti, presiding, held Ofomata accountable under Sections 3(1) and 4(1) of the Violence Against Persons Act for rape and bodily harm. As these verdicts unfold against a backdrop of escalating child safety alarms, they affirm the courts’ hardening resolve to uproot abuse from educational sanctuaries. On November 2, 2025, activists implore bolstered school oversight, trauma-informed resources for victims, and societal awakening to safeguard tomorrow’s guardians from yesterday’s monsters.

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Donald Trump Threatens War Against Nigeria Over Alleged Christian Killings

President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to Nigeria, threatening to unleash military action if the alleged killings of Christians in the country persist. Just a day after labeling Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” Trump took to his Truth Social platform with a fierce message: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” Trump’s remarks came after his earlier statement accusing the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to what he described as the “mass slaughter of Christians” by radical Islamic groups. He said Christianity in Nigeria faces an “existential threat,” adding that the killings have continued unchecked for years. In response, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration rejected Trump’s comments, describing them as “misleading and uninformed.” Tinubu reiterated that Nigeria is a secular state that respects freedom of religion and that ongoing violence in the country stems from terrorism, ethnic clashes, and banditry—not religious persecution. The warning from Trump has sparked widespread reactions across global political circles, with many analysts expressing concern that such rhetoric could heighten diplomatic tensions between Washington and Abuja. Experts also caution that the security crisis in Nigeria is complex and cannot be reduced to a simple Christian-versus-Muslim narrative. Under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act, Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” could already trigger sanctions or limits on aid. But Trump’s latest statement goes further—signaling potential U.S. military involvement if what he calls “Christian genocide” continues. The development has drawn mixed reactions globally, with Christian advocacy groups praising Trump’s firmness, while others warn that military threats could destabilize relations and worsen Nigeria’s fragile security situation.

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