The Secretary to the Osun State Government, Bobagunwa Teslim Igbalaye, has congratulated His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke, and the entire people of Osun State following the landmark judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, on Friday, June 13, 2025.

The appellate court dismissed an application by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking to relist a previously struck-out case challenging the removal of local government chairmen.

This ruling vindicates the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and upholds the integrity of the local government elections conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) on February 22, 2025.

The decision stands as a resounding affirmation of democracy, the rule of law, and the will of the people of Osun State. This shows Governor Adeleke’s resounding commitment to justice, transparency, and due process in governance.

“This victory is a triumph for democracy, the rule of law, and the will of the people of Osun State”, he stated.

The judgment further validates the legality of the state government’s actions to ensure that local government administration adheres to principles of fairness and complies fully with the Electoral Act.

Igbalaye commended the judiciary for its impartiality and steadfast dedication to upholding the rule of law, which remains the bedrock of Nigeria’s democratic system.

“This ruling reinforces the confidence of the people of Osun in the judiciary and strengthens the mandate freely entrusted to Governor Adeleke to lead the state toward progress and prosperity.”

“I commend the judiciary for its impartiality and dedication to upholding the rule of law, which has once again proven to be the cornerstone of our democratic system.”

The SSG called on all citizens of Osun State to continue supporting the visionary leadership of Governor Adeleke as he works tirelessly to deliver good governance, peace, and development across all local government areas.

Stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have urged the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to ensure that the funds allocated in its 2025 budget are realistic and adequate, in line with current economic realities, to ensure that conceptualised projects are completed for the benefit of the communities.

This was part of the resolutions issued at the end of a two-day NDDC 2025 Budget Conference and Partners for Sustainable Development, PSD Forum, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

In a statement by NDDCs Director, Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, the stakeholders emphasised the importance of handing over projects to communities, noting “To avoid cases of non-utilisation or under-utilisation of projects, all completed projects should be properly handed over to the benefitting communities to ensure sustainability.”

The stakeholders further resolved that the NDDC should improve on its maintenance culture, stating: “The Board and Management should keep up the pace with the Light Up Niger Delta project and put in place a maintenance plan for the solar light projects across the region.”

According to the communiqué, based on the presentations and syndicate sessions at the conference, it was agreed that “the NDDC should explore partnerships with the private sector, leverage climate and development funds from bilateral and multilateral sources to fund projects.”

The stakeholders proposed that sufficient funding should be allocated to both legacy and ongoing projects to ensure their timely completion.

They unanimously agreed to support the current Board and Management of NDDC in their efforts to ensure that the region experiences the development it deserves, rather than clamouring for a change in administration.

The NDDC 2025 Budget Conference and Partners for Sustainable Development Forum was attended by representatives of state governments, International Oil Companies, IOCs, traditional rulers, Non-Governmental Oganisations and other stakeholders.

The World Bank has given a positive outlook on Nigeria’s economic prospects, projecting 3 years of unbroken positive growth.

In its June 2025 Global Economic Prospects Report, the bank predicts that Nigeria will have 3 years of unbroken growth at:

3.6% in 2025
3.7% in 2026
3.8% in 2027.

It however cut its 2025 world growth forecast by 0.4 percentage points to 2.3%.

It said higher tariffs and heightened uncertainty posed a “significant headwind” for nearly all economies.

In the twice-yearly Global Economic Prospects report, the bank lowered its forecasts for nearly 70% of all economies (including China, USA, and Europe, as well as 6 emerging market regions) from the levels it projected 6 months ago before President Donald Trump took office in the US.

According to the World Bank, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to strengthen to 3.7% in 2025 and an average 4.2% in 2026- 27, assuming the external environment does not deteriorate further, inflation declines as expected, and regional conflicts subside.

Khaby Lame, considered the most popular TikTok star in the world, has left the US after being detained by immigration officials.

The influencer was detained in Las Vegas on Friday for allegedly staying in the country after his visa expired. He then voluntarily departed, but officials did not say which day he left.

Lame is one of hundreds of people caught in US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which includes cross-country raids and an increasing number of deportations, and which has also sparked days of protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lame has not publicly commented on his voluntary departure, leaving fans guessing about when he left and where he is now.

ICE has said he arrived in the US on 30 April and then overstayed his visa.

Officials said he was released the same day he was detained and subsequently left the country.

A voluntary departure allows people who are facing removal from the US to avoid having a deportation order on their immigration record. Deportation orders can prevent immigrants from being allowed back into the US for up to a decade.

The 25-year-old Senegalese-Italian influencer, who has 162.3 million TikTok followers, became popular during the pandemic for his silent videos and signature facial expressions.

“It’s my face and my expressions which make people laugh,” Lame told The New York Times in 2021, adding that his reactions speak “a global language”.

As an Italian citizen, he is allowed to travel to the US for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa.

Lame attended the Met Gala in May. Otherwise, it is unclear what he was doing while in the US.

His deportation has made headlines as he is one of the more high-profile people to be deported in Trump’s latest surge to cut illegal immigration into the country.

Some 51,000 undocumented migrants were in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention as of early June – the highest on record since September 2019.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has allocated N785 million under the 2025 budget of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for vocational training and empowerment schemes for hairdressers, barbers and small-scale urban businesses.

These projects have little or no connection to the ministry’s core agricultural responsibilities.

One of the listed items, titled “Training and Empowerment of Hairdressers in Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency, Kwara State”, got a N100 million allocation.

FIJ’s review of the original budget proposal submitted by the ministry to the National Assembly shows that this project was not included in the executive draft.

Ilorin West/Asa is part of Kwara Central, which is represented by Senator Saliu Mustapha (APC) who is a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Production, Services and Rural Development.

Another N500 million was approved for a project titled “Supply of Vectar Eco Midi for Empowerment to Barbers, Hairdressers and Other SMEs in Ogun West and Other Locations in Geo-Political Zones (Multiple Lots)”.

Like the first, this project was absent from the original proposal and was likely added during the appropriation process. Ogun West is represented by Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

A third project, titled “Provision of Supports for Hairdressers and Unemployed in Lagos Constituencies”, gets a N185 million allocation.

In total, the agriculture ministry is spending N785 million on initiatives related to hairdressing, barbering and SME support in the 2025 budget.

All three items fall under the ministry’s capital expenditure vote, even though the Ministry of Agriculture is tasked with improving food security, boosting farm productivity and supporting rural livelihoods.

The ministry originally proposed a budget of N636 billion for 2025, with N480 billion earmarked for capital projects.

However, the final approved budget shows a considerable increase, bringing the ministry’s total allocation to N2.22 trillion, with N2.06 trillion set aside for capital spending.

The increase followed a supplementary budget introduced by President Bola Tinubu in January.

The Presidency’s official statement attributed the additional N4.53 trillion added to the national budget to improved revenue projections.

It said the funds were intended to support institutions like the Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry and priority investments in infrastructure and solid minerals.

FIJ’s review of the final budget documents shows that a large share of the additional funds allocated to the agriculture ministry was used to accommodate constituency empowerment projects.

Many of these projects have no direct relevance to food production, irrigation, agro-processing or climate-resilient farming.

This trend has been observed in previous years. In both 2023 and 2024, the agriculture ministry’s capital budget included line items for tailoring workshops, grinding machine distribution and laptop donations, all filed under agricultural development.

Meanwhile, agricultural output continues to decline despite rising budgetary allocations. According to the Business Confidence Monitoring (BCM) report published by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group and Stanbic IBTC, agriculture has been Nigeria’s worst-performing business sector since January 2024.

The BCM report highlights low investor sentiment, stagnant growth, and shrinking employment and capacity within the sector.

Food inflation has only recently begun to ease after reaching critical levels. In 2024, food prices rose by up to 40 per cent.

Although the Consumer Price Index reports a decline to 21.26 per cent in April 2025 from 23.1 per cent in January, the current rate remains in the territory of galloping inflation.

Food insecurity has also worsened. According to international monitoring agencies, 6.9 million Nigerians fell into acute food insecurity in 2024 alone. This figure accounted for 23 per cent of the global increase in food-insecure people recorded that year.

Experts warn that the crisis could deepen in 2025, as insecurity, climate shocks and high input costs continue to undermine food production in key farming regions.

Despite these challenges, the agriculture ministry’s capital budget continues to absorb constituency projects with limited or no relevance to the sector.

Most of these projects are initiated by legislators who sit on powerful budget committees and who represent urban or semi-urban constituencies.

FIJ estimates that the total sum of N785 million for hairdressing and barber-related projects in the 2025 agriculture budget covers vocational training, equipment supply and small business support.

These initiatives primarily benefit urban residents and political constituencies, not farmers or agricultural value chains.

A political commentator and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri — once a fierce critic but now supporter of President Bola Tinubu has said he will work for Mr President in his re-election bid.

Reno also said he will never criticize the Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar saying he has been so good to him.

Meanwhile, on the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, he said, ‘Even during the campaigns, I always said that candidate Bola Tinubu was better than Peter Obi.

In December 2022, you were one of the people who went to the streets to “harass Tinubu out of London” – you accused Tinubu of being a criminal… What prompted you to start supporting him?

Reno Omokri: I am probably the most meticulous fact-finder in Nigeria