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Trade Fair Demolition: Temper Law With Compassion – Peter Obi to Lagos Govt

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate has sent a message to the Lagos State government over demolition of structures in the state.
He urged the government to temper enforcement with mercy.
He said that being legally correct is not a substitute for being morally right.
This comes after he visited the site of the demolished ASPAMDA Market at the Trade Fair Complex, which he criticised and described the razing of traders’ plazas as a test of the state’s commitment to justice and human dignity.
Last week, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said Obi launched into emotional theatrics when he described the incident as “a test of impunity, justice and compassion.”
The Commissioner justified the demolition as constitutional, noting that the affected traders got ample time to regularise their papers when the state government declared a general amnesty last year, which was extended several times.
In a statement on his X handle on Tuesday, Obi warned that the law must never be wielded in a way that inflicts “undeserved pain” or destroys livelihoods when less destructive remedies exist.
Obi recalled a personal experience abroad to illustrate his point, saying governments should pursue formal legal remedies rather than waking up one morning to demolish homes or businesses.
“Those seeking to justify the current demolitions in Aspamda Market, Lagos, and similar situations across Nigeria must be reminded that the law is not an end in itself; it is a means to ensure order, peace, and the protection of human dignity.
 
“When the law becomes an instrument to inflict undeserved pain – enforced without compassion or regard for human welfare – it ceases to serve justice.
 
“Even if, for the sake of argument, some of the affected traders failed to obtain the proper approvals, which is unlikely, was demolition the only option? If opportunities for regularisation truly existed, as some have argued, why were they not pursued?
 
“Does it truly serve justice to destroy billions of naira worth of investments and livelihoods when less destructive remedies could have sufficed?” He asked.
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Nigerian Man Jailed 5 Years For R3ping Woman in Scotland

Innocent Megbolu, a 37-year-old Nigerian man has been jailed for r3ping a woman in her own home in Scotland.
He has been jailed for five years by the High Court in Edinburg on October 6, 2025.
He was also made subject to a non harassment order banning him from communicating or approaching the woman for an indefinite period bail.
Megbolu, formerly of Craigmillar, in Edinburgh, grabbed hold of the woman during the attack in her flat in the Leith area of the city on August 21, 2023, after she earlier asked him to leave her home.
A judge told the s3x attacker: “The degree of harm caused by you in committing this crime must be considered as particularly high.” 
Judge Alistair Watson said at the High Court in Edinburgh: “Her evidence was she was crying and shouting and yet you continued with your conduct.”
The judge said that he took into account that the offence took place at the home of the victim where she was entitled to feel safe and be safe.
Megbolu had denied r3ping the woman during an earlier trial but was convicted of the attack by a jury.
An acquaintance of the victim told the court:“She told me that he flipped her over – like a wrestling move.” 
The woman was shaking and in shock after the assault by Megbolu.
Another woman said she received a phone call from the victim and added: “She said she had been r3ped.” 
Defence counsel Jonathan Campbell said that Megbolu understood that, given the serious nature of the offence, a custodial sentence was “inevitable”.
He said that married, father-of-two Megbolu was a first offender and was working in the care sector prior to the commission of the crime.
Mr Campbell said: “His principal concern is for his family and the impact the conviction will have on them.” 
The defence counsel said it was “highly likely” that Megbolu would be deported at the end of his prison sentence.
Megbolu was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely following his sentencing.
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Naira Depreciates Against US Dollar Across Official, Black Markets

The Naira has depreciated against the United States Dollar on Monday.

The currency depreciated against the dollar across official and parallel foreign exchange markets according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The data showed that the Naira dropped to N1,470.26 on Monday, down from N1,465.68 traded on Friday.
This means that the Naira weakened by N4.58 per dollar on Monday compared to the N1,465.68 recorded on Friday last week.
Similarly, at the black market, the Naira dropped to N1,505 per dollar on Monday, down from N1,495 traded at the close of business on Friday last week.
Bureau de Change operators attributed the drop to rising demand for foreign exchange.
Recall that the Naira had also eased against the Dollar on Friday.
This comes despite the continued rise in Nigeria’s external reserves to $42.44 billion as of October 3, 2025.
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NNPCL Increases Fuel Price

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced a new increase in the price of petrol.

This is as NNPCL retail outlets in Wuse Zone 6 and Zone 4 have now increased their petrol pump price to N905 per litre, up from N890.

This means that the country’s oil behemoth adjusted its fuel pump by N15, or a 1.7 per cent upward increase.
The president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, attributed the hike to supply disruption caused by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Dangote Refinery feud.
He, however, stated that its members dispense petrol between N885 and N895 per litre.
 
“It is due to PENGASSAN’s strike disruption.However, members still sell at N885 and N895 per litre,” he told DAILY POST.
Recall that PENGASSAN’s feud with Dangote Refinery over the mass sacking of Nigerian workers led to a two-day strike action.
However, the federal government intervened, which resulted in the suspension of the strike action.
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Why Cooking Gas Price Is Increasing – NNPC Boss

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mr. Bayo Ojulari has explained the recent rise in the price of cooking gas across the country.
Speaking in a chat with State House correspondence, Ojulari said cooking gas price hike was caused by the temporary disruption of operations during last week’s strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
He said the industrial action halted loading and distribution for several days, leading to an artificial rise in the price.
“The increase you saw was relatively artificial because for the period of the strike, movements and loading were delayed by about two, three days. And because of that, you see that impact. As things return back to normal, it takes some time for distribution to be fully restored.”
Ojulari also accused some retailers of taking advantage of the temporary supply disruption to inflate the cooking gas price.
 
“As you know, in Nigeria, people take opportunity. With that delay, some of the people that had existing resources and reserves had to put up the price,” he said.
Ojulari assured Nigerians that as supply chains stabilise, the cooking gas price is expected to ease in the coming weeks.
 
“My expectation is that now that things are back to normal, prices should return to what they were before the strike,” he said.
The rise in cooking gas price followed the industrial action by PENGASSAN over the dismissal of Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery.
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Netflix Has Lost $25 Billion After Elon Musk Urged Users to Cancel Subscription Over Transgender Character

Following a call to boycott Netflix, the company has lost a staggering $25 billion.
World’s richest man, Elon Musk had urged users to cancel subscription over a transgender character.
The streaming giant’s market value has taken a massive hit, reportedly slipping from about $514 billion on September 27 to $489 billion by October 3, a decline of nearly $25 billion.
Almost $7 billion reportedly vanished right after Elon Musk’s October 1 post urging followers to drop their subscriptions.
According to Yahoo Finance, Netflix shares fell dramatically on Friday, October 3, marking their biggest weekly decline since April 4.
Over the past five trading days, the stock dropped nearly 5% as Tesla CEO Elon Musk continued urging his 227 million followers on X to cancel Netflix subscriptions. Musk criticised the streamer for allegedly promoting transgender messaging in kids’ shows.
While the Nasdaq and overall markets climbed about 2% to record highs over the week, Netflix has lagged behind Big Tech peers like Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META). On Thursday, October 2, as well, Netflix shares opened lower, falling 1.2% before trimming losses to end 0.8% down, reaching $1,161 at 2:15 p.m. EDT, Forbes reported. The stock has dropped about 2.4% since Musk tweeted on Tuesday, September 30, that he had cancelled his Netflix subscription. Over the past five trading days, Netflix shares have fallen 4.4%, even as the tech-heavy Nasdaq marks its fifth consecutive day of gains.
$15 billion in Netflix shares were liquidated after one tweet by Elon Musk. “Cancel Netflix.”
He urged canceling the streaming subscription for the sake of children’s health, labelling it LGBT propaganda.
Some reports estimate that Netflix has lost over $15 billion in market value since Musk’s calls began. While conservative sources peg the number at around $25 billion. But regardless of the exact total, analysts agree the timing between Musk’s boycott call and the stock dip is hard to ignore.
Musk has repeatedly called for a boycott. On Tuesday, he wrote: “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.” 
The Billionaire CEO also reposted messages accusing Netflix of pushing a “transgender woke agenda.” These boycott comes amid the controversies surrounding the cancelled Netflix animated series, Dead End: Paranormal Park, directed by Hamish Steele. Conservative critics claimed the show promoted progressive ideas they disagreed with.
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ASUU Begins Mobilisation for Nationwide Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has began mobilizing members for industrial action.
The union said the move followed the Federal Government’s silence despite being served a strike notice addressed to all relevant authorities, including the Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi.
Last Monday, ASUU announced that it would shut down all public universities to press home its demands. The notice, effective from Sunday, September 28, 2025, will begin with a two-week warning strike before transitioning into a total and indefinite strike if the government fails to act.
In a new letter dated October 5, 2025, and signed by its president, Prof. Chris Piwuna, ASUU reaffirmed its decision to shut down universities, citing government inaction.
He said, “The National Executive Council (NEC) of our Union, at its emergency meeting of 29th September, 2025, having evaluated the results of the referendum held across our branches, resolved to give the government a fourteen-day ultimatum to resolve the issues contained in the negotiated document which has been transmitted to the government since February, 2025.

“It was further resolved that the union will proceed on a two-week warning strike at the expiration of the ultimatum if the government fails to take acceptable and satisfactory steps to address the lingering issues.

 
“The resolutions were immediately communicated to the Honourable Minister of Labour, the Honourable Minister of Education and the Nigeria Labour Congress.
 
“It is now one week since those resolutions were reached and communicated to the appropriate authorities. I regret to inform you that there is no meaningful development deserving of any consideration to be reported.
 
“As we enter the second and final week of the ultimatum, thank you on behalf of NEC for the patience and understanding which you demonstrated since the commencement of this torturous negotiation that has unjustifiably lasted over eight years.
 
“The goal of our current action remains principally to compel the Government to sign and implement the renegotiated agreement document, amongst other demands.
 
“The days ahead call for the mobilisation of every member of our union to ensure unity of purpose. No one should be left out of the struggle for our welfare, stem the Jupa syndrome and reposition the Nigerian University System (NUS) for global competitiveness.
 
“We are strong when we organise, but weakened when we agonise! Our Union has always acted in solidarity as a collective; this action will not be different.
 
“Members are to take instructions only from their Chairpersons. When in doubt, members should consult their Chairpersons, Zonal Coordinators and attend Congress meetings regularly for updates on further developments.”
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Peter Obi Demands Stern Punishment For Politicians With Forged Academic Certificate

The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi has demanded stiffer punishment for certificate forgers.
He spoke in a post on his verified X handle on Monday.
Obi stressed the need to end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power, adding that true leadership must begin with truth.
He lamented that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, makes little or no effort to scrutinize certificates before the elections.
“How do you tell young Nigerians to be honest and upright when those they are supposed to emulate are the least to be emulated because they are criminals and dishonest?
 
“Certificate forgery is a serious criminal offence in all countries of the world. It is one of the most corrupt practices heavily punished.
 
“We are now preparing for the 2027 general elections. INEC have enough time to investigate past complaints about various forms of forgery and false claims.
 
“Our Electoral amendments must include that anyone intending to contest for any public office, whether an incumbent or a new candidate, must submit all academic certificates to the electoral body immediately after party primaries, at least six months before the election.
 
“We must deal with certificate forgery holistically with the seriousness and level of criminality it deserves. Criminal offences should not be dismissed as a mere procedural matter. We must end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power. True leadership must begin with truth,” he wrote.
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Bank Building Collapses In Abia

A portion of the First Bank building on Library Avenue in Umuahia, Abia State, has collapsed.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, October 4, 2025 sent panic across the busy commercial area that houses several financial institutions, offices and shops.

Details about possible casualties or the extent of damage remain sketchy, but emergency responders and security operatives are said to have arrived at the scene to assess the situation and ensure public safety.

According to eyewitnesses, parts of the building gave way during off working hours, forcing nearby traders and passersby to flee the area.

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If God Wants To Remove Tinubu, He Knows How To Do It  — Tunde Bakare

The founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has stated that only God can remove President Bola Tinubu from office when the appointed time comes.

Bakare made this statement on Saturday during the inaugural edition of the Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series in Lagos.

He insisted that Tinubu’s emergence as Nigeria’s leader was divinely ordained.

“If God wants to remove ‘Emilokan,’ He knows how to do it. You can’t get the kind of thing Tinubu has brought without God’s support,”Bakare declared.

According to the cleric, Tinubu’s ascent to power was not accidental but a product of divine orchestration.

“You can’t deny that his rise and what he has achieved came through the hand of God,” he added.

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