Author: The Whistler Newspaper

Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, has sparked widespread reactions online after stating that his N100m in savings is strictly off-limits, even in the face of urgent family emergencies.

The Nigerian content creator remarked in a viral video featuring skit maker Sir Balo, on Monday, where he explained his disciplined approach to personal finance. The conversations revolved around money management, savings culture, and family responsibility.

In the video, Peller revealed that he operates a strict financial rule, insisting he never allows his account balance to fall below N100m under any circumstance.

“I don’t ever allow myself to be broke below N100 million. Even if anybody wants to die in the family, I won’t touch it,” he said, adding that he prefers to seek alternative income streams, such as paid promotions, whenever he faces urgent financial needs.

His comments have triggered mixed reactions across social media platforms, with supporters praising his financial discipline and long-term thinking, particularly in Nigeria’s challenging economic climate.

Others, however, have criticised the stance as overly rigid, arguing that it overlooks the cultural expectations of family support, especially during emergencies where immediate financial assistance may be critical.

In Nigeria, extended family responsibilities often play a central role in financial decision-making, with many individuals expected to contribute to medical expenses, education, and other urgent needs beyond their immediate households.

Peller’s position has therefore sparked a broader debate about the balance between maintaining financial boundaries and fulfilling social obligations in a system where informal family support often substitutes for institutional safety nets.

Some social media users reacted humorously, with one commenter joking about needing “financial approval” before responding to emergencies, while others questioned the practicality of such a strict rule.

@didiezenwa said “But if the person finally kpai for your family, you’ll donate money for his burial after refusing to help them abi? Congratulations”

Another reaction from @thatibm lol, look at who y’all take advice from. Life never humbles you sha continue spilling rubbish. Even if this is your mentality, is it okay to say this out in public?

@chyddo Imagine being able to make this statement in your early 20s while graduates can barely afford food. Pick your struggle wisely!!!

Peller Sparks Debate After Declaring N100m Savings Untouchable is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Stanley Boateng has been appointed assistant coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, DAILY POST reports.

Boateng will join D’Tigress coaching crew led by Rena Wakama.

The African champions are already in the United States of America for a training tour ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

D’Tigress will take on WNBA teams, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, and Indiana Fever in friendlies during the training tour.

The draw for the FIBA Women’s World Cup will hold in Berlin, Germany on Tuesday.

Boateng appointed D’Tigress assistant coach

The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has appointed Corps Commander Francis Ajatta as the new Sector Commander for Rivers State.

Ajatta takes charge of the state command following the recent redeployment of senior officers within the corps.

He officially assumed duty after succeeding Corps Commander Inyang Umoh, who recently retired from service.

Prior to his posting to Rivers State, Ajatta served as the Sector Commander of the Akwa Ibom Sector Command.

In a statement on Monday, signed by Doris Ebor, Chief Route Commander and Sector Public Education Officer of the Rivers State Command, Ajatta was described as “a seasoned Officer with track record of promoting the cause of Road Safety in Nigeria.”

The statement further noted that he has held several positions in different states across the country.

Speaking during his inaugural address, Ajatta outlined his priorities for the command, stating that his administration will focus on FRSC visibility, Extensive public enlightenment campaign, Training of staff and Drivers, Prompt response to rescue and clearance of obstruction and stakeholders collaboration amongst others.

FRSC appoints Ajatta as new Rivers Sector Commander

The African Democratic Congress has denied reports suggesting it is in talks with another political party, specifically the Peoples Redemption Party, ahead of an expected court judgment concerning its leadership dispute.

In a statement addressing the claim, the party spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

This he also shared on X, and there he said: “Our attention has been drawn to a story in circulation that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is in talks with another political party, specifically the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), in anticipation of its court judgment.”

It described the report as false, stating: “We would like to state categorically that this is not true.”

The ADC leadership further clarified its position on coalition discussions.

It said: “The coalition leadership is not having any such conversation with any political party at the moment.”

Reaffirming its current focus, the party stated: “We are fully committed to ensuring that the illegal action taken against our leadership by INEC and other agents of the ruling party is upturned.

“We believe that this is the only path to safeguarding the rule of law and ensuring that multiparty democracy survives in Nigeria.

While acknowledging openness to broader political collaboration, the statement added: “While we are open to expanding the coalition to bring all opposition elements in the country together to rescue our country, we remain clear about the responsibility that this moment has imposed on us. We will not abdicate that responsibility.”

It also dismissed claims of a possible defection or abandonment of the party.

Abdullah stated: “Therefore, any suggestion that we are considering abandoning the ADC is preemptive and speculative, and should be ignored.”

On the ongoing legal and political situation, the party said: “Notwithstanding the flagrant bastardisation of democratic institutions, the ADC leadership remains confident that the judicial institutions will, at this defining moment, resist the pressure to be complicit in undermining Nigeria’s democracy.”

ADC Denies Talks With PRP Ahead Of Court Judgment is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Ace music executive, Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has revealed his major challenge with dealing with GenZ artists under his record label.

Speaking in an episode of Who’s In The House podcast, the Mavin Records boss lamented that his major challenge with dealing with GenZ artists is their reluctance to promote their music passionately on their social media pages.

He explained that a lot of GenZ artists are adamant about flooding their pages with their musical contents because they are more concerned about the aesthetics of their social media pages.

Don Jazzy disclosed that the issue sometimes causes disagreement between him and his artists, especially the established ones.

“I fight with my artists all the time because of their reluctance to post their muscat contents on their social media pages. I’m also fighting with my niece, who is into entertainment, for the same issue.

“I don’t know who told GenZ that it is not okay to post your work excessive on social media. They want to keep a clean page and don’t want to post or promote themselves. Especially Ayra Starr, who will tell me it’s imposter syndrome,” he lamented.

The music executive urged artists to always showcase their works online at any given opportunity.

Don Jazzy reveals his problem with Ayra Starr, other GenZ artists

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a suit filed by Air Peace Limited seeking to restrain the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) from issuing summons over multiple passenger complaints.

Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the suit lacked merit, criticising the airline for attempting to use the court to “shield” itself from investigation by a lawful authority.

The dispute centred on the interpretation of Section 148 of the FCCPC Act, which outlines the Commission’s powers in enforcing consumer rights.

Citing Section 148(3) of the Act, the judge explained that upon receiving or initiating a complaint, the FCCPC may issue a notice of non-referral where a complaint is deemed frivolous, refer the matter to a sector regulator, or direct an inspector to investigate.

Justice Omotosho noted that a careful reading of the law shows the Commission “can, on its own,” initiate investigations or refer complaints to appropriate authorities.

He ruled that the FCCPC retains its statutory powers and is “at liberty to take any of the options” provided under the Act, adding that the airline’s suit “has no legal basis.”

On the issue of fair hearing raised by Air Peace, which argued that it was denied due process because the identities of complainants were not disclosed, the court held that the claim was premature.

“The position (on fair hearing) of the plaintiff (Air Peace) is premature,” the judge said, noting that the Commission had issued several summons which the airline failed to honour, insisting instead on disclosure of complainants.

He ordered the airline to comply with the summons and appear before the FCCPC, reiterating that the case lacked merit and was accordingly dismissed.

Air Peace had approached the court in 2025, alleging that the FCCPC unlawfully initiated an investigation into consumer complaints without first referring the matter to a sector regulator or inspector, as it interpreted under Section 148.

The airline also argued that the Commission must disclose the identities of complainants before proceeding with any inquiry, particularly regarding allegations of exploitative ticket pricing, cancelled flights, and failure to refund passengers.

In response, the FCCPC maintained that it acted within its statutory mandate and did not violate the airline’s rights, urging the court to dismiss the suit.

In an earlier summons dated June 13, 2025, the Commission directed Air Peace to appear at its Abuja headquarters, citing Sections 32 and 33 of the FCCPC Act and warning that failure to comply could attract sanctions, including fines or imprisonment.

The Commission said the summons followed numerous complaints from passengers across the country over non-refunded ticket fares, including instances where flights were cancelled.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had previously criticized the FCCPC’s public statements questioning the airline’s pricing practices.

Under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, consumers are entitled to timely and fair refunds when a service provider fails to deliver a prepaid service.

The law provides that where a service, such as a flight, is not delivered as agreed, consumers have the right to request a refund proportionate to the failure.

Court Dismisses Air Peace Suit Against FCCPC Over Passenger Complaints is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kubwa Branch, on Monday chased students and teachers out of Junior Secondary School, Kubwa, as public primary and secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commenced an indefinite strike directed by the union’s State Wing Executive Council.

During the enforcement of the strike at the school, the Chairman of NUT Kubwa Branch, Mr. Amed Baba, said the industrial action was triggered by issues that have lingered for over three and a half years and are “as old as this present administration.”

He explained that at the twilight of the previous administration, primary school teachers in the FCT felt their salaries were among the lowest for Nigerian workers, leading to the introduction of what he described as a peculiar allowance, otherwise known as 40 percent, which was meant to increase teachers’ salaries by 40 percent.

According to Baba, the allowance was implemented within five months for junior and senior secondary school teachers, but primary school teachers were told they fall under the area councils and that payment was the councils’ responsibility.

He said some spokespersons of the area councils, particularly the Kuje chairman, initially denied during a meeting with the minister that primary school teachers were entitled to the 40 percent, but recently, “because they are about leaving,” stated that the teachers are qualified.

Baba insisted teachers know they are qualified and that there are documents from the National Salary Incomes and Wages Commission backing the position of the primary schools.

He said the peculiar allowance has now accumulated to 42 months, which is three and a half years, and that along with other entitlements, teachers are owed the N35,000 and N25,000 wage awards among other payments, adding “so many things, I just summarised it.”

Baba said the “crop of the matter now” is the promotion policy, stating that a promotion exam was held last year for both primary and secondary school teachers and that letters were supposed to have been given to teachers, but the FCT administration now says promotion will be based on vacancy.

“Meaning even if you write promotion, you are not entitled to it. Why are we writing promotion? If there’s no vacancy, why do you declare promotion?” he asked.

He added that the authorities are already preparing for the 2025 promotion exercise after conducting that of 2024 last year.

Baba said the union has had a series of engagements with the government and the authority of the FCT but it is “as if they are playing politics with a very important sector of the country, which is education,” stressing that “if teachers are not motivated by giving them their promotion, which we all know that a motivated teacher is the foundation for qualitative education.”

He stated that as it stands now, “there’s no school in FCT,” noting that what was happening at Junior Secondary School, Kubwa was taking place across the entire FCT.

On the impact on academics, Baba said the education system has already been disrupted and declared, “Maybe the government can even, since teachers are not important, maybe they can go to Utako. There are Agberos there now, they can come and help them so the examination. They can come and help them do the exam.”

Recall that the State Wing Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Federal Capital Territory, had directed primary and secondary school teachers to begin an indefinite strike on Monday.

The union in a communique which was jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; the State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and the State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye, said “After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on the legitimate demands of teachers’ welfare, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall, with effect from Monday, proceed on an indefinite strike until our demands are met,” the union said.

‘Hire Motor Park Touts As Teachers’-FCT NUT Mocks Govt Amid Strike is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Lagos State Government has raised concerns over increasing environmental violations in Ikeja Government Reserved Area, GRA, calling for stricter enforcement of existing regulations.

The development was disclosed in a post shared on the official page of the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab.

According to the statement, the commissioner met with executives of the Ikeja GRA Residents Association, led by Muiz Banire, to discuss the situation and possible solutions.

Wahab expressed concern over what he described as rising environmental infractions in the area, including street trading, noise pollution, poor waste management and the conversion of residential buildings to commercial use.

“These infractions pose serious environmental and security risks that must be addressed decisively,” the statement said.

He added that existing environmental laws on waste management, noise pollution and compliance with approved master plans must be strictly enforced.

The commissioner also stressed that failure to enforce regulations could weaken environmental governance in the state.

It was noted that Banire assured the government of the association’s willingness to support enforcement efforts and promote compliance within the estate.

The meeting also had in attendance senior officials from the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

Lagos Govt raises concerns over environmental violations in Ikeja GRA

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the immediate, unconditional release of a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Sani Abdulladir Zaria, from the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, and the Department of the State Services, DSS.

The cleric was detained following his arrest in connection with the alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu

The judge, in a judgment on Monday, imposed a fine of N2 million each on DIA and DSS, to be paid to the cleric, for breaching sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the way and manner the 75-year-old man was hauled into detention for more than two months without trial.

Delivering judgment in a fundamental rights suit instituted against DIA and others by the detained Islamic cleric,
Justice Lifu ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Jaiz Bank to pay N1 million each as compensation to the plaintiff for freezing his bank account without order of any law court.

Besides, the Federal High Court directed the DIA and DSS to tender public apology to the detained islamic scholar for the breach of his fundamental rights.

Sheikh Sani Abdulladir Zaria was hauled into detention without order of court for allegedly associating with one of those involved in the alleged coup plot against President Tinubu.

Justice Lifu lambasted the DIA for its refusal to subordinate itself to civil rule and rule of law by refusing to produce the detained man in court when ordered to do so.

The judge said that as agency established by law, the DIA should not place itself above the law of the land in the discharge of its statutory functions.

He noted that Nigeria, being a signatory to different international conventions on human rights, cannot afford to record such cases of victimization.

The judge noted that since December 11, 2025, the applicant was kept in “safe custody” without access to family and associates after an investigation was opened about him, on grounds described as security reasons.

Justice Lifu ordered the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to ensure immediate compliance with the judgment.

The cleric was detained by the DIA since December last year following the discovery of N2 million in his Jaiz Bank account – paid by one of the indicted coup plotters.

Although he agreed to forfeit the amount to the Federal Government to regain his freedom, the security agency held him to determine the level of his complicity in the alleged coup plot.

The Islamic cleric claimed innocence of the alleged crimes adding that the person who transferred the money into his account was just one of his disciples.

Others sued along with DIA by Zaria’s lawyers Sunusi Musa, SAN, Abdul Aliyu, SAN, and Mohammed Sheriff, are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, and Jaiz Bank Plc.

Court orders release of Islamic cleric detained over coup plot against Tinubu govt

Former Governor of Ogun State and Senator representing Ogun East at the Senate, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was reportedly denied access to the ongoing All Progressives Congress Ogun East stakeholders meeting at Adeola Odutola Hall, Ijebu Ode, on Monday.

Daniel disclosed this in a viral video in circulation.

The video showed the former governor addressing party supporters from his white campaign bus, branded with the OGD/PBAT Movement.

Daniel said, “We are here for our Ogun East APC caucus meeting, but surprisingly, we have been barred; we are told that we can’t enter, but let it be said that whatever they do here today is null and void.”

The invitation letter for the emergency stakeholders meeting sent out by the leadership of the party in Ijebu Ode included deputy governors, past and serving local government chairmen, councillors, past and serving members of both the state and National Assemblies, among others, as expected to attend.

I Was Barred From Ogun APC Stakeholders Meeting — Gbenga Daniel is first published on The Whistler Newspaper