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Actor and media personality, Tobi Bakre, has spoken about the impact women have had on his career, saying they have played…

The post Men who refuse to work with women not ready to grow – Tobi Bakre appeared first on Tribune Online.

Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Ijeoma Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, has opened up about her plans to become a…

The post Phyna reveals plan to have first child through surrogacy appeared first on Tribune Online.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has ratified former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

The ratification followed Saturday’s nationwide primary elections into various elective positions, including the affirmation of Obi as the sole aspirant on the platform of the party.

The event, which drew participants including vice-presidential hopeful on the platform of the party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; National Leader of the party, Seriake Dickson; National Chairman of the party, Senator Cleopas Zuwoghe; party members; and supporters, saw the official handing over of the party’s flag to Mr Obi, who is expected to fly the flag of the party in the 2027 election.

The event was witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as provided for in the Electoral Act.

Details soon…

BREAKING: NDC Ratifies Obi As Presidential Candidate is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

A Nigerian-born Roman Catholic priest, Anthony Odiong, has been convicted by a jury in Texas, United States, for sexually assaulting women who were under his spiritual care and guidance.

Odiong, 57, was found guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault following a trial held in Waco, Texas.

The verdict was delivered by a 12-member jury comprising eight women and four men after approximately two hours of deliberation.

According to court proceedings, prosecutors accused the priest of exploiting his position as a spiritual leader to manipulate vulnerable women into sexual relationships while providing them with counselling and religious guidance.

Two women testified during the trial, alleging that Odiong used his authority as a Catholic priest to gain their trust before engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct.

One of the victims, identified in court as Mary Doe, told jurors that the priest initiated a sexual relationship with her while she was receiving spiritual counselling during a difficult divorce.

She further testified that her son once unexpectedly discovered her and the priest engaged in sexual activity inside her residence.

Another complainant, identified as Jane Doe, alleged that Odiong pressured her into sexual acts while presenting the encounters as part of his spiritual guidance.

Prosecutors argued that the priest took advantage of the women’s emotional vulnerability and the trust they placed in him as a religious figure.

Odiong, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, now faces the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, including life imprisonment on the first-degree sexual assault conviction. Sentencing proceedings are expected to commence on Monday.

The case gained wider attention following a 2024 investigation that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct and coercive behaviour involving the priest during his ministry in Texas and Louisiana.

Authorities said the publication of those allegations encouraged one of the victims to formally approach law enforcement with additional claims.

Investigators subsequently gathered further evidence, including DNA findings reportedly linked to a child fathered by Odiong during his time serving in Louisiana.

Odiong, a naturalised United States citizen, was ordained as a Catholic priest in Nigeria in 1993 before relocating to the United States, where he later served in several Catholic parishes across Texas and Louisiana.

Nigerian-born Catholic priest found guilty of sexually assaulting women in his care in US

Former United States Mayor Mark Arnold has called for democratic self-determination, constitutional reform, and greater protection of fundamental human rights in Nigeria, declaring that citizens must be allowed to freely determine their political future through peaceful and lawful means.

Arnold made the call in a statement titled “The Sokoto Declaration: Principles for the Deliverance of the People,” in which he addressed issues ranging from displacement and governance to resource control, national unity, religious freedom, and democratic participation.

Opening the declaration, Arnold emphasized the inherent dignity and rights of every individual, stating, “Every soul on this land bears the image of God – and with it, the right to life, to liberty, and to a future of its own choosing.”

He expressed concern over the plight of displaced persons across the country, insisting that restoring them to their ancestral homes should be a priority.

“The displaced shall come home. Until every exile stands again on the soil of their fathers, nothing else is finished,” he said.

The former mayor also addressed the issue of governance, arguing that political authority must be rooted in the consent of the people.

According to him, any government that fails to protect its citizens and uphold justice risks losing its legitimacy.

“Government draws its legitimacy from the consent of the governed,” Arnold said, adding that leaders must remain accountable to the people they serve.

On the question of self-determination, Arnold defended the rights of various groups to peacefully pursue their political aspirations through democratic processes.

“Self-determination is not a crime. Not for Biafra. Not for Yoruba. Not for the Middle Belt. Not for the minorities of the North. Not for any people told by force what flag they must answer to. A free vote is not violence. Speaking truth is not terrorism,” he stated.

He further condemned ideologies that justify violence on the basis of religion, ethnicity, or expression of opinion, declaring that, “No ideology that demands death for words, death for faith, or death for tribe holds any claim upon the future of this land.”

Arnold also spoke on economic justice and resource ownership, arguing that communities should benefit from the natural wealth found within their territories.

“The wealth beneath this ground belongs to the people who walk upon it. Every barrel drawn under cover of massacre is theft. Every dollar fled to foreign vaults while children starve is theft,” he said.

The declaration urged citizens not to depend solely on outside intervention to solve their problems but to organize and participate actively in shaping their future.

“No one is coming to save us. Power is never given. It is built. It is taken. To wait for rescue is the habit of a chained mind,” Arnold said.

While stressing the importance of peace, he distinguished it from passivity and called for lawful efforts to defend communities against threats.

“Peace is not passivity. Peace is strength under restraint. Every people holds the God-given right to defend its life and its families,” he stated, while also warning against vengeance and unlawful aggression.

Arnold maintained that the methods used in any struggle for freedom would ultimately shape the kind of society that emerges afterward.

“How we fight shall determine what we build. No true freedom has ever been won with unjust hands. There is a line between defending the living and becoming what we oppose. Know it. Walk it. Hold it,” he said.

He also appealed for unity among groups and movements seeking change, warning that internal divisions could undermine broader objectives.

“Unity, or ruin. Every faction set against another faction does the work of the Darkness. The hour is too late, the cost too high, the cause too great for division,” he declared.

Calling for sustained civic engagement, Arnold urged citizens to pursue change through democratic institutions and peaceful advocacy.

“Resistance shall be coordinated, disciplined, unrelenting. In the streets. At the ballot box. In every courtroom that will hear the evidence. In every church too long silent. Online and on the ground,” he said.

The former mayor called for the replacement of what he described as a corrupt political order through lawful and democratic means, advocating an internationally supervised referendum on a new constitutional arrangement.

“The regime that loots this land must be dismantled — by the peaceful and sovereign will of the people, by lawful and democratic means, and by an internationally supervised referendum for a new constitution and a true self-determination,” Arnold stated.

He urged citizens to unite around the principles of life, liberty, justice, and peaceful coexistence.

“The cause is life. The cause is liberty. The cause is the right of every human being on this land to live in peace in the home of their fathers – to worship freely, to vote freely, to build freely,” he said.

Declaring that “the long night is ending,” Arnold called on Nigerians to stand together in pursuit of a more just and democratic future, ending his statement with a prayer for wisdom and courage in confronting the nation’s challenges.

Ex-US Mayor Advocates Democratic Self-Determination In Nigeria is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has said it is not realistic for the Federal Government to secure every educational institution in the country. In a statement shared on X on Saturday, reacting to the abduction of schoolchildren in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, he framed the incident within broader concerns about insecurity in the Sahel region, […]

The post Oyo abduction: FG can’t guard every school in Nigeria — Reno Omokri appeared first on Tribune Online.

A former Minister of Labour and Productivity, SellJoel Ikenya, has been declared winner of the governorship primaries conducted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Taraba State.

Mr Felix Hyat, the chairman of the election committee, who announced the results in Jalingo on Saturday, said Ikenya scored 34,173, to defeat Mr Dinshiya Usman, who polled 4,853.

Hyat, who described the exercise as free, fair and transparent, commended the state working committee of the party for the peaceful conduct.

Ikenya, in his acceptance speech, pledged to revive Taraba to her days of glory if elected governor in 2027.

“I will transform Taraba; I will change the state from salary base, to an industrialised state.

“My desire is to also revive the state infrastructure and attract more investors to boost the economy,” he said.

The governorship candidate, however, denied the allegations of factional PDP in Taraba.

“There is no factional PDP in Taraba; I don’t know where the other people are coming from.

“PDP in Taraba is one, and we do not have any faction in the state. We are working as one united family to reclaim our mandate from Gov. Agbu Kefas of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, the Nyesom Wike led faction of the party had recently  declared senator Emmanuel Bwacha as its governorship candidate in Taraba.

NAN

Ex-Labour Minister Ikenya wins Taraba PDP governorship primaries

Accepting the nomination, Makinde said his ambition was driven not by personal interest but by the need to restore public confidence in leadership and rebuild hope among Nigerians.

The post 2027: ‘Nigeria is hurting’, Makinde calls for national reset appeared first on Tribune Online.

Filmmaker and music video director, Apampa Oluwadamilola, professionally known as Dammy Twitch, has said Nollywood producers are increasingly finding it difficult to use Afrobeats songs in movies as many Nigerian artists sign publishing and copyright agreements that limit direct access to their music.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Afropolitan podcast, the video director explained that the rapid global expansion of Afrobeats has led many artists to enter publishing deals with foreign companies, making music licensing more complex and expensive for filmmakers.

According to him, personal relationships with musicians are no longer enough to secure permission to use their songs in films because many artists no longer have full control over the commercial rights to their catalogues.

“Nollywood producers can’t freely use Afrobeats songs in movies anymore. Some artists have already sold their music rights, so adding their songs to films becomes difficult,” he said.

Dammy Twitch noted that the rising cost of licensing popular Afrobeats tracks poses a major challenge for independent filmmakers, who account for a large share of Nigeria’s film industry.

“Even if the artist is my friend, they can’t permit me to use their song freely because they have already entered a contract. That is a major challenge in the movie industry,” he added.

The video director described the current relationship between Nollywood and the Afrobeats industry as increasingly strained, and that only productions backed by major studios or well-funded investors can easily afford the licensing fees attached to hit songs.

“The collaboration between Nollywood and Afrobeats is at a very weird place right now. Many producers can’t afford to include Afrobeats songs in their movies unless a major studio or investor backs them. Nigerian producers are mostly independent filmmakers, so a lot of us won’t be able to afford it,” Twitch said.

He warned that the trend could widen the gap between two of Nigeria’s most influential creative industries if more affordable and flexible licensing arrangements are not developed.

Why Nollywood Producers Can’t Afford Afrobeats Songs — Dammy Twitch is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

President Bola Tinubu, who stated this at the commissioning of the rolling energy high-capacity Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) daughter booster station in Jahi,

The post FG unveils CNG booster station, restates commitment to gas expansion appeared first on Tribune Online.