Posts

How Big Food Turns Holidays into a Public Health Trap

-
Image
By Humphrey Ukeaja Festive periods occupy a strategic place in the marketing calendars of Big Food corporations. National and religious holidays such as Christmas, New Year, Easter, Eid-el-Fitr, and Eid-el-Kabir provide predictable moments of heightened consumption, social gathering, and emotional openness. Food and beverage advertising during these periods does not merely promote products; it systematically aligns ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and sugary drinks with socially valued ideas of celebration, convenience, and family cohesion. Across broadcast media, households are routinely depicted marking festive moments with bottles and cans of sugary drinks, otherwise known as sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), presented as a natural accompaniment to communal meals. Digital platforms extend this logic, with social media influencers framing UPFs such as instant noodles and similar products as appropriate festive purchases or gifts. Outdoor advertising reinforces the message through slogans...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lagos Police Arrest Housewife, Accomplice for Faking Kidnapping, Extorting ₦2.5m From Her Husband

-
Image
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Mrs. Misturah Bada, and her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, for allegedly staging her own kidnapping and extorting ₦2.5 million from her husband, who resides in South Africa. A statement by the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi said operatives of the Command Special Squad made the arrests following a distress call received on November 24, 2025, from the victim’s husband, who reported that his wife had been kidnapped by armed men demanding a ransom of ₦10 million, later reduced to ₦3 million.  The statement revealed that despite paying ₦2.5 million, the supposed kidnappers allegedly refused to release her. SP Adebisi said upon receiving the complaint, they deployed both technical and human assets to track the kidnappers.  Mrs. Bada was later “released” and reunited with her family before being invited for debriefing.  She claimed she had been...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rivers Police Urge Vigilance, Community Support Ahead of Yuletide

-
Image
The Rivers State Police Command has called on residents to remain vigilant and support security agencies as part of efforts to ensure a peaceful Yuletide season across the state. The command in a statement by its spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko said it has strengthened security through the deployment of tactical teams to key locations, including highways, waterways, motor parks, worship centres, hotels and recreational facilities, to deter crime and ensure swift response to emergencies. The state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju directed Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers to intensify patrols and deploy intelligence assets within their jurisdictions to maintain law and order throughout the festive period. The statement said community engagement has been heightened through collaboration with traditional rulers, youth organisations and religious leaders to encourage information sharing and build public trust. It advised residents to secure their homes, avoid unsaf...
Post a Comment
Read more

President Tinubu Nominates New Heads for NUPRC, NMDPRA as Ahmed, Komolafe Resign

-
Image
Farouk Ahmed                    Gbenga Komolafe President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agencies following the resignation of their incumbent heads. In a statement by his Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, the President said the nominations followed the exit of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Ahmed and Komolafe were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to head the two agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). President Tinubu has nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief E...
Post a Comment
Read more

APC Praises Lagos Two-Decade Security Model as National Benchmark

-
Image
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared the Lagos Security Vision, developed and sustained over two decades of progressive governance, as the country’s leading model for sub-national security. In a statement by its spokesman, Mogaji Seye Oladejo on Friday, the party said Lagos has continued to demonstrate that security is achieved through deliberate planning, strategic investment and consistent political will, not rhetoric.  It noted that despite being Nigeria’s most densely populated and economically active state, Lagos has maintained relative peace, stability and social harmony. According to the party, successive administrations, from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, have entrenched a layered security architecture built on intelligence, technology, community engagement and strong inter-agency cooperation. The APC outlined the key pillars of the Lagos Security Vision, including the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF)...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lagos APC Hails Tinubu’s Leadership in West African Peace and Security

-
Image
President Bola Tinubu The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended President Bola  Tinubu for what it described as Nigeria’s renewed leadership in promoting peace, stability and security across the West African sub-region. In a statement by its spokesman, Hon. Seye Oladejo on Thursday, the party said Nigeria continues to play a defining role in shaping regional responses to political transitions, military interventions, economic uncertainty and growing extremist threats in the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea. According to the Lagos APC, President Tinubu, in his capacity as both Nigeria’s leader and a key figure within ECOWAS, has strengthened democratic engagement, advanced diplomatic dialogue and reinforced the region’s collective security frameworks. The party said Tinubu’s “firm stance against unconstitutional changes of government” and his efforts to sustain negotiations among ECOWAS leaders have contributed to de-escalating tensions and safeguarding de...
Post a Comment
Read more

CAPPA Decries Worsening Human-Rights Situation in Nigeria

-
Image
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has expressed concern over what it described as the deteriorating state of human-rights protection in Nigeria, calling on the government to end impunity, strengthen institutions and prioritise citizens’ welfare. In a statement marking International Human Rights Day 2025, the organisation said widespread insecurity, abuses by law-enforcement agencies, socio-economic hardship and governance failures continue to undermine the dignity and safety of Nigerians. CAPPA cited recent data to highlight the scale of violations, noting that 570 killings and 278 kidnappings were recorded across the country in April, while the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) received 275,256 complaints of rights abuses in May alone. The group said millions of Nigerians are facing overlapping crises, with civil and political rights under pressure, social and economic rights declining, and insecurity deepening.  It added that many of the viola...
Post a Comment
Read more