Saturday, 26th April 2025, marks a monumental and historic day for the people of Ogere Remo as the long-awaited Ologere Palace (Aafin Ologere) and the iconic Lipakala Cultural Centre will be officially commissioned. Ogere will proudly unveil a majestic central palace symbolising unity, culture, and progress for the first time in living memory. Facilitated by the visionary leadership of His Royal Highness Oba James Obafemi Saliu, the Ologere of Ogere and Arole Olipakala, the palace project began two years ago, immediately following his coronation. Ogere, a town steeped in history and tradition, had operated without a central or permanent royal…
Author: Adewale A.
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the global digital landscape, with advanced tools driving innovation across sectors from education and finance to creative arts and cybersecurity. As AI becomes increasingly mainstream, businesses, developers, and everyday users face the challenge of choosing the right tool for their needs. Here’s a comparison of some of the most prominent AI platforms in 2025, evaluating their capabilities, strengths, and use cases. 1. ChatGPT (OpenAI) Best for: Conversational AI, writing assistance, code generation Openai’s Chatgpt remains a market leader in natural language processing. Powered by the GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo models, it is widely used…
Henry Okah, a Nigerian militant leader currently serving a 24-year sentence in South Africa, has launched a legal battle to stop what he describes as unlawful attempts to grant him parole and deport him to Nigeria. The court case, registered under number 2025-038124, is scheduled for hearing at the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria. Respondents named in the filing include the Department of Home Affairs, the Zonderwater Parole Board, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, the Minister of Correctional Services, and the Minister of Justice. Okah’s application seeks to interdict the defendants from taking any steps towards…
Coventry University is set to implement major reforms to its course delivery model, introducing a flexible, student-centric approach that departs from traditional academic structures. Starting this September, the university will transition all postgraduate taught courses across the Coventry University Group to a six-intake model per academic year. Undergraduate courses are scheduled to follow in September 2026. This shift will see teaching delivered in six-week blocks, followed by an assessment week, marking a significant departure from the conventional term and semester framework used across much of the UK higher education sector. The move positions Coventry University as a trailblazer in flexible…
For too long, the world has lived under a cartographic illusion that has profoundly shaped our understanding of power, influence, and place. At the heart of this lie is the Mercator projection, a 16th-century map design that distorts the true size of continents. The biggest casualty? Africa. Despite spanning over 30 million square kilometres—large enough to comfortably contain the United States, China, India, and most of Europe—Africa is routinely misrepresented as small, marginal, and peripheral on most world maps. In classrooms, boardrooms, news broadcasts, and textbooks, a warped vision of geography has minimised Africa’s vastness and, in turn, its significance.…
BudgIT, a prominent civic-tech organisation promoting transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery in Nigeria, has launched its chatbot, Bimi. Bimi is a web-based platform that provides real-time, accurate, and accessible information on public financial management. This cutting-edge innovation is pivotal in bridging the divide between government transparency and public comprehension. It will ensure that every Nigerian can effortlessly access the critical information required for informed decision-making. Bimi gives citizens real-time updates on audited financial reports, budget implementation, and government spending at national and subnational levels. It also responds quickly to questions about government policies, public services, and governance updates, provides…
Tracka, BudgIT’s service delivery promotion platform, which allows citizens to collaborate, track and give feedback on public projects in their communities, has uncovered payments worth N2.4 billion to seventeen contractors for fifteen projects across nine states—yet no contractor has commenced work on these sites. Some of these projects include: The payment of N401 million to Mainstream Contractors in December 2023 under the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the Rehabilitation of Welcome-Nasarawa-Farewell from Nasarawa, linking the North and Southern parts of Nigeria in Nasarawa LGA, Nasarawa State; N153 million to Icent Light Ltd between August and November 2023 under…
BudgIT, a prominent civic tech organisation promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public finance, has noted recent publications across various media outlets that misrepresented our findings on Sokoto State’s budget and fiscal transparency. While we appreciate the media’s role in fostering dialogue, these reports inaccurately represent our analysis, compelling us to clarify the facts and reaffirm our position. Our evaluation of Sokoto State’s fiscal transparency was not an attack on Dr Ahmed Aliyu’s government but rather a call for proactive disclosure of budgetary and other financial information as a critical element of good governance. The State Fiscal Transparency League (SFTL)…
The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2025 reveal that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University continue to lead the charge in academic excellence, securing top positions in three subject areas each. US Institutions Lead the Pack MIT ranks first in Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, and Social Sciences, while Stanford University claims the top spot in Education Studies, Law, and Psychology. Despite slipping to sixth place in World University Rankings 2025, Stanford’s subject-level performance underscores its academic prowess. Harvard University shines in Engineering and Life Sciences, while the California Institute of Technology (Caltech)…
In today’s digital landscape, nearly half of internet traffic stems from non-human sources, with a startling one-third attributed to malicious bots. Social media platforms are particularly vulnerable, as 65% of these bots are designed with harmful intent, posing significant risks to users and brands alike. To combat this growing threat, Christoph C. Cemper, founder of AI prompt management tool AIPRM, shares valuable insights into identifying and protecting against social media bots and the scams they perpetrate. Spotting Social Media Bots: Key Warning Signs Understanding how bots operate can help users identify and avoid them. These are the common traits of…