The immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen has lost his only son Richard
The family inducated in a statement on Sunday that Richard gave up the ghost on Sunday morning at the Cedar Crest Hospital in Abuja, after being hospitalised, the

The immediate cause of his death was not known at the time of this report but he was said to have been placed on oxygen in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Friday night.

The Vom Old Boys’ Association (VOBA) who also confirmed the incident,
wrote on its social media platform that he died in Abuja after a brief illness.

“On a very sad note, we regret to announce the sudden passing of our member, Mr Richard Adamu Tallen.

“Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord, may perpetual light shine upon him.

“May the soul of Richard and all departed VOBA members RIP. Amen,” the group posted on Facebook on Sunday afternoon.

The late Richard, who is a graduate of Computer Science from a United States university, was aged 42 and is survived by a wife and three children.

The burial arrangements is expected to be announced by the family.

A gathering of high-profile leaders and intellectuals is set to take place this week at the official launch of two new books by celebrated poet, journalist, and scholar, Dr. Tunde Olusunle.
Leading the event is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON, who will be accompanied by several governors, including Usman Ododo (Kogi), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Ahmad Aliyu-Sokoto (Sokoto), and Dauda Lawal, PhD (Zamfara).

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 2 p.m. at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. It will unveil two notable works: Orisirisi: Vistas on Contemporary Politics in Nigeria and Toasts, Tributes and Wreaths.
These were contained in a statement issued by Bolaji Afolabi for the
Book Launch Media Committee.
According to the Statement, Orisirisi is a substantial 470-page collection of 60 essays that critically explores Nigeria’s political landscape and pressing national issues.
Renowned columnist and former media adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Segun Ayobolu, lauded the book as an incisive exploration of Nigeria’s key challenges, from leadership failures to economic distress.

Meanwhile, Toasts, Tributes and Wreaths, a 308-page volume of 46 essays, has been hailed by Professor Omotayo Oloruntoba-Oju as a richly crafted literary piece that brings together stories of notable figures. She calls the collection “a brilliant fusion of journalism, research, and creative writing.”

Other distinguished attendees include former National Security Adviser General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, GCON; former Minority Leader Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; and economist and former Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, FNGE, CON.

Former governors, including Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam, PhD, CON, and Captain Idris Ichalla Wada, will be present. They will be joined by Senator Ben Obi, CON, former Political Adviser to the President, along with Kogi parliamentarians Senators Sunday Karimi, Barrister Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and Jibrin Isah.

The Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Lola Ashiru, as well as Senators Osita Izunaso, Okechukwu Ezea, Austin Akobundu, Ned Nwoko, Smart Adeyemi, CON, and Dino Melaye, are also expected at the launch.

Representatives from the House of Representatives, including Leke Joseph Abejide, Chairman of the Committee on Customs, Dickson Tarkighir, and Idris Salman, will attend the event as well.

The book reviews will be delivered by Professor Gbenga Ibileye, a notable scholar of English and member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (MNAL).

Dr. Tunde Olusunle is a respected poet, academic, and former close aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo. With three published poetry collections and multiple volumes of essays, Dr. Olusunle is a widely studied literary figure.
His professional career includes serving in various capacities within the Kogi State government and holding an academic post at the University of Abuja.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has rejected claims that he is acting against the interests of the Yoruba people in the National Assembly. Describing the accusations as unfounded and politically motivated, Bamidele emphasized that he has been faithfully representing Ekiti Central and the wider Yoruba community.
He denied making any statements about Biafra or regional government and labeled the allegations as fake news designed to discredit him.

Bamidele, also, said the claims “are baseless, false and unfounded,” noting that he had been dutifully serving the interests of Ekiti Central, Ekiti State, South-west and Nigeria by extension since his election into the National Assembly.

He made this clarification in a statement by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Wednesday, thereby challenging any person with audio-visual and documentary evidence to come out and present such.

Some media platforms had falsely attributed a statement to the senate leader that “If we allow the regional system in Nigeria, we would have automatically given the easterners Biafra.”

Faulting the statement on Wednesday, Bamidele said he never made such a statement, which he said, was an attempt to pitch him against the Yoruba and other ethnic nationalities in the federation.

He added that he did not make any statement about the regional government in line with the 1960 and 1963 Constitution at the 27th-28th September 2024 Senate Retreat on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

“The claim is far from the truth. I never spoke about the return to the regional government at any forum; neither did I make a claim that ‘If we allow the regional system in Nigeria, we would have automatically given the easterners Biafra.’

“It is a sheer case of misinformation and deliberate fake news, which do not in any way represent my worldview about federal governance structure,” Bamidele said.

Bamidele, however, warned that he would not hesitate to legally challenge any individual or establishment fabricating and circulating fake news against his person and office.

Currently, according to the senate leader, there is no proposal for the return to the regional government before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

He further said: “How then can I oppose the proposal that is not currently before the Constitution Review Committee? I believe this statement is politically motivated to discredit me before Nigeria as a whole.

“Already, the 10th Senate Constitution Review Committee has received 37 fresh constitution alteration bills. The Committee is also considering 16 constitution alteration bills inherited from the 9th National Assembly, making 53 alteration bills altogether.

“None of these alteration bills proposed the return to the regional federal governance structure as practised in the First Republic. Linking me to an anti-regional government is a deliberate attempt to tarnish my image. I am not working against the interest of the Yoruba. I will never do so for any reason,” he said.