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Tajudeen Abbas Awarded GCON by President Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has awarded Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), the nation’s second-highest national honor.
This announcement was made by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, in a statement on Friday night. The honor follows ongoing debates between the Senate and the House regarding the Speaker’s eligibility for a higher accolade.
During his Independence Anniversary speech on October 1, President Tinubu had previously awarded the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) to the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President, prompting discussions in the House for a more prestigious honor.
Onanuga noted that the President was influenced by the House’s request and decided to rectify what he termed a “historical error.” As a result, the Speaker’s honor was upgraded from CFR to GCON, in line with the National Order of Precedence. The Speaker, Senate President, and other National Assembly leaders, along with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, will be formally honored in a ceremony at a later date, according to the Presidency.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reportedly declared a strike at Taraba State University over outstanding salary-related demands and delays in payments.
The strike is scheduled to begin today, October 12, 2026. According to the union’s chairman, the union had been engaging the Taraba State Government over its outstanding demands since February 2026.
“The union had exercised considerable patience and demonstrated its commitment to dialogue since February 2026, when it began engaging the Taraba State Government over the outstanding issues,” Mbave said.
“The union had earlier suspended its planned industrial action following an appeal by the government for additional time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, in the interest of maintaining industrial harmony,” the chairman added.
The Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, Torseer Yina, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the ancient town.
The curfew takes effect from Thursday, October 8, 2026, following unrest and violent protests in the area.
According to reports, the action was taken to contain the unrest and violent protests by members of BEMOA following the death of one of its members by unknown gunmen.
The protest, which was reportedly hijacked by hoodlums, turned violent after an angry mob burnt two vehicles belonging to the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.
The Gboko council chairman said the curfew takes effect immediately and warned that anyone caught flouting the order or breaching public peace would be decisively dealt with.
Nine people have died in a fatal road crash along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway in Ogun State.
The crash occurred on Monday at about 4:55pm around the Bethel area along the Ijebu-Ode/Ore axis of the expressway. It involved a white Toyota Hiace commercial bus belonging to Delta Line and a white Sino truck operated by Bill Gas Solution Ltd.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), all nine people involved in the crash, comprising three males and six females, died in the incident.
The FRSC said the crash occurred while it was raining and the road was wet, with preliminary investigations identifying speed violation as the probable cause.
The FRSC rescue team arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the report, while the bodies of the victims were taken to the General Hospital Morgue in Ijebu-Ode.
The Ogun State Sector Commander, Oludare Ogunjobi, urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to obey speed limits and exercise extra caution when driving in the rain.
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