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The Trump administration barred people from 12 countries from entering the U.S., escalating the president’s crackdown on immigration. The ban, which goes into effect on Monday, affects travelers from Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There is also a partial ban on travelers from several other countries, including Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The order frames the reasoning for restricting travel as necessary because of national security threats. In his first term, President Trump banned travel from several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran.

In Nigeria’s politics, the first to escape is called a traitor; the last gets a red carpet. By Oracle of the grassroots  In the drama called Nigerian politics, survival is not a sin, unless you're the first to act. When Hon. Wole Oke quietly exited the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and boarded the political hot air balloon to safety, they called him names: betrayer, opportunist, defector. But as whispers grow louder that Governor Ademola Adeleke himself may be eyeing a similar journey to the All Progressives Congress (APC), one must ask: is Wole Oke the traitor, or simply the man who read the weather before the storm broke?   Let’s be fair, Wole Oke didn’t jump ship. He ballooned out of a sinking canoe before it became a memorial boat. The PDP, especially in the Southwest, is leaking faster than its members can find buckets. Rather than stay behind to mop floors on a tilting deck, Oke chose strategy over sentiment. That’s not betrayal, that’s political intelligence.   Y...

In Osun State’s political circus, Governor Ademola Adeleke, famously known as the “Dancing Governor,” is preparing to swap his dance moves for a sharper set of steps, ones that lead straight to the political altar. Democracy here isn’t just alive; it’s dancing twirling through campaign trails and flashing smiles at rallies. But behind the music and footwork, a darker choreography is unfolding. The knives are being sharpened. And the PDP lawmakers, Senators, Representatives, and Assem bly members alike, find themselves teetering dangerously close to becoming sacrificial lambs in Adeleke’s quest for survival. Sources close to the palace whisper that loyalty within the People’s Democratic Party is no longer a shield but a target. Those who once basked in the glow of Adeleke’s rising star are now staring down the barrel of political oblivion, victims of strategic sidelining, frozen budgets, and whispered betrayals. The prophecy was clear: Oke, the oracle of Osun politics, had foreseen this...

The Olowu of Owu-Kuta Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, CON, has called for strengthened unity among Yoruba monarchs, emphasizing that the relationship between the Alaafin of Oyo and the Ooni of Ife is the cornerstone of peace and cohesion across Yorubaland. Oba Oyelude made this significant appeal on Tuesday while receiving the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adeniran Owoade I, at his royal palace in Kuta. The historic visit was witnessed by a jubilant crowd of indigenes, traditional rulers, and dignitaries from within and beyond Kuta. Welcoming the Alaafin in grand style alongside his Olori, prominent high chiefs, and members of the royal court, Oba Oyelude underscored the importance of preserving unity through collaborative leadership among Yoruba monarchs. “Your Majesty, your visit is historic. Myself and the entire people of Kuta are grateful and deeply honoured. We are happy to receive you,” Olowu of Kuta said. He went further ...

In a compelling policy proposition that signals Nigeria’s diplomatic assertiveness on the global stage, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Busayo Oluwole Oke, has called for a transformative BRICS-led trade agenda to redefine global economic relations in the face of geopolitical upheaval. Speaking as the representative of Ijesa North Federal Constituency, Hon. Oke emphasized that BRICS — the economic bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and its newly admitted partners including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, must rise to the occasion as the world navigates unprecedented disruptions in trade, technology, and global order.  “In the early 2000s, I read Jim O’Neill’s piece, ‘Building Better Global Economics: BRICS’. At the time, it sounded like an economic fairy tale. Yet here we are, two decades later, standing on the threshold of a new global system with BRICS as a functioning, strategic bloc,” Oke...

....group threatens statewide protest The Osun Voters Assembly has issued a stern warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) against any attempt to hand over the 2026 APC gubernatorial ticket in Osun State to the current governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, under any political alignment or secret pact. The group warned that such a move would not only backfire disastrously, but also betray democratic values and the will of the Osun people. In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the Assembly described the growing speculation of a political deal between President Tinubu and Governor Adeleke as "dangerous, deeply transactional, and anti-progressive," insisting that Osun must never be reduced to a political bargaining chip.  “Osun is not for sale,” the statement declared.  The group warned in clear terms that any attempt to foist Adeleke on the APC ticket, either through cross-party endorsement or elite manipulation, would provoke serious backlash, internal rebellion, a...

A man who was arrested after hurling two Molotov cocktails at people marching on Sunday in Boulder, Colo., in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza was charged with a hate crime yesterday. Eight people were hospitalized after the attack. Investigators said that the man, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, had planned the attack for a year.  After his arrest, he said that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” according to court papers. Officials said he was facing 16 counts of attempted murder and other charges.

Today, South Koreans head to the polls to elect a new president in what many view as the most consequential vote in a generation. The election follows months of political turbulence that culminated in the impeachment and removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, after his brief but controversial declaration of martial law in December. At the center of this pivotal contest is Lee Jae-myung, the centrist leader of the Democratic Party, who currently leads in opinion polls. His opponent, Kim Moon-soo, represents the conservative People Power Party—the same party to which Yoon belonged during his presidency. For many voters, the stakes go far beyond party loyalty or policy preference. This election has effectively become a referendum on Yoon’s presidency and the future of democratic norms in the country. Lee has cast his campaign as a mission to “put an end to insurrection,” vowing to cleanse the government of what he calls the corrosive legacy of Yoon and his allies. Kim, meanwhile, has struggl...

Brasília, Brazil – In a powerful show of diplomatic alignment and international engagement, the Chairman of Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Busayo Oluwole Oke, has arrived in Brasília to join a select group of global lawmakers ahead of the forthcoming BRICS Members and Friends Nations Parliamentary Sitting. Hon. Oke, who represents the Ijesa North Federal Constituency of Osun State, is among the few African legislators invited to participate in the high-level deliberations at the Brazilian Parliament. His presence at this strategic multilateral gathering affirms Nigeria’s rising influence within the sphere of global parliamentary diplomacy and signals the country’s commitment to shaping the evolving international order. The BRICS Parliamentary Forum serves as a precursor to the BRICS Members and Friends Nations Presidential Summit scheduled for later this month. It brings together legislative leaders from BRICS core members Brazil, Russia, India, C...

The member representing Ijesa North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Busayo Oluwole Oke, who also serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, has felicitated with Hon. Prince Samuel Fafolahan Adeniyi on the occasion of his birthday. In a heartfelt message shared via his official Facebook page, Hon. Oke described Prince Adeniyi as a brother, friend, and loyal political ally. He praised Adeniyi’s humility and integrity, calling him a “decent, upright, and grateful banker” whose path crossed with his many years ago. Recalling their early days, Hon. Oluwole Oke said he first met Prince Adeniyi when he assisted him in obtaining a JAMB form for his university education. Their relationship, he said, has continued to flourish over the years, including during the 2023 general elections when Prince Samuel Fafolahan Adeniyi contested for the Osun State House of Assembly seat representing Obokun on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Hon...

....in Nigeria, power respects movement, not meditation There are politicians, and then there are power tacticians men who don’t just play the game, but redesign the board while smiling politely across the table.  Honourable Wole Oke is a professor in that elite category. If you’re new to Nigerian politics, fret not. Today’s lecture is straight from the gospel of Wole: how to flip loyalty like pancakes and still get a standing ovation from the kitchen. Lesson one? Belong everywhere and nowhere. Party ideologies are for textbooks and manifestos; in the real world, a good political future is better than a good political past. Wole Oke, who served the PDP like a faithful steward for decades, has now moonwalked into the APC not with shame, but with a king’s welcome. No awkward press conference. No philosophical justification. Just power, precision, and positioning. Lesson two: Flatter the right egos. In Nigerian politics, competence is optional, but respect is mandatory. Oke knows this...