•Joe Ajaero

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has been honoured as the 2026 laureate of the Arthur Svensson International Award for his courage and commitment to defending workers’ rights.

The award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strategic acumen and an unwavering commitment to defending workers’ rights and trade union freedoms worldwide.

Speaking at the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, yesterday , Ajaero said that the honour was not a personal achievement but recognition of the struggles of workers across Nigeria.

“I stand before you today not as a man, but as a symbol, a true symbol of millions of Nigerian workers who wake up every morning not just to the smell of tear gas, the sound of sirens, and the cold silence of a state that preys on its own people but who go to work hungry and come back hungrier more emasculated than before they left for work,” he said.

Image: National Assembly, Abuja

A fire outbreak in the Senate wing of the National Assembly was quickly put out on Wednesday; stopping it from spreading any further.

It took the swift intervention of senator Asuquo Ekpenyong from Cross River South and Senator Salihu Mustapha to quench the fire building up in the kitchen compartment of the Senate hearing room 107.

The Senate Committee on Niger -Delta Development Commission, NDCC chaired by Senator Ekpenyong had just concluded the screening exercise of Dr. Zainab Marwa as the member representing, Northeast on the board of the commission when smoke from the fire rapidly covered the scene of incident.

It was subsequently gathered that the fire emanated from a micro-wave left on in the kitchen.

In the brief commotion; Senator Ekpenyong’s swift intervention ensured that the fire was quickly put out.SOT

• EFCC Ekiti Office commission by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned the new Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Zonal Directorate office in Ado-Ekiti.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday, President Tinubu said that the state-of-the-art facility reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening institutions responsible for fighting corruption and economic crimes.

The President commended EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, as well as the management and staff of the Commission for their efforts in enhancing the agency’s operational capacity and expanding its reach across the country.

According to him, the new office will improve the Commission’s effectiveness in tackling corruption, financial crimes and related offences, while bringing anti-graft operations closer to the people of Ekiti and Ondo States.

Earlier, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede described the commissioning of the Ekiti Zonal Directorate as a landmark development that would enhance the Commission’s presence and effectiveness in the region.

He noted that the facility would help close operational gaps in the Commission’s coverage of Ekiti and Ondo States while improving engagement with local communities in the fight against corruption.