The Federal Government has announced that it will sell the 753 housing units that were taken from the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Nigerians.
The development was revealed in a statement from the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, when Olanipekun Olukoyede, the president of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Ahmed Dangiwa, the minister of housing and urban development, led a joint team conducting a physical site inspection of the ceased housing estate.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s directive, the estate, which was previously associated with Emefiele, was recovered by the EFCC in December of this year.
Dangiwa stated during the inspection that the Ministry would begin its technical assessments by conducting building integrity checks right away.
The Renewed Hope Portal, which is already operational, will be used to sell the structures once they are successful evaluations and finished.
Uzodimma Demands Quick Investigation Of Suspect Jamb Website Hackers.
The Minister urged people in public offices to abstain from corrupt practices while highlighting the federal government’s commitment to accountability and transparency.
He praised the EFCC and its leadership for what he described as a landmark recovery, one of the most significant in the country’s history in such a short period of time, while praising the “government of the day” for its “serious approach to combating corruption.”
Dangiwa also urged Nigerians to maintain their faith in the EFCC and support its efforts to increase public support for public good.
Chairman Olukoyede clarified at the event that what Nigerians had previously seen on television was merely an aerial view of the estate.
He said, “The purpose of this visit is to demonstrate that it is real,” which highlights the commission’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
The EFCC claims that this is the largest asset recovery since the organization’s founding in 2003. Duplexes and other apartment types are included in the over 150 000 square meters.
Following Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie’s final forfeiture order issued on December 2, 2024, the Abuja High Court’s Federal Capital Territory High Court recovered the estate.
Emefiele contacted the FCT High Court in April 2025 to request reclaiming the estate, which had already been seized by the government.
Despite frequent exchanges with the agency regarding other pending charges, he claimed that the EFCC had intentionally kept the forfeiture proceedings a secret from him.
Hope Uzodimma, the Imo State governor and chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, has urged the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Service to step up their investigation into possible hackers of the Joint Administration and Monitoring Board’s website.
He praised the security personnel for the suspects’ arrest in a statement released on Saturday, making the call.
More than 370, 000 students, mostly from the southeast, were impacted by JAMB’s website glitches during the most recent exam.
The JAMB examination’s 2025 computer-based test was hacked, according to the police and the DSS on Friday, leading to the arrest of 20 suspects.
According to reports, the suspects allegedly hacked into the JAMB website for a fee, which led to the chaos experienced by the examination body and the associated trauma for students and parents.
Uzodimma responded to the arrest with a statement from the state commissioner for information, public orientation, and strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba, who referred to the incident as timely.
According to him, the arrest was both necessary to decipher the root cause of the issue and to acclimatize the nation’s tension following the crisis.
READ ALSO: DSS, Police Arrest 20 For allegedly tampering with UTME results
Both organizations must begin their investigation as soon as possible, according to Uzodimma, who urged both organizations to find the culprits in the JAMB website hack.
He believed that a quick turn in the case and a court appearance would deter would-be criminals.
He argued that the JAMB scandal should be resolved right away because it was a national embarrassment.
After a politically charged fortnight of screenings and celebrity sightings, the Cannes film festival will present its coveted main awards on Saturday.
The 22 films chosen for the main competition have been anxiously awaited by the casts and directors, who will most likely receive the Palme d’Or for best picture.
What were some of the highlights of the 11 days leading up to the ceremony’s 1640 GMT start?
Favorites in the competition
The film The Palme d’Or is renowned for being difficult to predict, but critics’ favorites include Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” and dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident.”
On Thursday, Trier’s film received a remarkable standing ovation for 19 minutes.
Both Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” about French director Jean-Luc Godard and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa’s study of despotism are highly regarded.
Rihanna and Asap Rocky, both from Barbados, use an umbrella to protect them from the rain as they leave on May 19, 2025, after the screening of the movie “Highest 2 Lowest” at Cannes, southern France’s 78th edition. (Photo by Miguel Medina/AFP)
Dress code for the red carpet
A new dress code, which states that extravagantly large dresses are prohibited on the red carpet as well as “total nudity,” was the opening act of the festival on May 13.
The “Monster’s Ball” actress had to have a wardrobe change for the ceremony’s opening ceremony because her dress was too long, leading to the first victim.
Snigdha Baruah, an Indian model and influencer, was forced to remove a flowing train after being barred by security at the VIP entrance despite the fact that many appeared to flout the rules.
Also Read: Cudi, A Rapper Kid, Testifies About A Torched Car In Sean Combs’ Trial
On May 22, 2025, Swedish actress Renate Reinsve, US actress Elle Fanning, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve pose during a photo call for the movie “Affeksjonsverdi” (Sentimental Value) at Cannes, France’s 78th edition. (Photo by Miguel Medina/AFP)
– #MeToo –
The festival made a new #MeToo policy by extinguishing an actor from the red carpet in a well-known French movie because of rape allegations after years of scandals in the film industry and pressure to speak out.
Theo Navarro-Mussy, who appears in “Dossier 137,” refutes the allegations, and a preliminary police investigation was closed last month.
However, Kevin Spacey, who accepted a lifetime achievement award at a charity gala, made a positive step with this year’s gathering on the Riviera.
As they arrive for the screening of the movie “Highest 2 Lowest” at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2025, US actor Denzel Washington fights with a photographer next to US singer and actor ASAP Rocky. Sameer AL-DOUMY/AFP photo
Meanwhile, Australian legend Nicole Kidman pleaded with more female directors, saying their number was still “incredibly low.”
A Palme d’Or was only ever won by three women.
– Actors who later became directors
A trio of actors had different fortunes when they made their highly anticipated directorial debuts.
On May 13, 2025, Chinese aficionado and actress Wan Qianhui attends the opening ceremony and screening of the movie “Partir un Jour” (Bye Bye), which was presented out of competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. (Photo by Antonin THUILLIER/AFP)
Harris Dickinson, 28, and Kristen Stewart, 35, both from “Twilight,” left Cannes with praise ringing in their ears for “Urchin” and “The Chronology of Water.”
Reviews of “Eleanor the Great,” Scarlett Johansson’s first performance in front-of-camera role, would have made it harder to read.
– The Gaza War
This year’s war in Gaza had no other options. On the eve of the festival, hundreds of prominent film personalities wrote an open letter to the industry pleading against “genocide.”
On May 15, 2025, French actresses Mathilde Riu, French actor Stanislas Merhar, French actresses Come Peronnet, French actress Sandra Colombo, French director Dominik Moll, French actress Lea Drucker, actor Jonathan Turnbull, French screenwriter Gilles Marchand, French actor Theo Costa-Marini, and French actor Valentin Campagne arrive for the screening of the movie “Dossier 137” at Cannes, southern France’s 78th edition, in (Seaner Al-Doumy/AFP)
When it first appeared on May 15, the heartbreaking documentary from Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi about the slain Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home in Gaza, had stunned the audience.
As he promoted a documentary about his life this week, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange walked the red carpet wearing a t-shirt with the names of the murdered children in Gaza.
– Trump era
US President Donald Trump was also concentrating his thoughts on the Cannes film market, where deals are closed for new projects, amid the champagne and air kisses.
At the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 14, 2025, US actors and producers Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie pose during a photo call for the movie “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” Sameer AL-DOUMY/AFP photo
Trump’s pledge to impose “100-per-cent tariffs on movies made abroad” sparked a flurry of industry insiders’ horror, disbelief, and mockery.
I don’t seem to be taking it very seriously. Wes Anderson, an American director, told AFP that it is simply too surreal.
Robert De Niro, the star of “Taxi Driver,” criticized “America’s Filipino president” during the film’s opening ceremony.
– Cruise show
Tom Cruise swept into Cannes on a steamroller of buzz surrounding the first week’s premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
Cruise, who performs his own stunts, took his risk a little too far during a shoot in South Africa, according to director Christopher McQuarrie, who was reportedly in danger of passing away.
He was lying on the plane’s wing, he claimed. His wing’s front was hanging out in his arms. The US filmmaker claimed that we could not determine whether he was conscious or unconscious.
Leonardo Dicaprio, a US actor, pays the honorary award at the Cannes Film Festival’s opening ceremony on May 13, 2025 in Cannes, southern France. Sameer AL-DOUMY/AFP photo
Palm down, please.
After a freak accident on the Cannes Boulevard seafront caused a man to be struck by a falling palm tree, one of the attendees’ main topics of conversation this year was the emergency services’ response.
Hong Kong has stated that it will start accepting more foreign students as its universities, drawing attention to those who are impacted by the US government’s decision this week to forbid Harvard from admitting foreigners.
As tensions between Washington and Beijing rage over trade and other issues, Donald Trump’s long-running feud with the prestigious university sharpened.
The Trump administration’s decision on Thursday, which was temporarily halted by a US judge following Harvard’s lawsuit, has questioned the prospects of thousands of foreign students and the lucrative income they offer.
Education Secretary Christine Choi called on Hong Kong’s universities on Friday to welcome “outstanding students from all over the world.”
The Education Bureau (EDB) has appealed to all Hong Kong universities to provide facilitation measures for eligible students, Choi said in a statement quoted by AFP, noting Harvard’s ban on international students.
She claimed that local universities were using government regulations to entice more foreign students to Hong Kong, including lowering the maximum student sizes.
On Friday, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology invited all international students accepted to enroll at Harvard as well as any prospective students accepted to the top university.
In a statement, HKUST stated that it is expanding this opportunity to enable gifted students to pursue their educational goals without interruption.
To facilitate a seamless transition for interested students, the university “will provide unconditional offers, streamlined admissions procedures, and academic support ,” it continued.
Harvard is ranked first out of more than 2, 000 universities according to US News and World Report’s most recent list of the world’s top universities, while HKUST is ranked 105th.
In response to his claims that Harvard is a hub for anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology, President Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration’s push for oversight of admissions and hiring.
Read more about Katsina Varsity’s plan to send students to China, Russia, and the UK for training.
After Harvard sued, a US judge halted the administration’s plan to stop the school from admitting foreign students, calling the government’s move unconstitutional.
Kristi Noem, the administration’s secretary for homeland security, claimed on Thursday that the administration’s decision would make Harvard accountable for “propagating violence, anti-Semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”
Beijing criticized Washington’s “politicization of educational cooperation,” claiming that this would “noble the United States’ reputation abroad and its reputation there.”
According to university data, there are roughly 1,300 Chinese students enrolled at Harvard, accounting for about a fifth of its international student body.
Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the governor of Rivers State, has demanded stronger sanctions against oil thieves to stop the country’s oil and gas industry’s ongoing economic sabotage.
The administrator made this statement on Friday at the Government House in Port Harcourt while hosting the Senate Committee on Incessant Crude Oil Theft, which is being led by Senator Ned Nwoko as chairman.
Ibas argued that the country was devoid of important revenue that would help with development because of the weak punishment of offenders.
Also read: Ibas Promises To Address Security, Development Obstacles in Rivers, and More.
Your presence here is both significant and appropriate. He claimed that President Bola Tinubu’s reforms to boost oil production and support the nation’s infrastructure are at the heart of the country’s economic survival because of crude oil theft.
He praised the committee’s decision to investigate oil theft across states and terminals, and he hoped that Nigeria’s economy would benefit from their recommendations.
Rivers State’s improved intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination contributed to the organization’s success in reducing pipeline vandalism.
He also mentioned discussions with traditionalists and community leaders, as well as the planned use of digital surveillance cameras over oil-rigged sites and Port Harcourt’s “Safe-City” security architecture.
We are committed to preventing threats to production as a major oil-producing nation. To protect assets and boost output, he said, “our goal is a secure, tech-driven monitoring framework.”
Ibas demanded strict prosecution of offenders to stop oil theft across the country and to stop convicted offenders from receiving deterrent punishment, tamper-proof metering, and fixing faulty metering, which accounts for 40% of oil losses.
He also advocated for greater naval and security funding to support the Nigerian Navy and maritime agencies and for the expansion of monitoring to international waters and backwaters, where large-scale theft occurs.
Senator Ned Nwoko affirmed the committee’s commitment to identifying and destroying off-shore and offshore criminal networks in his response.
To put an end to this threat, Rivers State must support us. We must work together to protect Nigeria’s resources because big-time thieves operate in international waters, he said.
No deaths have been reported from the alleged Friday night crash of an aircraft used for training at the International Aviation College in Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to reports, the incident took place at Ilorin’s Babatunde Idiagbon International Airport’s Runway 5.
According to reports, the aircraft allegedly veered off the runway and stopped on the grassy verge.
Read more about the San Diego plane crash:  , pilot, and passengers killed.
When the aircraft crashed-landed, two people, a trainee and an instructor, were gathered.
The pair had been taken to a hospital after suffering alleged severe injuries.
In response, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau stated that it had started an investigation into the incident.
