Please forgive today’s slightly abridged version - I spent all of the previous week on the Dangote IPO piece and all of this week on the Tidjane Thiam book review that went up this morning. So if you don’t see me for a while…
Enjoy the week’s selection below.
Nigerian Media
Baba is dead:
The palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oyo State, is mourning the death of Baba, a tortoise believed to have lived for about 420 years [BTH Editor’s Note: Citation needed] and become a treasured relic of the ancient Oyo Kingdom.
Baba reportedly died on Monday after falling ill and was later buried, bringing an end to what the palace described as a centuries-old presence that had survived through the reigns of successive Alaafins.
The Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday.
Durojaiye said Baba was more than a tortoise to the palace, describing the animal as part of the oral history and cultural heritage of the Yoruba people.
“Baba was more than a tortoise in status. He represented a part of the oral history of the Yoruba race. Now, the Alaafin has lost an ageless companion,” he said.
They are detaining 9yr olds now. And at a government hospital no less:
At the male surgical ward of Lagos state University Teaching Hospital Ikeja Lagos is Paschal Chinaecheta Duru, a 9-year- old boy who has become very popular for being the landlord or longest staying patient in the ward.
Paschal who tells anyone who comes close to him that he wants to be a pilot became ‘landlord’ of the ward for several months after LASUTH surgeons in many hours of procedure very delicately, intricately and successfully burrowed into his lungs to dislodge a screw stuck inside. Surgery was on July 6, 2026 and by the next day, Paschal was wheeled into the ICU where he made his abode until the August 28, 2026 when he got discharged and certified to go home and resume his schooling.
However, this discharge was only a technical discharge because the boy seems imprisoned and can’t go home, no thanks to the huge ICU bill hanging on his neck.
Investigations reveal that Paschal’s ordeal started in March 2026 just after the burial of his mum. How he accidentally swallowed or sniffed down a screw which was lodged in one of his lungs is still a mystery to all who have heard the story or the surgeons who operated on him for several hours. He had told no one about it, not even when he started developing several intermittent bouts of untreatable fever. Medical tests as recommended by Ajereomi Ifelodun LGA hospital, Federal Medical Center, Ebute Metta as well as Lagos state university of Nigeria Teaching Hospital LASUTH confirmed that a strange object identified as a screw had taken position in his lungs.
The scan from BT Health and Diagnostic Center at Lagos state University Teaching Hospital show that “there is a metallic screw measuring 11x 7mm impacted in the segmental bronchus to the right lower lobe causing complete collapse and consolidation of this lobe”
He was booked for high risk surgery estimated to cost over N4m. It took his father Julius Duru, a menial transporter several months to raise the funds for surgery. After the successful procedure, Paschal was lodged at the intensive care unit of LASUTH for more than three weeks to recuperate and be observed. However, this is the main reason for his continued stay at LASUTH. Bills have mounted to about another N4m or more.
Don’t call him Bola. You can call him Ahmed but definitely do not call him Bola:
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for repeatedly referring to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola” during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
Keyamo, in a post on his X handle, described the reference as “very disrespectful and discourteous”, stressing that the office of the President should be accorded the dignity it deserves despite political differences.
He said, “The continuous reference to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT by His Excellency, ex Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in his Press Conference earlier today as ‘Bola’ is very disrespectful and discourteous.
“He should know better that no matter your differences with Mr. President, for the sake of the country, that office should be accorded all the dignity it deserves.”
The minister also accused Atiku of speaking from a position of personal grievance, saying the tone of his remarks “reeks of pain and bitterness in his heart.”
News from Kano:
The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested two TikTokers for allegedly using the agency’s uniform without authorisation to produce comedy skits in the Ladanai area of the state.
The suspects were identified as 20-year-old Shuaibu Abdullahi Jibrin, a resident of Kawo, and Umar Abdulkarim, a resident of Ladanai.
The board disclosed this in a statement, alleging that the two men used its uniform without permission while impersonating Hisbah personnel in comedy videos.
According to the statement, the suspects were arrested and subsequently taken before a court for prosecution.
Non-Nigerian Media
A police officer is facing misconduct allegations due to his love of content:
It is alleged that, between 2024 and 2026, PC Efeotor created and published podcast episodes and social media content in which he identified himself as a serving Metropolitan Police Service officer and made comments critical of the Metropolitan Police Service, the Directorate of Professional Standards and senior police leaders thereby undermining public confidence.
It is further alleged that PC Efeotor continued to produce and publish content through the TGTBTU Podcast after permission for the associated business interest had been withdrawn and despite having been warned about the consequences of doing so.
It is also alleged that PC Efeotor used offensive, insulting and derogatory language towards police officers, members of police staff and other individuals on public platforms.
In addition, it is alleged that PC Efeotor disclosed and discussed information relating to misconduct proceedings and published material capable of identifying an officer who was the subject of an anonymity direction.
Weird and somewhat funny story:
As Ireland celebrates Sir Roger Casement with a hall in its new embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, the state’s largest capital investment in Africa, the Dublin government has not identified a single direct challenge to the country’s sweeping anti-gay laws in the 12 years since their enactment.
The hall commemorates the Irish nationalist hanged for treason in 1916 after the British government used his sexuality to destroy the campaign to spare him.
His gay relationships — which were recorded in his private diaries and secretly circulated by London to discredit him — would today carry up to 14 years’ imprisonment in Nigeria. And the death sentence still applies in some northern states operating sharia law.
In July the hall played host to the inaugural Roger Casement lecture, which made no mention that Casement was gay and was later praised by the Irish embassy as “expertly delivered”.
Jeff Dudgeon, the Belfast campaigner whose landmark 1981 European court victory led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland the following year, and the author of Roger Casement: The Black Diaries, said the speech by a former Nigerian diplomat “was marred by what he left out”.
The lecture noted the circulation of the diaries, he said, “but failed to point out that the very sexual acts Casement wrote about would have had him jailed, if not executed, in today’s Nigeria”.
The new building was formally opened in March by Jack Chambers on the public expenditure minister’s first visit to Nigeria. Chambers, who is gay, made no public mention of the laws during the visit, which focused on trade and investment.
An astonishing story that is going to be the next major scandal in Nigeria (until the next one):
Thirty-seven people working in an illegal mine in Nigeria died in the authorities’ custody days after being detained, officials said, igniting angry protests on Friday as survivors described being packed in an overcrowded cell with little air.
Not long after, the country’s president ordered an investigation, several top officials were suspended and a governor imposed a statewide curfew, racing to respond to the uproar over the deaths.
The miners were found dead in their cell on Thursday at a detention facility in Niger State, in northern Nigeria, according to the agency that detained them on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The agency, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, initially blamed the deaths on “a suspected disease.”
But two survivors told The New York Times that 66 people had been packed into a single cell with barely any ventilation, food, or water.
“We kept banging on the door,” one of the detainees, Dauda Shehu, said in a phone interview from a hospital where he and other survivors were taken. He said those who died had tried desperately to tell officials that they couldn’t breathe.
Mr Shehu, 38, said he was lucky to be near the cell door, where a tiny opening let in air, but many others were farther away.
“When people started dying, we kept calling out to them, but they did not listen,” Mr. Shehu said of the authorities.
Another survivor, Kamal Nuhu, 29, said that people “began collapsing and dying.”
Why would you vote illegally of all things?
Seven people in Texas who are not U.S. citizens have been charged with illegally voting in federal elections or falsely claiming citizenship, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced Tuesday as part of a broader Trump administration focus on noncitizen voting.
District Attorney Ryan Raybould said investigators determined the alleged conduct was not a misunderstanding or paperwork error.
The announcement came amid President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to draw attention to noncitizen voting ahead of the midterm elections and claim it’s a widespread problem, even though research shows it to be rare. Voting by noncitizens is punishable as a felony and can result in deportation.
The Texas charges were previewed earlier Tuesday by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche during a White House news conference. He told reporters there would be a “big development” on illegal voting in Texas.
Of those seven, Raybould´s office said, some voted while others attempted to vote in the 2024 and 2018 general elections. Others falsely claimed citizenship on a driver´s license or knowingly registered to vote. The office did not make any claim that the seven were colluding with each other.
Those charged ranged in age from 20 to 69 and had citizenship in countries including Mexico, India, Nigeria and Congo. Six of the seven charged were lawful permanent residents, according to a news release from Raybould’s office. One had been ordered to be deported in July.
And another one. I genuinely do not understand this:
A Nigerian woman living in the United States as a permanent resident in Massachusetts illegally voted in at least two elections after lying about her citizenship, authorities said.
Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56, has been charged by the Justice Department with unlawfully voting as an alien for allegedly casting ballots in the 2024 presidential primary election and the 2022 midterm elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.
She is expected to appear in a Boston federal courtroom on Wednesday.
Okafor repeatedly falsified her citizenship status on official documents under penalty of perjury to gain access to the ballot, federal prosecutors allege.
In July 2022, she submitted a voter registration card and signed her name certifying that she was a U.S. citizen, authorities said. The City of Lynn subsequently registered her to vote.
Reuters covers the very funny memes around the Dangote Refinery IPO:
The refinery's initial public offering — the continent's biggest ever — opened to retail investors on Monday. It allowed Nigerians to buy as few as 10 shares for $4, a low entry threshold that has helped turn the share sale into a cultural moment extending well beyond financial circles.
“Please, who has house for rent close to Dangote refinery in Lagos,” one X user wrote. “I just bought Dangote IPO and I need to be seeing whatever is happening in our company 24/7 starting from tomorrow.”
Neither Dangote nor the underwriters have disclosed demand figures, but digital investment platforms suffered outages as people rushed to subscribe on the first day.
The memes offer a glimpse into how ordinary Nigerians are engaging with what has been marketed as a “people’s IPO”.
Rather than debating valuations or future earnings, many are embracing the symbolism of owning a stake in one of Africa's biggest industrial projects, joking that a modest investment has made them refinery co-owners, board members and business partners of Dangote himself.
There was a jollof battle in Brooklyn last week:
Brooklyn became the meeting ground for food, basketball, music, and West African pride on Saturday, Sept. 12, as the Battle of Jollof brought the long-running Ghana-Nigeria rivalry to the court.
Held at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Crown Heights, the event transformed a familiar cultural debate into a full celebration of the African diaspora. At the center of it all was jollof rice, the beloved West African dish that has fueled generations of playful arguments over which country makes it best.
Tequila Don Julio proudly sponsored the celebration, enhancing the vibrant atmosphere with cocktails, entertainment, and a strong sense of cultural pride. The event featured special guests, including the talented rapper Tobe Nwigwe, known for his thought-provoking lyrics and dynamic performances; Eni Popoola, a rising star in the entertainment industry celebrated for her captivating presence; and Damii, an influential figure in music who brought energy and excitement to the gathering. Their participation added a star-studded flair to the festivities, making the event even more memorable.
Battle of Jollof was founded in New York in 2020 by Arinze Emeagwali, TJ Adeshola, and Abdul Abdullah. The concept combines food, basketball, music, and community, using the rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria as a way to bring people together.
This year, both sides had something to celebrate. Ghana claimed the jollof title, while Nigeria walked away with the basketball victory.
Stray bullet:
Donald Trump’s bizarre bribe to American voters has echoes of a decades-old scam involving a deposed Nigerian prince, comedians have joked.
The president said at his midterm campaign rally that he would give every adult in America $5,000 if Republicans maintain power in November’s midterms. Trump, 80, called them “Trump dividends.”
“Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them... because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said.