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Sanwo-olu, Obasa, Others Declare Support For Protection Of Vulnerable Boys

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The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, on Friday led a team of young boys to the House of Assembly as part of a mentorship programme she initiated for the boy-child.

 

 

The First Lady, who arrived with the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, was received by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, and members at a special plenary session held to encourage the children.

 

 

In a statement made available to thecolumnNG by through the
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker Eromosele Ebhomele, Advising the young boys, Dr. Obasa, a lawyer, recalled how, as a young student, he got challenged to love Literature after he attended a theatre performance where someone quoted from one of William Shakespeare’s works without looking at a book or paper.

 

 

He advised the children and explained the roles of the legislature in the lives of Lagos State and its residents as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 

“I want you to resolve to be true leaders of tomorrow. And to do this, you must say no to crime. A criminal can never be a leader.

 

 

“So try to be good children and students. You have learnt from my colleagues and I today. We all started as youth. All it takes is to be good boys and law-abiding citizens,” he advised.

 

 

The Speaker noted that the House takes the welfare of every resident important.

“In the next 25 years, let us hear the impact of this visit from you,” he urged adding that the child’s right law passed by the House protects children of the state just.

 

 

He advised the children to ensure that they are able to speak their mother-tongue effectively.

 

 

Addressing the House, Dr. Sanwo-Olu said the young boys, under the aegis of the Lagos State Boy Child Initiative, were selected from public and private schools as well as orphanages and correctional facilities.

 

 

She noted that focus has mostly been on the girl child adding that the initiative is aimed, among others, to mentor young boys, raise awareness about the rights of the boy child and make them useful to society.

 

 

Commending the First Lady, lawmakers who spoke at plenary urged the boys to keep the memory of the visit and apply the advice that they received.

 

International News

Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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