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Upperhill News is committed to promoting accurate information on African stories, issues relating to the Girl-child, gender-based violence, health, politics, sports as well as national and international events of public interest.

  • Alao-Akala’s daughter seeks father’s exhumation for DNA test over property dispute

    Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, the first daughter of the late former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, has filed a suit at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan to seek an order for a Deoxyribonucleic Acid test on seven persons who claim to be biological children of the deceased.

    Alao-Aderinto is also seeking an order of the court to exhume her father’s corpse to carry out the DNA test.

    In a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the state High Court, she is praying the court to direct that the DNA tests be carried out on herself, and her siblings, including a serving member of the House of Representatives, Olamijuwonlo.

    Others named for the DNA test are Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Tabitha and Olamikunle, as listed in the motion on notice filed through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope, SAN, and registered I/443/2024.

    This development is the new turn of event in the  prolonged family feud over the vast estate of the late politician, who died on January 12, 2022.

    The crisis has been brewing silently since his burial became public in October 2022 when the wife of the late former governor, Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be one of the deceased’s daughters, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of Oluwatoyin, the first child.

    In August 2023, counsel to the first daughter, Olasope,  had, in letter made public, warned that the exclusion of the claimant who is the first daughter of the late Alao-Akala, violated both moral norms and legal rights.

    The counsel added that the dispute if not resolved could further polarise the family and damage the late governor’s political legacy.


    However, Alao-Aderinto, in her fresh prayer, asked that the tests be conducted at a court-approved, accredited laboratory to determine their true biological relationship with the late former governor.


    Alao-Aderinto further pleaded that the results of the tests should be filed under a sealed envelope and delivered directly to the presiding Judge for pronouncement in open court.

    She had accused the duo of manipulating facts to claim sole control over the estate in her affidavit and accompanying exhibit, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.

    Late Alao-Akala’s massive  is said to spread across Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, United Kingdom and the United States of America, including a five-star hotel in Ghana, with vehicles and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions in naira, dollars and pounds sterling.

    Late Adebayo Alao-Akala

  • Manitoba Premier Apologizes to Sword Attack Victim, Family



     
    The Premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew has tendered an unreserved apology on behalf of indigenous people to the 15-year-old victim of June 10 sword attack in a Brandon school, Chinonso Onuke, and his family.

    Kinew, who was accompanied by his Deputy and Health Minister, Uzoma Asagwara, tendered the apology during his visit to the family residence of the victim near Sprucewoods.

    Recall that Onuke, a Grade 10 student of École secondaire Neelin High School was attacked last week within the school premises by a 16-year-old student of the same school.

    The boy  has however been charged with attempted murder and other offences.

    Premier Wab Kinew handed the Premier’s Challenge Coin  to Chinonso in the presence of his twin brother,Chiemeka and other family members.

    The coin, bearing a Manitoba bison and Wab Kinew’s name is typically given to certain deserving individuals at the premier’s discretion.


    Taking responsibility for the unfortunate incident,  Kinew affirmed he was moved by the sad experience of the young man and his family, coupled with its  anti-Black racism circumstance.

    The Premier declared that Manitoba Province is for everyone irrespective of color, adding that the government will always take a firm stand against racism.

    “I was very moved by what this young man has been through,” he said. “As premier, and with the minister of health, I wanted to come and offer encouragement and support. During our conversation, the family shared some of their experiences with anti-Black racism, and I felt it was important to offer my perspective.


    “We want to send a clear message that this province is for everyone,” he said. “While the matter is now before the courts and I can’t speak to all the specific allegations, I want Nonso, his family and everyone in Manitoba to know that we are moving forward together and that we take a stand against racism whenever we encounter it.”

    “As a leader in the community, I apologize on behalf of the Indigenous people for the attack,” Kinew told the family during the nearly 90-minute visit. “I have to do that because I have to take responsibility, ” Kinew stated.

    Meanwhile, members of the Nigerian Community in Brandon earlier visited the Onuke family and raised a number of concerns about safety.

    The issues were addressed by the Deputy Premier who is also a Nigerian-Canadian addressed those issues during her  visit with the Premier.


    In her remarks,  the victim’s mother, Helen Onuke,  showed pictures of her son’s wounds to the Premier and Deputy Premier just as she agreed on the need for broader collaboration across board to ensure safety.


     

    Kinew and the victim alongside his twin brother

  • Nigerian author releases book for children summer reading delight 



    A Nigerian author and Media Practitioner, Femi Onasanya, has released a new book that would spur school children to be more determined in the pursuit of their goals and enhance learning during the long summer holiday.

    Onasanya, described the book as an addition to the existing literary works and a picture of an ideal African setting.


    The book, titled ,”The Rugged Farm Boy”, according to Onasanya, focuses on determination and hard work amidst all forms of discouraging factors.

    According to him, children of nowadays need to be encouraged to read in order to learn virtues that promote excellence considering the growing rate of laziness which gives rise to examination ma3lpractices in the present world.

    “The forthcoming holiday should be an opportunity to read because readers are leaders. The type of materials children have access to read determine who they become.

    “Hence, this book which promotes African culture, provides an answer to what greatness entails since it does not come on a platter of gold,”he said.

    Onasanya, who is popularly known as FOD,urged parents and guardians to buy the book for their children and wards, just as he pointed that the downloadable ebook version of “The Rugged Farm Boy” is available on selar.co/897861, while the hardcopy format is available on request via femlandcommunication@yahoo.com.


    Femi Onasanya, a creative writer, holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the premier University of Ibadan and Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.

  • Nigerian-born Artist to Showcase African Culture in Canada Exhibition

    A Nigerian artist, Opeyemi Olukotun is set to promote African cultural heritage at the solo exhibition of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM), Brandon, Canada.



    The exhibition, which is committed  to equity, community engagement, and multidisciplinary practices, is aimed at  fostering critical dialogues between artists Nigerian-born Artist to Showcase African Culture in Canada Exhibition and members of the public.

    Olukotun, and indigene of Ipetu Ijesha, Osun State, and a graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria, is collaborating with the curator, Lucie Lederhendler for the exhibition.

    The  solo exhibition, with the theme, “Through My Window, There is a View,” draws directly from the artist’s early days as a newcomer to Canada.

    It captures the emotional landscape of migration, the loneliness, hope, fear, and quiet strength required to start over in a new location.

    Olukotun stated that the works do not seek pity, but offer presence and perspective, portraying what it means to observe and be observed in a foreign world.

    “The works presented in this exhibition explore what it means to start over, to observe and be observed, and to find meaning in unfamiliar surroundings. Each painting serves as a symbolic window into the emotional and psychological states I encountered during the early stages of my resettlement in Canada, ” he said.

    In addition, the artist further said that the  exhibition provides a moment of pause and reflection, inviting viewers to witness the immigrant experience from a deeply human perspective, just as he pointed out that through  bold brushwork and layered visual motifs, he would  offer a unique narrative that transcends language and geography.


    Olukotun, a signee of  Out of Africa Gallery in Barcelona, Spain,  made his entry into global art scene in 2022 and has over the years affirmed his voice as a storyteller through his choice of painting used to explore themes of memory, displacement, healing, and the layered texture of human identity.

    The free admission solo exhibition which would hold at the AGSM facility at 710 Rosser Avenue, Brandon, will start with opening ceremony at 7.00pm on Thurday, June 19 while the lunch and look tour with the artist and curator will come up the following day, Friday, June 20, 2025 by 12.00 noon.

    Artist, Opeyemi Olukotun

  • Quebec Missing Toddler found in Ontario after four days search

    The 3-year-old girl (name with-held), who was reported missing on last Saturday at 2pm in Quebec has been found in Ontario, as confirmed by the Ontario Provincial Police.

    A drone spotted the toddler by the side of the highway 417 in St. Albert, Ontario just after 3pm on Wednesday.

    The Quebec and Ontario Provicial Police both  confirmed that the girl was found alive but seemed healthy.

    Recall that at 3.30pm on Saturday, the girl’s mother showed up at Coteau-du-Lac to report her missing  who was last seen an hour earlier that day in the neighborhood of Casselman, Montreal.

    Police had deployed a helicopter, ATVs, horses and 150 officers and trained volunteers in desperate search for the toddler,  combing forests and neighbrhoods for three days befre expanding it to Ontario based on reports of sighting the girl there.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the girl’s mother was back in court on the count charge of child abandonment  but her lawyer asked for delay till Friday, June 20, for her bail hearing.


  • Again, armed men attack Senator Natasha’s Kogi family home

    The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that armed men attacked the Kogi family home of the embattled Senator representing Kogi Centeal, Natasha-Akpoti-Uduaghan.

    Akpoti-Uduaghan’s family compound was similarly attacked in April, but no arrest was made  at the time.

    This confirmation came after the arrest of one suspect, Jose Suberu,  at the scene of the family home of the suspended Senator in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area on Tuesday.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in Kogi, SP William Aya, said the suspect had confessed to being part of the attack.

    “Yes,  it is true and one suspect, Jose Suberu was arrested at the scene. Efforts are on to arrest the fleeing others,” Aya said.

    The media office of Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, revealed that the armed men vandalised several windows.

    It reads in part: “However, with the swift intervention of officers from the local police station, community vigilantes, and concerned youths, the attackers were repelled and one suspect was apprehended.

    The statement further disclosed that Suberu, a native of the community and described as a ritualist, confessed that this was his third time participating in attacks on the senator’s family residence.

    “A cutlass and charms were recovered from him. Other suspects involved in the attack, reportedly armed with dangerous weapons, remained at large at press time,” it added

    It also allegedly linked the suspect to political opponents of the lawmaker.

    However, a mob reportedly attempted to lynch the suspect before he was rescued and handed over to the men of the Nigerian Police.

    Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

  • Global hunger: UN lists Nigeria, 12 others at risk of extreme famine

    The United Nations has listed Nigeria and 12 other countries as hunger hotspots facing an imminent famine if urgent humanitarian interventions are not taken.

    Nigeria was listed among countries of very high concern, alongside Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar.

    Others include Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria.


    Expressing concerns over worsening hunger conditions in several parts of the world, the UN in a new report titled ‘Hunger Hotspots’ released on Monday, under the aegies of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme, identified countries experiencing the most severe levels of food insecurity.

    It warned that conflicts, economic shocks, and climate-related disasters are driving millions towards starvation.

    The report said that food crises will worsen over the next five months except access to aid is urgently expanded while humanitarian operations are adequately funded.

    According to the report, Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali are at the highest risk of slipping into famine-like conditions, with the UN noting that the situation in these regions has reached critical levels.

    The UN agencies warned that without increased global support, the humanitarian efforts currently underway could falter due to growing insecurity and significant funding gaps.


    The report noted ongoing armed conflict, displacement, inflation, and insecurity as key factors exacerbating food shortages across affected regions, including some parts of Nigeria.

    UN said that although the situation in Nigeria is not yet classified as a full-blown famine, but  without sustained humanitarian access and livelihood support, millions could face catastrophic hunger in the coming months.

    The global standard for officially declaring famine stipulates that at least 20 per cent of a population in a defined area must be suffering from extreme food shortages, 30 per cent of children must be acutely malnourished, and two out of every 10,000 people must be dying daily due to starvation or malnutrition-related disease.


  • G7 leaders urge Trump to ease off trade war


    World leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday made efforts to push US President Donald Trump to back away from his punishing trade war that poses a risk to global economic stability.

    The G7 consists of leaders from Britain, United States, Canada, France,  Germany,  Japan and Italy. 

    At a summit where host Canada hopes to avoid stoking Trump’s anger, and with attention on events in the Middle East, leaders still urged the US leader to reverse course on his plans to slap even steeper tariffs on countries across the globe as early as next month.

    “Several participants asked to end the tariff dispute as soon as possible. They argued that this dispute weakens the G7’s economies and in the end will only strengthen China,” a senior German official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

    The six other countries urged Trump to end his trade conflict as soon as possible, telling him that his protectionist policies were only “damaging to ourselves,” the official added.

    Most countries represented at the G7 are already subject to a 10 percent baseline tariff imposed by Trump, under a temporary easing of higher rates, with European countries and Japan also slapped with additional levies on cars and steel and aluminum.

    Britain in May was the first country to sign a preliminary deal with Washington to avoid deeper tariffs, and the two leaders at the G7 said they had agreed on the accord’s final points and signed the agreement.

    “I like them. That’s the ultimate protection,” Trump told reporters after a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the G7 sidelines.

    Trump opened a folder to display the signed documents, only for the paperwork to slide out and spread across the ground.

    “Oops, sorry about that,” he said as Starmer scrambled to gather up the loose sheets and stuff them back in the folder.

    – ‘Get it done’ –

    The trade issue is of particular interest to Canada after the Trump administration announced several extra levies on Canadian imports in recent months, throwing the country’s economic future into deep uncertainty.

    After a meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Canadian government indicated that the two sides could come to a trade truce deal in the next 30 days.

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will also have her face-to-face time with Trump as her country tries to renegotiate its three-way North American free trade agreement that also includes Canada.

    While there is little expectation that the summit will see a breakthrough in the trade negotiations between the US and the rest of the world, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is part of Trump’s delegation.

    Dozens of countries are locked in negotiations with Washington to clinch some sort of trade deal before the US imposes stinging reciprocal tariffs, threatened for July 9.

    But US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week said that the date could be pushed back later for countries thought to be negotiating in good faith.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters he would team up with his counterparts from France and Italy to discuss the US trade threat with Trump directly.

    A source at the summit said that French President Emmanuel Macron urged the American leader to quickly end the trade conflict once and for all.

    The European Commission handles trade negotiations for the 27-country bloc, and the EU’s trade chief Maros Sefcovic was also attending the summit, accompanying the delegation of EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

    The EU institutions are official members of the G7, and during the morning session, von der Leyen argued to the leaders that “tariffs — no matter who sets them — are ultimately a tax paid by consumers and businesses at home.”

    Von der Leyen also met with Trump one-on-one on trade issues in a sit-down that US officials said was at her request.

    “We instructed the teams to accelerate their work to strike a good and fair deal. Let’s get it done,” she said in a post on X.

    AFP

  • Canada Increases Province’s Immigration Quota

    The Canadian Government has taken bold steps to address the pressing labour shortages in the province of New Brunswick by securing a significant increase in its immigration allocation by almost three times.


    New Brunswick will now welcome 4,250 permanent resident nominations, a substantial jump of 1,500 from the earlier allocation set by the Canadian government in February.

    The NB quota is 250 higher than the British Columbia’s provincial immigration for 2025.

    The province aims to prioritize the health, education and construction sectors and will ensure that newcomers are matched with high-demand roles, creating a win-win scenario for both employers and immigrants.

    It is instructive to note that construction is a cornerstone of NB’s economy, considering the  ongoing projects which require skilled trades people such as carpenters, electricians, and plumbers.

    NB is not just opening its doors to newcomers; it is also ensuring they have the support they need to thrive without delay.

  • Youths block highway, protest 16 years of blackout in Delta community

    Hundreds of youths as well as older men and women from the Ndokwa area of Delta State on Monday blocked the Kwale axis of the Ughelli-Asaba highway to protest over 16 years of darkness.

    The protesters chanted songs of grievances and displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as ‘Light Up Ndokwa Nation’, ‘Electricity in Ndokwa Land: Enough is Enough; Nepa No, IPP Yes’, among others,just as they  disrupted vehicular movement for many hours as travellers were caught in traffic gridlock.

    They lamented their  experience of  years of power outages in Kwale and other communities of the Ndokwa nation, demanding the step-down of the Independent Power Plant, Okpai, to provide electricity to their communities.

    The people who were dispersed with tear gas by men and offiders of the Nigerian Police around  9 am later mobilised to continue with the protest.  

    One of the protesters, Mr Enubuzor, who lamented that the Independent Power Plant, Okpai, had been supplying electricity to over nine states, decried that the host communities had been in darkness for over a decade.

    “It is painful that we have something that can generate electricity for us, but we are suffering. Our people are tired of buying fuel to power our generators.

    “Most of our leaders are not living with us here to know what we are experiencing. If you look around, there is gas flaring everywhere, and at night, we cannot sleep because of the heat.

    “What we are saying is that the leaders should give electricity to Ndokwa. Let them light up Ndokwa so that we can benefit from the IPP,” he said.

    In his response,  the Publicity Secretary of the Ndokwa Neku Union, NNU, the apex social and cultural organisation of the Ndokwa nation, Mr Azuka Odainike, said the union “is not against the protest, but it is the timing that we are against.”

    According to him, the union had on Sunday set up a standing committee on the step-down of power.

    “The union wants to interface with the protesters because  government is already responding to fast-track the step-down of the IPP.

    Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer of the State Command, SP. Bright Edafe, justified the need to shoot teargas in a protest that is violent.

    “Any protest that people will go and block the highway and burn tires is no longer peaceful. They were burning tires and stoning vehicles,” he said.