Good evening.

Here are the top 5 stories that drove conversation today:

Today’s biggest story: President Muhammadu Buhari fired the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who had been on suspension for six-months, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb Ayodele Oke.

Both were initially suspended — and eventually sacked — due to fraud allegations made against them. Here’s a quick background on the events that led up to this moment.

What’s even more surprising is that without wasting any time, President Buhari has appointed a new Secretary to the Government of the Federation — Boss Mustapha.

Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about the new ‘Boss.’

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The Mainagate scandal involving ex-pension boss Abdulrasheed Maina is still top on our list, as new information keeps unravelling.

Most recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said they had traced about £6 million pension fund to a United Kingdom bank account operated by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF). Find out why this matters.

Meanwhile, you may be wondering why Maina is still yet to be remanded despite mounting fraud allegations. Well, the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu revealed that some people are offering him [Maina] protection … making it difficult to carry out his arrest.

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Let’s catch you up on what happened at the Aso Villa today.

President Buhari had a number of meetings. He had separate meetings with former Lagos state governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and President Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’Ivoire. 

When Tinubu was asked, after the meeting, about his opinion on Buhari’s re-election in 2019, he said, “Don’t discuss that one with me.” Although he didn’t give details of what the meeting was about, here’s an overview of what he said happened.

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In Kenya, the incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta has won the presidential election re-run.

Although the election was marked by a low turnout with many voters not showing up to cast their ballots, Kenyatta was declared to have won 7,483,895 votes compared to 73,228 for his closest rival Raila Odinga, who had boycotted the vote.

Recall: The Supreme Court overturned Kenyatta’s victory in August 8 polls over widespread irregularities and mismanagement by the IEBC.

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Back in Nigeria, Adamawa, precisely, Policemen arrested 200 cows for invading a farmland at Yolde-Pate in Yola South Local Government Area.

A police spokesperson said, “in collaboration with the district and village heads in the area and timely intervention of police and other vigilante members, the situation is now under control.”

He also applauded the affected farmers for exhibiting maturity by not taking the law into their own hands