US President Donald Trump has celebrated the election of the first U.S.-born pope, calling it a “Great Honor” that Robert Francis Prevost, who chose Leo XIV as his papal name, was selected on Thursday, May 8,  as the first American pontiff. “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”Trump previously said he had “no preference” about who the new pope would be and stirred a backlash from some Catholics after posting an AI-generated image of himself as pope to social media Prevost, 69 was born in Chicago and attended Villanova University before becoming a missionary in Peru.  He was elected and accepted his fate as the next Bishop of Rome, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics earlier on Thursday.  Pope Leo XIV will succeed Pope Francis, who died last month after leading the Catholic Church for more than a decade. He played a key in shaping the image of the church over the past decade, emphasizing issues like climate change during his tenure.  The post President Trump reacts after election of first U.S.-born pope in history appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

The Senate has passed the remaining two out of the four tax reform bills after completing the clause-by-clause consideration during the Committee of the Whole and their subsequent third reading on the Senate floor.

The two latest bills passed are the ‘Nigeria Tax Bill 2024’ and the ‘Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.’

This comes barely 24 hours after the red chamber passed the first two bills – one seeking to repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act and another to establish the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill 2025, along with the Nigeria Revenue Service Bill 2025.

Lawmakers began deliberation on the reports of the four executive-sponsored tax bills during plenary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Two were successfully passed, and the remaining two were deferred to Thursday.

ALSO READ: Tales from public hearing on Tinubu’s tax reform bills

“These four executive bills seek to transform and modernise the tax system in Nigeria,” the Senate stated during the session.

Following the passage, the Senate has constituted a conference committee to harmonise the versions with the House of Representatives. Once aligned, the bills will be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

Recall that the President transmitted the four tax reform bills to the National Assembly in October 2024 for consideration and passage.

However, some provisions of the bill sparked controversy in various sections across the country, leading to delays in considering their passage.

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The intervention of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) helped to resolve the major concerns raised by critics, paving the way for the bills to be considered for passage at both chambers of the National Assembly.

ALSO READ: Tinubu’s tax reforms take shape – experts applaud FIRS chairman

Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in the 2023 elections has fired back at Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other critics who accused him of demarketing Nigeria on the global stage.

Obi insists his comments were rooted in facts, not intended to tarnish the country’s image.

Speaking at a memorial lecture in Abuja on Wednesday, May 7, for elder statesman Pa Edwin Clark, Obi defended his earlier remarks at Johns Hopkins University, highlighting Nigeria’s economic decline over the past 25 years and the country’s deepening poverty crisis.

“I spoke a few days ago, and people said I am demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarketing? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank marketing Nigeria?” Obi asked.

READ ALSO: Jandor blames Peter Obi for his defeat in Lagos governorship race

Citing a recent UNICEF report, Obi added, “UNICEF two days ago said that Nigeria has over two million malnourished children, the second highest in the world. Are they demarketing Nigeria? Let’s face the reality.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu had earlier criticised Obi’s comments as “unflattering” and “disturbing,” accusing him of failing to represent Nigeria positively abroad.

“When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively. We all owe a duty to market Nigeria on the global stage rather than demarket her. That is what true patriotism is about,” Sanwo-Olu said.

READ ALSO: ‘I’ll move out my army of youth’ – ex-Peter Obi ally backs Seyi Tinubu as Sanwo-Olu’s successor

But Obi countered that acknowledging harsh truths is essential to solving Nigeria’s challenges. He also pointed out that comparing Nigeria’s poverty rate to countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam reveals the severity of the issue.

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Obi concluded that leadership quality is at the root of Nigeria’s decline, adding, “The fate of a nation is closely tied to the quality of its leadership.”