There are widespread claims that 2Baba, the well-known Nigerian singer, has married his partner Natasha Osawaru in a traditional ceremony.

The reports allege that the private event took place in Abuja on July 25, with only close family members present.

A video now circulating online shows the couple posing for photos beside what seems to be their wedding banner, which read: “Welcome to our wedding, Innocent and Natasha”.

Another clip shows the singer dressed in an elegant white traditional outfit, complete with beads and a walking stick.

TheCable Lifestyle has not been able to independently confirm whether the wedding took place.

2Baba and Natasha, who are known for showcasing their relationship in public, have not confirmed the ceremony, leaving fans uncertain and intrigued.

Their romance came into the spotlight shortly after 2Baba announced his separation from his estranged wife Annie Macaulay Idibia in January.

At that time, he stated that his relationship with the Edo lawmaker had nothing to do with the breakup.

The “African Queen” singer proposed to Osawaru in February.

In April, Natasha visited Rose, 2Baba’s mother, gaining family approval. Rose had previously asked her to “remove the beads” from the singer in February, suggesting he wasn’t in his “right senses”.

Natasha has since changed her Instagram bio to include 2Baba’s surname.

The United States embassy in Nigeria on Tuesday circulated a report highlighting how state governors are spending billions on constructing or refurbishing government residences despite the country’s ongoing economic challenges.

The article, titled ‘Nigeria’s ruling class splashes billions on government houses,’ was published by The Africa Report.

According to the report, while President Bola Tinubu urges citizens to withstand the economic strain resulting from his reforms, the same level of sacrifice is not observed among state governors.

“While Nigerians are tightening their belts, the same cannot be said of the ruling class,” the report stated.

It pointed out that the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, approved N63.4bn to renovate the Government House, citing the current structure as “an embarrassment and an unbefitting facility.”

In Gombe, one of the nation’s poorest states, Governor Inuwa Yahaya allocated N14.9bn for a new ultra-modern residence, along with another N14.23bn being used to construct a new House of Assembly complex.

On its X account, the US embassy shared a link to the article, accompanied by remarks from transparency advocacy organisations.

“Such alleged lack of fiscal responsibility fuels inequality and erodes public trust,” the embassy posted.

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Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, has stated that the federal government is fully committed to putting an end to persistent strikes within the country’s higher education sector.

During an appearance on Politics Today, a programme aired by Channels Television on Tuesday, Alausa revealed that President Bola Tinubu has issued a clear directive to prevent strike actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions in tertiary institutions nationwide.

His remarks followed the decision of the ASUU chapter at Yobe State University to suspend its strike, which had started on July 11.

According to the education minister, previous governments frequently failed to honor agreements made with union representatives, even after seemingly productive discussions.

“This is what the president has mandated us to do. The president has directed that never again in this country will ASUU, or tertiary institution trade unions, go on strike,” he said.

“Because promises alone are not enough, there has to be a lot of relationship-building with ASUU, NASU, SSANU, COEASU — everybody.

“Beyond that, the government must demonstrate goodwill by meeting its obligations to these unions. That is what has been lacking in past governments.

“They would sit with the unions, agree on terms, and then ask, ‘Tell us when you’re going to implement this.’ But over the years, government would simply renege on those agreements.

“That is not what we are doing now. We are engaging them actively. All the presidents of the unions — most of them — can call me directly.

“They have my number, and I have theirs. We are constantly communicating. Even when people spread fake news about ASUU going on strike, which they never intended, we clarify immediately. We have not met all their requests yet, but we are working assiduously to fulfil them.”

Alausa also mentioned that lecturers are being paid regularly, clarifying that the delays being experienced are due to their transition to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) after leaving the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

“We’re paying salaries. We’re paying salaries regularly. What just happened is that after the tertiary institutions went off IPPIS, which was very restrictive to them, the president graciously agreed to that. They are now on GIFMIS so that they have better control of their funds,” he said.

“The way government pays salaries, they start from the 25th of the month. They pay people on IPPIS as first-line priority.

“And that’s why what happened in the last six months is — where I’m not happy about it — they’ve been paid around the 8th or 9th of the following month.”