Morning Star Media

    If you are a media person, you sometimes may have to step into a radio booth, anchor a live television programme, moderate a podcast, or make a corporate broadcast to employees. One tool stands between your voice and your audience: the microphone. For many, this small piece of equipment feels intimidating.   The red light flicks on, the countdown begins, and suddenly, every pause, stumble, or tremor in your voice feels amplified. Yet, when handled with skill, the microphone becomes not a barrier but a bridge which enables you to both connect with and persuade your audience. This week’s article takes us through practical strategies to help you handle the microphone with confidence, thereby helping you to blend both vocal technique and mental preparation.   To begin, you need to understand the power of the microphone. A microphone magnifies not only your words but also your energy, your hesitation, your fears, and your presence. Unlike casual conversati...

The Oyo State Police Command has reaffirmed the importance of its ongoing Stop-and-Search operations across highways, intersections, and adjoining roads, describing them as crucial for deterring crime and safeguarding lives. The Command, in a statement on Thursday, disclosed that one of such routine operations yielded significant discoveries along the Toll Gate axis of the Ibadan expressway at about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. A statement on X handle of Oyo State Police Command read:"A Federal Highway Patrol team intercepted a white bus with registration number  XA 551 IRG , leading to the arrest of one occupant, identified as  Alfa Basiru , who was found in possession of suspected human flesh. The suspect claimed to have purchased the substance in Lagos. He has since been transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further interrogation. The suspected item is undergoing forensic analysis to determine its au...

By Joy Joseph  The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has commended HortiNigeria as a transformative force for growth, productivity, and empowerment in Nigeria’s horticulture sector. Speaking in Ibadan at a two-day learning event on Tuesday, Kyari, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Yerima Ubah, described the Dutch-funded programme as a “catalyst” that has delivered outstanding results in just four years of operation. Launched to tackle challenges in Nigeria’s vegetable value chain, HortiNigeria has boosted crop yields by 93 percent, increased farmers’ incomes by 205 percent, trained over 76,000 farmers, supported 898 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and created 477 jobs for young people. Kyari reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to consolidating these gains through public-private partnerships, innovative practices, and enabling policies. He stressed that horticulture remains central to Nige...

  Just three years ago, then-governor of Katsina, Aminu Masari, lamented how some bandits deceived him into negotiating peace deals with them twice and still did not let up on violence. He said he was fooled more than once because those bandits swore to him on the Qur’an. Even those released from jail based on their agreement would not only shun the terms of peace but also go on to become leaders of their own bandit cells. Reading that years ago, I thought Nigeria was a comical state and that it said a lot about Masari’s understanding of his religious virtues that he could be beguiled into thinking that the bandits who routinely abduct, pillage, and murder would retain enough integrity to honour an agreement simply because they swore on a sacred symbol. After the first time, he still failed to notice that the moral instrument that bound them into a socially cohesive unit had long dissolved, and religion as a guaranteed manipulative tool had been rendered ineffective. ...

Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the Olubadan-designate of Ibadanland, extended a heartfelt appeal to Public Relations (PR) practitioners for their support in shaping a prosperous future for Ibadanland. During a congratulatory visit on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Oyo State chapter, he underscored the indispensable role of PR specialists in societal development, describing them as professionals whose work touches every stratum of society. I joined the Institute in 1989.  Cool, calm, and collected, Oba Ladoja humbly viewed himself during our visit to him in his Bodija home as a "Coordinator," or, more accurately, a "Coordinator-General", if I may say so, working for the progress of Ibadanland, emphasising the need for collective effort. He emphasised the need to highlight and promote the positives of Ibadanland while addressing its challenges. He said, "Sebi Coordinator ni mi...." If I don't understand...

A  renowned human rights advocate and community leader, Chief Niyi Aborisade, has declared that his venture into politics is not driven by ambition, but by a deep sense of calling and unwavering love for Nigeria, and Oyo State in particular.    Aborisade is a governorship aspirant in Oyo State in 2027 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party [PDP]. Speaking during a fundraising programme for his governorship programme in the United Kingdom, Aborisade traced his journey from civic activism abroad to grassroots political involvement in Nigeria, describing it as a divine assignment rather than a career move. ‘’Politics is more than just ambition, it is a calling,” he said. “Just as some are called to be pastors or imams, I believe I have been called to serve my people through politics. That’s why I am not afraid of challenges or dangers that come with it.” Chief Aborisade, who spent many years abroad, shared how his passion for Nigeria never waned, even w...

President Bola Tinubu has lifted the State of Emergency in Rivers State and has directed the governor, Sim Fubara, his deputy and members of the State House of Assembly to resume on Thursday, September 18. The President, in a statement, said his decision to lift the state of emergency was predicated on the fact that peace has returned to the state. He explained that as of March 18, when he declared the state of emergency in the state, there was a total collapse of governance and the fragmentation of the state House of Assembly. He said that his intervention, along with that of other well-meaning Nigerians, to resolve the conflict proved abortive, as both sides remained rigidly entrenched in their positions, to the detriment of peace and the development of the state. President Tinubu, however, stated that, based on the intelligence available to him, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm among all stakeholders in Ri...