The Dangote Group has responded to a claim made by NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, regarding the price at which it sells Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). In a press statement issued on September 15, 2024, Dangote dismissed the assertion that it sells PMS at N898 per litre, calling the statement “misleading and mischievous.” According to Dangote Group’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, the claim is intended to undermine the company’s significant achievement in addressing Nigeria’s energy challenges. The statement emphasised that the current stock of crude was procured in dollars, and…
Author: Editor Francis
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has declared 281 inmates missing from the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Maiduguri, Borno State, following a flood-induced evacuation. In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the service’s spokesman, Umar Abubakar, it was revealed that the flood had severely impacted the MSCC, damaging the prison walls and staff quarters. The flooding forced officers, with the support of other security agencies, to evacuate inmates to a safer facility. “During the evacuation process, it was observed that 281 inmates were missing,” Abubakar said. However, he assured the public that the service had detailed records…
The Confederation of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups has called on President Bola Tinubu’s government to empower 200 people in small-scale businesses to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians. Its director-general, Kailani Muhammad, made the call at the graduation and celebration of academic excellence organised by the British American University in Abuja. “We want the federal government to empower at least 200 people to do small-scale businesses in each state of the federation, including the FCT, so that they will stop complaining,” said Mr Muhammed. Mr Muhammad also urged the government to equip Nigerian farmers with machinery and fertilisers to…
The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers has appealed to the Nigerian Communications Commission for extension of the NIN-SIM linkage deadline from September 14 to September 30. The National President, NATCOMS, Deolu Ogunbanjo, said during an interview on Sunday that it desired an extension due to the challenges of the National Identity Management Commission’s portal. The NCC had set a deadline of September 14, 2024, for mobile users to link their Subscribers Identification Modules to their National Identification Number. The NCC emphasised the importance of the NIN-SIM linkage for improving digital security and reducing fraud and cybercrime. Mr Ogunbanjo said the…
Two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Nile Delta on Saturday, killing at least three people, two of them children, authorities said. The crash happened in the city of Zagazig, the capital of Sharqiya province, the country’s railway authority said in a statement. Egypt’s Health Ministry said the collision injured at least 40 others. Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an ageing railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. In recent years, the government announced initiatives to improve its railways. In 2018, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to…
Heavy flooding has wreaked havoc in Azuoto, Okpuitumo Community in the Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, destroying farmlands and property worth millions of naira. A victim, Chinyere Nworie, said in Abakaliki on Friday that her rice, yam and cassava farms were submerged by flood. Mrs Nworie said the incident had become a perennial experience in the area because of its proximity to Azuoto and Ebony River, linking the River Niger. She further said that about 96 households in the area were affected by the disaster. She said, “This flood happened on Saturday, following Friday’s downpour. Our farms have…
Several students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) have been reported trapped after a storey building collapsed on Ekhator Street, Ekosodin, a popular area for student housing in Benin City, Edo State. The building came down early Saturday morning following a heavy downpour. Rescue operations are currently underway as emergency teams work to free those trapped in the rubble. One student, who requested anonymity, confirmed that a university rescue team had successfully pulled out some of the trapped occupants. Several victims were reported to have sustained severe injuries and were immediately transported to the hospital for treatment. “One victim remains…
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has reopened its verification portal for nurses and midwives, allowing them to submit verification requests online. Checks on the NMCN portal on Saturday confirmed the reopening, which took place on Friday. The portal now displays a message stating, “Good news, verification requests are back online.” It also notes that expiration dates for renewal applications will now be calculated from the date of application. Anthony Ijeoma, a nurse at Nursingworld Nigeria, confirmed the development and praised the efforts of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) for helping to make this…
The Federal Government has declared Monday, September 16, 2024, as a public holiday in honor of Eid-ul-Mawlid, the celebration marking the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in a statement issued by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, on Friday. While congratulating the Muslim Ummah on the occasion, Dr. Tunji-Ojo urged Muslims to take the opportunity to pray for lasting peace and a more prosperous and equitable nation. He called on all Nigerians to embrace the values of patience, sacrifice, and resilience, particularly during this period…
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, has raised an alert over the risk of potential river flooding along the Niger and Benue rivers, warning that a large volume of water is flowing through these waterways towards the Niger Delta. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the minister addressed the recent flooding in Maiduguri, Borno State, and urged for increased vigilance and proactive measures to mitigate future flood disasters, particularly in southern Nigeria. The minister explained that the recent flood disaster in the Maiduguri and Jere areas was triggered by the overflow of the Alau…
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has solidified his influence in the ongoing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership crisis, with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) endorsing the Rivers State congresses. The NWC’s approval marks a victory for Wike, whose loyalists within the party also succeeded in postponing the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting—initially scheduled for September 26—to October 24, a move that could have reversed the decision. The NWC, led by acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, made these decisions during a Thursday meeting at the party’s national headquarters, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja. The meeting had been…
A total of 400 Nigerians, deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have arrived in Nigeria. The deportees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser, along with other agencies. According to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the returnees included 90 females and 310 males. Their reception was handled by multiple government agencies, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The deportation follows a…