In a continued effort to combat oil theft and vandalism, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has uncovered an additional 165 illegal refineries across the Niger Delta. This revelation came during NNPCL’s recent weekly programme, ‘Energy and You’. Between June 15 and 21, approximately 400 incidents of oil theft and vandalism were reported by both government and private security agencies. NNPCL reported that 69 illegal connections were discovered and disconnected in Bayelsa and Rivers States alone. Additionally, the company noted at least eight instances of oil spills due to vandalism or illegal connections across the region. In Warri, Delta…
Author: Editor Francis
The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Wednesday ended their closed-door meeting with an agreement that all contentious issues will be amicably resolved to avert a strike. The parties also agreed to kick-start a communication process to avert the planned industrial actions by the union. The News Agency of Nigeria reports the parties had entered into a close-door meeting which began at about 4.30 pm. at the Ministry’ of Education’s headquarters in Abuja. The meeting which lasted for over two hours, had in attendance the two Ministers overseeing Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, and Dr Yusuf Sununu…
Representatives of the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are currently engaged in a closed-door meeting to address ongoing issues and prevent a potential strike by the union. The meeting, which began around 4:30 pm, is being held at the office of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman. The Federal Government’s team includes the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, and other top officials from the Ministry. ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, leading the union’s delegation, informed the press that the meeting aims to discuss and resolve persistent issues affecting universities to avoid the…
Kenya’s President, William Ruto, has announced he will not sign the contentious 2024 finance bill that sparked mass protests, and will instead withdraw the legislation. In a televised address on Wednesday, Ruto stated, “I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn. The people have spoken.” Ruto committed to engaging in dialogue with Kenyan youth and implementing austerity measures, beginning with cuts to the presidential budget, to address the country’s financial shortfall. This decision follows reports of dozens of deaths and numerous injuries as police clashed with protesters opposing the tax…
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to bar Barrister Asue Ighodalo from being presented as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the upcoming Edo State election. The suit, filed by aggrieved PDP governorship aspirant Anselm Ojeizu, was deemed premature by the court as it was filed on March 6. Justice Egwuatu ruled that Ojeizu had not exhausted the PDP’s mandatory internal dispute resolution mechanisms before taking the matter to court. Agreeing with Ighodalo’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Akinlolu Kehinde, Justice Egwuatu stated that Ojeizu’s failure to engage…
Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a lawsuit against the Kaduna State House of Assembly, challenging allegations that his administration embezzled N432 billion and left the state with significant debt obligations. The suit, a fundamental rights enforcement case, was filed at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday. El-Rufai, who appeared in person to submit the lawsuit, claimed that the Assembly committee investigating his administration denied him a fair hearing. This allegation was detailed in a statement by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, posted on his X handle. Filed by El-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, the lawsuit contests the Kaduna…
The Federal Government on Tuesday firmly denied allegations of importing dirty fuel into Nigeria, countering recent claims made by an official from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The declaration came after a meeting in Abuja between government officials, oil marketers, and local crude oil refiners. The discussions focused on refined products’ pricing, competition, and the importation of domestically produced products. During the meeting, oil marketers acknowledged that while local refineries were producing refined products, they would continue to source products from various suppliers, including indigenous producers. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) responded to the allegations by stating…
Nigeria recorded a total foreign exchange (FX) inflow of approximately $24 billion in the first quarter of 2024, according to Yemi Cardoso, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Cardoso made this announcement during an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday in London. Cardoso highlighted that the monetary policy tools employed by the apex bank have positively impacted the FX market. He noted that the surge in FX liquidity in Q1 2024 represents the highest quarterly inflow since 2021. “In terms of liquidity, especially on the foreign exchange side, we’ve seen an increase. The first quarter of this…
Work on a new national minimum wage has been temporarily halted. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decided to consult further before presenting an Executive Bill to the National Assembly. This decision was made during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, where the President received the Tripartite Committee’s report on minimum wage from Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume. The report, presented by Tripartite Committee Chairman Bukar Goni Aji, recommended a minimum wage of N62,000, based on submissions from federal and state governments as well as the Organised Private Sector (OPS). However, labour representatives recommended N250,000. Governors…
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to completing the long-abandoned 70 million-gallon-per-day Adiyan Water Project. He made this pledge at the fifth Lagos International Water Conference, emphasising the project’s completion within the next year. The conference, themed ‘Financing Water and Sanitation for a Greater Lagos,’ saw Governor Sanwo-Olu stressing the crucial role of financial resources in achieving water security, accessibility, and sustainability. He stated, “For us, it is not just about lip service. We want to move away from rhetoric and take action. Let this not be just a talk shop where we exchange ideas and…
Two witnesses testified on Tuesday at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opened its money laundering case against Willie Obiano, the former governor of Anambra. A commercial banker staff, Tochukwu Aloysius Nnadi, and an Onitsha-based businesswoman, Chinwe Patricia Egbunam, were led in evidence as first and second prosecution witnesses by EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) before Justice Inyang Ekwo. In a nine-count charge, he was alleged to have misappropriated over N4 billion from the state’s treasury, among other things. When the matter was called, Mr Nnadi, the first prosecution witness…
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has advised Nigerians to exercise patience regarding the increase in food prices across the nation due to President Bola Tinubu’s harsh economic policies. The FCCPC said that Mr Tinubu’s government was appropriately addressing the problem. The FCCPC’s acting executive vice-chairman, Adamu Ahmed-Abdullahi, gave the assurance during an interactive session with traders on Tuesday at Dawanau and Galadima Markets in Kano. Mr Ahmed-Abdullahi said the market visit was to interact with traders to ascertain factors responsible for the continuous hike in food prices. He stated, “The hike in food prices has been a…