Author: TheScrutinyNG

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed how the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) rejected a $750 million offer from billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote. In an interview with Channels TV, former President Olusegun Obasanjo revealed that in 2007, Dangote offered a staggering $750 million to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. Obasanjo explained that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), now rebranded as NNPCL, rejected the offer due to its inability to operate the refineries effectively. He said, “Aliko got a team together and they paid $750m to take part in PPP (Public–public-private partnership) in running the refineries. “My successor…

Following the recent apathy towards teaching by qualified individuals, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed concern that inadequate welfare conditions for lecturers in public universities are discouraging qualified individuals from pursuing teaching roles. Professor Ayo Akinwole, chairman of the University of Ibadan Chapter, highlighted this in his New Year message that not only university lecturers but also teachers in primary and secondary schools are affected by low salaries, leading to a shortage of qualified educators. This situation, he noted, has contributed to the rise of private schools, which many families find financially inaccessible due to high tuition…

Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Thursday that an overnight Israeli air strike killed at least 11 people, including the chief of the territory’s now dismantled Hamas police force. “Eleven people were martyred, including three children and two women, and 15 were injured after the occupation aircraft bombed a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip,” Gaza’s civil defence agency said in a statement. Among those killed were the police chief Mahmud Salah and his deputy Hussam Shahwan, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. The Israeli military told AFP that…

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has set a crude oil production target of 367.5 million barrels for oil firms operating in the country for the first half of 2025. This target aligns with Nigeria’s broader goal to enhance its oil output, which is projected to reach 2.06 million barrels per day by 2025, including condensates. The Commission also announced that local refineries will require 770,500 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil for effective operation in the first half of 2025. LEADERSHIP reports that this demand represents approximately 37 per cent of the projected daily production of 2,066,940…

The National Assembly (NASS) has assured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that it is solidly behind in in his journey towards a new Nigeria. This is as the president said that his administration is encouraged by the National Assembly’s support over the last 19 months and is determined to take Nigeria to the Promised Land. Tinubu spoke Wednesday while receiving Vice President Kashim Shettima, the leadership of the National Assembly, and former principal officers of the National Assembly at his Oyinkan Abayomi Drive residence in Ikoyi, Lagos. A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) informed…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked Nigerians to deploy the instrument of vigilance through close monitoring to check those in power to enhance the country’s democratic practices in 2025 and beyond. The 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who shared these thoughts in his New Year message on his verified X handle yesterday, said: “This New Year marks the beginning of a momentous era, one of heightened public awareness and vigilance. “It is a time when every Nigerian must closely observe the actions and decisions of our political leaders.”As we welcome the dawn of 2025, I see…

Additional forty four million teachers will be needed worldwide in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. This is according to a report by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), under the auspices of the World Bank, which said there is a global shortage of 44 million teachers. SDG 4 is the United Nations’ goal to ensure quality education for all and promote life-long learning. The report also predicted that over two billion jobs may be lost globally due to automation, as technology is rapidly changing the labour market and the demand for skills required to be productive.…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, has set lofty targets towards deepening development at the nation’s capital. In his new year message, the former Rivers State governor urged the FCT residents to embrace 2025 with optimism and join efforts to transform the FCT into a world-class capital.  Wike expressed gratitude for residents’ cooperation in 2024 and outlined the administration’s plans for the new year, anchored on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. “Together, we can achieve the collective dream of a thriving and prosperous FCT by working in unity and cooperation,” Wike said, urging residents…

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed faith in the omnipotence of God to crush self-styled enemies of the state. Governor Fubara spoke at the crossover church service held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Opobo Town in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area in the early moments of January 1. He raised a gallantry song, with the brethren picking up the lines, and singing along: “At the mention of your name (God), every knee shall bow. At the mention of your name, every tongue confess. That you are Lord, you are Lord, you are King, you are King of kings.” Governor Fubara,…

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has appealed to Delta State indigenes residing outside the state and the Diaspora to channel their resources into investment in the economic development of the state. Onuesoke who made the appeal in a New Year message while hosting his loyalists and well wishers  in Warri, Delta State, as part of the yuletide celebration, pointed out that there are many opportunities in the state especially, in maritime, agriculture and oil and gas sectors begging for investments, adding  these  opportunities are  waiting for investors to unlock them and reap bountiful economic benefits. He…