Author: TheScrutinyNG

The Rivers State Government has denied reports that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has shut down the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited operations in the state. The rebuttal is contained in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Joe Johnson. Reports circulated on the Internet had claimed that Governor Fubara shut down the company after a court stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria from releasing federal allocation to the state. A YouTube blog reported that Mr Fubara had declared “no allocation to Rivers State no oil for Nigeria,” in response to the Abuja Federal High Court order. In its reaction,…

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) on the last election, has criticized the Nigerian justice system, saying it is worse than the former apartheid regime in South Africa. Sowore was reacting to the criminal trial of minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest which rocked the country recently and their bail condition to the tune of N10 million each. Regrettably reaction to the harsh condition, the publisher of SaharaReporters said through his X handle; “The Nigerian justice system is worse than that of apartheid South Africa, even at this time. “Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High…

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has presented official vehicles to staff of the Assembly in the directorship cadre. The presentation of the cars is the second in a row coming a few weeks after some senior staff were handed the keys to their own cars as part of the efforts of the leadership of the House to bolster productivity and service delivery to the legislative arm and the state. A press statement by Eromosele Ebhomele, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, said beneficiaries include directors and deputy directors across the various…

The Federal High Court in Lagos State has ruled for the final forfeiture of significant assets belonging to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, directing that a cash sum of $2.045 million and eight prime properties located in Lagos and Delta states be surrendered to the Nigerian Government.  In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Deinde Dipeolu stated that the assets, which also include two share certificates from a firm, are reasonably suspected to have been acquired through proceeds of criminal activity.  In October, SaharaReporters reported that a dispatch rider, Mr Monday Osazuwa, who is the first…

Dr. Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, the former Minister of Solid Minerals, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to immediately stop the “wicked prosecution” of minors and send them back to their parents and guardians.  Ezekwesili, an Economic and Public Policy Expert and Senior Economic Adviser to the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative, also demanded that adequate compensations should be paid to the minors who have been detained for months for the roles in the August #EndBadGovernance protests.  The former presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) warned President Tinubu that no ruler has ever won against their…

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has commended the efforts and collaboration of security agencies in securing the release of Dr Ganiyat Popoola and her nephew, Folaranmi Abdul-Mugniy, who were kidnapped 10 months ago. Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna State, was abducted on December 27, 2023, along with her husband, Nurudeen Popoola, a squadron leader, and her nephew, Folaranmi Abdul-Mugniy, who stays with them. After several negotiations with the kidnappers, the husband was released on March 8, 2024. The PUNCH reports that the ministry, in a press statement on…

The House of Representatives has halted a motion urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider his recent decision to rename the Ministry of Niger Delta Development to the Ministry for Regional Development. The motion, proposed by Hon. Oboku Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa), called for the presidency to restore the ministry’s original focus on the Niger Delta. The sponsor argued that the name change could dilute the ministry’s mandate, potentially impacting ongoing development projects in the oil-rich region. However, during the House session, the motion was set aside after a majority of lawmakers agreed that “it has been overtaken by events.” Speaker…

At least seven people have died following two separate Hezbollah rocket attacks in northern Israel, marking the deadliest day of such strikes in months.   An Israeli farmer and four Thai agricultural workers were killed when rockets landed near Metula, a town bordering Lebanon, according to Israeli and Thai officials, BBC reports. The Israeli military identified two projectiles crossing from Lebanon and falling in an open area near Metula on Thursday morning, it was reported.  The deceased Israeli farmer has been named as Omer Weinstein, a 46-year-old father-of-four from nearby Kibbutz Dafna.   Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Maris Sangiampongsa, confirmed the fatalities of…

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has found the wreckage of the helicopter that crashed last Thursday into the Atlantic Ocean while conveying workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Limited from Port Harcourt. This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, on Thursday. The helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with eight passengers and crew. While five bodies had been recovered, three other passengers were still missing. The bodies were retrieved from the ocean on separate days within eight days of search by a coalition of agencies. In the…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced that starting January 2025, all drivers in Abuja, including taxi, bus, and motorcycle operators, must have official security clearance and use only authorised vehicles with the standard Abuja colour scheme. This measure is intended to boost security and ensure public confidence in transportation services by tracking operators more effectively. Wike disclosed this on Thursday, during the launch of the Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja. “Most of the motorcycles are informants. Everybody here, by the beneficiary, is being profiled by security. And so what we’re coming up from, from January…