Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

President Mokgweetsi Masisi gave Botswana the afternoon off on Friday to celebrate Letsile Tebogo, the country’s first gold medallist and the first African to be crowned 200-metre Olympic champion. Masisi hailed the 21-year-old sprinter as “Botswana’s Sensation” after his outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. “Botswana’s finest sporting moment,” beamed the MMegoi newspaper, after Tebogo produced a stunning run in the 200m to take gold, leaving pre-race favourite Noah Lyles trailing in third. To put the cherry on the cake, he also set an African record of 19.46 seconds. Tebogo’s achievement will be “etched in the annals of…

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has denied taking part in the ₦570bn hardship grant claimed to have been given to the state governments by the Federal Government. President Bola Tinubu while addressing Nigerians in a broadcast during the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests against hunger and hardship, said the government has disbursed ₦570bn to the 36 states. Tunubu also said that Nigeria spends ₦2tn monthly to import Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil, otherwise known as diesel. He disclosed that ₦9.1tn was accumulated as total fiscal revenue to the Federal Government’s coffers during the first half…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery Limited has insisted that it has been unable to secure its full crude requirement from domestic production, and has urged that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) fully enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). In a statement signed by the Group Chief, Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, the company clarified issues relating to the challenges it has been facing at getting crude oil supply locally for its operations. It said, “Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging that the Dangote Refinery has backtracked by acknowledging…

The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh has said the federation was at the last minute, able to secure a bicycle for Nigeria’s cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye, to compete in the keirin and sprint events, contrary to reports that the sport ministry did not provide equipment for her at the ongoing Olympics in Paris. Earlier reports had said Ukpeseraye had no bicycle to race with and had to borrow one from a German cycling team. “Due to the short notice of me competing at the keirin & Sprint, #teamNigeria I had no bicycle to race with on the tracks,” Ukpeseraye said…

The prolific Soufiane Rahimi scored twice and captain Achraf Hakimi netted a stunning free-kick as Morocco hammered Egypt 6-0 on Thursday to take Olympic men’s football bronze. Rahimi’s brace took him to eight goals at the Olympics, cementing his status as the tournament’s top scorer, while Abde Ezzalzouli, Bilal El Khannouss and Akram Nakach also scored in a comprehensive win at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. Hakimi’s late strike put the icing on the cake as Morocco claimed a first Olympic football medal and a first for North Africa. Morocco, who beat Argentina in their opening group game…

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has clarified that the World Bank loan received by states is intended solely for infrastructural projects and not for alleviating economic hardship. In recent months, the Federal Government has disbursed N573 billion to state governors to combat poverty. This allocation has drawn scrutiny from various quarters, including human rights lawyer Femi Falana, who has called on states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to account for how the funds were used. Governor Sule addressed these concerns, stating that the World Bank funds are earmarked for specific projects rather than for direct aid or palliatives. “The…

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called for a ‘thorough investigation’ into alleged instances of violence by security agents against protesters during the #EndBadGovernance protest. The protest, which began on August 1, has seen accusations that security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators. On Tuesday, reports emerged that a soldier fatally shot a young protester in Zaria, Kaduna state. In response, the Nigerian Army announced on Wednesday that a soldier had been detained for the death of a 16-year-old protester in Zaria. Army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu stated that soldiers were deployed to enforce a 24-hour curfew in Kaduna and Zaria due…

A week after Arik Air’s planes were grounded, the Federal Government has lifted the suspension on the operations of the airlines. The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, disclosed this in a Wednesday statement on X. He said the dispute between Atlas Petroleum and Arik Air which necessitated the grounding of the airlines operations has been resolved. “The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, and the DG of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo has successfully resolved the impasse between Arik Air and Atlas Petroleum,” he said. “By…

The Department of State Services has dismissed reports stating that its operatives raided the headquarters of the Nigerian Labour Congress in Abuja. On Wednesday, it was reported that armed men, purportedly from the DSS, stormed the NLC’s office and made off with several documents. According to the NLC, the incident occurred around 8:30 pm, when operatives reportedly broke into the Labour House. Head of Media and Public Relations, NLC, Benson Upah, stated that the assailants ransacked the bookshop on the second floor, seizing hundreds of books and other publications. “The invading team claimed that they were searching for seditious materials…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has clarified issues surrounding the reported fire at the Mobil filling station at Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday. A statement by Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye after the incident, said the explosion had nothing to do with the recently commissioned NNPC Gas Marketing Ltd (NGML)/NIPCO Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Stations, which are currently functioning and running safely without any incident. Two people were reported to have sustained burns, and property worth millions of naira was damaged. Eyewitnesses reported that the explosion occurred around 11 a.m., destroying at least seven vehicles. No…