Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Ukraine on Tuesday sought to maintain bonds with Washington after President Donald Trump ordered US military aid deliveries be suspended following a public clash with counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump’s stunning decision strengthened fears in Ukraine and in many European capitals that America was pivoting away from its allies — and toward Moscow. “Ukraine is absolutely determined to continue cooperation with the US,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told reporters, adding: “The US is an important partner and we need to preserve this.” US and Western security guarantees were “existentially important” for Ukraine and for Europe, he said, adding Kyiv was…

French police said the policing operation for Liverpool’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday would be “classic” and that the match was not classed as high risk. The last 16, first leg tie at PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium is the first time Liverpool have returned to the French capital since the 2022 Champions League final between the club and Real Madrid at the Stade de France was plunged into chaos. A Paris police source said the security for the match would be a “classic arrangement for a Champions League match”. “The context is not the same as…

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced Monday that he is joining a US bid to buy TikTok, becoming a strategic advisor to the effort. Ohanian said he would join an initiative called “The People’s Bid for TikTok,” launched by real estate and sports tycoon Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, in a campaign joined by investor Kevin O’Leary, known from the “Shark Tank” television show in which entrepreneurs pitch ideas in bids for venture capital. The group’s approach includes a crowdfunding element aimed at giving individuals and small businesses a stake in the future of TikTok, which is facing a US law…

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is set to arraign Karl Toriola, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, alongside other executives on May 28. Toriola, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Tobechukwu Okigbo, MTN’s Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, and Ikenna Ikeme, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, are facing charges over their alleged failure to produce documents and information as required by the commission in compliance with a lawful summons, contrary to the FCCPC Act. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspects will appear before Justice H.J. Yilwa of the Federal…

The absence of the ninth defence counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, on Tuesday stalled the hearing in a suit seeking to stop statutory allocations to the 44 local government areas of Kano State. The applicants in the suit are Abdullahi Abbas, Aminu Aliyu-Tiga, and the All Progressives Congress. They, through their counsel, Sunday Olowomoran, filed a motion exparte dated October 28 and filed November 1, 2024. However, the respondents in the suit are the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Account Allocation Committee, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Accountant-General of the Federation, Minister of Finance, Auditor General of the…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Shamsedeen Ogunjimi as the new Accountant General of the Federation. The appointment, announced on Tuesday, takes effect on March 7, 2025, coinciding with the retirement of the incumbent AGF, Oluwatoyin Madehin. Ogunjimi, 57, was first named as Madehin’s successor in December 2024. His selection was finalised after a competitive process overseen by a committee tasked with evaluating Directors of Accounts in the Federal Civil Service. The process included a written assessment, an ICT proficiency test, and oral interviews, underscoring Tinubu’s commitment to transparency and excellence in public appointments. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 245,370 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, valued at N238.1 million. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi said the seizures were made in less than three months as part of its ongoing anti-smuggling operation tagged “Operation Whirlwind.” Adeniyi also highlighted recent seizures made by the operation at the Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja. He attributed the smuggling of petrol to significant price disparities across Nigeria’s borders, which encourage smugglers to divert fuel to neighbouring countries for higher profits.  “Our economic intelligence reveals that substantial price disparities across regional borders…

The World Health Organization acknowledged Tuesday that the US freeze on foreign aid funding has hit vital global health programmes but vowed to find a way to keep delivering to those in need. The United Nations health agency said it was still too early to determine the full impact of the freeze on foreign aid spending by the United States — traditionally the world’s largest aid donor. But WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris admitted that some programmes had clearly been affected, including the global measles surveillance network, which had been 100-percent funded by the United States. On measles, “there is a…

The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered the remand of Jude Okoye, the elder brother and former manager of Paul and Peter Okoye of the defunct music group, P-Square, for an alleged theft of $1 million and £34,537.59. Justice Rahman Oshodi remanded him at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre where he is being held, pending the hearing of his bail application. The judge adjourned the case until March 6 for a hearing of the bail application. The EFCC had arraigned the defendant alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd on a four-count charge. In one of the counts,…

Arsenal are up against Dutch side PSV in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last 16, seeking to recover from a slump in form that has seen them fail to win their last two games.  The Gunners’ dream of a first league title in 21 years appears over after falling 13 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool. Conquering Europe for the first time now appears their only chance of ending a five-year trophy drought and a kind last-16 draw with PSV Eindhoven could buy Mikel Arteta time to get some of his key attackers back. Kai Havertz and Gabriel…