Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Politician and former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential elections, Peter Obi, has thrown his weight behind the Dangote Refinery, advising the federal government to support the project rather than discourage it. In a series of tweets on his verified X page on Tuesday, Obi said the Dangote refinery is a purely economic issue, not political. He wrote, “Dangote Refinery Should Be Fully Supported, Not Vilified. “The recent conflicts between Dangote Industries and some government agencies are deeply troubling. This issue transcends political affiliations and personal grievances. It is fundamentally about Nigeria’s economy, future, and the…

A former Commissioner of Urban Development and Physical Planning in Rivers State, Dr. Reason Onya, has threatened to take legal action against those allegedly spreading false information and blackmailing the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie. Onya issued the threat in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday, while reacting to recent allegations that Edison is part of a PRO Democratic group sponsoring the looming national wide protest scheduled to hold on 29 July, 2024. Onya, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Rivers state University, claimed that the perpetrators aim…

The founder of Adeleke University, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, has announced his support for first-class engineering graduates from the institution. Speaking at the university’s 10th undergraduate and 6th postgraduate convocation, Adeleke invited the graduates to serve at Pacific Energy’s branches in Ondo or Ogun state during their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. In a remarkable gesture, Adeleke pledged automatic employment to the graduates after their service year, ensuring a smooth transition into the workforce. He encouraged the graduates to request NYSC postings to either Ogun State or Ondo State, where the power plants are located, assuring them of a job…

After 82 days of embarking on strike to press home their demands, lecturers at the University of Abuja, Monday, announced suspension of their action. The university’s chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which announced the suspension at a news conference, explained that the suspension followed the union’s engagement with the new governing council, and secured assurance from the latter to review all its demands. Recall that the university’s ASUU branch had on May 2, 2024, down-tool in protest against alleged violation of its established laws, including appointments and promotions of members of staff in the absence of a…

The University of Ilorin in Kwara State has denied reports of a purported cult clash said to have occurred on the school premises. A page on X.com, identified as Naija Confra, whose tweets are “geared towards the eradication of violence, killings, and all other vices associated with confraternities in Nigeria,” tweeted late Sunday about a clash between members of the Aye and KK cult groups. It tweeted, “A few days ago, Naija Confra reported ‘unconfirmed’ news about a cult clash between Aye and KK at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. “We can now confirm that this news is true.…

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arrested ten suspected illegal miners in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. The suspects are Yunusa Adisa, Ganiyu Kazeem, Muideen Babayemi, Sulaiman Usman, Adeleke Waliu, Tiamiyu Rokeeb, Olusola Sunday, Oyedokun Oluwagbemiga, Sulaimon Ishiaq, and Olufimihan Eniola. A statement on Monday by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the suspects were arrested with six trucks fully loaded with lithium. He added that the suspects would be arraigned in court after an investigation into the matter. Oyewale said, “Operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested ten suspected…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Monday, announced that the result slips for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination are now available for printing. The Board, in a statement signed by its Head of Public Relations, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the slips, which feature the candidates’ photographs and advanced security features, can be printed from approved Computer-Based Test centres starting from Monday, 22 July 2024. “Please note that result slips cannot be printed from cyber cafes or other internet-enabled platforms.” Benjamin further advised candidates to follow approved channels for printing to “avoid falling victim to fraudulent activities, such as…

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, dismissed a suit the family of the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, filed to challenge the revocation of their property situated within the Maitama highbrow district of Abuja, by the Federal Government. The suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/463/2016, was filed by the wife of the late military leader, Hajia Maryam Abacha and her eldest surviving son, Mohammed. Cited as defendants in the matter were; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, the Federal Capital Development Authority FCDA, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as a firm,…

Following the declaration of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afam Osigwe as the president-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association, his opponents in the polls have questioned the integrity of the process and called for an audit. The first runner-up, Tobenna Erojikwe who was said to have polled 10998 as against Osigwe’s 20,435, said he has “reasonable and well-informed basis to believe that the electoral process and the election were not credible or satisfactory”. In a statement dated July 21, 2024 and personally signed by him, Erojikwe noted that at three different times before the polls, he had cause to write to…

The Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly has frowned at the continued stay in office of the Caretaker Committee Chairmen (CTC) despite a judgement of the Supreme Court declaring them to be illegal. The apex court had recently given judgement in a case between the Attorney General of the Federation and the Attorneys General of the 36 states, ruling that CTC is illegal. At plenary on Monday, the leader of the House Major Jack informed the members of the Certified True Copy of the aforementioned Supreme Court judgement in his possession which he laid before the speaker. While presenting…