Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Ibom Air has announced the addition of a new Airbus A220-300 to its fleet, marking a strategic move to increase capacity and meet growing demand. The General Manager for Marketing and Communication, Ibom Air, Aniekan Essienette, said this in a statement on Friday. Ibom Air is a commercial airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government. Essienette said, “The acquisition, sourced from Carlyle Aviation, underscores the airline’s commitment to expanding its services. “In October 2021, Ibom Air placed a firm order for ten Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with the first delivery occurring in November 2023. However, the rising demand for the…

What if Hollywood, a key Democratic financial pillar, cut off Joe Biden’s campaign funding? That possibility now looms large after actor George Clooney and other wealthy donors urged the US president to withdraw from the White House race. “I love Joe Biden. But we need a new nominee,” Clooney wrote in a column in the New York Times on Wednesday, after Biden’s disastrous performance in a televised presidential debate against Republican rival, Donald Trump rekindled fears around the 81-year-old’s fitness for office. The statement dealt a serious blow to Biden, coming just three weeks after Clooney headlined a major fundraiser…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s meeting with organized Labour on Thursday, July 11, concluded without any new developments regarding the national minimum wage. Previously, the government and the organized private sector had agreed on a N62,000 wage, while organized Labour insisted on a minimum of N250,000. A new meeting between President Tinubu and organized Labour is scheduled for next week to continue discussions on the national minimum wage. Labour representatives indicated that the one-week break will allow them to reflect on the issues raised during Thursday’s discussions. Speaking to reporters at the end of the meeting, Minister of State for Labour…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently meeting behind closed-doors with Vice President Kashim Shettima and some governors in his office at the State House, Abuja. The ongoing meeting kicked off almost immediately after the President concluded discussions with the leaders of the organised Labour, who met with him to discuss issues around the expected new minimum wage. The governors in the meeting include the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara); Charles Soludo of Anambra; and Usman Ododo of Kogi. Although the agenda of the ongoing meeting was not made public as at the time of…

The arraignment of Mr Saleh Mamman, former Minister of Power under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, was, on Thursday, stalled at a Federal High Court, Abuja, due to ill health. Mamman, whose plea was fixed for Thursday morning, collapsed outside the courtroom before the case was called. The former minister’s counsel, Femi Ate, SAN, told Justice James Omotosho shortly when the matter was called for Mamman to take his plea. Upon resumed hearing, the ex-minister walked into the courtroom and stepped into the dock with part of his clothes drenched. Justice Omotosho then asked why Mamman was sweating or whether it was…

The Appeal Court in Abuja has confirmed Usman Ododo’s election as the Governor of Kogi State. On Thursday, a three-member panel of the court delivered a judgment dismissing the election petition filed by the Social Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka. The appellate court dismissed the appellants’ claims, saying that they failed to present credible evidence to substantiate their allegations of electoral malpractices, over-voting and certificate forgery.

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has pledged seven key intervention in Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil to boost educational development. The sumptuous offer by the Chancellor of the Science based tertiary institution came barely a week he paid N100M upfront to a Distrinution company to restore electricity to the state owned citadel of learning. A press statement by the vice Chancellor, Prof. Musa Tukur Yakasai that was made available to newsmen in Kano on Thursday said the intervention was sequel to formal request by the University management team for his support during a thank you visit to…

Bayern Munich on Thursday finally secured the signing of Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha from Fulham for a reported fee of 49 million euros ($53 million) after coming close to acquiring him last year. The 28-year-old, who spent two years at Fulham after arriving from Sporting Lisbon in 2022 for 22 million euros, signed a four year contract. Bayern had been poised to sign Palhinha in 2023, the defensive midfielder had even posed in the club’s strip, but the deal fell through just before the transfer window closed when Fulham failed to find a replacement. In a statement, Palhinha said it…

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, declared that henceforth all Local Government Area allocations should be paid directly into their accounts. Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of the justices of the Supreme Court, gave the order while delivering judgement in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors. “Henceforth, no more payment of the Local Government Area allocations to the state government accounts,” the judge declared. The federal government approached the Supreme Court with a suit seeking to compel governors of the 36 states of the federation to grant full autonomy…

United States President Joe Biden will Thursday give his first press conference since his debate disaster against Donald Trump, in a pressure-cooker moment that could seal the fate of his reelection bid. The eyes of the world will be on the 81-year-old at a NATO summit as he tries to calm growing calls from his Democratic party to step aside over his age and health. The White House has dubbed it a “big boy” press conference, and Biden will be under severe pressure to show he can handle what has become a rare unscripted moment in his presidency. Any missteps…