Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Ongoing bank recapitalisation will not be business as usual, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso said yesterday. He hinted that the conditions will be tough to ensure that all banks that scale the hurdles will be strong enough to withstand the headwinds. The banks should be able to drive the economic target of the government, which is to achieve a $ 1 trillion dollar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) mark by 2030. The plan is to strictly scrutinise the financial institutions as they move towards recapitalisation. CBN governor spoke in London at an event by the United Kingdom-Nigeria Chamber…

Communities in the Niger Delta have threatened to cripple oil production in the region if the Federal Government continues to remain adamant over the growing clamour for the release of the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu has remained in a solitary confinement at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021. But despite appeals and even Court orders for his unconditional release, the IPOB Leader currently standing trial before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, is yet to regain his…

Tragedy occurred on wednesday, in Okeho, kajola local government area of Oyo state when a promising footballer Oyekunle Baaki popularly known as Smart slumped and died during match. Smart, 27 a player with United FC Okeho died while featuring in Eleniyan football competition between his team and Accurate FC, Iganna. It was gathered that the tragic incident occured during the extra time after the match ended goalless in 90 minutes. “Before the match commenced, he snapped with some of the player uploaded it on his snapchat, he was alone, nobody was with him, he just slumped and people rushed to…

Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara has said that he was not fighting anybody. “I am, rather, defending the state against predators; I am protecting Rivers against those who feel that they own the life of others,” he said in Port Harcourt on Wednesday when the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, paid him a courtesy visit. Fubara stated that the failed attempt to detonate an explosive device at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt was a deliberate ploy to strengthen the call for a state of emergency. “It is the handiwork of detractors who want to undermine the state to achieve…

The Nigerian Army yesterday announced the deployment of 177 personnel for a peacekeeping mission in Guinea-Bissau. The Chief of Operations, Nigerian Army, Major General Boniface Sinjen, made the announcement at the graduation ceremony of troops of Nigerian Company 3 ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau at Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State. He said: “Guinea-Bissau is grappling with political instability and institutional crises, which pose a significant threat to peace and sustainable development in the sub-region.” Sinjen, who noted however, that the Nigerian government, through ECOWAS, stood united with the government and people of Guinea-Bissau,…

Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of one of Nigeria’s e-commerce giants, Konga, Nick Imudia, has died by suicide. Imudia, who until his death, was the CEO of D.light, a leading innovator in residential solar energy solutions, reportedly took his life in his apartment. He reportedly killed himself on the night of Tuesday, June 25, by jumping from the balcony of his Lekki, Lagos apartment. Before making the jump, he was said to have called his United States-based brother to give instructions on how to distribute his wealth should anything happen to him. He also reached out to his young daughter…

A court in New York on Wednesday sentenced former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez to 45 years in prison after he was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. Anti-Hernandez protesters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of sentencing brandishing placards decrying the former head of state’s crimes. The sentence, which also included an $8 million fine, was less than the life imprisonment that prosecutors had sought — although Hernandez’s age, 55, means he may die behind bars. Hernandez, who US federal prosecutors said turned his Central American country into a “narco-state” during his presidency…

The Federal Government delegation and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), are in a closed-door meeting to discuss the lingering crisis and avert a strike by the Union. The News Agency of Nigeria reports the meeting holding on Thursday in the office of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, commenced at about 4.30 p.m. The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu and other top officials in the ministry are in the federal government” team. The ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, who led the union’s delegation told newsmen that the meeting was to deliberate on…

A fire outbreak has been reported in a section of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, Nigeria. A video clip which went viral on social media on Wednesday shows fire with thick smoke emanating from the refinery billowing the atmosphere. Fortunately, the fire has been successfully contained. Anthony Chiejina, the Dangote Group’s Chief Branding and Communication Officer, stated, “We have swiftly contained a minor fire incident at our effluent treatment plant (ETP) today, Wednesday, June 26th. The refinery remains operational, and there have been no injuries reported among our staff.” The Dangote Refinery is…

Peter Odemwingie, former Super Eagles forward, has become a professional golfer after graduating from the Professional Golfers Association school. The PGA disclosed this in a post with a video on X.com on Tuesday. The caption read, “Peter Odemwingie is best known for playing top-level football, scoring over 30 Premier League goals for West Bromwich Albion and representing Cardiff City and Stoke City. “He has played in two World Cups and even won an Olympic medal in 2008. In his post-football career, he turned to golf and is now a fully-fledged PGA professional.” In a statement on the PGA website, Odemwingie…