Author: Amina Mohammed

GCR Ratings has affirmed Dangote Industries Limited with national-scale long-term and short-term issuer ratings of AA+ and A1+, respectively. In its report on Tuesday, GCR also affirmed the national scale long-term issue rating of AA+(NG) for each of Dangote Industries Funding Plc’s Series 1 NGN10.5bn Tranche A and NGN177.1bn Tranche B Bonds, as well as the Series 2 NGN112.4bn Senior Unsecured Bond. GCR said the outlook on these ratings has been revised to Evolving from Stable. “The ratings were affirmed on the prospects of significant growth in earnings following the commencement of operations at the new petrochemical refinery and robust…

United States President Joe Biden has praised the selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden, who had endorsed Harris for the US 2024 presidential race, took to his X handle on Tuesday, saying that the Harris-Walz ticket “will be a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class.” Biden tweeted, “The first major decision a party nominee makes is their choice for Vice President. And Kamala Harris has made a great decision in choosing Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate. “I’ve known Tim Walz for nearly two…

As the crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State rages, the embattled party chairman, John Ngbede has advanced reasons the immediate past governor of the state, Samuel Ortom was suspended. Speaking to journalists in his office at the party secretariat located along Otukpo road on Tuesday, Ngbede said that the former governor and his lieutenants wanted to take the party leadership by force. He added that the former governor and his cronies were trying to take the party back to the old order where malpractices held sway. While dismissing his suspension and that of his secretary and…

The Ondo state government has agreed to pay N70,000 minimum wage to state workers. Speaking in Akure, the state capital, the State Head of Service HOS, Bayo Phillip, said that governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has given assurance that his administration would not do anything less than whatever is approved by the federal government as the national minimum for workers. Phillip said that the state government was ready “to implement the new national minimum wage as approved by President Bola Tinubu for workers in the state. While reiterating the commitment of the governor to the welfare of the state workforce, he recalled…

A Kano State Mobile Court on Tuesday ordered the remand of 632 protesters for alleged vandalism of public and government properties during the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest. The defendants are charged with criminal conspiracy, theft, unlawful assembly, inciting disturbance, trespass, and mischief by fire. The court was presided over by three senior judicial officers: Senior Magistrate Ibrahim Yola, Senior Magistrate Hadiza Bello, and Chief Magistrate Abba Dandago. After the remand order, the court adjourned the sitting until 19th August for a hearing. Earlier, the State Director of Public Prosecution, Salisu Tahir, informed the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences during…

Justice Sherifat Sonaike of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere on Tuesday extended an earlier order restricting protesters in Lagos to the Freedom and Peace Parks in the Ojota and Ketu areas of the state. Sonaike made the order following an application by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, for an extension order having complied with the pre-action protocols for preemptive remedies ordered last week by another vacation judge, Justice Emmanuel Ogundare. Pedro who was represented in court by the Director for Civil Litigations, Mr Hameed Oyenuga, told the court that the service…

The UK government said on Tuesday that 6,000 specialist police officers were ready to deal with far-right rioting that broke out following the murder of three children, triggering a week of violence. On Monday, six people were arrested and several police officers injured when they were attacked by rioters hurling bricks and fireworks in Plymouth, southern England. Officers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, were attacked as rioters attempted to set fire to a shop owned by a foreign national. Police said a man in his 30s was seriously assaulted during the disorder and that they are treating the incident as a…

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved the appointment of Prince Tijani Ugbodaga as the Chairman of the Edo State Local Government Service Commission. In a statement, Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, said Prince Ugbodaga takes over from the former Chairman of the Commission, Chief Tom Uloko. He added: “The appointment takes immediate effect. “The government appreciates Chief Uloko for his service to the State and wishes him well in his future endeavour. “The swearing-in of Prince Ugbodaga will be held at a date to be announced soon.”

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted N50m bail each to two students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and Resign Regal Academy, Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho, who allegedly hacked MTN Nigeria Communication computers and stole airtime and data valued at N1.9bn. Justice Akintayo Aluko granted them bail after hearing two separate bail applications filed by the defendants. In addition to the bail sum, Aluko ordered the defendants to provide two sureties each, one of whom must be a civil servant in the federal or Lagos State employment, who must be grade level 14 and above. He said that…

The national grid has collapsed for the fifth time in the year, plunging many places into darkness. Although the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is yet to comment on the matter, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) said the grid collapsed around 2:55 pm on Monday. “We understand that some of our customers are still without power due to a system failure from the national grid at 2.55 pm today, 5th August 2024,” AEDC wrote on X. However, it assured customers that the distribution company is working with others to restore the system. “Please be assured that the system is…