Author: Amina Mohammed

Five days into the ongoing acute petrol scarcity in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the NNPC Limited, on Monday, attributed the supply shortage to logistics challenges and flooding in the coastal part of the country. Queues had resurfaced at filling stations in Abuja and its environs last Wednesday for the third time this yesterday and continued into the new week as more filling stations ran out of stock. Checks around the city showed that almost all the stations shut with only the NNPC mega filling stations, NIPCO and few major marketers opened to customers. Long queues and chaos marked the…

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, denied businessman Ibrahim Dende’s request to prevent an investigative journalist, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Fisayo Soyombo, from writing further about him. The court declined to hear the application but instead directed the claimant’s counsel to put the defendants on notice. Dende filed this request as part of his lawsuit against Soyombo and the FIJ following an undercover investigation that portrayed him as a “smuggler and gunrunner.” A certified true copy of the court’s proceedings from May 21 revealed that IBD Dende had previously sought an ex parte order…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to meet with the Federal Government on July 25, 2024, to address outstanding demands. Meanwhile, non-academic university staff have announced a one-day protest on Tuesday to highlight their grievances over withheld four-month salaries. This protest will precede a planned nationwide demonstration on July 18. ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed the upcoming meeting, stating it aligns with the timeline agreed upon with the Federal Government. He emphasized that ongoing protests by ASUU chapters, which have included student participation, were instrumental in prompting the government to engage in dialogue. In a letter…

Multi-award winning singer, Rema, has sparked controversy by declaring himself part of the “Big 4” in Afrobeats, alongside Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy. In his new song “Hehehe,” he sings, “No more big 3, there’s now a big 4.” This statement has generated backlash, with some fans arguing that Rema hasn’t achieved the same level of success as the established “Big 3.” However, Rema insists that he deserves recognition as a leading artist in the genre, and that any denial of his status is an insult. He sings: “No more big 3, there’s now a big 4. People go para…

Ghanaian chef Ebenezer Smith, known as Millennium Chef Smith, recently faced a major scandal after being exposed for falsifying a Guinness World Record in a cooking marathon. In an emotional interview with GHOne TV on Sunday, Smith expressed deep remorse, stating he feels he “does not deserve to live” due to his disgraceful actions. Smith was detained at La Police Station following the revelation that the Guinness World Record certificate he presented at a press conference was fraudulent. He had claimed to have completed an 820-hour and 25-minute cooking marathon, from February 1 to March 6, 2024, but this was…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that strike is not imminent if the Federal Government implements the agreements reached in the next two weeks. Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday (NAN). It would be recalled that ASUU had threatened to embark on a strike over the non-implementation of agreements reached with the federal government. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman on June 26, invited the union to a meeting to deliberate on the lingering issues affecting universities and to avert the planned strike.…

The Ebonyi State chapter of the Labour Party has adopted its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, as the party’s national leader. The party stakeholders also adopted Fidelis Nwankwo as the leader of the party in the state. The endorsement was part of the six-point communique issued at the end of an expanded stakeholders briefing held in Abakaliki on Sunday. The communique was signed by the leaders of the Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone and Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone, Mr Linus Okorie, and Emmanuel Ezeh, respectively. Large Imported Petrol Consignment To Hit Nigeria | Punch The communique…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked INTERPOL in three North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria to watch-list former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, it was learnt at the weekend. It was further learnt that the decision by the EFCC was based on credible intelligence. Other countries where the ex-governor is put on the watch-list are Egypt, Libya and Sudan. Sources in the anti-graft agency said many option are on the table in dealing with the Bello situation, which include but not limited to storming the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where the ex-governor is believed…

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his re-election as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Abiodun, in a congratulatory message to the President on Sunday, said that Tinubu’s re-election by his colleagues was an attestation to the leadership qualities of the Nigerian President. He added that it also reflected the unwavering trust and confidence reposed in Tinubu’s leadership by ECOWAS. According to him, since his first election, Tinubu has laid a solid framework for the future integration of the sub-region and promoting security. Abiodun praised the President for showing statesmanship…

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, insisted weekend that further capitalisation of banks in the country was for the common good of the nation. CBN governor, Dr Olayemi Cardoso, stated this at the launch of the book, “Power of One Man,” written by Dr. Ray Echebiri. Cardoso, represented at the event by Mr Philip Ikeazor, Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability Directorate, said: “Incidentally, the current manifesto of the Central Bank has embarked on another round of banking consolidation. ‘Why consolidation is necessary’ “Why was it necessary then? Professor Soludo wanted to make the banks robust, resilient, and fit for purpose…