Author: Amina Mohammed

British annual inflation rose back above the Bank of England’s target in July, official data showed on Wednesday. The Consumer Prices Index rose 2.2 per cent last month, compared with a 2.0-per cent gain in June, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement It means overall prices are rising faster than the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target, although an increase was widely predicted. The rise is largely due to prices of gas and electricity falling by less than they did last year. The Bank expects inflation to rise further this year before falling back again. AFP

US-mediated Sudan ceasefire talks were to kick off in Switzerland on Wednesday, even though the Sudanese government is set to stay away. Tom Perriello, the US Special Envoy for Sudan convening the discussions, insisted they go ahead regardless, saying the suffering people of Sudan, ravaged by the devastating conflict, cannot wait any longer. War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. But while the RSF delegation is in Switzerland for the talks — taking…

The management of the Dangote Refinery has dismissed reports of a fixed petrol price of ₦600/litre, calling them “speculative announcements” with no basis. This was contained in a statement signed on Tuesday by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina. The denial comes following reports by some publications, that the refinery was in talks with oil marketers, and that petrol may sell for as low as ₦600 per litre. The company, however, emphasised that it has not partnered with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and will communicate through official channels. It states,…

Bauchi State has concluded preparations to distribute 70 trucks of fertilizer donated by the Central Bank of Nigeria to the state through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. The chairman of the distribution committee, Emir of Jama’are, Nuhu Wabi, disclosed this on Tuesday, saying that the donation of the 70 trucks of fertiliser to Bauchi farmers is part of efforts to boost farming activities in the state. Wabi said, “The committee would take the commodity to farmers in all the polling units in the 20 local government areas of the state. “All communities, labour unions, religious organizations, women’s…

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday, blasted the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Police Force and 12 other MDAs for their persistent failure to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 report of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF). The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu (SDP – Nasarawa West), told reporters in Abuja that since heads of the affected agencies refused to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 audit report after several opportunities given them to do so, any…

Ukraine now controls 74 settlements in Russia’s Kursk border region, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. The governor of the Kursk region, where Ukraine is mounting a week-long incursion, previously said Monday that Ukraine controls 28 settlements. “There are 74 settlements under the control of Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his evening address. The president said that “despite difficult, intense fighting, the advance of our forces in the Kursk region continues.” Zelensky said that Ukraine has been able to “replenish” its numbers of Russian POWs to exchange for its own troops and “preparation for our next steps continues”. He posted…

The National Council of State has insisted that any change in government in Nigeria must follow constitutional procedures. The council also passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu over his “achievements” in the last year since he assumed office. The National Council of State reacting to the recent #EndBadGovernance Protests frowned upon the call by some sections of the protesters for the resignation of President Bola Tinubu. Those who attended the meeting physically were former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, while former Heads of State, Generals Gowon Yakubu and Abdulsalami Abubakar joined the meeting virtually. State governors,…

The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies on Tuesday grilled the Head of National Office of the West African Examination Council Nigeria, Josiah Dangut, over a N6bn deficit the agency incurred in 2023 during an investigative hearing. Dangut was accompanied by the Registrar, Angus Okeleze; Senior Deputy Registrar, Victor Odu; Acting Director of Finance, Segun Jerumeh; and Deputy Director of Finance, WAEC. The Committee also questioned the examination body regarding a N5bn loan it obtained in 2022 for the purchase of customized calculators. Dangut presented the agency’s cashbook to the Committee, but they rejected it, insisting on the…

The APC candidate in the Edo State September 21 governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, has advised the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, Asue Ighodalo, to withdraw from the race due to his alleged failure as the Economic Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki. The APC governorship candidate gave the advice on Tuesday during a meeting with the Edo State chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria in Benin. He said, “I told myself that if I were Asue Ighodalo, I would not bother contesting the governorship election because the government I am the economic adviser to has failed.” “Where I come…

The death toll from a mountain of garbage that collapsed in Kampala has risen to 25 with no hope of finding survivors, a minister said Tuesday. The huge mound in the Ugandan capital’s northern district of Kiteezi collapsed on Saturday, burying people and livestock. “By late yesterday evening, we had recovered 25 bodies and no survivors found,” said Lillian Aber, Uganda’s state minister for disaster preparedness and relief. “We don’t expect more survivors,” she told AFP. It was not immediately clear how many people were unaccounted for. The Ugandan prime minister’s office said three children whose parents were still missing…