Author: Amina Mohammed

President Bola Tinubu will, on Friday, receive a draft bill proposition a return to a regional system of government for Nigeria. The proposed legislation, authored by Akin Fapohunda, a chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural association, Afenifere, and the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities (CIEN), seeks to replace the current federal system with a two-tier government structure comprising federal and regional governments. According to Fapohunda, the bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to substitute the annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” aims to address the country’s political and economic challenges…

Aliko Dangote has revealed that local and foreign mafia tried several times to sabotage his $19 billion refinery from coming to life. Dangote made this revelation while speaking at the Afreximbank annual meetings (AAN) and AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum in Nassau, The Bahamas, on Wednesday. Dangote, Africa’s richest man, said he had repaid about $2.4 billion of the $5.5 billion borrowed to build the refinery. According to him, several entities did everything to sabotage the 650,000 barrels per day facility. Dangote said he was aware that resistance would always exist, but he did not anticipate it being so harsh.…

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved judgment in the suit filed for the Federal Government by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) against States in relation to the dispute over the autonomy of Local Governments in the country. A seven-member panel, presided over by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, said a date for the judgment will be communicated to parties and their counsel. Justice Garba made the announcement on the reservation of the judgment shortly after lawyers to parties adopted their final addresses and made final submissions.

Canada says it will supply Ukraine with rockets, small arms ammunition and remote-controlled weapon mounts for vehicles, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair announced in Brussels on Thursday. “Canada will provide Ukraine with 2,300 Canadian Rocket Vehicle 7s or CRV rocket motors,’’ Blair said. He added, “Canada will send an additional number of rounds of small arms ammunition, as well as 29 Nanuk remote systems,’’ which are remote-controlled weapon mounts for military vehicles.” He said the CRV7s were “formerly used by the Royal Canadian Air Force on our CF-18 aircraft.’’ Meanwhile, “the Nanuk is a remotely-controlled weapon station used by the…

The EU’s top court fined Hungary 200 million euros ($216 million) and imposed a daily one-million-euro penalty for failing to follow the bloc’s asylum laws and illegally deporting migrants. The fine and penalty were because Budapest “is deliberately evading” compliance with the European Union laws despite a 2020 ruling that it must uphold international procedures for asylum seekers, the European Court of Justice said. “Since this failure to fulfil obligations constitutes an unprecedented and exceptionally serious breach of EU law, the Court orders Hungary to pay a lump sum of 200 million euros and a penalty payment of one million…

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi says he expects Inter Miami to be the club where he closes his legendary playing career, but he is not intending to depart right away. Messi, who has a contract with the MLS squad until the end of the 2025 campaign, made his comments to ESPN in an interview to be broadcast on Wednesday. “Yes, as of today, I think it’s going to be my last club,” Messi told ESPN. But Messi, who turns 37 on June 24, also added, “I’m not ready to leave football either.” The record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became a…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has alerted on increasing cholera cases nationwide, with 30 deaths, 1,141 suspected cases, and 65 confirmed cases reported. Disclosing this in a public advisory, the Director-General of the Centre, Dr Jide Idris, said the cases that occurred between January and June 11, 2024, were reported from 96 LGAs in 30 states. He stated that the 10 states that contributed 90 percent to the burden of cholera include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos States. He urged Nigerians to be wary of the increasing trend of…

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has accused Finland of shielding Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Musa, who was a guest on Channels Television’s special broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 25th Democracy Day in Abuja also decried the activities of IPOB in the South-East, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Ekpa. He called on the Nigerian government to take decisive action, including exploring diplomatic options to curb the menace of the factional leader of the IPOB. “We have repeatedly complained about the issue of Simon Ekpa. He is in Finland…

The number of Nigerians denied Schengen visa applications has reached its highest point in four years, following the implementation of stricter visa policies and increased scrutiny by the European Union. According to data from SchengenVisaInfo.eu, an independent Europe-based platform for Schengen visa-related information, Nigerian visa rejections rose by 9.97% in 2023, totaling 42,940 rejections compared to 39,189 in 2022. The financial impact of these rejections has also grown, with the cost of denied visas escalating to €3.44 million in 2023 from €3.14 million the previous year. Schengen.News attributes this increase to the more stringent visa policies and checks adopted by…

Italian giants Juventus on Wednesday named Thiago Motta as their new coach, replacing Massimiliano Allegri who was sacked last month. “It’s official, the next Juventus coach will be Thiago Motta. The Italian-Brazilian has signed with Juventus until June 30, 2027,” the club said in a statement. Motta, 41, was previously in charge at Serie A rivals Bologna. “I am really very happy to start a new experience at the helm of a big club like Juventus,” said Motta who, according to the Italian press, will earn an annual salary of 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million). Motta made his coaching name…