Author: Amina Mohammed

Nigeria Senate in rowdy session over bill to ban cattle grazing and ranching business on Wednesday. Tensions ran high as the bill to ban open grazing successfully passed its second reading in the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday. The legislative session was marked by heated debates and strong emotions, reflecting the contentious nature of the proposed law. If enacted, this bill will finally prohibit open grazing nationwide, aiming to resolve longstanding conflicts between herders and farmers. The bill, sponsored by Senator Titus Zam, representing Benue North West,  outlines specific regulations for the establishment and management of ranches, promoting best practices and…

The renowned senior pastor and general overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, is celebrating 20 years of marriage to his wife, Lizzy. In a heartwarming tribute posted on social media, Apostle Suleman expressed his deepest gratitude to his wife for her unwavering support, friendship, and peace. He wrote on Instagram: “Happy anniversary to 26 years of friendship and 20 years of marital glory. Thanks, Lizzy for being a blessing and a gift to me. Thanks for the peace you give. Thank you, Lord, for life, health and blessings…It’s my 20th marriage anniversary. Say a prayer for us…” The…

Kaduna State House of Assembly has recommended that the immediate-past governor of the state, Nasir el-Rufai, be prosecuted for alleged abuse of office and money laundering in his administration. This was following the investigation of the ad-hoc committee set up by the House, led by Henry Zacharia. According to the report submitted by Zacharia on Wednesday, most of the loans obtained under el-Rufai’s administration were not used for their intended purpose, and in some cases, due process was not followed in securing the loans. The committee, therefore, recommended the investigation and prosecution of the ex-governor and some other indicted members…

The Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has assured depositors of Heritage Bank it was already in the process of paying them. The Managing Director of NDIC, Bello Hassan,  stated this at a briefing where he outlined the processes of repayment, insisting that the corporation will not take 30 days as stipulated by law but will settle customers within one week. The Nation reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday, June 4, revoked the banking licence of Heritage Bank. According to the CBN, the decision was due to the bank’s inability to improve its financial performance. “The Board…

At least 30 state governments spent N986.64bn on recurrent expenditures, including refreshments, sitting allowances, travelling, utilities, among others between January and March 2024. This was contained in a budget assessment done by Open Nigerian States, a website supported by BudgIT that acts as a repository for public budget data, were analysed. A breakdown showed that the 30-state government spent N5.1bn on refreshments for guests, N4.67bn on sitting allowances to government officials, N34.63bn on local and foreign travel expenses, and N5.64bn on utility bills, amounting to N50.02bn in the first three months of 2024. The general utilities include electricity, internet, telephone…

Liverpool FC has submitted its Premier League retained list following the end of the 2023-24 season, with confirmation of the departure of several senior and Academy players. As announced last month, “Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are set to leave the Reds upon the expiry of their contracts this summer, following eight and four years respectively with the club,” a Wednesday statement obtained from the club website read. The club hailed Matip and Thiago’s contribution to the club’s success during their spell. “Centre-back Matip surpassed 200 appearances during his time on Merseyside, scoring 11 goals and claiming seven honours –…

The Nigeria Customs Service, Western Marine Command on Tuesday, handed over 17 sacks of Cannabis Sativa, containing 1, 257 parcels worth N96m, intercepted along Bar Beach in Lagos State, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Speaking during the handover at the command  in Apapa, Lagos, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Paul Bamisaiye, said that the officers of the command, in a bid to purge the Western waterways of smuggling activities, intercepted the hard drugs weighing 609kg. He stated that a patrol team at the Bar Beach station received credible intelligence on the movement of a boat on…

Oando Plc has recorded nearly the highest possible gain at the Nigerian stock market since the release of its latest financial and operational reports. Ivestors have shown strong positive response to the latest earnings reports , which showed a major recovery for the indigenous energy provider. Oando had at the weekend released its results for the year ended December 31, 2023 showing a pre-tax profit of N104.1 billion, in a major turnaround from recent streak of losses. Despite the negative overall market situation, Oando has been a major contrarian stock. In the week’s opening trading session, Oando’s share price recorded…

US President Joe Biden will meet with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in Normandy, France, this week and then again at the G7 meeting in Italy to discuss Kyiv’s fight against Russia, the White House said Tuesday. The double show of support comes after Biden faced criticism for saying he would skip an upcoming Ukrainian peace summit in Switzerland to attend an election fundraiser featuring Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts instead. While in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings this week, Biden will “have the opportunity to sit down with President Zelensky” National Security…

National Orientation Agency has assured Nigerians that a standardised version of the national anthem would be issued after due consultation with stakeholders. The Director-General of the Agency, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, gave the assurance in a statement issued by the agency’s Deputy Director of press, Mr Paul Odenyi on Tuesday in Abuja. Issa-Onilu stated this after several versions of the anthem appeared on social media. “Our COMOS whom we ordered to learn the new national anthem have come up with feedback that many of our people are eager to learn and promote the new anthem. However, they are confused and wonder…