Author: Festus Adeloye

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu on Friday said the country has not invested enough in infrastructural development. According to him, several problems being encountered recently by Nigerians are a direct result of under-investment in several multi-dimension infrastructures. The minister spoke at the National Assembly during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Appropriation under the chairmanship of Senator Olamilekan Adeola. The minister was invited to provide insight into the ₦6.2tn supplementary appropriation approval for the 2024 budget by the National Assembly as requested by President Bola Tinubu. Bagudu commended President Tinubu for the political will to…

The Federal Government has fined the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta Platforms Inc., the sum of $220m for an unauthorised appropriation of personal data without user consent, discriminatory practices against Nigerian users, and the abuse of Meta’s dominant market position. A statement by the the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Friday, said the decision was taken after its joint investigation with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), revealed extensive and ongoing violations of Nigerian laws, following a comprehensive 38-month investigation into its data privacy practices and market behaviour. According to the statement, between May…

The Director-General of the Labour Party’s presidential campaign in the 2023 election, Dr Doyin Okupe, has stated that the candidate of the party, Peter Obi, betrayed the Peoples Democracy Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to contest the election. According to Okupe, Obi’s presidential interest forced him to go against Atiku, who brought him into national politics. Okupe denied the insinuation that he betrayed Obi, maintaining that he decided to withdraw his support for the LP presidential candidate because he was no longer interested in working with him. The politician spoke in a viral video circulated on social media on Friday. He…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all banks and other financial institutions to transfer funds in all dormant accounts to the apex bank. A circular by CBN Ag. Director of Financial Policy and Regulations, Mr. John Onoja, last night indicated that accounts that have remained dormant for 10 years and above would be affected. It said, “The provisions of this guideline shall apply to all financial institutions under the purview of the Central Bank of Nigeria.” The apex bank said that the objectives of these guidelines, among others, were to identify dormant accounts/unclaimed balances, and financial assets with…

Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has reflected on his survival during the regime of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, describing it as a “bit of a miracle.” In an interview with TheNEWS to mark his 90th birthday, Soyinka recounted how Abacha was “mad” and “obsessed” with him, leading many people to suffer for associating with him. Soyinka shared a story about a driver who once worked for Abacha and later approached his new boss, expressing a desire to meet Soyinka, the man who had given Abacha “such nightmares.” The driver had overheard Abacha and his visitor discussing Soyinka and…

Adidas said Friday it had dropped vocal pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign for retro sneakers referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, which were overshadowed by a massacre of Israeli athletes. The German sportswear giant recently relaunched the SL72, a shoe first showcased by athletes at the 1972 Olympics, as part of a series reviving old classic sneakers. Eleven Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed at the 1972 Munich Games after gunmen from the Palestinian Black September group broke into the Olympic village and took them hostage. Hadid, who was born in the US but has…

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade, on Friday, July 19, ordered a massive show of force in the state. Areas covered by the operatives were Ikeja, Ojota, Third Mainland Bridge, Obalende, VI, Lekki, Apongbon, Ijora, Costain, Stadium, Ogunlana Drive, Itire, Ojuelegba, Palmgroove, Maryland etc. There have been reports that some Nigerians, under various bodies, are planning a nationwide protest between August 1 and 10 against the rising cost of living and the economic hardship in the country. This development has prompted police and other security operatives to be on red alert over the planned nationwide protest. A statement…

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has reserved judgment on a suit filed by sacked elected state, local government and ward executives of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state under the leadership of Chief Emeka Beke, against the party’s National Executive and the Seven-man Caretaker Committee in the state led by Chief Tony Okocha. Other defendants in the suit filed by Sam Sam Etetegwung, for himself and all elected executive members of APC, the Inspector General of Police, Nigerian Police Force and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Etetegwung, Banarth Ezemoye and Ezekiel Ubom, for themselves…

The FCT police command on Thursday, July 18, 2024, released Alhaji Yushau Shuaibu on bail to his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju. Recall that Alhaji Yushau had attempted to commit suicide by climbing a broadcast mast belonging to Aso radio in Katampe, Abuja on July 8. He was arrested and subsequently sent to the FCTA’s Social Development Secretariat for mental assessment and evaluation. A statement by SP Josephine Adeh, Spokesman of FCT Command said, “The assessment report indicated that he is mentally stable”. “However, symptoms of anxiety, persistent worry, and fears were observed in the course of profiling him. “The FCTA SDS…

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has disclosed that the Dangote refinery has not been licensed to begin operations in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, made this known while speaking with journalists at the State House, Abuja on Thursday. Ahmed debunked claims that the regulatory body was attempting to scuttle the operations of the private refinery due to lack of crude oil supply from International Oil Companies. He stated that the refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage and has not been licensed yet. He said, “There are lots of concerns about the…