Author: Festus Adeloye

President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to conduct transactions in Naira for the sale of crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other upcoming refineries. This decision was communicated by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Publicity, via his official social media account on Monday. The move aims to stabilise both the pump price of refined fuel and the dollar-Naira exchange rate. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) endorsed this approach, with the Dangote Refinery initially serving as the pilot project. Currently, Dangote Refinery requires 15 cargoes of crude oil annually, costing around…

The organisers of the planned hunger protest in Abuja have told the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that there is nothing that would stop them from using Eagle Square. Recall that a group, Take It Back Movement, had written to the minister requesting the use of Eagle Square for its protest on August 1, as well as the provision of security and utilities for the duration of the protest. In its letter signed by its Director of Mobilization, Damilare Adenola, on Friday, the group also stated that the minister must “ensure the provision of a 24-hour power…

The Nigerian Communications Commission has directed telecommunications operators to immediately restore all phone lines blocked due to non-linkage of National Identification Numbers to SIM cards. This disclosure was made in a statement on Monday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka. Stay tuned for more details…

President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, signed the new Minimum Wage Act into law. Tinubu signed the new law at 2 pm at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The brief ceremony was witnessed by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, among others.

Actor Williams Uchemba, has spoken out against men who intentionally impregnate women without intending to marry them. He condemned the behavior, calling it “madness” and “stupidity,” and warned it can have devastating consequences for both the men and their children. Uchemba emphasised that such actions stem from a fear of commitment and a dislike for marriage, which he believes is a sacred institution established by God. He argued that this behavior not only destroys the lives of the individuals involved but also contributes to the problems faced by society, citing the fact that many issues stem from broken homes. The…

Aggrieved MTN subscribers have flooded the company’s offices across Nigeria to voice their frustration over the blocking of phone numbers. The telecom company restricted access to several users’ mobile lines on Sunday, reportedly due to non-compliance with the National Identification Number (NIN) linkage requirement. The action follows a directive from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), mandating disconnection of SIM cards not linked to NINs by July 31, 2024. As of now, MTN has not released an official statement addressing the issue, and the exact number of affected lines remains unclear. Subscribers began gathering at MTN offices early on July 29,…

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has refuted claims of being in discussions to supply crude oil to any refinery in Nigeria, including the Dangote refinery. In a statement released on its social media, the NOC asserted that it has not engaged in any talks regarding crude oil supply to Nigerian refineries. The corporation emphasised its adherence to existing contracts with international partners and the official procedures for selling Libyan oil. The Dangote refinery, which began operations in January with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, has encountered difficulties in securing local crude supply. As a result, the refinery has…

Ndinne pair of the Big Brother Naija Season Nine show has emerged winner of the first custodian challenge. The duo won the challenge held on Sunday night when 14 pairs of 28 housemates got into the house. With this, the pair are automatically exempted from possible eviction in the first week of the “No Loose Guard” edition. The Ndinne pair has also been empowered to influence nominations for possible eviction in the first week as well. The duo was decorated with the custodian badge and given the custodian box, while they await further instruction from Biggie. The challenge involved the…

Olympic organisers cancelled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine planned for Monday after weekend downpours in Paris polluted the waterway but said they were “confident” the medal events would be held this week. In a joint statement, Paris 2024 organisers and World Triathlon said they had taken the decision to cancel Monday’s swimming training session because “water quality levels… do not present sufficient guarantees” to allow it to take place. The triathlon is the first Olympic event due to be held in the Seine, before marathon swimming in the second week of the Games. A swimming…

French energy giant TotalEnergies said on Monday it was withdrawing from two offshore gas fields in South Africa as they did not appear economically viable. A subsidiary of TotalEnergies owns a 45 per cent stake in a block off the country’s southern coast where the fields, Brulpadda and Luiperd, were discovered. TotalEnergies said they could “not be turned into a commercial development as it appeared to be too challenging to economically develop and monetise these gas discoveries for the South African market.” The block, spanning 19,000 square kilometres (7,335 square miles), is located 175km (109 miles) off the South African…