Author: Festus Adeloye

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…

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will do battle once more when they meet at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday while Australia’s Ariarne Titmus is hotly tipped to win her second swimming gold of the games. Also on the third day of action, Britain’s Tom Daley will try to prevent an anticipated Chinese clean sweep in diving, while China and Japan will duel for gold in the men’s team final of the gymnastics. Gold medals are also up for grabs in archery, canoeing, mountain biking, equestrian, fencing, judo, shooting and skateboarding. The hottest ticket in town will be at Roland…

Covid-19 is still driving Australia’s above-average mortality rate, research showed on Monday, with experts predicting the disease’s impact will continue to be felt for years to come. The Australian Actuaries Institute found that five per cent more people died than would be expected in 2023, amounting to 8,400 excess deaths. Experts measured the number of people who had died as a direct or indirect result of Covid and found the excess mortality rate was still higher than pre-pandemic levels. About 4,600 deaths were directly attributed to Covid-19, the ninth leading cause of death last year. Non-COVID-19 excess deaths, meanwhile, were…

In a recent development, Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate for the 2023 election, has reiterated his support for party spokesperson Kenneth Okonkwo, despite the latter’s criticism of his leadership. Okonkwo, who transitioned from filmmaking to politics and joined the LP in 2022, openly criticized Obi’s handling of party affairs, accusing him of neglecting the internal crisis and failing to strengthen the party’s foundation. In a letter posted on X, Okonkwo expressed frustration over Obi’s lack of leadership, stating, “Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of…

The Nigeria Police Force on Sunday defended its request for the names and other details of intending participants of the forthcoming August nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest. Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said having such details is standard procedure to ensure the safety of all participants and prevent any unlawful activities. The police had last week made the demand to protect peaceful protesters but many Nigerians including activist Deji Adeyanju rejected such a condition. In a statement on Sunday, Adejobi said, “It is vital to clarify that the IGP has never denied the constitutional right of every citizen to freedom of association and…

The highly anticipated Big Brother Naija Season 9 premieres today, Sunday, July 28, with a unique twist as housemates will compete in pairs. This season promises excitement, with the winning pair taking home a grand prize of N100 million. The first pair introduced is Chinwe and Zion, collectively known as ‘Zinwe’, followed by Michky and David, dubbed ‘Radicals’. Other pairs include DJ Flo and Rhuthee (Floruish), Chinne and Nne (Ndi Nne), Topher and Sooj (Aces), Victoria and Shaun (Shatoria), Wanni and Handi (Wanni x Handi), Tjay and Ben (Beta), Ocee and Ozee (Mbadiwe Twins), Toyosi and Damilola (Tami), Anita and…

A few hours after the former spokesman of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, announced his resignation, the leadership of the party has described him as one of the moles in their camp. Okonkwo dumped LP on Sunday over the lingering internal strife and leadership crisis threatening to tear the party apart. Reacting in a statement on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, said Okonkwo’s departure from the party did not come as a surprise to any of their followers who already knew that he was a mole within their rank. Ifoh also stated that…