Author: Festus Adeloye

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has defended the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens to engage in peaceful protest, amid growing economic challenges and reports of planned demonstrations. In a statement on Tuesday via X, Atiku emphasised the legal basis for public demonstrations, saying, “For the avoidance of doubt, the rights of citizens to protest are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by our courts.” He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which “unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association.” The former Vice President criticised attempts to discourage or prevent protests, saying, “Chasing shadows and contriving purported…

Madam Cecilia Abosede Attah, the mother-in-law of billionaire businessman and Chairman of Geregu Power PLC, Femi Otedola, has passed away. The news of her death was announced on X.com by Otedola’s daughter, Florence Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy, on Tuesday. In her post, DJ Cuppy expressed her grief and shared that, although the loss is painful, she finds solace in the belief that her grandmother is in heaven. She highlighted the significant influence her grandmother had in shaping her mother and, consequently, herself. “My mummy’s mother has passed away. I find comfort in knowing she’s in heaven, watching over…

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has increased the benchmark lending rate to 26.75 per cent. The hike in the Monetary Policy Rate was disclosed by the Governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, at the end of the 296th MPC meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. The MPC had maintained a hawkish stance to tame inflation since it resumed meeting this year and thus far, it has hiked rate by more than 500 points. The rate was raised to 26.25 per cent in May. However, with inflation moving to 34.19 per cent in June, according to the…

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, stated on Tuesday, July 23, that the proposed nationwide protest was ill-advised. He urged citizens to avoid the planned protest. Egbetokun’s statement was made in response to social media campaigns rallying for a nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 due to the economic hardship in the country. Speaking during a meeting with commissioners of police in Abuja, he noted that the country has experienced violent protests with severe consequences. The IG added that the last EndSARS protest worsened crime rates and insecurity in several parts of the country. The police boss said:…

The CEO of Tesla and Space X, Elon Musk, has said he was “tricked” into granting permission for his child to undergo puberty blockers. Musk made the disclosure in a live interview with psychologist Jordan Peterson on X on Monday. During the conversation, Peterson mentioned Musk’s decision to relocate SpaceX’s headquarters from California, citing the state’s new legislation, Assembly Bill 1955, which enables schools to keep a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity confidential from their parents. This move came after California Governor, Gavin Newsom, signed the bill into law on Monday, July 15, 2024. When Peterson asked the owner…

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has apologised to his colleague, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over his nightclub comment. During the plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio stated that he would never deliberately denigrate a woman. Speaking on the floor of the Red Chamber, Akpabio reiterated that he never intended to insult any woman. Akpabio mentioned that his phone had been overwhelmed with insults regarding the issue. The incident occurred last Thursday when Akpabio rebuffed Natasha while she attempted to speak without being invited to during his speech. He remarked, “Senator Natasha, you cannot speak without being asked or invited to speak in the Senate.…

The senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Ezenwa Onyewuchi, has dumped the Labour Party (LP) and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). Onyewuchi also declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration. His letter of defection was read on the floor of the red chambers by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, July 23. Recall in 2022, Senator Onyewuchi left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the Labour Party (LP). Onyewuchi was also a former member of the House of Representatives – Owerri-Municipal/Owerri-North/West-Federal Constituency The letter partly reads: “This decision is due to the intractable division and crisis in…

The Police headquarters in Abuja has described shocking and unfounded, trends of discussions on the dilapidated status of barracks and their redevelopment, specifically the Falomo Barracks and others in Lagos in social media dismissing allegations that the barracks have been sold. Rather the Police said the barrack along with others is being redeveloped in partnership with sub-national governments and reputable developers to unlock value in the assets by building more befitting and modern barracks Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi made this known on Tuesday. He said, “Following series of misleading write-ups and social media comments alleging that the…

Akinwunmi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has criticised the “monopoly” accusations against Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL). Adesina spoke in an X post shared by Femi Otedola on Tuesday. On July 20, Dangote said the board of directors agreed that the company should halt plans to invest in Nigeria’s steel industry “to prevent accusations of being branded a monopoly”. Prior to this, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) claimed that refineries in the country — including the Dangote refinery — produce inferior petroleum products. The regulator also accused Dangote of monopoly…

Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says he does not own a blending plant in Malta. Kyari spoke on Tuesday in response to claims by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, that officials of the NNPC operate an oil facility in Malta — an island country located in the central Mediterranean Sea. Apart from the NNPC personnel, Dangote, who addressed the house of representatives on July 22, also alleged that oil traders and terminals have opened a blending plant in the island nation. An oil blending plant has no refining capability…