Author: Festus Adeloye

Federal lawmakers on Wednesday asked the Federal Government to prioritise water transportation in the country. The lawmakers made the call during the budget defence session of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), stressing that it has been largely neglected compared to road and air transport. At the National Assembly joint committee on Marine Transport, Hon Ojema Ojotu who was re-echoing the views of other senators stated that, “If you look at what’s happening, road and air transport are given significant attention by the government. “As lawmakers, we are saying that the same level of priority should be given to water…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will not be conducting admissions for the law programme in some selected universities where the Council of Legal Education (CLE) has suspended the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) programme ) for the 2025/2026 academic session. This was contained in a statement released by JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday and made available to Channels Television. According to him, JAMB will not approve any admissions for candidates seeking to enroll in the Law programme at the affected universities for the 2025/2026 academic session. Benjamin further stated that the ban on registration…

Britain’s Labour government on Wednesday backed a plan for a third runway at London’s busy Heathrow airport, with finance minister Rachel Reeves saying it would help grow the economy while respecting climate goals. “I can confirm today that this government supports a third runway at Heathrow and is inviting proposals to be brought forward by the summer,” Reeves said in a speech, adding that a new airstrip “would unlock growth”. Despite opposition from environmentalists and some Labour MPs, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is determined to deliver major infrastructure projects to grow a UK economy that has struggled to take off…

Max Air has suspended its operations for three months following an incident involving one of the aircraft of the local carrier at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano. A spokesman for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, hours after the Tuesday night incident at the Kano airport. The flight, Max Air B734, operated by the aircraft with registration marks 5N-MBD, on landing at the airport, at 10:51 pm, suffered a wheel landing gear collapse and a tire burst while landing on the runway at the airport throwing passengers into…

A British-Nigerian politician, Florence Eshalomi, has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy to Nigeria. Her appointment makes Eshalomi the second Nigerian to hold the position. Confirming her appointment on X on Tuesday, she wrote: “It is an honour to have been appointed as the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria. “I’m looking forward to building on my close ties with Nigeria to promote a strong and flourishing economic relationship between our two great nations. “I am looking forward to strengthening the UK’s relationship with Nigeria to explore shared growth and opportunities for both countries.” Announcing the appointment in…

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commenced the safety audit of commercial airline Max Air after one of the planes of the local carrier suffered a tyre burst while landing at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Tuesday night. A source told Channels Television that the audit began immediately after the incident which occurred at 10:57 pm on Tuesday when Flight VM1605, which had earlier departed from Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos, touched down in Kano. The plane suffered a tyre burst, causing panic among passengers but all those onboard were safely evacuated without major injuries. It…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, in the N80.2 billion fraud case to April 3, following the commencement of witness testimony by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Bello is facing a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds. At Wednesday’s hearing, the EFCC called its first witness, a property developer and chairman of Efab Properties Nigeria Limited, Fabian Nwora. Nwora told the court that in 2020, his company sold a property in Maitama, Abuja, to one Shehu Bello for N550 million.…

Former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore has arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja for his arraignment. He is facing charges related to comments he made on social media, referring to Kayode Egbetokun as an “illegal IG.” Sowore is facing three charges under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024. The charges, filed in case FCH/ABJ/23/25, accuse Sowore of intentionally sending messages via his verified Twitter account, calling Egbetokun the “illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun.” The police allege that Sowore’s posts were false and aimed at causing unrest and undermining the authority of the police.…

As a way of increasing gas utilisation and expansion in the country, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has awarded 10 Gas Distribution Licences (GDLs) to six companies, including a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.  The licenses were issued in a ceremony on Tuesday, in Abuja. The six beneficiary companies include the NNPC Gas Marketing Company, Shell Nigeria Gas Limited, NIPCO Plc, Central Horizon Gas Company, Falcon Corporation Ltd, and AXXELA. Speaking on the development, the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, said the beneficiaries were selected from a pool of over 30…

Convener of the #RevolutionNow protest Omoyele Sowore has been arraigned by the Nigeria Police Force on charges of cybercrime before Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court Abuja. Sowore had honoured the invitation of the police on Monday, January 27, 2025, when he was questioned at the Force Criminal Investigation Department. He was subsequently granted administrative bail but rejected the conditions of bail and remained in custody. The police later filed a 16-count charge of cybercrime against him. In count three, the police said Sowore on December 20, 2024, through his X handle, called the Inspector General of Police,…