Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have been named Africa’s best Men and Women’s Player respectively for the year 2023. Osimhen saw off competition from Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Mohammed Salah to become the first Nigerian winner of the CAF Men’s player of the Year award since 1999, while Oshoala claimed a record extending crown in the women’s category. Also, Super Falcons and Paris FC shotstopper, Chiamaka Nnadozie was named CAF Women’s goalkeeper of the Year 2023 while the Super Falcons won the Women’s National team of the Year award at the colourful award ceremony in Morocco on Monday, December…

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has suspended applications for new loans under its development finance intervention funds. Also, banks are now responsible for recovering those already granted. The apex bank announced this decision in a circular to the Chief Executive of banks, signed by Acting Director, Development Finance Department, Sa’ad Hamidu. Among other things, the CBN said it had commenced pullback from direct development financing interventions. CBN added that the banks are now responsible for the recovery of loans granted so far under the development finance intervention funds. The circular is titled “Suspension of Acceptance of New Applications under…

Former AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to the club as a senior adviser to the club’s ownership and management. The Swede, 42, returns to the club for a third time, six months after ending his playing career. Ibrahimovic had an illustrious 24-year career at clubs including Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain and Manchester United. He won leagues in four countries and is Sweden’s all-time leading goalscorer. AC Milan’s owners, American investment firm RedBird, who bought the Serie A club for £1bn in August 2022, have appointed Ibrahimovic as an operating partner across its sports, media and entertainment investment…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday in Maiduguri, Borno State, launched a fleet of 107 gas and electric-powered buses as well as taxis in the second phase of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s metro transport scheme. The scheme aims to cushion effects of fuel subsidy withdrawal. The ceremony took place around the Shehu of Borno’s Palace but before the event, President Tinubu, accompanied by Zulum, paid homage to the Shehu, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-kanemi. President Tinubu was in Maiduguri for this year’s Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference, but he took time to commission Zulum’s vehicles, after first visiting…

Afrobeats superstar Wizkid said that he will donate ₦100 million to children in need. On his Instagram Story, the artist announced that he would be starting with children in the Surulere area of Lagos State tonight, Monday, December 11, 2023. He said that he was making the decision in honour his mother who passed away on August 18, 2023. “₦100M for the kids for Christmas! God bless us all, starts in Surulere tonight. All in Morayo’s name, the love of my life,” his post read. The singer and his family laid his mother Juliana Morayo Balogun to rest on August 18, 2023, then celebrated…

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, on Monday, met with the members of the State Executive Council. The emergency meeting was held at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital and presided over by Governor Fubara. The meeting is not unconnected with the political crisis in the state, in which the lawmakers made a failed attempt to impeach the governor a few weeks ago. Amid the planned impeachment, the Assembly complex was eventually set ablaze by yet-to-be-identified persons. The emergency meeting followed the defection of 27 members of the 32-member House of Assembly from the governing Peoples Democratic Party…

Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen has finally arrived in Morocco for the 2023 CAF awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco. In a news that will lift the hearts of his fans, Osimhen has touched down in Morocco on a chartered flight for the ceremony. Napoli have accorded the 24-year-old significant support, allowing him to attend the event despite their upcoming UEFA Champions League match vs Braga on Tuesday. Osimhen will return to Naples immediately after the event to rejoin his teammates ahead of the crucial match in Europe. Osimhen is a strong contender for CAF Player of the Year award but face…

President Bola Tinubu on Monday, visited the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba Al Amin El-Kanem at his palace in Maiduguri. The President visited the traditional ruler in the company of the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum and other top government officials. Earlier, Naija News had reported the arrival of the President in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for the Chief of Army Staff annual conference. The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) plane touched down around 11:47 am at the Air Force Base in Maiduguri and observed a brief military parade. President Tinubu was received by Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno State,…

After several failed commencement dates, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery says it will kick-start producing Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel, and JetA1 or aviation fuel in January 2024. However, the company would delay petrol production commencement pending crude oil supply. The facility would require a minimum of six million barrels of crude oil to kick-start the full production of refined petroleum products, including AGO, PMS, Jet A1, and Dual Purpose Kerosene, otherwise called kerosene. But what the refinery got last week was one million barrels of crude oil, while the remaining five million barrels would arrive at the $20bn facility…

The country’s external reserves fell by $520.22 million in five weeks, figures obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, revealed. According to CBN’s data on movement in reserves, the figures which stood at $33.396bn as of October 31, 2023 fell to $33.004bn as of December 7, 2023. The CBN had earlier revealed that the reserves which commenced January 3, 2023, at $37.07bn fell to $33.237bn as of September 29, 2023. Speaking recently at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria’s 58th Annual Bankers’ Dinner and Grand Finale of the Institute’s 60th anniversary in Lagos, the Governor, CBN, Olayemi Cardoso,…

The federal government may soon begin the unbundling of electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) to limit their franchise areas to states, instead of the current regional arrangement. This was disclosed by Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, at the weekend, during a meeting with the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, in Abuja. It was widely perceived that many of the Discos did not have the required capacity to effectively manage the unwieldy franchises they were allocated during the privatization program in 2013, thereby contributing to Nigeria’s deplorable power supply situation. On his X handle, Adelabu, who said he shared…

ECOWAS leaders have resolved to urgently review efforts to activate a standby force for counterterrorism operations in areas infested by terrorist groups. A communiqué read by Dr. Omar Touray, President of ECOWAS Commission, at the end of the 64th ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, on Sunday in Abuja, said the leaders reiterated their commitment to the eradication of terrorism and other threats to peace, security, and stability in the region. They also resolved to hold an extraordinary summit on unconstitutional changes of government aimed at promoting peace, security, and democracy in the…