Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

There was pandemonium on Friday when a faction of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), stormed the National Hospital, Abuja, to attack two injured members of another faction. The two injured members were undergoing treatment following injuries sustained during an earlier clash between the factions. Several patients were forced to flee their hospital wards and beds following the violent attack by the NANS factions. Police officers, however, intervened by manning the National Hospital and dispersing the rioters in a bid to restore law and order. According to ThePunch, police officers were deployed to the Central Area where the hospital…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday evening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, witnessed the signing of an accelerated performance agreement aimed at expediting the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) to improve electricity supply in Nigeria. The agreement, consummated on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit, was signed by Mr. Kenny Anuwe, the Managing Director and CEO of FGN Power Company, and Ms. Nadja Haakansson, Siemens Energy’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Africa. The PPI, formerly known as the Nigeria Electrification Roadmap Initiative, was the outcome of the visit of former…

Senate Committee on Gas Resources probing the N250 billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) intervention funds to some firms in the oil and gas sector has threatened to involve the anti-graft agencies to recover the money from defaulting beneficiaries. The panel gave the threat when the affected companies, numbering 14, who had so far collected N135 billion out of the funds, appeared before it yesterday, to defend the utilisation of the loans they collected. The members described as unacceptable, the fact that there was no synergy between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the CBN on the project. They also…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it will freeze accounts without a Bank Verification Number (BVN) or National Identification Number (NIN) from April 2024. This is according to a Friday circular by the apex bank which instructed banks to place a “Post no Debit” restriction – which prevents customers from making withdrawals, transfers, or any other debits “for all existing Tier-1 accounts/wallets without BVN or NIN”. “Effective immediately, any unfunded account/wallet shall be placed on ‘Post No Debit or Credit’ until the new process is satisfied.  Effective March 1, 2024, all funded accounts or wallets shall be placed on…

The Northern Caucus chairman in the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ado Alhassan Doguwa, has debunked as incorrect the report that President Bola Tinubu presented an empty budget box during his budget presentation on Wednesday. “What people don’t know is that the President had submitted a flash drive of the whole budget before his presentation to the joint chambers,” he said. In a statement he released titled “Stop the Misrepresentation of Facts: We Did Not Receive Empty 2024 Budget Box from President Tinubu,” Doguwa said the speculation is unfounded. Doguwa said: “I write in response to the mischievous insinuations that Mr.…

Prince Kassim Afegbua has declared his interest to contest the forthcoming Edo 2024 governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking during an interaction with the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council at its secretariat in Benin City, Afegbua said he would not run government of Memorandum of Understanding if elected. He also said infrastructural decay, leadership deficiency, amongst others currently witnessed in the state made him to join the governorship race. He said the needless fight and altercations among the leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state, coupled with the…

Athletic Bilbao have tied Nico Williams down to a new contract amid reported interest from the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool. Williams’s previous deal was set to expire at the end of this season, sparking rumours of a potential free transfer away from Bilbao in the summer. But the 21-year-old has now put pen to paper on a contract which will run until 2027, potentially fending off interest from outside for the time being. A buy-out clause in the deal has not yet been disclosed. The Spain international rose through the ranks at San Mamés and has so far made 96 appearances…

OPEC+ has lowered Nigeria’s oil production target for 2024 to 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), from its previous target of 1.74 million bpd. The move comes as the group of oil-producing countries seeks to manage supply and demand in the global oil market. Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has struggled to meet its production quotas in recent years due to underinvestment and security issues. However, the country’s output has picked up in recent months, helped by more production offshore. OPEC+ also lowered Angola’s oil production target for 2024 to 1.11 million bpd, from its previous target of 1.28 million…

The Senate, yesterday, said the relative inexperience being exhibited by the Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake, has created a cloudy future for the yet to be explored wealth of the ministry. The upper chamber of the legislature, which summoned Alake, to appear before its Committee on Solid Minerals next Wednesday, chided him for disregarding its invitation and threatened zero allocation in the 2024 budget. Alake is expected to brief the senate committee on the federal government’s work plan to develop the sector and block illegal mining. The committee made the resolution, during its meeting and expressed…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have cleared Nigerian singer, Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, of fraud and rape allegations. The anti-graft agency and the police cleared D’banj of N-power fraud and rape allegations in different clearance reports upon completion of investigations. According to ThePunch, an affidavit deposed by Toheeb Lawal of an Abuja-based law firm, Law Corridor, before the District Court of Abuja shows that the Nigerian singer is free from any allegation. The newspaper said in the reports of the Nigeria Police Force Investigation and clearance from…

Everton have filed an appeal against their 10-point deduction by the Premier League, the club said on Friday. The Merseyside club were docked points with immediate effect last month after being found to have breached profitability and sustainability rules relating to losses. “Everton Football Club has today lodged with the Chair of the Premier League’s Judicial Panel its appeal of the decision by a Premier League Commission to impose a 10-point deduction on the club,” Everton said in a statement. “An Appeal Board will now be appointed to hear the case.” Earlier this month, the Premier League said Everton admitted that they had breached profitability and…

Crisis in the North-Western and South-Western regions of Cameroon has pushed it’s citizens to seek asylum in Taraba State. The refugees who are nearly 20,000 in number are presently camped in five various local government areas of the state, including Kurmi, Gashaka, Sardauna, Takum and Ussa. The refugees had appealed to the Taraba State and Federal Government to assist in alleviating their sufferings. Although worried about the security crisis rocking the state, the Taraba Governor, Agbu Kefas, has assured the refugees of their safety and protection pending the return of peace in their country. Represented by his Deputy in a…