Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

The Senate on Tuesday stepped down the consideration of a motion calling for the reopening of Nigeria-Niger borders.  The Nigerian government had, in August, closed all its land borders with Niger Republic as part of the sanctions on the Niger military junta, which toppled President Mohamed Bazoum. Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano), in a motion during Tuesday’s plenary, said the border closure had deteriorated economic activities in many border towns in Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno states. According to him, the closure runs contrary to the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria that guarantees the security…

At least 500 people were killed when an airstrike from Israel hit Al-Ahi Baptist Hospital in Gaza, on Tuesday. According to Palestinian health officials, the hospital was packed with wounded patients and others seeking shelter. Several hospitals in Gaza City have become refuges for hundreds of people, hoping they would be spared bombardment. Israel has launched massive strikes into Gaza since Hamas crossed into the country on October 7, killing over 100 and taking about 200 hostage. The Middle East country had declared Operation Iron Sword and vowed to turn Gaza into rubble. Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari,…

Dutch winger Anwar El Ghazi has been suspended from training and games by his club side Mainz for a social media post about the Israel-Gaza conflict. The 28-year-old has since deleted the post which his club felt was “unacceptable”. Bundesliga club Mainz said El Ghazi “took a position on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that was deemed unacceptable by the club”. Former Aston Villa and Everton winger El Ghazi joined Mainz in the summer. He has played three league games for club after joining on a free transfer. In a statement on Tuesday, the club said: “Prior to making…

Harry Kane netted a brace as The Three Lions qualified for Euro 2024 courtesy of a 3-1 win over Italy at Wembley. Gareth Southgate’s side only needed a point to secure their place in next summer’s finals but they clinched the victory to seal it in style along with top spot in Group C. Italy had threatened to spoil the party when former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca lashed home Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s cutback to net his first goal in Azzurri colours on 15 minutes. England responded and Kane levelled from the spot with his 60th goal for his country…

Lagos State Government have begun processes to patch Lekki-Epe Expressway. The Lagos State government and Craneburg Construction, the contractor on the project, have committed to palliative action in order to lessen the suffering. The state government and the contractor met on Monday, identified the problems and proffered temporary measures that would help construction work and at the same time ease congestion. “The Lagos State government is aware of the hardship motorists are facing while travelling on Lekki-Epe Expressway and so wishes to state that their concerns are well noted, hence it is committed to improving this vital route and ensuring…

Popular musician, Tiwa Savage has postponed all performances including her first ever headline arena show in London. The 43-year-old said she has been battling a virus for the past few weeks and was instructed to be “on strict vocal rest for the next few months”. She relayed the information via her social media pages. The statement read, “To my dear Savage Soldiers, I’ve been fighting off a virus for the past few weeks and was today firmly instructed to be on strict vocal rest for the next few months. “I will unfortunately have to postpone all performances including my first…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that South Africa could surpass Nigeria to become the largest economy in Africa. According to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, South Africa, which has one of the most robust economy in Africa, is estimated to approach a gross domestic product (GDP) of $401 billion by 2024. However ,the Bretton woods institutions calculations suggest that Nigeria and Egypt, based on current prices, have GDPs of $395 billion and $358 billion, respectively. The IMF also projects that South Africa will briefly surpass Nigeria, the most populous African nation, for a year before falling behind once…

VAR Officials Darren England and Daniel Cook are to return to Premier League duty for the first time since their error during Liverpool’s defeat at Tottenham. England and Cook were the VAR and assistant VAR when Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool was incorrectly ruled out for offside in their 2-1 loss last month. The pair were stood down for two later matches that same weekend and excluded from the following round of fixtures. England will be the fourth official as Brentford host Burnley on Saturday. Cook has been named as an assistant referee for Sheffield United’s home game with Manchester United, also on…

President Bola Tinubu is to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and launch of the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) for 15million households. The event, to be held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, would be attended by cabinet members, the diplomatic community as well as top government functionaries and political aides. The day is an international observance celebrated each year on October 17 throughout the world. The observance of the day can be traced back to October 17, 1987 when over 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal…

The Senate on Tuesday dissolved into an emergency executive session after its Chief Whip, Muhammad Ali Ndume, complained about violation of rules in running the affairs of the Red Chamber. Ndume had raised a point of order to draw the attention of the Senate President Godswill Akpabio to his handling of affairs in the chambers which were against the rules. He said, “Mr. President there are some things we do in this chamber that are against the rules. Sir, nobody is too big to learn….” Akpabio did not allow Ndume to end his speech when he ruled him out of…

UK wages are outstripping inflation for the first time in nearly two years, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that regular earnings rose by a near record of 7.8% in the three months from June to August. There was 0.7% higher with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation taken into account. Revised figures from the ONS revealed that annual growth in regular pay excluding bonuses exceeded CPI inflation by 0.1% in the previous three months to July. They have initially estimated flat real earnings growth. It meant that wages were now rising faster than prices for…

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) spot prices have soared by more than 40 percent since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, when Hamas attacked festival goers. According to S&P Global Commodity Insights, spot Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices increased to $18.345/MMBtu on October 16. This increase of more than 40 percent since October 6 is ascribed to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which erupted on October 7, triggering geopolitical concerns and thousands of deaths. The confrontation remains urgent, with the US urging caution to avoid further escalation. Natural gas prices in Europe are volatile due to concerns about sufficient supply for…