Author: David Great

French energy giant TotalEnergies said it has launched a land acquisition assessment for controversial $10-billion projects in Uganda and Tanzania slammed by environmentalists. TotalEnergies disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. “This mission will evaluate the land acquisition procedures implemented, the conditions for consultation, compensation and relocation of the populations concerned, and the grievance handling mechanism,” TotalEnergies said. It added that it would submit its report by April. The French energy giant is pushing ahead with its Tilenga drilling project in Uganda and its 1,443-kilometre (900-mile) East African Crude Oil Pipeline to the coast in Tanzania in the face of…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to halt the Thursday-scheduled inspection of the Nov. 11, 2023, Kogi governorship election materials by the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The party also called for the removal and discipline of the Kogi INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Gabriel Longpet, for having been heavily compromised by the SDP and its candidate. Kingsley Fanwo, the spokesperson/ director of media and publicity, APC campaign council, made the calls in a statement issued in Lokoja on Wednesday. The party frowned at the readiness of INEC to allow the legal team of…

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Jigawa Command, on Wednesday, said two persons lost their lives in an accident on the Birnin Kudu/Kano highway. The command’s spokesperson, Yahaya Ibrahim, confirmed this to journalists in Dutse, Jigawa State capital. Mr Ibrahim said the accident occurred at about 2.50 p.m. due to speeding and a burst tyre. He explained that the accident involved a Volkswagen Golf car with registration number TDU 520A A, conveying 11 passengers, out of which two lost their lives, and nine others sustained varying degrees of injury. According to him, the FRSC personnel who responded to the accident…

Johann Rupert and his family have surpassed Aliko Dangote to become Africa’s wealthiest man, according to a Forbes Magazine ranking. Nigerian billionaires Rabiu Abdulsamad and Mike Adenuga have dropped off of the Forbes Magazine billionaire rankings. The Forbes Daily billionaires ranking tool, which records daily changes in the net worth of the world’s most wealthy persons, indicated that Aliko Dangote dropped to second place when his fortune fell from $13.5 billion in 2023 to $9.5 billion at the start of 2024. The wealth of the billionaires on the list has declined significantly. Nigeria’s Mike Adenuga’s fortune propelled him to tenth…

Governor Ademola Adeleke has read the riot act to his cabinet members on service delivery. Adeleke also set up a monitoring and evaluation unit for quarterly performance reviews of cabinet members. According to a statement by Kolapo Alimi, the information commissioner, on Wednesday, the governor made the remarks while addressing the maiden State Executive Council meeting. Adeleke also directed council members “to redouble their efforts in service delivery to the people.” He added, “We should note particularly that 2024 is a critical year for this administration. By December, we will be reaching the mid-term. We must move fast in the…

Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing (JSM) company in Awa, Onna LGA of Akwa Ibom, has ended its operations, attributing the decision to “unforeseen circumstances affecting our business operations.” JSM reputed to be the largest syringe manufacturing venture in Africa, was inaugurated in 2017 by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Though it had stopped production many months ago, it finally announced the end of operations on December 31, 2023, saying it had to implement temporary measures to ensure the company’s long-term sustainability. In a memo addressed to all the workers, a copy of which was made available to journalists, stated that all positions,…

Nigerian stocks climbed 2.04% on Wednesday, extending gains for the second session in 2024 after banks, consumer goods and oil shares gained, LSEG data showed. The index all share index on the Nigerian Stock Exchange rose to 77,537.57 points, its highest ever. It gained 1.63% on Tuesday, the first trading session of this year, extending 2023 gains of 45.90%. On Wednesday, banking shares climbed 6.66% while consumer goods firms gained 2.42%. Oil firms rose 1.89%. The share index crossed a psychological threshold of 70,000 points for the first time in November, Reuters report. Chronicle NG

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested a truck loaded with more than 24,000 bottles of assorted alcoholic drinks. The board, which made the seizure on Zaria Road in Kano, also arrested the truck driver and two other persons. The director-general of Hisbah, Abba Sufi, disclosed in a statement on Wednesday. “The truck containing over 24,000 bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages was confiscated from smugglers along Zaria Road at midnight. “Hisbah personnel in the state have been proactive in enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against smuggling of beer and other intoxicating substances into the state,” he said. NAN

Fans and colleagues of late afrobeat singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, on Wednesday, took to social media to celebrate the artiste who would have clocked 28 today if he were to be alive. A former signee of Marlian Records owned by Azeez Fashola, known as Naira Marley, Mohbad left the label to establish his label named ‘Imolenization’. He died at the age of 27 on September 12, 2023. Posting the picture of the late singer on his instagram page, friend of the deceased and musician, Bella Shmurda said,  “Happy posthumous birthday my brother my friend Oba Imole. Rest…

Turkey said on Wednesday it had detained 56 high-priority suspects wanted by 18 countries for crimes ranging from drug dealing and money laundering to murder, counterfeiting and assault. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the suspects were listed on Interpol’s “red notice” on “diffusion message” systems, which flag suspects sought for arrest and extradition by individual countries. The detained people were wanted in the United States, Germany, India, and several former Soviet republics as well as other parts of Asia and the Middle East. Yerlikaya’s office did not disclose names, noting only that the suspects were rounded up in coordinated security…