Author: David Great

Social media giant Meta said on Tuesday it would pull the plug on the Facebook News tab in December in its biggest European markets — the UK, France and Germany. Users of the world’s biggest social media platform will still be able to read and share news on their feeds, the company said in a blog post. But Meta would no longer support the news tab and would not enter into any more deals with publishers to supply content in those countries, which account for more than 130 million users. The Silicon Valley titan has had several bruising legal battles…

Quique Setien, the coach of Villarreal, was fired on Tuesday as a result of the club’s sluggish start to the season. Setien’s team has lost three of their first four games and is currently ranked 15th in the rankings. “Villarreal CF announces that first-team coach Quique Setien is leaving the club,” the club said in a statement. “The club would like to highlight his great professionalism and commitment, as well as thank him and his coaching team for taking charge in a complicated situation last season.” Setien joined the club towards the end of October 2022, after Unai Emery abruptly…

The crisis affecting the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has taken a new turn as Professor Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, the party’s former national chairman, left the party, calling recent developments in the Party with factions fighting each other “really unfortunate and counter-productive.” According to him, it became absolutely necessary for him to resign from the NNPP as a result of the party’s continued descent into avoidable crises and conflicts, which have resulted in numerous instances of the suspension and counter-suspension of important party leaders, a bitter press battle, accusations and counter-accusations, and regrettably, the factionalization of the party. Alkali, a…

The Oyo State Government has sealed off some commercial banks as well as telecommunications masts around Ibadan metropolis. The Enforcement team of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, led by the Director, Land Use Charge, Olufisayo Ogunbiyi, during an enforcement tour around the city of Ibadan, said the action was due to non-compliance with payment of revenue to the coffers of the state government. According to the Director, Land Use Charge, the commercial banks and the telecommunications outfits have been served notices before the enforcement team visited them. He assured that once they pay the required Land use…

The acting IGP of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has posted and reassigned seven promoted DIGs to various departments. The Police Service Commission had previously promoted worthy officers to the position of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police. DIG Habu A. Sani will lead the Force Intelligence Bureau, DIG Frank Emeka Mba will oversee the Department of Training and Development, and DIG Bala Ciroma will lead the Department of Finance and Administration, according to a statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi. DIG Usman D. Nagogo will lead the Department of Logistics and Supply, DIG Ede Ayuba Ekpeji will oversee the Department…

The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has dropped the suit he filed in the Federal High Court to thwart alleged machinations by the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, to remove him from office. Shaibu cited the case with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1027/2023 in a circular dated September 5, 2023, which named the Inspector General of Police, the State Security Service, the Governor of Edo State, and the Chief Judge of Edo State as defendants. The deputy governor added that the decision to withdraw the action occurred after a series of discussions involving himself, Obaseki, and well-meaning individuals of Edo and…

The National Executive Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has expelled Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, following his alleged refusal to appear before the party’s Disciplinary Committee. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that  the 2023 Presidential Candidate of NNPP, had been earlier suspended by the party’s leadership at the National Convention on August 29 in Lagos. Recall that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NNPP set up a Disciplinary Committee and directed it to invite Kwankwaso to defend allegations of gross anti-party activities and mismanagement of party/campaign funds within five days. The NEC had warned that failure…

The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday $4.5 billion in clean energy investments in Africa during a landmark climate summit hosted by Kenya that is aimed at attracting funding for efforts to combat global warming. “We will deploy $4.5 billion… to jumpstart a pipeline of bankable clean energy projects in this very important continent,” said Sultan Al Jaber, who heads the government-owned renewable energy firm Masdar, the UAE’s national oil company ADNOC and the COP28 climate talks. Heads of state, and government and industry leaders, are among thousands of attendees at the Nairobi summit where Africa is promoting its potential as a…

David Umahi, Minister of Works, on Wednesday requested that the National Assembly release approximately N650 million that had been withheld for various projects across the country. He stated that the projects were virtually finished, but a shortage of funds was keeping the contractors on site. Umahi stated during a news conference in Abuja that the way Nigeria’s budgetary allocation was designed discouraged contractors from completing road projects. He claimed that releasing funding to contractors on a yearly basis caused road improvements to stall because the contractor had minimal access in most circumstances. “When you give a contractor N150m a year…

Eni reduces exposure to Nigeria with an onshore asset sale Other oil majors have sales of Nigerian onshore assets underway Jefferies pegs deal value at more than $500 million Italy’s Eni has agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary to local company Oando, the two companies said on Monday, the latest international energy giant to divest onshore assets in the West African country. With the deal on its Nigerian unit Agip Oil Company Ltd (NAOC), Eni takes another step in its long-term strategy to reduce oil exposure in favour of natural gas following its disposal in June of oil activities…