Author: David Great

Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, convicted and sentenced a 29-year-old Chinese national, Gang Deng, to five years imprisonment for offences bordering on illegal mining and possession of minerals without lawful authority. Gang was arrested along Tsaragi Road in Share, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State on Friday, September 9, 2022 by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The Chinese was found to be in possession of 25 tons of minerals suspected to be lepidolite, a raw material used for the production of…

UK inflation hits 10.1% in September, matching 40-year high Food prices rise by most since 1980 Pounds slips on data, BoE under pressure to raise rates The biggest jump in food prices since 1980 pushed British inflation back into double digits last month, matching a 40-year high hit in July in a new blow for households grappling with a cost-of-living crisis. The Office for National Statistics said the consumer price index (CPI) increased by 10.1% in annual terms in September. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a reading of 10.0%, after a 9.9% rise in August. The pound…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), says the cooperation with Nigerian security has significantly reduced the scale of oil theft in the Niger Delta Region, following the discovery of several illegal pipes. The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd, Malam Mele Kyari made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the ongoing Energy and Labour Summit 2022 organised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Kyari, in a keynote address, spoke on “Energy Transition: Positioning the Nigeria Energy Industry for the Future(Government Perspective)”. The GCEO while speaking on a wide-range of…

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Tuesday expressed support for the second term bid of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sanwo-Olu is seeking a second tenure on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Wike made the announcement at the 22nd National Women’s Conference, with the theme: ”Spring Forth, Stand Out”, organised by the Committee Of Wives Of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) in Lagos. He said that Sanwo-Olu’s performance had earned him a second term, commending the governor for giving women the opportunity to serve in various capacities in the state.…

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has pledged to build on the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari, if elected as President in 2023. Tinubu made the pledge when he addressed participants at the Ministerial Performance Review Retreat on Tuesday in Abuja. The APC presidential candidate, who made an appearance at the retreat on the invitation of the organisers, commended Buhari for doing so well for Nigeria since he assumed office in 2015. He said, ”Mr President and other members of the administration, may I state the following: “If elected, I will give due honour…

Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho, 30, is seeking a rise in salary to £150,000-a-week before signing a new deal with the club. (Evening Standard) AC Milan are pushing to speed up negotiations over a new deal with 23-year-old Portuguese forward Rafael Leao amid interest from Manchester United. (Express) Inter Milan and Slovakia centre-back Milan Skriniar, 27, and AC Milan’s Leao could both sign new contracts with their Italian clubs despite interest from Chelsea. (Evening Standard)  Chelsea are interested in signing Lille’s Canadian striker Jonathan David, 22, in January. (Jeunes Footeux, via football.london) Besiktas have dismissed a rumour circulating online that they are being forced to play Everton loanee Dele Alli, 26, after the English midfielder…

French cement maker Lafarge has pleaded guilty in the US to supporting the Islamic State and other terror groups. The firm agreed to a $777.8m (£687.2m) penalty for payments it made to keep a factory running in Syria after war broke out in 2011. Prosecutors said it marked the first time a company had pleaded guilty in the US to aiding terrorists. Lafarge said it “deeply regretted” the events and “accepted responsibility for the individual executives involved”. The cement manufacturer, which was bought by Switzerland’s Holcim in 2015, said their behaviour had been in “flagrant violation” of Lafarge’s code of…

Gunmen have abducted at least 10 healthcare workers in Nigeria’s Niger state and killed an unspecified number after bandits invaded a general hospital early on Tuesday, a hospital and military source said. Armed bandits operating for cash have kidnapped or killed hundreds across northwest Nigeria. Niger state officials have said that Islamist militant group Boko Haram had taken over multiple communities in the state, offering villagers money and incorporating them in their ranks to fight the government. The hospital source said more than 20 staff were kidnapped, including patient relatives, while the security source said two people had been killed…

The Kaduna State Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) Centre at Gambo Sawaba General Hospital, Zaria, conducted free fistula repair surgeries on 63 patients between January and September 2022. Dr Ado Zakari, the Director of Medical Services in the state’s Ministry of Health, made this known in an interview with NAN in Zaria on Tuesday. Zakari, the only surgeon at the centre, said that the feat was possible because of the consistent support from the state government, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Bashir Fistula Foundation. He said that UNFPA supported the procurement of surgical consumables and post operation drugs and supplies…

The Nigeria Security and Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Jigawa said two teenage girls have drowned in separate incidents in Dutse and Kafin Hausa Local Government Areas of the state. The NSCDC spokesperson in the state, Adamu Shehu, confirmed the incidents to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse Tuesday. Shehu said the deceased, Maimuna Hassan, 3, and Rabi Balarabe, 12, lost their lives on Sunday and Monday. He explained that the three-year-old fell into a neighbourhood water drain pit in Madobi village, on Monday. “The horrible incident occurred when the young girl left home around 5p.m. to join her…