Author: Opalim Lifted

Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former senator said Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s good looks may well be working against her in the senate (upper legislative) chamber. Ogunlewe represented Lagos east in the senate from 1999 to 2003. He was minister of works in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration from 2003 to 2006. Natasha Akpoti, senator representing Kogi central, had accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of making sexual advances towards her. The allegation was preceded by Natasha Akpoti’s outburst against Akpabio over seating arrangement. The female lawmaker was suspended on March 6 over the seat reallocation altercation. Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, Ogunlewe said Akpoti-Udughan’s…

A federal high court in Abuja has adjourned a suit filed by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, to March 25. Natasha had approached the court seeking an order restraining the senate committee on ethics and privileges from investigating her. On march 5, the court issued an order ex parte restraining the committee from conducting disciplinary proceedings against Natasha. However, the senate proceeded to suspend the senator for six months for allegedly violating its rules. At the court session on Monday, counsel for the first, second, and third defendants told the court that they had not been served with processes.…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has denied terminating its naira-for-crude sale deal with Dangote Refinery The company said negotiation is ongoing for a new naira-for-crude deal with Dangote Petroleum Refinery. NNPC announced in a statement on Monday after earlier reports that the government-owned oil company had reportedly suspended the naira-for-crude deal until 2030, as it has forward-sold all its crude oil. The discontinuation will force refiners to rely on international suppliers for crude oil, gulping huge costs in dollars and triggering an uptick in the pump price of petrol. However, Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer of…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said 2,030,627 candidates registered for its 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The board bulletin reports that this is the highest number of applications the board has received in its history of conducting the UTME. For context, over 1.9 million candidates applied for the UTME in 2024. Registration for 2025 UTME began on February 3 and closed as scheduled on March 8 across accredited CBT centres. JAMB said the quoted figure of 2,030,627 excludes the candidates who registered to sit for the examination at foreign centres. It said 200,115 candidates expressed interest in…

Some indigenes of Benue state on Monday staged a protest in front of the headquarters of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja. They protested the relocation of the state’s local government election petition tribunal to the nation’s capital. Speaking to reporters, Audu Gbaja, national coordinator of the Coalition of Civil Society for Transparency in Governance, said Abuja is outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction. “The electoral act states that for one to be qualified to petition an election at the tribunal, the person must have participated in the election,” Gbaja said. “In the case of Benue state local government petition tribunal,…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed a new case of Lassa fever in a 31-year-old physician who had recently travelled to the United Kingdom. NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Abuja. Idris stated that the patient, who was diagnosed in Ondo State, unfortunately succumbed to the disease before the test results confirming the infection were available. Idris raised an alert on the situation, stressing the need for heightened surveillance and precautionary measures. He emphasised that the latest case highlighted the persistent threat of Lassa fever in…

Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The development lays to rest months of speculation regarding El-Rufai’s immediate political plans. The former minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) had paid visits to political party chieftains, including Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday. In a statement announcing his decision, El-Rufai said the APC left him with little choice. “As a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have fond memories of working with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has discontinued the naira-for-crude deal with Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other local refineries, TheCable reported. The development could trigger an uptick in the pump price of petrol as local refineries — including Dangote — will now rely on international suppliers for feedstock, gulping huge costs in dollars. The NNPC reportedly told the refineries it has forward-sold all its crude, although production is now said to be higher than when the deal commenced. Nigeria officially commenced the sale of crude oil and refined petroleum products in naira to local refineries on October 1, 2024.…

China is set to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) courses in primary and secondary schools in a bid to strengthen the country’s goal to dominate the sector.  The Beijing Municipal Education Commission’s website, schools in Beijing, the capital of China, will offer at least eight hours of artificial intelligence classes periodically — starting from the coming fall semester which begins on September 1, authorities said. The statement said the schools can run them as stand-alone courses or integrate the courses with existing curricula like information technology and science. “Build municipal general basic courses. Implement the requirements of the national curriculum plan…

Five terror attacks that occurred in Nigeria in 2024 have been ranked among the world’s 50 most devastating, the 2025 Global Terrorism Index reported. The attacks, which took place in Yobe and Borno states, were carried out by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). They were ranked 7th, 9th, 24th, 30th, and 33rd on the global list in the report obtained by Chronicle NG. According to the report released on March 5, 2024, the deadliest of the Nigerian attacks occurred on September 1, 2024, in Yobe State, when 100 people were killed in an armed assault…