Author: Opalim Lifted

The Dangote Group has announced a major milestone in its energy ambitions, confirming it has achieved its first oil from upstream assets in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. The development signals a strategic shift as the company moves closer to securing its own crude supply for the Dangote Refinery, one of Africa’s largest refining projects. Speaking to Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, Devakumar Edwin, vice-president of the Dangote Group, revealed that early-stage testing is already underway. “We have opened a well and begun standard testing, which should be completed in the next three to four weeks,” Edwin said. He added that…

Nigerian singer Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has officially announced a change to his birthday celebration date. The artist, who was born on November 18, 1981, declared that he will no longer observe his birthday on the same date he shares with his twin brother, Paul Okoye. He made this known via a statement released on social media to his family, friends, and fans. Peter made it clear that he is moving his celebration to the end of the month. He wrote, “Dear family, friends, and fans, I’m making it official. November 18th is no longer my birthday…

Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday officially inaugurated the 6.72km Agbura–Oxbow Lake Road in Bayelsa State. The newly completed road will serve as a convenient bypass for residents of Agbura, Ogbia communities, and motorists traveling to Nembe and beyond from Swali Market. During the inauguration, the former Vice President expressed appreciation to Governor Douye Diri for his efforts to improve the lives of Bayelsans through enhanced infrastructure. Osinbajo, while thanking Governor Diri for the invitation to commission the project, noted that it is not often in politics that people keep to their promises. He described Diri as a…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released its timetable and schedule of activities ahead of the 2027 elections. In a statement issued on Monday night and signed by Sulaiman Argungu, APC’s National Organising Secretary, the ruling party pegged the cost of nomination and expression of interest forms for presidential aspirants at N70 million and N30 million, respectively. For the governorship ticket, the party fixed the expression of interest form at N10 million and the nomination form at N40 million. Senate aspirants are to pay N3 million for the expression of interest form and N17 million for the nomination form, while…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said Nigeria can overcome deep-rooted ethnic and religious prejudices, describing unity as essential to building a stable and inclusive nation. Speaking on Monday at the maiden Policy Making and Good Governance Lecture Series organised by National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru near Jos, Osinbajo stressed that no citizen should face discrimination based on tribe or religion. Delivering a lecture titled “Creating a homeland for all: Nation-building in a diverse democracy,” the vice-president warned against the growing trend of exploiting ethnic and religious divisions for political gain. He argued that while democratic competition…

Human rights lawyer Aloy Ejimakor has argued that the 2017 proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was politically motivated rather than driven by genuine national security concerns. In an opinion piece, Ejimakor said the designation was used to suppress dissent and criminalise political expression among the Igbo population. He cited multiple international and legal interventions that have challenged Nigeria’s position, including communications from the United Nations Human Rights Council and rulings from Nigerian courts. According to him, UN Special Rapporteurs in October 2020 urged Nigeria to reconsider the proscription, warning that such measures should not be used to…

A coordinated wave of Nigeria ransomware attacks has struck government systems and top financial institutions, exposing serious weaknesses in the country’s digital infrastructure. Authorities, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), confirmed that sophisticated cyber actors breached critical systems, triggering outages and suspected data theft. The fallout forced the CAC to temporarily shut its company registration portal, while the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) launched an investigation into the incident. CAC breach exposes millions of records At the centre of the crisis is an alleged breach of CAC infrastructure by a threat group known…

Youths of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday staged a protest at the Lagos office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Yaba, demanding the immediate resignation of the party’s national chairman, Joash Amupitan. The demonstrators, led by the party’s national deputy youth leader, Adeola Olusi, gathered under tight security presence and displayed placards with messages such as “ADC Is Not For Sale,” “Amupitan Is Already Compromised,” and “Democracy is Dialogue, Not Monologue.” The protest forms part of a wider mobilisation tagged ‘Operation Occupy INEC’, announced earlier by Balarabe Rufai. In a post on X, Rufai disclosed that…

The Nigerian Association of Social and Resourceful Editors (NASRE) has warned singer Peter Okoye over an alleged threat against journalist Bayo Adetu, urging him to retract the statement and issue a public apology. In a Monday statement, NASRE, led by Comrade Femi Oyewale, expressed concern over an incident said to have occurred at the Ikoyi High Court during proceedings in the ongoing dispute involving P-Square and their elder brother, Jude Okoye. According to the association, eyewitnesses claimed that Peter Okoye drew the court’s attention to Adetu’s presence, noting his past role as P-Square’s publicist. The remark reportedly stirred reactions in…

President Bola Tinubu has reportedly approved a $75 million investment in Flutterwave, as the company’s initial public offering (IPO) plans near completion. Dada Olusegun, special assistant to the president on social media, announced the federal government’s capital injection approval in a post on X on Monday. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given approval for the investment of $75 million in Flutterwave, as plans for the deal move closer to completion,” the post reads. At the current official foreign exchange rate of ₦1,343.64, the $75 million amounts to ₦100.7 billion. This is about 0.15 percent of the 2026 budget. The investment…