Author: Mayor

Former President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been charged with bribery offences relating to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Tuesday. Alison-Madueke, 63, has been on bail since first being arrested in London in October 2015. She will appear in court in the British capital on October 2, the NCA said. Soon after her arrest, her family’s lawyer told AFP she would strongly contest corruption allegations that have dogged her during and after her time in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. Alison-Madueke, in office…

The African Union announced on Tuesday that it has suspended Niger until civilian government was reinstated and that it would consider the effects of any armed involvement in the unstable Sahel country. Following significant disagreements on the subject, the Peace and Security Council “requests the AU Commission to undertake an assessment of the economic, social, and security implications of deploying a standby force in Niger and report back to the Council,” the group said. President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by army officers on July 26, which prompted the West African regional group ECOWAS to threaten to use force to restore…

Immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has cautioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against military invasion into the Niger Republic. He described any military intervention within the sub-region as a war between brothers. El-Rufai, on Tuesday, via his verified handle on microblogging site X (formerly known as Twitter), said, “As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our sub region is a war between brothers.” ECOWAS had disclosed plans to use force as a last option if the coup leaders…

JP Morgan, an American multinational financial services firm, has estimated that Nigeria’s net foreign exchange (FX) reserves fell to $3.7 billion as of the end 2022. This is contained in the firm’s latest report titled ‘Nigeria: Reform pause rather than fatigue’. Gross FX reserves represent the government’s total holdings of foreign currency reserves. Net FX reserves deduct foreign currency liabilities from gross foreign currencies reserves. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) data puts the country’s gross FX reserves at $36.61 billion as of end of 2022. JP Morgan, in its report, said the $3.7 billion figure is significantly lower than…

The chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations and Senator representing Ogun West senatorial district, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has alleged that soldiers of the Nigeria Army operating checkpoints around Ikeja axis of Lagos State are responsible for the killing of his senior aide, Mr. Adeniyi Oluwatosin Sanni, in the early hours of Saturday August 5, 2023. The Senator, who is still grieving the loss of his aide, stated that information available to him on the circumstances surrounding Sanni’s death indicated that he (Sanni) was stopped at a checking point around Ojodu-Berger Area of Lagos on his way to…

President Bola Tinubu on Monday charged newly sworn in ministers to prioritize the interests and welfare of the entire nation and its diverse population, above any regional or state-specific sentiments. Speaking at the State House Conference Centre during the inauguration of new members of the Federal Executive Council, President Tinubu emphasized the enormous responsibility the ministers now carry in formulating laws that will have a substantial impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of Nigerians. In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said, “You are not a minister of a…

Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has clarified the situation regarding the portfolio he was assigned. Responding to question from pressmen at the Presidential Banquet Hall immediately after his swearing-in, Mr. Alake, a veteran journalist and editor, said, “I chose the portfolio, and Mr. President kindly agreed,” referring to the surprise that followed his non-deployment to the Information Ministry, as widely expected. Given his professional background and previous experience in the public sector, Alake admitted the surprise. The future economic prosperity of the nation, he clarified, would be fueled by solid minerals rather than petroleum resources. “It’s as…

The Kano State police command has placed a ban on all street protests in the state as the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sits for the adoption of written addresses. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Husaini Gumel, made the announcement at the state headquarters on Monday. According to Gumel, intelligence reports revealed that both the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are mobilising for street protests against the tribunal sitting

Somalia’s government announced Sunday a ban on social media platforms TikTok and Telegram and an online betting app, saying they were being used by “terrorists” to spread propaganda. The move comes ahead of a much anticipated second phase of a military offensive against Al-Shabaab, the Islamist militant group that has been waging a bloody insurgency against the central government in Mogadishu for more than 15 years. In a statement, the ministry of communications and technology ordered internet service providers to implement the ban by August 24 or face unspecified legal action. “In a bid to accelerate the war and elimination…

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, on Sunday, posted a cryptic message on social media weeks after his ministerial nomination was not confirmed by the Senate. In a message via his verified handle on X, formerly known as Twitter, El-Rufai dropped lyrics of ‘Who The Cap Fit’ by the late Jamaican singer, Bob Marley. https://youtu.be/X3lT1CivkLo El-Rufai in his tweet stated, “Bob Marley of blessed memory is one of most talented musicians of all time. My love for reggae music is connected with his songs and music.” The cryptic message is a line from legendary reggae singer, Bob Marley’s hit…