Author: Vincent Osuwo

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has decried what it described as a media smear campaign against Ahmed Farouk, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). In a statement signed jointly by Samson Ajasa and Mr. Humphrey Jonathan, NANS stressed that NMDPRA is a statutory regulatory body that must never be coerced, intimidated, or blackmailed to serve individual or corporate interests. NANS mentioned that while it had supported the Dangote Refinery during operational challenges, it drew a firm line against character assassination and reputational attacks against credible public servants. “The recent actions and…

The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has filed a petition against Ahmed Farouk, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. In the petition, dated and filed on December 16 via his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, Dangote requested the ICPC to detain, examine, and prosecute the NMDPRA head for supposedly living well beyond his lawful means as a public official. The petition submitted to the office of ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, SAN, claimed that Farouk spent over seven million dollars on the education of…

Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes admits it “hurt” to understand that the club “wanted me to go” when Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia made a substantial summer bid. The 31-year-old Portugal international turned down a transfer to the Saudi Pro League to remain at Old Trafford, even though Al-Hilal was supposedly willing to offer around £100m and salaries of up to £700,000 weekly. Fernandes holds a contract that extends until 2027, with the possibility of one more year. He mentioned in October, prior to his 300th appearance for United, that he won’t talk about his future with anyone until after next…

A French court has ordered Paris St-Germain (PSG) to compensate former striker Kylian Mbappe with 60 million euros (£52.5 million) in outstanding wages and bonuses. Mbappe was pursuing 263 million euros (£231.5 million) from his previous club after the prolonged conflict arrived at a Paris labor court in November. The European titleholders were counter-suing the captain of France for 240 million euros (£211 million). The 26-year-old forward for Real Madrid sought the nine-figure amount in damages due to a contract conflict and mistreatment by the club. Nonetheless, he received slightly more than one-fifth of that sum in court on Tuesday.…

Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati has been awarded the women’s player of the year at the FIFA Best Awards for the third consecutive year, while England manager Sarina Wiegman has been recognized as coach of the year for the fifth time. Bonmati, 27, played a crucial role in the Spain squad that placed second to England at Euro 2025, where she received the tournament’s best player award. The Spaniard secured a domestic treble with Barcelona, netting 12 goals and providing six assists in La Liga F, but finished as a runner-up in the Champions League after her club fell to Arsenal…

Paris Saint-Germain and France attacker Ousmane Dembele has been voted FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year. The 28-year-old, who won the Ballon d’Or in September, received the accolade in Qatar on Tuesday after helping PSG win four titles in the 2024-25 season. The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund player, who transferred to the Parc des Princes in 2023, scored 51 goals in 53 outings for Luis Enrique’s team last season. Dembele won the prized individual award after helping PSG win their first Champions League title, defeating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. Dembele attended the awards event before…

Former First Lady Aisha Buhari says she has no aspirations to remarry, calling her decision pragmatic rather than moralistic. “She will not remarry,” she says, almost with a shrug, she told Dr. Charles Omole, author of the new 600-page book ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,’ which was inaugurated at the State House in Abuja on Monday. It said, “It is not a moral pronouncement so much as a pragmatic one: she has grandchildren; one husband was enough.” The 22-chapter novel traced Buhari’s early life in Daura, Katsina State, to his death in a London hospital in…

Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has explained why her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, rarely fired underperforming aides and even advocated on behalf of some allies under investigation. Her story was featured in Dr. Charles Omole’s new 600-page biography, “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” which was unveiled on Monday at the State House in Abuja. “When asked to step aside for investigations, Buhari pleaded with the new government on behalf of his kinsmen, seeking to shield them from inquiry because he still depended on them for many personal matters,” read the 22-chapter book chronicling his…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has warned it may start committal proceedings against Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin regarding the intended reinstatement of the suspended motor vehicle tinted glass permit policy. In a statement signed on Tuesday by NBA President Afam Osigwe, the association announced that it would begin contempt proceedings if the IGP fails or declines to respond to what it termed a “lawful admonition” to stop the policy. It also cautioned that suitable professional disciplinary measures would be imposed on any lawyer discovered to have deceived the court. The…

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will lose the 2027 presidential election. Abaribe made the claim on Monday during an interview with Channels Television, in which he rejected the ruling All Progressives Congress’ (APC) demonstration of strength across states and political offices as detached from popular opinion. The senator also expressed confidence that Tinubu would be defeated in the 2027 general election, insisting that the president did not secure a genuine victory in the 2023 polls. “Tinubu will lose in the 2027 election; he never won in 2023,” Abaribe said. “We are going to meet him…