Author: Vincent Osuwo

A telecommunications giant, 9mobile, has applauded the Nigerian Communications Commission for approving a 50 percent tariff adjustment. Obafemi Banigbe, Chief Executive Officer of 9mobile, praised the NCC in a statement issued Friday in Lagos, saying that the rate adjustment was intended to address difficulties in the telecoms sector. According to Banigbe, the tariff change will allow operators to reinvest in crucial infrastructure repairs and capacity expansion, which have been postponed due to budget constraints. He added that it would also enable operators to meet responsibilities and capital commitments required for future expansion. “Without this adjustment, the industry risked a decline…

The Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has extended his condolences to the family of the late General Jeremiah Useni, the former military administrator of the defunct Bendel State. Okpebholo, the governor’s chief press secretary, termed Useni’s death as a great loss to Edo State’s people and government in a press release published on Friday. He lauded the late Useni, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as a great statesman who advocated for educational reforms and oversaw the creation of key infrastructure. The statement read, “The demise of the former military administrator of the defunct Bendel State, General…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has introduced a new loan product, the Vocational Skills Loan Initiative, aimed at supporting individuals seeking to acquire vocational skills. Akintunde Sawyerr, the Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, stated on Friday that the loan products are designed to assist students in achieving their aspirations. Sawyerr made the announcement in a statement released to mark the International Day of Education, themed “AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation,” which aligns with NELFUND’s mission. In the statement, Sawyerr expressed NELFUND’s excitement about launching the Vocational Skills Loan Initiative, which aims to make…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, withdrew the arrest warrant issued against Ezekiel Thankgod, the former manager of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo, accused of alleged $345,000 fraud. Justice Alexander Owoeye had, on 16 January 2025, issued a bench warrant for the music producer’s arrest following an ex parte application by the EFCC seeking to force his appearance in court to face criminal charges. However, during Friday’s hearing, the EFCC’s lawyer, Mrs. Bilikisu Buhari, applied to withdraw the arrest warrant. Buhari argued that since the charges had already been served on Thankgod’s lawyer, Monday Ubani, SAN, in open…

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has commended the Nigeria Police for their role in rescuing Mrs. Folashade Odumusu, the wife of retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Hakeem Odumusu, who was recently kidnapped. Chronicle NG reported that Mrs. Odumusu was rescued by the police, as announced in a statement on Thursday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi. In a week-long operation, the victim was safely released, some kidnappers were neutralised, and weapons and ransom were recovered. Obi praised the professionalism of the Ogun State Police Command, stating that the rescue mission demonstrated their…

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has lost his elder brother, Sunday Makinde. The special adviser on media to the governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, announced the death of the 65-year-old in Ibadan, the state capital. The brother of the deceased, Olumuyiwa Makinde, who is also the Bada Olubadan of Ibadanland and Head of the Aigbofa Family of Oja’ba, Ibadan, announced the death in a message. “With a heavy heart, I announce the passage of my older brother, Engr. Sunday Makinde, to eternal glory today, Friday, 24th of January, 2025. “His sudden death occurred in his Ibadan residence at 3:20 am today,…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday joined the government and people of Plateau State in mourning the death of a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni (retd.). Useni died on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at the age of 82, following a protracted illness. Tinubu extended condolences to the family, friends, military colleagues, and political associates of the former Governor of old Bendel State, Minister of Transport, and Quarter-Master General of the Nigerian Army. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, conveyed this condolences in a statement signed Friday titled ‘President Tinubu mourns the…

US President Donald Trump has ordered officials to declassify documents related to three of the most consequential assassinations in US history—the killings of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. “A lot of people are waiting for this for long, for years, for decades,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “And everything will be revealed.” Trump’s orders direct top administration officials to present a plan to declassify the documents within 15 days. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. His brother Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated while running for…

The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, NATCOMS, will engage the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Friday, seeking a reversal of the 50 percent telecom tariff hike to 10 percent. The President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government approved a 50 percent tariff increase after operators initially requested a 100 percent tariff hike. However, subscribers are pushing for a 10 percent tariff adjustment, and if talks fail, they plan to file a lawsuit next week to challenge the decision. The increase, the first in over a decade, is aimed at revitalising the struggling telecom sector, which contributes about 14 percent to Nigeria’s economy…

Banks have begun the implementation of a daily withdrawal limit of N100,000 and a weekly limit of N500,000 on Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals. The implementation is coming after a direction by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on December 17, 2024, to limit the daily withdrawal on PoS to N100,000 per client and N500,000 weekly. According to CBN, the intervention is aimed at addressing identified difficulties, combating fraud, and ensuring uniform operational standards across the industry. Union Bank’s communication to customers regarding the introduction of the daily withdrawal limit on PoS reads: “In line with CBN directives, please note that effective…