The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has denied the claims by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that some officials of the NNPC have blending plants in Malta. Kyari, who stated on Tuesday, 23 July, 2024 while reacting to claim made by Dangote, said he does not own a blending plant outside Nigeria. Amid the crisis surrounding his $20bn refinery, Dangote had said: “Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi has pledged that the Agency will continue to develop new strategies, expand cooperation, and foster more collaboration to keep pace with the evolving trends in human trafficking. She gave the commitment in Abuja while unveiling the activities planned for the 2024 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, themed “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons”. The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2013 to be observed annually on…
A two week development camp opened in Abuja for the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Youth League All-stars. The 30 players who arrived camp on Sunday, July 21 and are staying at the Goodluck Jonthan Athletes Performance Hostel inside the FIFA Goal Project of the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. They are made up of seven players from the NPFL Champions, Rangers International Youth Team, six from the NPFL Runners-up and Remo Stars Youth Team, five from winners of the maiden NPFL U17 Youth League, Rivers United. The rest are four from Plateau United and Katsina United, two from…
Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, a former National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC). Mustapha, an ex-head of civil service in Kaduna, was received into his new party by the state APC Organizing Secretary, Alhaji Kawu Ibrahim Yakasai, and Secretary to Kaduna State Government, Dr Abdulkadir Mu’azu Meyere, at an event in his hometown Gubuchi, Makarfi local government area of Kaduna. Mustapha, who had earlier communicated his official resignation to the PDP chairman of Gubuchi ward in Makarfi LGA, said his action was based on personal reasons. He, however, applauded the party…
By Olowu Kuta I am very proud, as I always do home and abroad, to call myself a citizen of Nigeria, the blessed land of my forebears. From the bottom of my heart, I pledge to continue to be proud of Nigeria, come rain, come shine because there is no other place on this planet earth to be called my natural home other than here. I am also happy to say that my antecedent before and after I ascended to the throne of my ancestors as the 13th Olowu of Kuta in September 2012, has not contrasted my love for…
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Monday, 22 July, 2024 disclosed that plans are underway by the parliament to enact laws that would boost funding for agricultural activities to achieve the national goal of food security. Describing the fate of crude oil as uncertain, the speaker emphasised the importance of diversifying the nation’s economy, particularly in respect to agriculture. Speaker Abbas made these remarks on Monday, 22 July, 2024 at “The ‘Second Interactive Session and Workshop on Developing Bankable Business/Proposal Business Plans for Youth and Women in Agriculture,” organised by the African Development Bank Group, in…
The Federal Government is set to collect over N425bn from seven banks as a one-time windfall tax on their foreign currency revaluation gains for the 2023 financial year. On Wednesday, 17 July, 2024, the Senate approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to amend the Finance Act to impose a one-time windfall tax on banks’ foreign exchange profits in 2023. A windfall tax is a higher tax levied by the government on sectors or businesses that have disproportionately benefited from favourable market conditions. Findings by The PUNCH from the annual reports of the financial institutions filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited showed…
In a rare instance of gun violence in the Balkan country, a gunman opened fire in a nursing home in Croatia on Monday,22 July, 2024 killing at least five people, state media reported. State broadcaster HRT said an unidentified gunman entered a nursing home in Daruvar -some 130 kilometres (80 miles) east of Zagreb – and opened fire. At least five were killed and several others wounded during the shooting, HRT said. The outlet said the alleged suspect then fled but was later arrested by police. Croatian newspaper, Jutarnji list described the alleged shooter as a “war veteran” who killed…
Operatives of the the Ondo State Police Command have rescued all the Corps members kidnapped by bandits along the Benin-Owo Expressway. The kidnappers, numbering about 15, armed with AK-47 rifles, were said to have accosted the Sienna bus conveying the travellers, who include corps members, at about 11 pm on Friday, 19 July, 2024 at Omi Alafa Village in Ifon, Ose LGA, and dragged the victims into the forest. It was gathered that the driver and one traveller sitting in front of the vehicles were shot dead by the bandits. Ondo Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed…
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja presided over Justice A. M. Lamido, on Monday, 22 July, 2024 reaffirmed the nomination of Asue Ighodalo as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), in Edo State. In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Lamido in the suit marked CA/ABJ/CV/642/2024, the appellate court on Monday, 22 July, 2024 threw out an appeal brought by former deputy governor, Philip Shaibu. Recall that Shaibu had challenged the May 27th judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court, which declared Ighodalo as the rightful and duly nominated candidate of the PDP…