EARLY MORNING FIRE KILLS CUSTOMS OFFICER, WIFE, FOUR CHILDREN A fire incident killed six family members in the early hours of Monday in Ede, Osun State. The victims were identified as a Customs officer, Tijani Kabiru, attached to the Oyo/Osun Command, his wife, and four children. The fire reportedly started around 2 am at the family’s residence in the Olowopoku …

LACK OF AUTONOMY, CORRUPTION CRIPPLING LOCAL GOVTS –HOUSE OF REPS SPEAKER , TAJUDEEN ABBAS The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajuddeen has reiterated that lack of autonomy, corruption, inadequate funding, among others constitute significant challenges to the effectiveness of local governments. He stated this in an opening remark at the ‘National Dialogue on Local Government and Constitution Amendment’ …

FG BEGINS ROAD REPAIRS IN ENUGU, EBONYI, ANAMBRA FOR CHRISTMAS The federal government says all palliative repairs on bad spots of Federal and state roads within Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu have been ongoing smoothly and seamlessly. The federal controller of Works in Enugu, Smart Okpi, said requests had been made and approval granted for contractors handling various roads to effect …

GOVERNORS SAYING TAX BILLS WILL CAUSE HARDSHIP ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR POVERTY IN NORTH – SANI SHINKAFI Sani Shinkafi, executive director of the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD), has criticised the state governors who are opposing the proposed tax reforms. On October 3, President Bola Tinubu asked the national assembly to consider and pass four tax …

FORMER CBN GOVERNOR, EMEFIELE, OWNS 753 DUPLEXES RECOVERED BY EFCC – SOWORE A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, owns the large estate in Abuja with 753 duplexes forfeited to the Nigerian government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a court ruling on Monday. Human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele …

WHY SIMON EKPA CANNOT BE GRANTED BAIL – FINNISH AUTHORITIES Finnish authorities have given reasons why the controversial pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, cannot be granted bail in Finland. A Senior Detective Superintendent at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Mikko Laaksonen, said on Saturday that the Finnish legal system does not permit bail for suspects accused of the kind of offences …

EBONYI GOVERNOR THREATENS TO SACK STRIKING WORKERS OVER MINIMUM WAGE Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, has given workers in the state 72 hours ultimatum to resume work or face dismissal. The governor also threatened to replace them after their dismissal from duty. Nwifuru’s action followed a seven days warning strike embarked on by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ebonyi State …

GUNMEN KIDNAP GIGM PASSENGERS IN KOGI, DEMAND ₦100M PER VICTIM A tragic incident occurred on Saturday in Kogi State as gunmen attacked a GIGMobility bus traveling from Lagos to Abuja, abducting all passengers onboard near Obajana, along the Lokoja route. The driver of the bus managed to escape, but the remaining passengers were taken hostage. Reports indicate that the attackers …

OIL MARKETERS REJECT N1,030/LITRE PETROL PRICE AS PH REFINERY OPENS UP ON HALTING OPERATIONS The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) has confirmed that its operations were not entirely halted but scaled down temporarily to implement improvements.This clarification came as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) expressed concerns over the potential high cost of petrol produced at the facility. …

TOP 10 BANKS IN NIGERIA BY SHAREHOLDERS FUNDS IN Q3 2024 In the third quarter of 2024, Nigerian banks experienced a remarkable 79% year-on-year surge in shareholder funds, which soared from N11.2 trillion in the same period the previous year to N20 trillion, reflecting a substantial increase.This growth, according to data from Nairalytics, is driven by the shareholder figures of …

NIGERIANS IN URBAN AREAS NOW USE CHARCOAL, FIREWOOD FOR COOKING Nigerians in urban areas may have returned to the most affordable cooking fuels – charcoal and firewood, due to the increase in the price of cooking gas. Charcoal and firewood were used by mostly the locals and people living in semi-urban areas before the advent of cooking gas. However, when …

PORT HARCOURT REFINERY ANNOUNCES RESUMPTION OF FULL OPERATION The Port Harcourt refinery has announced the resumption of full operations after temporarily scaling down. This was made known by the Managing Director of the refinery, Mr Ibrahim Onoja, while addressing journalists after a facility tour of the refinery on Sunday, December 1, 2024, where he revealed that the facility had resumed …

CBN TO RETIRE 1,000EMPLOYEES Barring any last-minute changes, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will soon retire about 1,000 of its employees before the end of the year, investigations by Daily Trust have shown. Reliable sources at the apex bank’s headquarters revealed that the retirement would gulp over N50 billion in payoff to the affected workers. In what it described …

l SEVEN FOUNDERS OF LOCAL AIRLINES IN NIGERIA’S $1.7B AVIATION INDUSTRY The Nigerian aviation sector, despite being a critical element in the country’s transportation system and economy, has not reached its full potential compared to other African nations. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that aviation supports $63 billion in economic activity across Africa. However, Nigeria’s aviation industry contributes …

TRUMP APPOINTS NIGERIA-LEBANESE BUSINESSMAN ADVISOR ON ARAB, MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Nigerian-Lebanese businessman Massad Boulos will serve as his senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. The decision, made public on Trump’s Truth Social platform, highlights Boulos’ influential ties to the Middle East and his extensive business dealings in Nigeria, a key African economy. …