Author: Khadijah Olowode

Seizes Consignment Hidden in Noodles Packs Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70 kilograms concealed in African salad popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos state. NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security had on Thursday 28th March intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The rehabilitation of the Third Mainland and Carter bridges in Lagos will cost N21 billion and N25 billion, respectively The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, made this disclosure during a Friday, 29 March, 2024 tour of key infrastructure projects in Lagos with the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works. According to Umahi, there is a need to declare an emergency on the two bridges to avert a reconstruction cost of N6 trillion. The minister warned of the substantial financial and safety risks posed by continued delays of the rehabilitation works. “The cost of rehabilitation of the Third Mainland…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike At least 38 families of deceased personnel of the Niger State Police command who lost their lives in the line of duty between 2022 and 2023 have been presented with a cheques of of N44 million by the state Police Commissioner, Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman Danmammaan made the presentation during the end-of-the-month conference at the Police Officers’ Mess, Minna, the state capital. According to the police boss, the financial support was given to the families under the Group Life Assurance Scheme of the force to provide succour to the families and next of kin. The commissioner also presented…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market, Senator Osita Izunaso, has cried out that the recent bank capitalisation comes with unique risks, especially when banks opt for the private placement route. Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria had on Thursday, 28 March, 2024 announced new guidelines on its recapitalisation policy for banks, directing commercial banks with international authorisation to increase their capital base to N500 billion, and national banks, N200 billion. Izunazo, in a statement on Friday, 30 March, 2024 said that the CBN should intensify efforts to ensure that laundered funds are not…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Plans are underway to position Nigeria as a major player in the vehicle manufacturing industry, as it is set to commence local manufacturing of vehicles in the next ten years. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, made this disclosure this on Friday, 29 March, 2024, at the launch of the Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plan. Speaking at the gathering that was attended by stakeholders drawn from the private and public sectors, the minister said the country can produce vehicles, including motorcycles, tricycles, sedans and heavy trucks. Uzoka-Anite noted that the goal was to cut down on…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike At least 63 persons have been arrested by Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps across various locations in the state for crossing the highway without using the pedestrian bridges and for engaging in street trading. The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made this disclosure in a post on his X handle on Friday, 28 March, 2024. The caption reads, “63 persons were arrested yesterday by the officials of Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps #LAGESCOfficial(KAI) at different locations in the state for crossing the highway without using the pedestrian bridge, and…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has removed limits placed on trade and payment services transactions on the Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS). PAPSS is a cross-border financial market infrastructure enabling payment transactions across Africa. The CBN disclosed this in a circular signed by Director of the Trade and Exchange Department, Hassan Mahmud. This followed the recent liberalisation of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, in line with CBN’s initiatives to boost foreign exchange inflows, particularly through the facilitation of intra-Africa continental trade. The circular reads: “We hereby revise our Circular – RefTEO/FEM/PUB/FPC/011005 issued on July…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Transmission Company of Nigeria,(TCN), has confirmed restoring the national grid following a system disturbance at 4:28 pm on Thursday, 28 March 2024, amid the Easter Holidays. Recall that Nigerians experienced nationwide darkness on Thursday, which resulted from the collapse of the national grid. However, TCN, in a statement by its general public Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the grid was restored with full recovery achieved by 10:00 pm on Thursday. She explained that an imbalance in grid stability caused the disturbance, which was worsened by the sudden tripping of Egbin generation turbine 3. “According to a report from the…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Central Bank of Nigeria,(CBN), has disclosed plans to closely monitor the recapitalisation of the Nigerian banking sector, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies. The move, according to the Apex Bank, is intended to prevent illicit financing in the sector. The Director of the CBN’s Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustafa, disclosed this in a circular on Friday, 29 March, 2024. The circular addressed commercial, merchant and non-interest banks, including promoters of proposed banks, regarding the new minimum capital requirements for banks. The banker’s bank said it will conduct the enforcement with the collaboration of relevant law enforcement…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike A 24-year-old man named Gadafi Bala, has been arrested by the operatives of Ogun State Police Command, on Friday, 29 March, 2024 for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl in Ogijo in the Sagamu Local Government Area of the state. The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, 29 March, 2024. Odutola said Bala committed the crime on Thursday, 28 March, 2024. The statement partly read, “A report received from Ifesowapo Otitoloju CDA in Ilara, Ogijo that a 14-year-old female JSS1 student of Aderegun Community High School, Ogijo was raped…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Reprieve may come way of Senator Abdul Ningi who was suspended for three months over his comment on budget padding . The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, gave this indication while fielding questions from reporters on arrival from the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Recall that Ningi was suspended for three months after about three hours of debate over his interview where he alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7 trillion. Akpabio spoke barely 24 hours…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Afrobeats sensation, Daniel Ikubor, known better as Rema, has spoke on his breakthrough in the music industry, just as he also revealed plans to give back to youths. He said this when he was hosted to lunch on Friday by Governor Godwin Obaseki at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State. The singer revealed that while he was performing on the global stage, he was able to export Benin culture through his artistic works. He said: “This is the time to do something for youths. I just want to do things. I have been able to…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike The Federal Government has announced the postponement for commencement of the train services on the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line till April. The Port Harcourt-Aba rail project is part of the larger Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail project initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. It was meant to commence operations by the end of March. The Minister for Transportation, Saidu Alkali, announced the new date in Port-Harcourt on Friday, 29 March, 2024, shortly after inspecting the reconstructed rail tracks. Alkali said the postponement was due to a delay on the part of the contractor handling the project, adding that it would…

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, SSAP-SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his 72nd Birthday. In a congratulatory message by her media aide, Desmond Utomwen on Friday, 29 March, 2024, Princess Orelope-Adefulire expressed that the 72nd birthday milestone of the President is worth celebrating with drums and trumpets, recognizing his extraordinary dedication to uplifting the downtrodden and his achievements as an administrator, Lagos State Governor, political strategist, and pro-democracy activist. “Though Mr. President has said we should not roll out the drums to celebrate him this time around, we cannot…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike President Bola Tinubu has showered praises on Nigerians for the sacrifices they have made in the past few months since his administration came on board. Tinubu said since assuming office as President he has made conscious effort to steer the country to the path of recovery and sustainable growth. He reassured Nigerians that the seeds of patience which they have sown are beginning to sprout and will in no time bring forth an abundance of good fruits. The President, who stated this as part of his message to the Christian faithful on the commemoration of Easter, described Easter…

By Abimbola Ogunnaike Big Brother Naija All Stars edition winner, Ilebaye Odiniya, has disclosed that the N120 million she won from the reality show is still intact. Ilebaye made this disclosure while responding to a fan who suggested that people might think she has gone bankrupt because of the moderation of her social media content. “When you don’t post people will think you are broke,” the fan wrote during a heart-to-heart chat with Ilebaye on Snapchat. Responding, the reality star said her low social media profile doesn’t mean she is bankrupt, stressing that if she flaunts her lifestyle on social media…

The leadership of the Omoluabi Progressives, a caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, inaugurated its standing committees to further advance and entrench its vision of returning the state back to the progressives fold in 2026. This was part of the decisions reached at its monthly meeting, in Ilesa on Sunday, 24 March, 2024 which had its patron and the immediate-past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in attendance, with a call on members of the committees to work assiduously to see to the success of its vision. Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Management Committee…

Operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Commander of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested twenty (20) suspected internet fraudsters in Oyo State. The alleged fraudsters were arrested on Wednesday, 20 March, 2024 at Akobo area of Ibadan, following actionable intelligence on their suspected fraudulent internet -related activities. Items recovered from them include ten exotic cars, twelve laptops, 41 mobile phones, one play-station 5, one television set and other incriminating documents among others. They would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, 22 March, 2024, expressed his administration’s readiness to collaborate with a technology company, Meta Platform Inc. (formerly Facebook) to deepen the digital space in the State. Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke during a courtesy visit by the President, Global Affairs, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook), Sir. Nick Clegg at the Lagos House, Marina. The areas of mutual interest between Lagos State and Meta Platform will include digital marketing scholarships for Lagosians, open source technology for training of young innovators in Artificial Intelligence, tools for local businesses to help develop their businesses among several other areas…

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering African entrepreneurs, will announce 1,200 African entrepreneurs across 54 African countries as beneficiaries of its flagship Entrepreneurship Programme. The announcement will be made on March 22, 2024. The new beneficiaries will become the 10th cohort of the 10-year-long TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. The Tony Elumelu Foundation has consistently demonstrated its belief in the potential of young Africans to transform the African continent. This conviction has led to its transformative impact – thousands of young men and women entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries have been empowered through its flagship Entrepreneurship Programme. The…