Author: Abimbola Ogunnaike

MTN Nigeria, in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) through its local partner Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), has announced the kick-off of the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge. This initiative is part of the Africa PachiPanda Challenge, designed to stimulate and champion innovative solutions that address urgent environmental challenges across the continent. According to a statement from MTN Nigeria on Monday, 26 August, 2024, “The Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge is an open call to young visionaries (aged 16 – 35) and youth-led SMEs to conceptualise and develop pioneering solutions to environmental challenges specific to Nigeria. Participants can either be individuals…

The Commissioner for Finance in Borno State, Ahmed Ali Ahmed has been found dead in his room. Although details of the incident are still sketchy, Daily Trust reports that the Commissioner was found dead after his door was forcefully opened on the morning of Monday, 26 August, 2024. According to locals, the deceased exceeded the time he usually comes out in the morning, fueling suspicion that something was wrong. This led to the door of his room being forced open and the lifeless body of the Commissioner was discovered.

As Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West) continues to deliver more road constructions and rehabilitation across his senatorial district and beyond, key constituents have continued to shower praises on him for his numerous project facilitations across critical sectors. Hitherto, the senator facilitated the construction 13 road projects of various length ranging from 2- 5 kilometers with culverts which were part of his delivery in one year as senator representing Ogun West senatorial district with several others ongoing at various stages of completion. Among the now completed and nearing completion road projects of the senator in Ogun West that is generating…

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, at the weekend, visited the family of the late Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Olaniyi Ijalaye, who died in Abuja last week. Abiodun, who spoke at the Ibadan family house of the Ijalayes, described the deceased as a forthright, honest, humble, dependable, and dedicated man who served his country meritoriously while alive. The Governor said he and members of his cabinet received the news of Barrister Ijalaye’s demise with rude shock, noting, however, that he lived an impactful life worthy of emulation. “Barrister Niyi was posted to Ogun State as the State…

From Chuks Collins, Awka Governor Chukwuma Soludo cannot be a happy man presently. The Anambra-born rumbustious globally acknowledged erudite Professor of Economics is right now troubled from virtually every conceivable side. And it will be self delusional to admit otherwise. Because apart from Alor, the home community of HE Senator Chris Ngige, himself a former Governor of the State, a former Senator in the 7th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the immediate past Minister of Labour/Employment, there are crises in more than 100 communities of the State’s 179 communities. It’s very disturbing to note that these were…

From Chuks Collins, Awka A former governorship aspirant in Anambra State, Chief Rommy Okoli has called on all leaders and duty bearers to be more responsible and responsive to their offices. Stating this at a press briefing to mark his birthday in Awka, Chief Okoli noted that the level of hunger and starvation in Nigeria at the moment is worrisome. He said it was more heartbreaking to see most of the leaders and their families enjoying themselves with an unprecedented level of insensitivity, and immoral show of opulence. Okoli who is often called ”the Messenger” noted that with effective management…

On behalf of every Nigerian Girl and woman, I celebrate the newly sworn-in Acting Chief Judge of the Federation, Hon Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. In these times where many youth feel they do not have worthy role models, you are an example that depicts the power of education, hard work, and consistency that is being laid out for all to see. Your swearing-in exemplifies that each girl and woman can aspire to get to the pinnacle of their chosen career, but with dedication, hard work, and integrity. I celebrate you and pray that your tenure will be marked by continued success,…

The Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria has called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company(NNPC) and the federal government to sell the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries and used the proceeds to build and support modular refineries that can help the country address its energy crisis CORAN Publicity Secretary, Eche Idoko made this call in a recent statement. Idoko, who said the $1.5 billion spent on the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery has not yielded positive, added that ten additional modular refineries together with Dangote Refinery would end the importation of fuel into Nigeria. According to him, Nigeria has 15…

Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies collectively generated about N3.95 trillion in revenue between 2019 and the first quarter of 2024. This was disclosed through NBS data curled from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. Further analysis showed an upward trajectory in revenue generation over the past five years. A breakdown of the revenue collection indicated that the power distributors made N482.6 billion in 2019, N526.8 billion in 2020, N761.2bn in 2021, N828.1bn in 2022, N1.07bn in 2023, and N291.6 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Analysts with the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI attributed this consistent growth in revenue to several…

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee revenue shared to federal, state and local governments increased by over 344 percent to about N8.5 trillion in the last seven months of 2024 compared to about N1.912 trillion shared in the corresponding period last year. This is according to FAAC distributed revenue data from January 2024 to July. The distributed revenue in the period under review was drawn from Statutory Revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and Exchange Difference. The revenue was distributed according to 52.68 percent to the federal government, 26.72 percent to states, and 20.60 percent to local…

The wrangling in the United Methodist Church, Nigeria, has again taken a a new twist dimension as a Zimbabwean bishop of the church, Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, was reported to have been arrested by the officials of the Nigerian immigration service in Taraba State. Nhiwatiwa who was in Nigeria to meet with the members of the church in order to kick start the process of electing a new bishop of the church in Nigeria after the resignation of the former bishop, John Wesley Yohanna, was reported to have been arrested in Yola, Adamawa State and whisked to the Abuja headquarters of…

Gunmen on the night of Friday, 23 August, 2024 invaded Gurzan Kurama community in Kauru Local Government area of Kaduna State abducted the District Head of the community and six other members . The Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union (SOKAPU) has condemned the abduction, describing the incident as unfortunate, alarming and worrisome. A statement issued by the Forum’s Public Relations Officer, Josiah Yusuf Abraks gave the names of those abducted as Yakubu Jadi (District Head), Iliya Yakubu, Nehemiah Tanko, Thomas Tanko, Yakubu Jadi’s daughter and the Catholic Catechist of the community. “SOKAPU is calling on security agencies and relevant authorities to…

The FCT Police Command has confirmed that two policemen lost their lives in the attack on its personnel by members of the Shi’ite Movement on Sunday, 25 August, 2024 in Abuja reports thegazellenews.com The spokesperson for the command, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed this in a statement released in Abuja on Sunday, 25 August, 2024. According to the statement, the attack took place at Wuse Junction by traffic light and apart from the dead victims, three other policemen were injured and are still in coma while three police patrol vehicles were set ablaze by the mob. “The proscribed organisation attacked the…

Nigeria has been elected as Chairman Governing Council of the African Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST) at the 55th Council Meeting in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. The Surveyor General of the Federation, Surv. Abuduganiyu Adebomehin, as a representative of the Nigeria government, will steer the council’s leadership for the next two years. The 55th Council Meeting also approved the admission of the Republic of Liberia as a new council member and the appointment of a statutory committee of the Governing Council which cut across member states. This election is significant as it highlights Nigeria’s…

Media aides to Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State have released the “5th Verdict” to showcase his achievements and commemorate his 55th birthday, which is celebrated every August 25th. The Secretary to the Borno State Government, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, who represented Governor Zulum, unveiled the compendium. The ceremony was held Sunday, 25 August, 2024 at the Governor’s Office, Musa Usman State Secretariat, Maiduguri. A statement from Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi, Zulum’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media who is also the Compendium’s Deputy Editor, highlighted that the publication includes news reports, analyses, features, columns, commentaries, discourses, editorials, selected speeches, and…

An Onitsha, Anambra state based-businessman, Ibeanusi Nosike, has excreted 68 wraps of cocaine after 12 days of excretion observation following his arrest at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. According ti a statement by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the 36-year-old Ibeanusi was arrested in the early hours of Thursday 8th August 2024 at the old domestic terminal of the Lagos airport while attempting to board the first flight out of Lagos to Abuja where he was scheduled to join a Qatar Airways…

As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) begins life under the Chairmanship of President Emerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, the promotion of innovation to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development would be a watchword in the region This would be a consolidating of the national peace, food and nutritional security, gender development, disaster risk management, and implementing the strategy and roadmap for industrialization which were the crux of the erstwhile chairman, President Joe Manuel Mrosso of Mozambique. SADC consists of 17 members states that has a rich history of allignment dating back to 1980 when it was formed as…

We have become aware of a malicious and defamatory publication circulating under the pseudonym “Aiyekoto.” While our initial inclination was to disregard such baseless allegations, we find it necessary to address this matter directly to caution those responsible for spreading misinformation and character assassination. We urge these unscrupulous individuals or groups to cease their actions immediately or face the full weight of the law. The publication in question attempts to tarnish the reputation of our esteemed son and the current Afobaje Jagun Aluko of Isolo, Dr. Mukail Agbabiaka. The allegations made in this publication are not only unfounded but also…

Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have attacked Tasake, a community in the Ungwan Mayana area of Gayam Ward, in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State and k killed two officers of the Kaduna Vigilantes Service, KADVS. The vigilante officers were killed in an operation to protect farmers. According to a source, that the attack also resulted in the deaths of two local farmers while scores were abducted, including one Amina Adamu, who was travelling from Buruku, where she took her daughter for medical treatment on the evening of Tuesday, 13 August, 2024. The source explained that the vehicle…

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has criticised the donation of N1 billion by Governor Ademola Adeleke and his siblings to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Lagos. The party in a statement signed by its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, criticised the governor for donating such a sum at a time the state is in financial distress. Thegazellenews.com recalls that on Sunday, 18 August, 2024, Dr Deji Adeleke announced the donation of N1 billion to the church in Lagos in remembrance of the late matriarch of the Adelekes, Esther Adeleke, who was a prominent member of the…