Author: Abimbola Ogunnaike

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on chieftains and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State to close ranks and work together in order to reclaim the state in 2027. He noted that the state is too important to be missing among the progressive fold. Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, made this assertion during the maiden edition of Lam Adesina annual lecture held in Ibadan, the state capital on Monday, 11 November, 2024. The event was attended by former Governors of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo and Dr Kayode Fayemi;…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company limited (NNPCL), has disclosed that it’s a proud part-owner of the Dangote Refinery. The NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari made this disclosure at a conference hosted by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists in Lagos on Monday, 11 November, 2024. Following the commencement of the refinery, Aliko Dangote had accused NNPCL and some cabals in the oil sector of trying to sabotage its operations. However, Kyari dismissed the claims that NNPCL was undermining the operations of the Dangote refinery. He said: “The point is very far from it and I’m going to speak…

Shell will continue to power progress in the drive for energy security in Nigeria through its businesses in the Upstream, Midstream and Downstream and Renewables sectors, Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC,) Osagie Okunbor said yesterday in Lagos. In remarks delivered on his behalf by Exploration Manager Gogo Eneyok at the opening of the 42nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE,) Okunbor said the range of the Shell businesses were integrated across the energy value chain and working hard to address the…

L Anthony Joshua has surpassed the $200 million mark in career earnings, making him one of boxing’s highest earners, surpassing heavyweight rival Tyson Fury and rising star Gervonta Davis, The PUNCH reports. The former two-time heavyweight champion earned $75 million from fights in 2024 alone, placing him second only to Canelo Alvarez in yearly earnings. The Mexican champion matched Joshua’s fight purse but edged him in off-field earnings by $2 million. Fury, 36, collected $50 million in 2024, taking his career earnings to $150 million, significantly behind Joshua’s impressive haul. Meanwhile, Davis, 30, has accumulated $50 million since his professional debut, with…

No fewer than N19.43 billion was spent on the maintenance and operations of the Presidential Air Fleet from July 2023 to September 2024, The PUNCH learnt. Checks by our correspondent on GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal Government’s spending, showed that for 2024, the payouts amounted to N13.55 billion, representing 66 per cent of the allocations for the fleet in the 2024 fiscal year. Most disbursements were labelled ‘Forex Transit Funds,’ typically funds allocated for foreign exchange requirements to facilitate international transactions and engagements. In the context of the Presidential Air Fleet, such funds are…

The management of Dangote Refinery is set to meet with officials of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria(PETROAN) to discuss direct petrol supply arrangements. This development comes just a day after the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) announced it had reached an agreement with Dangote Refinery to purchase petrol directly, bypassing intermediaries. PETROAN Publicity Secretary, Joseph Obele, told an online on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 that the refinery had already sent an email to PETROAN President, Dr. Billy Harry, proposing a business meeting in the coming days. According to Obele, Dr. Harry has formed a…

The Government of Equatorial Guinea has filed a lawsuit against the former Director General of the country’s National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga, for alleged misconduct in connection with a sex tape scandal. The government stated that the actions of the ex-anti-graft agency chief “violate the ethical and moral values of noble Equatorial Guinean society.” Through the Minister of Information, Press, and Culture, Jerónimo Osa Osa, the government made this known over the weekend. In a public address covered by local media platform Ahora EG, the Minister of Information announced that the Equatorial Guinean Government, through the State Attorney General’s…

The Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has assured Nigeria of support in its economic reform programmes. The assurance came when the Crown Prince and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met on Monday in Riyadh on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic Summit. The two leaders explored potential areas for cooperation, particularly oil and gas, agriculture, infrastructure and the constitution of the Saudi-Nigeria Business Council. Nigeria wants an agreement with the Saudi government over a proposed $5 billion bilateral trade facility between the two countries. The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Butane Energy Limited on Friday recorded a significant milestone in their collective drive to make liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a widely accessible, cleaner, and more cost-effective fuel option for cooking in the country, with the commissioning of a 180-metric-tonne LPG Filling Plant in Kaduna, Kaduna State. The Filling Plant, the second after the commissioning of another 100MT LPG Storage and Bottling Plant in Kabukawa Layout, Katsina, Katsina State, in 2021, is part of a joint venture to establish five of such facilities in Northern Nigeria with a combined storage capacity of…

As parts of measures to reduce hunger in Nigeria, FoodClique Support Initiative, a non- profit charity organization, has disclosed that it has been able to provide over 13 million meals to vulnerable and the less privilege in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of the Organisation, Prince Ibrahim Onilegbale made this disclosure during a press conference held in Lagos on Monday, 11 November, 2024. “In total we have been able to provide over 13 million meals, in which 4,972, 810 are perishable while 8,511,640 are non-perishables. The analysis/breakdown of the intervention by Foodclique goes thus: Age bracket: Children 22%, Teen…

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 rejected the Church of England’s approval of same-sex marriage. The Primate of the Anglican Church, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON 2024) in Abuja. Ndukuba, however, noted that the difference in opinion does not compromise the relationship between the Church of Nigeria and the Church of England. “The Church of England has strayed from its Christian principles. They have not only voted to endorse same-sex marriage but have also introduced liturgy celebrating this rebellion against God,” he said.…

The newly sworn-in Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, is set to probe the administration of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki. Okpebholo announced Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 that he will set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the past administration’s refusal to inaugurate 14 elected lawmakers of the State House of Assembly in 2019. Thegazellenews.com recalls that the 14 lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 7th Assembly were denied inauguration during Obaseki’s administration. Okpebholo announced the planned probe in his inaugural speech shortly after taking the oath of office as the governor of…

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has resigned from his exalted position on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 Thegazellenews.com recalls that this latest development comes after the independent Makin review discovered that the Church of England covered up sexual abuse by a barrister. Following calls for his resignation, Welby said the report “exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth”. According to Welby, he believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow” when he was told in 2013 that Smyth had been reported to the police. In a statement, Welby said: ‘Having sought the gracious permission…

At least 10 persons died while several others sustained serious injury in a road accident in Taura LGA of Jigawa State on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 A resident confirmed that the accident occurred in Yanfari village, Taura LGA, along the Kano/Hadejia Road. According to him, the incident happened when a bus hit a packed trailer with registration number RGN 180 ZC, as a result of which the vehicle somersaulted and 10 persons died on the spot. The Jigawa State Police Command Public relations Officer, DSP Lawan Shiisu, confirmed the sad incident. “On November 12, 2024, at about 2130hrs, a fatal motor…

The immediate past Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024, said he is happy to have witnessed the swearing in of Monday Okpebholo as the governor of the state. Shaibu prayed that Okpebholo’s reign would usher in growth, development and prosperity in the state. Okpebholo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), took over from Godwin Obaseki, of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), after emerging as the winner of the governorship election in the state. The APC candidate in the last election had defeated Asue Igghodalo of the PDP and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party(LP) to…

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024, vowed not to betray the confidence the people reposed in him by electing him as the governor of the state. Thegazellenews.com reports that the governor made the promise during his inauguration as the sixth elected governor of the state. Okpebholo, who assured that the welfare of the citizens is the top priority of his administration’s ‘Five-point Agenda, ’said the five-point agenda is designed for robust economic growth and improvement in the lives of the people. The new governor listed the five-point agenda to include Security, Infrastructure and Road Development, Affordable Healthcare,…

Barely one month after the death of his wife, Gift Atulewa, a former Nigerian youth international, has died at the age of 38 following complications from high blood pressure. The Delta State Football Association announced the death of Atulewa on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024. The Delta State Football Association Public Relation Relations Officer, Azuka Chiemeka, confirmed the death of the prolific forward. According to Chiemeka, Atulewa succumbed to complications from high blood pressure around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024. “We just buried the wife last month, that may have contributed to this development. He has blood pressure issues but…

Abia State government has disclosed that it is now an offence for parents in the state not to send their children and wards to school starting from January 1, 2025. The state Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu disclosed this at the Government House, Umuahia, on Monday, 11 November, 2024 while briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti. According to Kanu, the decision was part of the ongoing reforms in the educational sector of the state, stated that the issue of poverty is no longer a reason for non-acquisition of free…

Following the bullying and physical assault of a student at the state’s Federal Government College in Enugu State, the state government has ordered probe and arrest of those involved in the matter. The state government, which condemned the development, describing it as “deeply troubling and emotionally distressing, also ordered a swift investigation, arrest, and prosecution of those involved in the barbaric act. In a public service announcement issued by the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday,12 November, 2024, the government emphasised its zero tolerance for bullying, abuse, and any form of dehumanising treatment…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, has stated that the new capital requirement for banks operating in the country will enhance their capacity to drive financial inclusion. Cardoso made this statement on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 at the second International Financial Inclusion Conference themed, Inclusive Growth: Harnessing Financial Inclusion for Economic Development, held in Lagos. He said, “In line with its efforts to deepen financial inclusion, the Central Bank of Nigeria recently introduced new minimum capital requirements for banks. This strategic move ensures that banks are well-capitalised, enabling them to take on greater risk, particularly…