Author: Alade Adisa

Goods and equipment valued at over ₦200 million were lost in a devastating fire outbreak early Wednesday morning at Ibokwu Street, near Old Market Road, Onitsha, Anambra State. According to reports, the fire broke out around 9:15 a.m. when most shop owners were away celebrating Christmas. Efforts of concerned individuals contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to nearby shops and residential buildings. However, fire service officials failed to respond to emergency calls during the incident. The affected shops were part of attachment buildings located at the now-defunct General Post Office in Onitsha. The structure, reportedly sold to a…

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are advancing plans to strengthen their economic partnership, focusing on enhancing export credit, insurance frameworks, and market access. This development follows a series of high-level meetings held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as outlined in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance on Tuesday. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, led a delegation to the Kingdom on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Presidential Economic Coordination Council. The visit aimed to consolidate bilateral economic cooperation and explore new opportunities for collaboration between the two nations. During the…

A Christmas eve drone strike by suspected terrorists on a military base in Borno State has injured at least six soldiers. According to SaharaReporters, the terrorists attacked the Forward Operating Base in Wajiroko in the Damboa Local Government Area on Tuesday afternoon. A soldier, who witnessed the incident said they heard what sounded like a jet followed by a huge explosion. He added that the terrorists had initially attacked the base shooting sporadically but were repelled by the troops. A military signal obtained by SaharaReporters confirmed the incident. The signal added that a gun truck belonging to the army was…

The Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended Dangote Refinery following the recent reduction in the prices of premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, describing it as a timely economic relief for Nigerians. NLC Chairman for Lagos Council, Funmi Sessi, during a chat with journalists on Tuesday, noted that the refinery’s operation has come at the right time. Expressing optimism that the reduction would ease transportation costs, lower the prices of goods and services, and provide financial relief to citizens struggling with the high cost of living, Sessi said, “This adjustment promises to offer much-needed…

Federal Government workers are facing a low-key Christmas celebrations following the delay in payment of their December 2024 salaries. According to The PUNCH, the workers also suffered delayed salaries in November 2024. The reports said that most federal workers received their November 2024 salaries during the second week of December. While a number of people within the civil service said the fault came from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, others noted that the delay was as a result of migration to a new payment platform. Speaking on the delayed salaries, some civil servants at the Federal…

South Easterners travelling for the Christmas celebration and other purposes in Imo and Abia and other states in the region are battling with the sharp increase in fares by transporters and longer travelling time and stress occasioned by the “numerous” military and police checkpoints mounted at close range on the various routes in the South-East states. This development, according to NAN was revealed in an interview with a cross-section of the commuters and drivers in the zone. The commutters complained that they spend longer time on the road than normal, due to the multiple checkpoints mounted by security operatives. Also,…

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has approved the sum of ₦100,000 for civil servants, public servants, and pensioners in the state for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. George Nwaeke, Rivers State Head of Service, announced the Yuletide largesse for the workers in a statement on Tuesday. According to Nwaeke, the approval, which was given on Monday, is to enable the workers and senior citizens have a fulfilled Christmas celebration. The statement noted that this the second time within the administration of Fubara that civil servants in the state will be receiving Christmas bonus, to the tune of N100,000…

Manchester City’s freefalling continued with a limp 2-1 loss at Aston Villa, signalling a third consecutive defeat in all competitions and a ninth reverse in their last 12 matches. Villa, who beat City at home last season in just one of three league defeats for Pep Guardiola’s side, were utterly dominant from the off and could have scored within the first minute when Jhon Duran was thwarted by Stefan Ortega. The German goalkeeper then clawed a Pau Torres header from the line which was an inch from creeping over. The hosts eventually got the goal they deserved when Duran accepted…

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has questioned the “choices” of people close to forward Marcus Rashford. Rashford, 27, said he was “ready for a new challenge” in an interview after being dropped for the 2-1 win at Manchester City on 15 December. The England international subsequently missed the 4-3 Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat by Tottenham and was also left out as United lost 3-0 to Bournemouth on Sunday, adding to speculation he could leave Old Trafford in January. “It is a hard situation,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “I understand these players have a lot of people around them, making choices…

…Blames ‘hurried action’ by the House President Biden on Monday vetoed a once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal district judgeships, saying “hurried action” by the House left important questions unanswered about the life-tenured positions. The legislation would have spread the establishment of the new trial court judgeships over more than a decade to give three presidential administrations and six Congresses the chance to appoint the new judges. The bipartisan effort was carefully designed so that lawmakers wouldn’t knowingly give an advantage to either political party in shaping the federal judiciary. The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the measure unanimously in August. But…