Author: Dave Oludare Oso

The leadership of the G20 has changed with South Africa taking over from Brazil during a handover ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro summit in Brazil. President Luiz Lula da Silva of Brazilian handed over the reins of leadership to South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Tuesday. South Africa is the only African country in the G20 and will be the host of the 2025 summit. Ramaphosa told his counterparts at the summit, “We will use this moment to bring the development priorities of the African continent and the Global South more firmly onto the agenda of the G20.” The…

After a long wait, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has flagged off exporting refined petroleum products to neighbouring West African countries. According to a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday, quoting data sourced from Vortexa, Kpler, Precise Intelligence, and ship-tracking platform, a tanker has hauled a shipment of gasoline from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to waters off the coast of Togo, a neighbouring country. The report said a CL Jane Austen recently loaded more than 300,000 barrels from Dangote and sailed west. Last month, the chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Authority, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, said the country is considering buying petroleum products…

Financial irregularities totalling over N4.64bn in the Federal Ministry of Works (Housing Sector) were discovered after an audit report, raising concerns about systemic non-compliance with financial regulations and procurement laws. This development was revealed in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s (AGF’s) Annual Report, which covers activities between 2020 and 2021 and reveals significant lapses in internal controls under Babatunde Fashola, the former Minister of Works and Housing. The report details several issues, including payments made without proper documentation, extra-budgetary expenditures, mobilization fees exceeding approved thresholds, and contracts awarded without following due process.According to the report, N1.08bn was paid from the…

The Executive Chairman of Igbo Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, Hon. Dr. Eric Ogbonna Odo has appointed two Senior Special Assistants on garden egg, pepper and yam. According to the appointment letters making the rounds on social media, Odo appointed Ezeugwu Frederick Ogbonna, as an SSA on Yam and Pepper. He also appointed Nwodo Everestus Ugonna as SSA on Garden Egg and Pepper. “I am pleased to inform you that the executive chairman Igbo Etiti LGA has approved your appointment as SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT to the Local Government chairman on AGRICULTURE (GARDEN EGG & PEPPER),” Nwodo’s appointment letter…

The Defence Headquarters has confirmed a surprise attack by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists targeting troops engaged in stabilisation operations in Gubio Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State. Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, in a statement, said five soldiers were killed, ten wounded, and four declared missing during the assault. He, however, said the troops eliminated several terrorists and recovered weapons. “The attack resulted in the destruction of equipment, including one gun truck, three TCVs, and an excavator,” the statement said. He said a reinforcement team, supported by an air component, was dispatched to pursue the…

A bill has been proposed by the Presidency to provide housing for low-income and unemployed citizens. The bill has now been sent to the National Assembly. Fredrick Nwabufo, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Engagement, revealed this on Tuesday, stating that the proposed bill, titled National Social Housing Fund (NSHF), seeks to ensure all Nigerians, regardless of income level, have access to decent housing. According to Nwabufo, a memo on the bill will be submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for review. He added that funding for the project will come from budgetary allocations and donations.…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, has stressed the need for Nigeria to focus more on export-driven economy, to improve the economy of the nation, noting that one of the fundamental issues at the root of the country’s lingering economic situation is foreign exchange crisis. The governor, however, gave kudos to the President Bola Tinubu’s administration for laying the foundation to improve the exporting capacity to turn Nigeria’s economy round. Sanwoolu spoke on Tuesday, as the guest lecturer at the 36th Convocation Ceremony of Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos on the topic: “Developing Exportable Alternatives for Nigeria’s Economic Recovery,”…

Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has earmarked N1.1 billion as compensation to owners whose properties are to be affected by the ongoing expansion of Kuje-Airport road. The Minister disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday during an inspection tour of the road in Kuje to ascertain the pace of work. He said: “I have come here to see for myself the report on the valuation of what we are supposed to pay. When I got the files for approval, I said, look, it would be proper for me to see for myself the kind of structures that we are going…

The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday wrote to the National Assembly, seeking the approval of a fresh $2.2 billion loan as a new external borrowing plan in the 2024 Appropriation Act. The President’s request was contained in a letter read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Tuesday. The loan, If approved, will be used to finance part of the budget deficit of N9.7 trillion for the 2024 budget. Tinubu also forwarded the 2025- 2027 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.…

In the city’s largest national security trial, a Hong Kong court on Tuesday, sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists under its national security laws, with former law professor, “mastermind” Benny Tai receiving the longest term of 10 years. The defendants were charged with subversion for holding an unauthorised primary election in 2020 aimed at selecting pro-democracy candidates. International condemnation was swift, with Western countries and rights groups slamming the sentencing as evidence of the erosion of political freedoms in the city since Beijing imposed a security law in 2020. Tai’s sentence was the longest yet handed out under the security law, which…