Author: Olóyè Gbenga

The Dangote Refinery has announced a major expansion plan that will see its production capacity increase from 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.4 million bpd, positioning it as the largest refinery in the world once completed. The announcement was made by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, during a press briefing in Lagos on Sunday. Dangote, accompanied by his long-time associate and Chairman of First Bank, Mr Femi Otedola, revealed that construction work on the expansion project would commence immediately. “We are expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he rejected a proposal to make Nasir El-Rufai, then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, his successor at the end of his administration in 2007, citing concerns about El-Rufai’s readiness to lead Nigeria. Obasanjo revealed this on Friday during the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The former president explained that although El-Rufai had served under him as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the FCT, he believed the minister “was not yet mature enough” to handle the complexities of…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “long dead,” attributing the party’s ongoing crisis to impunity, arrogance, and disregard for internal democracy by some of its governors. Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Friday, Wike said the mass defections from the party were predictable, insisting that “everything I warned about has come to pass.” “Tsunami has been happening. Don’t you see people leaving their parties? I said from Day One that with what is going on, if it continues, the PDP will lose. I said it severally, and…

The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has called for political stability and continuity in Ekiti State ahead of the 2026 governorship election, saying the state deserves the developmental progress that comes with sustained leadership, as seen in Lagos State. Bamidele made the remarks on Friday evening during a “thank you visit” to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Executive Committee in Ado Ekiti. The Senate Leader, who said he was in the state to contest as a delegate in the APC governorship primary scheduled for Monday, expressed optimism that the exercise would be peaceful and transparent. “We are…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has not taken any decision on zoning its governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to the state chairman, Sunday Fagbemi. Fagbemi made the clarification during a radio programme monitored in Ilorin on Friday night, amid growing agitation from stakeholders in the Kwara North Senatorial District for power rotation to the zone. He explained that discussions on zoning had not commenced within the state chapter and that such a decision would ultimately rest with the party’s national leadership. “If there will be any zoning, the national executive of the party…

The Nigeria Police Force has defended its decision to transfer human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to Kuje Correctional Centre shortly after he was granted bail by a magistrate court in Abuja. Sowore, who was arrested on Thursday over alleged incitement and breach of public peace following the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest, was arraigned alongside 12 others before the Kuje Magistrate Court on Friday. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court granted him bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with two sureties. However, before his legal team could perfect the bail conditions, police officers reportedly re-arrested him…

The expelled National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has rejected his removal from office, declaring that he remains the duly recognised leader of the party. In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by his Special Assistant (Legal), Abubakar Baba, Gabam described his purported expulsion as “illegal, null and void,” accusing a group of “impostors” of attempting to destabilise the SDP through unconstitutional means. “The move is a desperate attempt to usurp legitimate authority and plunge the party into chaos,” the embattled chairman stated. “It is of no consequence and has no legal standing.” Gabam, along…

The Presidency has offered clarification on the recent dismissal and replacement of Nigeria’s service chiefs, dismissing speculation that the move was linked to a rumoured coup attempt. Speaking, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Bola Tinubu acted fully within his constitutional powers to restructure the military leadership and “inject new direction” into the armed forces. “Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President. He is the Commander-in-Chief. He has the power to hire and fire,” Onanuga stated. New military appointments On Friday, President Tinubu announced sweeping changes in the nation’s military…

President Bola Tinubu has extended heartfelt congratulations to renowned businessman and philanthropist Chief Kessington Adebutu, popularly known as Baba Ijebu, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. In a statement released by the State House on Friday, Tinubu described Adebutu as “a national icon and role model whose life reflects integrity, compassion, and enduring service to humanity.” The President praised Adebutu’s remarkable journey from Iperu-Iremo in Ogun State to national prominence, commending his pioneering contributions to Nigeria’s modern lottery industry and his extensive philanthropic work. “From a humble background in the serene town of Iperu-Iremo, where his life’s journey began,…

A Magistrate’s Court in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore; Aloy Ejimakor, a member of the legal team representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu; Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the IPOB leader’s brother; and ten other defendants. The bail was set at ₦500,000 each, with two sureties in like sum. According to New Daily Prime, all thirteen defendants were arrested and arraigned before the court on charges of inciting public disturbance and breach of peace, following the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja on Monday, 20 October. While Ejimakor, Emmanuel Kanu,…