Amos ABBA 366 posts

Reps to investigate NNPC over $1b illegal withdrawal from NLNG account

Amos ABBA 1 hour ago

THE House of Representatives is set to begin an inquiry into the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) over “illegal withdrawals” from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) account. During plenary on Tuesday,…
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Police Service Commission fires 10 police officers, demotes eight for misconduct

Amos ABBA Jul 6, 2020

THE Police Service Commission (PSC), on Monday announced the sack of 10 senior police officers and demotion eight others for offences related to misconduct in the line of duty. The dismissed officers were a Superintendent of…
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US, Ghana, India send 12 extradition requests to Nigeria over involvement of citizens in fraud…

Amos ABBA Jul 5, 2020

THE United States of America, India and Ghana have requested for the extradition of 11 Nigerians over money laundering, fraud as well as drug-related offences. But India's request was denied, according to a report. A report titled…
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Nigerian singer, D’banj slams N1.5b lawsuit against accuser over alleged rape

Amos ABBA Jul 4, 2020

SINGER Oladapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’Banj D Kokomaster, has filed a N1.5 billion lawsuit against Seyitan Babatayo, for falsely accusing him of raping her in a Lagos hotel in 2018. In the suit filed on his behalf by Mike Ozekhome,…
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Durumi N228.4 million solar project broken down four years after launch, as denial trails how fund…

Amos ABBA Jul 3, 2020

FAVOUR Chijioke, 32, moved from one end of the grocery store to the other while she arranged her goods for display and attends to a customer at the same time, the smile on her face is at odds with her current reality. The mother of two…
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Buhari could have dealt with Wike, Fayose but…. – Femi Adesina

Amos ABBA Jul 3, 2020

FEMI Adesina, spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, has revealed why the president did not respond to rude comments and insults to his person by Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State and Ayodele Fayose, the immediate past governor of…
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AfDB president, Akinwumi Adesina, under scrutiny by independent review panel over…

Amos ABBA Jul 2, 2020

THE BUREAU of the board of governors of  African Development Bank has set up a panel to carry out an independent review of the report of the ethics committee of the bank on the allegations made by whistleblowers against Akinwunmi Adesina,…
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SERAP urges Buhari to reverse petrol price from N143.80 to N121.50

Amos ABBA Jul 2, 2020

THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to use his good offices to immediately reverse the increase in the pump price of petrol from N143.80 per litre to N121.50 per litre. "We urge…
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Only four South East representatives make Buhari’s list of 42 Ambassadorial nominees

Amos ABBA Jul 1, 2020

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to screen and confirm  41 non-career ambassadors and a career ambassador-designate for appointment. This was disclosed on Wednesday by Ahmad Lawan, Senate President who read the president's…
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Nigeria, other African oil exporters to lose $34b from COVID-19 pandemic – IMF

Amos ABBA Jul 1, 2020

NIGERIA and other African oil exporters are expected to experience an estimated loss of $34 billion in revenue  as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which led to crash in the  global crude oil prices. "The continent is set to lose $34…
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COVID-19 drug, Remdesivir, could cost N906,750 for a five – day dosage, says manufacturer

Amos ABBA Jun 29, 2020

GILEAD Sciences Inc, drugmaker of Remdesivir, touted as Covid-19 drug, announced that the United States, US, and other developed countries will pay a stipulated $2,340 for a short course treatment for a regular patient. Revealing its…
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House of Reps to probe DSTV over increase in subscription rates

Amos ABBA Jun 26, 2020

THE House of Representatives has commenced investigation into cable and satellite television service providers in Nigeria over high tariffs and acquired bouquets charged Nigerian subscribers according to a report. The House had…
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Nigeria gets World Bank’s $750m loan to boost electricity infrastructure

Amos ABBA Jun 24, 2020

THE World Bank has approved a $750 million loan credit for Nigeria's Power Sector Recovery Operation in a bid to improve electricity supply in the country. The Bank stated that the approval of the loan was necessary to expand Nigeria's…
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Nigeria summons Ghana’s High Commissioner over diplomatic properties in Accra

Amos ABBA Jun 22, 2020

THE Nigerian government on Monday summoned Iva Denoo, the Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, over the demolition of a section of the Nigerian Embassy in Accra, Ghana. Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerian Minister of…
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Nigeria reacts to demolition of its diplomatic building in Ghana, demands prosecution of culprits

Amos ABBA Jun 21, 2020

FOLLOWING the demolition of a portion of the staff quarters belonging to the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana, Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister has decried the action calling on Ghanaian authorities to bring the…
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Buhari approves N19.6b for East-West road project

Amos ABBA Jun 19, 2020

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has approved the release of N19.67 billion for the completion of sections I-IV of the East-West Road project by 2021, a move designed to address the infrastructure deficit in the Niger Delta and boost the economy…
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Invictus Obi faces 20 years jail term in US after pleading guilty in $11m fraud

Amos ABBA Jun 19, 2020

 OBINWANNE Okeke, also known as Invictus Obi who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at Dulles International Airport while absconding the US over his involvement in $11 million internet fraud has pleaded guilty to the…
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Six Nigerians sanctioned by US government for $6 million cyber fraud

Amos ABBA Jun 17, 2020

The United States government on Wednesday  says it has placed sanctions on six Nigerians who defrauded US citizens through various internet-related schemes to the tune of $6 million. Steven Mnuchin, US Treasury Secretary,  revealed this in…
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NNPC owned refineries post losses, spend N836m on stationary, printing, other questionable items…

Amos ABBA Jun 17, 2020

FINANCIAL audit of the 2018 expenditures of Nigeria’s refineries released by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), last week, shows that while the refineries recorded substantial losses, their administrative expenses balloon…
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Increase in electricity tariff to kick off in July- Minister

Amos ABBA Jun 17, 2020

SALE Mamman, Minister of Power has said that the new increase in electricity tariff would kick off in July. Mamman disclosed this in Abuja at the Investigative Public Hearing on Power Sector Recovery Plan and the Impact of COVID-19…
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COVID-19: Ganduje re-opens football viewing centres in Kano

Amos ABBA Jun 13, 2020

ABDULLAHI Ganduje, Governor of Kano State, has announced the reopening of football viewing centres across the state following the resumption of European football leagues in Europe. A press statement by Abba Anwar, Chief Press Secretary to…
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Three major sectors to benefit from amended Local Content bill as it passes second reading

Amos ABBA Jun 11, 2020

THE Senate on Wednesday has referred the bill for an Act to repeal the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act, NOGIC, Act 2010, to the Senate's Committee on Local content for review after it passed the second reading. Aliyu Sabi, a…
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Bala Mohammed threatens to lockdown Bauchi city as COVID-19 cases rise

Amos ABBA Jun 11, 2020

BALA Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State says he may be left with no option than to impose a lockdown on Bauchi city if the number of recorded cases of COVID-19 in the city keeps increasing. Mohammed dropped this hint during a press…
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Estimated billing: Nigerians relive experiences as electricity regulator, NERC, “slowly”…

Amos ABBA Jun 10, 2020

UMAR Labbo, 36, was in good spirits when he moved with his family of three into a rented apartment in Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja in 2017, and when he received the first electricity bill for his one-bedroom flat he knew something was off.…
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Over 262 million children forced out of school by COVID-19 pandemic in Africa – Report

Amos ABBA Jun 9, 2020

THE Save the Children International has said that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the education of 262.5 million children in Africa, the continent's most vulnerable population. In it's latest report titled "COVID-19 Impacts on…
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Small-scale women farmers canvass increased budgetary allocation to agriculture

Amos ABBA Jun 9, 2020

 A coalition of female farmers under the aegis of Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), has decried Federal Government's indifferent attitude to small scale farmers across the country. In a statement released by Mary…
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COVID-19: JAMB to hold first ever virtual admission policy meeting June 16

Amos ABBA Jun 8, 2020

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) is set to hold the  2020 admission policy meeting with all tertiary institutions in the country on June 16, online following the lockdown imposed by the Federal Government to stop the…
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70 bandits killed in Kaduna, after troops dislodge hideout in Kachia forest

Amos ABBA Jun 6, 2020

AT least 70 bandits and cattle rustlers were killed by during a combined ground and air offensive by troops of  Operation Thunder Strike in Gidan Maikeri village in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State, the Defence Headquarters said…
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DPR, Nigerian petroluem regulator bars debtors from bidding for marginal oil fields

Amos ABBA Jun 5, 2020

OIL firms indebted to the Nigerian Government will not be allowed to participate in the newly launched bid round for marginal oilfields as oil firms, the Department of Petroleum Resources, (DPR) has revealed. Sarki Auwalu, Director of the…
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Nigeria cuts crude oil production by over 200,000 barrels daily, as oil price rises to $40 per…

Amos ABBA Jun 4, 2020

OIL prices soared for the first time since March, as Nigeria's crude oil equivalent Brent crude sold for $39.32 per barrel, despite calls by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, to extend the existing record crude oil…
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Buhari throws weight behind Akinwunmi Adesina’s re-election bid as AfDB president

Amos ABBA Jun 2, 2020

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday assured Akinwumi Adesina, embattled President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) of Nigeria's  support  in his bid to get re-elected as the president of the bank. "Nigeria stands solidly behind…
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FG reviews petrol pump price to N121.50, third time in three months

Amos ABBA Jun 1, 2020

FOR the third time in three months, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) on Monday announced a new pump price band of N121.50 to N123.50 per litre of Premium Motor Spirit, (PMS) also known as petrol. The PPPRA disclosed…
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Erosion wrecks homes, livelihoods in Anambra as Ecological Fund Office fritters intervention fund

Amos ABBA May 30, 2020

NKISI Aroli Street located in Onitsha North Local Government of Anambra State is close to becoming a forgotten ruin due to unstoppable erosion that has continued to devastate the entire community. Entrance into Nkisi Aroli street looks…
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Amnesty International accuses Nigerian Army of continued illegal detention of children in Northeast

Amos ABBA May 27, 2020

FOR children fleeing from Boko Haram attacks in northeast Nigeria, their struggle for survival suffers setbacks from arbitrary detention to gross violations at the hands of the military. This revelation is contained in a new report…
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NAFDAC to continue with clinical trials on chloroquine despite WHO’s reservations

Amos ABBA May 26, 2020

ON Tuesday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, announced it would proceed with hydroxychloroquine clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria after the World Health Organisation, WHO,…
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Imo revokes law on payment of pension to former governors, speakers, others

Amos ABBA May 23, 2020

HOPE Uzodinma, Imo State governor officially revoked payment of pensions allowances and gratuities to former governors, deputy governors, speakers and deputy speakers of the state in a bid to cut down the State's financial expenses by…
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COVID-19: Nigerian churches turn to “digital natives” to preach in face of lockdown

Amos ABBA May 23, 2020

 ON a Sunday morning, the pews at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, Olunlade, Ilorin, Kwara State are empty and also the car park. The sounds of hymns from the congregants could not be heard or the noise from the feet of children running…
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US threatens to permanently stop funding WHO over alleged poor handling of COVID-19 pandemic

Amos ABBA May 20, 2020

DONALD Trump, President of the United States, US, has threatened to permanently stop US donations to the World Health Organisation, WHO, over COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter posted on his Twitter handle, President Trump issued a 30-day…
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COVID-19: Nigeria might not expose Madagascan herbal drug to clinical trials. Here is why

Amos ABBA May 15, 2020

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Presidential task force on COVID-19 to order Madagascar's COVID-Organics, CVO, a herbal tonic touted as a cure for COVID-19 but the odds stands against the country to carry out proper…
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ECOWAS denies endorsing Madagascar’s herbal cure for COVID-19

Amos ABBA May 7, 2020

THE Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Commission has distanced itself from reports that the West Africa Health Organisation, WAHO, its health arm has endorsed herbal medicine developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied…
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Nigerian Embassy debunks claim that US is set to give 5,000 Nigerians work visas for 2 years

Amos ABBA May 7, 2020

A FACEBOOK post has been circulating on social media stating that the United States, US, government had made an announcement to grant 5,000 Nigerian passport holders free work visas for two years. The claim is however false as the Nigerian…
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Covid-19: Journalists harassed by Nigeria’s security operatives while covering pandemic

Amos ABBA May 4, 2020

ON the evening of April 26, Kufre Carter, a broadcast journalist had received a disturbing call from Nigeria's secret police, State Security Service, SSS, asking him to show up for questioning at their head office in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State,…
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Eight years after Oronsaye committee submited report, President Buhari adopts recommendations

Amos ABBA May 1, 2020

ON Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the Oronsaye report by the presidential committee on restructuring of federal government parastatals, commissions and agencies initially submitted during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.…
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COVID-19: SSS detains Akwa Ibom journalist, Kufre Carter over contoversial interview with anonymous…

Amos ABBA Apr 29, 2020

AKWA IBOM-based sports journalist, Kufre Carter is currently being held incommunicado by operatives of the State Security Service over a controversial audio clip on COVID-19  that he allegedly circulated on social media. Kufre in a Twitter…
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WHO rejects immunity passport plan for recovered COVID-19 patients

Amos ABBA Apr 26, 2020

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned against the use of immunity passports being considered by countries to be issued to people who have recovered from Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). With the global death toll from the…
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COVID-19: Lockdowns are ineffective in Africa, without sustainable economic plans for citizens…

Amos ABBA Apr 25, 2020

PROFESSOR Charles Soludo, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and a member of President Muhammadu Buhari's Economic Advisory Council in an article has faulted Africa's response to the Coronavirus disease(COVID-19) by issuing…
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COVID-19: Virtual learning widens digital divide between Nigeria’s public and private schools

Amos ABBA Apr 23, 2020

GRACE Agada, 40, is a trader in Makurdi, Benue State. She runs a small stall where she sells local beans cake popularly known as "Akara", while her husband, Matthew, a livestock trader also owns a shop at Makurdi's cattle market where the…
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COVID-19: Manny Asika, Nigerian survivor who beat coronavirus in 10 days shares his experience

Amos ABBA Apr 21, 2020

EMMANUEL Manny Asika was amongst 170 survivors who were discharged from various designated infectious hospitals across the country as at April 19, he was given a clean bill of health from the Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, Yaba, Lagos…
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Fake news spread in Nigeria is aided by involvement of foreign actors – CDD study

Amos ABBA Apr 16, 2020

DISINFORMATION campaigns sponsored on social media by foreign actors in Nigeria's socio-political landscape is a recurring feature that enables the spread of fake news in the country, according to a study released by the Centre for…
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Petrol retailers in Abuja are complying with official petrol price, Remaco Petroleum Limited is an…

Amos ABBA Apr 12, 2020

AT the entrance of A.A Rano filling station, Nyanya, at the outskirts of Abuja, Ene (who didn't disclose her surname) a fuel attendant was attending to customers, and cracking jokes as she beckoned on other customers to buy from her. When…
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Swine flu, Hong Kong Flu, three other pandemics that shook the world

Amos ABBA Apr 9, 2020

FOR the first time in world history, a disease called COVID - 19 which has proved difficult to contain, confining millions of people to their homes and grounding global economy emerged from Wuhan, China in December 2019. For centuries,…
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NNPC announces subsidy removal on petroleum products

Amos ABBA Apr 7, 2020

ON Monday, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kyari, revealed that Nigeria would no longer pay subsidy on petrol following the fall in global oil price. This development was announced in a…
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How much is the worth of a Nigerian doctor treating COVID -19 patients?

Amos ABBA Apr 5, 2020

ON March 26, the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Kano State branch urged its members to make use of their two months hazard allowance in the face of COVID - 19 pandemic, to purchase Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, for themselves in…
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Disgraced OAU lecturer, released after serving two year jail term for demanding sex from student

Amos ABBA Apr 3, 2020

FORMER, Professor of Management Accounting at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Richard Akindele, has been released from prison after serving a two-year jail term/ Akindele was sentenced to two years in prison in 2018 after…
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Lagos says it contains Coronavirus better than Italy, Iran and Spain? But that claim is misleading

Amos ABBA Apr 2, 2020

AKIN Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health in Lagos State while reeling out the State's progress report in managing the coronavirus scourge, disclosed that Lagos State had contained the virus spread better than Italy, Iran, and Spain. But…
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Four weeks after first coronavirus case, Nigeria performs poorly in conducting tests

Amos ABBA Mar 28, 2020

AT a press briefing on March 16 in Geneva, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed that without early testing of suspected cases of the coronavirus the chain of infection will not be broken. “…
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Federal Government confiscates ex-JTF Commander, Atewe’s properties over N8.5 billion fraud

Amos ABBA Mar 27, 2020

THE Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered the temporary forfeiture of N293 million and assets belonging to Emmanuel Atewe, former commander of Military Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, in the Niger Delta. Atewe is facing…
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Drugs that could be a game-changer against coronavirus onslaught

Amos ABBA Mar 23, 2020

SINCE the global outbreak of the deadly coronavirus after it first emerged in China, there has been a frenzied quest across the global biotech industry, pharmaceutical companies and research organisations to develop  drugs to treat the…
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Why Nigeria’s political elite led by Bagudu, Ekwerenmadu others, stash N164 billion worth of…

Amos ABBA Mar 23, 2020

THE United Arab Emirates's resolve to tackle high-end money laundering in its property market is under scrutiny after recent revelations that several Nigerian political office holders and their associates have found Dubai in UAE, a safe…
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COVID-19: Nigeria lacks sufficient hospital beds in face of viral pandemic – Data

Amos ABBA Mar 21, 2020

NIGERIA'S fragile healthcare system paints a grim picture as the country braces itself to contain the spread of coronavirus. Data suggests that Nigeria's healthcare systems might be overwhelmed if  Coronavirus spreads wider beyond…
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COVID – 19: FCT, Benue close down schools indefinitely to pre – empt coronavirus…

Amos ABBA Mar 19, 2020

THE Federal Capital Territory, FCT management in a press statement on Thursday announced that all schools in Abuja be shut down until further notice. Austine Elemue, Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister of State made this…
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Explainer: Price adjustment on petrol pump price to N125 is not subsidy removal

Amos ABBA Mar 19, 2020

THE Federal Government's decision to initiate a 13.8 per cent decrease on the retail pump price of petrol nationwide from N145 to N125, was based on drop in Nigeria's Expected Open Market Price, EOMP, rather than subsidy removal, an…
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Federal Government reviews petrol pump price from N145 to N125, citing falling crude oil prices…

Amos ABBA Mar 18, 2020

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari approved the reduction of the pump price of  Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol from N145 to N125 to reflect the declining price of crude oil globally. This was announced after the Federal…
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Senate urges FG to shut borders to countries with high risk of coronavirus

Amos ABBA Mar 17, 2020

THE Senate on Tuesday beckoned on the Federal Government to consider closing the nation's borders to non-Nigerian travellers from countries with high incidences of coronavirus, and suspend foreign trips by public officials to forestall the…
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Court adjourns trial of ex – Customs boss, Abdullahi Dikko, blames ICPC for stalling case

Amos ABBA Mar 17, 2020

ON Monday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja adjourned the trial of former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Abdullahi Dikko after the ex - customs boss failed to appear in court despite, a bench warrant being…
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Whistleblower gets justice as court orders NBET to pay outstanding salaries withheld since 2017

Amos ABBA Mar 11, 2020

THE National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday directed the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) to pay the three years outstanding salaries and emoluments owed Sambo Abdullahi, a whistleblower, who exposed fraudulent…
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Nigeria posts worst crude oil sale record since 2018 as coronavirus pushes major buyers away

Amos ABBA Mar 6, 2020

THE Federal Government has announced plans to review the 2020 budget as the nation's crude oil proceeds have been hit by the economic effects of the global coronavirus outbreak but its inability to sell its crude oil supplies poses a bigger…
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It’s not cheery news that Nigeria is Africa’s biggest economy. Here is why

Amos ABBA Mar 5, 2020

NIGERIA has surpassed South Africa as Africa’s largest economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product, GDP after South Africa slipped into its second recession in two years. Data obtained from South Africa's statistics office show that South…
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US announces N2.5b bounty for information on Boko Haram leader, Shekau

Amos ABBA Mar 4, 2020

THE United States Department of State is offering a reward of up to $7 million (N2.5billion) for information that would lead to the arrest of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau. Shekau, said to have been killed a number of times by…
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Reps take two weeks off legislative duties, to setup measures against coronavirus in NASS

Amos ABBA Mar 3, 2020

LAWMAKERS on Tuesday suspended plenary for two weeks in a bid to contain a possible outbreak of the coronavirus within the National Assembly. It was part of the resolution of the house, after a motion of urgent public importance by…
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Lekoil, Nigeria’s oil firm involved in $184 million loan fraud says its employees are not…

Amos ABBA Mar 2, 2020

ON Monday, Nigeria's oil firm Lekoil announced that its advisers failed to carry out due diligence in the scam loan deal that threw the company listed on the London stock exchange into a financial mess. In January, the management of Lekoil…
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Nigeria will soon beat Ethiopia as largest producer of pure honey—President Nigeria Apiculture

Amos ABBA Feb 29, 2020

  FATAI Adeshina is a quantity surveyor by training. He is the managing partner of A & Shine International Ltd, a honey packaging company based in Abuja. Adeshina who is also the President of the Nigeria Apiculture Platform (NAP)…
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COVID-19: When will coronavirus vaccine hit the streets?

Amos ABBA Feb 28, 2020

NIGERIA was put on the spotlight on Thursday when the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the country's first case of COVID-19 aka coronavirus rekindling fears of a possible outbreak in the country. World Health Organisation, WHO has…
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Gatekeepers: Men who managed Nigeria’s presidents from 1999 till date

Amos ABBA Feb 28, 2020

THE release of leaked memo published by Premium Times in which the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno, accused Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari of illegally exercising presidential powers on behalf of…
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Olisa Metuh, former PDP spokesperson to spend 7 years in prison over money laundering

Amos ABBA Feb 25, 2020

ON Tuesday, Olisah Metuh, a former National Publicity Secretary of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, was sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty to charges of money laundering to the tune of $2 billion. Metuh was…
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Analysis: Drop in global oil prices puts Nigeria’s foreign reserves in a dangerous place

Amos ABBA Feb 24, 2020

GLOBAL crude oil prices fell swiftly on Monday after heightened fears of coronavirus becoming a pandemic due to the increased number of cases in Asia, this reality poses threats to Nigeria's oil-dependent economy. Nigeria, Africa’s largest…
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Abuja court admits “star witness” evidence in ex – Jigawa’s governor alleged…

Amos ABBA Feb 21, 2020

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Friday presented its star witness Michael Wetkas, who gave a detailed account of how the Jigawa State former governor, Sule Lamido, allegedly laundered state fund worth N1.35 billion…
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Senate moves to set – up agency for repentant insurgents

Amos ABBA Feb 20, 2020

ON Thursday, the Senate initiated a bill to institute an agency to rehabilitate, deradicalise and integrate repentant insurgents in the country. Ibrahim Gaidam, a Senator representing Yobe East senatorial district, initiated the bill which…
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MOSOP faults HYPREP for failing to account for over $350 million approved for Ogoni cleanup

Amos ABBA Feb 18, 2020

PRESIDENT of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke has said the cleanup exercise in Ogoni has failed under the management of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, despite the fact that the…
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Drug insecurity: Nigeria doesn’t manufacture anything except water, says NAFDAC boss

Amos ABBA Feb 18, 2020

ON Monday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, revealed that the current COVID-19 pandemic ravaging several parts of the world jeopardises drug security in Nigeria, as most drugs are imported. Mojisola…
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Court stops Fayose from restraining witness in alleged N2.2 billion fraud

Amos ABBA Feb 17, 2020

FORMER Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose on Monday was denied the request restraining the testimony of a witness in an alleged N2.2 billion money laundering charges against him. At the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Fayose…
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Perm Sec kidnapped from home in midnight attack

Amos ABBA Feb 16, 2020

IN the early hours of Sunday morning, Jibrin Giza, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works in Nasarawa State was seized from his residence in Lafia by yet to be identified gunmen, according to a report. Bola Longe, the Commissioner of…
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Nigerian scientists promised N36 million to provide “magic bullet” cure for coronavirus…

Amos ABBA Feb 14, 2020

NIGERIA'S Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, announced a cash reward of N36 million for any Nigerian scientist who finds a cure for the dreaded coronavirus codenamed as COVID-19, with more than 64,000 people infected by the…
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AMCON Debt: Ifeanyi Ubah’s absence stalls trial in N135 billion suit

Amos ABBA Feb 13, 2020

EMBATTLED Chairman of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah allegedly accused of defrauding the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, to the tune of N135 billion had his hearing in court stalled on Thursday when it was adjourned.…
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OPEC lowers projection for 2020 as fear of drastic fall in oil price heightens

Amos ABBA Feb 12, 2020

ON Wednesday, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, revised its projected forecast for global crude oil demand growth in 2020 due to uncertainty brought by the outbreak of Covid-19 in China and Russia's refusal to cut…
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Reps quiz PPPRA over non – remittance of N501 million to Federation account

Amos ABBA Feb 11, 2020

THE Federal House of Representatives, Committee on Finance condemned the failure of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, to reveal details of Nigeria’s daily fuel consumption and also account for debts it is owed by…
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Rejoinder: Honey company Kaybecks reacts to The ICIR report on contaminated honey products

Amos ABBA Feb 7, 2020

RE: Investigation: Honey products with NAFDAC number impure, compromise health We are writing with respect to the above news story written by one Amos ABBA and Rebecca AKINREMI, domiciled on…
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Why suspended OAU lecturer, Omoetan Monday accused of sexual assault was arrested – OAU management

Amos ABBA Feb 6, 2020

THE management of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, on Wednesday explained why it suspended one of its lecturers, Monday Omoetan and handed him over to the police after it was alleged that he sexually molested a  female student of…
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Buhari launches new Nigeria’s Visa Policy

Amos ABBA Feb 4, 2020

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday kicked off a New Visa Policy, NVP, to increase the nation's economic prospects by allowing multi-entry visas for Nigerians who renounced their citizenship and permit travellers to obtain a visa upon…
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EFCC drags “oldest parliamentarian” to court over alleged N320 million fraud

Amos ABBA Feb 3, 2020

ON Monday, a former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Nicholas Mutu, was arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja on an 11-count charge bordering on fraud and abuse of…
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FG activates IPPIS module to weed ghost workers, but information on its website remains outdated…

Amos ABBA Feb 3, 2020

FOLASHADE Yemi-Esan, acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HCSF, confirmed on Monday that the Federal Government has activated the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System IPPIS, to weed out ghost staff in the civil…
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Firearms used by armed groups in Nigeria are smuggled from Turkey, Libya, others – Report

Amos ABBA Jan 31, 2020

AFTER a three-year study carried out by the Conflict Armament Research, CAR, an independent investigative organisation based in the UK, into the proliferation of weapons used by armed groups involved in Nigeria's herder-farmer conflict, it…
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Abuja court orders arrest of Etete, two others linked to $1.1 billion oil scandal

Amos ABBA Jan 30, 2020

ON Thursday, Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gwagwalada, Abuja, ordered the arrest of a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, for his involvement in the Malabu oil scandal. His arrest was…
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NAFDAC suspends official for illegally aiding vendors to get approvals for honey products after The…

Amos ABBA Jan 29, 2020

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, suspended an official of the agency Michael Ikoro for helping vendors of honey products to obtain certification through illegal means, following The ICIR report.…
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Malabu oil scam: Nigerian witness fumbles in testimony against Eni in Italy

Amos ABBA Jan 29, 2020

AT the ongoing corruption trial of oil conglomerates, Shell & Eni in Milan, Italy the court listened to the testimony of Isaac Eke, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police as he spoke about his role in the ongoing probe of the…
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NIS Scam: Court adjourns trial of Senator Moro till February 25

Amos ABBA Jan 28, 2020

AT the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, the corruption trial of Abba Moro, a former Minister of Interior was stalled after the case was adjourned till February 25. Moro, a serving senator representing Benue South senatorial…
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Court adjusts Maina’s bail conditions, to present N500 million bail bond

Amos ABBA Jan 28, 2020

ON Tuesday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja altered the bail conditions it had requested the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, to present with regards to his ongoing trial on corruption…
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Buhari seeks Senate approval to confirm CBN, NCC, NCAA appointments

Amos ABBA Jan 28, 2020

President Muhammadu Buhari in a request to the Senate on Tuesday asked for the confirmation of Kingsley Isitua Obiora, Professor Adeola Akande as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Chairman of the board of Nigerian…
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Coronavirus outbreak induces global oil prices fall

Amos ABBA Jan 27, 2020

THIRTEEN members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC on Monday hinted that they would extend their existing agreement to reduce oil supplies in a bid to raise prices after the outbreak of coronavirus in China led to a…
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How payment of multiple taxes frustrates okada riders in Abuja

Amos ABBA Jan 21, 2020

DANIEL Chogwu, 33, had moved to the Federal Capital City, Abuja from Kogi State in 2014 in search of a paying job with his high school certificate. Unable to earn a  pay after being owed three months’ salary working as a security guard for…
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Pipeline Explosion: Tracking Abule Egba fire incidents

Amos ABBA Jan 21, 2020

Abule Egba area of Lagos State in the last 14 years has recorded three fire outbreaks resulting from an explosion caused by vandalisation of  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC pipelines. The latest was the Sunday incident where…
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Randy OAU lecturer accused of sexual harassment gets suspension, pending conclusion of investigation

Amos ABBA Jan 15, 2020

ON Wednesday, the management of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU,Ile-Ife, Osun State, suspended Olabisi Olaleye, a lecturer at the Department of International Relations of the institution and also placed him on half-pay following preliminary…
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Reps direct NERC to suspend electricity tariff hike across the country

Amos ABBA Jan 14, 2020

THE House of Representatives Committee on Power on Tuesday asked the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to suspend the planned increase in electricity tariff across the country. Aliyu Magaji, committee chairman on power,…
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Maina begs court to relax bail conditions

Amos ABBA Jan 13, 2020

ON Monday, Abdulrasheed Maina, a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team who is currently being charged with money laundering to the tune of N2 billion at the Federal High Court in Abuja pleaded with the court to relax some…
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Oil price peaks in four months as Iran attacks US base in Iraq

Amos ABBA Jan 8, 2020

CRUDE oil prices rose for the first time in four months to $71.75 per barrel, after Iran launched ballistic missiles striking two United States, US, military bases in Iraq, indicating a further escalation of tension between both countries.…
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Lagos court orders NERC to back down from electricity tariff increase

Amos ABBA Jan 7, 2020

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday ordered electricity distribution companies to maintain current prices until the resolution of the motion challenging the proposed tariff increase. The presiding judge, Justice Muslim Hassan…
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Kaduna Governor, El – Rufai bans gas refilling in residential areas, calls it “a high…

Amos ABBA Jan 7, 2020

The Kaduna State Government on Monday banned gas retail shops from operating in residential areas across its metropolis with immediate effect in response to Saturday’s gas explosion at Sabon Tasha in Chikun Local Government Area of the…
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US – Iran tensions boost crude oil prices, as global oil trade hangs in balance

Amos ABBA Jan 6, 2020

THE Crude oil market experienced jitters on Friday, amidst growing tensions between the United States, US and Iran following a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, an act capable of…
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Delayed Justice: One year after, Ochanya’s mother remains traumatised by loss of daughter to…

Amos ABBA Dec 24, 2019

The death of a loved one is a painful experience but this loss is nothing compared to depression and betrayal a mother feels when a heinous crime shatters her family, leaving her without any psychosocial or psychological support. She can…
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President Buhari insists interim management would head NDDC until forensic audit is completed

Amos ABBA Dec 19, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari on  Thursday announced that the temporary management team of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, will remain until the forensic audit of the agency’s operations was carried out. On November 26, The ICIR…
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Senate confirms Muhammed Nami as FIRS Chairman, board members

Amos ABBA Dec 19, 2019

THE Senate on Wednesday during plenary confirmed the appointment of the newly reconstituted board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, seven years after its dissolution alongside Muhammad Nami as  chairman. The confirmation process…
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Court convicts Kano businessman for money laundering

Amos ABBA Dec 17, 2019

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday convicted Abdullahi Sani on a one-count charge of under-declaration after failing to declare $121,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Kano…
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EFCC marks Orji Kalu’s properties for seizure by Federal Government

Amos ABBA Dec 14, 2019

...EFCC has no legal basis to seal our premises — The Sun Management THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Saturday, listed properties belonging to former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu for forfeiture by the…
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House of Reps wants investigation into violations of insurance issues by FG agencies

Amos ABBA Dec 13, 2019

The House of Representatives  says it will investigate violations and other infringements of some Federal Government agencies on insurance and actuarial issues. The House on Friday directed its Committee on Insurance and Actuarial Matters…
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House of Reps summons Labour, Power ministers to avert proposed strike of electricity workers

Amos ABBA Dec 11, 2019

The House of Representatives on Wednesday summoned the Ministers of Labour and  Power as well as the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) to appear before it on Thursday, December 12 to brief the leadership of the…
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FG launches digital platform to publish daily financial transactions of agencies, ministries

Amos ABBA Dec 9, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has launched the Open Treasury Portal to promote transparency and track spending in the public sector. IN a series of tweets on Monday, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative…
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ISWAP executes two soldiers, policeman in new video

Amos ABBA Dec 9, 2019

INSURGENTS believed to be members of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), released a video showing the execution of two Nigerian soldiers and a policeman according to a report. The security personnel who were killed were…
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Analysis: OPEC’s proposed cuts in global oil supply may not affect oil prices

Amos ABBA Dec 6, 2019

ON Thursday, the ministerial panel of key Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, producers and its allied countries OPEC+ pushed for the expansion of agreed oil production cuts by 500,000 barrels per day to ensure a balanced…
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Emmanuel Kucha, Ex-VC Federal University of Agriculture,Makurdi arraigned for collecting bribes

Amos ABBA Dec 3, 2019

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Makurdi zonal office, on Tuesday, arraigned Emmanuel Kucha, former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi,  over an alleged N70 million bribe. Kucha, a…
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Court orders temporary forfeiture of houses belonging to Saraki over fraud allegation

Amos ABBA Dec 2, 2019

ON Monday the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, obtained an order from the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for the forfeiture of two houses in Ilorin, Kwara State belonging to a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki…
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OPL 212: EFCC seeks to confiscate $24 million awarded to firm for alleged fraud

Amos ABBA Nov 29, 2019

ON Friday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed fresh charges against six suspects involved in an alleged criminal conspiracy that led to the contract award of SNEPCO Bonga Field Development Project in Oil Prospecting…
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Soyinka reacts to misleading information over his battle with cancer

Amos ABBA Nov 29, 2019

NIGERIA'S first Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has berated the media for presenting a warped narrative of an interview he granted the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC News Africa in 2015 over his battle against prostate cancer for which…
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2020 budget is unsustainable with $57 per barrel crude oil benchmark – CBN Governor

Amos ABBA Nov 27, 2019

THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has called for a downward review of the projected $57 oil benchmark proposed by the Federal Government in the 2020 budget, describing the current rate as unattainable in the oil market. Godwin Emefiele, CBN…
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Nigeria’s transparency agency to reveal owners of oil and gas companies list on December 12

Amos ABBA Nov 27, 2019

Waziri Adio, the Executive Secretary Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, announced on Wednesday that the Federal Government is set to reveal the beneficial ownership register for the oil and gas industry. Adio…
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Senate rejects Buhari’s request to approve NDDC’s 2020 budget

Amos ABBA Nov 26, 2019

THE Senate on Tuesday kicked against the presentation of the 2020 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari via a letter during plenary, citing administrative illegalities.  During the…
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Instagram celebrity, Mompha remanded in prison custody over N32.9 billion scam

Amos ABBA Nov 25, 2019

ON Monday the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered alleged Internet fraudster, Ismaila Mustapha, alias Mompha, to be remanded in the prison custody pending the hearing of the case. The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Liman ordered…
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House of Representatives launches probe into $396.33 million spent in fixing refineries between 2015…

Amos ABBA Nov 22, 2019

THE House of Representative has begun investigation into the financial allocations set aside for ‘Turn-Around Maintenance’ of the petroleum refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, estimated to have cost $396.33 million in four years,…
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Nigeria spends ₦1.06 billion to subsidise petrol daily – PPPRC report

Amos ABBA Nov 20, 2019

THE Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, in its latest report has shown that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC currently subsidises the cost of petrol by ₦19.37 per litre. The report published on Tuesday…
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Kogi Elections: Buhari congratulates Yahaya Bello

Amos ABBA Nov 18, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Monday affirmed the electoral victory of the incumbent Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, stating he ran a good race in the November 16 governorship poll and won it well. In his congratulatory message on his…
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Controversy trails Kogi election as voters, political parties trade blames

Amos ABBA Nov 17, 2019

Lukman ABOLADE and Amos ABBA, reporting from Kogi AFTER the conclusion of the Kogi governorship polls, residents of the state, and opposition parties have condemned the high level of violence, vote-buying and intimidation of voters which…
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Kogi Election: INEC begins disbursement of election materials to collation centres

Amos ABBA Nov 15, 2019

ALL is set for the kick-off of the Kogi Governorship election billed to take place on Saturday 16th November as Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, distributes election materials to various collation centres today as at 1 pm in…
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NNPC’s staff in collusion with oil vandals, Senate summons GMD Kyari

Amos ABBA Nov 12, 2019

ON Tuesday the Senate asked the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kyari, to appear before its Committee on Petroleum Resources, over the increased rate of pipeline vandalism across the…
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Buhari–David-West bromance: How virologist became oil minister

Amos ABBA Nov 12, 2019

FORMER petroleum minister, Tam David - West, whose death was announced yesterday, knew little about the oil and gas industry when he was appointed as minister in 1984 by military administration headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.…
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How electricity companies fleece Nigerians in service charges, despite assurance of firm regulation…

Amos ABBA Nov 12, 2019

In April 2017, Aliyu Umar, 27, began his day at dawn. He started by carefully preparing charcoal fire with which he would prepare breakfast of noodles, fried eggs, bread and tea for his early morning customers. His shop was a hotspot for…
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OPL 212: NNPC begs Supreme Court to review N8.14 billion judgement

Amos ABBA Nov 11, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is asking the Supreme Court to review a $22,630,000 (N8, 146, 800,000) damages decision against the corporation according to a report. The apex court, slated Tuesday for hearing on the…
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Senate wants Nigerians to participate in $10 billion investment project

Amos ABBA Nov 10, 2019

SENATORS during their plenary session on Friday threw their weight behind the $10 billion Train 7 project investment in the country’s gas sector, as they urged Nigerians to actively participate in the project, according to a report. Teslim…
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Service disruptions could occur around border towns if the ban on fuel supplies is sustained, telcos…

Amos ABBA Nov 9, 2019

OPERATORS of telecoms industry in Nigeria have warned of a possible disruption of communications arising from restraints placed on trucks supplying diesel to transceiver base stations around the border regions to further consolidate the…
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POWER: Blackout looms after Eko, Jos power grids collapse

Amos ABBA Nov 9, 2019

Nigeria’s power grid suffered a total collapse twice on Saturday within four hours which put consumers in total blackout. The power grid, which is controlled by government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has continued to…
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Osinbajo aides allegedly fired by the Presidency

Amos ABBA Nov 7, 2019

THE alleged cold war between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo got another twist, as 35 aides working with Osinbajo were shown the exit door by the Presidency according to a Daily Trust report. The exclusive…
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Revenues lost to oil theft in ten years is the current size of Nigeria’s foreign reserve…

Amos ABBA Nov 7, 2019

THE Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, raised alarm on the need for government to stem the tide on the increased level of oil theft in the country which has accounted for a $41.9 billion loss of revenue in ten…
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Reps to investigate PPPRC, PPMC over discriminatory prices of petrol

Amos ABBA Nov 6, 2019

ON Wednesday, the Federal House of Representatives launched an inquiry into incidences of unfair prices of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company Limited, PPMC, and Petroleum Products…
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OPEC predicts shrinking market sales for member nations, as India, China set to lead global oil…

Amos ABBA Nov 5, 2019

THE Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, on Tuesday disclosed that oil demand would shift from industrialised countries to India and China, leading to the growth global consumption of oil till 2040. At the presentation of…
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Nigeria set to build two condensate refineries, despite $60 million spent in refurbishing “old…

Amos ABBA Nov 4, 2019

ON Monday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC announced it was set to establish two new condensate refineries with a production capacity of 200,000 barrels per day in a bid to boost Nigeria's refining capacity. Mele Kyari,…
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Maurice Iwu, former INEC chairman re-arraigned by EFCC over N1.23b fraud

Amos ABBA Oct 24, 2019

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday re-arraigned, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Maurice Iwu, before the Federal High Court in Lagos for an alleged fraud of N1.23 billion.…
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President Buhari “shakes the tables” of NDDC, orders forensic audit of its accounts

Amos ABBA Oct 18, 2019

IN a series of tweets, President Muhammadu Buhari revealed that a forensic audit on the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, from 2001 to 2019 in a move to check the excesses of corrupt officials in the agency at the…
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Internet fraud suspect wanted by FBI, sentenced to one year imprisonment in Ilorin

Amos ABBA Oct 17, 2019

ON Thursday, the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin convicted and sentenced Joseph Oyediran, to one year in imprisonment on a five-count charge bordering on internet fraud, relying on evidence presented by the Economic and Financial…
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President Buhari cuts down travel allowance for ministers, other top officials

Amos ABBA Oct 16, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved travel allowance cuts for ministers, director-generals and other top government officials as they submit their travel plans for clearance.  This development was announced in a Twitter post …
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Nigeria spent N231 billion in 5 years to print banknotes – Report

Amos ABBA Oct 16, 2019

THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN disclosed in a report that between 2013 to 2018, the apex bank had spent N231.1 billion to print banknotes for the period under review. This was revealed in a report by the CBN titled "Currency Operations…
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Police investigates Lagos police station, after ICIR bail-for-sale investigation

Amos ABBA Oct 16, 2019

FOLLOWING the undercover investigation carried out by Fisayo Soyombo sponsored by The ICIR and Cable, the Nigerian Police Force has confirmed an investigation into the alleged #PoliceBailForSale which occurred at Pedro Police station in…
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FCTA closes down Unity Fountain, says facility needs upgrade

Amos ABBA Oct 16, 2019

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, on Tuesday, announced the temporary closure of the famous Unity Fountain in Maitama, Abuja, stating the facility would be rehabilitated before it will be opened to the public. Minister of…
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Endangered Voices: Amnesty International calls on FG to stop attacks on journalists

Amos ABBA Oct 14, 2019

AMNESTY International, a global human rights non-governmental organisation in a 2019 report tagged “ENDANGERED VOICES” which was released on Monday, announced that journalists in Nigeria are increasingly becoming exposed to escalated…
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Odinkalu challenges court over jurisdiction in alleged incitement suit by Governor El-Rufai

Amos ABBA Oct 13, 2019

HUMAN rights activist, Chidi Odinkalu, has questioned the legal process in the case filed against him by the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai at the Magistrate court in Kaduna, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case…
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Soldiers capture Boko Haram commanders in Borno

Amos ABBA Oct 12, 2019

THE Nigerian Army on Saturday announced the capture of 10 suspected key Boko Haram members at Bitta in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, as they tried to escape during an attack,according to a report. Aminu Iliyasu, Nigeria's…
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Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed clinches Nobel Peace Prize for bringing twenty years war to a halt

Amos ABBA Oct 11, 2019

ON Friday, Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, was conferred the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize by the Nobel committee for his peacemaking efforts which ended twenty years of hostility between his country Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ahmed, the…
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Court orders final forfeiture of N601 million proceeds of fraud to CBN

Amos ABBA Oct 11, 2019

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday ordered the final forfeiture of N550 million and N51 million, identified as being proceeds of fraudulent practices belonging to Titus Okunrinboye. The presiding judge, Justice Giwa…
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Nigeria seeks to reclaim $62 billion in extra gains from five oil firms

Amos ABBA Oct 10, 2019

IN a bid to increase its oil revenues, the Federal Government is set to reclaim $62 billion from five major international oil companies working in Nigeria through a Supreme Court ruling that allows it lay claim to income from the…
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Budget proposal: Nigeria to breach OPEC oil cut agreement

Amos ABBA Oct 9, 2019

THE Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, crude production prescription is likely to be disregarded by Nigeria as its 2020 budget proposal does accommodate the terms of the agreement. This development was disclosed in a…
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Panel of Inquiry indicts army officer, four police officers in Taraba killings

Amos ABBA Oct 8, 2019

ON Tuesday, the Board Of Inquiry, BOI, set up to investigate the killing of three police officers and two civilians in Taraba State in August revealed that the police and army were culpable in the five lives lost in the incident which was…
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Court confiscates over N280 million traced to Nigerian business “Invictus Obi”

Amos ABBA Oct 7, 2019

ON Monday, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered the temporary forfeiture of N280,555,010 allegedly belonging to embattled Nigerian entrepreneur Obinwanne George Okeke also known as Invictus Obi for alleged money laundering…
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Court denies incarcerated journalist, Agba Jalingo bail, adjourns treason trial for October 16

Amos ABBA Oct 4, 2019

THE Federal High Court sitting in Calabar on Friday denied bail to the detained journalist, Agba Jalingo stating there was no substantial evidence to show that his health was failing to necessitate his bail. Attah Ochinke, the lead counsel…
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Facebook confirms removal of accounts peddling fake news in Nigeria, UAE and Egypt

Amos ABBA Oct 4, 2019

FACEBOOK on Friday took down over 400 pages, groups and accounts on its platform that peddle fake news, stating they were engaged in a co - ordinated inauthentic activity and operated by marketing firms in Egypt, Nigeria and the United Arab…
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Malabu Scandal: U.S. Department of Justice closes probe on Eni/Shell involvement due to lack of…

Amos ABBA Oct 3, 2019

THE U.S. Department of Justice, DOJ, on Wednesday, clarified that shutting down the probe into the alleged OPL 245 bribery scandal perpetrated by Italian oil giant Eni due to lack of evidence did not mean the case has been closed according…
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Analysis: Nigeria’s GDP growth rates has faltered since independence

Amos ABBA Oct 2, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari introduced his speech at Nigeria's 59th Independence Anniversary saying that October, 1 avails Nigerians the opportunity to reflect on how the country has fared. The ICIR also went down memory lane to draw…
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Buhari blames past administrations for the nation’s economic woes

Amos ABBA Oct 1, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in his speech to mark Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary in Abuja blamed previous governments for the economic woes experienced in the country; he, however, noted that the country is recovering.…
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Nigeria’s revenue threatened as biggest oil buyer shifts demand to alternative market

Amos ABBA Sep 28, 2019

NIGERIA is on the verge of losing one of its major oil customers, India, as the world's third-largest oil importer has found a new market in cheap crude oil supplies from Iraq according to a Reuters report. India oil imports from Iraq…
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Nigeria to pay UK court $200 million to hear appeal in $9.6 billion P & ID lawsuit

Amos ABBA Sep 26, 2019

ON Thursday, a United Kingdom Court permitted Nigeria to appeal the enforcement of the Commercial Court judgement in London granting Process & Industrial Developments, P&ID authority to seize assets worth $9 billion from the…
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Nigeria Air Force neutralises ISWAP logistics base, training camp in Borno

Amos ABBA Sep 26, 2019

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, on Thursday says it has destroyed a major Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, logistics base and training camp at Kusuma settlement in Borno State. Following intelligence reports that a section of the…
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Aid agency, Mercy Corps suspends operations in Northeast

Amos ABBA Sep 25, 2019

ON Wednesday International aid agency, Mercy Corps announced a suspension of its operations in Borno and Yobe States following the closure of four of its field offices by the Nigerian Army. This development is coming six days after the…
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Absence of witness stalls trial of ex-Adamawa governor involved in N29 billion fraud

Amos ABBA Sep 24, 2019

ON Tuesday, the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja adjourned the trial of former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako for alleged money laundering to the tune of N29 billion. The presiding judge,  O.E. Abang granted the adjournment…
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Nigeria closes in on $88 million oil deal with CPDC, to rake in more from royalties and taxes

Amos ABBA Sep 23, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) sealed an oil deal worth $875.75 million with CMES-OMS Petroleum Development Company (CPDC), to provide alternative funding for its subsidiary firm the Nigerian Petroleum Development…
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Former, Legal Director of Petroleum Ministry implicated in the failed P & ID scandal remanded…

Amos ABBA Sep 20, 2019

GRACE Taiga, a former director of legal services at Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources was on Friday remanded in Suleja Prison, Niger State for her alleged involvement in the controversial P & ID scandal. The Economic and…
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Journalists, whistleblowers urge FG to promote press freedom for democracy to thrive

Amos ABBA Sep 20, 2019

THE  Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF), has decried the shrinking spaces of press freedom in Nigeria. In a statement issued by the Coalition and obtained by The ICIR, it said the shrinking press freedom in…
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Court orders closure of P&ID operations in Nigeria, assets forfeiture

Amos ABBA Sep 19, 2019

THE Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered the closure of operations of P&ID Ltd, Virgin Island, and its Nigerian affiliate, P&ID Nigeria Ltd, firms linked to the failed P&ID oil contract negotiations. The court presided over by…
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Economic Imbalance: How FG’s proposed VAT increase will affect Nigerians

Amos ABBA Sep 17, 2019

THE recent decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to increase the Value-Added Tax (VAT), on goods from 5 per cent to 7.2 per cent in a bid to increase the country's non - oil revenues and also reduce its reliance on crude oil sales…
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US alleges Iran behind Saudi oil field attacks, amid global rise in oil prices

Amos ABBA Sep 16, 2019

The United States, US, on Monday revealed satellite images and intelligence reports suggesting that Iran was behind attacks on major Saudi Arabia oil facilities, a move that has reduced global oil supplies by 5 per cent and also made oil…
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Barefaced subversion of justice—PDP kicks against Tribunal verdict, heads to Supreme Court

Amos ABBA Sep 11, 2019

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the Wednesday judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that gave victory to President Muhammadu Buhari. The opposition party described the verdict of the Tribunal "as…
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VERDICT: After 177 days of legal fireworks, tribunal throws out Atiku’s case

Amos ABBA Sep 11, 2019

THE Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar challenging the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.…
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Nigeria’s economy shaky as FG reviews crude oil benchmark from $60 to $55 per barrel

Amos ABBA Sep 10, 2019

NIGERIA's Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed on Tuesday announced that the country's crude oil benchmark which was initially pegged at $60 per barrel would be lowered to $55 per barrel to contain the effects of an unexpected price shock. In…
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All your gathering or procession remains ultimately illegal—police warn Shiites ahead of annual…

Amos ABBA Sep 9, 2019

 The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu on Monday reiterated that members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites are banned from embarking on any form of procession, insisting the group remains…
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South African authorities fuelling xenophobia to win political support—Amnesty International

Amos ABBA Sep 4, 2019

AMNESTY International says South African government’s years of impunity for xenophobic crimes were the forces driving the latest attacks against foreign nationals and their properties in the country. The global human rights organisation…
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ANALYSIS: If India, Germany, others fail to buy crude oil from Nigeria, economic collapse is sure

Amos ABBA Sep 3, 2019

IN January 2019, Nigeria lost one of its biggest oil trading partners, the United States,  when Washington stopped buying crude oil from the country. This singular act by the US pushed crude oil from Nigeria out of its markets. This was…
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Enough is enough— we will take definitive measures, Minister reacts to attacks against Nigerians in…

Amos ABBA Sep 2, 2019

NIGERIA's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama on Monday decried the continued attack on Nigerians by South Africans in a recent wave of attacks and looting of foreign-owned businesses in Johannesburg. Onyeama in a Twitter message…
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How Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris turned ‘blind eye’ to fraud at…

Amos ABBA Sep 1, 2019

THE Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris was a significant player in the trail of fraudulent practices that occurred at Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, NBET under the watch of Marilyn Amobi, its embattled boss, fresh…
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Inside story of the botched P & ID gas agreement

Amos ABBA Aug 28, 2019

FOLLOWING a United Kingdom court judgement granting Irish owned firm Process and Industrial Developments Ltd, P & ID, rights to claim $9 billion worth of assets, the Nigerian government is likely to suffer great loss amounting to…
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NNPC records 77 per cent increase in pipeline vandalism in June

Amos ABBA Aug 26, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Sunday revealed in a Twitter post that pipeline vandalism had increased significantly by 77 per cent according to its records for June. This was contained in its Monthly Financial and…
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Boko Haram invades Gubio, Magumeri in Borno

Amos ABBA Aug 22, 2019

MEMBERS of the Boko Haram sect on Wednesday attacked two local government areas namely Gubio and Magumeri in Borno State after an alleged withdrawal of the military from bases in those areas, according to a report.  The insurgents invaded…
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Tax dodgers: Firms owned by Obasanjo, Omisore among others implicated by FIRS

Amos ABBA Aug 21, 2019

THE Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, on Wednesday released a list of publicly-quoted and privately owned businesses on its website listed among the namely Obasanjo Farms, owned by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Davido Music Worldwide…
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Fowler blames low tax collection on falling crude oil prices, recession

Amos ABBA Aug 20, 2019

RESPONDING to query from President Muhammadu Buhari over a shortfall in tax collection from 2015 to 2018, Babatunde Fowler, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service has blamed the decline on the 2016 recession and lower crude oil…
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EFCC arraigns Isabella Oshodin in N22.9bn money laundering scandal

Amos ABBA Aug 19, 2019

ISABELLA Oshodin was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday alongside Bob Oshodin Organisation Ltd before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on charges of money laundering. A 25-count charge was…
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Former petroleum minister, Alison Madueke begs court to retrieve jewelry from EFCC

Amos ABBA Aug 19, 2019

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday, pleaded with the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to return jewellery worth over $40 million…
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Nigeria to lose $9 billion to firm over breach of contract

Amos ABBA Aug 16, 2019

ON Friday, a United Kingdom, UK court granted Irish owned firm Process and Industrial Developments Ltd, P & ID, rights to claim $9 billion worth of assets from the Nigerian government for breaching the terms of their agreement after…
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Advocacy group alerts FG to halt nuclear projects, cites safety concerns

Amos ABBA Aug 15, 2019

ON Wednesday, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, urged the Nigerian government to desist from its agreement with the Russian owned company, Rosatom, to build nuclear power stations, citing safety concerns.…
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Buhari bars Obono Obla from office over certificate forgery

Amos ABBA Aug 15, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, from office pending the conclusion of an ongoing investigation. In a letter, signed…
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Over 190 phone calls were exchanged between Army Captain and kidnap kingpin prior to the killing of…

Amos ABBA Aug 15, 2019

FOLLOWING, the arrest of the Nigerian Army Captain who allegedly ordered soldiers in Taraba State, to open fire on police personnel leading to the death of three police officers, investigations revealed that the escaped kidnap kingpin,…
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Nigeria’s foreign reserves hits bump, drops by $482.18 million in July – Report

Amos ABBA Aug 14, 2019

NIGERIA'S foreign reserves recorded a shortfall of $482.18 million, following a sharp depletion of the reserves from $45.14 billion to $44.65 billion in July according to records obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. In a report…
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Nigerian Army charges soldiers to be of good conduct, following death of police officers

Amos ABBA Aug 12, 2019

IN a bid to forestall clashes with police personnel, the Nigerian army issued directives to soldiers to guide their conduct after the death of three policemen by soldiers in Taraba state. Felix Omoigui, a brigadier-general, in a letter…
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Nigeria crude oil exports suffers poor sales, amidst competing US oil production

Amos ABBA Aug 9, 2019

THE glut of crude oil supply in the oil market hit Nigeria's crude oil exports with poor sales, amidst efforts to balance the market, the International Energy Agency, IEA, on Friday announced a global decline in oil demand growth. The…
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Court convicts oil thieves in Port Harcourt

Amos ABBA Aug 8, 2019

The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted 12 oil thieves for illegally trading in petroleum products. The presiding judge, Justice A. T Mohammed who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, sentenced the criminals to a fine…
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Army says “lack of intelligence made soldiers kill three policemen”

Amos ABBA Aug 8, 2019

FOLLOWING the police's accusation that soldiers allegedly opened fire on police personnel on legitimate duty which led to the death of three police officers, the Nigerian Army on Thursday countered the claim, stating that the policemen were…
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NNPC set to publish audited accounts, including contracts and contractors details in August –…

Amos ABBA Aug 7, 2019

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has promised that it would respond to requests for the disclosure of contracts and contractors this month to demonstrate transparency and accountability in its operations. Group Managing…
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FG to review revenue sharing formula, amid falling global crude prices

Amos ABBA Aug 7, 2019

ON Tuesday, the federal government reiterated its commitment to review the revenue allocation procedure for Federal, States and Local Governments to meet the current economic demands Chairman, of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and…
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Global rights group calls for investigations into death of Shi’ite members, others in unlawful…

Amos ABBA Aug 5, 2019

ON Monday, the global human rights group Amnesty International announced that at least three members of the Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, have died in police custody while 15 members of the group, including minors, have been in…
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Priests protest: Police yet to find killers of the catholic priest in Enugu

Amos ABBA Aug 2, 2019

FOLLOWING the death of Paul Offu, parish priest of St. James the Great parish, Ugbawka, priests in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu on Friday took to the streets on Friday to protest the alleged targeted killings of clergymen in the State.…
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NNPC partners with Turkey to extend trade relations beyond crude oil, as global oil prices fall

Amos ABBA Aug 2, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC seeks to extend Nigeria’s trade relations with Turkey beyond crude oil in a bid to improve increased economic broadband between both countries. The Group Managing Director, GMD, of the…
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EFCC refutes THISDAY reports on Malabu oil scandal, says it’s false

Amos ABBA Aug 1, 2019

ON Thursday the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, refuted the claims of a media publication which stated that Mohammed Adoke, a former minister of Justice involved in the ongoing Malabu trial was blameless in the $1.2…
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INVESTIGATION…Inside Nigeria’s oil-rich community where Agip breaks the law, endangering lives…

Amos ABBA Aug 1, 2019

The ICIR reporter, Amos ABBA visited Azuzuama, in Bayelsa State where oil spills from pipelines belonging to Agip persistently occur without a commensurate remediation effort from the oil firm to clean up the affected sites. ESTHER…
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Court slams oil thieves with two years jail term for illegal bunkering

Amos ABBA Jul 30, 2019

ON Tuesday, Justice A. T Mohammed of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, convicted and sentenced Abdullahi Yahaya, Suleiman Hassan and Salisu Abubakar to two years imprisonment each on a one-count charge bordering on illegal…
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NNPC collaborates with Army to destroy illegal structures along its pipeline corridor

Amos ABBA Jul 29, 2019

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Monday announced it was set to collaborate with the Army Engineering Corps to put an end to the violation of its pipeline right-of-way by individuals and communities across the country.…
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Armed men kill over 65 people in Borno attack

Amos ABBA Jul 29, 2019

ARMED bandits reportedly killed at least 65 people after an attack on a funeral procession in a village near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The attack is regarded as one of the deadliest on civilians recently, according to reports.…
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NNPC closes $3.15 billion deal with Sterling Oil to boost crude supplies in OML 13

Amos ABBA Jul 24, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Tuesday closed a $3.15 billion deal with Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited, SEEPCO, to develop the country’s oil and gas reserves from Oil Mining Lease, OML…
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Shi’ite protest: Civil and media groups call for justice for slain journalist

Amos ABBA Jul 23, 2019

MEDIA and advocacy groups under the aegis of Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom, CWPPF, on Tuesday, condemned the attack that led to the death of Channels TV's reporter Precious Owolabi, and urged relevant authorities…
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Commercial activities disrupted as Shiites, policemen renew clash in Abuja

Amos ABBA Jul 23, 2019

ON Tuesday clashes between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, and policemen resumed when the protesting members of the Shi'ite sect who had embarked on another round of protest were dispersed by security operatives. The…
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Former governor, Orji Kalu opens defense in alleged N7.6 billion fraud trial

Amos ABBA Jul 22, 2019

FORMER governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday opened his defence in an alleged N7.6 billion fraud trial at the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State. Kalu was arraigned alongside, a former Abia state Commissioner for…
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DCP killed,journalist injured, properties destroyed as Police, Shiites clash in Abuja

Amos ABBA Jul 22, 2019

A Channels Television reporter was on Monday  hit by a stray bullet during a clash between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and men of the Nigeria Police in Abuja when a protest by the former turned violent. The…
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NNPC posts N6.33b profits in May, records drop in pipelines destruction – Report

Amos ABBA Jul 21, 2019

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it recorded a trade surplus of N6.33 billion in the month of May compared to the N5.60 billion it posted in April. This was contained in the corporation's Monthly Financial and…
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Action Against Hunger confirms death of driver, six others abducted in Borno

Amos ABBA Jul 19, 2019

SUSPECTED Boko Haram militants killed a driver and abducted six others, working for an international aid organisation, Action Against Hunger, in a convoy to Damasak in Borno State, the aid agency confirmed on Friday. After the attack on…
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Nigeria seals deal with largest trading partner, to supply 10 per cent crude oil needs

Amos ABBA Jul 19, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is set to supply 10 per cent of India’s crude oil demand in the face of competing demand for crude oil from other countries. The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Corporation, Mele…
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In three months, FG spent N610.2b to service domestic debts, says NBS

Amos ABBA Jul 19, 2019

The National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) says the Federal Government has spent a total of N610.2 billion in the first quarter of 2019 to service its domestic loans. The NBC disclosed disclosed in its first quarterly report for 2019,…
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Nigerian Army loses colonel, five soldiers in fresh Boko Haram ambush

Amos ABBA Jul 18, 2019

AT least six soldiers including a colonel were killed in an ambush by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Wednesday evening. Multiple sources reported that the insurgents opened fire on the patrol vehicle carrying the soldiers in Jakana,…
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Report: Nigeria’s economic collapse is imminent, beyond its oil based economy

Amos ABBA Jul 17, 2019

NIGERIA’s dependence on proceeds from crude oil revenues puts its economic survival beyond the post-oil economy in a precarious state. This was revealed in a report titled “Economic disruption – How the energy revolution will affect…
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Gas Flaring: Investors scale evaluation phase, as petroleum ministry closes bid round

Amos ABBA Jul 12, 2019

ON Thursday, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Folasade Yemi-Esan announced the completion of bid round to secure flared gas for monetisation under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme,…
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GMDs of the NNPC who had managed Nigeria’s oil “cash cow” since 1999

Amos ABBA Jul 12, 2019

THE newly appointed Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Melee Kyari, on Monday, took charge as the boss of the national oil company. With this appointment, Kyari joins the long list of Nigerians…
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Buhari could submit ministerial nominee list this week, says Senate President

Amos ABBA Jul 10, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari might name his ministerial nominees this week, the Senate president Ahmad Lawal announced on Wednesday during a plenary session. Over a month after President Buhari's inauguration, Nigerians have been waiting for…
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Shiite sect clashes with Police at National Assembly complex

Amos ABBA Jul 9, 2019

MEMBERS of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, Shiite sect on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly premises, clashing with police officers and other security operatives with the number of casualties yet to be officially ascertained. The…
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NNPC boss vows to make refineries fully operational before 2023

Amos ABBA Jul 8, 2019

MELEE Kyari, the incoming group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Monday vowed to make all the four refineries in the country working before 2023. He made this pledge at the valedictory session…
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Nigeria’s oil revenue drops by N62bn for second consecutive month – CBN report

Amos ABBA Jul 5, 2019

NIGERIA'S oil revenue dropped for the second month in a row due to shut-ins and shutdowns of major terminals by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, May 2019 monthly economic…
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Supreme Court affirms Oyetola as Osun governor

Amos ABBA Jul 5, 2019

ON Friday, the Supreme Court in Abuja upheld the electoral victory of Gboyega Oyetola candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2018 Osun governorship election. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivor, who delivered the judgement of the…
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NEMA confirms eight injured, two dead in Ijegun pipeline explosion

Amos ABBA Jul 4, 2019

A fire broke out on a pipeline belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, along Ijegun axis of Igando-Ikotun local council development area of Lagos State on Wednesday allegedly caused by suspected pipeline vandals…
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Nigeria signs up for OPEC nine-month crude oil supply cuts to boost prices

Amos ABBA Jul 2, 2019

NIGERIA, alongside other member-states of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, on Tuesday, agreed to extend oil production cuts until March 2020 to boost the prices of crude oil in the global market. This was announced at…
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Buhari fires NHIS executive secretary, renews tenure of NCDC’s DG

Amos ABBA Jul 2, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday announced the sack of the Executive Secretary, ES, of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Usman Yusuf whose two -and-half-year-tenure had been embroiled in controversies with the agency's…
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“No evidence to show the money was legitimately earned,” court rules on Patience…

Amos ABBA Jul 1, 2019

THE Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos on Monday, has ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sums of $8.4 million and N9.1 billion recovered from Patience  Jonathan, wife of former President, Goodluck Jonathan. The court's ruling is based…
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Diezani bribe: Court slams six years jail term on INEC deputy director

Amos ABBA Jul 1, 2019

JUSTICE Yusuf Birnin-Kudu of the Jigawa State High Court in Gumel convicted and sentenced Auwal Jibrin, Deputy Director of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to six years in prison on a six-count charge for unlawful…
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Nigerian Army launches attacks on bandits, recovers arms cache and destroys camps

Amos ABBA Jun 30, 2019

THE Nigeria Army authorities on Saturday disclosed that troops on Operation HARBIN KUNAMA III has successfully launched attacks neutralising bandits and destroying their camps across Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Kebbi states.  Director of…
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14 firms clinch contracts to supply Nigeria’s petroleum products for 2019/2020

Amos ABBA Jun 29, 2019

ON May 3, over 132 oil and gas marketing firms had submitted bids for the lifting of Nigeria’s crude oil under the Direct Sales Direct Purchase, DSDP, contracts, but only 14 firms have emerged successful. According to a report, several…
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Plateau court admits more evidence against ex-Gov, Jang over N6.2 bn fraud

Amos ABBA Jun 28, 2019

THE Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos overruled the plea by former Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, to refuse admittance of sensitive state documents as evidence over an alleged N6.2 billion fraud. The presiding judge, Justice…
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President Buhari appoints alternate NNPC board chairman to replace Kachikwu

Amos ABBA Jun 26, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Thomas John to act as alternate chairman of the Governing board of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The announcement was made in a Twitter post signed by Maikanti…
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EFCC nabs suspected swindler over $12,000 romance scam

Amos ABBA Jun 25, 2019

ON Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt's Zonal Office arraigned Aretuemhen Frank before the Port Harcourt's Federal High Court on charges bordering on false pretences, impersonation and possession of…
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IEA projects drop in oil prices in 2020, cuts down estimates over global trade tensions

Amos ABBA Jun 14, 2019

FOLLOWING attacks on two oil tankers carrying petroleum products at the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway in the Persian Gulf, through which one - fifth of the world's oil is transported, the International Energy Agency, IEA, on Friday…
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Nigeria’s profit from oil exports hits $236.2 bn in five years, as oil reserves slide

Amos ABBA Jun 13, 2019

NIGERIA raked in $236.2 billion from the proceeds made from crude oil exports between 2014 to 2018,  according to the OPEC  latest report. This was revealed in the 54th edition of the Annual Statistical Bulletin, ASB, released by OPEC,…
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Nigerians express mixed reactions over Democracy Day on social media

Amos ABBA Jun 12, 2019

TWENTY-SIX years ago, Nigerians took to the polls on June 12, 1993, to participate in what has been described by many as the "freest and fairest” general elections in Nigerian history. M.K.O Abiola was on the verge of being declared a…
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Ex-NDDC director asked me to pay N3.6 billion to pacify Niger Delta youths, witness tells court

Amos ABBA Jun 11, 2019

THE Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, adjourned the trial of Touyo Omatsuli, a former Executive Director on Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and three others for allegedly laundering funds…
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SEC restrains Oando from holding AGM

Amos ABBA Jun 10, 2019

The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, on Monday announced its decision to suspend its initial directive that Oando Plc should hold its Annual General Meeting slated for Tuesday. The apex capital market regulator in a press release…
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DPR withdraws licenses of six oil blocks over ‘legacy debts’

Amos ABBA Jun 6, 2019

ON Thursday, Nigeria’s petroleum regulator Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, announced the revoking of six oil bloc licences belonging to five oil firms in a bid to address the nation's legacy debts. The directive which was issued in…
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Oando,SEC disagree as police seals Oando’s headquaters

Amos ABBA Jun 3, 2019

FOLLOWING the Securities and Exchange Commission's conclusion of its investigation into the financial irregularities by Oando PLC, it announced an interim management team led by Mutiu  Sunmonu to take over the helm of affairs that would…
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SEC bars Oando’s boss from being director in any public company for five years

Amos ABBA Jun 1, 2019

The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, on Friday released the final report of its investigation of Oando Plc instructing the Group Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the company, Wale Tinubu, and other indicted board members to resign.…
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Francis Johnson, PENGASSAN President dies

Amos ABBA May 31, 2019

Current President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, Francis Johnson, is dead. Johnson, who was the current president of PENGASSAN, died early Friday morning after failing to recover from a…
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Dyslexia:The plight of right brained people in a left thinking world

Amos ABBA May 31, 2019

FROM a distance, it’s hard to notice that nineteen-year Olusile Joy needs any special help. Her inability to comprehend written words has always been a constant source of worry. She has always thought school is not meant for her because no…
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Senate approves N129 billion to offset subsidy debts owed petroleum marketers

Amos ABBA May 31, 2019

THE Senate on Thursday approved the payments of outstanding subsidy debt of N129 billion owed petroleum marketers in six years for importing refined crude into the country. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Downstream Sector, Kabir Marafa,…
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Appeal court dismisses judgement against Adeleke, rules “he’s qualified to contest Osun…

Amos ABBA May 30, 2019

THE Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday dismissed the judgement of the FCT High Court that had initially disqualified Senator Ademola Adeleke from the Osun State governorship election in September 2018 and upheld his…
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Nigeria to retain 40 per cent ownership in JV partnership with foreign oil companies

Amos ABBA May 29, 2019

THE Federal Government has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, its oil holding firm to cut down its stakes in Joint Venture oil assets to less than 40 per cent within the 2019 fiscal year by selling its stakes which…
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Group urges CSOs, child rights organisations to address the almajiri menace

Amos ABBA May 28, 2019

The Almajiri Child Right Initiative, ACRI, on Tuesday called on Child rights advocates and stakeholders across the country to mark the second annual Almajiri Child Rights Day to draw attention to one of the world’s most abused sets of…
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NNPC paid excess of N41 billion into Federation Account in 2018 – Baru

Amos ABBA May 22, 2019

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Tuesday announced that its annual payments into the Federation Account in 2018 surpassed its projections in the 2018 budget with over N41 billion. The Managing Director of NNPC Capital,…
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Nigeria’s GDP drops in first quarter, following shrink in oil sector – NBS

Amos ABBA May 20, 2019

NIGERIA’s economy grew by 2.01 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 as the nation's oil sector which is the economic mainstay shrank, according to records obtained from the website of National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, published on…
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Malabu oil scam: Court adjourns hearing on arrest order against Etete, Adoke, others

Amos ABBA May 13, 2019

THE Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court in Jabi on Monday adjourned hearing to June 11 on the application to set aside the warrant of arrest charges against former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, former Minister of Justice and…
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Nestle Nigeria redeems pledge, fixes borehole for community after The ICIR report

Amos ABBA May 10, 2019

TWO days after The ICIR published an investigation on the plight of Manderegi residents whose source of water supply was contaminated by effluents from Nestle's water factory, the multinational corporation completed a water project in the…
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Nigeria earns $180bn from deepwater oil block operations – NNPC Boss

Amos ABBA May 9, 2019

SEVEN out of the eighty-seven deepwater oil blocks in Nigeria are producing, while six are at different stages of development, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, on Wednesday…
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Oil Theft: Navy apprehends eight suspects, transfers case to EFCC

Amos ABBA May 9, 2019

The Nigerian Navy, NNS Victory Calabar on Wednesday, handed over eight persons suspected to be involved in the illegal conveyance of oil to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Uyo Zonal Office, including 105 drums of petrol…
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Journalists, academics brainstorm on strategies to promote press freedom

Amos ABBA May 5, 2019

JOURNALISTS, academics and other stakeholders in the media industry met on Friday and Saturday to proffer solutions to the shrinking spaces of journalistic freedom in Nigeria. The two-day conference held at the New Chelsea Hotel in Abuja…
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OPEC will review agreement to cut down oil output to avoid energy crises – Barkindo

Amos ABBA May 2, 2019

THE Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, alongside other oil-producing countries led by Russia on Thursday announced plans to review its pact to cut down on oil output with regards to instability in Venezuela and other…
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Dutch court overrules Shell in case brought by Nigerian activists widows

Amos ABBA May 1, 2019

A HAGUE District Court in the Netherlands on Wednesday ruled against Royal Dutch Shell in a damages suit brought by the widows of four environmental activists who were executed by the Sani Abacha, led government in 1995 according to a…
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Magu cautions NUPENG drivers to desist from petroleum products diversion

Amos ABBA Apr 29, 2019

ACTING Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, on Monday cautioned Petroleum Tanker Drivers of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, in the Niger Delta region to steer clear of…
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How Nestle Nigeria contaminates water supply of its host community in Abuja

Amos ABBA Apr 28, 2019

ON April 14, 2016, Nestle Nigeria assembled a team of geological experts, businessmen and politicians to witness the commissioning of a N5.6 billion water factory in Manderegi, an agrarian community in Abaji local government area of the…
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NNRC, OrderPaper set to host conference on oil and gas reforms

Amos ABBA Apr 27, 2019

THE Nigeria Natural Resource Charter, NNRC, a not-for-profit policy institute and  OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative, OAI, are set to host key players in Nigeria’s petroleum sector to promote reforms and secure benefits for the country. The…
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NNPC denies transferring subsidiary company from Warri to Abuja

Amos ABBA Apr 26, 2019

NIGERIAN National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Friday refuted claims that it intends to relocate its gas marketing subsidiary, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company Limited, NGMC, from Warri to Abuja. In a series of tweets by the corporation's…
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Fire outbreak engulfs five oil wells in Ondo

Amos ABBA Apr 25, 2019

FIVE oil wells in Ajegunle Ikorigho community in Illaje local government, Ondo State on Thursday went up in flames and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The affected oil wells are Ojumole oil field, Isan-West field, Parable…
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Most Nigerian states are not fiscally viable without federal allocations. Here is why.

Amos ABBA Apr 25, 2019

For Ada Onche, a teacher who worked with the Benue State Teaching Service Board, for over 35 years until she retired from the state’s civil service in 2014 she finds it difficult to understand why she is still owed her monthly pension by…
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NEITI in partnership with ICIR to boost transparency in extractive industry.

Amos ABBA Apr 18, 2019

THE Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI has agreed to work together with International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, in bringing greater accountability and transparency to Nigeria's extractive industry…
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Nigeria loses $4.7bn in 7 years to gas flaring in Niger Delta – NOSDRA data portal

Amos ABBA Apr 17, 2019

IN an attempt to track incidences of gas flaring and monitor oil spillages in Nigeria's oil and gas sector the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, has launched two online platforms for monitoring oil spills and…
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NNPC offsets $1.5bn of its cash call debts to oil companies

Amos ABBA Apr 16, 2019

GROUP managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Baru Maikanti on Tuesday at the National Association for Energy Economics, NAEE, International Conference held in Abuja revealed that efforts to pay off debts…
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Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account is most poorly governed in Africa – NGRI report

Amos ABBA Apr 15, 2019

NIGERIA ranks the least country among 9 countries in Sub- Saharan Africa with the worst managed Sovereign Wealth Fund based on accountability, transparency and oversight. The countries examined in the report include Nigeria, Botswana,…
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NNLG, NCDMB set to seal $1bn Train 7 project deal, applies Nigerian Content Plan guideline

Amos ABBA Mar 22, 2019

THE stage is set as the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, signs the Nigerian content plan for the NLNG’s Train 7 project, estimated to cost $1bn on Friday in Abuja.…
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Buhari refuses to assent Digital Rights Bill, four others

Amos ABBA Mar 21, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday declined to assent to five bills earlier sent to him by the National Assembly, expressing his displeasure with some provisions of the bills in a compilation of letters to the National Assembly.…
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How Sanwo – Olu’s aide jumped bail in cocaine trafficking case, fingered in intellectual…

Amos ABBA Mar 20, 2019

OLUFUNKE Philips, social media influencer and digital manager of Lagos State Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo – Olu's media campaign team for the 2019 gubernatorial elections, is currently embroiled in a running battle to clear her name after…
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NNPC records N12.13bn profit in December, amidst growing pipeline breaches across the country…

Amos ABBA Mar 18, 2019

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, recorded a trading surplus to the tune of N12.13bn for December 2018, according to its monthly and operations report which was released yesterday in Abuja. The report showed that the leap…
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Ogoni socio-cultural group rejects Buhari’s order over NNPC/NNDC takeover of OML 11

Amos ABBA Mar 15, 2019

THE Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, on Friday rejected the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, to take over…
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JAMB reschedules 2019 examinations

Amos ABBA Mar 13, 2019

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has rescheduled the mock test for its candidates, which was initially slated for Saturday, 23rd March, to hold on Monday, April 1. JAMB's spokesperson Fabian Benjamin said in a statement…
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School building collapses in Lagos, leaving several pupils feared dead, others trapped

Amos ABBA Mar 13, 2019

A three-storeyed building has collapsed in Lagos Island, Lagos State leaving several people feared dead, injured and others trapped. The building which is located on Ita Faji Street, near Adeniji Adele Street in Victoria Island, also holds…
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INEC sets date for supplementary elections in Kano, Plateau, 4 other states

Amos ABBA Mar 13, 2019

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has slated March 23 for supplementary elections in states and constituencies where elections were declared inconclusive. The governorship elections were deadlocked in six states namely…
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Onnoghen skips CCT trial over health issues

Amos ABBA Mar 12, 2019

WALTER Onnoghen, the suspended Chief Justice of the Federation was absent on Tuesday at the Code of Conduct Tribunal proceedings on medical grounds. Onnoghen, who is facing a six-count charge of not declaring his assets, wrote the…
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Air Peace will not cancel Boeing 737 – MAX 800 order – spokesperson

Amos ABBA Mar 11, 2019

AIR PEACE, Nigeria's domestic carrier announced on Monday that it has not planned to cancel its order for 10 Boeing 737-MAX 800 aeroplanes following worldwide concerns about the aircraft safety. The airline signed a multi-million dollar…
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INEC temporarily suspends collation of results in Imo, declares Benue guber polls inconclusive

Amos ABBA Mar 11, 2019

COLLATION and announcement of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, have been suspended in Imo state following protests that ensued at the INEC collation centre in Owerri on Monday. Trouble started when the…
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Alleged $8.4m Fraud: Supreme Court orders interim forfeiture of Patience Jonathan’s loot

Amos ABBA Mar 8, 2019

THE Apex court has upheld the order of interim forfeiture made by a federal high court in Lagos in connection to the $8.4 million reportedly traced to Patience Jonathan, a former first lady. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission…
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Ecological Fund: Court adjourns ex-Niger gov’s N2bn trial

Amos ABBA Mar 7, 2019

THE Federal High Court sitting in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday adjourned the trial of a former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, for allegedly laundering Ecological Fund to the tune of N2 billion. Justice Yalim Bogoro, the…
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EFCC clamps down on Custom’s boss impersonator, as internet fraudster bags six months in…

Amos ABBA Mar 5, 2019

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office on Tuesday arrested Azeez Yakubu Afolayan for impersonating the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (retired) and using his…
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Lagos High Court re – arraigns NBA president, orders arrest of four others

Amos ABBA Mar 1, 2019

THE Federal High Court, Lagos, on Friday arraigned the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro and ordered the arrest of four Akwa Ibom State government officials on counts of conspiracy and illegal conversion of Akwa Ibom…
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Former Airforce chief jailed for receiving bribe

Amos ABBA Feb 28, 2019

A FEDERAL High Court, sitting in Abuja, on Thursday found Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi (retired), guilty of the amended three-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,and sentenced him to an…
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Stop harassing Jaafar for exposing corruption – Amnesty International tells Kano govt

Amos ABBA Feb 28, 2019

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, Nigeria on Wednesday launched a campaign worldwide to collect signatures to stop the prosecution of Nigerian journalist, Jaafar Jaafar, Editor of Nigerian Daily, the online newspaper that published two videos that…
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Ijaw Nation tasks FG to investigate electoral violence, malpractice in Niger Delta

Amos ABBA Feb 27, 2019

THE Ijaw National Congress, INC, on Monday, raised alarm on what it describes as wide-spread incidences of electoral malpractice, falsification of results, violence, and deaths which characterised the presidential and national assembly…
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Microfinance bank CEO sentenced to 4 year jail term over $167 million fraud

Amos ABBA Feb 21, 2019

THE Federal High Court, Lagos, on Thursday, sentenced a former managing director of the defunct Integrated Microfinance Bank Ltd, Simon Akinteye, to four years in prison over a $166.9 million fraud. The presiding judge, Justice Mojisola…
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Buhari appoints eight new permanent secretaries

Amos ABBA Feb 20, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, swore in eight new federal permanent secretaries at the council chamber of the presidential villa. The president inaugurated the permanent secretaries shortly before the commencement of the weekly…
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EFCC apprehends ex – JAMB staff over N10m fraud

Amos ABBA Feb 19, 2019

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday arrested one Kola Al-Amin, a former staff of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB over alleged forgery and obtaining money by false pretences. The spokesperson of…
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INEC backtracks, permits resumption of political campaigns

Amos ABBA Feb 19, 2019

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has again announced the lifting of the ban on political campaigns despite initial hesitation. A press statement by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter…
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Activist, Deji Adeyanju released on bail by Kano magistrate court

Amos ABBA Feb 18, 2019

A Kano chief magistrate court on Monday granted bail to Deji Adeyanju, who had been incarcerated for 67 days in Kano prison after fulfilling the conditions for his bail. Adeyanju had been remanded in a Kano prison after he was re-arrested…
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CSOs urge AGF to curb ‘illegal’ actions of Code of Conduct Bureau

Amos ABBA Feb 15, 2019

A COALITION of Nigerian Civil Society Organisations has appealed to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to prevent attempts by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to trivialise the fight against corruption, and…
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Ex – Ecobank manager remanded in prison custody for N411 million fraud

Amos ABBA Feb 14, 2019

THE Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on Thursday, ordered that a former manager of Ecobank Nigeria, Ifeanyi Azike, be remanded in prison. Azike, who served as branch manager of the bank, between 2016 and 2017 is alleged to have…
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Taiwo Ogunjobi, former football scribe dies

Amos ABBA Feb 11, 2019

FORMER, secretary-general of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Taiwo Ogunjobi, is dead. Ogunjobi was the chairman of the Osun State Football Association until his death early Monday morning after he failed to recover from a protracted…
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Supreme court bars APC in Rivers State from fielding candidates in 2019 elections

Amos ABBA Feb 8, 2019

The Supreme Court on Friday annulled a ruling of the Court of Appeal which allowed the All Progressives Congress, APC, to field candidates in Rivers State in the general elections. The court of record said the appellate court failed to…
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“I remain in the presidential race,” Donald Duke insists

Amos ABBA Feb 8, 2019

FORMER governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke, has challenged the stand of his party, Social Democratic Party, SDP, which recently disowned him as their presidential candidate. The SDP presidential flagbearer insists that he remains…
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Breaking: Agbakoba drags AGF to court over Onnoghen

Amos ABBA Feb 7, 2019

FORMER, President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), on Thursday filed a suit against the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter…
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EFCC arraigns NEMA pilot over N91 million fraud

Amos ABBA Feb 7, 2019

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday arraigned Mamman Ali Ibrahim before Justice A. I. Kutigi of the Federal High Court, sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja on a two-count charge, bordering on criminal breach of trust.…
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NUC issues licenses to four private universities

Amos ABBA Feb 5, 2019

THE National Universities Commission (NUC) on Tuesday granted provisional licenses to four newly approved private universities in Nigeria. The new universities include Greenfield University, Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan Oyo State;…
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Buhari swears in Owasanoye as new ICPC chairman, inaugurates new board

Amos ABBA Feb 4, 2019

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Monday appointed Bolaji Owasanoye as the new chairman for the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC).  Owasanoye takes over from Musa Abubakar who was appointed in an acting…
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Breaking: Court orders INEC to accept APC guber candidates in general elections

Amos ABBA Feb 4, 2019

AN APPEAL Court sitting in Port Harcourt has stayed the execution of Federal High Court’s ruling which prevented the All Progressives Congress, APC from fielding its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in Rivers State.…
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Medical Scam: Uncovering fraud in the world of Abuja herbal doctors who claim to cure cancer

Amos ABBA Feb 4, 2019

In this investigation, The ICIR reveals how herbal doctors in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja scam cancer patients to buy drugs for a disease that yet has no cure.  HERBAL doctors in Abuja contradict the views of the World…
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Court orders anti – graft agency to return N228 million to APC guber candidate, others

Amos ABBA Jan 30, 2019

A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo on Wednesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to refund N228m it forcefully collected from the APC governorship candidate, Sani Danladi, Senator Joel Ikenya and ex-Speaker…
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NJC issues seven-day ultimatum to Onnoghen, acting CJN to respond to petitions

Amos ABBA Jan 29, 2019

THE suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria has been issued a seven-day ultimatum by the National Judicial Council, NJC, to respond to a petition filed against him. Onnoghen was suspended for non-declaration of assets by President Muhammadu…
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Onnoghen suspension: NBA calls on lawyers to boycott courts nationwide

Amos ABBA Jan 28, 2019

THE Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has directed its members to embark on a two-day boycott of the courts to protest the suspension of Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Walter Onnoghen. The NBA adopted the resolution at its emergency National…
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2019 Elections: “Why I withdrew from the presidential race” – Ezekwesili

Amos ABBA Jan 25, 2019

OBY Ezekwesili, a former presidential aspirant under the platform of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) in a press release on Friday, revealed her reasons for pulling out of the presidential race. In the statement, she explained…
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N1.6bn Fraud: ” I received instructions from President Jonathan to transfer the money”…

Amos ABBA Jan 23, 2019

WARIPAMO-Owei Dudafa, a former Senior Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to the former president, Goodluck Jonathan,  has closed his defence in his ongoing trial over a 23-count charge bordering on conspiracy and concealment to the tune of…
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Former minister of defence testifies in court against Ex – governor Fayose

Amos ABBA Jan 21, 2019

Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, on Monday, confirmed in his witness testimony to Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos how in 2014, he gave various sums of money to a former…
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ActionAid Nigeria names ICIR reporter journalist of the year

Amos ABBA Jan 21, 2019

AN INVESTIGATIVE  journalist with The International Center for Investigative Reporting, Abuja, Gbenga Adanikin has been announced by ActionAid Nigeria as the most outstanding journalist of the year in 2018. Adanikin was named the winner in…
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Atiku arrives America, putting allegations of corruption indictment to rest

Amos ABBA Jan 18, 2019

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has arrived in Washington D.C on Thursday, putting an end to a visa restriction placed on him by the United States for the first time in 13 years. The former vice…
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ICPC arraigns former bank director for N57m fraud

Amos ABBA Jan 17, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT  Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday arraigned Maimuna Aliyu, a former executive director of Aso Savings and Loans Plc, on a one-count charge bordering on fraud and criminal diversion…
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Scientists urged to develop Lassa fever vaccine at inaugural International Lassa Fever Conference

Amos ABBA Jan 17, 2019

THE need to provide practical solutions to effectively combat the scourge of Lassa fever was the burden of scientists, researchers, and relevant stakeholders at the ongoing maiden Lassa Fever International conference held at the Transcorp…
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EFCC invites Fani-Kayode, Odumakin over fake news on CJN Onnoghen

Amos ABBA Jan 16, 2019

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and an Afenifere chieftain, Yinka Odumakin on  Wednesday over the fake news circulated in the social media the day…
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EFCC arraigns fake business woman

Amos ABBA Jan 15, 2019

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Tuesday arraigned Blessing Arowojobe, a businesswoman before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a one-count charge…
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Nigeria to host first international conference on Lassa fever

Amos ABBA Jan 14, 2019

The National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has confirmed that the Nigerian government is set to host the first ever Lassa Fever International Conference in Abuja to mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the disease. The…
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Moghalu: ‘I will create two million jobs yearly if elected president’

Amos ABBA Jan 10, 2019

YOUNG Peoples Party, (YPP) Presidential candidate Kingsley Moghalu pledges to create two million jobs yearly if elected into the office. He made this known on Wednesday in Abuja at a town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Television…
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Breaking: Foreign affairs minister steps down

Amos ABBA Jan 9, 2019

The  Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Ibrahim, turned in her resignation on Wednesday to contest the February 16 House of Representatives election in her home-state, Yobe. The erstwhile minister defeated her son-in-law,…
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Court annuls all APC conducted primaries in Rivers

Amos ABBA Jan 7, 2019

A FEDERAL high court sitting in Port Harcourt on Monday annulled both direct and indirect primaries conducted by two factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State. Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge Kolawole…
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How minister sponsored ‘illegal’ takeover of agency, breaching appropriation act and…

Amos ABBA Jan 4, 2019

THE Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON) has been embroiled in running battles characterised by accusations of fraud, abuse of office, insubordination and lack of transparency since the registrar of the council, Surv. Muhammed Kabir…
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NHIS debacle: How citizens are condemned to death in Nigerian hospitals

Amos ABBA Dec 31, 2018

FOUR-YEAR-OLD, Sophia (not real name) had been complaining of cold for about two days but her father gave her Paracetamol tablets expecting the fever to subside. When her condition grew worse,  he took her to the hospital and she was…
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‘ How we killed former defence chief,’ suspect confesses to police

Amos ABBA Dec 28, 2018

 A SUSPECT  allegedly involved in the murder of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (Rtd)  yesterday revealed, in a video confession, that the general was killed after they got a tip-off that he was bringing…
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EFCC records highest conviction rate in six years

Amos ABBA Dec 28, 2018

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a total of 312 convictions between January and December 2018, which is the highest conviction rate secured by the commision since President Muhammadu Buhari-led government…
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Nyanya/Mararaba bombing mastermind arrested

Amos ABBA Dec 21, 2018

An elite team of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), code-named, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have apprehended Umar Abdulmalik, a wanted Boko Haram Commander. Abdulmalik is alleged to be one of the most deadly Boko Haram leaders and…
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New York Times’ video shows Nigerian Army shooting unarmed Shiite protesters

Amos ABBA Dec 18, 2018

The New York Times, a US-based newspaper, has published a new video that reveals how Nigerian soldiers shot unarmed Shiite Muslims protesting the prolonged detention of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky. The Nigerian Army had…
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Security agents take over National Assembly, barricade entrances

Amos ABBA Dec 18, 2018

Police officers have barricaded the premises of the National Assembly complex, preventing workers from gaining  entrance into the building.  Patrol vans barricaded the entrance close to the Eagle Square while security agents were…
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ICIR reporter wins DAME’s investigative reporter of the year

Amos ABBA Dec 17, 2018

YEKEEN Akinwale, an investigative reporter with The International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), has been announced winner of the Best Investigative Reporting category at the 27th Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME). The…
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Donald Duke’s running mate resigns,replaced by Shehu Gamba

Amos ABBA Dec 14, 2018

Junaid Mohammed, has resigned as vice presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, according to a report. On 22, October 2018 Donald Duke, the Presidential candidate of the SDP, announced Junaid Mohammad, from Kano State in…
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EFCC slams 59-count charges on Okupe for failure to return N120 million

Amos ABBA Dec 13, 2018

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed 59 charges against a former Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe for his inability to return N120 million he allegedly received from the Office of…
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Abia Police arrests 51 suspected IPOB members in Umuahia

Amos ABBA Dec 12, 2018

 Abia State Police Command on Wednesday arrested 51 persons allegedly suspected to be members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) operating as members of a "Judaism" sect, in Umuahia. The Command's Public Relations Officer…
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Breaking: Jibrin resigns as minister of environment

Amos ABBA Dec 12, 2018

The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin, has stepped down from his office after he was chosen as the Emir of Nasarawa by the Nasarawa Emirate council. His resignation was announced on Wednesday by the Secretary to the…
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Unpaid allowances: Assembly staff invite EFCC to investigate Saraki, Dogara

Amos ABBA Dec 10, 2018

LEGISLATIVE staff to federal lawmakers have petitioned the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, to investigate an alleged criminal diversion of their budgeted legitimate entitlements. They…
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Breaking: House of Representatives fixes June 12 as Democracy Day

Amos ABBA Dec 6, 2018

The House of Representatives has approved that June 12 be marked as Democracy Day in Nigeria. The approval follows the adoption of a report on a bill seeking to amend the Public Holidays Act 2004. The members of the House of…
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Court bars Kano assembly from investigating Ganduje

Amos ABBA Dec 6, 2018

A Kano high court has ruled that the Kano State House of Assembly is not empowered by the law to investigate the $5 million bribery allegation against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. Delivering the judgement on Thursday, the presiding judge…
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Saraki vs Sowore: Court overturns N4bn suit against Saharareporters

Amos ABBA Dec 5, 2018

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, has nullified the lower court’s judgment that awarded a ₦4 billion cost as sum of damages against SaharaReporters and its founder, Omoyele Sowore, in a suit between the two and Bukola Saraki,…
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24 hours after Osun College kidnap, police yet to uncover abductors

Amos ABBA Dec 5, 2018

A staff of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa - Oke was killed, as six others were kidnapped by the gunmen who carried out the act on Tuesday. Two students who were also abducted escaped from the gunmen. However, as at Wednesday…
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National Assembly workers protest over unpaid salaries

Amos ABBA Dec 4, 2018

STAFF of the National Assembly are currently protesting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory to demand payment of unpaid wages and promotion due to their members. The protesting workers, under the umbrella of Parliamentary Staff…
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EFCC uncovers N500m worth of properties traced to ex – Plateau governor

Amos ABBA Dec 3, 2018

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced properties worth N5 billion to former Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, who is currently standing trial for money laundering. The properties are located at No. 8 and 9…
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Buhari set for COP24 in Poland

Amos ABBA Nov 30, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja on Saturday for Katowice, Poland, to attend the 24th session of the Climate Change Conference known as the Parties (COP24) Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity),…
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EFCC discovers $2 million, other cache of cash with Lebanese at Abuja airport

Amos ABBA Nov 30, 2018

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arrested one Abbas Lakis, a Lebanese for money laundering offence. Tony Orilade, the acting spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC  said in…
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Court denies ex – OAU lecturer bail

Amos ABBA Nov 27, 2018

THE Federal High Court Osogbo, on Tuesday, turned down the bail application of ex-lecturer with Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Richard Iyiola Akindele. Akindele who was remanded in prison last week pending the filing of his formal…
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Akwa Ibom Governor disrupts sitting of factional assembly members

Amos ABBA Nov 27, 2018

THE Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is embroiled in fresh crises this morning, as Governor Udom Emmanuel intervened in the legitimacy battle between APC and PDP legislators on who takes leadership of the house. Governor Udom Emmanuel…
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FG, ASUU in talks to suspend strike

Amos ABBA Nov 26, 2018

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is expected to resume talks with the Federal Government at a closed-door meeting Monday over the ongoing strike action in public universities, the Union has said. After last week’s meeting by…
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Buhari, Atiku absent from first 2019 Presidential debate

Amos ABBA Nov 22, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari and other leading candidates for the 2019 presidential elections were absent at the first 2019 presidential debate. The debate, which was held in Abuja, and hosted by the Osasu Show, and supported by ONE…
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Abuja pharmacies still sell prohibited drugs

Amos ABBA Nov 22, 2018

The ICIR reporter visited drug stores in major towns within Abuja namely Gwarimpa, Kubwa, Kuje, Apo, Wuse, and Area One in four days, purchasing malaria drugs banned by the Federal government to find out if the restriction placed on the…
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Thugs attack Akwa Ibom State assembly

Amos ABBA Nov 19, 2018

SUSPECTED  thugs stormed the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly this morning preventing lawmakers from gaining access into the assembly building. This development is reportedly connected with a court order declaring the seat of Idongesit…
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Federal Government declares Tuesday public holiday

Amos ABBA Nov 19, 2018

Tuesday, 20th November 2018 has been declared public holiday by the Federal Government to mark the Eid-El Maulud celebration. Sunni Muslims observe the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi’ al-Awwal…
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TI, CISLAC urge journalists to step up on investigating money laundering

Amos ABBA Nov 9, 2018

THE need to maintain integrity by journalists and media practitioners in the country is the way forward for the Nigerian media to effectively carry out its obligations of holding the government accountable to the citizens. This was the…
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UK Military: Nigerian citizens, other commonwealth nations free to apply for a spot

Amos ABBA Nov 5, 2018

THE United Kingdom (UK) armed forces have thrown its door open to citizens of Commonwealth nations to be enlisted into the armed forces, according to reports from the BBC. In a bid to address the shortfall in the numerical strength of the…
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Africa didn’t receive aid from China, we got loans says Ghana’s President.

Amos ABBA Oct 26, 2018

GHANA'S President Nana Akufo - Addo says the funds given to Africa by the Chinese government is not a charity grant but a loan that would be paid back after completing the loan tenure. He made this known on Thursday while addressing  …
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Protesters call for arrest of father, son in sexual abuse, death of girl

Amos ABBA Oct 25, 2018

PROTESTERS on Thursday gathered at the Ministry of Justice headquarters in Abuja to express their grievance over the death of Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, a 13-year-old girl allegedly raped by a father and son in Gboko, Benue State. The…
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Cameroon election: Africa’s oldest president, Paul Biya wins again

Amos ABBA Oct 22, 2018

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, Africa's oldest leader, has won the election by a landslide to rule for another seven years, according to the official announcement made by Cameroon’s Constitutional Council. At 85, Paul Biya is the oldest…
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Thirty-two years after, mystery of Dele Giwa’s death remains unsolved

Amos ABBA Oct 19, 2018

THIRTY-two years ago, the landscape of journalism in Nigeria was thrown into disarray when the death of prolific Nigerian journalist, Dele Giwa was announced on October 19, 1986. With his pen, he spoke the minds of the masses by…
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Nigeria ranks 115 among world’s competitive economies – Report

Amos ABBA Oct 18, 2018

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released a Global Competitiveness Report on Wednesday ranking Nigeria in 115th place out of 140 countries that were examined. According to the report, the national competitiveness of a country is measured by…
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World Hand-washing Day: Nearly 60,000 under-five children die of diarrhoea in Nigeria yearly

Amos ABBA Oct 15, 2018

Not fewer than 59,500 children under five in Nigeria die every year because of diarrhoea which is caused by dirty water, poor toilets and poor hygiene, according to WaterAid Nigeria. Oluseyi Abdulmalik, Communications Officer of WaterAid…
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International Day for Disaster Reduction: What do you do when disaster strikes?

Amos ABBA Oct 13, 2018

ON September 6, Obi Nwaegbo, an artist based in Abuja, watched in horror as the furniture in his sitting room vibrated, including the decorations that adorned the wall of the room. The windows rattled at the same time. He had a hard time…
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UN scribe calls for elimination of death penalty

Amos ABBA Oct 11, 2018

THE United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has condemned the death penalty and urged UN Member states to put an end to the horrible practice. In his address to celebrate the 16th World Day against the Death Penalty, he …
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Oxfam report: Nigeria ranks 157 out of 157 countries in inequality scale

Amos ABBA Oct 10, 2018

Nigeria is the least among 157 countries on social spending, tax and labour rights. This was contained in a report released on Tuesday at the annual International Monetary Fund and World Bank meeting, holding in Bali, Indonesia. The…
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N55 billion budgets for 14 universities: How Nigerian state universities are poorly funded

Amos ABBA Oct 10, 2018

FINDINGS by The ICIR show that only N55 billion was allocated to 14 state universities by their state governments across 12 states in 2018. This amount comprises both the recurrent and capital expenditure of the universities.  In…
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BREAKING: National Judicial Council approves the appointment of nine judges

Amos ABBA Oct 5, 2018

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended one judge for appointment into the Supreme Court and eight Judges as the new Chief Justices for Abia, Benue,Ogun, Oyo and Kwara, according to reports from Premium Times. Their appointment…
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Osun Elections:Saraki,Tambuwal lead protests to INEC headquaters

Amos ABBA Oct 5, 2018

PROTESTERS led by frontline leaders of the People’s Democratic Party including Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and the national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus demonstrating their…
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Fresh killings in Jos

Amos ABBA Oct 4, 2018

HOODLUMS suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked Ariri community of Bassa local government area of Plateau State on Wednesday night. The latest attack which claimed the lives of at least 18 people, leaving four persons injured, is one of…
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Abuja’s zebra crossings as mere road decoration

Amos ABBA Sep 30, 2018

WUSE, a central district in Abuja that is home to various government offices and parastatals was quiet on a Tuesday morning. The commercial vehicle carrying The ICIR reporter sped past various landmarks in the city, and his pulse quickened…
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How violation of traffic rules spikes road crashes in Abuja

Amos ABBA Sep 20, 2018

THE data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, currently has the highest incidents of car crashes in Nigeria. From 2013 till date, there has been an uneven spike in the rate of road…
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Osun Decides 2018: A brief profile of Osun State

Amos ABBA Sep 17, 2018

OSUN State is currently basking in the spotlight as the people of the state go to the poll to choose the next governor come September 22.  The State, formerly referred to as the 'State of the Living Spring', but now known as 'the Land of…
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