News Update

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed anger at former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for describing the party as dead. During the inauguration of a renovated party office of the New Nigeria People’s Party in Katsina State, Kwankwaso had said he and his followers left the PDP because “it is dead”. But PDP on Saturday said “he is very inconsequential in the Nigerian national politics today”.

 The Senate ad hoc committee probing the alleged economic sabotage in the petroleum industry has postponed the public hearing slated for September 10 to 12 indefinitely. The red chamber had inaugurated a 15-man ad hoc committee on July 22, 2024, headed by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), to fish out economic saboteurs in the petroleum industry that have held the country hostage in the last 10 years.

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 At least 45 people were burnt beyond recognition in an accident along Agaie-Bida road in Niger State. The accident involved a petrol laden tanker, a truck with cattle and a passenger vehicle. It was gathered that the incident happened near Man-Woro village on Agaie-Bida road around 1am on Sunday.

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 Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to use his position and “good offices” to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse the “apparently illegal and unconstitutional” increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.

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 Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar has decried the plan by the Federal Government to increase the VAT, saying the move can become a “blazing inferno that will consume the very essence of our people.” In a statement on Sunday morning, Atiku said the move coming on the heels of the increase in fuel price by NNPCL is “destined to deepen the domestic cost-of-living crisis and exacerbate Nigeria’s already fragile economic growth.”

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 A former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, Dr Chris Ekpenyong, has blamed the weakness of the Peoples Democratic Party for the behaviour of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who threatened to ignite crises in states under PDP governors. Ekpenyong, who was deputy governor during former governor Victor Attah’s administration, said Wike would not have dared behave that way under the old PDP, which was stronger.

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 There are indications that the Dangote refinery may resort to exporting its Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) following the refusal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to be the sole buyer of its product.

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 No fewer than three persons lost their lives, while 17 others sustained varying degrees of injuries, in multiple accidents along the Maryland area of Lagos State in the early hours of Sunday. The Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Nosa Okunbor, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
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 A 20-year-old man was on Friday, shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Okokomaiko, in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State. The deceased was said to have been chased by the assailants who caught up with him and shot him multiple times. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed this on Sunday, said it happened at about 9 pm.

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 Less than two weeks before the governorship election in Edo State, four aides to Governor Godwin Obaseki have resigned their appointments. The former aides include the trio of Osayande Emenya, Henry Osaheni Ukato and Efosa Edo-Osagie from Ward 6 of Oredo Local Government Area and Timothy Edokpolor from Ward 8 of Ikpoba Okha LGA.

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A former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Ahmad Bashir, has said notorious bandit, Bello Turji should be incarcerated like Nnamdi Kano, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Bashir said Turji should be arrested and kept in the deepest part of the worst prison in Nigeria like Kanu.

Posting on X, the former presidential aide said both Kanu and Turji have caused death and inflicted pains on Nigerians.

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In the wake of the economic hardship confronting Nigeria, a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Dr Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa Balewa, has advised President Bola Tinubu to reduce his ministers.

Tafawa-Balewa said Tinubu should reduce the cost of governance to free up resources for development as a step towards putting things right.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, he urged Tinubu to strengthen his cabinet with technocrats.

from dailypost