Daily News

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently in Lagos State for his Christmas and New Year celebration. President Tinubu arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at exactly 3:23 pm on Wednesday, December 18, 2024

 TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Company, MRS Oil and Gas Limited, Sahara Deepwater Resources Limited, among 20 others emerged preferred bidders for fresh oil blocks available for allocation in the country. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, unveiled the bidders yesterday for no fewer than 25 oil blocks that are available for exploration and production.

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 President Bola Tinubu says indicators have shown that the economy is responding positively to stimulus. Tinubu, who said this while presenting the 2024 budget on Wednesday before a joint session of the National Assembly, said the focus of the 2025 budget was to stimulate the economy through the implementation of targeted fiscal stimulus packages through public expenditures and specific non-inflationary spending.

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. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has again dismissed insinuations on the recent cabinet reshuffle that affected the office of the Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the State Government and five commissioners. Addressing journalists on Wednesday during the state executive council meeting held at Government House, Governor Yusuf refuted political nuances attached to the major cabinet shakeup.

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 The Naira on Wednesday depreciated to N1,670 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,665 per dollar on Tuesday. Similarly, the Naira depreciated to N1,545 per dollar in the official foreign exchange market.

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 Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce have apprehended 27 persons for alleged unlawful acts of street begging. State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed this in a post he shared on his X handle @tokunbo_wahab, on Wednesday.

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 The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has shut down 150 shops at Eziukwu Market in Abia State, over fake and expired products worth N5 billion. The agency disclosed this in a statement on its X handle, formerly Twitter on Wednesday. NAFDAC said the shops were shut during a two-day operation on December 16 and December 17, while products valued at N5 billion were destroyed at the market.

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Oguduokwor Ward in the Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi has expelled the National Vice Chairman of the party in the South East, Mr Ali Odefa from the party. Chairman of the Ward, Mr Onyeka Ovuta, announced the expulsion of Odefa during a press conference on Wednesday in Onicha Local Government Area of the state.

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 A-yet-to-be ascertained number of children have reportedly lost their lives in a stampede that occurred during a children’s funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Wednesday. It was gathered that over 30 children lost their lives with many injured during the incident.

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 Delta State Police Command has arrested a native doctor’s apprentice, Destiny Ogbeh, for his involvement in the killing of an eight-year-old boy, Progress Agidi, for ritual purposes. The incident reportedly happened on Saturday, November 14, at Owa Alero, in the Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state.

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The recent alarm by the World Health Organisation, WHO, on the African leaders not to be complacent in the fight against diabetes, which it described as a silent killer in Africa, is seen as a wake up call for Nigerians, particularly those in the health sector.

The WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, in a message to commemorate the 2024 World Diabetes Day, said records indicated rising diabetes prevalence in Africa, complicated by multiple drivers, including urbanisation, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, among others.

She expressed fear that the number of people living with diabetes in Africa could likely rise to 54 million in 2045, the highest projected increase globally, if urgent actions were not taken to mitigate it.

She noted that in Africa, more than 24 million adults are currently living with diabetes, half of whom remained undiagnosed.

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Dangote Group, owners of Dangote Refinery, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, have clashed over a $1 billion crude oil-backed loan.

Barely 24 hours ago, in a statement credited to NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye, the state-owned oil firm said it secured a $1 billion loan backed by crude to support the Dangote Refinery during liquidity challenges.

However, Dangote Group spokesperson, Anthony Chijiena, has described NNPCL’s claim as ‘misinformation’.

The company clarified that the $1 billion crude backed loan is about five percent of the total investment that went into building the 650,000 barrels per day refinery.

According to him, it is inaccurate to say NNPCL facilitated $1 billion for Dangote Refinery amid liquidity challenges.

Chijiena explained that NNPCL had proposed a 20 percent stake investment valued at $2.76 billion in the Dangote Refinery, but that didn’t materialise.

He noted that NNPCL was able to invest $1 billion, which amounts to 7.24 percent equity value.

From dailypost