NewsReports

BY MIKE OSAROGIAGBON It was a historic and solemn event at the Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin  City, when the newly elected governor of Edo State Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his deputy, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa, were sworn in, Tuesday in front of expectant and enthusiastic audience. The Chief Justice of the state, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, administered the …

Ahead of his swearing in on Tuesday, Edo State governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Monday made his first appointment, naming Mr Fred Odianosen Itua as his Chief Press Secretary, CPS. The new appointee, a cerebral journalist with The Sun newspaper, will head Okpebholo’s media team. Itua, who was the Director of Communications at The Sun Media Foundation, holds a Bachelor of Arts …

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has resolved to honour the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, who made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the Ogoni people’s interests in 1995. In a special message to commemorate the 29th Ogoni Martyrs Remembrance Day, Tinubu, in a release by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, solidarised with the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) and all Ogoni citizens. He stressed his government’s …

At least N19.43bn was spent on the maintenance and operations of the Presidential Air Fleet from July 2023 to September 2024, The PUNCH learnt. Checks by our correspondent on GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal Government’s spending, showed that for 2024, the payouts amounted to N13.55bn, representing 66 per cent of the allocations for the …

* Assures Nigeria will not relent in supporting moves to advance peace in Middle East President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza, warning that the conflict in Palestine has persisted for too long, inflicting immeasurable suffering on the people. Addressing the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, yesterday, convened to address the current situation in the Middle …

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has secured an agreement with Dangote Petroleum Refinery to lift products directly. This, according to the association, will ensure the availability of petroleum to Nigerians at a cheaper rate. IPMAN’s National President, Abubakar Garima, announced this at a press briefing on Monday in Abuja, following a meeting of the National Working Committee of …

The electioneering has been peaceful across Ondo State. The sights and sounds of branded vehicles blaring loud messages from loudspeakers are few and far between and limited to the state capital, Akure Two weeks before the last Ondo State governorship election, held on 10 October 2020, political violence was reported at Ipele and Owo, two towns in Owo Local Government Area, between …

*New $20bn facility strikes deal with oil marketers for direct petrol purchase. *NUPRC reveals Nigeria’s oil production now 1.8m bpd, to hit 2m bpd by December*NCDMB pushes for 70% local content retention by 2027 After decades of massive importation of petroleum products, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) yesterday announced that it had finally ended the age-long practice. The …

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given state governments an ultimatum of December 1, to implement the new minimum wage. The NLC made this known on Sunday in a communique signed by its President, Mr Joe Ajaero at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers. Ajaero, who expressed dissatisfaction over the delay by some …

*Say presidential system will address ethnic, religious diversities After a meeting with the National Assembly group seeking a return to parliamentary democracy, the League of Northern Democrats (LND) has recommended that Nigeria should continue with presidential system of democracy with some modifications. The National Dialogue on a Home-Grown Parliamentary System of Government led by the House of Representatives Minority leader, …