ONE WORD

  President Bola Tinubu, has renamed some federal airports after several prominent Nigerians. The renaming of the airports was announced in a memo released by the Federal Ministry of Aviation dated June 1, 2023, and signed by Mrs Joke Olatunji for the Director of Airport Operations on Monday. The statement noted that the President renamed the airports “as part of reforms of the Aviation sector.” The Maiduguri Airport was renamed after the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari and the Port Harcourt Airport after the late nationalist Obafemi Awolowo, while the Nasarawa Airport immortalised the late founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, Usman Dan Fodio. Also, the Benin Airport was renamed after the late Oba of Benin, Oba Akenzua II, Ebonyi Airport after the late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo, and the Ibadan Airport after the late Premier of the old Western Region, Ladoke Akintola. See the full list below: 1. Akure Airport – Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu 2. Benin Airport – Oba Akenzua II 3. ...

  Nigeria has recorded 30 cases mental health challenge and six deaths among its pilgrims in the ongoing 2023 Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Dr Usman Galadima, the Chief of Operations and Head of Nigerian Medical Team for the 2023 Hajj, revealed this during a Pre-Arafat meeting with all stakeholders held on Saturday in Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). Speaking at the meeting also attended by the Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, Galadima said his medical team also recorded seven cases of pregnancies, two miscarriages, eight communicable diseases and offer consultation to 15,860 patients among Nigerians pilgrims. However, the Chairman of NAHCON said the commission had successfully transported all the 95,000 eligible Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. He disclosed that a few days ago the commission out of determination to transport all pilgrims to Saudi Arabia made a reservation of five flights extra in the event that there wa...

The Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has granted licenses to Eterna Plc, Emadeb Energy Services Limited, and Asharami Energy to import petrol into the country from next month. The three oil companies were given permission to import petrol by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The three companies were the first among the six oil firms licensed to import petrol by July. A source said: “The licensed companies are Eterna Plc, Emadeb Energy Services Limited, and Asharami Energy.” “Dangote refinery is surprisingly not among the first three companies, but there are strong indications that the company will be among the companies granted the importation permit in the near future,” another source said. Following the withdrawal of the petrol subsidy, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said it is no longer the sole supplier of petrol in the country. Prior to the subsidy removal, the company served as the country’s last-resort suppli...

Nigeria Consumer Protec- tion Network (NCPN) has said that the electricity tariff in Nigeria will be increased by 50 per cent as implementation of a review of the Multi-Years Tariff Order (MYTO) may begin on July 1, 2023. President of NCPN, Kunle Kola Olubiyo, in a statement, which was made available to journalists, yesterday, said a 50 percent tariff hike was imminent with the recent floating of the naira/ deregulation of the Forex Trading Windows, which allows the value of the local currency to be determined by market forces and the removal of subsidy on petrol. The statement was titled: ‘Electricity Tariff To Be Increased By 50% Effective From 1st of July 2023’. Industry sources confirmed that the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has a statutory responsibility to review tariffs in June and December. They further stated that a review in June is always implemented in July while that in December is implemented in either January or February. It was further learnt that Ju...

  The Department of State Services told the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday that suspended Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, will flee the country if granted bail. The Attorney General of the Federation also supported the argument of the DSS, describing Emefiele as a “flight risk.”. The former head of the apex bank is challenging his detention by the DSS and denying him seeing his family members and lawyers. @goldmynetv  reports that Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu and subsequently detained by the DSS on Saturday, June 10, 2023 At the resumption of hearing on Tuesday, both DSS and OAGF stated these in separate counter-affidavits filed in a fundamental rights enforcement suit by the suspended CBN chief. In its own affidavit, the OAGF dismissed the speculation that Emefiele was being held for terrorist-related crimes. It also said he was not being victimised for his involvement in politics and the botched naira redesign policy. Th...

Born on Sept. 4, 1964 in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, Egbetokun enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on March 3, 1990, as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police. In 1999, he was appointed Chief Security Officer to Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu. He served as the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, Lagos, Squadron Commander, Mopol 5, Benin, Benin City, Officer-in-Charge, Anti-Fraud Unit, FCT Command, Abuja; Chief Superintendent of Police, Administration, Lagos State Command Head Quarters, Ikeja; Area Commander, Osogbo, Osun State Command; and Area Commander, Gusau, Zamfara State Command, among others. Egbetokun graduated from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, with Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in June 1987; and lectured Mathematics briefly at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, before his enlistment into the Police Force. His other academic qualifications include MSC Engineering Analysis, also from the University of Lagos...

  The immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom is currently in custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Our correspondent gathered that the ex-Governor was invited by the anti-graft body for questioning over his stewardship. Ortom, however, drove into the Makurdi zonal office of the agency, which is located at Alor Gordon street in the state capital at exactly 10:08am. He walked straight into the building. The former governor’s media aide, Terver Akase, and Principal Special Assistant on Special Duties, Abraham Kwanhgu, were sighted with him. He had not left the premises as of 11:25am when this report was filed. Daily Trust had reported how Ortom handed over a debt profile of N187.7 billion to the administration of Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia. Ortom at a brief ceremony held at the old banquet hall of Government House in Makurdi, told Alia that the handover notes in three volumes were summary of his eight years administration. The governor explained ...

The Department of State Services (DSS) said it has identified persons and groups planning to stage campaigns of calumny against it and Federal Government over the investigation of suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Govenor Godwin Emefiele. Spokesman of the DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, in a statement on Saturday evening, said such groups intend to gather at different points in Abuja and Lagos in the coming week with placards depicting the Service and Federal Government in bad light as well as calling for the immediate release of Emefiele. “The Service is, therefore, aware of a cheap propaganda aimed at demotivating and distracting it from professionally executing the onerous responsibilities assigned to it. “It has also noted the misleading commentaries, speculative narratives, storylines and videos being circulated in the social media by uninformed parties, critics and/or desperadoes. “It is mindful of orchestrations to infiltrate its fold for the purpose of using disloyal staff for su...

The Zamfara State Government has broken its silence on the raid on residence of ex-Governor Bello Matawalle. Daily Trust had reported how policemen stormed the Gusau residence of the former governor on Friday morning. But hours after the raid, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara said operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and police raided the residences of Matawalle in Gusau and his hometown of Maradun. The party had accused the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of witch-hunt, saying the immediate past governor ought to be charged to court if there is any issue against him. But in a statement on Wednesday evening, Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Zamfara Governor, Suleiman Idris, said government’s stolen property were recovered during the operation. “The Zamfara State Government has cleared the air on the operation of the Nigeria Police Force that led to the recovery of vehicles looted by the former State Governor, Bello Mohammaed Mat...

President Bola Tinubu has justified the removal of fuel subsidy, saying that the country cannot continue feeding smugglers and acting as Father Christmas to neighbouring countries. He said this at an interactive session with the Royal Fathers under the aegis of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) at the Aso Villa on Friday, according to a statement by State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye. The President informed them of the decision to remove fuel subsidy, improve security, create jobs, and sustain the environment as well as the forthcoming election of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly. ‘‘I am grateful that you are paying attention to what I have been doing. You have paid attention to the subsidy removal. Why should we in good heart and sense, feed smugglers and be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries, even though they say not every day is Christmas? ‘‘The elephant that was going to bring Nigeria to its knees is the subsi...

  President Tinubu has assented to the 2023 Electricity Act which is a replacement for the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005. The Act will bring about the de-monopolization of Nigeria’s electricity generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity at the National level and empower states, companies, and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. The Electricity Act was first passed in July 2022 under the Muhammadu Buhari administration. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assented to the Electricity Act 2023 which was initially passed by lawmakers in July 2022. The Electricity Act will replace the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005. It provides a framework to guide the post-privatization phase of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) as well as encourage private sector investments in the sector. Highlighted below are some of the functions the Electricity Act seeks to guide- State electricity empowerment The de-monopolizati...