ONE WORD

Women’s hurdles world record-holder, Tobi Amusan, on Wednesday said she has been charged with an alleged anti-doping rule violation, casting doubt on her participation in next month’s world championships. “Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months,” she said in a post on Instagram. The Nigerian athlete set the current world record for the women’s 100m hurdles of 12.12 seconds at last year’s World Athletics Championships. Amusan, 26, vowed to resolve the charges against her before this year’s competition, set to be held next month in Budapest. “I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships,” she said. “I am a CLEAN ATHLETE, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU – I was tested within days of my third ‘missed test.’ I have FAITH that this will be resolved in my favour and that I wil...

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, has attributed the rise in petrol pump prices in Nigeria to market forces. This follows a recent price increase from N540 to N617 per litre, which he said reflects the dynamics of a market-regulated pricing model. Addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House, Abuja, Kyari said, “They are just prices depending on the market realities. This is the meaning of making sure that the market regulates itself. Prices will go up and sometimes they will come down also.” However, he debunked notions that the price increase is due to a shortfall in petrol supply. “No, there is no supply issue. It is not a supply issue. “When you go to the market, you buy the product, you come to the market and sell it at its prevailing market price. It has nothing to do with supply. We don’t have supply issues. “We have a robust supply. We’ve had over 32 days...

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of petrol, known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), from N537 to N617 per litre. @goldmynetv  reports that the increase, which took effect on Tuesday, is the second in less than two months. In May, a day after President Bola Tinubu was sworn into office, the NNPC increased the fuel price from N195 per litre to N537 per litre. These increases follow the Tinubu-led federal government’s removal of fuel subsidy. This newspaper learnt that the increase has been observed at NNPC filling stations in Abuja, with other stations to join in soon. In the first half of 2023, Nigeria spent N3.6 trillion on fuel subsidy alone. According to the Federal Government, the country will save close to N6.7 trillion if fuel subsidies payment is discontinued. Nigeria has spent N13.7 trillion on fuel subsidy in the last 13 years, 

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, said his administration will review its earlier plan to distribute monthly cash grants of N8,000 to 12 million households for six months as part of efforts to assuage the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal. This followed public criticism of the policy with organised labour saying it falls far from the level of intervention required to ease the pains of vulnerable Nigerians. “The President has directed that…the N8,000 conditional cash transfer programmed envisaged to bring succour to most vulnerable households be reviewed immediately,” a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, read late Tuesday. Alake said the new directive is “deference to the views expressed by Nigerians against it.” Tinubu directed that the whole gamut of the palliative package of government be unveiled to Nigerians. He also ordered the immediate release of fertilisers and grains to approximately 5...

Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has resigned from office, according to multiple reports Sunday night. Adamu, former governor of Nasarawa state, was said to have resigned to save himself from being removed from office, the Western Post, close to the APC leadership reported. According to the paper, Adamu was forced to bow out over many issues which included his non-support for President Bola Tinubu during the campaign. For the past two weeks, elements within the party have been calling for his resignation threatening to remove him at the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting this week if he failed to resign. The party’s NEC meeting was initially billed to hold July 10 and 11 but was postponed till Tuesday and Wednesday this week due to the president’s international engagements. The source further revealed that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu was one of the people who told Adamu to resign because he had become a l...

President Bola Tinubu has warned members of the presidential elections tribunal that removing him as president could lead to a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria. Mr Tinubu admitted his failure to score 25 per cent of votes cast in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, but said it was insufficient to overturn his victory as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. . “Any other interpretation different from this will lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature,” Mr Tinubu’s lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun said in their final defence statement to the court. The lawyers were specifically addressing a section of the Nigerian Constitution that said a presidential candidate must score 25 per cent of votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, or Abuja. Public commentary has been rife about the intention of the clause after Mr Tinubu won the highest number of votes in a three-way presidential race in ...

The brain behind the hacking of a leading global crypto firm, Afriq Arbitrage System, Abayomi Segun Oluwasesan, has been arrested. The arrest of the Nigerian was effected by the International Police in Nigeria after he had stolen billions and fled. Though Oluwasesan initially claimed that some Arabian hackers were the brain behind it, it has been established that he indeed carried out the operation. Checks revealed that the AAS system was built on top-notch security architecture by the founder, Jesam Michael, as it has the capacity to defend itself against any aggressive attacks from external sources or forces. However, just like the biblical story of how Judas betrayed Jesus Christ, Oluwasesan, who was employed by his boss on June 15, 2022 to work as a web developer, literally hacked the platform at a time when his boss went for a liver transplant and entrusted the codes to him. Overwhelmed by greed, Oluwasesan, who was entrusted with the sensitive data for the smooth operations of th...