Author: Safiu Kehinde

At least 18 people died when a boat carrying passengers heading to a market in Cameroon’s Far North region capsized, a local administrative official said on Friday. The accident occurred on Thursday on waterways leading to the district of Darak, an island in the Lake Chad Basin near the border with Chad, where seasonal floods have made boats the only viable means of getting around. Mamat Zarma, divisional officer of Darak, said the wooden boat was en route when it was rocked by violent winds, causing it to capsize. “So far, we have recovered the bodies of five women and…

Safiu Kehinde Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, have signed letters of intent in an effort to strengthen partnership on critical infrastructure and the long-term sustenance of agriculture and food security. This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the statement, Tinubu and Macron signed two agreements on Thursday in Paris, France. The partnership agreements were signed at an economic forum attended by businessmen, captains of industry, governors, and some top government officials of both countries at the Palais des…

Agency Report The Niger House of Assembly Committee on Health and Nutrition says it has uncovered alleged mismanagement of primary healthcare (PHC) funds by some healthcare officials in the state. Mr Umar Nasir, Chairman of the Committee and member (APC-Paikoro), said this on Friday at a two-day interface with the 25 local government directors of health facilities in the state. Nasir alleged that some officers in charge of the funds withdrew money from the state government account into their personal accounts before utilisation. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the findings followed a petition from a social media…

Safiu Kehinde Edo state governor, Monday Okpebholo, has lifted the suspension on the operations of the state security corps. In said effort to strengthen the state’s security apparatus’ the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Musa Ikhilor, announced the development in a statement issued in Benin on Friday. Recall that the state’s security corps were suspended during the preparation for the state’s governorship election in September. Their suspension, according to Ikhilor, was based on the constitutional stipulation that election security is the sole responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force. “In a move to fortify the security architecture of Edo State,…

Safiu Kehinde Former Nigerian Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been reappointed as World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General. Okonjo-Iweala’s reappointment was confirmed In a post on WTO’s official X handle on Friday and is slated to take effect on September 1, 2025. In a notice to journalists, the organisation said its members agreed to give Okonjo-Iweala a second term after a general council meeting today. “Her second four-year term, which was approved at a special General Council meeting, will begin on 1 September 2025,” WTO added. “DG Okonjo-Iweala took office as Director-General in March 2021 and is the first African and…

Safiu Kehinde Nigerian Army has reportedly arrested popular journalist and publisher of the Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the FIJ on Friday. According to the statement, the Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ) arrested by the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and is currently under detention. Meanwhile, the FIJ called on the Nigerian Army not to compromise Soyombo’s work as his devices were reportedly seized by the army officers. “We call on the Nigerian Army to act responsibly and not destroy the evidence. The truth…

Ex-Gov to Remain in Custody The Federal High Court, Abuja has, on Friday, rejected the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) request to arraign former Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, in the absence of his lawyers. The court adjourned sitting on the alleged N80bn fraud charge against Yahaya Bello, to December 13, 2024 for the Motion for abridgment and possible arraignment. Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the sitting in the interest of fair hearing, noting that the matter had been originally adjourned to January 21, 2025. When the matter was called on Friday, the former Governor was asked why his lawyers…

Safiu Kehinde The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has dismissed purported claims of fake production of petroleum at the just revived Port Harcourt Refinery. Reacting to Timothy Mgbese, a self-acclaimed ‘community person’ who had falsified the said production of petroleum at the refinery, NNPCL debunked his assertions, labelling them crass display of ignorance. This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Company’s spokesperson, Femi Soneye. While accusing Mgbese for misleading at a recent interview in Arise TV, NNPC cleared the air surrounding his claims over the operation of the refinery. On the claim that the Old…

Can a navigation app be held responsible if a user gets into an accident? That is the question being asked in India after three men died when their car veered off an unfinished bridge and fell on to a riverbed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Police are still investigating the incident, which took place on Sunday, but they believe that Google Maps led the group to take that route. A part of the bridge had reportedly collapsed earlier this year because of floods and while locals knew this and avoided the bridge, the three men were not aware…

A former Chinese state media journalist has been sentenced on Friday to seven years in prison for espionage, his family has confirmed to the BBC. Dong Yuyu, 62, who has been detained since 2022, was active in academic and journalism circles in the US and Japan and met regularly with foreign diplomats. He was having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing when he was arrested by police. At the time of his detention, Dong had been a senior staff member of the Guangming Daily, one of the five major newspapers linked to the Chinese Communist Party. In February 2022,…