Nigeria’s D’Tigress have cemented their dominance in African women’s basketball, clinching their fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title with a commanding 78-64 victory over Mali.
With a hard-fought victory over Mali in the final on Sunday, the Nigerian side became the first country on the continent to win the championship five times in a row.
The victory also extended Nigeria’s astonishing unbeaten run in the competition to 29 straight games—an unbroken streak dating back to 2015.
Tensions flared in Abuja on Thursday as a coalition of civil society groups and oil workers mounted a large-scale protest at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The demonstration, organized by OilWatch Nigeria, Workers’ Rights Alliance, and Concerned Citizens Watch, drew hundreds of participants — including activists, oil sector employees, and everyday Nigerians — who accused Ojulari of playing a central role in a massive ₦34.65 billion ($21 million) corruption scandal.
According to the protest leaders, the scandal has shaken public trust and poses a serious credibility challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The outcry follows the recent detention of Abdullahi Bashir Haske, an ally of Ojulari, who reportedly told EFCC investigators that the $21 million discovered in his bank account was owned by the NNPCL chief.
“This money could have built schools, hospitals, and fixed our failing infrastructure,” said Emmanuel Ekpeyong of OilWatch Nigeria. “Instead, it was allegedly hoarded in private accounts to fund a life of luxury. We are here to demand immediate accountability.”
The coalition listed several allegations against Ojulari, including misuse of public funds, contract racketeering via shell companies, lavish living at Abuja’s upscale Wells Carlton Hotel, and the appointment of unqualified loyalists to strategic roles within NNPCL.
“Ojulari has turned the national oil company into a personal empire,” said Danladi Usman of the Workers’ Rights Alliance. “His actions betray the trust of every hardworking Nigerian and have crippled confidence in our energy sector.”
Adding to the pressure, Babatunde Anifowoshe of Concerned Citizens Watch accused Ojulari of attempting to obstruct EFCC investigations to shield his associates.
“Leaving him in office mocks the President’s vow of reform,” Anifowoshe said. “We urge the EFCC to arrest him immediately and for President Tinubu to relieve him of his duties without delay.”
The coalition issued two firm demands: that the EFCC prosecute Ojulari for his alleged involvement in the ₦34.65 billion scandal, and that President Tinubu immediately remove him from his position at NNPCL.
“This is just the beginning,” warned Ekpeyong. “A deep dive into Ojulari’s financial and operational dealings will likely uncover even greater rot.”
To escalate their push for justice, the groups announced a three-day peaceful protest starting August 1, targeting the National Assembly, NNPCL headquarters, and the EFCC offices.
“We will continue marching until real action is taken,” Usman declared, urging broad national participation. “This fight is for Nigeria’s future — where the nation’s oil wealth benefits all citizens, not a privileged few.”
With the protests gaining momentum, both the EFCC and the Presidency are under increasing pressure to respond. The coalition cautioned that failure to act could lead to wider unrest and deeper economic instability.
“The Nigerian people are watching,” said Anifowoshe. “We demand transparency, justice, and accountability. Bayo Ojulari must face the full weight of the law.”
As of press time, the EFCC had not issued an official statement on the matter.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye has stated that Nigeria’s coaches should get more rewards than players.
Adeboye while speaking on Sunday at the monthly Thanksgiving service in Lagos acknowledged President Tinubu for the handsome rewards to the super falcons noted that the coaches should get more.
“I thank President Tinubu for rewarding the players but I think coaches should be more rewarded.
“Coaches have knowledge and they have applied such on the players, hence they should get more rewards.
“It is the coaches that tell you this the way to go about it, you need a coach to win because of you don’t know how to win you will lose”. he added.
Recall that President Tinubu rewarded Super Falcons with $100,000 each, houses, and national honours after their historic WAFCON victory against host Morocco.
The coaches and technical crew were left out but Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, gifted the Super Falcons coach, Justin Madugu, a three-bedroom bungalow and N50 million for leading the national women’s football team to victory.
While many Nigerians believe that the reward was too much, others stated that they deserve more.
Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, on Saturday visited the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, where she shared her Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) victory with her spiritual family.
During the ‘Power Must Change Hands’ service, Ajibade presented her winner’s medal and awards to the church’s General Overseer, Pastor Daniel Olukoya, and his wife, as a gesture of thanksgiving.
She credited divine protection for her team’s success, saying her gesture was in appreciation of God’s covering throughout the tournament.
Ajibade, known for boldly expressing her faith, was warmly received by the congregation, who celebrated her achievement with cheers and prayers.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, has allegedly been forced to sign a resignation letter.
This is according to a Peoples Gazette report on Saturday.
According to the report, Ojulari was hijacked on Friday and pressured to sign a resignation letter by Ola Olukoyede, chairman of anti-graft EFCC, and Adeola Ajayi, director-general of the State Security Service.
It was reported that the alleged incident occurred on Friday, according to sources who spoke with the news platform.
Sources said Mr Ojulari was repeatedly questioned about what he might know of Olatimbo Ayinde, a British-Nigerian oil businesswoman who has recently emerged as one of the most powerful forces steering the Tinubu administration.
“Mr Ojulari told us he didn’t know Olatimbo Ayinde,” the source, who preferred anonymity, told Peoples Gazette.
However, the spokesman of EFCC, Dele Oyewale, has not officially responded to the enquiry on the matter.
Also, Mr Ojulari did not immediately return multiple requests seeking comments about the development on Saturday afternoon.
Recall that NNPCL had recently raised alarm over sabotage of the state-owned oil firm’s leadership.
Former Kogi senator, Dino Melaye, has expressed regret for previously backing the All Progressives Congress, describing his past support as a mistake.
He also expressed confidence in the African Democratic Congress to present a strong contender capable of unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Friday, Melaye acknowledged his past alignment with the ruling party but said he had since turned a new leaf.
“Once I was blind, now I can see. I regret in totality.
“Just like you confess your sins daily in the Lord’s prayer, I ask for forgiveness.
“Anyone who has moved with the devil, anyone who has aligned with an unholy tendency, should regret it,” the former lawmaker said.
Melaye slammed the APC administration for worsening socio-economic conditions, saying hunger and poverty have reached dangerous levels across Nigeria.
“You don’t need a prophet to tell you what is happening in this country. It is visible even to the blind and audible to the deaf.
“The hunger in the land is shattered. People are dying of malnutrition in rural communities.
“Take a trip today to your village and just announce that you want to share two bags of rice.
“If you are not careful, there will be dead casualties from the struggle to get something,” he said.
Turning to 2027 politics, Melaye said the ADC was focused on building a stable party platform that would produce a credible presidential candidate to defeat Tinubu.
“Especially those of us in the ADC, we need to create a comfortable, stable platform.
“I believe that platform will produce a candidate that will unseat President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in 2027,” he said.
When asked if he would support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Melaye declined to endorse any aspirant, saying his focus was on strengthening the party first.
“I will not be talking about a presidential candidate or preference for anybody until we get the party completely stabilised and organise a transparently honest convention,” he said.
Although Atiku has not officially declared interest in the 2027 race, Melaye praised his ongoing political efforts.
“What Atiku is doing is rescuing this country, bringing together men of honour and valour to correct and palliate the satanic manifestation of the APC,” Melaye added.
Backbone Infrastructure will build a $15 billion refinery in Nigeria’s Ondo State, with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day. This facility will be the country’s second largest, trailing only the Dangote refinery.
Backbone Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (BINL) announced on Wednesday, July 9, that it will construct a new crude oil refinery with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day in Ondo State. The project, estimated at around $15 billion, will be developed in partnership with the state government through the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) within the Ilaje industrial free zone.
The memorandum of understanding is scheduled for signing on July 15, 2025. According to BINL officials, discussions are also underway with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to include the public enterprise in the project.
No details have yet been provided regarding the mobilization of resources required for the infrastructure.
It is confirmed, however, that the project will be implemented in phases. The first phase, a 100,000-barrel-per-day unit, is scheduled for completion within 48 months. BINL also plans to develop related infrastructure such as roads, storage tanks, terminals, and handling equipment.
With its announced capacity, the future refinery will become the second largest in Nigeria, trailing only the Dangote Group’s facility, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The Dangote refinery began production in 2023, following a construction process that cost nearly $20 billion, with expenditures largely inflated by COVID-19-related logistical delays.
According to Wale Adekola, Vice President of BINL, the project is designed to supply petroleum products to the domestic market, feedstock to local industries, and finished products for export.
The announcement is part of a broader strategy by BINL, which plans to invest $4 billion in Nigeria’s mining sector, relying on public-private partnerships.
If the initiative materializes, it could strengthen Nigeria’s energy sovereignty while boosting local growth and public revenue. However, its success will depend on financial close, regulatory stability, and the ability to stay on schedule in an environment where delays are common.
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) says its industrial action is still ongoing.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, had announced that the association has called off its warning strike.
Speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting in Abuja on Friday, Pate said the decision followed agreements reached between the government and the association’s leadership.
But when contacted, the association’s National Chairman, Morakinyo Rilwan, said it wasn’t true the strike had been called off.
“If it was the Minister who organized the strike, then he could call it off. As far as I’m concerned, the strike organized by the association is still ongoing. The Minister didn’t organize the strike, so he doesn’t have the authority to call it off.
“There are procedures to follow, if it is to be called off at all,” Rilwan told Daily Trust via telephone.
The union has scheduled a general congress for Saturday, where members are expected to deliberate on the outcome of the meeting with government and determine the next course of action.
On Wednesday, the nurses began a seven-day nationwide warning strike. The strike, according to NANNM’s leadership, addresses issues including poor remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.
This strike comes amid an existing face-off between doctors and the government over welfare and other issues, as reported by Daily Trust. The nurses’ strike, which followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government, has disrupted healthcare services across Nigeria.
Armed policemen on Monday morning took over the Wadata Plaza, the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, amid tension over the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) Meeting expected to hold today.
The police disallowed members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) including Maina Chiroma from entrance into the premises of the secretariat.
The police denied the BoT members from holding their meeting at the Wadata Plaza. The meeting was to precede the expanded caucus meeting.
A former National Secretary of the PDP, Umar Tsauri, told Channels Television that the police stopped the BoT members, saying they are acting based on an “order from above”.
The policemen mounted guard at the gate of the NEC hall, preventing members of the PDP BoT from gaining access to the venue of their meeting.
The displeased BoT members later left the secretariat.
Another official of the party, who spoke to Channels Television’s reporter off camera, said that the police were deployed to stop the proposed NEC Expanded Caucus Meeting.
Though some staff members of the party were initially allowed to go into the premises of the secretariat without any resistance from the police, they were later sent out. Journalists were also been asked to leave the premises of the secretariat.
Some policemen were seen cordoning off Dalaba Street, which is the road leading to Wadata Plaza.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has resigned from his position.
Ganduje’s resignation was confirmed in a post by a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad on Friday.
Ahmad wrote: “The National Chairman of our great party, the All Progressives Congress(APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has resigned from his position, effective immediately, as confirmed by multiple sources.”
Though APC has yet to issue an official statement on his resignation, sources familiar with the matter hinted that Ganduje cited health reasons, suggesting that political tension within the party may have also played a role in his decision to step down.
Details later…..
