Headlines

Tragedy struck in Bayelsa State when a wooden cargo boat, “Godbless Dickson”, caught fire and sank in the Ezetu 1 community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

The boat, carrying over 64 passengers and crew members, as well as cargo, exploded and burst into flames, resulting in the loss of 20 lives.

According to ASP Musa Mohammed, spokesperson for the Bayelsa Police Command, rescue efforts are ongoing to save other victims.

The boat was transporting farm produce from a rural settlement to Swali market in Yenagoa when the incident occurred.

Target Segibo, Chairman of Southern Ijaw LGA, described the incident as a “disaster” and “regrettable”.

He called for improved safety regulations in the marine transport sector across the state, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to strengthen measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.

The Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs has retracted its internal circular dated August 1, 2024, regarding the sale of subsidized rice to public servants.

In a new directive, Aderonke A. Jaiyesimi, Director of Human Resource Management, stated that the previous circular is hereby withdrawn.

The new directive, addressed to all directors, heads of departments, and unit heads, instructs that staff be informed of the withdrawal and provided with proper guidance.

The directive was issued on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, with copies sent to the Minister and Permanent Secretary for further action.

The Ministry has assured that more information will be provided soon to clarify the situation regarding the sale of subsidized rice to public servants.

Security operatives attached to Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, threatened journalists while they were performing their duties on Thursday.

DAILY POST reports that members of the Bauchi Correspondents’ Chapel were at the Palace of the Emir of Katagum during the governor’s visit to the local government, following a violent protest in which the Council Secretariat in Azare was set ablaze by hoodlums.

Some of the members of the chapel were threatened as they were attempting to record the governor’s speech. One of the operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, identified only as Abdul, ordered the journalists to vacate the hall.

However, as the journalists searched for an alternative spot to continue their work, Abdul approached them again, issuing a threat: “This is just the beginning,” he warned.

The governor, who was seated alongside other dignitaries, including the Emir of Katagum, observed the exchange.

“You challenged me? You will see. This thing that you have done, this is the beginning,” Abdul continued, leaving witnesses in the palace stunned.

When one of the journalists remarked that his words sounded like a threat, Abdul reiterated his intention to “deal with” the journalists.

“He once molested me at a function. He is quite aggressive,” said a journalist attached to the Government House Press Crew, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity.

LEADING REPORTERS gathered that security personnel attached to the Government House had, last week, brutalised a person living with disability, identified as Hamza Waziri, who is now hospitalized at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.

President Bola Tinubu has named Aminu Masari, former Governor of Katsina State, as the new Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Board.

This appointment was announced by Presidential Spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement.

In addition to Masari, six other individuals have been appointed as members of the TETFund Board, including:

• Senator Sani Danladi
• Mr. Sunday Adepoju
• Mr. Nurudeen Adeyemi
• Mrs. Esther Onyinyechukwu Ukachukwu
• Mr. Turaki Ibrahim
• Mr. Aboh Eduyok

According to Ngelale, President Tinubu expects the new board members to be dedicated and committed to achieving TETFund’s goal of supporting tertiary education and enhancing the quality and productivity of higher education.

A public event organized by Mela Chiyoma Pat Ltd for women on food security was abruptly brought to an end today following the reaction of the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy who accused the organizers of impersonation.

Reacting the minister accused the organizers of using their name without the notice of the ministry hence called off the event.

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The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has said that its members will boycott work if security operatives continue to harass its officials and facilities.

NLC in a statement signed by NLC Head of Media and Public Relations, Comrade Benson Upah, gave the warning in response to the invasion of the union’s headquarters by armed security personnel suspected to be from the Department of State Services, DSS on Wednesday night.

It was reported that some armed security operatives broke into the Labour House in Abuja and ransacked the offices at the 10th and 2nd floors.

A source indicated that they took various materials to their vans, claiming that these items were used to incite and organize the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests in the country.

To this effect, the NLC leadership has directed that all its officials and staff should refrain from coming to the invaded house until further notice to avoid being incriminated.

“Given the current circumstances, the Nigeria Labour Congress has instructed all its staff to stay away from the Labour House until we are certain that no incriminating materials or harmful substances have been left in our offices by the invading operatives. To alleviate our concerns, we demand an international inquiry into this traumatic invasion.

“If this harassment continues, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not hesitate to call on its members to remain at home until their safety and security are assured.

“We warn that the stifling of public space and channels for constructive engagement, dialogue, and negotiations in light of the excruciating difficulties that Nigerians are currently facing will only exacerbate the situation. A stitch in time may still save nine!” the statement said.

The NLC has also urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to investigate the deaths of dozens of citizens who were killed by security personnel during the ongoing nationwide protests against hardship.

The union condemned the government for employing various strategies to prevent citizens from holding demonstrations against the economic hardships caused by failed policies.

The NLC reiterated its support for the ongoing protests, tagged as #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, urging President Tinubu to immediately reverse his anti-people policies to quell the unrest.

The organised labour also called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency approve subsidies on basic commodities so as to alleviate the suffering of the citizenry.

Jonathan Vatsa, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio to step down from his position.

According to Vatsa, the senate president must be relieved of his duties for asking hunger protesters to go ahead with the protest while he enjoys a meal.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Jonathan Vatsa criticized Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s recent comments, calling them insensitive and embarrassing to the ruling party.

Vatsa accused Akpabio of bringing the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) culture of corruption, which he described as “eating,” into the APC.

He continued, “It is a huge error and a disservice to this country to turn around and make someone like Akpabio a Senate President in the APC government. That is why this government can never get it right.

“The APC, as a party, has been hijacked by those that Nigerians were fed up with and decided to embrace ‘change’ in 2015. They have been eating and they want to continue eating like Akpabio made Nigerians believe.

“I said it before and I will repeat it that it is sad that we are giving red carpet reception to those we initially accused of looting this country with reckless abandon, so how can we get it right?

“The same eating Akpabio ate for 16 years under the PDP government, he still wants to continue eating under the APC government. This is the tragedy of a nation.”

The former Commissioner for Information in Niger State said since Akpabio’s state, Akwa Ibom, was under the PDP he “shouldn’t have been allowed to occupy the seat of the Senate President.”

“This party must begin to redeem its image and build confidence in Nigerians before 2027. This must start from Akpabio’s resignation to let Nigerians know that we are serious as a party,” Vatsa added

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, said yesterday it was working to ensure collaboration with industry regulators and stakeholders to attract businesses in the sector, amid divestment.

The commission also said it was implementing the Upstream Asset Divestment Framework to guide the seamlessly non-destructive exit of divesting entities and promote sustainable operation for the acquiring parties.

Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Gbenga Komolafe, who disclosed this at the Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition, NAICE, 2024, in Lagos, said this was all in the overriding national interest.

Speaking on the theme of the event, ”Petroleum Industry Value Chain Optimisation: The Inevitability of Midstream and Downstream Development”, Komolafe said the commission was pursuing collaboration with sister agencies, such as the NMDPRA, and other key stakeholders, to deepen end-to-end value in critical areas of operations.

To ensure robust development of oil and gas midstream operations, he said the commission would strengthen alignments on the administration of the domestic crude supply obligation and the domestic gas delivery obligation to grow the sector consistently with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA.

He expressed confidence that commission’s effort to foster regulatory alignments in this respect would stimulate further activities for domestic energy security in the shelter, insisting that the commission would not rest on its oars.

Komolafe said: “We are committed to entrenching collaboration for enhanced value to the industry and the nation at large, as we deliberate on the strategies and innovative approaches that will prepare the industry forward, let us remember that the optimisation of the midstream and downstream segments is not merely an option but inevitability.

“By focusing on this area, we can mitigate the risks associated with market volatility, enhance the refining capacities, and ensure a more stable and efficient energy security for our nation in the world undergoing change.

“No matter what individual views may be, the world is on the energy transition course, hence, dividend of the in-country value from the oil and gas resources via a midstream and a downstream operation is highly imperative’.”

The NUPRC boss disclosed that the commission had made deliberate and conscious efforts to position the upstream appropriately through the implementation of the ongoing regulatory framework for upstream decarbonisation and carbon monetisation in Nigeria.

He noted that the commission was championing decarbonisation initiatives to sustain and grow investments in upstream oil and gas, while ensuring environmental, social, and governance principles.

In his remarks, the Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, said the NNPCL was putting in place the required infrastructure required to deepen domestic gas utilisation. According to him, the obligation for domestic gas supply and also domestic supply of crude oil into the country is by no means designed to ensure things worked for the industry.

Africa is the only continent not in the top 30 of the Paris2024 Olympics medals table.

While countries like the United States of America already shine with 86 medals, no African country was represented in the top 30 so far.

Kenya, known for having incredible athletes is the best African country so far, ranking 33rd with 4 medals.

Kenya has 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. But even Kenya is not doing as well as countries from other continents.

Other African countries including Nigeria are doing worse in the Olympics and hence far below in the medal ranking list.

This is as individuals of African birth have nationalized and won medals for countries in other continents after they received zero support from the governments of their countries in Africa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for a restrained response to Israel’s suspected killing of the leader of Hamas, advising against attacks on Israeli civilians, two senior Iranian sources said.

The message, according to the sources, was delivered on Monday by Sergei Shoigu, a senior ally of the Kremlin leader, in meetings with top Iranian officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

Tehran also pressed Moscow for the delivery of Russian made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, the two Iranian sources, privy to the meeting in Tehran, the sources told Reuters.

In Moscow, the Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment. State-run RIA news agency reported on Tuesday that Shoigu said he discussed Haniyeh’s killing on his Tehran visit.

The two sources with knowledge of the matter did not provide further details on the talks with Shoigu, who was defence minister before becoming the secretary of Russia’s security council in May.

They said Shoigu’s visit was one of several avenues Moscow had used to relay to Iran the need for restraint while at the same time condemning Haniyeh’s killing as “a very dangerous assassination”, in a bid to prevent a Middle East war.

The Middle East, the sources said, was on the brink of a major war and those behind the assassination were clearly trying to trigger such a conflict.

Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war with Ukraine and has said it is preparing to sign a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with Tehran.

There was no immediate comment from Iran’s Foreign ministry. On Monday it said Tehran did not seek to raise regional tensions but needed to punish Israel to prevent further instability.

Reuters