Author: Lawan

A sharp drop in global crude oil prices has raised fresh hopes that Nigerians could soon see lower petrol prices if the decline is sustained. The fall in oil prices came on Monday after United States President Donald Trump signalled a shift from military action against Iran to renewed diplomatic talks, easing fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East. The development calmed global oil markets, where traders had been worried that fighting in the region could disrupt crude supplies. Brent crude, the international benchmark used to price Nigerian oil, dropped by more than 4.8 per cent to around…

Former presidential candidate of the Accord Party and Co-Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Renewal, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has expressed concern over President Bola Tinubu’s recent remarks during a meeting with Catholic Bishops at the State House, warning that the 2027 general election must not fall below the democratic standards established in 2015. In a statement yesterday, Hashim said he was saddened rather than angered by the President’s public remarks, adding that after repeatedly listening to the recording, he was left deeply concerned. According to him, the President’s public communication appeared markedly different from the Tinubu he interacted with between…

The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory has sustained its offensive against militant elements in Cross River State, destroying another suspected militant camp at Ine Ikoridung coastal settlement in Bakassi Local Government Area. The operation was carried out following credible intelligence indicating that the suspected militants had relocated to the remote coastal settlement after sustained naval patrols forced them to abandon their former base at Dayspring Island.According to the Nigerian Navy, the suspects fled into the creeks on sighting NNS Victory patrol gunboats approaching the area. Troops subsequently cordoned off the settlement and conducted a thorough search of the identified huts…

The Presidency on Monday kicked off the final legislative push for the establishment of state police, unveiling a seven-week timetable that will culminate in the submission of an Executive Bill to President Bola Tinubu by September 3 as part of efforts to overhaul Nigeria’s policing architecture. The proposed National Policing Bill, expected to provide the legal and operational framework for a dual federal-state policing system, will subsequently undergo nationwide public consultations before being transmitted to the National Assembly.Briefing State House Correspondents after the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,…

The United States has condemned the deadly July 27 attack on a village in Kaduna State that reportedly claimed at least 30 lives, including children, while urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to intensify efforts to halt the wave of violence affecting Nigeria’s Middle Belt. In a statement posted on X, the US Bureau of African Affairs described the attack as another tragic episode in the region’s prolonged security crisis and extended condolences to the victims’ families. “The United States condemns the early morning July 27 attack on a village in Nigeria’s Kaduna State that reportedly killed at least 30 people,…

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s development finance framework, warning that the country’s productive sectors are being held back by a financing shortfall estimated at more than N50 trillion. The private sector advocacy group said the current financial system is failing to provide the affordable, long-term capital required to drive industrialisation, agricultural transformation and sustainable economic growth. In a policy brief, CPPE argued that manufacturing, agriculture, agribusiness, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), supply chains and export-oriented businesses continue to struggle with prohibitively high interest rates, short loan tenors,…

The World Bank has opened applications for its 2027 Africa Fellowship Programme, offering eligible Nigerian PhD candidates and recent doctoral graduates an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in global development research and policymaking. The application window, which opened on July 15, will close on August 25, 2026, with successful candidates expected to begin a six-month fellowship in January 2027. According to the World Bank, the fellowship is designed to build the capacity of the next generation of African development professionals by exposing them to research, economic policy, technical assistance and lending operations. Selected fellows will be based either at the…

For nearly four decades, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural (NLNG), has remained one of Nigeria’s most successful energy investments. Aside from generating nearly $150 billion in cumulative revenue, it has significantly curbed gas flaring, expanded access to cooking gas for millions of households, and delivered billions of dollars in taxes and dividends to the federal government. Yet, according to its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Adeleye Falade, the company’s biggest challenge is no longer building Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trains but securing enough gas to keep its existing facilities running at optimal capacity.Speaking during his first media interaction…

NUPRC warns public against fake contract racketeersThe Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has pushed back against criticism of the 2025 oil and gas licensing round. The Commission argued that reports that portrayed the award of oil blocks as politically influenced distorted a process it described as transparent, competitive and technically driven. Speaking recently in Lagos at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council Executive Masterclass on Energy Journalism at the weekend, the Commission Chief Executive (CCE), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, represented by Mr. Dr. Amba Ndoma Egba, Deputy Director, Acreage Administration, said some media reports failed to reflect the…

Nigeria has renewed calls for South Africa to compensate its citizens for losses suffered in xenophobic attacks, after Pretoria failed to ratify a bilateral security agreement signed nearly a year ago. The disagreement has deepened a diplomatic standoff that saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decline to receive a special envoy from his South African counterpart last week. At the centre of the dispute is the Memorandum of Understanding on the Early Warning Mechanism, signed by both countries in Abuja on 22 October 2025. South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Thandi Moraka, signed for Pretoria, while Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu,…