Author: Chief Editor

•OPEC, others cut oil supply by 1.6bn barrels The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday assured President Muhammadu Buhari that his target to make Nigeria a net exporter of petrol would be achieved by 2023, promising that the country will begin the exportation of petroleum products with the West African sub-region. The corporation’s Group Managing Director, Malam Mele Kyari, gave this assurance during the inauguration of the 5,000-barrel per day capacity Waltersmith Modular Refinery in Imo State by Buhari, who said the advent of such refineries in the country will aid the availability of petroleum products and eliminate importation. This…

•Says legislators’ resolution based on fake news, hearsay, not British govt’s position •Despite Nigeria’s protest, CNN releases second report on Lekki shootings •Senate seeks 1% VAT to compensate states affected by #EndSARS protests The federal government yesterday said it was unperturbed by resolutions of the United Kingdom parliamentarians for sanctions against top Nigerian officials and security agents involved in the alleged violation of #EndSARS protesters’ rights as it did not represent the position of the British government. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told THISDAY in Abuja that the UK government will not sanction Nigerian officials based on…

There was an uproar on the floor of the Senate yesterday as senators debated a motion seeking to compensate states wracked by the violence associated with the recent #ENDSARS protests. The Senate, after the debate asked the federal government to reserve one percent of VAT proceeds for Lagos and other states badly hit by the violence. However, the two senators from Lagos State, which was the most affected by the violence, Senators Oluremi Tinubu and Olamilekan Adeola, did not contribute to the debate. While Tinubu sat all through the time the debate lasted, Adeola, left the chamber and didn’t return…

The EU said Tuesday it would sign a sixth contract for an upcoming coronavirus vaccine, this time for up to 160 million doses of a jab developed by US firm Moderna. “According to the results of clinical trials, this vaccine could be highly effective against Covid-19,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “Once the vaccine is indeed proven as safe and effective, every member state will receive it at the same time on a pro rata basis,” she said, in a brief statement. Details of the contract, including any purchase options within the 160 million possible total number…

Russia said Tuesday its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine was 95 percent effective and would be cheaper and easier to store than some alternatives, as the global race heats up to develop a jab. The announcement was the latest in a flurry of breakthroughs as several vaccine makers worldwide published preliminary data showing efficacy rates of 90 percent and higher. Countries are hoping to begin inoculating their populations by year’s end or in early 2021 to stop a pandemic that has claimed the lives of nearly 1.4 million people. Russia was one of the first to announce the development of a…

Explains why Obasanjo, Jonathan’s national conferences failed. The Governor of Sokoto State and Chairman PDP Governors Forum, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday said that the current efforts at restructuring of the country though desirable will not achieve success if they were not channelled through the National Assembly as amendments to the 1999 constitution. Speaking at the opening plenary of the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit tagged “Building partnerships for resilience,” Governor Tambuwal said the nation must avoid a repeat of the mistake of 2015 when a robust attempt by the House of Representatives to amend the constitution was rejected at the…

United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel has come under scrutiny for seeking to publicly intervene on three occasions on behalf of an offshore company, Process & Industrial Development (P&ID), which has been accused in a British court of obtaining a £100m contract from the Nigerian government through corruption. A report in the UK Independent Newspaper said Priti repeatedly backed Process & Industrial Development (P&ID), a British Virgin Islands-registered gas company, in its long legal dispute with the Nigerian government over a gas processing plant. The British minister, accused of bullying staff in her department, faces calls to resign after a…

A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas when the four-week lockdown in England ends on 2 December. Up to 2,000 people will be allowed in tier two areas but none in tier three. Indoor venues in tiers one and two can have a maximum of 1,000 spectators, with capacity across indoor and outdoor venues limited to 50%. Organised grassroots sport will be able to resume, and gyms and leisure centres can reopen across all tiers. Elite sport has continued behind closed doors during the national lockdown, but grassroots and amateur sport has…

President Muhammadu Buhari has formally written to the Senate asking for the re-appointment of Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The president’s request was contained in an executive communication to the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, and read at plenary on Tuesday as the National Assembly resumed from a five-week break. [ThisDay]

Mikel Arteta is frustrated at Arsenal’s growing injury list after losing two more players in their goalless draw at Leeds as his team prepares for six matches in the next three weeks. With Thomas Partey, Pablo Mari and Gabriel Martinelli all sidelined heading into Sunday’s game, winger Willian and Bukayo Saka failed to finish the contest after respectively picking up a muscular problem and what appeared to be a knee injury. Mohamed Elneny and Sead Kolasinac were also unavailable at Elland Road after testing positive for Covid-19 on international duty, while Nicolas Pepe was sent off for an apparent headbutt…