Firefighters battled relentlessly into Saturday night to contain massive wildfires raging across Los Angeles as strong winds reignited flames, threatening untouched neighbourhoods. At least 16 people have been confirmed dead in the devastating fires, which have left communities in ruins and tested the resilience of thousands of firefighters and millions of California residents. Despite heroic efforts, including precision aerial water drops, the Palisades Fire continued its march eastward, approaching the Getty Center art museum and pushing north into the densely populated San Fernando Valley. “We’re a nervous wreck,” Sarah Cohen shared with The Los Angeles Times as her Tarzana home…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has commended the repatriation of $52.88 million in recovered assets linked to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by the United States government. It also lauded the collaboration between Nigeria and the U.S., describing it as a significant step in the global fight against corruption. In a statement by CISLAC’s Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the organization urged the Federal Government to ensure the funds are utilized transparently and directed toward tangible development projects that benefit the citizens. “According to the Minister of Justice, these funds are earmarked for rural electrification…
The Government of Niger State complied with the conditions precedent in the laws, duly notified NERC, and requested the transfer of regulatory oversight for the intrastate electricity market in the state,” the statement read.
The Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY Media Group and Chairman of Arise TV, Nduka Obaigbena’s legal team, has condemned a Federal High Court order freezing $225.8 million linked to him, his family, and his company, General Hydrocarbons Limited, as “an abuse of court processes.” In a statement issued on Thursday, Abiodun Layonu & Co, solicitors for General Hydrocarbons, strongly refuted the December 30, 2024, court order obtained by First Bank of Nigeria Limited. The order restrains all Nigerian commercial banks from releasing or dealing with the funds in question. The lawyers claim the December 30 order violates an earlier ruling delivered by…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a budget of N126 billion for 2025, nearly three times the size of the previous year’s allocation. Speaking before the National Assembly during the defense of the 2024 budget implementation on Friday, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu emphasized the critical need for sufficient funding to meet the Commission’s constitutional responsibilities. “Our proposal for 2025: the Commission requires the sum of N126 billion. So, we would like the support of the National Assembly members to ensure that we are adequately funded for the responsibilities we are required to discharge, and most of these…
Nigeria’s Federal Government spent a staggering N8.94 trillion on debt servicing in the first nine months of 2024, accounting for 47% of total government expenditure during the period. This marks a sharp 56.8% increase compared to the N5.69 trillion spent during the same period in 2023, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) quarterly statistical bulletin. Rising debt burden The report underscores the escalating cost of Nigeria’s debt obligations against a backdrop of widening fiscal deficits. The debt-to-revenue ratio soared to 147% in 2024, a significant rise from 132% in 2023. This means debt servicing consumed nearly one and…
Donald Trump, president-elect of the United States, was sentenced to an unconditional discharge on Friday for covering up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The decision spared him prison time or fines despite his conviction in May 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records, which carried potential jail time. In presiding over the case, New York Judge Juan Merchan described the circumstances as unprecedented. “Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Merchan said. “The only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction without encroaching…
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, will tomorrow flag off the third phase of pension payments, amounting to N5 billion, to alleviate the suffering of retirees caused by the immediate past administration. Since assuming office, the current administration has settled N11 billion out of the unpaid backlog of N43 billion in outstanding pension benefits through two earlier phases. In a statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, it was disclosed that the flag-off ceremony would take place at the Kano Government House. ALSO READ Yusuf emerges SME Governor of the Year 2024, bags MAKIA modernisation award The…
In a troubling development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is embroiled in a significant scandal involving the disappearance of substantial amounts of cash and valuables from its Lagos Zonal Command. Credible sources have informed PRNigeria that between $350,000 and $400,000, along with expensive jewellery and other high-value items, have reportedly gone missing. This alarming revelation comes just days after the EFCC dismissed 27 officials due to misconduct and fraudulent activities, raising serious questions about accountability and oversight within the agency. The dismissals, announced on Monday, were based on recommendations from the EFCC Staff Disciplinary Committee and were ratified…
Former Special Adviser on Political Matters to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Babafemi Ojudu, has revealed the intricate details of how he orchestrated the impeachment of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose with the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, State Affairs, he disclosed: “I plotted and scripted the impeachment of Fayose in Ekiti. I used Obasanjo, and when he realized it, he fought back against me. “I had an agreement and signed that Fayose should be impeached but make sure his deputy is not. I took all the lawmakers to Lagos, where I kept them in…