April 2, 2019

Face-off between Olubadan, chiefs deepens

The face-off between the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, and his high chiefs deepened on Tuesday with the first class monarch ordering them to remove their “ illegal crowns.’’

The Olubadan said that he had no objection to the return of his high chiefs to the palace “ once they remove their illegal crowns.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the high chiefs had on Monday accused the Olubadan of running a “ one-man-show’’ and disregarding the Olubadan-in-Council.

The chiefs also accused the monarch of appointing Mogajis (family heads) and Baales (village heads) without consulting the council.…

No plan to sell fuel above ₦145 per litre – IPMAN chairman

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Kano State says the association has no plan to sell petrol above the government’s approved price of N145 per litre.

The association also called on Nigerians to ignore the threat made by the IPMAN chairman for Ore Depot, Shina Amoo.

The State IPMAN chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dan-Malam, disclosed this while addressing a news conference in Kano on Tuesday.

Dan-Malam was reacting to a story credited to the IPMAN chairman for Ore Depot, Mr Shina Amoo, where he was quoted to have said that the association might start selling petrol above N145 …

ExxonMobil considers sale of oil stakes in Nigeria

Exxon Mobil may sell a suite of oil and gas fields it holds in Nigeria, and has commenced talks on the sales as it focuses on new developments in United States’. shale and Guyana, industry and banking sources told Reuters.

The potential disposals, THISDAY learnt yesterday are expected to include stakes in onshore and offshore fields and could raise up to $3 billion.

The development followed a statement from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that it would no longer sign off any gas project without plans for gas flare out.

According to Reuters’ sources who were briefed on the …

Court: Adeleke unfit to run for Osun governor

PDP candidate ‘didn’t graduate’

We’ll appeal, says lawyer

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Bwari, Abuja yesterday voided the participation of  Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last governorship election in Osun State.

Justice Othman  Musa, in a judgment, annulled Adeleke’s nomination as candidate of the PDP on the grounds that he offended Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The section states that candidates for governor must be educated up to secondary school level.

Justice Musa said while the court’s findings showed that Adeleke entered secondary school in 1976, …

Actress Beverly Naya defines beauty with ‘Skin’ documentary

Nollywood actress, Beverly Naya, has produced a documentary video titled ”Skin” sponsored by Skin Nivea and premiered in Lagos at the weekend.

Beverly explained that ”Skin” is a feature documentary which inspires the meaning of beauty in all shades of life. She added that colourism affects both women and men in Africa countries but it has negatively influenced the beauty standards associated with women’s ability to find success in the society.

According to her, the documentary video is not an anti-bleaching campaign, instead the documentary seeks to inspire self-acceptance and self-love. It is about empowerment, not judgement. She added.

Beverly …

FIRS targets ₦750bn from 55,000 millionaire tax defaulters

The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Tunde Fowler, Tuesday said the agency was targeting about N750 billion revenue from about 55,000 defaulting taxpayers.

He told the House of Representatives joint committees on Finance, Appropriations, Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Legislative Budget and Research and National Planning and Economic Development on the 2019/2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), during a budget defence session that the substitution led to recovery of N23.25 billion.

He restated that the 85 per cent of VAT collected goes to State Governments. Fowler said:“From the Bank Accounts substitution exercise,

₦1trn projects: ICPC to probe Senators, Reps

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) yesterday said senators and members of the House of Representatives who failed to execute constituency projects will be prosecuted.

Also, all companies engaged for the failed or abandoned projects will face trial.

But the commission, however, opposed to plea bargain by corrupt elements because the nation’s laws allow it.

Over N1trillion has been released by the Federal Government for constituency projects since 1999. The funds include the N200 billion by the administration of Jubril (President Muhammadu Buhari) from 2015 to 2017.

More than 2,345 senators and representatives have benefitted from

Shell pays Fed Govt, agencies $6.397b

Over $6.397 billion was paid to the Federal Government and its agencies in 2018 by Shell exploration and production companies in Nigeria, The Nation has learnt.

In the group are Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo).

The payment represents a 48 per cent increase over payments ($4.322 billion) by the companies.

The facts formed part of the four documents released yesterday by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Dutch Shell, Ben Van Beurden, to signal the firm’s renewed commitment to greater transparency.

The documents are “Shell Sustainability

Ubani collapses in EFCC custody, rushed to hospital

Former second Vice-President of Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), Monday Ubani was on Tuesday rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Abuja after he collapsed in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detention.

Ubani and Senator Christopher Enai, formerly representing Bayelsa state, were  detained by the EFCC on March 19 for failing to produce the chairman of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Ngozi Olejeme, who they stood for as sureties.

Olejeme is facing a N6.4 billion fraud allegedly perpetrated while she was chairman of NSITF.

A member of Ubani’s family told the Nation on Tuesday night he (Ubani) collapsed in …

Oyo APC, Adelabu file petition against Makinde’s election

Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate in Oyo State, Adebayo Adelabu, have formally filed a petition before the election petitions tribunal to challenge the declaration of Seyi Makinde as the winner of the state’s governorship election.The party and its candidate want the tribunal to declare the APC candidate Adelabu the winner of the election.

The Petition has the INEC, as the first respondent while Makinde and PDP as second and third respondents respectively.

On March 10, INEC Returning Officer in the state Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe declared the result of the election at the State headquarters of INEC in Ibadan.

Ogundipe

Greek PM hails new ties during North Macedonia visit

Greece’s prime minister was greeted with hugs and selfies on Tuesday during his landmark visit to newly renamed North Macedonia, where the neighbours celebrated a new start after resolving their decades-long identity row.The one-day trip came a little more than a month after Alexis Tsipras and counterpart Zoran Zaev finalised a deal that added “North” to Macedonia’s name to distinguish it from a bordering province in Greece.

“We are starting to cover lost ground to build a deep friendship, not only between our governments, but especially between our people,” Tsipras said.

It was the first official visit by a Greek

German FA president Grindel resigns over €6,000 watch

The German football federation president, Reinhard Grindel, resigned on Tuesday, bowing to increasing pressure following allegations of undeclared earnings, the receipt of a luxury watch and general discontent with his leadership.

Grindel, who promised greater transparency after taking over in April 2016, apologized for accepting a watch worth about €6,000 from the Ukrainian businessman Grigoriy Surkis – a Uefa vice president and executive committee member.

“Everyone who knows me knows that I am not greedy and have been dealing with compliance issues for years,” Grindel said in a statement issued by the federation. “Mr Surkis had no financial interest in …