The Lagos government has announced a 25 percent cut in the blue rail transport fare for off-peak periods.

Abimbola Akinajo, managing director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), announced the reduction in a statement on Saturday.

Akinajo said the 25 percent discount is for commuters travelling “within the off-peak period set at 10.00 am and 4.00 pm daily”.

She said the Lagos rail mass transit (LRMT) blue line would increase its number of trips from 54 to 72 per day, from August 12.

However, Akinajo said the current schedule for Sunday operations remains unchanged.

Akinajo said passengers can now travel between Marina and Mile 2 on the blue line route in just about 18 minutes from the previous travel time of 25 minutes.

According to the LAMATA boss, this means there would be a train every 18 minutes both ways — thus allowing commuters to plan their trips.

“The new train schedule is potentially expected to reduce journey times, encourage more riders to use the train system during off-peak periods and reduce transport spending,” she said.

Akinajo said the new timetables is available on the LAMATA website, stations, and social media handles.

The blue rail line started operations on September 4, 2023 — running 12 trips per day.

On October 11, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, announced that the state would temporarily shut down the blue rail line from October 14, 2023.

But the the service resumed passenger operations days after with 54 trips.

On Thursday, August 8, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, announced to Nigerians that the Port Harcourt Refinery would become operational in four weeks’ time, perhaps to meet the government’s August deadline of producing petroleum products.

The association went further to say that the refinery would equally be supplying between 10 and 12 million litres of petrol to marketers.

The IPMAN’s National Operations Controller, Zarma Mustapha, who let the cat out of the bag in an interview on national television, said the refinery would boost the supply of petroleum products in the country to about 11 to 15 million liters daily, and help ensure energy availability across the board.

According to him, the refinery was set to operate independently and sell at the prevailing market price with little or no government interference.

“There is this understanding that the Port Harcourt Refinery is going to perform independently and sell at whatever prevailing market price for them to recover their cost.

“It is not going to be run like a government entity as it has been before. I believe that the refinery coming up will really boost the demand and supply of PMS to nothing less than 11 to 15 million litres daily.

“I am confident and optimistic that this August deadline is going to be a realistic deadline. It will come on stream and fully produce all the necessary components that the refinery is supposed to produce,” he said.

However, instead of receiving the news with enthusiasm, Nigerians were rather skeptical considering the fact that several of such promises had been made in the past without any of them coming to fruition.

A segment of the society described the development as a harvest of promises with unending deceptions.

Some are of the opinion that the latest promise which is about the fourth in the series could still go the way of the previous ones, even as others have volunteered to give the government the benefit of the doubt.

Recall that earlier, Nigerians were told that the refinery would start operations in December 2023.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, had sounded optimistic about the December 2023 deadline, but at the end of the day, nothing happened, and no apologies were offered.

On Thursday, March 13, 2024, Nigerians were again greeted with the news that the Port Harcourt Refinery would become operational in two weeks’ time.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, assured Nigerians that the rehabilitated Port Harcourt Refinery would commence operations in two weeks. He made the revelation at an interactive session with the Senate.

He assured Nigerians that the delivery date of the Port Harcourt and other refineries remained sacrosanct.

According to the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, in a statement, Kyari said: “We will make sure that promises that we made about the rehabilitation of these refineries are kept. We completed the mechanical completion of PHRC in December.

“Now, we have crude oil already stocked in it. It is currently undergoing regulatory compliance tests before we re-stream it. I assure you that this refinery will start in next two weeks

“For the Warri Refinery, we have also done mechanical work on it. It is undergoing regulatory compliance processes that we are doing with our regulators. Kaduna will be ready by December this year, but we have not reached that stage. We believe that it will also be ready on schedule.”

Kyari noted that the Port Harcourt refinery had received 450,000 barrels of crude for processing since the mechanical completion of the plant in December last year.

He called for the cooperation of all stakeholders in the rehabilitation process, saying, “We are all serving this country dutifully and loyally. Nigerians must understand that gradually, we shall get this task done.”

The statement added that the Senate Ad-hoc Committee was expected to visit the three refineries in Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt soon for an on-the-spot assessment of work progress.

The two week’s ultimatum ended in April and the refinery did not even produce a litre of petrol. Most Nigerians were not surprised as they never even believed the statement when it was released.

Again, on Monday, May 20, the National Public Relations Officer, Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, promised Nigerians that the 210,000-barrel-per-day Port-Harcourt Refinery would finally commence operations by the end of July after several postponements.

He stated that the development would stimulate economic activities, reduce the price of petroleum products and ensure adequate supply.

Again, July came and ended without the Refinery working. Nigerians, again, did not give a whimper because they never took the statement seriously in the first instance.

So, the latest news that the PH Refinery would be operational in four weeks’ time did not receive cheers from Nigerians.

To many Nigerians, it has become a festival of promises. In fact, it has become a cliché to hear that the refinery, whether Port Harcourt, Warri or Kaduna, would work. Since 2015, when the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, wrested powers from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which held sway for 16 years, there have been promises of a turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery and others and their eventual operation, but none has ever come to fruition. It has all been deceptions couched in political statements to hoodwink the Nigerian masses.

So, when the IPMAN’s National Operations Controller, Mustapha announced on Thursday that the PH Refinery would begin operations in four weeks’ time, as an indication of the government’s preparedness to actually end fuel importation, not many were excited, as most people expressed skepticism, considering the past promises.

There are various views about the development. While some dismissed the news outright as mere political talks, others said even though such promises never produced any positive outcome in the past, they were prepared to give the government the benefit of the doubt this time round.

Those who believe that nothing would come out of it and that it was just mere political talks said it was akin to a political campaign promise where politicians promise that they would build bridges even where there is no river.

However, those who want to give the government the benefit of the doubt are of the view that even a liar would have a day when he would decide to be honest. To them, the government might have decided to turn a new leaf and do the right thing this time.

One of the proponents of those pushing that Nigerians should give the government the benefit of the doubt this time round is the president of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima.

He said although he would like to remain optimistic this time round, he cannot blame those who don’t believe the government’s promise considering the previous promises about the same refinery, which ended with no positive result

He told DAILY POST that: “The problem with the promise is just that we have a government that speaks from both sides of the mouth and previous promises have come and gone without fulfillment. So, even if this one is genuine, a lot of people will have a lot of doubts in their minds.

“But, I hope this will not be the same story because you cannot continue to say one thing today, and then tomorrow, you say another thing.

“Doing that will always put you on the defensive because you always want to say something, giving people hope without anything on ground to fulfill such promises.”

He advised the government to be honest and sincere with Nigerians, warning that deliberately lying to the people always would only provoke them to anger, which is not good for the society.

“The more you lie to the people about the refinery, the more you provoke people to anger. So, I am of the view that this time round, the government should try to live up to their promise.

“I am not part of those who don’t believe that things will work because I am always optimistic and I strongly believe that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. So, all they need to do is to re-programme themselves to be more sincere and honest to Nigerians,” he said.

He noted that the situation was so critical that the government just has to do everything possible to make sure that the refinery and other things work in the country.

He also advised that the leaders should not continue to give excuses because they knew exactly what the situation was before they went into office.

“We are in a critical period where people must have to understand that things are not okay and the government must also do something because they knew the problem before they took over the mantle of leadership.

“And to that extent, ours is to support them, and let them be honest to Nigerians, so that all of us will be able to survive this trying period,” he submitted.

But for a journalist and public affairs analyst, Nze Ezeocha, there is nothing cheery about the latest promise.

He noted that last year, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri told Nigerians that it would become operational before Christmas.

“Christmas passed and we reminded them about their promise and they gave Nigerians a fresh date, which also never came to reality.

“Now, we are being fed with another promise about the same refinery. This is the fourth time that the NNPCL and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources are telling Nigerians that the PH Refinery would be operational in weeks. And at the end of the day, nothing would come out of it.

“So, as far as I am concerned, I think this latest promise will end up like the previous ones. We have seen the brickbat between the NNPCL and the Dangote Refinery.

“Dangote is still insisting that it has not got enough crude from the NNPCL. Nigerians would like to know the kind of agreement Dangote had with the NNPCL.

“Dangote also demanded that the NNPCL should be mandated to direct the IOCs to be selling their crude to him. Did he not make adequate arrangements on how he will be getting crude before setting up a refinery?

“So, the whole thing about this oil refining in Nigeria is shrouded in secrecy and deception and the earlier the government comes clean on that the better for everybody in this country,” he told DAILY POST.

The president of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, equally agrees with Ezeocha.

He stated that nothing would come out of the promise. He believes that the Nigerian attitude has not changed, and would not want Nigerians to build any hope around the promise to avoid suffering unnecessary heart ache.

“We do propaganda with everything. We politicise everything. The President doesn’t have to tell us that the Port Harcourt Refinery is on course when it is not fully on course. Let this government start to do things differently.

“When things are not right, rather than getting political capital by telling lies to Nigerians, they should come out to tell Nigerians the true situation of things,” he said.

Continuing, he said: “There is no point in deceiving the populace. Let them tell the truth and they will better be appreciated, rather than thinking that by telling lies, they are playing politics. They are instead dishonouring themselves, and Nigerians will lose confidence in them very soon.”

Also speaking, a legal practitioner and public commentator, IK Onodi also did not believe that the refinery would become operational in two weeks time.

He said such promises had been made in the past and none came to fruition, and because of that he would not believe anybody until he has seen that the refinery has actually started refining.

According to him: “It is said that action speaks louder than words. We were told last year when the Dangote Refinery was commissioned that it would start producing by July last year.

“From July last year till now is about nine months, and no drop of crude oil has been refined by the Dangote Refinery.

“We have been told times without numbers that the Port Harcourt Refinery and other refineries would come on stream very soon.

“If I were the government, I will not announce anything until the refinery starts producing and when that happens, I will tell Nigerians that this is from the PH or Warri or Kaduna Refineries. I will not believe it until I see it.”

For an independent petroleum marketer, Chief Dipo Lanre, the refinery might not likely work in four weeks as promised.

He, however, noted that he would not totally dismiss it but expressed strong reservation about the feasibility of the promise considering the past promises which never yielded any positive result.

“I pray that this time, the promise will be fulfilled. It should not go the way of previous promises about the refinery.

“Remember that during Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, the same Port Harcourt Refinery was sold to Mike Otedola and Aliko Dangote, but the money was later returned to them.

“And since that money was returned to Otedola and Dangote, the refinery has not returned to operation; it has been promises upon promises. It has become a cancer to the Nigeria society.

“I am tired of the politics of that refinery. Politicians have used it to play politics since the Obasanjo era. What is a refinery anyway?

“What is the big deal in building a refinery? Since 1999 when the democratic governance returned, we could have built more than four refineries if we are serious.

“For almost 25 years, we have been playing politics with the refinery. Let it not be another round of deception this time,” he further told DAILY POST.

The spokesman of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has asserted that its operatives cannot arrest all criminal elements in the country at the same time.

Naija News reports that Adejobi made the remarks while responding to an X user who shared a picture of suspected terrorists displaying bundles of naira notes suspected to be kidnapping ransom.

The X user wrote, “They are now posing with the ransom money. Showing that they are balling.”

Responding, Adejobi said, “We can’t apprehend all the criminals at once. At least, appreciate us for the ones we have arrested. We arrest them on a daily basis, in large numbers.

“The armed forces and the police are trying their best. Efforts of security forces should be seen, noticed, and appreciated. We need to look towards having the collective efforts and individualistic involvement in tackling insecurity and other vices in Nigeria.”

Sports Minister, John Enoh, Calls Nigeria’s 2024 Olympics Performance ‘Disaster’

Team Nigeria ended their participation in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, without securing any medals for the country.

The last remaining athlete representing Nigeria, Hannah Reuben, aimed to clinch a medal for the West African Country in the women’s freestyle wrestling 76kg category.

Unfortunately, she was defeated in her second-round fight, losing 5-2 (by points) to Mongolia’s Davaanasan Amar Enkh.

The disappointment came from Tobi Amusan’s inability to advance to the final of the women’s 100m hurdles.

Furthermore, Nigeria’s 4x400m men’s relay team faced disqualification following their semi-final race. This unfortunate outcome marked Nigeria’s poorest performance at the Olympics since the 2012 London Games.

Looking ahead, the next Olympics are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in 2028 which means that the sports ministry in Nigeria has at most four years to prepare for another game.

Sports Minister, John Enoh, Calls Nigeria’s 2024 Olympics Performance ‘Disaster’

The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has expressed his disappointment with Team Nigeria’s performance at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

In a statement posted on his X page earlier today, August 10, John Enoh emphasized that the failure to secure any medals reflects underlying issues that require immediate attention.

He highlighted the need for careful consideration in the upcoming sports federation elections to ensure that the most qualified individuals are elected to lead the various sports federations.

John Enoh wrote, “Yesterday, I met with gentlemen of the press at the Nigerian Embassy in Paris for a press briefing following the country’s participation in the 2024 Olympics. As we go back home, we must do everything to prevent future occurrences of the Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our sporting federations, it will be done.

“The elections for the federations are around the corner, and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who are most eligible to lead the various sports federations.

“Team Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the country did not secure any medals does not entail being addressed just by our participation at the Olympics, but it is a product of very many other things that need immediate attention.”

Despite assertions that the ministry adequately supported the athletes both financially and otherwise, Senator Enoh underscored the importance of addressing systemic issues beyond just participation in the Olympics.

“We did everything as a ministry to prepare the athletes adequately and provide them with every financial support, but unfortunately, the performance did not produce any podium finish,” he said.

Looking ahead to the federation elections, he emphasized the need for rigorous scrutiny of the candidates to elevate the standards of leadership within Nigeria’s sports federations.

He wrote: “I am aware that the sports federations elections in Nigeria are even tougher than our national elections. We must set our standards to scrutinize what motivates those vying to run the federations and get only the best hands.

“This call for reform aims to enhance the leadership and effectiveness of Nigeria’s sports federations, paving the way for improved performance on the global stage.”

Top 20 countries of the 2024 Paris Olympics medals table

As of 2:50 p.m. (Nigerian Time), China are sitting at the top of the medals table with a total of 84 medals, which comprises 34 gold, 27 silver, and 23 bronze.

Even though the United States have more medals (113) than China, they are second because they have one gold less than the Asian giants.

Below are the top 20:

Format: Country, Gold, Silver, Bronze, total number of medals

1. China – 34 | 27 | 23 = 84

2. United States – 33 | 41 | 39 = 113

3. Australia – 18 | 16 | 14 = 48

4. Japan – 16 | 8 | 13 = 37

5. France – 15 | 20 | 22 = 57

6. Great Britain – 14 |20 | 23 = 57

7. Korea – 13 8 8 29

8. Netherlands – 13 6 11 30

9. Germany – 12 9 8 29

10. Italy – 11 12 13 36

11. Canada – 8 6 11 25

12. New Zealand – 7 7 2 16

13. Hungary – 5 7 6 18

14. Uzbekistan – 5 1 3 9

15. Spain – 4 3 8 15

16. Ireland – 4 0 3 7

17. Brazil – 3 6 9 18

18. Ukraine – 3 4 4 11

19. Sweden – 3 4 3 10

20. Romania – 3 4 1 8

Note that the 2024 Olympics will officially come to an end on Sunday, August 11.

The Nigerian Air Force has airlifted spme students home using a military aircraft to mitigate the risks associated with traveling by road.

Students of Air Force Military School and Air Force Girls Military School, both in Jos, were taken to their homes across different states in Nigeria via the military aircraft.

Photos shared online show them lining up to board the aircraft. Other photos show them on the aircraft.

The airforce said arrangements have also been made to airlift them back to school after the holidays ends.

King Sunny Ade ( KSA), the respected Nigerian music legend, has talked about why he has neither denied nor confirmed the rumours that he was having an affair with the late lady of songs, Onyeka Onwenu (MON).

In a recent condolence visit to the families of the late singer, KSA paid tributes to Onwenu while sharing his experiences with her.

Addressing rumours about their relationship, he clarified that the speculation was a strategic move to promote their music.

“That was a gimmick we did. It was for the music. We wanted to launch ‘Wait for Me.’ Before, people used to think she was my girlfriend. Me and her have never said yes or no,” he explained.

King Sunny Ade described Onwenu as an extraordinary woman who provided invaluable advice and support.

“She’s someone who will sit down with you. She used to say. “Can I chip in for some advice?” And the advice was always excellent,” he recalled.

Reflecting on their collaboration on the iconic song ‘Wait for Me,’ KSA noted that Onwenu often took the lead in their joint projects.

“Because when it comes to music that the two people have to do together, she used to do more. She would just tell me Sunny, let’s take it this way. And it’s always good,” he said.

He expressed his intention to continue performing the song in her honour, always crediting her as the true owner. “I will, on her behalf, sing it throughout my life with any artiste that you want me to. I’ve done it several times in different countries. I mentioned her name. I said she’s the owner of the song.”

He also shared the values he learned from Onwenu, emphasising her dedication to music and her vision for their work to have a global impact.

“She’s the first person to say this thing, we must do it. Sunny, let’s do it. This is what we want to do. It’s not only for us. It’s not only for our nation,  but for the whole world,” he stated.

Onwenu, a celebrated singer and actress, passed away on July 30 leaving a significant void in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, the Governorship candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State, has been reportedly arrested.

Ajayi, who is also a member of the Take It Back Movement, was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on Saturday in Akure during the ongoing one-milion-man protest against hunger and hardship.

The AAC candidate was, according to the organization, arrested alongside another activist, Patrick Owolabi.

The human rights advocacy organisation, Take It Back Movement, announced the arrest in a post on its official X handle, while demanding their immediate release.

The post reads, “It’s unfortunate that the @PoliceNG is yet to learn.

“The continued clampdown on peaceful #EndBadGovernceInNigeria protesters is a total shame.

“We condemn the unlawful arrest of Ajayi Wizeman & Patrick Owolabi in Ondo state and we demand their immediate and unconditional release!”

However, when contacted by DAILY POST, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Odunlami Ibukun said, “I have not been briefed on that report”.

Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State, has blamed the emirate tussle on politicians involvement institution.

Shekarau said if politicians had stayed away from traditional institutions in the state, there wouldn’t have been emirate crisis.

Recall that Governor Abba Yusuf had reinstated Muhammed Sanusi while dethroning his predecessor, Aminu Ado Bayero.

The governor’s decision followed the repealing of the Kano State House of Assembly Emirate law of 2019 that had paved the way for Ado Bayero as Kano Emir.

Commenting on the matter, Shekarau expressed hope that Kano State would be peaceful and the tension created by the tussle would be over.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Shekarau said: “There will be peace. We need the traditional institution. I will not go into that because I belong to the institution.

“It was the political angle that seemed to have led us into this crisis. If the politicians had kept away from all of this and of course the traditional institution if properly engaged, I don’t see any disagreement.

“The traditional institutions are leading in their own right in society. The governor or any government appointee is a leader. There has to be this synergy of understanding.”

On Thursday night, gunmen believed to be members of the Eiye Confraternity shot and killed the manager of a hotel in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.

The deceased who was identified as Anthony Balogun was the one running the hotel owned by his mother before the unfortunate incident.

The sad incident occurred at about 8 pm on the ill-fated night inside the premises of the hotel located in Olunlade area of the Ilorin metropolis.

Daily Post reports that two gunmen allegedly entered the hotel and requested to see the manager.

The deceased, who thought that they were prospective customers, came out of his room to meet them at the reception.

The assailants reportedly called him out of the reception and shot him at close range on the chest, according to sources.

They were said to have macheted him on the head, hands and legs after some gunshots.

Kwara State Police Commissioner, Victor Olaiya, who confirmed the development, said it was the outcome of the 8/8 cultists activities after the 7/7 celebration of another confraternity known as Aiye.

Responding to questions from journalists in Ilorin on Friday at the police command headquarters, the commissioner who described the case as a fresh one after the efforts of the police to mitigate the fallout of the nationwide hunger protests in the state, assured that the culprits would be hunted and brought to justice.

The case was reported at the Ganmo Divisional Police Station, close to Ilorin, while the body of the deceased was deposited at the Kwara State General Hospital, upgraded as the Kwara state University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin.

The Abia State Government has stated that it has not received the 20 trucks of rice intended as palliative aid from the Federal Government.

The State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who stated this, said no such palliative had arrived in the state, adding that there was no communication from the Federal Government for any such palliative.

He described as fake news, reports that the Federal Government had also distributed 50kg bags of rice to states for sale at the cost of N40,000.

“We didn’t see any truck of rice from the Federal Government. And the issue of selling a 50kg bag of rice for N40,000 is fake news.

”We don’t deal with rumours and speculations. There has been a way the federal government communicates with us when it has to do with palliatives, and no such message has come from the federal government,” he said.

Fielding questions on whether it was not proper for the government to open channels of communication with the federal government on the issue, the commissioner said it was not necessary.

“There is no point for us to be wasting our time looking for where to verify the news. If the news was authentic, we could have gotten the message as a government straight from the federal government. No such thing happened!”

Reacting to an inquiry on the efforts of the state government to alleviate the effects of the economic hardship on Abia residents, he said the state government “believes in teaching the people how to fish,” in addition to giving them palliatives.