Latest News
FEATURES
Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare the late Chief MKO Abiola as one of Nigeria’s former presidents, posthumously.
Kalu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Privatisation, said Abiola’s portrait should also be hung among that of Nigerian presidents.
He spoke at the National Assembly on Tuesday against the background of the recent admission by former military president, retired Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, that Abiola indeed won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The June 12, 1993, presidential election was adjudged to be the freest and fairest conducted in the country at the time.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Babangida, in his memoirs, “A Journey in Service: An Autobiography”, admitted that the late politician and philanthropist, won the election.
Kalu, a former governor of Abia, told journalists that with Babangida’s latest revelations, the controversy over the election had been laid to rest; hence, Tinubu should declare Abiola one of Nigeria’s presidents posthumously.
“Yes, Abiola won the election, and there’s no doubt about that. I would like them to put Abiola’s picture where other presidents’ pictures are.
“I will appeal to President Tinubu to swear him in posthumously and also allow his picture to be where you have that of former Nigerian presidents.
“We have already given him most of the honours. I’m very thankful to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who gave him a national award.
“This will help bring succour to his family,” Kalu said.
When asked whether he thought Babangida answered all the issues and debates his eight-year military rule generated in his book, Kalu responded that the memoirs were incomplete.
He suggested that the former military president should write the Vol. II of the book, to be devoted largely to unanswered questions around the June 12 election.
“I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities.”
The lawmaker also appealed to Nigerians to give Tinubu a chance to return as president in 2027.
“Many presidents in Nigeria who have not done very well have won their second time. We are appealing to Nigerian people.
“We are not going to ruffle ourselves in APC convention. We have only one presidential candidate, which is Bola Tinubu.
“We are not looking for any other person. The problem of Nigeria is some people not wanting to consolidate gains of reform.
“It may be very difficult today, very hard today. People are complaining but the reform is trickling down.”
(NAN)
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, says Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, should stop acting like a “crying child” and move on from the ministerial snub episode.
In July 2023, Tinubu sent the list of ministerial nominees, including el-Rufai, to the senate for screening and confirmation.
The senate withheld el-Rufai’s confirmation over petitions filed against him on security grounds.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, the ex-governor said Nigerians should not believe the narrative that the national assembly rejected him as a ministerial nominee.
El-Rufai said Tinubu did not want him in his cabinet after publicly pleading with him beforehand to suspend his future plans and accept the ministerial appointment.
Reacting during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, Onanuga faulted el-Rufai for his “incessant complaints” about being excluded from Tinubu’s government.
The presidential spokesperson compared the ex-minister’s takes to that of a child “crying over spilt milk”.
“Well, as a person, I pity the former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister, but I think it has been a long time now,” Onanuga said.
“Ministers were appointed in August 2023, and I believe it’s time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread… crying over spilt milk, as we say.
“It is natural for him to feel hurt and bad about being excluded. However, as the president acknowledged in his recent tribute to him, Nasir actually played a significant role in helping to install President Tinubu.
“Still, if he is not part of the government, that does not mean he must bring down the roof. The president has nothing against him.
“I believe Nasir feels naturally hurt by his exclusion, which is why he is going everywhere campaigning against the president. This shows a man who resents being left out of the moving train and refuses to let go.
“As a brother and former governor, my advice to him is simple: he should forget about it if he was not made a minister.
“He has been in public service since 1999, and I think the hurt started when he was not appointed a minister. That explains why he has been making these statements.
“Even yesterday, in an interview with Arise TV, he claimed that it was the president who blocked his appointment.”
El-Rufai had also hinted at ditching the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
[TheCable]
The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed uncertainty over his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
El-Rufai also stated that he is unsure whether he will remain in the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the next general election.
El-Rufai made this revelation on Monday while appearing on Prime Time on ARISE News Channel.
During the interview, El-Rufai was asked about his stance on Tinubu’s second-term ambition, but he declined to give a definite response, stating that his decision would be based on future circumstances.
He stated, “I don’t know (if I will support Tinubu in 2027). I will evaluate the situation at the time, and I will consult widely. When I supported President Tinubu before the primaries, it was a decision that the leaders of APC took in Kaduna. Who do we support? We succeeded in ensuring that power goes to the south, and we know that all the northern candidates will go nowhere, Yahaya Bello, Ahmed Lawan, we knew.
“But among the southerners, who do we support, they know those that are my friends. Tinubu was not my friend. I was never close to him. But the consensus of the APC in Kaduna was that we should support Bola Tinubu because he is the one that is more likely to win. Politicians make these calculations.
“In 2027, I’m going to consult the same people. We are going to take the same decision, which candidate to support and in which party.”
Asked if he would support a Southern candidate in 2027, El-Rufai said he couldn’t answer the question because he is no longer a governor.
He said, “Now I’m a private citizen. I’m not sure I would be in the APC 2027, so I cannot answer that question… Now in 2027, I will not be a governor, so I will not have the sort of clout that I had in 2023.”
A panel set up by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to find a solution to the crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly is set to submit its report.
The panel, headed by Bisi Akande, has Olusegun Osoba and former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, alongside others as members.
The panel which has been meeting since last Sunday has reportedly drawn up a list of seven lawmakers to replace the Assembly Speaker, Mojisola Meranda and take the Speakership seat back to Lagos West.
A top source in the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) who was privy to the meeting but did not want to be named confirmed to The PUNCH on Monday that Meranda and embattled impeached Lagos State Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa would be asked to leave the position.
He also said that part of the resolutions being considered was for Obasa to withdraw the suit against the assembly and Meranda in court.
Obasa, who has since faulted his removal, has dragged the Assembly and Meranda before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, claiming that the lawmakers were wrong to have removed him when the Assembly was in recess.
The source, therefore, noted that since political solutions were being considered, it was likely that Obasa would withdraw the suit.
He said, “Meranda will step down, and Obasa will also step down. They will now pick someone else from Lagos West. Lagos West is the largest senatorial zone in Lagos. The lawmakers seem to have agreed, otherwise, there won’t be peace. Part of the understanding is that the case the man (Obasa) took to court, he will withdraw it as well.
“Whatever there is a legal solution for, there is also a political solution, so there will be compromises here and there.”
The source added, “Those who don’t want Obasa feel that they have won the battle anyway, and the man will never be their speaker again. So there is nothing they are fighting for again.
“Meranda, whom they put there, is just a child of circumstance. And since things have changed – the woman herself is not a power monger, she didn’t say she has to be there forever. It is hoped that in the next one week, the agreement will be reached.”
Also speaking to The PUNCH on Monday, the Chairman of GAC, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, said the party “is mediating.”
He said, “The party is mediating. At the appropriate time, we shall tell you the conclusion of the mediating panel. Wait until the report is ready.
“It’s a mediating process, it’s part of the responsibilities of the party when there are conflicts within the legislature or even within the members of the party for us to take our time and listen to all sides.”
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old man, Gbolahan Adebayo, for allegedly beating his girlfriend to death at Ijedodo in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident occurred during the deceased’s visit to the suspect’s house on Friday.
A resident who identified himself simply as Akin told our correspondent on Monday that the 23-year-old victim was heard screaming for help around midnight while being beaten by her boyfriend.
Akin added that Adebayo later raised the alarm at daybreak after he found out she was no longer responsive after the assault.
He said, “The girl was a regular visitor to the suspect’s home and came around as usual on Friday night. But when it was about 2 am, neighbours started hearing someone screaming and later discovered it was the suspect who was beating her girlfriend in his room. The screaming lasted at intervals for about an hour.
“After that, the screaming stopped. It was in the morning that the boyfriend started shouting for help and when the neighbours who were around at that time went to attend to him, they saw the girl lying motionless on the bed.”
A police source, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak on the matter, said the incident was reported at the Isheri-Oshun Police Division by the suspect’s neighbour on Sunday.
The source said the girl was first taken to the hospital where she later succumbed to the injuries sustained during the incident before it was reported to the police.
“When the neighbour came, he explained that the incident happened two days ago and that efforts were first made to resuscitate the girl but she eventually passed away. As a result, a team of policemen were immediately drafted to the scene, leading to an ongoing investigation.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
The image maker said visible marks of violence were found on the deceased’s body, adding that her corpse had been deposited in the morgue.
He said, “One neighbour reported at Isheri Osun Division that on 21/02/25 at about 2 am, he saw his neighbour, one Gbolahan Adebayo ‘m’ age 23 years beating his girlfriend aged 25 years in his home in Ijedodo for a yet-to-be-determined reason. However, at about 7 am the said Gbolahan Adebayo reportedly screamed for help and on getting to his apartment, the said girlfriend was met lying unconscious on the bed with visible marks of violence found on the body.
“She was immediately taken to a hospital in Ijegun where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty. Based on the report, a team of detectives visited the scene of the incident. The hospital was also visited, where the corpse was inspected and photographed. The corpse was evacuated and deposited at the IDH morgue, Yaba for autopsy. The suspect was promptly arrested and an investigation is in progress on the matter,” Hundeyin concluded.
A new investigation by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa has uncovered that a former Nigerian National Security Adviser purchased a 127-acre horse farm in South Carolina in 2002 using questionable funds.
According to the report published on February 24, 2025, at the time of the purchase, the ex-NSA was the head of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, responsible for printing the nation’s currency.
The investigation, conducted in collaboration with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, The Post and Courier in South Carolina, and The Houston Chronicle* in Texas, reveals that the ex-NSA’s wife applied for an American investor visa using the farm purchase as a basis.
The report stated that in her application, she told U.S. officials that the funds came from a $1m lobbying contract the ex-NSA allegedly secured as head of Nigeria’s Mint to influence officials in Ghana on behalf of a Texas oil company.
The report added that the U.S. authorities rejected the visa application, citing concerns over the source of the funds, though no further action was taken against the farm.
The report partly read, “Former Nigerian National Security Adviser purchased a 127-acre horse farm in South Carolina in 2002.
“At the time, he served as the head of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting, which was charged with, among other duties, printing Nigeria’s currency.
“In an application for an American investor visa based on their million-dollar investment in the horse farm, the ex-NSA’s wife told the US government that her husband obtained the funds through a lobbying contract he had as head of Nigeria’s minting operation. She told US officials that the ex-NSA was paid USD 1 million to lobby officials in Ghana on behalf of a Texas-headquartered oil company that sought access to an offshore oil platform, which took place during the time when ex-NSA was the head of Nigeria’s Mint.
“ In rejecting the visa application, the US government raised serious questions about the source of the funds used to purchase the property. Still, there is no indication the government took any further action concerning the farm.”
The report noted that the property was transferred to the ex-NSA’s wife, adding that it is now rented out as an Airbnb and wedding venue.
“The farm, which the ex-NSA transferred into his wife’s name, includes an equestrian centre described as having 55 stalls, 16 paddocks ranging from small to large, a quarter mile track, stadium ring equipment with jumps, four horses, four barns, and trails throughout. It is now used as an Airbnb rental and wedding venue,” the report added.
More...
HEIRS ENERGIES LEADERSHIP FORUM 2025: Public And Private Sector Leaders Unite To Drive Nigeria’s Oil Production Growth
Admin
Heirs Energies, Africa’s fastest growing indigenous integrated energy company, hosted its inaugural Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, bringing together public and private sector leaders to accelerate Nigeria's production growth.
Heirs Holdings’ subsidiary, Heirs Energies, convened the forum, moderated by CEO of Heirs Energies, Osayande Igiehon, and which featured distinguished speakers including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; Chief Commission Executive, NUPRC, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe; Chairman, OPEC Board of Governors and CEO, First E&P, Adewale Adeyemo-Bero; Executive Vice-President Upstream, NNPC Limited, Udobong Ntia and CEO of Seplat Energy Plc, Roger Brown.
With a new administration and ambitious targets for production critical for Nigeria’s economic growth, the Dialogue provided a timely venue for private and public sectors to continue the successful interaction, that has already seen Nigeria crude production grow by 25%, since May 2023. Speakers highlighted how a series of Presidential Executive Orders had radically reshaped the operating environment and catalysed industry growth. Indigenous oil and gas companies were now responsible for more than 60% of Nigeria’s crude output and the successful indigenisation programme was delivering a bold new chapter in Nigeria’s natural resources history.
Tony Elumelu, Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings and Chairman of Heirs Energies, in his opening remarks, paid tribute to the catalytic role that current government had played in reinvigorating the sector. Mr Elumelu also set out Heirs Holdings’ vision of transforming Africa's energy landscape, through indigenous leadership and sustainable development. Heirs Energies, in just four years, had rapidly grown its production from 21,000 to over 50,000 barrels per day of hydrocarbon.
Mr Elumelu also welcomed both public and private sector guests, emphasising the strong spirit of collaboration that underscored the successful indigenisation:
“Production growth, ambitious and sustained, is our shared national mission. I am honoured that Heirs Energies is bringing together distinguished peers from the industry and our partners in government.
As an investor not just in resources, but in Nigeria’s power production and distribution sectors, all of us, need to come together to ensure Nigerians get the benefits of our resources. As we build Africa’s largest integrated energy business, innovation and collaboration are central to our execution”.
The dialogue affirmed Nigeria's commitment to increasing production, while maintaining environmental responsibility and leveraging gas as a transition fuel.
Speaking at the forum, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, applauded Heirs Energies for hosting this inaugural event, "Let me express our gratitude to Heirs Energies for providing this platform for meaningful industry engagement." The Minister announced Nigeria's oil production had reached 1.8 million barrels per day in January 2025 and set an ambitious target of 2.5 million barrels per day for 2025. He also reaffirmed the administration's "drill or drop" policy to accelerate production growth.
The Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue, which will become an annual event, brought together key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, including MD of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Osagie Okunbor; Managing Director of Aradel Holdings, Adegbite Falade and industry veteran and founder of Platform Petroleum & Managing Director A.A Holdings, Austin Avuru, among others.
NUPRC Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, empahsised the dialogues significance in advancing the sectors objectives, "I thank Heirs Energies for this beautiful initiative of putting together the Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue as a commitment to achieving our national objective in the upstream sector." He highlighted the surge in active drilling rigs to 38, with projections to reach 50 by March 2025.
OPEC Board of Governors Chairman for Nigeria and CEO, First E&P, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, commended the forum's timing, noting "It's apt. It's early in the year and it's about how we grow production. That's why you see all of us participating." He shared how indigenous operators have successfully increased production, citing his company's achievement of 57,000 barrels per day from previously untapped fields.
Heirs Energies CEO, Osa Igiehon, reinforced this perspective, showcasing Heirs Energies’ impact in Nigeria’s onshore sector. "Our success at Heirs Energies demonstrates what's possible in Nigeria's onshore sector, through our Brownfield Excellence Strategy, robust security measures, and genuine community partnership," he said. "By tripling our producing wells to over 100, we've shown how indigenous operators can efficiently unlock value while ensuring sustainable development of host communities."
The Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue also exemplified Heirs Energies’ commitment to Mr Elumelu’s Africapitalism, the private sector's transformative role in driving Africa's economic and social development through strategic, long-term investments hinged on partnership and collaboration.
Heirs Energies Limited is Africa's leading indigenous-owned integrated energy company, committed to meeting Africa's unique energy needs while aligning with global sustainability goals. With a strong focus on innovation, environmental responsibility, and community development, Heirs Energies leads in the evolving energy landscape and contributes to a more prosperous Africa. Heirs Energies is a key implementor of Heirs Holdings integrated energy strategy, Africa’s largest integrated energy business, whose objective is to ensure Africans benefit directly from their continent’s resources.
HEIRS ENERGIES LEADERSHIP FORUM 2025
L-R: CCE, NUPRC, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe; CEO, Heirs Energies, Osa Igiehon; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; Founder/Chairman, Heirs Holdings and Chairman Heirs Energies, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR; OPEC Board of Governors Chairman for Nigeria & CEO, First E&P, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero; CEO, Seplat Energy, Roger Brown and Executive Vice President, Upstream, NNPC Limited, Udobong Ntia, at the Heirs Energies' Nigeria Petroleum Industry Discourse which held at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
MultiChoice Nigeria has announced an increase in the cost of subscriptions for its DStv and GOtv packages.
The increase comes nearly one year after MultiChoice hiked its subscription rates.
In an email to customers seen by TheCable on Monday, the pay-TV firm said the new rates would take effect from March 1.
MultiChoice said its rationale behind the price increase is due to the rise in the cost of business operations.
“Due to prevalent economic factors leading to increased operational costs, we have unavoidably had to adjust the prices of our DStv and GOtv subscription packages,” MultiChoice said.
“We understand the impact this change may have on our valued partners, and we have only taken this step after careful consideration and in-depth analysis.
“It has always been our mission to offer the best entertainment to our esteemed customers and we are committed to continue delivering high quality content and unparalleled service to our viewers across Nigeria.”
According to the pay-TV firm, from March 1, customers on the DStv premium bouquet will no longer pay N37,000 but N44,500 and those on Compact+ would pay N30,000 – up from N25,000.
Customers on Compact bouquet will pay N19,000 — up from N17,000.
To subscribe to Confam, Yanga, and Padi packages, customers will pay N11,000, N6,000, and N4,000 – up from N9,300, N5,100, and N3,600 respectively
MultiChoice also said GOtv Supa+ subscribers will pay N16,800 as against the old price of N15,700.
Similarly, subscribers on the GOtv Supa package are expected to pay N11,400 contrast to the N9,600; while customers on the GOtv Max bouquet will pay N8,500 instead of N7,200.
The company added that GOtv Jolli package will now cost N5,800 and no longer N4,850.
MultiChoice said the price of the GOtv Jinja and Smallie packages would rise from N3,300 and N1,575 to N3,900 and N1,900, respectively.
