Leke Adeboye, the son of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has revealed that he once harbored feelings for the daughter of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church.

He said despite having a crush on Oyedepo’s daughter, Love, she preferred his brother.

Leke disclosed this during his podcast “Confession Box” with Oyedepo’s son, Isaac.

He recounted how he proposed to his wife without a ring because it was against the rules of RCCG.

He disclosed reading a scroll to his wife while promising her that she would never regret marrying him.

Speaking with Isaac, Leke said: “I used to have a crush on your sister, Love, but she was crushing on my brother.”

Leke married Titilope Rachel Adeboye in 2011 and they are blessed with four children. 

Leke, who is the last child of Enoch and Folu Adeboye, is an assistant pastor at RCCG.

He also doubles as the senior personal assistant to his father, Pastor Adeboye.

Isaac Oyedepo, the famous son of the founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, has clarified reports that he dumped Winners Chapel to start his own ministry.

Isaac Oyedepo maintained that he is a member and steward of Living Faith Church.

Featuring on the podcast of Leke Adeboye’s “Confession Box,” Isaac said he is currently carrying out the “assignment God gave him.”

He said: “I am still in Winners, I’m still in Living Faith, I’m still a member and a steward because of the assignment that God has given to us. I think we just overcomplicate very simple things.

“Before I came in full-time to being a pastor, I was a member and what I see is that it was a transition. Nothing really changed but the challenge is seeing me on the altar ministering as a pastor.

“I am currently planted in a church in Abuja but then, I now have the liberty to pursue what God has asked and called me to do which I can’t do being a full-time pastor.”

Justice Suzette Eberechi Wike, wife of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) and former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, was among 22 successful candidates recommended by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for appointment as Justices of the Court of Appeal.

Similarly, the NJC also recommended for appointment as judges, an in-law of the FCT Minister, Lesley Nkesi Belema Wike and Victoria Oluwakemi Ariwoola, daughter-in-law of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

Recall that a former boss of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, had in March this year, accused the judiciary of nepotism over the listing of Nyesom Wike’s in-law and family members of some justices as potential federal high court judges.

Odinkalu, who had posted on his tweeter handle (now X), stated that, “For instance, Governor Bako Lalong appointed No. 7, Buetnaan, the daughter of the president of the Court of Appeal, a judge of the High Court of Plateau State in 2021. I presume this is a transfer, but if it is, why is it being reported as a new appointment?

“Governor Nyesom Wike appointed No. 11, his in-law, a Senior Magistrate in Rivers State last year. I guess the Chief Justice of the FCT High Court is fulfilling his own side of the bargains he reached when he visited Wike last year…?

“On this list you have a daughter of the former Chief Justice of the FCT High Court (No. 5, Zamfara) and a daughter of the current Chief Justice of the FCT High Court (No. 9, Kogi);

“You also have on this list a daughter-in-law of the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, (No. 10, Oyo); and a daughter of his immediate predecessor (No. 12, Bauchi).

Besides Odinkalu, a civil rights group had also in last April embarked on a protest while accusing the CJN of abuse of office and favouritism.

The group had claimed that the CJN breached Rule 11 (iv) and other extant provisions of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, when he appointed his son, Olukayode Ariwoola Junior as a Judge of the Federal High Court and nominated his daughter in-law, Oluwakemi Victoria Ariwoola as a Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

The group, Civil Society Consortium on Judicial Accountability (CSCJA), during the protest in Abuja, demanded the resignation of the CJN, arguing that the action underscores the importance of judicial accountability and impartiality in maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of the legal system. 

Coordinator of the group, Mr Martin Obono, had Said that, “the CJN’s appointments have raised serious concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the erosion of public confidence in the judiciary”. 

Obono had maintained that, “It is imperative that the judiciary remains free from personal bias and favouritism to safeguard the principles of justice.” 

Besides Wike’s wife, others in the 22-man NJC list for elevation to the appellate court include Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, Justice Donatus Okorowo, both of the Federal High Court and Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the FCT High Court.

This was disclosed in a statement from the NJC signed by the Director, Information, Mr Soji Oye.

“Council at the Meeting also considered the recommendation of its Interview Committee on Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria and resolved to recommend the under-listed 86 Judicial Officers for appointment to the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal and Customary Courts of Appeal of States in Nigeria”, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the statement noted that the NJC at the meeting considered two reports of its two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees that filtered 35 petitions written against Judges of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel eight committees to further investigate the petitions that were found meritorious by the Committees.

However, the statement added that the NJC issued warning letters to three judges and barred two of them from elevation to higher bench for a period.

“The National Judicial Council under the Chairmanship of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, at its plenary of 105th Meeting held on May 15&16, 2024, resolved to issue warning letters to Justice Inyang E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court and Hon. Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court”. 

According to the statement, Justice Ekwo was warned for abuse of discretionary power of a Judge by wrongly granting an ex parte order in Suit No FHC/ABJ/C/626/2023 Juliet Ebere Nwadi Gbaka & 2 Ors V Seplat Energy Plc & 12 Ors.

“The Hon Judge is also barred from being elevated to a higher Bench for a period of two years.

“Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court is also issued a warning for failure to deliver judgement within stipulated period in Joseph Anene Okafor Vs Skye Bank, Suit No A/94/2010 after parties had filed and adopted their final Written Addresses. Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi will also not be elevated to a higher Bench for a period of three years.Council cautioned Hon.

 “Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on the Defendant in Suit No YBS/HC/NNR/1cv/2020 when there was no subsisting judgement of any Court to enable His Lordship issue the Writ”, the statement added.

While 12 persons were recommended as judges of the FCT High Court, seven were appointed for Imo; six for Bauchi, three for Taraba and 13 for Lagos States’ High Courts.

Similarly, Kogi had four, while Jigawa has two persons appointed as high court judges.

Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a radio station to disseminate information about its activities and initiatives.

The event held on Thursday at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking at the inauguration, Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the commission, said the agency is now in “a better position to tell our stories factually, ungarnished and unspun”.

 

“For us in the EFCC, owning a radio station is not a status symbol, but an important organ of mobilisation against graft where communication and public engagement have the same impact and depth as our operational activities,” he said.

“Communication offers us stronger weapons for breaking half-truths, lies, insinuations and other distortions of the works we do.

“Indeed, with our own radio station, we are in a better position to tell our stories, factually, ungarnished and unspun.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the commissioning of this ultra-modern radio station today opens a new phase of fully integrated, mass-based and all-inclusive fight against corrupt practices by the EFCC.

“The station offers the commission a platform for discussions, marketplace of ideas and sounding board of knowing the pulse of the nation concerning our work. It will also provide real-time feedback from the public about the work of the commission.

“To this end, I want to use this opportunity to invite all stakeholders to make the EFCC Radio 97.3FM your station of choice for authentic news and features about anti-corruption and good governance.

“Let us see this new feather in the cap of the EFCC as a window of opportunity for participation and whistle-blowing.

“Let us also see it as a platform of linking up with our day-to-day activities for information, enlightenment and, of course, entertainment.”

Also speaking at the event, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, commended the EFCC for its efforts in combatting corruption, and charged employees of the new radio station to operate in line with global best practices.

“The EFCC should be deliberate and strategic about shaping the narratives around the war against corruption,” the minister said.

“The Ministry of Information and National Orientation, in collaboration with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), will ensure that other relevant public sector agencies tow similar paths and contribute to the task of informing, enlightening and sensitising the public.”

The convicted billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans facing attempted murder has approached the Lagos State High Court, in Ikeja for settlement.

Evans alongside his co-defendant Joseph Emeka, facing murder, and attempted kidnap has opted for the option of a plea bargain.

The state prosecution counsel, Mr. Yusuf Sule, on Thursday, informed the court about the plea bargain option after the case was called for the re-arraignment before Justice Adenike Coker.


Evans and his co-defendant are to be re-arraigned on an amended five-counts bordering on murder, attempt to murder, and conspiracy to commit felony to wit: kidnapping and attempt to murder.

Sule informed the court that the case was for re-arraignment but he was aware the defendant had applied for a plea bargain.

The prosecutor, however, said that the plea bargain terms were being considered by the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN).

“Within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop,” Dangote said in Kigali.

Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has assured that following laid down plans of the Dangote Refinery, Nigeria as a nation will have no need to import gasoline from next month.

Dangote also said his refinery has capacity to supply West Africa’s petrol and diesel needs, and the continent’s aviation fuel demand.

The entrepreneur made this announcement at Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali on Friday, while expressing optimism in the transformation of Africa’s energy landscape.

“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of litre.”

He also outlined progresses made by the oil company to ensure that Africa as a continent becomes self-sufficient when it comes to the energy sector.

“We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.

“Today, our polypropylene and our polyethylene will meet the entire demand of Africa today and we are doing base oil, which is like engine oil, we are doing linear benzyl, which is raw material to produce detergent. We have 1.4 billion people in population, nobody is producing that in Africa.

“So, all the raw materials for our detergents are imported. We are producing that raw material to make Africa self-sufficient.

“As I said, give us three or a maximum of four years and Africa will not, I repeat, not import any more fertilizer from anywhere. We will make Africa self-sufficient in both potash, phosphate, and urea, we are at three million tonnes and in the next twenty months, we will be at six million tonnes of urea which is the entire capacity of Egypt. We are getting there.”

Dangote also went further to outline the achievements of the company since the commissioning of the refinery in February.

“For some of us, despite the boom of the capital market of the US, you know, Google, Microsoft and the rest, we didn’t really participate, we took all our money and invested in Africa.

“We had this dream, just about five years ago and we said we want to move from five billion (dollars) revenue to thirty billion revenue and we made it happen. It is possible and now we have made it happen and now we have actually finished our own refinery.

“Our refinery is quite big, it is something that we believe that Africa needs. If you look at the whole continent, there are only two countries that don’t import petroleum products which is a tragedy. They are only Algeria and Libya. The rest are all importers.

“So, we need to really change and make sure that we don’t just go and produce raw materials, we should also produce finished products and create jobs.

“One of the things we also need to know as Africans is that we produce raw materials and export them, when you export raw materials and somebody now keeps importing things into your continent and dumping goods. what you are importing is poverty and exporting jobs out. So, we have to change that narrative,” he said.

“We just commissioned in February and now we are producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel and by next month, we will be producing gasoline. What that would do is that we would be taking most of the African crude that are being produced and also be able to supply not only Nigeria, because our capacity is too big for Nigeria, but it would also supply West Africa, Central Africa and also South Africa. We have 650,000 barrels per day, 1 million tonnes of polypropylene, we have 590,000 carbon black, that is the raw materials ink, dyes and co. We are expanding more. This is the first phase and we are going out to the next phase which will start early next year.”

The richest man in Africa also acknowledged the challenges faced in building the refinery, particularly from those accustomed to the status quo.

He said there was pushback but failure was not an option, even though many people did not believe he would succeed.

“The pushback was very impactful because there are people who have actually been used to just making money trading without refinery and you know, to get people who are committed to Africa has to be people that believe in investing in Africa because the companies that are operating today are actually not investing, and some of the issues of stopping that investment is going to impact us, not today but in the future, which means our oil production will continue to go down because in oil, unless you keep investing, the production is going to go down.

“So, that is the issue. The major burden on us was that there is no room for failure because we were the EPC contractors and ninety percent of people never believed that we were going to deliver but we have been able to deliver now.”

Despite these achievements, Dangote identified policy inconsistency as a major challenge for African entrepreneurs and called for a review and support from the leaders to ensure proper ease of trading in the continent.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent the National Anti-Doping Bill 2024 to the Senate for approval and passage.

In a letter to the Senate, President Tinubu said the bill will provide a legal framework for the establishment of the National Anti-Doping Organisation, an organisation that regulates sporting competitions.

He explained that the establishment of the agency was a requirement for Nigeria to achieve compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The World Anti-Doping Code (Code) is the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organizations and among public authorities around the world.

Tinubu noted that the law will help Nigeria avoid the imposition of signatory consequences, inclusion of laws of hosting and participating rights at regional, continental and world championships or major athletic events.

“In accordance with the provisions of section 58 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, I forward herewith the National Anti-Doping Bill 2024 for the kind consideration of the Senate.

“The National Anti-Doping Bill 2024 seeks to create an administratively independent National Anti-Doping organization which is a cardinal requirement for Nigeria to achieve compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the international standard for code compliance by signatures.

“The enactment of this vital legislation will also help Nigeria avoid the imposition of signatory consequences, inclusion of laws of hosting and participating rights at regional, continental and world championships or major athletic events,” Mr Tinubu added.

The President however urged the lawmakers to consider the bill before the Olympic Games seminar scheduled to be held in Paris in July for Nigerians to be part of the competition.

“It is my hope that this submission will receive the humankind expeditious consideration of the distinguished members of the Senate of the Federal Nigeria for passage of the same to law before the Olympic Games seminar in Paris in July 2024.

“Please accept, distinguished president, the assurances of our highest consideration. Regards”.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi said the biggest problem of Nigeria’s democracy is the judiciary and not the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Obi stated this at the fifth memorial of late Justice Anthony Aniagolu at the Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu.

According to the former Anambra governor, justice in Nigeria “goes to the highest bidder” and has become “commodified.”

He said, “While the judiciary, today, still boasts of a few outstanding judges, there is an undeniable decline in our judicial system.

“This decline poses a significant threat to the future of Nigeria. Justice is increasingly commodified, and delivered in favour of the highest bidder.

“Whenever democracy is discussed, fingers point to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the problem. But INEC is not the problem, instead, the judiciary is. The judiciary is the biggest threat to Nigeria. If our judiciary is effective, our businesses will thrive.

“When the rule of law is compromised, the most vulnerable members of society are disproportionately affected, and the fabric of our society begins to fray. The integrity of our institutions, the protection of human rights, and the stability of our nation are all jeopardised.

“The rule of law is the highest intangible and most valuable asset of any society, and we must work tirelessly to protect and preserve it. We must prioritise the pursuit of justice above all else.

“I emphasised the urgent need to revitalise our judicial system by safeguarding its independence and promoting the values of character, competence, capability, compassion, and integrity among our jurists, as well as within our political leadership.

“By doing so, we can ensure justice and fairness prevail as we endeavour to build a better Nigeria for all.

“Nigeria has become a country where anything goes. There is no rule of law, there is almost no judiciary. Everybody could be pushed down because there is no rule of law.

“Because the judiciary has become commercialised and depends on how much one pays, it has become difficult to get true justice in the judiciary.

“At any point in time where the judiciary is not working, the society suffers.”

Dangote Refinery is set to buy at least 24 million barrels of US crude over the next year as it ramps up its processing capabilities.

A report by Bloomberg revealed that the $20 billion refinery has issued a term tender for the purchase of 2 million barrels a month of West Texas Intermediate Midland (WTI) crude for 12 months starting in July, which amounts to 24 million barrels of crude in one year.

The call for US oil reflects Nigeria’s struggle to lift its own crude production, which remains well below theoretical capacity, as well as Dangote’s willingness to tap cheaper supplies than it can find at home. It also highlights how influential the refinery will be in global crude and fuel trading. 

Elitsa Georgieva, Executive Director at Citac, an energy consultancy specializing in the African downstream sector, said: “Supply of Nigerian crude is insufficient or unavailable and sometimes unreliable. WTI on the other hand, is available, with reliable supply and competitively priced.

“Buying different feed stocks also provides flexibility and optionality for the refinery, so the tender makes economic sense for Dangote,”

Nigeria has not been able to meet its Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) + quota for at least a year. The nation pumped about 1.45 million barrels a day of crude and liquids in April, still far below its estimated production capacity of 2.6 million barrels a day.

Crude theft, aging oil pipelines, low investment, and divestments from oil majors operating in the country have all contributed to declining production.

To ensure enough local supply to the 650,000 barrel-a-day refinery, Nigeria’s upstream regulator, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), released new draft rules last month that will compel its oil producers to sell crude to domestic refineries. NUPRC mandated all oil companies in Nigeria to supply crude to domestic refineries that are unable to procure it locally. 

Producers are allowed to export crude only after meeting these domestic supply obligations. 

Under the new rules, NUPRC will act as an intermediary between local refiners and producers when agreements on crude supply are not reached, facilitating a sales purchase agreement using a willing-buyer, willing-seller model.

This new policy could benefit Dangote refinery by enabling it to procure crude oil from local suppliers rather than depending on imports. The plant, currently running at about half capacity, is taking advantage of cheaper US oil imports for as much as a third of its feedstock. Since the start of this year, it has received at least one supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of WTI Midland each month.

An official at Dangote declined to comment on the report, Bloomberg stated.