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Plot against Atiku: How Bala Mohammed Betrayed us – Wike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, of betrayal.
In a chat with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, Wike specifically accused Governor Mohammed of betraying the ‘G5 Governors’ prior to the 2023 elections.
The defunct ‘G5’ governors, who are all members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), include Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuwanyi of Enugu and Samuel Ortom of Benue State.
Daily Trust reports that the group is believed to have contributed to Bola Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election.
Narrating what played out, Wike said: “Bala Mohammed was having a problem with Atiku and Co. That day, I was going to commission a lounge at the airport. When he landed, I said there was no need to come to town when I was coming to the airport. He called me. Ibrahim Adoke, the former Attorney-General, was there.
“He said Atiku would kill him if Atiku wins and that we must support Asiwaju. We organised G5 to pay Bala a visit in Bauchi, not knowing that he was using us to settle with Atiku. When we got there, he was happy. The next day, Tambuwal led a team to go and see Bala, and Bala abandoned us.
“That’s why I say before you hold some position, you must be a man of character. That’s why I always talk about character.”
[DailyTrust]
PDP NWC meets in Abuja amid tight security
Members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are currently meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The meeting, which is being held behind closed doors at the party’s national headquarters, is presided over by the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
This comes two days after the Supreme Court dismissed a motion for a stay of execution of a High Court judgment removing Senator Samuel Anyanwu from office as National Secretary and replacing him with Sunday Udeh-Okoye.
There was a heavy presence of security personnel, including operatives from the Department of State Services, DSS, the police, and the Civil Defence Corps, at the PDP headquarters in Abuja.
Earlier, party staff clashed with thugs and some members loyal to the embattled PDP National Secretary.
A PDP staff member who witnessed the clash and requested anonymity told journalists that the scuffle began when supporters of Samuel Anyanwu entered the party premises.
According to him, the pro-Anyanwu supporters attempted to lock out some members of the PDP National Working Committee who were arriving for their usual midweek meeting. However, they were overpowered by staff, private security guards, and some police officers attached to the secretariat.
The incident led to the deployment of additional security personnel to prevent a further breakdown of law and order.
[DailyPost]
Omoni Oboli’s ‘Love In Every Word’ back on YouTube after copyright issue
Actress and filmmaker Omoni Oboli has announced her movie “Love In Every Word” is back on YouTube after being taken down due to copyright issues.
The movie, which had gained over 7 million views, was removed from the platform after a Canadian-based network engineer, Chinonso Obiora Skyberry, filed a copyright infringement claim against Oboli.
However, Oboli revealed on social media that the issue has been sorted out and the movie is now back on YouTube.
She expressed gratitude to her fans for their love and concern during the period the movie was taken down.
“Love in Every Word is back! Hey, besties, thank you for the love and concern. We deeply appreciate you all for your calls, messages, posts, tweets, comments, everything! I’m sorry I couldn’t respond at the time.
“There was a little misunderstanding with our movie LOVE IN EVERY WORD. It’s been sorted out now, and we are back stronger than ever! So let’s make up for the time lost, besties.
“Time to make sure the whole world watches LOVE IN EVERY WORD on Omoni Oboli Tv on YouTube. God will forever be glorified,” she wrote.
“Love In Every Word” is a romantic movie starring Uzor Arukwe and Bamike “Bambam” Olawunmi.
The movie has received positive reviews, with many praising the chemistry between the lead actors.
[TheNation]
Meet Kofoworola Ademola, first Black African woman graduate from Oxford University
Born on May 21, 1913, to the Egba family of the Lagos lawyer Olawolu Moore, Lady Kofoworola Ademola was a Nigerian educationalist, writer and advocate for women’s education.
She was the first Black African woman to be awarded a degree from the University of Oxford.
Kofoworola studied English Literature and Education at St Hugh’s College, Oxford from 1932 to 1935 and was set on becoming a teacher. Her time at St Hugh’s College was also significant in that she paved the way for more black women to study at Oxford. She wrote a biography during her time at Oxford about her life and experiences, a book which challenged the stereotypes of African people in 1930s Britain. Her account appeared in colonial civil servant and historian Margery Perham’s 1936 collection, Ten Africans, a book of cultural importance both at its time of publication and today. Kofoworola understood from her own experience the benefits of cultural collaboration and felt that meeting people from other cultures would improve peoples’ cultural understanding, providing the potential to create a more peaceable world. With this in mind, she suggested that at least two African women should be admitted to study at Oxford each year.
As the only African woman at Oxford, Kofoworola said that she was regarded as a “’curio’ or some weird specimen…, not as an ordinary human being.” And that people would make “ineffectual remarks about our ‘amazing cleverness’ at being able to speak English and wear English clothes.”
Kofoworola worked tirelessly to advocate for women’s education and women’s rights more broadly. Having attained her degree from Oxford, she returned to Nigeria to fulfil her ambition of becoming a teacher. Kofoworola began teaching at a prestigious girls’ school in Lagos and co-founded two new schools for girls: the Girls Secondary Modern School in Lagos and New Era Girls’ Secondary School, Lagos where she also worked as a teacher and head teacher.
She wrote numerous children’s books, often basing her tales in the folklore of West Africa. Her stories include Tortoise and the Clever Ant and Tutu and the Magic Gourds, which form part of the Mudhut Book series.
In 1939, she married Adetokunbo Ademola, a civil servant. They had five children. As the wife of a Yoruba prince, she was entitled to the style of Oloori – and as the daughter of one, she was herself an Omoba as well – but due to the fact that her husband was also a knight, it is as Lady Kofoworola Ademola that she was best known.
In 1958, Kofoworola Ademola was elected the first president of Nigeria’s National Council of Women’s Societies where she continued to advance the rights and representation of women. She became the first Nigerian woman to be appointed Secretary of the Western Region Scholarship Board, a department of the Ministry of Education.
Kofoworola also became director of the Western Region of the Red Cross. She was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1959 by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and an Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in Nigeria by Tafawa Balewa’s government for her ongoing work and contribution to Nigerian society. She continued her work up until her death in 2002 at age 89.
Tinubu nominates Melvin Ayogu to CBN board, seeks senate confirmation
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Melvin Ayogu to the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria and has requested Senate confirmation for the appointment.
The Special Adviser to Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this in a statement on Wednesday.
Tinubu also sought Senate confirmation for Nwakuche Ndidi as controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
He said the requests, conveyed in letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, were read during Tuesday’s plenary.
Tinubu had previously nominated Robert Agbide, Ado Wanga, Murtala Sagaley, Urom Eke, and Olayinka Aliyu to the CBN board in February 2024.
However, on February 29, 2024, the senate confirmed four people as members of the board of the CBN after Eke rejected the offer, citing “conflict of interest”.
Tinubu replaced Eke with Ruby Onwudiwe on March 13, 2024; however, a day after, reports circulated that the president withdrew her nomination over political affiliation with the Labour Party, an opposition of the All Progressives Congress.
The decision reportedly followed pressure mounted on the president by members of the APC, as Onwudiwe publicly supported Peter Obi, who contested on the LP platform against Tinubu, at the 2023 presidential elections.
[Punch]
Fubara should be impeached if Rivers lawmakers deem it fit, says Wike
Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers state, should face impeachment if he violates the constitution.
Speaking at the media chat in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike said politics should not be taken lightly and that removing the governor would not be a criminal offence.
“Politics is not play. If you have committed an offence to be impeached, what’s wrong? Is it a criminal offence? It’s provided in the constitution. Am I a member of the Assembly?” Wike asked.
“If you have committed an infraction of the constitution, and the Assembly deems it fit to say you should be impeached.
“I have heard people say, ‘Oh, if they impeach him, there will be a breakdown of law and order.’ Rubbish! Nothing will happen.”
More to follow…
[TheCable]
SEC stalls Grayscale’s XRP ETF, analyst says 64 altcoins are awaiting approval
In a filing on March 12, the SEC said it needed "a longer period" to consider the proposal. The SEC initially accepted Grayscale's application in January, starting a 45-day review process that can be extended up to 240 days.
The next deadline for a response is May 21, but a final ruling could take until mid-October.
As Grayscale waits for a decision, Franklin Templeton has joined the race for an XRP ETF by submitting its own proposal with the SEC. Franklin XRP ETF seeks to provide exposure to XRP's spot price, with the assets custodied by Coinbase Custody.
Shares for the XRP ETF would trade on the Cboe BZX Exchange after being created and redeemed using cash converted into XRP via a third party. Importantly, investors would not have access to XRP Ledger forks or airdrops.
Franklin Templeton's filing is the latest addition to the growing list of asset managers seeking approval for an XRP ETF, following Bitwise, 21Shares, Canary Capital, WisdomTree, and CoinShares. The SEC has 240 days to evaluate the application and make a decision.
However, analyst Eric Balchunas is not keeping high hopes from the SEC. He posted on X, "This is the 64th alt/meme coin ETF filing that is now awaiting approval, by the way."
The ETF filing process involves both an asset manager and an exchange working together. First, the asset manager (like Franklin Templeton or Grayscale) submits an S-1 (or S-3) registration statement to the SEC, detailing how the ETF will function. At the same time, the exchange (like Cboe BZX or Nasdaq) files a 19b-4 rule change proposal to list and trade the ETF. The SEC then has 45 days to review the exchange’s filing, with the option to extend the deadline up to 240 days for further evaluation before making a final decision.
At press time, XRP trades at $2.20, up by 3.52% in the last day.
[The Street]
Bolivia turns to crypto for energy imports amid dollar, fuel shortages
Bolivia's state energy firm YPFB will use cryptocurrency to pay for energy imports amid a painful shortage of dollars and fuel in the landlocked South American nation, a company spokesperson and a government official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The country is battling a dangerous slide in foreign currency reserves afters years of dwindling exports of natural gas, which has sparked off a fuel crisis in the country with regular long lines at gas stations and scattered protests.
A spokesperson for state-run energy firm YPFB told Reuters that a system had been put in place to use cryptocurrency to purchase fuel imports after a government approval to use digital assets to help meet demand.
"From now on, these (cryptocurrency) transactions will be carried out," the spokesperson said, adding that the new purchasing system was designed to help support national fuel subsidies in Bolivia amid a shortage of hard currency.
A government spokesperson said that YPFB had not yet made use of digital currency to purchase energy imports, but that it was planned to do so.
Bolivia, for decades a net energy exporter due its large reserves of gas, has become reliant on imports as domestic gas production has dwindled amid a lack of major new finds.
[Reuters]
Bitcoin rallies as inflation data comes in lower than expected
Bitcoin jumped past $83,900 after new Consumer Price Index (CPI) data revealed inflation rising less than forecasted, easing fears of aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes and fueling risk appetite in both crypto and traditional markets.
The February CPI report showed a 0.2% monthly increase, below the 0.3% forecast, while year-over-year inflation slowed to 2.8% versus expectations of 2.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 3.1% year-over-year, also softer than expectations.
Following the report, Bitcoin surged more than 3%, with Ethereum climbing to $1,938, while altcoins like Solana (SOL) and XRP posted 5% gains. Stocks also reacted positively — Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 223 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 advanced 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively.
Market sentiment had been shaky in recent weeks as inflation concerns clashed with trade policy uncertainty following President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. However, the lower-than-expected CPI print revived investor confidence, with traders now pricing in a higher probability of Federal Reserve rate cuts in the coming months.
Thursday’s Producer Price Index (PPI) data could further shape inflation expectations. If wholesale prices also show a cooling trend, markets may rally further in anticipation of monetary policy relief.
In the past 24 hours, a total of 116,409 traders were liquidated, with total liquidations amounting to $427.96 million, according to CoinGlass.
The largest single liquidation order occurred on HTX, where a BTC-USDT trade worth $60 million was wiped out.
After posting losses earlier this week, crypto stocks are finally rebounding in pre-market trading following softer-than-expected CPI inflation data. The largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, MicroStrategy (MSTR) climbed 2.46% to $267.00, while crypto exchanges Coinbase (COIN) gained 2.46% to $196.40 and Robinhood (HOOD) led the recovery, surging 6.30% to $38.65. Bitcoin mining company MARA Holdings (MARA) remained flat at $13.32. The bounce-back in crypto-linked stocks follows renewed investor optimism, with risk assets rallying across both crypto and traditional markets.
[TheStreet]
Bitcoin Just Fell Below $80,000. Time to Buy the Dip?
It's been a long, strange year for Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) -- and it's only March. The year started off with a lot of fanfare, with the cryptocurrency hitting a new all-time high of $109,000 on Jan. 20. But it soon fell below $100,000. Then $90,000. And recently, it was below $80,000 briefly, before bouncing back just a bit.
But it's no time to panic. In fact, it might be time to buy the dip, and here's why.
The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to the rescue?
The potential big catalyst for Bitcoin, of course, is the recent announcement of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. With an executive order from President Trump, the U.S. government has now moved to consolidate its holdings of Bitcoin. It will no longer be selling. That's a big move, given that the U.S. currently holds approximately 200,000 bitcoins.
But the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve is underwhelming in many respects. It does not directly commit the U.S. government to buying it, which was what the whole idea of the reserve was supposed to be. As originally planned, the U.S. government was supposed to buy 200,000 bitcoins per year for the next five years, giving it a very substantial hoard at the end of that time period.
So it's understandable that many crypto investors are disappointed about the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. After briefly spiking higher on the news, the digital coin began to sell off.
Adding insult to injury, The Wall Street Journal editorial board called the reserve "fool's gold." That was particularly stinging, given that Bitcoin has typically been referred to as "digital gold."
From my perspective, the U.S. government is going to find a budget-neutral way (i.e., no taxpayer funds used) to buy new tokens, even if it means using some creative accounting moves. One methodology, according to Bloomberg, calls for the government to revalue its current gold holdings. Doing so could give it new leeway to buy Bitcoin. Others have suggested that any DOGE cost savings could be used to load up on Bitcoin.
The downside of being a mainstream asset
For much of its history, Bitcoin was largely uncorrelated with any other asset. That was part of its appeal: It could zig when other assets zagged. And it meant that Bitcoin could continue to go up, regardless of the overall economy. This made it a very special type of asset.
But something very important happened in January of last year. That was when the new spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were launched, immediately making buying it as easy as buying a tech stock.
The product launch was wildly successful, and over $100 billion has flowed into these spot Bitcoin ETFs. Some of the biggest buyers were hedge funds, Wall Street investment banks, and investment management firms.
But there is a downside from going mainstream. It also makes the crypto much more susceptible to the daily ebbs and flows of macroeconomic news. The same people deciding which stocks to buy are also deciding which cryptos to buy. If there's news about tariffs, for example, that's going to affect Bitcoin. If there's news about a potential recession, then that is going to do the same.
The one factor that I'm watching right now is how much money is flowing into (and out of) the spot Bitcoin ETFs. These figures are reported by CoinShares every week and are easy to track.
If there are significant outflows, it's a pretty good bet that the crypto's price is going to have a hard time moving upward. And, conversely, if there are significant inflows, it suggests that Bitcoin will rebound soon. Right now, there have been four straight weeks of outflows, so things need to turn around fast.
Where will Bitcoin be at the end of 2025?
Some investors continue to cling to overly optimistic price estimates, confident that catalysts such as the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve are going to send the digital coin to the moon. They are fully expecting it to hit $150,000, and maybe even $200,000 this year. After all, it delivered triple-digit returns in 2023 and 2024 against a backdrop of economic weakness, so why not in 2025 as well?
The only problem is that the likelihood of it soaring to new all-time highs continues to decline. Right now, if you look at what online prediction sites are telling us, there is only a 27% chance of Bitcoin hitting $150,000 this year, and only a 17% chance of hitting $200,000.
So, the big takeaway might be this: If you are counting on Bitcoin to deliver triple-digit returns in 2025, you might be disappointed. However, if you take a long-term view, that's when the picture brightens. I still fully expect Bitcoin to soar in value over the next decade, and that's why I am more than willing to buy the dip right now.
[The Motley Fool ]