The price of imported high-quality loose rice has surged by 144.77% over the past year, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the NBS’s latest food price report, the average price of a 50kg bag of imported rice climbed from ₦49,103 in September 2023 to ₦120,193 in September this year.

The cost per kilogram of imported rice rose by 3.21%, increasing from ₦2,329.05 in July to ₦2,403.86 in September. This is a significant jump from ₦982.07 per kilogram a year ago, indicating a more than twofold increase.

Prices for other types of rice have also risen. The cost of loose agricultural rice went up from ₦1,882.39 in July to ₦1,965.64 in September, marking a 4.42% increase.

On a year-over-year basis, this represents a 146.33% rise from ₦797.98. Nasarawa recorded the highest price at ₦3,050.33 per kilogram, while Benue had the lowest at ₦1,314.13.

Broken rice, or Ofada rice, saw a 5.61% increase from ₦2,234.06 in July to ₦2,359.47 in September, resulting in an impressive 213.36% increase over the past year.

The price of locally produced rice is following the same trend, with loose local rice rising by 4.57%, moving from ₦1,831.05 in July to ₦1,914.77 in September.

The persistent rise in rice prices is part of the broader surge in the cost of living across Nigeria, causing concern nationwide.

Additionally, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) prices have also skyrocketed from around ₦175 per litre to between ₦1,000 and ₦1,300 per litre, further impacting the cost of goods and services across the country.

The new Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa has announced the abolishment of the 18-year admission benchmark into tertiary institutions in the country.

This is as he hinted on the possibility of his administration reviewing the nation’s education policy.

The Minister, however, stated there would be no reversal on the federal government’s decision to void over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians in some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and Benin Republic.

Alausa spoke on Wednesday in his inaugural ministerial press conference which is ongoing in Abuja.

Details later…

The embattled Director of Equatorial Guinea’s National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF), Baltasar Engonga, has responded to allegations of a massive sex scandal involving hundreds of private recordings, which reportedly include videos of high-profile individuals, including relatives of the country’s president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The scandal emerged amid a fraud investigation into Engonga’s activities, during which investigators allegedly discovered over 400 explicit videos stored on his computer.

Among the individuals reportedly filmed are members of Equatorial Guinea’s elite, including the president’s sister and close relatives of other officials.

The leaked recordings said to have been consensually filmed, have sparked widespread public outrage and intense scrutiny of the government’s top anti-corruption official.

Responding to the allegations on social media platform X, Engonga denied the authenticity of the videos, attributing the scandal to what he described as the work of “enemies” intent on tarnishing his reputation.

The 54-year-old official dismissed rumours connecting one of the supposed victims to a recent suicide, labelling them as untrue.

The scandal has shaken Equatorial Guinea’s political landscape and raised questions about privacy and misconduct among top officials. Engonga, who was taken into custody following the revelation, continues to deny any involvement as authorities proceed with their investigation.

“I want to tell the People of Equatorial Guinea that those videos are AI edited. My enemies are trying so hard to bring me down

“Ignore the rumours about someone’s death linked to the leaked videos. They’re unfounded”, he said.

Engonga said he had only one wife and six children, adding that she is his hero.

“I only have one wife and my 6 children. They keep me going. We are a happy family. They are my everything.

“If anything ever happens, you are strong enough to guide our children through anything. I trust you completely. You are not just my wife, but my hero”, he added.

Equatorial Guinea has taken a decisive step against misconduct in public office, suspending all officials involved in sexual activities within the premises of the country’s ministries.

Vice President Teodoro Nguema announced the decision on Monday via X (formerly Twitter), warning that the government would enforce “severe measures” against such behaviour.

The statement reads, “Today, we will proceed with the immediate suspension of all officials who have had sexual relations in the offices of the country’s ministries.

“The Government will take severe measures against these acts, since it constitutes a flagrant violation of the Code of Conduct and the Public Ethics Law.

“This action is a decisive step in our policy of zero tolerance towards behaviors that undermine the integrity of the public service.

“Ethics and respect are fundamental in our administration, and we will not allow irresponsible behavior to compromise public trust.

“Responsibility and professionalism must be the pillars of our work as servants of the State.”

In a follow up post on Tuesday, the vice-president said the government would soon implement the installation of surveillance cameras in all government offices.

He said, “We have taken this measure to ensure compliance with the law on public officials and to eradicate improper and illicit behaviour.

“We will not admit any fault that denigrates the integrity of our administration and those who engage in these practices will face drastic measures.”

An Investigating Police Officer, Elizabeth Osikolu, on Monday, told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, how a housewife, Omolara Alashe, forced a 19-year-old girl (name withheld) to sleep with her husband, Ramoni Lateef, to bear children.

Osikolu, the second prosecution witness, who was led in evidence–in–chief by the state prosecuting counsel, B.T. Boye, leading Bukola Okeowo, narrated this to Justice Rahman Oshodi.

Alashe and Lateef, who are both first and second defendants respectively, are standing trial bordering on conspiracy, rape, sexual assault and stealing, preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.

The witness told the court that the incident happened in 2022 in their residence at Ketu where they relocated after their former house in Ojota was sold.

Osikolu told Justice Oshodi that the mother of the survivor died while they were living at Ojota and the couple offered to accommodate her.

The IPO said that while living with them, the survivor said the couple “always abused her physically whenever she made mistakes.”

She said at other times,  “The first defendant would also wake her up at midnight and stripe her naked and the second defendant would have sexual intercourse with her without her consent.

“The first defendant (Omolara) wakes her up in the middle of the night, strips her naked while her husband sleeps with her (survivor).”

She said they were in the sitting room one day “when the first defendant suddenly started beating her up, stripped her naked and inserted her fingers in her vagina without her consent.

“After she was done, she threw out her belongings and seized her ATM card and MTN line and the salary she was making at the time to deny her access to her money”, adding that the last incident was on March 24, 2023.

The IPO further told the court that her investigation also revealed that the couple had a baby who died in October 2022.

She said since then, the first defendant had not been able to conceive again.

“So, they decided that instead of the second defendant getting married again, they would use the survivor to bear children for him.”

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Lekan Egberongbe, the IPO maintained that the survivor was not lying adding that the first defendant admitted it in her statement.

She told the court that if the survivor consented to the sexual assault, she would not have reported to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, nor submitted herself to medical examination at Mirabel Centre.

The witness insisted that the survivor couldn’t resist the second defendant because she was intimidated by the first defendant.

However, after listening to the testimony of the IPO, Justice Oshodi adjourned the case to February 3, 2025, for continuation of trial.

The National grid collapsed on Tuesday, November 5, plunging the nation into darkness.

The grid collapsed at about 2.09 pm on Tuesday, making the 10th time such is happening in the year 2024 alone.

Details later…

The minors who were arraigned over their involvement in the #EndBadGovernance protest are meeting with the Vice-President, Sen Kashim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa.

This meeting follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive for all charges against the minors to be withdrawn. The protest, which took place from August 1 to 10, aimed at addressing economic hardship, sparked widespread reaction across the nation.

The minors, part of a larger group of 119 individuals who were initially charged with treason and inciting military action, faced legal proceedings in Abuja.