The University of Ibadan says it has received the sum of N201,114,650 from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for 1,370 students of the institution for the 2023/2024 academic session.

The university’s Director of Public Relations, Mrs Joke Akinpelu, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Ibadan.

An internal memo, dated Aug. 9 but seen by NAN on Tuesday, stated that the money was paid into the institution’s account to cover the fees of the 1,370 students who applied for the loan.

The memo, signed by the institution’s Registrar, Mr Ganiyu Saliu, and addressed to the Dean of Students, said that the bursary department was currently processing the fund to enable the concerned students to obtain ‘smart receipt’.

“Any student who is a beneficiary of the NELFUND loan and has already paid levies for the session fee is entitled to a refund.

“To apply for a refund, the student must write through the Dean of Students to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics, providing their account details for the refund.

“A photocopy of the original payment receipt must be attached to each application,” the memo, entitled: ‘Re: Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)’, stated.

According to the registrar, the information is only for those who applied for the NELFUND loan and whose applications were approved.

Yuki Gambaryan, wife of the Binance Executive detained in Nigeria, Tigran Gambaryan, on Monday, raised the alarm over the state of her husband’s health, which according to her has continued to deteriorate in custody.

Gambaryan was one of two Binance executives arrested on arrival in the country on February 26, 2024, after being accused of money laundering through their platform.

The Federal Government also accused Binance of tax evasion, operating without licence and regulatory compliance.

Gambaryan’s colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, the regional manager for Binance in Africa on March 24, escaped from custody using a smuggled passport.

In a statement on Monday, Yuki Gambaryan said her husband’s health has continued to get worse as he is unable to access proper medical care, adding that he might require surgery or risk not walking again.

Gambaryan collapsed in court on May 23, 2024, leading to an order by the court for a medical checkup to determine the true state of his health.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on July 16, 2024 issued a bench warrant on the medical doctor at the Kuje Correctional facility, to appear before him to provide Gambaryan’s records after his counsel, Mark Mordi, said his test results were still being withheld despite court directive.

Yuki in her statement released by Binance spokesperson, Monique Thompson, said her husband has failed to improve adding that he faces risk if his health is not given special attention.

She said her husband who used to be very strong was wheeled into the court room and little or nothing has been done to ensure he returned to perfect health.

Yuki said Gambaryan has a herniated disc that has continued to worsen and runs a risk of not being able to walk again as a result of it.

The Court had ordered a 24-hour medical checkup for him, but Yuki claims his lawyers were denied access to him since July 26.

However, according to Yuki, her husband’s legal team has been denied access to him at Kuje prison since July 26.

“My husband Tigran left our home for a work trip almost six months ago, and I have no idea when he will be back. Now his health is in a shockingly bad condition and getting worse by the day.

“The herniated disc in his back has worsened to the point where it might leave permanent damage and affect his ability to walk.

“My once fit and healthy husband, who loves working out, is now wheelchair-bound due to a treatable condition that has not been properly addressed.

“He needs highly specialised and risky surgery, it is terrifying. Additionally, an ENT doctor examined him last week and determined he also needs surgery to remove his tonsils due to the recurring infections he is suffering in detention.”

Gambaryan’s legal battle with the Federal government continues on October 11, 2024 as the company is accused of concealing the origin of their alleged unlawful financial proceeds, totaling $35,400,000.

This, the government claimed, is contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

First Bank Nigeria Holdings Plc has confirmed that it is in court with Oba Otudeko’s Barbican Capital Limited after Barbican received notification that showed that FBN Holdings sought to reduce its 5,386,397,202 total shareholding in the bank by 40 per cent.

The bank said on Tuesday in a statement that it will defend its position in court.

The misunderstanding began when FBN Holdings in its December 2023 audited accounts released in May, 2024 slashed Barbican’s shareholding in the bank to 3.1 billion (3,110,400,619) or 8.67 per cent of the lender’s total shares from the earlier reported 4.8 billion (4,886,062,743).

Prior to the report, Barbican controlled 13.61 per cent of the shares based on the December 2023 unaudited accounts released in February.

FBNH attached to the audited accounts a note that said the 3.1 billion shares represent the total that had been “verified” by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

But the aggrieved Barbican Capital filed a lawsuit against FBN Holdings, and attached a statement from the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) as evidence of its total shares ownership.

Based on the Barbican statement from CSCS as of May 23, 2024, the company owned 5,386,397,202 shares (15.01 per cent) while It held 4.8 billion (4,886,062,743) shares or 13.61 percent as at December 2023.

Reacting On Tuesday, FBNH said it was aware of the matter, adding that it has engaged its solicitor to defend the bank’s position.

It said, “The attention of FBN Holdings Plc (the Company) has been drawn to recent media reports regarding the suit filed by Barbican Capital Limited (the Plaintiff). The Company is aware of this suit, and we have duly instructed our Solicitors to defend the interest of the Company accordingly.

“The matter is presently in a Court of law, and it will be subjudice to join issues with the Plaintiff outside the Court. We confirm that the necessary papers have been filed and by virtue of a Third-Party Notice, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been joined as a Party to the suit for effective determination of questions and issues raised by the Plaintiff.

“The matter is presently adjourned to October 2, 2024, for hearing of the suit. We assure our numerous stakeholders of the Company’s commitment to the highest levels of corporate governance standards in defending the matter.”

An incident of alleged rape has been reported in Alakuko, Lagos, where a 14-year-old girl was reportedly raped by the son of her landlord.

The incident occurred yesterday, according to an anonymous X user, who tweets anonymously as #Rhwaley, who shared videos of the victim.

Rhwaley added that when the family confronted the landlord about the incident, he dismissed their concerns, saying “Nothing will happen”.

Sharing videos of the victim #Rhwaley wrote, “ – A 14yrs old girl was raped yesterday by her landlord’s son in Alakuko Lagos. The parents and family of the girl are helpless. The landlord said nothing will happen!!

Jubril Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Lagos State Governor, assured that no one is helpless in the matter and urged the family to contact the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team for assistance.

Reacting to the post, Gawat, wrote, “Helpless ke …. Nobody is helpless on this matter in this State. Call #Lagosdsva SHARPLY”

Dangote Refinery has insisted that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, refined at the refinery, will hit the market by August.

The company’s Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES in an interview on Monday.

The response came amid concerns over the earlier announcement that the refinery would commence domestic supply by mid-August.


When asked why the refinery is yet to commence domestic supply at its stipulated date of 12 August, Mr Chiejina said, “We said August, and today is 12 August. Just wait; this is August.”

Over the months, the company had set dates for its domestic petrol supply, but the timelines were unmet.


In June, the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said petrol, refined at the refinery, will hit the market in July.

Mr Dangote, who disclosed this when he received a Senate delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on a tour of the facility, explained that the date change was because of a delay that prompted the shift from the initially proposed date of June to mid-July.

“We had a bit of delay, but PMS will start coming out by 10 to 15 of July. But then, we want to keep it in the tank to make sure that it settles. So by the third week of July, we’ll be able to come out to take it into the market,” Mr Dangote said at the time.

Again, in July, Mr Dangote said petrol production in the refinery was disrupted because of the fire incident at the refinery.


“PMS was supposed to be out by July, but we had a fire incident. The incident disrupted us for a few days, but latest 10 or 12 of August, PMS will be ready,” Mr Dangote said while addressing journalists at the refinery at the time.

The refinery

The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery commenced diesel and aviation fuel production in January.

Announcing the commencement of production, the company said the refinery had received six million barrels of crude oil at its two SPMs 25 kilometres from the shore.


The first crude delivery was done on 12 December 2023, and the sixth cargo was delivered on 8 January.

The company made a further move towards the commencement of the production of refined petroleum products with the receipt of an additional one million barrels of bonny light crude supplied by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC Ltd).

The company commenced supplying petroleum products to the local market in April.

Background

In recent months, the Dangote Group and the petroleum regulators in Nigeria have been at loggerheads over the control of the petroleum downstream market.

In June, the Dangote Group accused some international oil companies of sabotaging the plant’s operations by refusing to supply crude or offering oil at higher premiums than market prices.

It also clashed with the regulators of the Nigerian energy industry, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, which claimed diesel from the refiner has sulphur content levels above the allowed threshold. The regulators also accused Dangote of seeking to be a monopoly.

In refuting the allegation, Mr Dangote took lawmakers visiting the refinery to a laboratory within the plant, where diesel from the refinery was tested alongside two different imported samples.

The results showed that the refinery’s diesel sample had much lower sulphur than the imported ones.

Last month, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) directed NNPC Ltd to engage the Dangote refinery and other local refineries to resolve the dispute over the sale of crude oil to them.

The FEC, presided over by President Bola Tinubu, also directed that such crude oil sales to the refineries be made in naira and that the refineries located in Nigeria should also sell their refined products to the Nigerian market in naira.

Former Chief Security Officer to the late military head of state, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd), has called on Nigerian youths to use their voter cards to unseat bad leaders.

Al-Mustapha spoke in Abuja on Monday at the commemoration of the International Youth Day Celebration 2024 by the Social Democratic Party, SDP.

Al-Mustapha accused politicians of being disconnected from the people.

He said: “They’re not connected to the villages and do not know how the councils and local governments functioned before and that is why the LG system was crippled.

“This is part of the crisis the federal government is trying to handle today. If the LGs were functioning, we would not have the food supply chain cut off because the foods are being produced at the community and LG levels.

“Today, insecurity, kidnapping, barbarism and the failure of leadership have crippled our communities. They cannot even farm. The crop of leaders from 1999 who are not career politicians queued in and hijacked the system and this is the only reason a governor will tell you that the state resources belong to him and say, ‘It’s my money’.

"This situation, we have the capacity to change it and we can change it through only one way. In a democracy, the day of the election is the day of coup and the weapon for coup is your fingers. You change bad leaders by voting them out, not with guns.

“And then, all of you here, you have your weapons, you have your guns – your fingers. Now, if you don’t use it, who would you blame? People rig elections where they’re not popular. Nobody will rig if you cast your votes and work together to protect them. I’m happy that the era of rigging is gone.

"If you see millions of youths on the streets, you will assume that the world is coming to an end. You can’t afford the injustices in Nigeria that have kept us where we are today.

"I read the recent report released by the MBS; our judges are the most corrupt judges in the world. Get your PVC. That is your greatest weapon. Don’t be deterred. Don’t let anyone intimidate you. This is our country.”

President Bola Tinubu has approved a new national policy in curbing health workforce migration.

In a statement on Monday, Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the policy is a comprehensive strategy to manage, harness, and reverse health workers’ migration.

The minister added that the policy will also encourage the return of professionals to Nigeria through attractive incentives and reintegrate them into the nation’s health system.

“This approach leverages the expertise of our diaspora to bridge gaps within the health sector,” the statement reads.

“Also, the policy champions reciprocal agreements with other nations to ensure that the exchange of health workers benefits Nigeria.

“These bilateral and multilateral agreements are designed to protect national interests while respecting the rights and aspirations of our healthcare professionals.

“We call on recipient countries to implement a 1:1 match — training one worker to replace every publicly trained Nigerian worker they receive.”

The minister said the policy recognises the importance of work-life balance and has included provisions for routine health checks, mental well-being support, and reasonable working hours, especially for younger doctors.

“These measures aim to create a supportive work environment, reducing burnout and enhancing job satisfaction,” Pate said.

“The governance of this policy will be overseen by the National Human Resources for Health Program (#NHRHP) within @Fmohnigeria, in collaboration with state governments. This ensures responsible implementation and alignment with broader sector-wide (#SWAp) health objectives.

A man simply identified as Musa has been apprehended in the Amuloko area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, with a fresh human skull of an unidentified woman.

Residents, suspicious of his unusual behaviour, confronted him and demanded to see the contents of a sack he was carrying.

Upon inspection, they discovered a human skull inside.

Sharing the video of the suspect on X.com on Monday, OyoAffairs wrote, “Man caught with a fresh human head earlier today in Amuloko area of Ibadan. He has been handed over to the police.”

During questioning, Musa revealed that he is part of a syndicate that deals in the sale of human body parts.

He has been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has cancelled various traders’ associations in markets in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, intending to remove their undue control of prices and ensure farmers have direct access to traders.

Oba Adejugbe, who also ordered traders in the markets not to sell their foodstuff beyond stipulated prices, said the steps were necessary to regulate the high prices of foodstuff in the state capital.

The monarch, leading the Ewi-in-Council, gave the directive in Ado Ekiti on Monday during a meeting with the leadership and some members of the market women association, warned of sanctions for anybody who flouted the directives.

The Ewi-in-Council, which noted with dismay the reports from members of the public on the heartless attitudes of most of the traders leading to high food prices, said the directives were to correct the trend.

The Council, at the meeting, directed that henceforth “vegetables should not be sold more than N50; pepper, pepper N100; garri N700; while kilogramme of meat should be reduced to N4,500.”

Oba Adejugbe said, “Reports have it that traders, under the aegis of the associations, hide under middlemen to inflate the prices of goods such as tomatoes, pepper, vegetable, palm oil, locust beans, meat, garri, among others by dictating prices to the farmers that brought them to the markets for sale.

“We have taken these steps to make life bearable for residents of the town. I hereby direct the leadership of traders in the market to effect the directives. Chiefs will continue to monitor marketplaces to ensure strict implementation and sanction defaulters.