Mr Victor Shidok, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), on Monday in Abuja said there was no plan to increase the price of petrol. Shidok said this at a joint news briefing with the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi. Represented by the agency’s General Manager Operations, Mr Supo Agbaje, Shidok insisted that the increase of N1 in bridging costs from N6.20 to N7.20 for petroleum marketers would have no effect on the price of petrol. Also known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), there had been panic buying since…
Author: David Folami
Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has promised to uncover hidden treasures in the Southern part of the state. Akeredolu made the promise in Akure on Monday during the inauguration of the board of the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC). He said his administration was resolute in addressing the various socio-economic challenges facing the people of the area. The governor also said his administration had initiated programmes aimed at fostering comprehensive development to enhance the living condition of people of the area. He, therefore, advised the people to cooperate with the new chairman of the commission to…
Ahead of the planned working visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to Adamawa, the State Government has announced the diversion of traffic on some major roads in Jimeta-Yola, the state capital. Mr Martins Dickson, Special Assistant, Press and Media Affairs to Gov. Mohammed Bindow said this in a statement on Monday in Yola. The governor said that the restriction, which was to take effect on Monday, affected the Numan road around Faro junction and Gumti road leading to Jambutu from Faro. He appealed to residents and road users to exercise patience and cooperate with security agents during the period. The…
The House of Representatives on Monday summoned Mr Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over alleged 17 billion dollars undeclared oil proceeds. Summoned with Magu are Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele. They are expected to appear on Tuesday before the House’s Ad hoc Committee investigating the alleged theft of the oil funds. Chairman of the committee, Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas, announced the invitation of the three persons at the opening of the investigation on Monday in Abuja, following the…
Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan was reportedly blocked from accessing her newly unfrozen bank account. Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Federal High Court in Lagos had last Thursday issued an order unfreezing Mrs Jonathan’s account in the Skye Bank, which contains $5.8million. It was learnt that on Monday, April 10, Mrs. Jonathan, alongside her aides went to the Skye bank’s Maitama, Abuja, branch to withdraw from the account, but she was not granted access on the ground that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has obtained a stay of execution of the court order. Citing a source at the…
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has made public his monthly salary, allowances, and security votes. El-Rufai revealed his pay slip on Monday, April 10, in response to a challenge from the Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara. The details, which was released by the Governor’s media aide, Samuel Aruwan, shows that he earns N470, 521.74 monthly after total deduction. Income Basic Salary; N185,308.75, Hardship Allowance; N370,617.50, Gross Pay; N555,926.25, PAYE; N85,404.5, Total Deduction; N85,401.51, Net Pay; N470,521.74. The Governor’s security votes for 2017 is N4.556bn. This includes procurement & Installation of CCTV Cameras for Monitoring and Surveillance,…
Jamie Carragher pulled no punches in his assessment of Arsenal on Monday night, calling Arsene Wenger’s side “cowards” after their 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace. The result had Arsenal’s away fans chanting “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” near the end of the game at Selhurst Park, and former Liverpool defender Carragher took the players to task for a lack of effort, “The best description of the players was two years ago, from [fellow Liverpool legend] Graeme Souness. He said they’re a team of son in laws,” the Sky Sports pundit said. “But what father would want his daughter…
The president of the Argentine Football Association officially announced the dismissal of Edgardo Bauza as national team coach on Monday night. “Bauza is no longer the coach of the national team,” Claudio Tapia told reporters. The move had widely been expected following Argentina’s defeat to Bolivia last month, and we reported on March 31 that the AFA would sack Bauza after less than a year in charge. The official announcement was delayed while the federation worked out financial details with Bauza, whose contract had been set to run until 2018 if Argentina qualifies for the World Cup. But that is…
Claudio Ranieri has denied player power lost him his job as Leicester manager, saying they did not “kill” him. The swing in Leicester’s form after Ranieri’s exit — new boss Craig Shakespeare won his first six games — added fuel to reports that the players had forced their title-winning manager out, but he refuses to believe them. Speaking for the first time since the sacking, he said on Sky Sports: “I don’t believe rumours the players spoke to the Leicester owners about sacking me. “The players got to experience something totally different. In pre-season they played against big teams, went…
Arsene Wenger admitted it will be “very difficult” for Arsenal to finish in the top four after Monday’s 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace, but said it would be “inconvenient” to talk about his own future in the wake of such a disappointing result. The Gunners fell to their fourth straight away loss in the Premier League in dispiriting fashion, as Sam Allardyce’s team dominated throughout and had Arsenal’s away fans chanting “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” toward the end of the game. The loss leaves Arsenal in sixth place, seven points behind fourth-place Manchester City, and Wenger is…
The travelling Arsenal fans didn’t seem certain who was to blame. At various points they chanted their frustration toward manager Arsene Wenger, and then at the players. Perhaps manager and players alike deserve to have the finger pointed at them, but whoever is responsible for this latest embarrassment, a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in which a vertebrae-deficient Arsenal were ruthlessly dispatched, it doesn’t bode well for their chances of salvaging some dignity from this most divisive of seasons. If Arsenal seemed aimless and devoid of guile, this was a Crystal Palace performance full of purpose and controlled aggression. The…
Morgan Schneiderlin has told L’Equipe that playing for Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United made him feel “like a robot.” Schneiderlin was signed from Southampton for £24 million by United in 2015 but was sold to Everton 18 months later by Jose Mourinho after failing to break into his XI on a regular basis. The midfielder has spoken negatively about his experience of playing at Old Trafford and said he “didn’t take any pleasure” from his time with the club. “That first year with Louis van Gaal sticks in my throat a bit,” he said. “I didn’t enjoy myself at all…
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Aisha Alhasan, has alleged that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba had been neglected by the party’s leadership. Alhasan made the allegation on Thursday in Abuja when she led some members of the party from Taraba on a visit to its National Secretariat, Abuja. “I have come as a party member and a leader with my brothers from Taraba to air our problems; the APC people in Taraba are very worried. “No opposition party performed as well as we did since 1999, but unfortunately, apart from my appointment which…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff has vowed to do without Governors who do not support his leadership. Sheriff also said that Governors Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose are free to leave the party. The PDP chairman, according to Daily Post, said the party will not collect stolen money from Governors. Sheriff also added that the party will not defend any Governor on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) probe list. He said “We are moving on with the determination to reposition the party. We are not interested in the funding of the party from the…
Antonio Conte has revealed he guided Eden Hazard back to his best by telling the Belgium midfielder to both play and act like a superstar. Hazard’s masterful finish helped Chelsea inch ever closer to the Premier League title with Saturday’s 3-1 win at Bournemouth. This time last year Hazard broke a 355-day Premier League scoring duck with a brace in Chelsea’s 4-1 win on the south coast as the Blues laboured towards a 10th-place finish. Fast forward a year and Hazard has 14 league goals while closing in on a second league title in three years — and Conte believes…
There is no stopping Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Just when you think that age is finally wearying him or that he’s becoming bogged down by a defence as modest as Sunderland’s, he makes a turn, creates some space and then unleashes something unstoppable into the back of the net. This was the story of his 28th strike, a phenomenal return given his advancing years. It opened the door to a morale-boosting victory for Manchester United, something they might not have achieved with him easing the nerves. He is remarkable. There’s not much that can stop Romelu Lukaku, either. His brace in Sunday’s…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is giving “200 percent” for the club and is being let down by his underperforming players, according to top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. United are unbeaten in 20 Premier League matches, but lay seven points off the Champions League places — albeit with two games in hand — in sixth place ahead of Sunday’s trip to Sunderland. “I think the coach is doing the absolute maximum with the team he has. Two hundred percent,” said Ibrahimovic, as quoted by several British newspapers on Sunday. “If we were good enough to be number one, we would be…
Mauricio Pochettino insists his Tottenham Hotspur side are building a winning mentality and will be ready to pounce if Chelsea stumble in the race for the Premier League title race. Spurs’ emphatic 4-0 victory over Watford kept the pressure on league leaders Chelsea. But the odds are still heavily stacked in favour of the championship trophy returning to Stamford Bridge after Saturday also saw the Blues beat Bournemouth 3-1 to stay seven points clear at the top. Spurs manager Pochettino, though, insists his side will not give up and are developing the winning mentality that will allow them to step…
Mesut Ozil wants Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s future to be cleared up before he commits himself to the club, the Germany playmaker indicated in a newspaper interview published on Sunday. Wenger, Arsenal’s manager for over 20 years, is out of contract at the end of the season and has pledged to make an announcement about his future “very soon”. Ozil is currently stalling over a new contract, with his existing deal due to expire in a year, and suggested he will not make a decision on his future until he knows what Wenger is doing. “It’s not just important for…
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte praised his team’s refusal to bend to the pressure of the title race after their 3-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday. Before the Blues kicked off on the south coast, Tottenham Hotspur beat Watford 4-0 to move to within four points of leaders Chelsea. But Conte’s side were were seldom in danger as they restored their seven-point advantage. They went 2-0 up after 18 minutes through an Adam Smith own-goal and an Eden Hazard strike before conceding a goal to Bournemouth’s Joshua King. But man-of-the-match Marcos Alonso made the game safe with an exquisite free-kick and…