Oil prices rose on Wednesday, lifted by a fall in U.S. crude inventories and concerns that tensions in the Middle East could disrupt supplies. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at 58.27 dollars at 0131 GMT, up 39 cents, or 0.7 per cent from their last close – and a third above mid-year levels. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at 52.08 dollars per barrel, up 20 cents, or 0.4 per cent and almost a quarter above mid-June levels. Traders said that prices were…
Read MoreDelta 2019: Okowa, Utomi, Ogboru and the Ibori factor
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently released the 2019 election timetable. The governorship election is slated for March 2, 2019 along with the State Assembly elections, while the Presidential and National Assembly are on February 16, 2019.That is less than sixteen months (only 480 plus days) away. Deltans, along with Nigerians, are looking forward to the elections with great anticipation. There is no gainsaying the fact that Delta State is a microcosm of Nigeria. The oil rich state is still a coveted price for any party. Currently, the State…
Read MoreFire guts petrol minister Kachikwu’s house
The residence of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, was gutted by fire on Sunday. The house is located on an unnamed estate in Asokoro, Abuja. It was gathered that security personnel and some residents who were around at the time of the incident were able to put out the fire, which was said to have been caused by a suspected electrical fault in the minister’s room. Sources told our correspondent that Kachikwu was not at home at the time of the incident A source said, “The…
Read MoreDavido speaks on those who accused him of killing Tagbo
Singer, Davido says he has forgiven those who accused him of complicity in the death of his friend, Tagbo Umeike. Davido has made headlines the last fortnight, over the deaths of Tagbo and DJ Olu. Actress Caroline Danjuma had accused him of being involved in the demise of the former. Davido has been to the police station for questioning and released CCTV footage of the night Tagbo died. The OBO crooner has now said it is time to move on and “get back to the music”. He wrote on Snapchat:…
Read MoreKanu Nwankwo launches N1b lotto
Nigerian football legend Kanu Nwankwo has launched the N1 billion Jackpot Lotto to Support Kanu Heart Foundation which was inaugurated in 2000. The foundation has helped not just people in Nigeria, but also paid for 538 children to be treated at facilities throughout the world Kanu, a philanthropist launched the biggest lotto in Africa to raise funds for the foundation to help build a specialist cardiac hospital in Abuja. The jackpot starting at N1 billion and will be run in conjunction with AfroMillonsLotto (www.AfroMillionsLotto.com). It offers twice-weekly draws with bigger…
Read MoreFela: The Abami Eda 20 years on
How time flies. It is now 20 years gone when we watched an obviously distressed Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, a former Minister of Health and the elder brother of Fela announcing on National television the death of the renowned maestro. The announcement of the professor, who is now late also, took the nation by surprise because not much was heard of his illness before the announcement of his death. Fela’s popularity took the nation by storm in the early 1970s and those of us who were coming of age then and…
Read MoreRapper Nelly’s rape accuser wants case dropped
A woman whose rape accusations against hip-hop star Nelly led to his arrest wants the case to be dropped, saying she felt unsafe amid the scrutiny. The singer and rapper was arrested on October 7 in the northwestern state of Washington but was released without any charges and vehemently rejected the allegation. A lawyer for the woman, in a weekend statement, said the accuser was asking authorities not to prosecute him and said that she would not testify further. The lawyer, Karen Koehler, said her client could not maintain her…
Read MoreNigerian man jailed for murder in UK
A Nigerian man, Abraham Omotoso, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for killing a father of two in the UK. The 27-year-old stabbed the man on his chest at High Street, Wealdstone. According to Daily Mail, the victim identified as Mohamed Al-Zufairi took his eight-year-old daughter to buy sweets and was waiting for her outside the shop when Omotoso approached him. The duo had an argument before Omotoso, who was wearing a parka-style coat with the hood pulled up, stabbed Mr Al-Zufairi and ran away. He was arrested the…
Read MoreNASS is committed to strengthening Intra-Africa trade relations – Saraki
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Monday re-echoed the determination of the National Assembly to work towards strengthening trade relations between Nigeria and Ghana as well as other African countries. Saraki made the commitment during a bi-lateral meeting with the Speaker of Ghanaian Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye, on the sidelines of the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia. The president of the senate lamented that little was done by political leaders to harness the numerous opportunities in the continent, particularly in the area of trade.…
Read MoreFG deploys technology to balance resource distribution
The Federal government has resorted to the use of technology to balance distribution of resources and quell agitations of equitable resource distribution and marginalisation across the country. The acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Dr Shettima Abba disclosed on Monday at the launching of a web portal that would monitor and ensure justice and fairness in the distribution of national resources across the country. The portal was launched at a workshop organised for Desk Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to train them on…
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