Day: September 25, 2025

Kano-Maraɗi rail to reach Katsina by December; completion for March 2027 – FG

Aminu Imam
Kano Maraɗi rail

Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Ahmed Alƙali, has announced that the Kano-Maraɗi standard-gauge rail project will reach Katsina by December 2025 and is scheduled for full completion by March 2027. Alƙali made this known on Tuesday at the 2nd Transport Summit of the Transportation Correspondents Association of Nigeria, (TCAN) in Lagos. Represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, the minister revealed that construction progress on the Kaduna–Kano and Kano–Maraɗi rail lines has advanced significantly, from 5 and 15 percent completion at the start of…

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CBN reduces lending rate to 27%, 1st time in 5 years

Aminu Imam
CBN reduces rate

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Monetary Policy Committee has reduced the interest rate by 50 basis points, from 27.5% in July to 27 percent.   This followed the decision of the 12 members of the Committee at its 302nd meeting held on September 22nd and 23rd, 2025. The asymmetric corridor around the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) was retained at +260 and -250 basis points, providing a framework for liquidity management and signaling the CBN’s cautious approach toward market volatility.  CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said…

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Insecurity: LND warn against negotiating with bandits

Aminu Imam
LND on insecurity

The League of Northern Democrats, (LND), has cautioned against increasing calls for negotiations with bandits terrorising northern Nigeria, insisting that any dialogue must be anchored on verifiable disarmament and genuine de-escalation measures. The warning was contained in a communiqué issued after the group’s meeting in Abuja yesterday, signed by its Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Mohmood Tunde Hassan. The LND stressed that true peace processes cannot be built on appeasement. “While all legitimate measures to end insecurity are welcome, giving criminals a free pass in the name of dialogue is unacceptable…

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12 arrested, as Police uncover ₦4.8bn theft at Kainji power plant 

Aminu Imam
Kainji power plant

Niger State Police Command has arrested 12 suspects for allegedly committing a massive theft and vandalism at the Kainji Power Plant, valued at over ₦4.8 billion. Another two suspects were arrested for allegedly staging a kidnap designed to extort ₦7 million ransom. The State’s Command Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, Police spokespersons confirmed this in a statement issued yesterday. According to him, the first case, which began with a complaint from Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd on August 11, 2025, uncovered a long-running conspiracy by security staff at the Kainji…

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NASS postpones plenary resumption to October 7

Aminu Imam
NASS postpones plenary

The 10th National Assembly has postponed the resumption of plenary sessions by two weeks. Originally scheduled to resume on September 23, plenary will now commence on October 7. This was disclosed in a memo sent to all members of the National Assembly and signed by the Clerk, Kamoru Ogunlana. In the memo, Ogunlana requested all the Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members to take note of the new date and adjust their schedules accordingly. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has assured Nigerians of the speedy passage of the constitutional amendment bill.…

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Conoil, Eterna, others join Ɗangote’s free fuel delivery scheme

Aminu Imam
Dangote’s fuel delivery

Major Nigerian petroleum marketers, including Conoil PLC and Eterna Plc, have partnered with Ɗangote Petroleum Refinery for the logistics-free fuel distribution scheme. The Ɗangote Group announced this in a post on its social media handles on Monday. The collaboration, which also involved players like Golden Super, Nepal Energies, Kifayat Global Energy, and Riquest and Gas, aims to slash logistics costs for fuel stations and drive down pump prices for consumers nationwide. The initiative promises seamless, no-cost transport of refined petrol from Ɗangote’s 650,000-barrel-per-day facility in Lekki to participating stations and…

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31yrs after, Tinubu honours ‘Ogoni-4’ with National Awards

Aminu Imam
Tinubu honours 'Ogoni 4

Thirty-one years after their deaths, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on the Late Ogoni leaders: Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage and Samuel Orage, collectively remembered as the “Ogoni Four”. Tinubu announced the conferment while receiving the report of the Ogoni Consultations Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Recall that in 1994, in Ogoniland, Rivers State, internecine strife culminated in the lynching of the four prominent Ogoni chiefs by irate youths. They were reportedly holding a meeting…

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Investors accuse Petroleum Minister, Lokpobiri of bribe demands in oil licence approvals

Aminu Imam
Investors accuse Lokpobiri

Nigeria’s fragile oil and gas sector is once again mired in controversy as multiple industry insiders accuse the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, of illegally demanding bribes from companies and stalling approvals for the extension of Petroleum Prospecting Licences. Five separate sources in the petroleum sector confirmed that the Minister had been holding up statutory processes since June. Three of the sources provided direct testimony, while two others corroborated the claims, all on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. According to the Petroleum Industry Act…

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