Author: Abdulrahaman Taye Damilola

Nigerian President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday, appointed a renowned banker and businessman, Mr. Jim Ovia, CFR, as the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Ovia’s appointment was contained in a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity. “Mr Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.” “He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.…

The news of the death of another veteran Yoruba Actor, Ganiyu Oyeyemi, popularly known as Ogunjimi, on Friday surfaced on social media, throwing the Nigerian movie industry into yet another mourning. The Informant247 gathered that Ogunjimi’s death was announced by a Yoruba actor, Kunle Afod, in a post on his Instagram page. Afod wrote, “We tried our best, but God loves you more. “May his soul rest in peace. Baba Ogunjinmi, RIP, Sun re oooo.” The cause of death of the veteran actor is yet unknown at the time of writing this report

Following the revelation by the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede Bello who alleged that the embattled former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi state government, the American International School of Abuja (AISA) has asked the anti-graft agency to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of Yahaya Bello. The children are in grade level 2 to 8 at the school. It would be recalled that the EFCC operatives had, on April…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.)on Thursday, while reacting to the issues that led to the tightness in the fuel supply currently being experienced in some parts of the country, said they were due to logistics problems and have been resolved. Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., who disclosed this, reiterated that the prices of petroleum products were not changing. “The NNPC Ltd. wishes to clarify that the tightness in the supply of PMS currently being experienced in some areas across the country is as a result of logistics issues and that they have…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Thursday, announced the extension of the Direct Entry registration till further notice. Dr Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor of the board, while disclosing this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the decision was to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied access to quality higher education. JAMB had announced the commencement of the registration of the 2024 Direct Entry from Feb. 28 to March 28. The board also extended the exercise by two weeks, bringing the closing date for the registration to April 11 due to some…

Nigerian telecom operators (Glo, MTN, Airtel and 9mobile) are urging the federal government to engage in a constructive dialogue in the industry, saying the current price control mechanism is not in tandem with the economic realities, thus seeking the government’s intervention to address pricing challenges. According to telecons, they were the only ones that have not reviewed their prices, which threatens the industry’s sustainability and possibly erodes investors’ confidence. This was made known in a joint statement by the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Thursday. According to…

Following a fire incident at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, the Federal Airport Authority said it had diverted all flight operations from the Airport Terminal 1 to the D wing of the airport. According to reports, the engineers at the airport have also disconnected power from the entire E wing to quench the ravaging fire, which started around 5:29 am on Thursday. A statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Obiageli Orah, said smoke, which eventually turned into fire, had erupted from the E54 bridge. FAAN and the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services team were said to…

No fewer than 118 inmates have escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Suleja, Niger state, the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has confirmed. The Informant247 gathered that the inmates fled during heavy rainfall, which destroyed the prison’s fence on Wednesday. In a statement on Thursday morning, the spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command of NCoS, Adamu Duza, said a total of 118 inmates escaped. “A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024, has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, in the notice filed on April 22 and signed by its counsel, J.S Okutepa, SAN, withdrew an appeal against an order of a Kogi high court restraining the agency from arresting Yahaya Bello, former governor of the state. According to Okutepa, SAN, the counsel to EFCC, the withdrawal is predicated on the fact that events have overtaken the appeal. The commission also admitted that the appeal was filed out of the time allowed by law. “The appellant herein intends to and do hereby wholly withdraw her appeal against the respondent in…

South Africa-owned broadcasting company Multichoice, on Wednesday, announced an increase in the prices of its offerings in Nigeria four months after its last increment. According to reports, the company reviewed prices in its packages across the board, whereas the new prices take effect from May 1, 2024. With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased from N29,500 to N37,000. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ increased from N19,800 to N25,000, while the Compact package increased from N12,500 to N15,700. The Comfam package moved from N7,400 to N9,300. Yanga package increased from 4,200 to N5,100, while the Padi package increased from…

No fewer than 1.94 million candidates sat for the 2024 examinations in the country, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has said. Oloyede, while stating this on Wednesday in Kaduna, during an inspection of the Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in the state amidst the ongoing 2024 UTME examinations, said that at the end of the examination today, less than 100,000 candidates would remain in Lagos, Benue and other states in the country. The Registrar also noted that the pace at which JAMB cleared candidates and captured biometrics made the exercise faster, adding…

The Kaduna State House of Assembly has written to the state’s Ministry of Finance to demand the details of financial transactions under the immediate past governor Nasir El-rufai’s administration between 2015 and 2023 in connection with the state assembly’s probe of all finances, loans and contract projects awarded under the El-Rufai administration. Kaduna Assembly set up a 13-man committee to investigate loans obtained under El-Rufai The Informant247 reports that a 13-man committee had last week Tuesday, set by the Kaduna State House of Assembly to investigate financial dealings, loans, grants, and other project implementations from 2015-2023 under former Governor Nasir…

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation, on Wednesday, announced the suspension of Dana Airline operations due to concerns surrounding the safety and financial viability of their operations. The Informant247 reports that a Dana Air aircraft on Tuesday at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos, overshot the runway, causing palpable tension amongst passengers at the airport. It was gathered that the incident occurred a few minutes past 10 am. According to reports, no casualties are recorded, but details of the incident are still sketchy as of the time of filing this report. However, passengers were evacuated unhurt, using the emergency exit gate…

Ola Olukoyedec, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has vowed to ensure that the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, is probed if he fails to get to the root of the matter, he will tender his resignation letter as the EFCC boss. The Informant247 had, on April 18, reported that the EFCC declared the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. The anti-graft agency, in a post via its official Facebook handle, urged anyone with information as to his whereabouts to report immediately to the Commission or the nearest Police Station. The EFCC wrote:…

Barely two weeks after crashing the price of diesel to N1,000, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has again announced a further reduction in the prices of both diesel and aviation fuel to N940 and N980 per litre, respectively. The Informant247 gathered that the price change of N940 applies to customers buying five million litres and above from the refinery, while N970 is for customers buying one million litres and above. Anthony Chiejina, Head of Communications at Dangote Group, while confirming the new price, disclosed that the development aligned with its effort to reduce the economic hardship in Nigeria. Chiejina said the new…

Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, CON, the former deputy speaker, House of Representatives, on Tuesday, announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, a party he says he has been associated with since its inception in 1998. According to reports, Ihedioha, who stated he is one of the party’s founding members, cited the party’s inability to carry out internal reforms and provide credible opposition as the reasons behind his decision. In a statement on Tuesday titled “Resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party,” Ihedioha reflected on his long-standing commitment to the party’s development and transformation. He stated, “Since 1998, I have contributed my…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, through its counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), on Tuesday said the arrest warrant issued against the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, could be set aside if he were to show up in court as required. The EFCC counsel stated this at the Federal High Court in Abuja after a member of Bello’s legal team, Mr Adeola Adedipe (SAN), said his client would have loved to show up in court but he is afraid of the order of arrest hanging over his head. Pinheiro, however, assured that it could be set aside: “ As…

There was tension at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday morning when a Dana Air aircraft on Tuesday at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos, overshot the runway, causing palpable tension amongst passengers at the airport. The Informant247 gathered that the incident occurred a few minutes past 10 am. According to reports, no casualties are recorded, but details of the incident are still sketchy as of the time of filing this report. However, passengers were evacuated unhurt, using the emergency exit gate while the aircraft was stuck in the grass near the runway.

Nigerian President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will, on Tuesday, depart Abuja for the Kingdom of the Netherlands on an official visit. According to Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesman, in a statement in Abuja, the visit is at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. As part of the official visits, President Tinubu will also attend a special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting scheduled for April 28-29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The statement added that while Tinubu is in the Netherlands, the president will engage in high-level discussions with the Prime Minister, as well…

Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona’s head coach, slammed La Liga for non-availability of goal-line technology after his team’s 3-2 Clasico defeat on Sunday left Real Madrid on the brink of the title. Xavi was furious after Lamine Yamal had a shot that Barcelona said crossed the line not given as a goal after officials could not prove that it had using VAR. With the score level at 1-1, Yamal cleverly flicked a corner towards goal, and Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin pushed the ball to safety, potentially after it had crossed the line. “It’s a disgrace,” said Xavi, complaining that the technology…