Features/Articles/Opinion – Page 2

‘Convicted,’ NHIS Ex-Boss Jailed For $2.2m Money Laundering

July 31, 2025 Abibat Babalola

A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted former Executive Secretary of ‘Convicted,’ NHIS Ex-Boss Jailed For $2.2m Money Launderingthe National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Olufemi Martins Thomas, and a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, Kabiru Sidi, for offences related to a $2.2 million money laundering scheme. Justice Ayokunle Faji delivered the ruling on Thursday, July 24, 2025, following a full trial instituted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The duo had been arraigned on an amended seven-count charge bordering on money…

‘Illegal, Wrong,’ Group Kicks As Withholding of Osun LG Funds Surpasses 163 Days

July 31, 2025 ADEOLA YUSUF

‘Here are Four Legal Implications of the Current Crisis That As Brought Grassroot Governance To Its Kneels In The State of The living Springs,’ Lygel & Youths Leadership Initiative Gives Details A group, Lygel & Youths Leadership Initiative, has strongly condemned the prolonged closure of local government councils in Osun State and the unlawful withholding of their funds for 163 days. These actions, Olalekan I Oladapo, Director of Legal & Compliance said in a statement, “undermine grassroots governance, flagrantly violate constitutional provisions, and subvert the recent Supreme Court judgment…

The corruption We often Ignore, By Sulaimon Alamutu

July 31, 2025 Abibat Babalola

In Nigeria, corruption is often viewed through the narrow lens of high-level financial misappropriation – how much a politician or top government official has looted. Media headlines and public discourse tend to spotlight only these elite offenders, reinforcing the belief that corruption exists only at the top. Indeed, the revelations that emerged during the tenure of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (now National Security Adviser) as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) uncovered staggering levels of theft among the political class. The extensive coverage that followed only cemented our…

Senate Panel Gives NNPCL Three Weeks To Explain N210trn Audit Queries

July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Abibat Babalola

The senate committee on public accounts has given the management Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) three weeks to respond to queries raised in audit reports covering 2017 to 2023 over unaccounted funds totalling N210 trillion. Ahmed Wadada, chairman of the committee, issued the directive on Tuesday during a session with Bayo Ojulari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL. Wadada clarified that the amount was not considered missing or stolen but must be accounted for in line with the recommendations of the office of the auditor-general. “This…

Dangote Refinery Withdraws ₦100bn Lawsuit Against NNPCL, NMDPRA, Others

July 30, 2025 Abibat Babalola

Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has withdrawn its lawsuit against the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and five other petroleum companies. The case, filed at the Federal High Court Abuja, was formally withdrawn by the plaintiff’s legal team. According to a notice of discontinuance filed before the court, Dangote Refinery resolved to end the proceedings against all seven defendants, including AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited. In…

Nigeria Nurses Shun Govt Talks, Begin Strike

July 30, 2025 Abibat Babalola

Nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives–Federal Health Institutions Sector, have insisted that their planned seven-day warning strike will begin on Wednesday. The members vowed to complete the strike even if the government called for negotiations. Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, the National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said the government had 15 days to respond to their demands but failed to act. The union, on July 14, 2025, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding immediate intervention…

NSCDC Officer Stabbed To Death In Front Of Her House In Abuja

July 29, 2025 Abibat Babalola

A personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) identified as Blessing Akpan was st@bbed to d3ath by unknown assailants in Abuja. It was learnt that Blessing was st@bbed in front of her residence in Piawe, Bwari, in the early hours of last week Tuesday. She was confirmed d3ad at Bwari General Hospital by the medical personnel on duty. Blessing’s friends, who spoke to Daily Trust on Monday, July 28, said the deceased was rushed to different hospitals after the attack but she was allegedly denied immediate treatment…

Nigeria Loses About N17.9trn Annually To Hepatitis — Minister

July 29, 2025 Abibat Babalola

The Federal Government has raised concerns over the economic burden of viral hepatitis in Nigeria, estimating that the country loses between N13.3 trillion and N17.9 trillion annually due to the disease. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this while briefing the media to commemorate the 2025 World Hepatitis Day in Abuja. The 2025 World Hepatitis Day, themed ‘Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down’, calls for collective action to overcome the medical, structural, and social barriers that prevent millions of people from accessing the care…

‘N150m Each, 3-Bedroom Flat, OON Honours,’ Tinubu Rains Gifts On Super Falcons

July 28, 2025 ADEOLA YUSUF

President Bola Tinubu has conferred the National Honours of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all 24 players and 11 technical crew members of the victorious Super Falcons. In addition to the honours, the President also announced a cash reward of $100,000 (N150 million) each for the players, while the technical crew members received $50,000 (N75 million). The president also gifted each of the players and crew members one-unit of three-bedroom apartment in the Renewed Hope Estate in Abuja. Mission X: How Super Falcons Become WAFCON…

Trump, EU Chief Strike Trade Deal In Transatlantic Standoff

July 28, 2025 Abibat Babalola

US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Sunday announced they had reached a deal to end a transatlantic tariffs standoff and avert a full-blown trade war. The agreement came as the clock ticked down on an August 1 deadline for the European Union to strike a deal with Washington—or face an across-the-board US levy of 30 percent. “We have reached a deal. It’s a good deal for everybody,” Trump told reporters following a high-stakes meeting with von der Leyen at his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland.…