Author: Anule Emmanuel

The Federal Government has said an International Chamber of Commerce tribunal in Paris has dismissed a $400 million arbitration claim linked to the long-stalled Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, ruling that the settlement agreement at the heart of the case was not binding on the federal government and was tainted by corruption. The September 17 final award rejected claims brought by Sunrise Power and Transmission Co. Ltd. and its principal, Leno Adesanya, according to a statement from Attorney-General and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi. Sunrise had sought $400 million, consisting of a $200 million settlement amount and an additional $200 million default…

Flights on Monday were delayed or halted at major airports across the United States after an Amtrak construction crew accidentally severed a backup fiber-optic line supporting air-traffic-control communications. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the  disruption affected airports serving New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Boston, creating delays and ground stops as officials prepared for the arrival of world leaders for the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “An Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut into a fiber line in New Jersey,” Mr. Duffy said in a post on X. The incident caused a telecommunications outage that forced the Federal Aviation…

Four registered voters in Benue State have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Michael Aondoakaa from contesting the state’s 2027 governorship election, citing an earlier  Supreme Court ruling that barred him from holding public office. The plaintiffs-David Ejembi, Aondoaver Teryila, Joseph Okpanachi and Benedict Orkume, filed the suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Mr. Aondoakaa. The case is numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/2152/2026. NewsQuest reports that Aondoakaa is seeking the PDP’s nomination to contest the election. Through their lawyer, Fredricks Itula, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,…

President Bola Tinubu will return to the country at the weekend after extending his working vacation by a few days, the presidency has said. The President departed Nigeria on August 30 for London, where he began the working vacation. After spending a week in the United Kingdom, he travelled to Paris, France, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré, whose media interests include Canal+, Multi Choice and the Universal Music Group. Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga to the President in a statement said throughout the vacation, Tinubu has remained in regular contact…

President Bola Tinubu used his wife’s 66th birthday to offer a rare public glimpse into their partnership, describing First Lady Oluremi Tinubu as his ‘truest friend and confidante’. The President in a tribute posted on X on Monday credited the First Lady with steadying him through the pressures of Nigerian politics. Tinubu praised Oluremi’s patience, courage and compassion, and quoted a Yoruba proverb – “A good wife is her husband’s crown”, to describe her role in his life. “The burdens that were mine to bear often found their way onto your shoulders,” he wrote, adding that in uncertain times she…

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has congratulated First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, on her 66th birthday, singling out her social-investment work as a steady source of relief for vulnerable households across the country. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, Governor Alia said the First Lady’s “commitment to humanity, compassion and service” has translated into tangible support for women, youths, widows, orphans, senior citizens and other at-risk groups. Governor Alia’s message focused on the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), the First Lady’s flagship social-investment platform launched in 2023 to complement President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The Benue Governor…

By Tunde Rahman To some, especially in the opposition camp, it may seem like a brewing political storm, but the brouhaha in Abuja over Nyesom Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and the Progressive Governors Forum’s pushback is not a crisis. It is a sign that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political architecture for 2027 is active and working. To fully grasp this, you must understand the President and why many see him as a master strategist. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has been unambiguous. He has not asked to join the All Progressives Congress. He has not asked the…

Catholic Bishops have urged Nigerians to begin an early conscious preparation for the 2027 general elections, warning that credible polls would require sustained civic engagement and a renewed commitment to the common good. Cardinal John Onaiyekan stated this on Sunday when he presented  the communique of a recent meeting of the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to the congregation at the Church of the Assumption Asokoro-Abuja. He said the Church would encourage parishes across the country to organise civic-education programmes and other activities aimed at helping citizens understand their responsibilities in the electoral process. “We call on all citizens…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu has urged the World Trade Organization (WTO) to reach concrete agreements on food-security stockpiling and investment facilitation, warning that prolonged deadlocks were eroding confidence in the global trading system. Speaking on Friday in Geneva at the 57th session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, Kalu said the organization’s credibility would be measured by whether it could deliver meaningful results for developing countries. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala attended the meeting. The WTO has made progress on issues including fisheries subsidies and development, Kalu said. The Deputy Speaker…

The presidency on Thursday clarified that remarks made by Vice President Kashim Shettima about northern Governors’ backing of President Bola Tinubu referred only to pre-primary political consultations, not to their stance after Tinubu became the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election. A statement by the Vice President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication Stanley Okwocha, said Shettima’s reference on Wednesday in Ilorin to “six northern Governors who believed in and supported President Tinubu” related specifically to alignments ahead of the APC presidential primary in June 2022. The statement added that the comment was not intended…