Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

The management team of Zenith Bank Plc on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, at the Oke Mosan Government House, where it commended his administration for what it described as unprecedented transformation across the state. The delegation was led by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Adaorah Umeoji, and included Executive Director, Akin Ogunranti; Assistant General Manager, /Zonal Head Southwest 3, Mrs. Joke Akinosi; and Afolake Ogunfowora. Speaking during the meeting, Umeoji applauded Governor Abiodun’s strides in infrastructure and economic development, noting that the visible improvements, particularly in road infrastructure,…

Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s sprint champion in economic growth, reaching the $100 billion GDP milestone in a record 34 years since independence in 1960, according to new analysis of post-colonial economic trajectories. The data highlights how quickly select African nations scaled their economies to the nine-figure mark, measured from their independence dates. Angola follows closely, achieving the feat in 36 years by 2011 after breaking free from Portugal in 1975. Algeria took 43 years to reach it in 2005, post-1962 independence, while Morocco needed 52 years, crossing the threshold in 2008 from its 1956 liberation. Kenya joined the club…

File: Prepaid meters Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies ended 2025 with a modest improvement in customer metering, closing December with 6,966,584 metered customers and a national metering rate of 57.27 per cent, fresh data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission have shown. The latest figures seen on Wednesday indicate that 109,556 customers were newly metered in December alone, up from 88,592 recorded in November, signalling a late-year acceleration in meter deployment across the 11 distribution companies. As of December 2025, the total number of active electricity customers, defined as those billed or who vended electricity at least once within…

File photo: Mojtaba Khamenei, the second-eldest son of the recently assassinated Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  In a move that signals a desperate bid for continuity amid regional chaos, Iran’s Assembly of Experts has reportedly selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new Supreme Leader. According to Iran International, the 56-year-old was elected during an emergency session on Tuesday, following intense pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to bypass traditional clerical deliberations. The appointment of Mojtaba, the second-eldest son of the recently assassinated leader, marks a seismic shift in the Islamic…

Manny Ita  – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticized the ongoing military strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, describing the conflict as evidence of a breakdown in the global diplomatic system. Speaking during a visit to Sydney, Australia, Carney said the situation reflects the “failure of the international order,” even as he reiterated Canada’s longstanding concerns about Iran’s role in regional instability. “Canada has long seen Iran as the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East,” Carney said, noting that despite more than two decades of negotiations and diplomatic efforts, the country has…

The Crude Oil Refineries Association of Nigeria says modular refineries have the capacity to supply over 10 per cent of the nation’s diesel needs but identified inadequate feedstock as a key constraint. CORAN’s Publicity Secretary, Eche Idoko, made this observation in an interview with our correspondent while reacting to a report from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The report indicated that modular refineries supplied approximately two per cent of the nation’s diesel consumption over a three-month period. While expressing reservations about fully accepting the NMDPRA’s data, Mr Idoko explained that modular refineries are hindered by insufficient crude…

Actor Benedict Johnson Actor Benedict Johnson has said that he had been through five years without a single movie role. In a viral video, Johnson shared his experience at Streams of Joy International in Abuja, saying the ordeal prompted him to relocate to attend the church’s prayer programs led by Jerry Eze. Despite warnings from colleagues that Abuja wasn’t a hub for film production, Johnson said he made the move, trusting his faith to guide him. He said, “For five good years as a seasoned actor, I never had any job to do. Our industry is not like an employment…

File: CBN Building This a significant step in its reserve diversification strategy. The Central Bank of Nigeria has received domestically sourced gold refined to international standards into the country’s foreign reserves, raising its total gold holdings to about $3.5bn. The apex bank disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, noting that the bullion was refined to the London Bullion Market Association Good Delivery standards. The statement read, “The Central Bank of Nigeria has taken delivery of responsibly sourced gold refined to London Bullion Market Association Good Delivery standards into its foreign reserves. This brings the CBN’s total gold holdings…

Manny Ita  – Israel launched fresh attacks early Thursday on targets in Lebanon and said it intercepted missiles fired from Iran as the widening conflict involving the United States and Israel continued to destabilise parts of the Middle East, with new developments also reported in Iraq. Iranian news agency Tasnim News Agency reported that several explosions were heard in Tehran on Thursday and that Iran had activated its air defence systems after launching several rounds of missiles toward Israel earlier in the day. An airstrike carried out before dawn hit a Hezbollah stronghold in the suburbs of Beirut. The Iran-backed…

Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu. Photo: Nigerian Police | X Disu vows Police non-sided conduct during the elections of 2027. The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, on Wednesday declared that the Nigeria Police Force would maintain strict neutrality and professionalism in the build-up to the 2027 general elections. Disu gave the assurance in Abuja during his inaugural conference with strategic police managers following his assumption of office. Addressing senior officers, the IGP said the credibility of the 2027 polls and the stability of Nigeria’s democracy would depend largely on the conduct of the police as the lead agency in…