Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Exploring Africa: A Guide to Safe and Enriching Travel As summer approaches, thoughts of vacation lead us to consider the beauty and diversity Africa offers as a destination. Africa, a continent that is rich in culture and landscapes, challenges misconceptions often perpetuated by mainstream media. Contrary to stereotypes, modern African cities like Lagos, Kigali, Algiers, and Johannesburg boast impressive skyscrapers, efficient transportation systems, and vibrant urban life. Why Choose Africa? Africa’s appeal lies not only in its landscapes—ranging from sandy beaches to lush mountains—but also in its rich cultural tapestry. Traditional festivals, local delicacies, and vibrant cultural events await visitors…

Youth Empowerment and Skill Development: Nestlé Nigeria Invests Over 6 billion Naira in Nigeria Nestlé Nigeria underscored its commitment to youth empowerment and skill development at the recent graduation ceremony of ten young trainees from its Technical Training Centre (TTC) in Agbara. Since the program’s inception in 2011, the company has invested over six billion naira in upskilling young Nigerians, demonstrating its dedication to fostering the next generation of skilled professionals. Graduating in the second stream of the seventh batch of the program, these young men and women completed an intensive 18-month program that blends theoretical and practical engineering education.…

Cock Crow At Dawn The lurking blade is always drawn against the humble. Our plea for mercy is never heard since the world is deaf. Our heads wear an unquenchable fire for our rights sake but the world has gone blind. Your love for us is shown in cages, where we live as prisoners. You kidnap our unborn children You boil them, fry them and toast them to your taste. Peace we’ve never known Sorrow we forever can tell Even though we are the most appetizing, What about our cycle of life? The tyrant must be overthrown in every kitchen.…

Paris Olympics: Favour Ofili reaches women’s 200m final Celebration as Ofili gets nearest to the best in 200m race achievement. Nigerian athlete, Favour Ofili has raced into the women’s 200m final of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 21-year- old finished 2nd behind 100m champion Julien Alfred in a semi final race. Ofili could not participate in the 100-metre contest because owing to the Nigerian Olympic Committee’s alleged failure to enter her for the competition.

Data revenue of MTN goes higher by 54.7% for first half, 2024 The telecom operator revealed that it also implemented price optimisation across some of its data bundle offerings in Q4 2023, which contributed to the surge in data revenue. MTN Nigeria has announced a 54.7 per cent growth in data revenue for the first half of 2024, driven by an expansion in its user base and increased data usage. This was disclosed in the company’s financial results for the period ending June 2024, released recently. The growth in data revenue was supported by enhancements in service quality and a…

Airtel SmartCash boosts payment with new card Airtel Nigeria’s subsidiary, SmartCash Payment Service Bank, has announced a new partnership with Touch and Pay, the provider of automated payment solutions and owner of Cowry Card. This collaboration enables SmartCash customers to top up their Cowry cards using the SmartCash mobile app, promoting convenient and cashless transportation payments. The digital bank said in a statement on Monday that the new SmartCash feature aimed to meet the social needs of the masses, enhancing the ease of transportation while promoting the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cashless initiative. Commenting on the integration, Chief Executive Officer…

Civil society groups monitor crude sale to Dangote refinery in naira A coalition of 28 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has announced plans to establish a situation room in Abuja to ensure compliance with the presidential directive requiring the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd) to sell crude oil to the Dangote Refinery in naira. The initiative follows concerns raised by the CSOs during a facility tour of the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery, which is the world’s largest single-train refinery, located in Lagos. The CSO leaders voiced their discontent with the NNPC Ltd and regulatory bodies, accusing…

Half-year result: Dangote Cement revenue grows to N807.1 billion, 139.9% increase Dangote has continued to attract huge forex into the country through his pan-African operations as the half-year result for Dangote Cement indicates an increase in revenue from Pan-African operations by 139.9 per cent, growing to N807.1 billion as against N336.4 billion, reported in the corresponding period of 2023. The cement plant also reported a 10.9 percent increase in the Nigerian market which rose from 8.0Mt to 9.0Mt in the half year ended June 30, 2024. According to the 2024 half-year results of the cement company, group volumes rose by…

Nigeria’s fixed-income market becomes attractive with huge investors’ oker Nigeria’s fixed-income market has become increasingly attractive to investors, offering a stable and predictable return on investment amid the nation’s economic instability. Conversely, the equities market has been in the eyes of the storm. While the Nigerian equities market saw substantial gains in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, with the All-Share Index (ASI) rising to nearly 40 per cent, the second quarter (Q2) was not so spectacular. Moreover, trading activities on the local bourse in recent weeks have been marked by increased volatility and profit-taking. Factors such as socio-economic…

International market: NNPC launches new crude oil grade, exports first shipment to Spain The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has introduced the Utapate crude oil blend, a new crude oil grade, into the international market. According to a statement on Monday by Femi Soneye, NNPC’s spokesperson, the Utapate crude oil blend commenced operations in July, as its first cargo headed for Spain. The crude oil grade, Soneye said, is from an oil mining lease (OML) 13, fully operated by NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), the company’s upstream subsidiary. “Located offshore Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, Utapate’s current crude…