Author: Abdulateef Ahmed

Following Nigeria’s landmark victory in the long-running legal battle between Nigeria and the Process & Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID), a UK court has awarded Nigeria £20 million in damages and compensation. Nigeria’s historic victory was announced in October 2023, which saw the court quash the fraudulent $11 Billion arbitration award in favour of P&ID. Nigeria sought at least £20 million back from P&ID to cover its damages and legal fees. Essentially, what P&ID lawyers were trying to do was limit the amount it would pay to Nigeria as damages, and they fought hard to see if it would be in…

Zimbabwe’s minister of mines and mining development, Zhemu Soda says Energy companies have discovered natural gas in Cabora Bassa Basin, near the country’s northern border with Mozambique and Zambia. In a statement on Thursday, the government said if it can be exploited, it will help reduce the need for expensive imported energy. The minister described the discovery made in Cabora Bassa Basin, about 300 kilometers north of Harare, as ”one of the most significant developments in the onshore oil and gas sector in the southern African region.” Scott Macmillan, managing director of Invictus Energy, one of the companies exploring gas…

Border Management authority in conjunction with South Africa’s police in the north-eastern province of Limpopo have intercepted 133 people suspected to be human trafficking victims. The group were transported in 10 minibus taxis and had both children and adults in them, according to public broadcaster SABC News. “We have summoned all the role players, including Home Affairs so that they can check where they’re coming from. In most likely cases, these people are going to be deported back to their border,” the provincial spokesperson Hlulani Mashaba told SABC News. This is the third wave of arrests in December alone.  On…

Former president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma has been called for questioning over the failed coup attempt late last month.  According to Information Minister Cherno Bah on Thursday, the former leader is expected to report at the police headquarters in the capital Freetown, within 24 hours. Koroma promised to honour the police summons, and asked his supporters to maintain peace and calm.   Although he has retired from politics, Koroma, who was President between 2007 and 2018, remains a powerful figure in Sierra Leone politics. “I maintain an open mind and stand ready to support the police investigations to…

A pedestrian bridge at Alapere Ketu Estate Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway collapsed in the late hours of Thursday after a truck rammed into it, got stuck and caused damage to the entire bridge. “A container-laden truck hit the pedestrian bridge along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, overnight and brought down part of the bridge. “Vehicular movement towards Ikeja and Ibadan axis is affected,” an eyewitness, Ajayi Adebowale explained. Confirming the incident at the Alapere Bridge, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa said: “The accident occurred at about 11 pm on Thursday. The trucks were about 12…

The Dangote Oil Refinery is finally set to commence fuel production as the first crude shipment arrives at the facility today, December 7, 2023. OTIS tanker carrying 950,000 barrels of Nigeria’s Agbami crude, set sail on December 6, S&P Global confirmed this earlier today. S&P Global added that the tanker passed through Lekki, Lagos State, which is the nearest land port to Dangote’s offshore crude receiving terminal. It further explained that the arrival of the first crude shipment at the mammoth $19 billion Dangote refinery is an important breakthrough for Nigeria’s oil industry. “The tanker is expected to arrive on…

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has finalised plans to rejoin the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), after parting ways with the Accord Party. Adelabu was the governorship flagbearer for the Accord party in the Oyo 2023 election. He switched from APC in the build-up to the Oyo gubernatorial polls after losing to Senator Teslim Folarin at the party’s primary. Adelabu will officially announce his return at a ceremony to be held at the party office in Oke-Ado on December 15, 2023. He stated this in a letter addressed to the chairman and APC executives in Oyo state. Adelabu stated…

South African Aid organisation, Gift of the Givers has finalised plans to slam Israel with charges of war crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court. Founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman announced at a media briefing at the Capetonian Hotel on Monday night. Sooliman is preparing to dispatch a hundred-strong medical team, counsellors, and medical experts who specialise in orthopaedics to assist those who lost limbs as a result of Israeli attacks. This is in addition to several aids sent earlier. On November 16, Gift of the Givers head in Gaza, Ahmed Abbasi and his brother…

A former Secretary General of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Frank Kokori, has died on his 80th birthday anniversary. He would have been 80-year-old this Thursday, December 7. Chief Kokori, who has been in hospital bed over kidney-related disease for the past month passed away at a private hospital in Warri around 1:30 am on Thursday. Kokori’s personal assistant, Atawada Barry Oke said the veteran labour leader’s health relapsed on Monday when he was unable to interact with people around him while he was placed on life support. On Thursday, November 9, 2023, Kokori had…

The Forbes’ prestigious list of the World’s Most Powerful 100 Women is featuring the President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan, Nigerian trailblazers Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the esteemed Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, and media mogul Mosunmola Abudu. The three women are making remarkable impacts in their various fields of influence on the continent as well as redefining global leadership. To emerge on the 2023 Power List, Forbes considered four important metrics: money, media, impact, and spheres of influence. For political leaders, GDP and population were vital factors, while corporate chiefs were assessed based on revenues, valuations, and employee counts. Media…