Tunde Bakare Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has said that his administration is working towards providing a befitting Orientation Camp for NYSC in the State. He disclosed this while playing host to the Director General (DG) of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brigadier General YD Ahmed at the Government House in Yola. Fintiri, who bemoaned the state of the existing Orientation Camp at Damare, Girei LGA said, “it is not befitting for the training of our vibrant young graduates. So, having a new Orientation Camp is one of the main issues on our table…We will continue to protect…
Author: Orientalnews Staff
Yemisi Izuora Polaris Bank and one of its strategic CSR partners, Evolve Trust Charity on Wednesday stormed Gbaja Girls (Junior and Senior) High School, Surulere, Lagos in continuation of its presentation of school essentials programme to selected public school students in the country. The partnership which birthed in 2021 and primarily focused on empowering the girl-child and their male counterparts has reached over 15,000 students across 35 public schools in nine states including Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Imo and FCT, Abuja. Amongst other things, the initiative includes empowering young learners with brain training techniques and emotional intelligence education alongside making…
Yemisi Izuora The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that the 299th meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) earlier scheduled for February 17 and 18, 2025, will now be held on Wednesday, February 19 and Thursday, February 20, 2025. The announcement puts paid to speculations around the date of the meetings amidst delays by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to release the rebased Consumer Price Index (CPI). With a date now fixed, the attention of economic watchers is focused on the CBN’s MPC to ascertain if there will be a hold or hike in the monetary…
The 2024 Economic Development in Africa Report by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) outlines how Africa can transform economic vulnerabilities into opportunities through trade, investment and regional integration. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), macroeconomic reforms and innovative financial tools can help stabilize economies and reduce reliance on volatile global markets. Investing in infrastructure, trade diversification and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is key to unlocking growth and driving sustainable development. Africa has the potential to become a major driver of global trade and economic growth. The 2024 Economic Development in Africa Report, launched on 10 February by UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan and Côte d’Ivoire’s…
Joyce Onwuka Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on Federal and State governments to take legitimate measures to safeguard the rights and safety of internet users in Nigeria, stressing that the frequent abuse and misuse of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 by public officials and powerful individuals to intimidate and harass journalists, activists, and citizens exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression is undermining cyber-security. In a statement issued ahead of this year’s Safer Internet Day (SID), MRA noted that although originally intended to combat genuine cybercrime threats such as fraud and cybersecurity breaches, the…
Yemisi Izuora The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has commenced the distribution of free prepaid meters to Band A customers within its franchise area under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) scheme. The Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) scheme is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) designed to provide meters to Band A customers at no cost. It aims to replace faulty meters and accelerate the migration of postpaid customers to prepaid. The process is monitored by the industry regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The General Manager, Corporate Communications of EKEDC, Babatunde Lasaki, expressed the Company’s…
By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber The global energy marketplace is shifting toward the acceptance of natural gas as a pivotal component in the transition to cleaner energy solutions, and rightly so. Africa, with its vast untapped gas reserves, has significant opportunities in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, a market that has quadrupled over the past few decades. However, a host of challenges shadow this potential and threaten to impede its realization. In our recently released 2025 Outlook Report, The State of African Energy, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) covers the dynamics of Africa’s involvement in…
Uche Cecil Izuora ADES Holding Company’s jackup drilling unit Admarine 501 has been awarded a contract with Nkuku Ikon Petroleum Development Company Limited for offshore drilling operations in Nigeria. The new contract marks the final redeployment of ADES’ suspended rigs in Saudi Arabia, according to a bourse statement. Under the agreement, the Saudi company will drill two wells, with an option for two additional wells with a total estimated duration of 180 days. Meanwhile, the operations are expected to commence in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025. Last December, ADES Holding received a letter of award (LOA) for an…
Uche Cecil Izuora About 4000 members of two local communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta have been cleared to take British multinational oil and gas giant Shell to the high court in UK over charges of environmental pollution. This will cap a decade-long fight for justice for the Niger Delta residents adversely affected by Shell’s exploitation of oil resources in their communities. The Preliminary Issues Trial of Nigerian Law for Shell vs Ogale and Bille communities is set to take place at the UK High Court from 13 February to 10 March 2025. The two communities are claiming that their…
Yemisi Izuora Most of Europe is now relying on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG ) imports for its natural gas supply and it has recently become more efficient for industries to burn oil and coal wherever possible as they are cheaper feedstocks than gas right now. The gas-to-oil switch could boost oil demand in Europe, and also in Asia, in the first quarter, potentially giving more room and reason for OPEC+ to return more barrels to the market. Amid cold winter weather and fast-depleting inventories, Europe’s natural gas prices jumped on Monday to a two-year high to levels of over…