Good Evening ! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. The Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, has revealed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has concluded an arrangement to have one of the four refineries repaired and operating at an optimal level before the end of the year. Kyari made the revelation when he visited the party secretariat for a meeting with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. Addressing newsmen after the session, Kyari explained that following the hike in pump price and the resultant effect on commercial fare, the president is working out some palliative measures to ease the pains of Nigerians. PUNCH
2. Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has directed workers to shut down all operations of shipping companies and begin an indefinite nationwide strike from Monday over a lingering dispute with shipping companies concerning the poor pay package and welfare of employees. At a briefing, Thursday, the President-General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, lamented that since 2018 Organised Labour had been battling with the shipping companies on the minimum standard for shipping companies on the welfare of workers to no avail. VANGUARD
3. The first witness of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in his petition against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, told the Presidential Election Petition Court on Thursday that he and other agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were forced to sign the result sheets of the last presidential election in their separate polling units and at the state level. The witness, Captain Joe Agada (retd) revealed that they signed the result sheets under duress when it became clear that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, would not avail them of the result sheets. Agada, who claimed to be Kogi State Collation Officer for PDP in the February 25 presidential poll, alleged that ballot papers and result sheets were manipulated by compromised electoral officers in collusion with agents of other political parties. DAILY POST
4. President Bola Tinubu has commended the remarkable performance of the Flying Eagles in the ongoing Under-20 World Cup in Argentina. Following their triumphant victory against hosts Argentina late Wednesday night, which secured them a well-deserved place in the quarter-finals, Tinubu took to his official Twitter handle on Thursday to extend his congratulations to team. He rallied the team to continue their stellar run, ultimately bringing honour to the nation. LEADERSHIP
5. Afrobeats stars are in high demand all over the world as Nigerian music continues to reach more listeners and gain more fans who are excited about paying to see the superstars perform. Ayra Starr who is currently on tour has had to call off her shows in Berlin, Bergenfest, and Copenhagen over visa issues. She made this announcement through her Instagram account where she expressed her frustrations over the visa issues she said hit hard. She apologized to her fans and promised to be back with an unforgettable performance as soon as the issue was resolved. PULSE
6. Nigeria stunned Argentina to secure passage into the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarter-finals, courtesy of second-half goals from Ibrahim Muhammad and Rilwanu Haliru Sarki. The Flying Eagles started brightly, but as the first half wore on La Albiceleste began to dominate. Veliz had two semi-sniffs at goal as the break approached, heading one narrowly over and flicking the other into the arms of Kingsley Aniagboso. Nigeria made the breakthrough just after the hour. Emmanuel Umeh flicked the ball over the top for Muhammad, who stabbed it past goalkeeper Federico Gomes Gerth. CHANNELS
7. The Nigeria Football Federation Executive Board member, Nse Essien, rewarded the Flying Eagles with $3,000 following the team’s stunning 2-0 victory against Argentina on Wednesday night. Essien promised Ladan Bosso and his boys the cash gift on the eve of the game in San Juan. He fulfilled his promise immediately after the game, to the excitement of the players and officials of the team. DAILY POST
8. A Russian court imposed a fine on US messenger service WhatsApp on Thursday for failing to delete banned content. The three-million-rouble ($37,000) fine was the first imposed on WhatsApp for such an offence. WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, was banned and branded “extremist” by Russian authorities last year. Meta’s other platforms, Facebook and Instagram, were blocked in Russia along with Twitter, but WhatsApp remained accessible. WhatsApp was punished for failing to remove a chat group that offered an anti-depressant whose sale is forbidden in Russia, according to Russian news agencies. CHANNELS
9. Former Big Brother Naija housemate, Beauty Tukura, has spoken out about her concerns regarding the toxicity of the popular reality TV show. According to her, the show is “extremely toxic,” and she believes that even the fans contribute to this negative atmosphere. In a recent podcast interview the former beauty queen, who was disqualified from the show for breaking house rules, shared her perspective on the BBNaija experience. Despite her criticisms, Beauty emphasised that she doesn’t regret her participation in the show. She recently shared how she has used her disqualification as an opportunity for personal growth. PULSE
10. Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced former president Fernando Collor de Mello to eight years and 10 months in prison for corruption on Wednesday, part of the fallout from the country’s sweeping Car Wash graft investigation. The high court had convicted Collor of taking 20 million reais ($4 million) in bribes as a senator from 2010 to 2014 in exchange for arranging contracts for a construction company with a subsidiary of state-run oil company Petrobras. Collor, 73, who led Brazil from 1990 to 1992, was already a tarnished figure in Brazilian politics: the country’s first democratically elected president after the 1964-1985 military dictatorship, he resigned from that office to avoid impeachment, also over corruption allegations. CHANNELS
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