Author: Kwara Reporters

A financial expert, Uche Uwaleke, says the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria is likely to raise interest rates again.Mr Uwaleke, the director of the Institute of Capital Market at the Nasarawa State University, is also the president of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria.He said this in an interview on Sunday in Abuja, against the backdrop of the 298th MPC meeting scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.According to him, core and food inflation increased last month for the first time in many months.“Ditto for rural and urban, year-on-year and month-on-month inflation, further widening the negative real interest rate.…

The Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has restored the full statutory rights of the Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, abolishing the new traditional councils in Edo South created by the last administration.He also backed the Federal Government’s Gazette, which gave the ownership of the returned artefact to the Oba’s palace, which was looted during the 1897 Benin massacre by the British colonial forces.Also, the state government is withdrawing the letter revoking the concession of the Oba Akenzua II Cultural Centre issued by the last administration to be used as a motor park.These were contained in a statement released by…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has effected a reduction in the price of its Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for marketers.Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of the Dangote Group, announced this in a statement on Sunday.He said the price was slashed from N990/litre to N970/litre “to appreciate the good people of Nigeria”.“As the year comes to an end, this is our way of appreciating the good people of Nigeria for their unwavering support in making the Refinery a dream come true. In addition, this is to thank the government for their support as this will complement the measures put in…

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, on Sunday described President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, as accidental leaders.Mr Kukah said at the commissioning of Start-Rite schools and the fourth Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja that almost all Nigerian presidents, including Goodluck Jonathan, Umar Yar’adua and Olusegun Obasanjo, were unprepared to become leaders.He said, “If we are to start from the beginning, you will find that almost every leader who came to power in Nigeria did so as a result of one accident or another.”“President Tinubu, who said he was prepared for the role, is struggling,”…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the arrest of a businessman caught with a large quantity of cocaine.Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed the arrest on Sunday via his X account, accompanied by a video displaying the seized contraband.The businessman, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly ingested a substantial quantity of cocaine in an attempt to avoid detection.Babafemi wrote, “Detty December: Before you swallow those drugs, please remember that the new @ndlea_nigeria has the capacity and capability to catch you.”The businessman who excreted this amount of cocaine will not only spend Christmas behind bars…

The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), Kwara State Chapter, has inaugurated the third phase of its Empowerment Scheme (YES), awarding WAEC scholarships to 20 students from across the state’s 16 Local Government Areas. The event, held at St. Barnabas Cathedral Church, Ilorin, on Saturday, marked another milestone in the association’s drive to support and empower Christian youth in Kwara State. Speaking at the event, the Chairman of YOWICAN Kwara State, Evangelist Stephen Adeola Awoyale, expressed gratitude to sponsors and supporters, including SEAP Nigeria Limited and the State Government, for their contributions to the initiative. He described…

A traditional chief and the Balogun Fulani of Ilorin, Abubakar Atiku, has explained that the 25-year-old crocodile donated to the University of Ilorin Zoological Garden was to cement the strong bond between the university and its host community.According to the university’s bulletin, the donation was a testament to their commitment to preserving tradition.Mr Atiku said the rearing of crocodiles holds significant cultural and symbolic value and served as a royal heritage and a centre of attraction.The traditional leader said his family compound has long been associated with crocodile rearing, adding that it will be a remarkable addition to the growing…

The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, has come under fresh pressure from stakeholders of the party who want him out.This time, they hope to seal his fate not later than February 2025.The PDP Governors’ Forum, the party’s Board of Trustees, National Assembly Caucus, former Governors Forum, Former Ministers’ Forum and the National Working Committee (NWC) yesterday met in Jos, the Plateau State capital, where they directed the Damagum-led NWC to call the much postponed meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) by the first week of February.The planned deliberation, according to them,…

We have flushed out terrorists from LGs, Army declares Normalcy is gradually returning to communities in seven local government areas of Kebbi and Sokoto states that were recently invaded by a new terror group, Lakurawa.Top state and local government officials, community leaders and residents told our correspondents that the terrorists had fled their areas following a series of military offensives against the insurgents.They also told LEADERSHIP Weekend how the terror group, whose members came from Mali and Burkina Faso, infiltrated their communities.Following the discovery of the new terror group in the two states, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, assured…

Islamic morality police in Kano, northern Nigeria, are set to resume their crackdown on betting shops following a Supreme Court ruling on gambling. The court overturned the 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling, stating that regulation of gambling falls under the jurisdiction of state governments.Kano State, one of 12 predominantly Muslim states in Nigeria where Islamic Sharia law operates alongside federal law, has long prohibited gambling. “We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since betting is illegal under Kano state sharia law,” said Abba Sufi, director general of the…