The rising price of cooking gas has forced many households and businesses in the Federal Capital Territory to embrace traditional fuels such as charcoal and firewood. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that cooking gas prices in the FCT have risen sharply in recent months, moving from about N1,200 per kg to N2,000 per kg. Industry operators have attributed the increase to supply shortages, higher depot costs, foreign exchange pressures and rising transportation expenses. Consumers and vendors of the essential commodity, who spoke to NAN on Sunday, said the rising cost has forced many households and businesses to seek cheaper cooking alternatives. A food vendor in Gwarimpa, Abuja, Mrs. Mayo Akinpelu, said she stopped using cooking gas after repeated price increases made it too expensive for her business. According to Akinpelu, she switched to firewood and charcoal because they are cheaper and easier to purchase in small quantities. “Refilling my...

For every Nigerian who has had the benefit of a decent education, now is the time to obtain something else: some kind of swivel for your attention on public issues. As you may have heard, last weekend, there was a curious breach of INEC’s Continuous Voter Registration Portal. Lere Olayinka, a media aide to Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, who is nominally a member of a faction of the PDP but operates within the political orbit of the APC, published information from the depths of a database to which he should not have had access. DSS is investigating, it claims. But DSS, an organisation with a poor image in Nigeria, including the rogue detention of a journalist for over 13 years since he set foot on the soil of his fatherland, does not inspire confidence. INEC is also investigating.  It should.  It inspires fear, even loathing.  Its preliminary...

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has urged Nigerians to disregard requests for funds from fraudsters impersonating its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke. As reported by Cables, in a statement issued on Saturday, the agency said the scammers have been using fake phone numbers and bank accounts to deceive unsuspecting members of the public by falsely presenting themselves as the SON chief executive. SON disclosed that in one reported case, the fraudsters requested the payment of N8.5 million into a bank account provided by them under the guise of facilitating a contract. “The public is hereby informed that the Director General/Chief Executive, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, does not solicit funds, request monetary transfers, award contracts, offer employment opportunities, or conduct auctions or official business through social media accounts,” the statement said. The agency identified the details linked to the fraudulent activity as a WhatsApp number, 07046427254, and an...

The Borno State Police Command has announced plans to enforce the monthly environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday as part of efforts to curb the spread of cholera following reported outbreaks in parts of Maiduguri and its environs. The command said the sanitation exercise would hold from 7 am to 10 am on Saturday, June 6, 2026. In a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, the command said the directive was aimed at promoting environmental hygiene and preventing the further spread of the disease. According to the statement, the enforcement will be carried out in collaboration with the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency. “The enforcement is being carried out in collaboration with the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) as part of ongoing efforts to promote environmental hygiene and mitigate the spread...

Award-winning music composer Tolu Obanro, renowned for creating the soundtracks of blockbuster movies Gangs of Lagos and Jagun Jagun, speaks to ABIODUN ADEWALE about his passion for football, his journey as a Chelsea supporter and more How do you unwind when you are neither composing nor recording? My Saturdays are usually free, and I don’t joke with my Saturday morning football. Sometimes I go out of Lagos to even play matches because I play for a football team, and I train regularly. That’s ECWA football club, which was first owned by the church. We do play organised friendly matches against teams like First Bank, and we also play some other competitions. My club knows the type of work I do, so they take me as a partial member and allow me to play. Thanks to football, I’ve been able to keep my shape physically as well. You still combine football...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has revealed that a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has reserved a ruling on the bail application filed by social media influencer and relationship therapist, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO, in her ongoing N36 million fraud trial. In a statement shared on the commission’s official X handle on Friday, the statement noted that the defendant is facing a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing. In the statement, the Commission said: “Court reserves ruling on Blessing CEO’s bail application. Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, June 5, 2026, reserved ruling until June 9, 2026, on the bail application filed by social media influencer and relationship therapist, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO.” The EFCC said she is being prosecuted by its Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 over allegations...

The Management of Federal University of Technology, Akure Teaching Hospital, Ondo State has condemned the industrial action being embarked upon by the workers of the teaching hospital. The hospital chapter of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals had earlier embarked on an industrial action, demanding the withdrawal of the hospital’s organogram and the creation of a separate Department of Medical Laboratory Services. The union also reportedly protested against the appointment of two deputy chairmen of the Medical Advisory Committee for Clinical Services and Diagnostic Services of the teaching hospital. In a statement issued on Thursday by the Head of Public Relations Unit of the hospital, Mr Tope Fayehun, the institution described the ongoing temporary industrial action embarked upon by the members of NUAHP as illegal. The institution however noted that despite the union strike action, the quality of healthcare delivery to the people remains the top priority of the...

Tropical General Investments Group and Singapore-based Wilmar International have agreed to merge their businesses in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin under a new 50:50 joint venture targeting a market estimated at $12bn. The companies disclosed in a statement that the transaction would combine operations across agriculture, oil palm plantations, edible oils, edible nuts, rice, food manufacturing and distribution, creating one of the largest integrated food and agriculture platforms in the region. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wilmar International, Mr Kuok Hong, said the partnership would strengthen the companies’ ability to serve a growing consumer market in Africa. Kuok said, “Nigeria and the Republic of Benin are key consumer markets in Africa. The combination of Wilmar’s integrated palm oil and speciality fatsoup’s manufacturing scale, established consumer brands and nationwide distribution platform creates a uniquely positioned business to serve consumers and contribute to the long-term development of the region.” Founder...

The Nigeria Police Force has secured two separate Federal High Court judgments that strengthen its fight against financial crimes, including a permanent forfeiture order for assets valued at more than ₦2 billion. The second ruling dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the Force. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid. “On Tuesday, 14 May 2026, Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite granted a permanent forfeiture order on assets valued at over ₦2 Billion belonging to financial sector staff member Alonge Opeyemi Yetunde and her accomplices (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2026). “The forfeited assets—spanning Lagos, Osun, Delta States, and the FCT—include bank accounts, digital wallets, vehicles, and real estate. The principal suspect, currently remanded at Suleja Correctional Custodial Centre, is facing charges of fraud and money laundering,” the statement read. The police said the principal suspect is currently remanded at the Suleja...

Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has condemned the attack on the chairman of the Accord Party in Osogbo Local Government Area of Osun State, Asimiyu Ajibola, popularly known as Baba Isila. Ajibola reportedly escaped death after suspected gunmen attacked him and his associates on Wednesday night in Osogbo. According to information shared by the singer on his X account on Thursday, the incident occurred around 9:50 pm near the Osogbo Community Bank axis of the MDS area when gunmen allegedly opened fire on a blue Toyota Corolla conveying the politician and his friends. The attack reportedly caused panic among residents, while Ajibola was said to have sustained injuries and was rushed to a teaching hospital for treatment. Reacting to the incident, Davido called for an end to political violence, stressing that political differences should not result in insecurity or bloodshed. The singer, whose uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke...