Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |Ā Corruption watchdogs alleged Monday that Shell executives knew that money earmarked for a controversial oil deal was being used to bribe senior Nigerian officials, a claim rebuffed by the petroleum giant. The allegations by Global Witness and Finance Uncovered refer to the 2011 purchase by oil …
Read More »Nigeria court unfreezes millions in ex-first lady Patience Jonathan’s fraud probe
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |Ā A judge in Lagos on Thursday ordered Nigeria’s anti-graft agency to release one of several bank accounts frozen as part of an inquiry into the wife of former president Goodluck Jonathan. Patience Jonathan had filed a complaint against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in …
Read More »Nigerian becomes first African to fly solo around the world
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Ā Nigerian airline pilot Ademola Odujinrin, known as “Lola”, has become the first African to fly solo around the world, his foundation Transcend said in a statement Thursday. The 38-year-old Nigerian left Washington in September last year abord a Cirrus SR22, a small, single engine airplane, …
Read More »MTN pays $98 million, part of fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIMs
MTN pays $98 million part of Nigerian fine: officials Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |Ā South African telecoms giant MTN has paid nearly $100 million of a $1.7 billion fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards in Nigeria, officials said on Friday. “MTN has paid 30 billion naira ($98 million, 92 …
Read More »Nigerian airline lays off two-thirds of staff to cut costs
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |Ā Nigeria’s second largest airline Aero Contractors has laid off two-thirds of its workforce to save costs and prevent it from going under, a government agency official confirmed on Friday. The company said in a letter to employees on Thursday that it was “constrained to place (them) …
Read More »Nigeria directs FA to back Hayatou for CAF post
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Ā Nigeria’s government has ordered the head of the country’s football association to back current CAF president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon in his re-election bid, a senior official said Monday. The decree from on high came despite Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick having publicly …
Read More »Nigerian state seeks to move oil firms to troubled Niger delta
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |Ā Nigeria’s southern oil-rich Rivers state on Saturday backed a government call for major oil companies to move their offices to the Niger delta region, as part of measures to stem unrest in the oil-rich area. Attacks by rebels seeking a fairer share of Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari returns but VP will stay in charge until Monday
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday returned to Nigeria after nearly two months’ medical leave in Britain but did little to quell fears about the state of his health by saying he would not start work again immediately. The 74-year-old, who has been in London since …
Read More »Buhari back in Nigeria after 2 months leave
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |Ā President Muhammadu Buhari arrived back in Nigeria on Friday after nearly two months in London receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment. The 74-year-old landed at the airport in the northern city of Kaduna at about 7:40 am (0640 GMT) and was flown by helicopter to the …
Read More »UN chief to visit East Africa as famine threatens region
United Nations, United States | AFP |Ā UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to Kenya on Sunday for talks with leaders on regional issues, his spokesman said Friday, as South Sudan and Somalia face famine. Somalia is facing the threat of a famine while parts of northern South Sudan are …
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