WHALEXTRA

Small Business Owners and civil society organisations, NGOs, have said there is no justification for the proposed further hike in electricity tariffs, following disclosure by the Federal Government, yesterday, that it is considering increasing tariffs for customers outside the Band-A category to improve the liquidity of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI. Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu , who disclosed this at the public presentation of the National Integrated Electricity Policy, NIEP and Nigeria Integrated Resource Plan, NIRP, in Abuja, said government can no longer afford the N3 trillion power sector subsidy. He pointed out that debt owed power generation companies, GenCos, had risen to N4 trillion and is unsustainable. According to Adelabu, “The key issue in the market is illiquidity, and sector reforms, we’ll continue to focus on that. We will look at the tariff again. I’m not saying that we’re going to increase the tariff. “We are going to look at the tariff a...

Popular media personality, Nedu Wazobia, has reacted to a viral leaked audio linking him to hard drugs and fraud. DAILY POST reports that the leaked audio shared by a controversial social media critic, VeryDarkMan, alleged Nedu involvement in drugs and other fraudulent activities. VeryDarkMan accused Nedu of having close ties with some individuals involved in drugs and fraudulent activities in Turkey, South Africa, and Morocco. On Wednesday February 26 2025,  VeryDarkMan submitted a petition against Nedu  at the Turkey, South Africa, and Morocco embassies in Nigeria. Reacting to the development, Nedu in a recent post on his Instagram story, denied the allegation and involvement in any criminal activities. “Hello everyone, this is not a joke anymore I know nothing about that voice note going around. I did not make that voice note.While this seems to be fun and games, I’ve never and will never be part of anything criminal”.

Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company, has officially secured a Payment System License to operate in Zambia. The new license positions Flutterwave to deliver affordable and secure mobile money services to enterprises in Zambia, facilitating both local and international trade, while boosting financial inclusion and economic growth. The potential for Flutterwave in Zambia is substantial, given the country’s increasing internet penetration and reliance on mobile money for everyday transactions. Mobile money adoption contributes almost 70% of Zambia’s financial inclusion rate. Flutterwave’s mobile money collections and payout services allow Zambian businesses across various industries to streamline transactions, reduce costs, and scale efficiently in both local and global markets. “Zambia is a market with enormous potential for growth and innovation, so we are excited to bring our payment solutions here” said Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave. “Our...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation , FBI, has accused North Korea of orchestrating the hack of Bybit, the world’s second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume. The agency declared that DPRK coordinated the theft of approximately $1.5 billion USD in virtual assets from the cryptocurrency company, which serves more than 50 million users. The cyber attack occurred on or about February 21; the FBI identified the specific North Korean malicious activity as “TraderTraitor.” The FBI said the actors have converted some of the stolen assets to bitcoin and other virtual assets dispersed across thousands of addresses on multiple blockchains. “It is expected these assets will be further laundered and eventually converted to fiat currency,” the public service announcement added. The statement advised private sector entities and other virtual asset service providers to block transactions with or derived from addresses TraderTraitor are using. The PSA further listed dozens of Ethereum addresses ...

Nigerian songstress,   Ayra Starr   has referred to colleagues and Grammy winners , Tems and Tyla as her girls. Ayra Starr made this known recently in the United Kingdom on the red carpet of the 2025 Music Of Black Origin Awards, MOBO Awards. Ayra Starr further hinted at future collaboration with the Grammy award winners. When asked if she would be working with Tems and Tyla in the future, Starr said: “Of course, those are my girls. Of course.” While Ayra Starr is yet to release any collaboration with Tems and Tyla, sources close to the ladies noted that they all have a cordial relationship. During the 2024 Detty December festivities in Lagos, the three singers were spotted together having fun. Last week, Ayra Starr made history at the 2025 MOBO Awards by breaking a 16-year jinx. The 22-year-old artist took home two prestigious awards: Best International Act and Best African Music Act at this year’s Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards. Her win in the Best International Act ca...

  Experts last night expressed optimism about the economy with the 3.84 per cent year-on-year  Gross Domestic Product  (GDP) growth. The government also renewed its commitment to faithfully implementing its economic policies which it credited for this development. Yesterday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the 2024 fourth quarter GDP outcome – 3.84 per cent, compared to the 3.46 per cent of Q4 2023. Services and petrol refining sectors were the key drivers of the growth, according to the report. Statistician-General of the Federation, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, said the growth was 0.38 per cent points higher than the 3.46 per cent of Q4 2023. Adeniran said: “ The Gross Domestic Product  (GDP) growth rate in real terms (Constant price) grew by 3.84 per cent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024 on a year-on-year basis, which is 0.38 per cent points higher than the rate recorded in Q4 2023 (3.46 per cent). “The annual contributions of the economic...

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Katsina Command has killed four suspected terrorists in Dutsinma Local Government Area of the state. The Public Relations Officer of the Command, SC Buhari Hamisu , confirmed this in a statement on Monday. He said two separate attacks were repelled. “The gallant men of NSCDC attached to the university successfully neutralised three criminals, including the notorious Ayuba Buzaru, who stormed the institution as their route,” he said. The team also rescued three kidnapped victims and recovered some rustled goats, the NSCDC spokesman revealed. He added that NSCDC personnel, in a joint operation with the police, repelled another attack on Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Federal Government Special Grains Reserve (Silo) in Darawa. Hamisu stated, “The valiant operatives overpowered the criminals, neutralising one suspected armed bandit, while others fled with gunshot wounds.” He confirmed that the body of the suspected criminal had been deposited ...

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday apprehended 59 suspected internet fraudsters in Abuja. This is contained in a statement by the spokesman of the commission, Dele Oyewale, in Abuja. Oyewale said that operatives of the commission apprehended the suspects at Abacha Road, Mararaba axis of Nasarawa. He said the arrest was sequel to credible intelligence about their suspected involvement in fraudulent internet activities. The commission, he said, recovered 73 phones of different brands, adding that the suspects would soon be charged to court. (NAN)

Roy Keane   has branded Liverpool as the "champions" and believes the Reds have done enough to win the Premier League title ahead of   Arsenal . Arne Slot's side moved 11 points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table with a comfortable 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday. After  Arsenal suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat against West Ham on Saturday , Liverpool had the chance to extend the gap at the top of the Premier League and put one hand on the title. And Slot's Reds did just that, producing a professional performance to beat City and put another huge statement down. Although City started the game on the front foot, Liverpool took the lead in the 14th minute. A well-worked corner ended with Mohamed Salah getting the ball in space and he fired the ball home via a deflection. City continued to probe, but were punished for not taking any of their chances as Liverpool doubled their advantage in the 37th minute. Salah turned provider for this one, laying the ball...

In the end, it was all rather routine as Arne Slot's clinical Liverpool snuffed out Manchester City in the Etihad Stadium rain to put one hand on the Premier League trophy. From the moment  Mohamed Salah  put  Liverpool  in front from a superbly-worked corner routine it looked a foregone conclusion that they would move 11 points clear in the title race. When Salah then set up Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool's second before halftime it was game over. Liverpool did not exactly set the pulse racing for the rest of the clash, but as they have done all season they managed the game superbly, soaking up City's possession with ease. Slot's side have scored a league-leading 64 goals yet are not the swashbuckling team that won the title in 2019/20 under charismatic German coach Jurgen Klopp. Dutchman Slot does not give the impression that he is overly-concerned with style marks, preferring the relentlessly efficient accumulation of points. His side had only 34%...

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has urged state governors, ministers, local government chairmen, and other stakeholders, including the private sector, to take urgent and decisive action against the scourge of malnutrition in the country. According to him, the consequences of malnutrition go beyond the health sector, forming the root of the challenges that hinder productivity, learning, and national growth. Senator Shettima made this statement on Thursday while officially launching the Nutrition 774 Initiative at the 148th meeting of the National Economic Council, NEC, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Beyond mere statistics, the Vice President noted that the alarming figures—indicating that about 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five suffer from stunting, 8 per cent from wasting, and 27 per cent from being underweight—represent real children whose futures are at risk even before they have a chance to begin their life’s journey. This, he said, is why the Nutrition 774...

One student was reportedly killed when parts of a classroom block collapsed at the Government Girls Science and Technical College , GGSTC, Potiskum, Yobe State. According to reports, the incident occurred during class hours on Thursday. Other students were injured in the incident. It was gathered that the injured students were rushed to hospital for medical treatment. Details of the cause of the incident have not been ascertained as of the time of filling in this report. Government Girls’ Science and Technical College Potiskum is a public science and technical boarding school established in 1979 to provide girl-child education in Yobe State.

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has raised concerns over the growing prevalence of substandard lubricants in the country, warning that such products pose serious risks to consumers and the economy. The agency also revealed that it seized and destroyed counterfeit and substandard goods worth over N20 billion in 2024 as part of its ongoing efforts to promote economic growth, industrialization and trade facilitation. The Director General, SON, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunoso Okeke, made this known on Monday during a sensitisation forum for maritime stakeholders in Kano. Represented by the Director, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Talatu Ethan, Okeke noted that SON’s enforcement efforts in 2024 resulted in the confiscation and destruction of fake products across several industries, including LPG cylinders, tires, cables, aluminum roofing sheets and lubricants.” Highlighting concerns over the lubricant sub-sector, Okeke warned against the proliferation of fake and substandard engine oils in the m...

M ashariq Al Dhahabiah Al Mutawazi, the Saudi Arabian company contracted by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and states Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards to provide services to Nigerian pilgrims during the 2025 Hajj exercise has threatened to take Nigeria to an international arbitration court due to the commission’s alleged “failure to adhere with terms of contract”. The company, in a letter dated 1446/08/17 (17/02/2025) addressed to the head of Nigerian pilgrims’ affairs office in Makkah, said the commission breached its contract agreement that it would be the sole service provider for Nigerian pilgrims during the Hajj exercise, especially in Muna and Arafah. It, therefore, gave the commission 20 days to normalise all the agreements signed by the two parties failing which it take the NAHCON to an international arbitration panel. Agreement Daily Trust   findings show that Mashariq Al Dhahabiah Al-Mutawazi and NAHCON had signed an agreement to cater for Nigerian pilgrim...

South African authorities have explained the reasons behind the arrest and detention of Anabela Rungo, the mother of the reigning Ms Universe Africa and Oceania, Chidimma Adetshina , by Home Affairs. According to a Homes Affairs, she was arrested for continuing to reside in South Africa after her documentation was revoked in September last year, over allegations of fraudulently obtaining her identity documents. Rungo was detained after her arrest in Cape Town, weekend, in a joint operation by Home Affairs investigators and the South African Police Service, SAPS. Explaining the reason for her detention, Siya Qoza, Home Affairs Department’s spokesperson, said Rungo was declared persona non grata in September 2024 after officials uncovered irregularities in her residency status. “Investigators from the department, assisted by SAPS, detained Anabela Rungo at a property in Cape Town. “The Department withdrew Rungo’s South African documentation in September 2024 after finding that it had bee...

  AS Nigeria steps up efforts to implement its N54.9 trillion 2025 budget, experts have expressed fears that President Donald Trump’s energy policy, targeted at increasing oil output would impact the $75 per barrel target on which the budget is based, inflation and Diaspora remittances, among others. With his  ”Drill Baby Drill”  energy policy, President Trump said America would invest in fossil energy resources, boost oil and gas output in order to meet its domestic needs, a development analysts said could lead to oversupply and low prices in the international market. Reacting, the director/CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, said President Trump’s policy would hinder the realization of Nigeria’s $75 per barrel 2025 budget target, escalate high inflation, while stalling Diaspora remittances. He said: “USA has been the largest oil producer globally for the past six years, noting that in 2023, it produced an average of 21.91 million b...

T ricycle riders in Enugu State, on Friday took to the streets to protest against what they described as daily extortion, harassment, and corruption by the state chairman of the Amalgamated Tricycle Riders Union, Mr. Kingsley Edeh, and the Commissioner of Transportation, Dr Obi Ozor.  The protesters alleged that the ministry of transportation, in collaboration with the union chairman, has been charging them N200 daily, making their daily levy N750, contrary to the N550 announced by the Enugu State government. The protesters, who gathered around Edinburgh in the Enugu North Local Government Area, called on Governor Peter Mbah to intervene urgently and bring those involved to book.  One of the protesters, who identified himself as Anike Calistus, lamented the harassment and extortion they face on a daily basis from the taskforce team of the Ministry of Transport, allegedly in collaboration with the state union chairman.  "They only care about their gain, not our welfare," C...

Governor   Lucky Aiyedatiwa , has released the sun of N2.5bn for payment of local government pensioners that retired in 2013 in Ondo State. Aiyedatiwa who promised to clear all owed gratuities of workers in the state, said a system of regular warehousing of funds for gratuity payment to pensioners both at the state and local government levels has been put in place.  Aiyedatiwa spoke in Akure while flagging-off the 4th tranche of bulk payment of outstanding gratuities to pensioners in the state. He said the system has assisted his administration to make bulk defrayment of gratuity of pensioners in the State.  The governor denied paying gratuity to play politics but sincerity of his administration. He said his administration would build infrastructure and all provide welfare for wellness and wellbeing of people. “I like to use this occasion to pledge our irrevocable commitment to this plan until the last kobo of gratuity owed retirees in Ondo State is finally liquidated. ...

US President Donald Trump has fired the independent inspector general for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), US media outlets reported on Wednesday. Paul Martin’s dismissal came a day after his office issued a report critical of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency, the Washington Post, CNN and others reported. They cited a two-sentence email from the White House sent on Tuesday to Martin telling him his position was “terminated, effective immediately,” but with no explanation of the reasons for the decision. His office’s report had warned that more than $489 million in food assistance was at risk of spoilage or potential diversion after the Trump administration implemented an aid freeze and stop-work order. The report said it had long “identified significant challenges and offered recommendations to improve Agency programming to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.” “However, recent widespread staffing reductions across the Agency… coupled with unce...

  The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed claims that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, stating that the allegations are misleading and inaccurate. In a statement on Thursday, the Force Headquarters acknowledged challenges encountered during civil unrest, including the killing of police officers, attacks on armouries, and the looting of arms. However, it emphasised that efforts have been made to recover and account for the lost weapons. According to Force Public Relations Officer ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, “Every effort has been made to account for the arms taken, and many have already been recovered and returned to the force’s armouries.” It reads, “The Nigeria Police Force expresses surprise and deep concerns regarding recent news alleging that 3,907 arms are missing from the Nigeria Police Force. “These allegations are misleading and inaccurate. “The Force wishes to clarify that this report appears to stem from an assessment of the report by the Office of the Auditor-...

Australia spin bowler Matt Kuhnemann has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action after his dominant performance in the Test series against Sri Lanka. The left-arm spinner was the most prolific bowler in Australia's 2-0 whitewash in Galle, taking 16 wickets at an average of 17.18. Kuhnemann  will now need to have his action tested to prove its legality. A bowler is allowed 15 degrees of extension in their elbow before a delivery is considered illegal. Cricket Australia (CA) said it was notified of the match officials' report after the second Test in Galle and would support Kuhnemann through the testing process. "Cricket Australia will liaise closely with the ICC (International Cricket Council) and independent experts in line with ICC regulations," CA said in a statement on Wednesday. Kuhnemann's action has never previously been questioned in 124 professional matches dating back to 2017, including five Tests and four one-day internationals. FLASHSCORES