Author: Mujeedat
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply over the weekend of 16–17 August 2026, with shiptracking data showing just five commodity vessels transiting the strait on Saturday and none registered on Sunday, down from 31 in the prior weekend, following attacks on tankers and stalled U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the Middle East conflict. According to Kpler data, ships entering the strait on Saturday included an empty Very Large Crude Carrier with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off and an Indian-flagged Very Large Gas Carrier that used the Iranian route. A small tanker laden with Iranian fuel oil…
Moody’s Ratings has cautioned that persistently high oil prices or fuel rationing could weaken broader economic activity and ultimately weigh on energy demand, even as it expects earnings growth for exploration and production (E&P) and integrated oil companies to remain elevated through 2026, supported by higher commodity prices and modest production growth. In a report released in mid-August 2026, Moody’s said credit conditions for global oil and gas producers strengthened during the first half of 2026, with E&P companies leading industry upgrades as higher crude prices improved earnings expectations. The agency upgraded 13 oil and gas companies globally during…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is seeking to improve cargo clearance and turnaround time by expanding the use of risk-based assessment, intelligence and technology in its enforcement operations. The Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, Gambo Aliyu, disclosed this when executives of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) visited the command. Aliyu said the Service was conscious of the need to strengthen enforcement without creating unnecessary bottlenecks for legitimate businesses and cargo owners. He explained that the deployment of modern technology and embedded risk-assessment systems was critical to achieving this balance, as it…
A Service of Songs for the late Mrs. Lucy Babe Appolus Nwiue will be held on Thursday, 20 August 2026, at the Chief Appolus Compound, Nyorkuru, in Nyorkhana Local Government Area of Rivers State. A statement signed by Surveyor Festus Nwiue (PhD) disclosed that the service of songs will take place at the family compound on the same day. Deaconess Lucy Baby Nwiue died on 30 March 2026 after a brief illness and will be buried at her husband’s country home on 22 August 2026, following a funeral service at the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Taabaa Circuit. …
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 399 fully assembled patrol rifles and hundreds of firearm components concealed in an imported container at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos, in what Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described as a major intervention against the proliferation of illicit weapons in Nigeria. The Customs boss disclosed this during a formal handover of the seized firearms to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), stressing that the interception had prevented a potentially dangerous consignment from reaching its intended destination. According to Adeniyi, the container arrived…
There are strong indications of a major breakthrough in efforts to reconcile aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta South Senatorial District, following a peace meeting between the Senator representing the district, Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, and Hon. Prince Michael Diden, popularly known as Ejele. On Sunday, Senator Onowakpo led a high-powered delegation of APC leaders and stakeholders to Diden’s residence as part of renewed efforts to resolve lingering differences and strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. The delegation included the Delta South APC Senatorial District Chairman, Prince Emmam Amgbaduba; Chief of Staff to…
President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians living abroad to move beyond sending remittances for household support and instead channel their capital, skills and global networks into structured, long-term investments at home, arguing that the diaspora’s economic power should translate into a stronger voice in national development. Delivering his message through Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila at the inaugural Nigeria Diaspora Economic Conference (NIDEC) 2026 in Toronto, Tinubu said the Federal Government sees the diaspora as critical partners in rebuilding the economy and creating jobs. He described Nigerians abroad as proof of the global competitiveness of the Nigerian spirit…
The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Lawal Babale Musa before Justice Olusola Adetujoye of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan on a 57-count charge of forgery, uttering of documents and stealing to the tune of N56,491,000. According to the EFCC, Musa, between 2 November 2022 and 22 July 2024, converted the sum to his personal use after collecting it from Ibrahim Shuaibu, who had gathered the money from 10 intending pilgrims, Jibril Adamu, Suleiman Aminatu, Musa Haruna, Suleiman N. Abdullahi, Audu Bello, Yusuf Umaru, Saidu Musa, Idris Suleiman, Musa…
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) counterpart, Peter Obi, have congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election for a second term. They felicitated the Accord Party chieftain on Sunday in separate statements shared via their respective X (formerly Twitter) accounts. According to Atiku, Adeleke’s emergence for a second term as Osun State governor reflects the choice of the state’s electorate. He went on to commend residents of the state for their peaceful conduct during the off-cycle election. Taking to his verified account, Atiku wrote: “I…
khadijah_adeola@outlook.comThe All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun says its leadership is currently studying the results of Saturday’s governorship election. This is contained in a statement by the APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, on Sunday in Osogbo. The party said it would explore all constitutional avenues to determine its next course of action. “We are not unaware of the fact that election is a process which begins with the registration of voters, through the primary election to the election proper, and extends to the Tribunal, the Court of Appeal and terminates at the Supreme Court.…