Author: damazah@gmail.com

Nigerian delegates, alongside their counterparts from other African countries under the African Group of Negotiators, will push for the establishment of a legally binding instrument on drought management and increased financing to address desertification and land degradation across the continent at the forthcoming 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Mongolia. The Director of the Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Management Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Etim William, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES ahead of the conference. “Nigeria, alongside other African countries, wants to push for a legally…

In a new filing in its long-running legal dispute with Epic Games, Apple has proposed a structure that would allow it to collect fees on digital purchases made via external links that don’t use the company’s in-app purchase system. Epic has already responded, saying that Apple’s request is “far outside of the bounds” of the court’s guidance.Right now, Apple cannot take a commission on external purchases after California district court judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April 2025 that found the company “willfully” didn’t comply with her 2021 Epic Games v. Apple injunction. However, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals…

Events in Osun State ahead of tomorrow’s election have put critical state institutions in a tough spot; getting out of it demands that they deliver on the promises of democracy. Vincent Obia writes  Since August 5, when Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the freezing of Osun State’s federal statutory allocation account, there has been a chorus of reaction, some condemning and others commending the action. But the bottom-line appears to be that the adventure does not serve the political interests of President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC), both in the state, where it is in the opposition,…

The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has led a group of strategic investors in the recently completed $2.5 billion private placement by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE (DPRP). In a statement issued on Thursday, AFC said the latest investment reflects its model of providing early-stage risk capital and recycling funding into the next generation of transformative projects once assets reach stable and cash-generative operations. DPRP owns the approximately $20 billion integrated refining and petrochemical complex located on a 2,500-hectare site in Lagos. The refinery has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day and processes crude petroleum…

Innes Senior scored twice as Leigh Leopards inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Betfred Super League leaders Leeds Rhinos by winning 20-16 at Headingley.Wing Senior went over twice in the first half after team-mate Josh Charnley’s effort had cancelled out Ryan Hall’s opener for Leeds, for whom Brodie Croft also touched down before the break. In balmy, energy-sapping conditions after the hottest day in the UK this year, Leigh scored a fourth try through centre Umyla Hanley early in the second period and then withstood heavy pressure to seal a deserved win. Ryan Hall thought his late…

The ideal way to approach Mine, Adam Ouston’s second novel, might be to read it out loud in one exhausting sitting, to let its cadences roll and accumulate. This is a novel that consists of one long sentence, and thousands of clauses, digressions, conjunctions, modifications and clarifications. There is nowhere for the reader to rest.To read Mine out loud would leave one short of breath, parched, uncomfortable, delirious – and thus in sync with its central character, a poet, activist and teacher who has tumbled to the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft in western Tasmania, and now lies in…

The Edo State Government says it is currently attending to over 72 cases of child abuse, with most of the sexual abuse cases involving fathers and their minor daughters. Eugenia Abdallah, the State commissioner for women affairs and social development, disclosed this while giving an account of the ministry’s activities between October 2025 and August 2026 at a news conference on Thursday in Benin. Ms Abdallah said the ministry is paying close attention to the rehabilitation of victims while pursuing the prosecution of offenders. “In response to child abuse and sexual exploitation, the ministry responded to serious cases, including allegations…

Osogbo, Nigeria – On Saturday, voters in southwestern Nigeria’s Osun State will choose their next governor. On paper, it is a contest over who will run a state of about 4.7 million people. But for Nigeria’s political class, it carries a broader question: What could the result reveal about the alliances, voter loyalties and political machinery that could shape the 2027 presidential election?Osun is holding an off-cycle election, meaning its governor is elected separately from the presidential and National Assembly. With the next general election due in 2027, Osun is one of the last major electoral tests before the national…

Farage says he will not attend vote count amid ‘plot to embarrass him’Nigel Farage has said he will not attend the Clacton byelection count after advice from Essex police about a plot to embarrass him on stage during the announcement of the result.The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official announcement of the result of the byelection by telling supporters he had secured more votes than when he won the seat at the 2024 general election.Farage called the result a “convincing, overwhelming win” that would surpass the 21,225 votes he received just two years ago, PA Media is reporting.However, speaking at…

Chinedu Eze Stakeholders in the aviation industry have called for stricter labour laws that will protect passengers during flight disruptions by aviation unions or other actions that will deny travellers their right to travel as scheduled. Reacting to the recent disruption of flights by aviation unions, they said passengers were usually the victims when such disruptions take place. Industry consultant and former Rector of the College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Captain Samuel Caulcrick, spoke on how passengers’ interest could be protected during such incidents Caulcrick wants government to introduce legislation preventing industrial disputes from disrupting passenger journeys. His proposal…