Power generation hits 5,543MW in 2025 (Guardian)
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that the power sector achieved a new peak generation of 5,543.20MW for the year 2025 on Friday, February 14, 2025, at 11:00 p.m.
The new peak surpassed the previous peak of 5,478.73MW recorded on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
In a statement, the TCN said the new Maximum Daily Energy of 125,159.48MWH is the highest ever recorded in the nation’s electricity industry, exceeding the previous record of 121,674.88MWH on February 7, 2025, by 3,484.60MWH.
It said it successfully transmitted the new peak generation and maximum daily energy to the distribution companies’ load centres nationwide for onward distribution to their customers. Read more
FG to bar 60,000-litre fuel tankers from roads March 1 (DailyTrust)
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has announced a ban on 60,000-litre fuel tankers from operating on Nigerian roads, effective March 1, 2025, to mitigate truck-in-transit incidents, some of which had resulted in infernos and several deaths.
The agency also explained that no truck with over 45,000 litres in capacity will be allowed to load products by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, Ogbugo Ukoha, NMDPRA Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure, said the decision was made in response to the increasing number of road accidents involving heavy-duty petroleum tankers. Read more
Lagos assembly denies rumoured defection of 27 APC members to LP (Channels)
The Lagos State House of Assembly has denied the rumoured defection of 27 of its members from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Labour Party (LP).
In a statement on Wednesday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Ogundipe Olukayode, said reports (not by Channels Television) insinuating the defection of members of the Assembly are “false, misleading, and a deliberate attempt to misinform the public”.
The Assembly also said the rumoured defection was aimed to “sow discord and confusion within the Assembly and among the good people of Lagos State”. Read more
Tax Reform Bill: Senate begins public hearing Monday (NewTelegraph)
The Senate Committee on Finance will on Monday and Tuesday, hold a public hearing on the tax reform bill forwarded to the two Chambers of the National Assembly on October 3rd, 2024 by President Bola Tinubu.
The tax reform bills are (i) The Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024, (ii)The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB) 2024, (iii) The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill (NRSEB) 2024 and (iv) The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill (JRBEB) 2024, were passed for second reading in the Senate on 28th of November, 2024.
The legislative proposals were also forwarded to the Committee on Finance for more legislative inputs through public hearings. Read more
No evidence USAID funds Boko Haram – US Ambassador (Punch)
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has said there is no evidence that the United States Agency for International Development is funding Boko Haram or any terrorist group.
Mills stated after meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja late Wednesday night that no nation condemns Boko Haram’s violence more strongly than the US.
He assured all that if any evidence is found, the US government will work with the Nigerian government to investigate it. Read more
Sacking elected council chairmen treason, AGF warns govs (Sun)
Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister for Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has warned that illegal removal of local government chairmen by governors was a treasonable offence.
Fagbemi spoke in Abuja during the opening ceremony of an event organised by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), yesterday.
His remarks came amid ongoing crisis in Osun State over the status of sacked local government chairpersons. The controversy began following a Court of Appeal ruling on February 10 regarding the officials that were removed from office in 2022. Read more
APM Terminals to sustain cargo evacuation from Apapa to Ibadan through rail (Leadership)
To decongest and ensure quick evacuation of cargoes out of the Apapa seaport, APM Terminals Nigeria has announced its commitment to sustain the schedule of the Apapa-Moniya Standard Gauge.
The sustenance of the schedule will ensure the seamless flow of cargo to and from the Apapa port to the Nigerian Railway Corporation Freight Yard at Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Chief Commercial Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi, made this known during the launch of the Apapa-Ibadan standard gauge rail service for container transportation.
She said, “The plan for the Apapa-Moniya standard gauge rail service is that it operates like an airport conveyor belt system, receiving exports from the hinterland and evacuating imports from the port efficiently, on a fixed schedule without interruptions.” Read more
FIRS sues Binance for $79.51b over alleged economic losses (Nation)
The Federal Government has taken legal action against Binance Holdings Limited, a global cryptocurrency exchange, seeking $79.51 billion and N231 million in compensation for alleged economic losses caused by its operations in the country.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) filed the lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing Binance and two of its executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, of failing to register with the FIRS for tax compliance and violating Nigerian financial regulations.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1444/2024, also, demands $2.001 billion in unpaid income taxes for 2022 and 2023. Read more
Oprah, Selena Gomez and Ben Stiller among latest group of 2025 Oscars presenters announced (People)
A new group of A-list talent has been announced as presenters at the 2025 Oscars.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan announced even more presenters for the 97th annual Academy Awards.
Several stars from nominated features will be presenting, including Emilia Perez star Selena Gomez, 4’s Joe Alwyn, Nosferatu‘s Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe, and Gladiator II’s Connie Nielsen, Read more
Woman in court charged with killing girl, 5, by ‘forcing her into scalding bath’ (Metro)
A woman has appeared in court accused of killing a five-year-old child by forcing her into a scalding hot bath.
Janice Nix, 66, is charged with manslaughter over the death of Andrea Bernard, who was taken to hospital after she suffered burns in Thornton Heath, south London, on June 6, 1978.
Andrea was treated at a hospital in Croydon before being transferred to a specialist burns unit in East Grinstead, West Sussex, but died from her injuries on July 13 that year. Read more
Elon Musk’s spicy messages with alleged mother of his 13th child, Ashley St. Clair, revealed (PageSix)
Things got a little X-rated on X.
Elon Musk and Ashley St. Clair‘s spicy tweets to one another have resurfaced after she claimed the tech giant was the father of her newborn baby.
The Tesla founder and the author’s naughty messages to one another began in early 2023 when they were rumored to have first met.
In February 2023, Musk, 53, simply tweeted, “420,” to which St. Clair responded, “69,” seemingly referring to the nickname for the sexual position. Read more
Frail Ugandan opposition figure back in jail after brief court appearance (AfricaNews)
Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye appeared briefly in a civilian court Wednesday as attorneys tried to secure his freedom, but a judge said he was too unwell to follow proceedings.
A visibly frail Besigye, who has been detained since November, was driven back to a maximum-security prison in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.
He went missing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on 16 November last year, and days later appeared in a cage before a military tribunal in Kampala. Read more
Israel prepares for ‘very difficult day’; bodies of youngest hostages to be returned (VOA)
Hamas is scheduled to turn over the bodies of four slain hostages Thursday, including those of the youngest captives – infant Kfir Bibas, who was 9 months old when he was kidnapped, and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel Bibas.
Both were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Video footage of the abduction showed their mother, Shiri Bibas, swaddling her redheaded boys in a blanket and being whisked away by armed men.
The boys and their mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023, according to Hamas. Their father, Yarden Bibas, was kidnapped separately and returned alive earlier this month. Read more
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer criticises Ryan Reynolds for Saturday Night Live sketch (FarOut)
Bryan Freedman, the lawyer representing Justin Baldoni in his legal battle against Blake Lively, has condemned Ryan Reynolds for appearing in a sketch which made light of the saga on Saturday Night Live.
Reynolds, who previously hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2009, was among the star-studded audience for the show’s 50th-anniversary special over the past weekend and made a brief cameo during the broadcast.
On the three-hour SNL 50 special which aired on NBC on February 16th, Reynolds, who walked the red carpet with Lively prior to the event, appeared when hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler participated in a segment that welcomed questions from audience members. Read more
Donald Trump is living in Russian ‘‘disinformation space,’’ Zelenskyy says (Global)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” as a result of his administration’s discussions with Kremlin officials.
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Zelenskyy said he “would like Trump’s team to be more truthful.”
He made the comments shortly before he was expected to meet with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, who arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Kellogg will meet Zelenskyy and military commanders as the U.S. shifts its policy away from years of efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read more
Again, Amokachi resigns as Lobi Stars technical adviser amid NPFL struggles (DailyTrust)
Former Super Eagles coach Daniel Amokachi has stepped down as Technical Adviser of Lobi Stars, leaving the team languishing at the bottom of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) table.
Amokachi’s resignation follows a series of disappointing performances, with Lobi Stars managing just 22 points from 24 matches. Assistant Coach Tar Akombo will now take charge as the team prepares for a crucial NPFL clash against second-placed Shooting Stars in Ibadan tomorrow.
Daily Trust reports that Amokachi’s departure comes as little surprise, given the club’s ongoing struggles and relegation fears. This marks the second time he has resigned from the club, having initially quit in December 2024 before making a brief return. Read more
Lookman to quit Atalanta after penalty row with Gasperini (Nation)
Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman will leave Atalanta at the end of the season according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Lookman has been at the centre of attention on social media after Atalanta’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, criticized him for missing a penalty in their 3-1 Champions League loss to Club Brugge on Tuesday, leading to their elimination from the competition.
In response, Lookman took to his official social media handles to express his disappointment, asserting that he felt deeply disrespected and hurt by Gasperini’s comments. Read more
Emma Raducanu breaks silence after harrowing encounter with ‘fixated’ fan (NYPost)
Emma Raducanu opened up about the “difficult experience” involving a fan who “exhibited fixated behavior” toward her during the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Raducanu, 22, cried Tuesday after seeing the man during her match against Karolina Muchova.
“Thank you for the messages of support,” Raducanu wrote Wednesday her instagram Story. Read more
Formula 1 star Pierre Gasly arrives at London event in unseen vehicle (Express)
Formula 1 star Pierre Gasly caused quite a stir among racing enthusiasts when he turned up at the Formula One 75 Live event in London in an unseen vehicle.
The French racer made his grand entrance at the glitzy event, hosted at London’s O2, in what has since been identified as the eagerly awaited Alpine A290.
Tuesday’s glamorous gathering celebrated the sport’s 75th anniversary and marked the inaugural occasion of launching a new season with all teams present in a combined event. Read more
Arsenal post £17.7m loss despite record revenues (Guardian)
Arsenal lost £17.7 million in the 2023/24 season despite a return to the Champions League helping to post a club record £616.6 million ($775 million) revenue.
The Gunners missed out narrowly to finish second to Manchester City in the Premier League and reached the quarter-finals in their first Champions League campaign since 2016/17 before bowing out to Bayern Munich.
A return to Europe’s elite club competition contributed towards a £71 million rise in broadcasting revenue and £29 million more matchday income. Read more
Kylian Mbappe scores hat-trick to eliminate Man City from the Champions League (Metro)
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday to dump the English side out of the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s men went into the play-off second leg at the Bernabeu needing a miracle after losing 3-2 in the first meeting between the sides.But French superstar striker Mbappe was on fire as he scored three times against a City side who were incredibly poor despite a late consolation. Read more