IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

President Bola Tinubu has approved the reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Mele Kyari.

In a statement by Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, in the early hours of Wednesday, Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023. The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Kida as Non-Executive Chairman.

Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu. six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West; Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central. President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South-West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East. Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board.

In contrast, Aminu Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. All the appointments are effective from April 2. President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.

President Tinubu also gave the new board an immediate action plan to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives. 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart for Paris, France, on Wednesday on a short working visit, the Presidency has revealed. A statement signed by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said that during the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones.

He added that Tinubu will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary. “This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year.

“Recent economic strides reinforce the President’s commitment to these efforts, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria reporting a significant increase in net foreign exchange reserves to $23.11 billion—a testament to the administration’s fiscal reforms since 2023 when net reserves were $3.99 billion,” Onanuga said.

He added that while away, President Tinubu will remain fully engaged with his team and continue to oversee governance activities. He will return to Nigeria in about a fortnight, according to the statement. 

Edo Governorship Election Tribunal Dismisses AA’s Petition

The Edo State Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and its candidate, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, challenging the election of Governor Mo. 

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has officially announced the members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 23rd National Sports Festival, scheduled to be held in Enugu in 2026. In a statement, Governor Mbah emphasized that the committee members were carefully selected based on their expertise, outstanding contributions to the sports sector, and dedication to excellence. The LOC will be led by the Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ike Ekweremadu Jr., who will serve as the chairman.

Full List of LOC Members:

Bamiduro Olumide – A respected sports management expert and former badminton champion, serving as General Secretary.

Mary Onyali – Former world-class athlete with extensive international experience.

Aku Aghazu – Accomplished lawyer specializing in sports management.

Victor Okorie – Elite athletes’ representative and member of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Blessing Chisalam Ekwe – Chief Operating Officer of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria and a FIFA-licensed agent.

Davidson Owumi – Highly experienced sports administrator, current Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Professional Football League, and former General Manager of Enugu Rangers FC.

Tony Ugwu – Chairman, Enugu Football Association.

Henry Chinedu Okorie – Executive member of the Nigeria Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Nigeria Athletics Athletes Commission.

Jonathan Nnaji – President of Nigeria’s Modern Pentathlon Federation, Vice President of the Africa Modern Pentathlon Confederation, and Executive Board Member of the Nigeria Olympic Committee.

Boniface Onovo – Director of Organising, Enugu State Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Ephraim Ochonma – Director of Coaching, Enugu State Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Obiora Obasi – Technical Assistant to the Honourable Commissioner, Enugu State Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Governor Mbah expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to organize a successful and world-class sporting event, highlighting their collective expertise and individual track records in sports administration.

In response, LOC Chairman and Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ike Ekweremadu Jr., reaffirmed the state’s commitment to hosting a festival that meets international standards, ensuring an unforgettable experience for athletes and spectators alike.

The 2026 National Sports Festival is expected to be a landmark event, showcasing Enugu’s capacity as a premier destination for national and international sporting competitions. 

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has pledged full support for the upcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), recognizing it as a crucial platform for discovering and nurturing emerging sporting talent in the region.

Dikko who is set to officially declare the festival open, reaffirms the Commission’s dedication to grassroots sports development across Nigeria. The event, scheduled from April 1 to 8 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, will bring together athletes from across the Niger Delta to compete in various sporting disciplines. Speaking ahead of the festival, NSC Director General Bukola Olopade commended the initiative and encouraged other states to adopt similar programs to enhance Nigeria’s talent pipeline.

“The Niger Delta Sports Festival represents a vital platform for discovering and nurturing raw talent,” Olopade stated. “We encourage more states to implement similar initiatives to strengthen Nigeria’s sporting future.” In a significant boost for the festival, organizers announced PremiumTrust Bank as the official financial partner of the event.

The NDSF aims to showcase young athletes, foster regional unity, and promote youth engagement in sports, solidifying its role as a key contributor to Nigeria’s sports development landscape. 

Global Rights, a human rights advocacy organization, has strongly condemned the brutal lynching of sixteen hunters in Uromi, Edo State, on March 27, 2025. The victims were reportedly mistaken for kidnappers by local vigilantes, who took the law into their own hands, leading to a tragic case of extrajudicial killing.

In a statement released by its Executive Director, Abiodun Baiyewu, Global Rights described the incident as “senseless and heinous,” highlighting the growing disregard for human life in Nigeria. The organization stressed that such acts directly violate Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and prohibits unlawful killings.

Furthermore, the statement condemned the ethnic profiling that often fuels such violence. Citing Section 43 of the Constitution, which grants Nigerians the right to reside in any part of the country, Global Rights warned that unchecked vigilantism poses a serious threat to national unity and security. While acknowledging public frustration over the government’s inability to tackle rising insecurity, the organization emphasized that vigilante justice cannot replace lawful enforcement. “Nothing justifies this act of jungle justice,” the statement read, warning that such actions risk inflaming ethnic and religious tensions.

Global Rights is now calling on the Nigerian government to launch an immediate and thorough investigation into the killings. The group insists that all those responsible both perpetrators and accomplices must be held accountable.

The organization also extended its condolences to the families of the victims and urged leaders across political, religious, and traditional spheres to promote messages of peace and unity. “This tragedy must not be exploited to incite further violence,” Baiyewu stated.

Finally, Global Rights reiterated its demand for the government to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect lives and ensure justice. It warned that the rise in extrajudicial killings is a direct result of the state’s failure to provide adequate security, calling for urgent reforms to restore public trust in law enforcement. As investigations unfold, many Nigerians are left questioning how such a deadly mistake could happen and what must change to prevent future tragedies.