SparkBblog

 Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has stated that Nigeria is undergoing a fundamental and disruptive reset, following the removal of subsidies by President Bola Tinubu. Soludo made this remark during Veritas University’s 13th convocation lecture in Abuja, on Thursday. The lecture, titled ‘Let Us Make a New Deal for Nigeria’, explored ways to address the country’s challenges. Soludo noted the need to transition from subsidies, which largely benefitted the urban elite, to a productive social contract that creates opportunities for all. He explained that the country has ended the harmful fuel, foreign exchange, and electricity subsidies. “We have entered a ‘muddling-through’ phase that requires careful navigation,” Soludo said. He acknowledged that, despite other issues, the military regimes invested in education during Nigeria’s early oil booms. Soludo urged Nigerians to craft a pragmatic new deal for the country, as well as an emergency national infrastructure plan, sim...

 A video of naira rain at a recent glitzy event has kept the Internet buzzing for three reasons. First, it seemed to be a public contest for the wealthiest guest at the occasion. They made cash confetti in the air and put a carpet of notes on the floor. Second, the event evoked memories of cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky, and his encounter with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Third, and more worryingly, it posed a major question: are there two sets of laws for Nigerians, one for the common folk, and another for the rich and powerful? Bobrisky seems made for the news. The latest is that he has finally flown overseas after Immigration officials bundled him off a KLM flight on the night of October 31 and promptly took him into custody over bribery allegations he reportedly made against the EFCC. Before the airport encounter, the 33-year-old social media influencer had presumably served a six-month prison sentence for abusing the naira. Showering pe...

  Nigerian actress Sarah Martins has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Baltasar Engonga, the Equatorial Guinea government worker embroiled in a scandal involving leaked explicit videos. The internet was shaken when approximately 400 explicit videos featuring Engonga surfaced, sparking global reactions and diverse opinions. Engonga's position in the government has raised concerns about abuse of power and exploitation. Martins took to social media to share her thoughts, stating that despite the scandal, Engonga remains an attractive figure to many women. She attributed this to his perceived prowess in bed, considering it a desirable trait. "Engonga's skills and energy in bed make him a sought-after partner," Martins said. "Some women willingly engaged with him, while others may have been offered as a settlement to clear their husbands' corruption records."  Martins' comments have ignited debate, with some criticizing her views and others suppor...

 Australia’s prime minister on Thursday vowed to ban children under 16 from social media, saying the pervasive influence of platforms like Facebook and TikTok was “doing real harm to our kids”. The tech giants would be held responsible for enforcing the age limit and face hefty fines if regulators notice young users slipping through the cracks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Australia is among the vanguard of nations trying to clean up social media, and the proposed age limit would be among the world’s strictest measures aimed at children. “This one is for the mums and dads. Social media is doing real harm to kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese told reporters outside parliament. The new laws would be presented to state and territory leaders this week, before being introduced to parliament in late November. Once passed, the tech platforms would be given a one-year grace period to figure out how to implement and enforce the ban. “The onus will be on social media platfor...

 United States President Joe Biden will address the nation on Thursday, committing to a peaceful transfer of power to Donald Trump after his political rival secured a decisive victory over Kamala Harris in the recent election. In what is expected to be a solemn moment for Biden, he will speak from the White House Rose Garden at 11 am (1600 GMT) to “discuss the election results and the transition” to Trump’s second term. The 81-year-old withdrew from the race against Trump in July 2024, passing the Democratic nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris — only to see his legacy likely threatened by the Republican’s surprising comeback. Biden is, however, determined to present a stark contrast to Trump, whose refusal to accept his own 2020 election defeat by Biden culminated in the violent assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021. Trump, falsely claiming voter fraud, also declined to attend Biden’s inauguration and blocked a standard transition process. The Whit...

 Three oil marketers, AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals. The marketers, in a joint counter affidavit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, and dated November 5, 2024, a response to an originating summon filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, argued that granting the application of refinery would spell doom for the country’s oil sector. They emphasised that the plan to monopolise the oil sector is a recipe for disaster in the country. Dangote refinery in its originating summon dated September 6, 2024, had sued Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited as 1st to 7th defendants respectively. The refinery prayed the court...

 The Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, is dead. This was confirmed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday. In the statement titled ‘Announcement of the Passing of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja,’ Onanuga said Lagbaja died on Tuesday night in Lagos after a period of illness. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, regrets to announce the passing of Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, Chief of the Army Staff, at age 56. “President Tinubu expresses his heartfelt condolences to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces during this difficult time.  He wishes Lt. General Lagbaja eternal peace and honours his significant contributions to the nation,” the statement read. Lagbaja was appointed Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023, by Tinubu. Tinubu and First Lady decorating the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja Tinubu and First Lady decora...

 The government in Equatorial Guinea has commenced a probe into hundreds of leaked pornographic videos allegedly involving high-ranking civil servant, Baltasar Engonga, having sex with various women, including wives of prominent officials in his office. The government has further ordered the installation of surveillance cameras in courts and ministries to combat “indecent and illicit acts.” It also announced that it was suspending officials involved in the scandal, according to a statement issued by the Equatorial Guinea Press and Information Office, published on the government’s website on Tuesday. Vice-President Teodoro Mangue on Tuesday said any official found engaging in sex acts at work would be sanctioned as this was a “flagrant violation of the code of conduct.” The government said the recent decisions had been taken in the wake of the widely circulated videos which had “denigrated the image of the country.” “Among the decisions taken are the suspension of employment of the ...

 Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former president Donald Trump are battling it out for the White House, with polls nearly all closed across the United States early Wednesday — but results still coming in. US media have thus far projected that Trump has won in 24 states, including big prizes Texas and Ohio, key battlegrounds Georgia and North Carolina and other reliably Republican-leaning states. Harris has so far captured 15 states including big electoral vote prizes California and New York — as well as the US capital Washington. So far, that gives Trump 243 electoral votes and Harris 194. The magic number to win the presidency is 270. Observers expect the hotly contested race for the White House to come down to a handful of key battleground states. The following is a list of the states won by each candidate and the corresponding number of electoral votes, based on the projections of US media including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC/NBC News, ABC and CBS. – TRUMP (243...

  The Government of Equatorial Guinea has restricted its citizens from downloading and sharing multimedia files using mobile data on WhatsApp. This decision was followed by the guidelines that the country’s government gave to telecommunications operators when it urged them to implement measures to restrict access to inappropriate content. The country’s Director General, National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga,  was enmeshed in a sex scandal involving the wives of notable people. The scandal emerged in the course of a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old Economist which resulted in the search of his house and office on impromptu notice by ANIF officials who came across several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with different married women. The over 400 videos reportedly include encounters with high-profile individuals, such as his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Director General of Police’s wife, an...

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested the immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. According to THE WILL, Okowa was taken into custody in Port Harcourt, Rivers State(Zonal Office) over alleged misappropriation and embezzlement of billions of naira belonging to Delta state during his tenure as governor. The EFCC is yet to officially confirm the arrest of the former governor who presided over the state from May 2015 to May 2019.Recall that Okowa was the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections. Okowa, a trained medical doctor served as the senator representing Delta North from 2011 to 2019. Before then, he served as the Secretary to the Delta State Government. UPDATE According to sources within the commission, Okowa is being interrogated over N1.3 Trillion Derivation funds. “Okowa was at our Port Harcourt office following an invitation from investigators probing the allegati...

  A former Senator from Anambra State, Ishaku Abbo has disclosed a new plan which he said will significantly lower petrol costs by early 2025. During a press briefing on Monday in Yola, Abbo said the details of his proposal has been formally sent to President Bola Tinubu. He claims the plan if approved, could bring petrol prices down to N480 per litre by February next year. Currently, Nigerians are facing record-high fuel prices, with many stations selling petrol for over N1000 per litre. The drastic increase came after the federal government completely removed the fuel subsidy, which had previously kept prices at a more affordable level. This move has left citizens struggling with higher costs for transportation, food, and basic goods. Aside from the increase in petrol prices, Nigerians are dealing with multiple challenges, including power outages. Recently, a national power grid collapse left the northern part of the country in darkness for almost three weeks, adding to the diffi...

News Sources: Vanguard Scores of Nigerians gathered in Abuja on Monday, launching a large-scale protest over escalating fuel costs, chronic fuel shortages, and mounting economic hardship. Led by Abdullahi Bilal of the (Two Million Man March Against Oil Scam Cabal) and Barrister Napoleon Otache and Olayemi Isaac from Citizens and Economic Freedom Rights Activists in Nigeria (CEFRAN), the demonstrators demanded immediate action to address what they described as failed leadership in managing the country’s oil sector. Central to the protests were grievances over skyrocketing fuel prices and the never-ending queues, which they argued have driven inflation and plunged millions of Nigerians into poverty. Nigeria Vows To Protect Citizens In Libya News Sources: Punch The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens in Libya following a recent ruling by the Confederation of African Football against the Libyan Football Association. The CAF deci...

 As reported by Punch, an unnamed individual from Ibadan has confessed to killing over 70 women for ritual purposes in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State. The man, who claims to be a pastor and hails from the Foko neighborhood of Ibadan, made this disturbing admission during an interview on Yinka Ayefele's radio show, "Opeyemi," on Saturday. Mistina Orobo stated that the blood of these women was essential for him to rejuvenate his mystical powers, and their bodies were eaten after the necessary blood was drawn. "My idol has been involved with around 73 to 76 women over the course of more than seven years. He usually meets these women at clubs or other well-known venues," he said. The confessed ritual killer explained that his motive for committing these heinous crimes was to maintain his supposed invincibility. "When I consume human flesh, I do it intentionally to rejuvenate the voodoo energy within me. Occasionally, when I'm shot, the bullets don't g...