MTN pays $98 million part of Nigerian fine: officials Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | South African telecoms giant MTN has paid nearly $100 million of a $1.7 billion fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards in Nigeria, officials said on Friday. “MTN has paid 30 billion naira ($98 million, 92 …
Read More »Nigerian airline lays off two-thirds of staff to cut costs
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s second largest airline Aero Contractors has laid off two-thirds of its workforce to save costs and prevent it from going under, a government agency official confirmed on Friday. The company said in a letter to employees on Thursday that it was “constrained to place (them) …
Read More »Nigeria directs FA to back Hayatou for CAF post
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s government has ordered the head of the country’s football association to back current CAF president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon in his re-election bid, a senior official said Monday. The decree from on high came despite Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick having publicly …
Read More »Nigerian state seeks to move oil firms to troubled Niger delta
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s southern oil-rich Rivers state on Saturday backed a government call for major oil companies to move their offices to the Niger delta region, as part of measures to stem unrest in the oil-rich area. Attacks by rebels seeking a fairer share of Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari returns but VP will stay in charge until Monday
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday returned to Nigeria after nearly two months’ medical leave in Britain but did little to quell fears about the state of his health by saying he would not start work again immediately. The 74-year-old, who has been in London since …
Read More »Buhari back in Nigeria after 2 months leave
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | President Muhammadu Buhari arrived back in Nigeria on Friday after nearly two months in London receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment. The 74-year-old landed at the airport in the northern city of Kaduna at about 7:40 am (0640 GMT) and was flown by helicopter to the …
Read More »UN chief to visit East Africa as famine threatens region
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to Kenya on Sunday for talks with leaders on regional issues, his spokesman said Friday, as South Sudan and Somalia face famine. Somalia is facing the threat of a famine while parts of northern South Sudan are …
Read More »Nigeria VP Osinbajo comes out of the shadows with Buhari away
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo seems to have been everywhere while his boss is away. He even conducted a spot check on the public toilets at Lagos international airport. The clear aim, it seems, is to give the impression of business as usual while President Muhammadu …
Read More »UN needs $4.4 bn for famine relief in four countries
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN aid agencies need $4.4 billion in emergency funding to address famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday. More than 20 million people face starvation in the four countries and action is needed now to avert …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari to stay in London for ‘further rest’
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari needs “further rest” so will extend his month-long medical stay in London, but there is “no cause” for worry over his health, his office said Tuesday. “During his normal annual checkup, tests showed he needed a longer period of rest, necessitating …
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