Author: News Room
The Nigerian capital market’s top watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has withdrawn the suspension it placed on BGL Securities Limited and BGL Asset Management in May 2015. “Suspension is lifted from BGL Securities and BGL Asset Management,” the SEC confirmed in its response to PREMIUM TIMES’ inquiry into the registration status of the two entities, which the regulator banned eleven years ago over allegations of capital market infractions. According to a letter signed by Hafsat O. Rufai, the director of Registration, Exchanges and Market Infrastructure Department at the commission, on 17 April 2025, to the managing director of…
Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker Bukky Wright on Saturday premiered The Return of Omotara Johnson, the long-awaited sequel to her 2008 Yoruba crime drama, marking the franchise’s return to cinemas 15 years after the original captivated audiences. The Lagos premiere, held at the Monarch Event Centre in Lekki ahead of the film’s nationwide release on 10 July, attracted a star-studded audience of actors, musicians, business leaders, royalty and political figures. Gabriel Afolayan [photo credit Afroway TV]Among those in attendance were Toyin Abraham, Iyabo Ojo, Femi Adebayo, Lateef Adedimeji, Timini Egbuson, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Gabriel Afolayan, Jide Kosoko, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Eniola Badmus,…
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out a suit filed by the National Welfare Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Nkemakolam Ukandu, against the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho and Justice Peter Lifu over alleged judicial bias and awarded N100m costs against him. Justice Salim Ibrahim struck out the suit for lack of diligent prosecution, after neither Ukandu nor his counsel appeared in court despite being served with hearing notices. The judge ordered Ukandu to pay N50m each to Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu within 14 days. “Based on the Provision of…
Ripple said it has received full authorization under the European Union’s MiCA crypto framework after Luxembourg’s financial regulator granted the company a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license.The authorization follows Ripple’s preliminary approval in June and, together with the company’s existing Electronic Money Institution license, allows the blockchain payments company to offer regulated crypto-asset services across the European Economic Area (EEA).Ripple said the approval makes it one of a small number of digital asset companies with full authorization under MiCA. The company now holds more than 75 regulatory licenses worldwide, including authorization from the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority secured…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it exceeded its 2025 revenue target by ₦674 billion, generating more than it realised in the previous year. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday while defending the agency’s 2026 budget proposal before the Senate Committee on Customs. Mr Adeniyi said the service initially projected ₦6.584 trillion in revenue for 2025, based on its approved budget, but generated ₦7.277 trillion, representing a 10.24 per cent increase over the target. He, however, noted that the service could have generated more revenue if excise duties on telecommunications services had been collected and import…
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorised use of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations. The directive follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella body comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP). The Federal Government conveyed the President’s directive to the FCCPC through the…
The irony is plain. The Bible has often been accused of placing the blame for humanity’s fall upon a woman. Read closely, Scripture proves more exacting than many of its interpreters. It neither shields women from blame where blame belongs nor allows men to shelter behind the women in their stories. Samson answers for Samson. David answers for David. Solomon answers for Solomon. That consistency runs through the biblical record from beginning to end. For centuries, women have borne a measure of blame for the failures of men that neither Scripture nor history always places upon them. The idea has…
The Federal Government has urged journalists and social media influencers to deny bandits and terrorists the publicity they crave. The Minister of Information and National Reorientation, Mohammed Idris, made the call at the maiden edition of the Arewa Media Summit organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, on Monday in Kano. “The media has an indispensable role in denying violent extremists the publicity they seek while promoting unity, resilience and hope, Idris said. He added that democracy thrives when the government remains transparent, citizens participate responsibly, and the…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed a new agreement with the Stellar Development Foundation to expand the agency’s use of blockchain-based payments after completing pilot projects in five countries, signaling a broader role for public blockchain infrastructure in its development programs.The agreement follows 16 months of research and pilot programs in Haiti, Syria, Kenya, Guatemala and The Gambia, with additional projects in Colombia and Papua New Guinea, the agency said Monday. According to UNDP, the next phase will establish the process for country offices to use blockchain payments across a wider range of programs.UNDP said the pilots produced…
United States President Donald Trump has explained why he asked FIFA to review the red card shown to American striker Folarin Balogun, saying the decision would have unfairly denied one of the team’s best players the chance to feature in a crucial World Cup knockout match. Speaking to reporters after FIFA suspended the implementation of Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, Mr Trump defended his intervention, insisting the incident that led to the striker’s dismissal was simply an accidental collision between two players. “I saw the play,” Mr Trump said. “I’m a person who loves sports and was a good athlete. I…
