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Nigeria’s Consul-General in Cameroon, Ambassador Taofik Obasanjo Coker is de@d

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the passing of Ambassador Taofik Obasanjo Coker, Nigeria’s Consul General in Buea, Cameroon.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 20, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said Ambassador Coker died on Saturday, August 16, after a brief illness.

Ebienfa praised the late diplomat as a seasoned professional who gave his best in service to the country. “His untimely death, therefore, is a great loss to the diplomatic community and the nation at large,” the statement read.

Until his posting to Buea, Ambassador Coker had represented Nigeria in various capacities, including at the country’s missions in Conakry, Guinea, and Shanghai, China.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends its heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, colleagues and friends at this difficult time and prays for the peaceful repose of his soul,” the statement added.

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NiMet predicts three-day dust haze, rain from Monday

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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted varying weather conditions, including dust haze and rainfall, across different parts of the country between Monday and Wednesday, urging residents to stay alert.

In its weather outlook released on Sunday in Abuja, NiMet projected slight dust haze with good visibility over Borno, Zamfara, northern Kaduna, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, and Katsina States on Monday.

The agency added that isolated thunderstorms with light rain were likely in parts of Taraba and Adamawa States during the afternoon or evening hours on Monday.

NiMet forecast sunny skies with patches of clouds over the central region, with prospects of isolated thunderstorms and light rain in the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kogi States later in the day.

The statement read, “Cloudy conditions are expected in the southern region on Monday morning, with isolated thunderstorms and light rains over parts of Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.

“Later in the afternoon and evening, thunderstorms with moderate rainfall are anticipated in Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Edo, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.

“On Tuesday, NiMet forecast continued slight dust haze in good visibility over northern states, while Taraba and Adamawa may experience isolated thunderstorms and light rain throughout the day.

“Sunny skies with intermittent clouds are predicted in the central region, alongside chances of early morning thunderstorms in Benue and later moderate rain across FCT, Nasarawa, and Kogi States.”

NiMet also projected cloudy skies across the southern states, with moderate rainfall over Rivers, Cross River, Ebonyi, and Akwa Ibom in the morning, intensifying later in the day.

The agency warned of possible flooding in parts of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Cross River States, urging local authorities to activate emergency response measures where necessary.

For Wednesday, NiMet anticipated sunny skies across the northern region, with isolated thunderstorms and light rain expected later in the day, particularly over parts of Taraba State.

“The central region will experience sunny skies with patches of clouds, while isolated thunderstorms with light rain are likely over Kogi and the Federal Capital Territory.

“In the south, cloudy conditions are expected in the morning, followed by thunderstorms with moderate rains later in the afternoon and evening across Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Delta, and Akwa Ibom,” it stated.

NiMet reiterated a high risk of flash floods, urging motorists to exercise caution when driving in rain and for authorities in vulnerable areas to implement flood response measures immediately.

The agency also advised individuals with asthma and respiratory conditions to limit outdoor exposure due to dust particles suspended in the atmosphere over the northern parts of the country.

Airline operators were urged to obtain airport-specific weather reports from NiMet for flight planning, while the public was encouraged to follow updates via the agency’s website and communication channels.

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SERAP demands NNPCL’s explanation on alleged missing N22.3bn, $49.7m, others

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, to explain the whereabouts of alleged missing oil funds amounting to N22.3bn, $49.7m, £14.3m, and €5.2m, reportedly unaccounted for in the company’s financial records.

The civic group, in a letter dated October 25, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the missing sums were documented in the 2022 annual report recently published by the Auditor-General of the Federation on September 9, 2025.

SERAP urged Ojulari to identify and hand over those responsible for the alleged diversion or misappropriation of the funds to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for prosecution.

It also demanded that the missing funds be recovered and returned to the national treasury without further delay.

“These grim allegations by the Auditor-General suggest a grave violation of public trust, the Nigerian Constitution, anti-corruption laws, and the country’s international obligations,” the organisation stated.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General’s findings point to “systemic corruption” within the NNPCL, which has “undermined Nigeria’s economic development, trapped millions in poverty, and deprived citizens of access to essential public services.”

The group noted that the Auditor-General has, over the years, consistently documented similar reports of unremitted or missing oil revenues, lamenting that “ordinary Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of widespread corruption in the oil sector.”

It said,“Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the government’s ability to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.”

SERAP further alleged that the misappropriated oil revenues reflected a broader failure of accountability and transparency at the NNPCL, contributing to Nigeria’s rising debt levels and deficit spending.

The group said, “Had the NNPCL accounted for and remitted these diverted or misappropriated oil monies, more funds would have been available for education, healthcare, and other critical sectors. The level of borrowing by the government would also have been reduced.”

SERAP gave the NNPCL a seven-day ultimatum to take the recommended steps or face appropriate legal action to compel compliance.

Quoting details from the 2022 audited report, SERAP highlighted numerous irregularities in NNPCL’s accounts, including: a ₦292m abandoned contract for an Accident and Emergency Facility in Abuja; over £14m allegedly spent to repair its London office without evidence of execution; an irregular $22.8m payment to a contractor for crude lifting, with unclear justification.

Others include a N2.3bn paid as car cash options to 100 staff without requisite approvals; ₦12.7bn unremitted operating surplus for December 2020, and the €5.1m paid for jetty operations with no supporting documents.

Multiple cases of undocumented or fictitious contract payments running into billions of naira and millions of dollars.

The Auditor-General reportedly expressed fears that much of the money “may have been diverted or misappropriated” and called for its recovery and remittance to the treasury.

SERAP cited Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power, urging the NNPCL to act transparently in the public interest.

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Tompolo distances self from call for Kanu’s release

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The leadership of the PBAT Door To Door Movement, a pro-Bola Tinubu group, has said its Grand Patron, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, is not part of the call for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

The group also dissociated Tompolo from a purported 21-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to release Kanu.

“This claim is entirely baseless and the handiwork of desperate propagandists, fake news merchants, fifth columnists, and agents of disunity,” the National Coordinator of the group, Sunday Asuku, said in a statement on Sunday.

Kanu is expected to open his defence on Monday in the terrorism charges filed against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

This follows the adjournment of the trial by Justice James Omotosho of the court on Friday.

The PUNCH had reported that Justice Omotosho granted the adjournment after Kanu informed the court that his former legal team, led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, had yet to release his case file to him.

Commenting further, Asuku said the orchestrators of the news sought to create tensions and instigate the FG against Tompolo, saying the move had “fallen like a pack of cards in the face of his exemplary commitment to national peace and development.”

He pointed out that those behind the narrative had been unsettled by Tompolo’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The movement urged security agencies to investigate and bring those behind the news to book.

Asuku said, “These elements are bent on creating tension and undermining the patriotic efforts of a man who has remained an icon of peace, unity, national development, socio-economic and political diversity, regardless of tribal, religious, zonal or political affiliation.

“It is evident that Chief Tompolo’s unwavering support for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has unsettled certain groups uncomfortable with his growing influence in advancing national stability and economic progress. However, their attempt to malign his image through fabricated narratives will fail.

“For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did Chief Tompolo issue any statement or directive regarding the legal proceedings involving Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The matter is before a competent court of law, and any attempt to interfere with due process would be both unpatriotic and unlawful.

“The PBAT Door To Door Movement wishes to emphasise that issues bordering on national unity and security must be treated with utmost responsibility and sensitivity.

“The reckless use of social media to circulate divisive propaganda not only undermines the integrity of public discourse but also poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s collective peace and development.”

ASuku added, “We therefore call on the Department of State Services and other relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate and bring to book those behind this reckless act. The deliberate spread of misinformation poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s unity and security, and such actions must not be allowed to go unpunished.”

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