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BREAKING: Former Pretroleum Minister Diezani Gets £70,000 Bail In Alleged £100,000 Bribery Trial

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Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in the United Kingdom on Monday, over an alleged £100,000 bribe.

The district judge, Michael Snow, granted Alison-Madueke a £70,000 bail.

Snow further imposed other terms on Alison-Madueke including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, an electronic tag to be worn by her at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.

During her appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court, she provided her name, date of birth, and address.

Although she did not formally enter a plea, her attorney, Mark Bowen, informed the court that she would plead not guilty, Reuters reported.

Her next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on October 30.

Recall that the UK’s National Crime Agency, in August, said it suspected Diezani had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.

In a statement published on its website, NCA said Diezani “is alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.

“Her charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.”

In March 2023, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD 53.1 million linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption.

Head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly said the “charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation. Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat”, Kelly added.

In October 2015, Diezani and four other persons were arrested in the UK over alleged bribery and money laundering offences.

A magistrate court in the UK granted Diezani bail but her passport was seized while she was asked to report at the Charing Cross police station.

Diezani was the minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Shortly before Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, she left the country.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged that the former minister stole $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while she was a minister.

BIG STORY

Revenue Growth Yet To Translate Into Better Living Conditions — Peter Obi To Tinubu

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Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has challenged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the country’s recently achieved revenue growth delivers visible improvements in citizens’ lives.

Reacting to Tinubu’s announcement that Nigeria hit its 2025 revenue target by August, Obi congratulated the president but stressed: “If indeed the economy stabilises as you declared, then Nigerians must feel it in their daily lives.”

He added that economic stability must be reflected in tangible outcomes: “Borrowings must stop now. Huge contractors’ bills, which are still owed, should be paid, and critical underfunded projects must now be funded.”

Obi lamented the dire state of public services, noting: “True economic stability is not in figures announced at press conferences, but in classrooms where children learn, in well-equipped labs, and in hospitals where citizens can receive quality care.”

He called on the government to channel the surplus revenue transparently into priority sectors—particularly education, healthcare, and poverty reduction—within the remaining four months of the year.

Obi emphasised the need for measurable results, warning: “Anything less will mean that revenue growth has not translated into national growth. Nigerians deserve to see the impacts of this touted revenue growth.”

He concluded with a statement of hope: “A new Nigeria is possible.”

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BIG STORY

Oil Price Falls To $66 Per Barrel Ahead Of OPEC+ Meeting

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Oil prices declined to around $66 per barrel as traders grew concerned about potential increases in OPEC+ production, which could exacerbate a supply surplus, according to price watchers and analysts.

Market sentiment was weighed down by expectations that the upcoming OPEC+ meeting, scheduled for Sunday, may result in additional output increases. This possibility comes amid a trend of rising inventories in the U.S., including a recent unanticipated build of 622,000 barrels—contrary to forecasts of a 2 million barrel draw .

Brent crude slipped to approximately $67.14 per barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped to about $63.50, reflecting the mounting pressure on oil prices as the market braces for a shift toward oversupply .

A note from ANZ Research warned that any further increase in OPEC+ supply could deepen the already threatened surplus, especially during a demand-light season . HSBC analysts echoed the sentiment, suggesting that OPEC+ appears comfortable with oil prices trading in the $60–$65 per barrel range as part of a strategic move to reclaim market share.

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Nigeria Now Respected Globally, Years Of Corruption Reversed By Reforms —- Tinubu

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President Bola Tinubu says the reforms implemented by his administration have restored Nigeria’s credibility abroad and curbed years of entrenched corruption.

Speaking on Tuesday at the State House while receiving the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, and other traditional rulers, Tinubu said the country had regained global respect due to tough but necessary policy changes.

“Years of neglect, fake records, smuggling and other harmful practices denied Nigeria the revenue needed for development. The bleeding has stopped. The haemorrhage is gone. The patient is alive,” the president said.

Tinubu listed the removal of fuel subsidies and currency unification among reforms that he said were stabilising the economy and opening Nigeria to foreign investors. He added that the federal government would continue to focus on education, citing the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a tool to ensure no student drops out due to poverty.

The president insisted that the challenges facing the nation were not insurmountable, stressing that transparency and fiscal discipline would remain central to his government’s agenda.

Officials and foreign observers have in recent months echoed similar sentiments, with international rating agencies revising Nigeria’s outlook upwards and global institutions such as the World Bank commending the country’s policy direction.

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