ALL THE RELEVANT NEWS: SATURDAY

01 Apr ALL THE RELEVANT NEWS: SATURDAY

🌎A passenger was on Friday evacuated from an Ibom Air flight over alleged threats against Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Tinubu. In a video on social media, the man stood in between the passengers’ seat in the middle of the aircraft and could be heard threatening that Mr Tinubu must not be sworn in as Nigerian president next month.

🌎Oil prices rose by more than a dollar a barrel on Friday to record their second-straight week of gains, as supplies tightened in some parts of the world and U.S. inflation data indicated price rises were slowing. The most actively traded Brent futures, for June delivery, settled up $1.29, or 1.6%, at $79.89 a barrel. Brent futures for May delivery, which expired upon settlement, gained 50 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $79.77 a barrel.

🌎The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority has reported a growth in net assets by 10 per cent from N919.73bn in 2021 to N1.02tn in the 2022 financial year.

🌎The federal government has released the sum of N15 billion for the repatriation of Internally Displaced Nigerians from the three neighbouring countries.

🌎Stakeholders in the downstream sector have tabled their demands to the Federal Government requesting foreign exchange at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rate to enable swift and easier importation of petroleum products into the country.

🌎The court of appeal in Sokoto has sentenced two Chinese nationals, Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuai, to six years imprisonment for fraud.

🌎Security Stories: Some commuters travelling along Osogbo/Ikirun road were in the early hours of Friday abducted at Ayepe community by some people suspected to be bandits.

* Four people are feared to have died following a clash involving police officers and members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Abia state. The incident occurred on Friday in Osusu area, Abia north LGA of the state.

🌎Russia-Ukraine War: Russia has taken the presidency of the UN Security Council for the first time since launching its invasion of Ukraine. The war has left Russia diplomatically isolated but it remains a permanent member of the council. Each of the council’s 15 members takes up the presidency for a month, on a rotating pattern.

* Despite Ukraine’s complaints, the United States said it could not block Russia – a permanent council member – from assuming the presidency.

* The IMF has approved a $15.6 billion loan to Kyiv to help rebuild his country’s devastated economy.

* Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the liberation of Bucha, the Ukrainian town that has become synonymous with Russia’s brutal occupation and alleged war crimes.