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Hello!
Happy Eid to all who celebrate, happy long weekend to all who observe, happy mother’s day to all mums and mother figures, happy new day to everyone reading this.
In this edition:
Nobody likes the presidency
The court is getting bullied
Another national health scare
This edition is 1,550 words (approx. 5 min read)
Things in the government
Tinubu signs new law
President Tinubu has passed the Investment and Securities Act (ISA)2024, replacing the previous Act No. 29 of 2007. This new legislation aims to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework governing investments and capital market activities, make Nigeria’s capital market more modern, transparent, and safe for investors.
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), this move will help protect investors, improve market transparency, and support growth.
Some key changes include giving the SEC more power to regulate the market, especially digital assets like cryptocurrencies, which are now officially treated as securities.
The law also creates rules for commodity exchanges to support agriculture and mining.
Additionally, it allows state governments to raise money through the capital market more easily.
The SEC sees this as a major step toward investor protection, market transparency, and sustainable growth, positioning Nigeria as a more competitive investment destination.
The latest in Nigeria’s petrol politics
The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would take away the federal government’s exclusive control over oil and gas resources in Nigeria.
The bill has passed its second reading, meaning there are 8 more steps it must pass for it to become law.
This bill aims to change the constitution so that states can have more control over natural resources like oil, gas, and minerals. Currently, the FG manages and makes laws and decisions about most natural resources (mines, minerals, oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys, and natural gas).
If this bill is passed, it will move the control of these resources from the “Exclusive Legislative List” (controlled solely by the federal government) to the “Concurrent Legislative List” (shared between the federal and state governments).
If the bill becomes law, states might be able to issue mining and oil exploration licenses, oversee resource extraction, and collect revenues without interference from the federal government.
There are arguments that the move to decentralise resources could create disparities among states, with wealthier oil-producing states benefiting more than others.
Alongside this bill, there are seven other proposals aimed at giving more powers to states. These include managing road tolls, building roads (other than major highways), handling fingerprints and ID records, and controlling water usage for various purposes.
The goal of these bills is to give states more autonomy over local resources and governance, including water management and financial independence for local government councils.
Speaking of petrol, Dangote Refinery goes international
In March, the US imported around 1.7 million barrels of jet fuel from Dangote Refinery. Dangote is also prepping to send jet fuel to Saudi Arabia
In Nigeria, Dangote has reduced aviation fuel imports from 13,000 bpd in 2023 to 5,000 bpd in 2024, now supplying about two-thirds of Nigeria's jet fuel.
Also, jet fuel imports into West Africa from outside the region have dropped by half, from 34,500 bpd in 2023 to 17,900 bpd in 2024, with Dangote's jet fuel now reaching Benin, Senegal, Togo, The Gambia, and Gabon.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s FG and Dangote have been struggling to get along – from legal constraints to price wars to marketers' disagreements.
The latest? Dangote recently announced that they will no longer sell petrol to marketers in Naira because the FG has refused to renew the deal that allows Dangote to buy crude oil in Naira.
Now the price of petrol has increased again from ~N850 to ~N950 per liter for commercial fuel.
Oppression diary
The people are NOT feeling Remi Tinubu
This week, a viral video surfaced where Remi Tinubu - the first lady of Nigeria - visited the The Delta State College of Nursing Sciences, and they were not shy to let her know they did not want to welcome her.
One of the students made a video of the students’ reaction and posted it on their social media, and it spread pretty quickly.
The school then tried to sanction the nursing student who made the video. The student got a letter from the provost of the institution, Evbodaghe Rita Ogonne to this effect.
The letter accused Edobor of engaging in a “malicious act” by recording herself singing along with the other students and posting it.
Thankfully, the Delta State Government was not having it. The government ordered the immediate withdrawal of the sanction and any disciplinary action against the student.
The state's Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, confirmed this decision, stating that the government had no intention of victimising any student over the incident.
He assured the public of the state government's continued upholding the rights of students in health-related programs and ensuring a conducive learning environment.
Oluremi Tinubu also addressed the matter, urging the nursing school to “handle it with understanding and fairness”.
Judge removes himself from Senate case
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has decided to step down from the case involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senator Godswill Akpabio.
He made this decision after Akpabio raised concerns about whether the judge could “be fair in handling the case”.
The hearing was supposed to take place on Tuesday, but Justice Egwuatu announced his decision to withdraw, saying he would send the case file back to the Chief Judge so it could be reassigned to another judge.
The court was to rule on the Senate Committee on Ethics’ decision to suspend Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan after she accused Senate President Akpabio of sexually harassing her. The committee said Akpoti-Uduaghan “broke legislative rules” and the court wanted them to come back and tell the judge exactly how and give the judge a reason to allow the committee to investigate Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The case was adjourned till the 25th of March (Tuesday) but Senate President Akpabio, through his lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju (a Senior Advocate of Nigeria), questioned the court’s right to get involved in what he considered internal Senate matters. This challenge to the court’s authority played a part in the judge’s decision to withdraw from the case.
Lagos Police arraign suspected murderer after public outrage
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arraignment of Abiola Odutayo, the assailant in a hit and (almost) run incident that killed Adetunji Opayele (Teejay), co-founder of Bumpa.
The incident occurred on March 4, 2025, and Odutayo was charged with reckless and careless driving, which led to Opayele’s death.
She was arraigned on March 12, 2025, at Court 1, Tinubu, after being discharged from the hospital and was granted bail. The case was adjourned to April 16, 2025.
Nigerians have expressed outrage over the incident, as Odutayo allegedly refused to help the injured Teejay, worrying about her car being stained.
Many are demanding more severe charges, including manslaughter, and have signed a petition calling for justice and proper prosecution.
According to the petition, Abiola Odutayo attempted to bully Teejay’s family with her connections, but thanks to outrage from social media, the police have been forced into action. Shout out to you all
Health scaries
Meningitis Outbreak
As of March 26, 2025, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a total of 807 suspected cases of cerebrospinal meningitis and 74 deaths across 22 states, resulting in a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 9.2%.
The NCDC has sent Rapid Response Teams to Kebbi, Sokoto, and Katsina states, which have recorded the highest numbers of suspected cases, and deaths, but also have low sample collection rates.
These teams are expected to contain the outbreak quickly, improve case management and infection control, enhance surveillance and sample collection, raise awareness in communities, and find the source of the outbreak to recommend appropriate public health actions.
Schools are marking students now?
Two parents have accused a private school in the Arepo area of Ogun State of putting strange incisions on their children’s bodies, leading to health complications.
A parent named Abosede found a strange cut on her four-year-old son Alamis on March 2 after he complained of itching.
She thought it was a minor until, three weeks later when he became sick. Doctors confirmed the cut had caused an infection requiring treatment.
Another parent, Oluwatoyin Adurogboye, noticed similar marks on her three-year-old daughter Karla. On February 28, Karla returned from school unusually tired and slept for hours. She later developed a high fever and her condition worsened. She was rushed to the hospital where she had breathing problems and needed oxygen.
The parents demanded an explanation from the school and called for a complete investigation into how and why these cuts were made. They believe the school should be held responsible for any harm caused to their children.
While Abosede’s family dragged the school to court, Karla’s parents are insisting on seeing the remaining part of the CCTV.
The police and the school have not commented on these incidents.
Other News
Minister laments incarceration of 26,000 children in custodial centres - The Nation
The Ogun State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Confederation of General Employers of Morocco to collaborate on power generation and distribution, education, housing, infrastructure, and port development. - This Day
Two women have been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly hawking naira notes - Punch
This edition was written by Rosemary, and edited by Muhammed & Adetomiwa.
That New News is an independent self-funded project by me (Adetomiwa). Thank you for reading, sharing and donating. I love you like I birthed you 😘