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Ekiti Airport targets 24-hour flight operation, says Gov Oyebanji

….Says Ekiti economy has improved significantly under his watch
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has revealed that efforts are in place to ensure the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport runs 24-hour operation, in a bid to make the route competitive.
The Governor also expressed delight that the economy of the state has recorded significant improvement in the past two-and-a-half years, promising to do more in order to ensure a more sustainable development of the state and better living standard for the people.
Governor Oyebanji who stated these on Monday night during the March edition of his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, said his government intends to make the Ekiti Airport a major hub, as well as a major driver of the economy, attracting more investors to the state and boosting the economic capacities of the citizens.

He explained that his administration has entered into discussions with three major airlines in the country to commence commercial flights at the airport, facilitate air travel, tourism development, more investment and transportation of cargoes and export of farm produce to local and international destinations.

While expressing optimism that at least two of the airlines would operate flights to and from the airport, Oyebanji said his administration also hopes to make the route competitive by working hard to install Instrument Landing System (ILS) that will enable the operation of 24-hour flights in the airport.
The Governor said: “The issue is to make the route profitable and competitive for airlines and if the route is profitable, they will bring their planes. Part of what we are doing is to make it an airport of choice and by next year, they will be able to run Hajj and (Christian) pilgrimage.

“To make it an airport of choice, we must put a structure that guarantees 24-hour landing.
There is what we call Instrument Landing System (ILS) which enables night operations and also enables planes to land in extreme weather.
ILS as at today will cost close to N4.6 billion but we are determined to get it done.
“We are determined that before the end of this year, we will install ILS at the Ado Airport.

If we are able to do that, it will be the second airport in Southwest after Lagos Airport that has such a facility so that aircraft can land at night. We are also talking to a vendor that will provide a hangar for airport services, so it’s a whole gamut of transaction that is going on.
“The Governor also disclosed that a cargo shed is being constructed at the airport to serve as storage facility for farm produce and cash crops. He commended the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele for facilitating its inclusion in the budget.
The Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport was given approval for non-scheduled flight operation for six months last December. Governor Oyebanji who said expressed optimism that the airport would be one of the most competitive by the time it commences commercial operations.
Speaking further, Governor Oyebanji identified some indices of economic growth witnessed under his administration to include springing up of more businesses in the state made possible by an enabling environment for them to flourish, improved internally generated revenue and receipts from the Federation Account, as well as adequate protection of lives and property.
The Governor who disclosed that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) have moved from about N600 million monthly to over N2 billion monthly, attributed the feat partly to the fact that more residents are now encouraged to pay their taxes, having seen evidence of the government’s effective utilization of proceeds of the taxes in every part of the state.
He explained that his administration has not restricted development strides to only Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, as it is being speculated in some quarters, noting that virtually all parts of the state including the rural areas have been touched.
He also expressed readiness to keep on working for the people of the state till his last day in office, stressing that he wont be distracted by on going politicking.
Speaking on the state of the treasury, Oyebanji said what the state government and local governments receive monthly are not hidden as they are published by the office of the Accountant General noting that they vary from one month to the other.
He emphasized that his administration does not tamper with the local government funds as the State House of Assembly has an enabling law with established the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) with the monies for the councils coming directly into the account from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
While noting that he does not get involved in how the funds are shared, the Governor pointed out that he only monitors the projects the council chairmen execute with the funds to ensure that they are in line with the needs of the people and they such projects are satisfactory.
News
JUST IN: Filling stations shut after Dangote Refinery’s petrol price drop

Some filling stations and petroleum products marketers, partners of Dangote Refinery’s petrol, temporarily shut down for the past five days after the latest premium motor spirit price drop by the 650,000 barrels per day refinery.
Recall that for the past five days, MRS filling stations in Abuja, along Kubwa Expressway, and others have not dispensed fuel since Dangote Refinery announced its ex-depot fuel price reduction to N835 per litre on Tuesday, 16 April, 2025.
An official of MRS filling station, who preferred anonymity because he is not authorised to speak said the filling station is grappling with the loss incurred after Dangote’s latest price adjustment.
“It is because of Dangote’s latest price drop. The filling station had old stock, which it couldn’t sell at a loss.
“This is the reason we have shut down since Tuesday. We may reopen on Tuesday,” he said.
Meanwhile, another official at the filling station said the retail outlet is billed to reopen on Tuesday, noting that it has been undergoing minor maintenance.
“We have been on maintenance for the past few days, which is the reason the station was shut. We will reopen on Tuesday,” he said.
According to him, the filling station would commence dispensing at the new price of N910 per litre from Tuesday.
Other partners of Dangote Refinery, such as AP, Ardova, and Optima, are dispensing fuel between N910 and 920 per litre in parts of Abuja as of Monday, 21st April 2025.
Reacting to the development, the National President of Petroleum Retailers Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said the latest fuel price drop affected the purchasing power of petrol retailers and marketers.
According to him, indiscriminate price adjustment, whether downward or upward, is not good for the petroleum downstream sector and the Nigerian economy.
At every point, if prices of petrol are indiscriminately changed without any clearly defined economic reason, the chances that it will impact on the buying power of retailers and marketers are there.
“It is not good for business, the economy, and Nigerians.
“Prices of petrol change for reasons that are understandable with proper information to retailers,” he said.
Recall that Gillis-Harry had earlier called for a six-month fuel price stability plan to halt fluctuations.
Earlier, the spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, had hinted that marketers having old stocks of fuel will incur billions of losses following Dangote’s latest fuel price drop.
Last week became the second time the $20 billion refinery reduced its fuel price nationwide. This indicates a combined downward ex-depot price drop of N45 per litre.
Dangote Refinery had, on 10 April, reduced its gantry price of petrol to N865 per litre.
However, the ex-depot fuel price had further dropped to N835 per litre.
This comes after the federal government’s renewed commitment to the indefinite continuation of the naira-for-crude deal with other local refiners and the drop in global crude prices to around $66 per barrel.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited recently reduced its retail price to N935 per litre for customers in Abuja in response to Dangote Refinery’s latest price cut.
This means that Nigerians currently buy petrol at between N890 and N950 per litre, depending on the location nationwide.
News
NNPC’s Olufemi Soneye Emerges NIPR Spokesperson for 2025
Responding, Soneye attributed his recognition by the NIPR with its most exalted spokesperson’s award to the dedication of the entire team at the NNPC.

Soneye (middle) receive NIPR’s prestigious award .
The Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mr. Olufemi Soneye, has emerged the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) spokesperson of 2025.Announcing the award, the NIPR described Soneye as a “diligent” spokesperson, characterising him as “a strategist.” Soneye’s capacity to shape public opinion, also stood him out of the crowd of spokespersons, according to the Adjudication Committee, Chairman, Dr. Shaibu Hussein.
Represented by a member of the committee chairman, Lami Tuiaka, the chairman said the moment to the conclusion of the award was rigorous and demanding. He also predicated Soneye’s victory on his communication skills, crisis management and overall impact.
“Our committee comprising communication scholars, Public Relations practitioners, and media personalities worked tirelessly to review the nomination, assess performances and deliberate on the winner.
I must report that we carefully examined each nomination, considering factors such as communication skills, crisis management and overall impact,” he said.
Presenting him the plaque at the National Spokespersons Award 2025, chairman of the event Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Power, Hon. Joshua Audu, said the institute would celebrate Soneye throughout 2025 as the current NIPR spokesperson award winner.
He said: ” On behalf of the NIPR Award Night 2025, I have the honour and privilege to present the Spokesperson of the year 2025. Please join me to celebrate our latest spokesperson that we will celebrate throughout 2025 in the person of Olufemi Soneye.”
Responding, Soneye attributed his recognition by the NIPR with its most exalted spokesperson’s award to the dedication of the entire team at the NNPC.
Amid a standing ovation, he said: “We are all happy and I am deeply honoured to receive this award tonight from NIPR. This award reflects the dedication of our entire team and we want to thank NIPR for all they have been doing.”
News
Mission to boldly grow food in space labs blasts off
ESA is funding the research to explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut, which can cost up to £20,000 per day.

Artwork: The experiment will orbit the Earth for three hours before returning to Earth and splashing down off the coast of Portugal.
(BBC): Steak, mashed potatoes and deserts for astronauts could soon be grown from individual cells in space if an experiment launched into orbit today is successful.
A European Space Agency (ESA) project is assessing the viability of growing so-called lab-grown food in the low gravity and higher radiation in orbit and on other worlds.
ESA is funding the research to explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut, which can cost up to £20,000 per day.
The team involved say the experiment is a first step to developing a small pilot food production plant on the International Space Station in two years’ time.
Lab-grown food will be essential if Nasa’s objective of making humanity a multi-planetary species were to be realised, claims Dr Aqeel Shamsul, CEO and founder of Bedford-based Frontier Space, which is developing the concept with researchers at Imperial College, London.
“Our dream is to have factories in orbit and on the Moon,” he told BBC News.
“We need to build manufacturing facilities off world if we are to provide the infrastructure to enable humans to live and work in space”.
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