- Air Peace crew disputes NSIB report on drug, alcohol test
- Dangote challenges NUPENG over $18bn spent on refineries
- Resident Doctors’ strike grounds services in federal hospitals
- EU commits €15m to support displaced persons in Nigeria
- Rivers Administrator says Tinubu’s mandate fulfilled after LG elections
Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.
Air Peace crew disputes NSIB report on drug, alcohol test
Co-pilot David Bernard and cabin crew member Maduneme Victory have rejected claims by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) that they tested positive for alcohol and marijuana.
The NSIB report followed a July 13 incident in which an Air Peace aircraft veered off the runway at Port Harcourt International Airport. Investigators said the plane landed 2,264 metres beyond the threshold, outside the recommended touchdown zone, before stopping 209 metres into the clearway.
Although no casualties were recorded as all passengers disembarked safely, the report has raised safety concerns, which the crew members insist are based on false test results.
Dangote challenges NUPENG over $18bn spent on refineries
The rift between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) deepened on Friday after the refinery urged the union to name those responsible for the $18bn allegedly wasted on government-owned refineries.
In a statement, Dangote queried why the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries have remained inactive despite years of turnaround maintenance projects funded by successive governments. Aliko Dangote noted that despite the huge sum spent, the plants are still non-functional.
The company also reminded NUPENG of its role in the failed 2007 privatisation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, even as allegations continue that the refinery has barred its tanker drivers from unionising.
Resident Doctors’ strike grounds services in federal hospitals
Medical services in several federal hospitals have been paralysed following the five-day strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
Facilities such as the Federal Medical Centre, the National Hospital in Abuja, and the University College Hospital in Ibadan struggled on Friday with limited staff to manage patients.
NARD said it resorted to the action after the Federal Government ignored its demands despite issuing three separate ultimatums.
EU commits €15m to support displaced persons in Nigeria
The European Union has announced a €15 million package to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in five Nigerian states.
EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, made the announcement in Abuja at the launch of two programmes: SIDPIN for Yobe, Adamawa, Benue, and Kano States, and SPADS for Sokoto State.
He explained that the initiatives highlight the EU’s commitment to promoting dignity, resilience, and sustainable development for displaced persons and their host communities.
Rivers Administrator says Tinubu’s mandate fulfilled after LG elections
Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), says he has fully delivered on the assignment given to him by President Bola Tinubu to restore democratic governance at the grassroots.
Speaking on Friday at Government House, Port Harcourt, during the presentation of the local government election report by the state electoral commission, Ibas noted that the peaceful polls and swearing-in of chairmen and councillors in all 23 LGAs marked the fulfilment of the mandate.
He recalled that Tinubu’s directive on March 18, 2025, tasked him with stabilising the state, strengthening institutions, and returning it to democratic order, which he said had now been achieved.
