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El-Rufai under fire for using Twitter despite ban

Published

5 years ago

November 11, 2021

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai

Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai

Nigerians have reacted angrily over Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, usomg the microblogging platform, Twitter, on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, despite the ban placed on the app by the Federal Government.

The governor whose last tweet was on June 6, a day after the Nigerian government suspended the activities of Twitter, caught the attention of Nigerians when he replied to a fan praising him for his works as the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Taiwo Ajakaye with the handle, @dmightyangel tweeted, “I really wish we will get more @elrufai in politics. The man left FCT and till date, the Federal Capital Territory has not been able to have another FCT minister that is close to the shoe latchet of El-Rufai in terms of courage, administration, performance & focus, 14 years ago o.”

Responding to the tweet, the Governor wrote, “This is an exaggerated compliment @dmightyangel but thank you for some of the words of encouragement. God Bless our nation. – @elrufai”

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In the comment section, @dexybaba asked the governor if he was using a Virtual Private Network, and he replied that he was out of the country, and “can tweet for the time being.”

Also, #EndSARS campaigner, and human rights activist, Rinu Oduala was quick to point out to the governor that “The only place you get the freedom of speech is outside Nigeria,” in the comment section.

Another Twitter user, @ogbuebunu, quoting her tweet, also said, “shamelessness without a pair. Tweeting under the pretence of being outside the country shows moral bankruptcy. One would expect he would stand on a high ground since it was his party that banned Twitter. Well, he is still a Nigerian politician. Zero integrity.”

In response, Governor El-Rufai maintained that Rinu was wrong as “conflating Twitter with ‘freedom of speech’ is a significant exaggeration.”

“Freedoms of many descriptions existed before and without Twitter, and will remain long after!! Enjoy your day,” he said.

Human Rights activist, Aisha Yesufu also called out the Governor for the hypocrisy of using the platform outside the country, while the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), an All Progressive Congress member like himself, had banned the use of Twitter in Nigeria.

“You really should be absolutely and disgustingly ashamed of yourself @elrufai,” she wrote. “You are going outside to enjoy the very basic thing a government you are part of have denied the people. While enjoying Twitter without VPN, you also enjoy the security you have denied your people.” Bambet casino is a really popular gambling website for Australian players. Read this Bambet review and learn all of the pros and cons of the casino. The article has been made by gambling experts from therefore only useful details have been included.

The Governor has not been exactly compliant with the ban from the past, even while he seemed to show support for the directive.

After his June 6 tweet, an ex-presidential aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, called on the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to prosecute El-Rufai for flouting the Twitter ban.

“Dear @MalamiSAN, @elrufai tweeted this 20 minutes ago in violation of your #TwitterBan. If you do not start your arrest and prosecution with him, then you must admit that you are a failure and a man who does not keep to his word,” he tweeted.

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Missing Billions: Lawmakers Summon NNPCL and 146 Marketers Over ₦432bn Downstream Debt

Published

55 minutes ago

September 9, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

Nigeria’s federal lawmakers are putting the downstream energy sector under the microscope after audit records revealed that state oil firm NNPCL and private fuel marketers have piled up at least ₦432 billion in unpaid regulatory obligations.

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) confirmed the formal probe this week, following persistent warnings raised in the Auditor-General’s 2023 and 2024 annual reports.

Regulatory Levies Left Unpaid

The mountain of debt has accumulated over a six-year period from 2017 to 2023, remaining largely uncollected despite the country’s tight fiscal squeeze.

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The liabilities consist of statutory fees meant to fund national energy infrastructure, including the 1% Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, National Transport Average fees, Balancing Allowances, and lingering credit balances from import and coastal operations.

Audit records track a steep rise in default:

The 2023 audit initially captured ₦392 billion in total arrears, with NNPCL carrying over ₦162 billion and commercial marketers responsible for ₦230 billion.
The 2024 report revealed that private marketer debt alone had swelled to ₦432 billion, separate from state-owned NNPCL liabilities.
Regulatory data from the NMDPRA confirms that 146 companies affiliated with DAPPMAN and MEMAN owed ₦327 billion by 2025.

No Hiding Place for Defaulters

PAC Chairman, Rep. Bamidele Salam, made it clear that parliament expects compliance from corporate leaders, issuing a firm directive against corporate stonewalling.

Salam emphasized that the committee will scrutinize why statutory revenues were permitted to sit idle without vigorous enforcement from the NMDPRA. Defaulters will be forced to present audit trails detailing every transaction, outstanding balances, and proof of any remittances made to date.

For lawmakers, the objective is unambiguous: plug commercial leakages, enforce fiscal discipline, and recover every outstanding naira owed to the federation.

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Fresh Blackout Hits Abuja as Apo Substation Transformer Trips

Published

1 hour ago

September 9, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

Parts of the nation’s capital have once again been plunged into darkness following an early-morning equipment failure at the Apo Transmission Substation on Wednesday.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the outage, attributing the disruption to the tripping of a 100MVA TR4 power transformer at its 132kV/33kV facility. Preliminary findings trace the failure to an oil spillage on the transformer’s red-phase High Voltage (HV) bushing, which forced four critical 33kV feeders, H31, H33, H35, and H37 offline.

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In an official public notice, the transmission utility stated that technical teams are already mobilized on-site:

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, hereby informs the public that the 100MVA TR4 transformer at the 132/33kV Apo Transmission Substation tripped in the early hours of today. Our maintenance crew are already carrying out a detailed investigation on the transformer to ascertain the exact cause of the tripping, to enable us effect repairs and restore the transformer.”

Following the grid disruption, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) confirmed power losses across several major districts, including the Apo Legislative Quarters, Lokogoma, and Apo Resettlement.

The latest breakdown adds to a pattern of recurring supply interruptions across Abuja, coming just days after scheduled maintenance works left residents grappling with low generation and prolonged blackouts.

News

Yamal Fires Back at Mbappé: “I’m Not Going to Beg” for Ballon d’Or

Published

22 hours ago

September 8, 2026

Trends Admin

Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal

Yamal Fires Back at Mbappé: “I’m Not Going to Beg” for Ballon d’Or

The 19-year-old Spain international insists his World Cup and La Liga triumphs speak for themselves, while also being named one of Barcelona’s vice-captains ahead of the October 26 ceremony.

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has made it clear that he will not campaign or “beg” for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, stating that his achievements on the pitch for club and country should speak for themselves. Speaking ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League opener against Feyenoord, the 19-year-old responded to comments from rival Kylian Mbappé, who had previously made his case for the award by highlighting his World Cup Golden Boot win, which also saw him become the competition’s all-time top goalscorer.

“I don’t think I need to campaign for the Ballon d’Or. I’m not thinking about what I deserve, everyone can think what they like,” Yamal told reporters. “I’m proud of everything I’ve done this year with my club and with the national team. We’ve become world champions, we’ve won the league again. I can’t ask for anything more. I think I’ve shown an incredible level, it’s your job and I will not beg for anything.”

The Spanish international, who finished second in last year’s voting behind PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé, is among the leading contenders for the prize alongside Mbappé, Harry Kane, Dembélé, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The ceremony is scheduled for October 26 in London. Yamal was officially named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or when France Football unveiled the list on Tuesday, marking his third nomination.

When asked about Dembélé’s recent comments naming Kvaratskhelia, Kane, and Mbappé as his top three, Yamal joked: “He’s a friend of Kylian, right? Honestly, I don’t care. I’m very happy with the year I had. Whenever I’ve faced both of them, I’ve won. They must have taken a dislike to me for some reason.” Spain knocked France out of the World Cup semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 victory.

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Yamal, who suffered a hamstring injury in April, has returned to form with two goals in his last two outings against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, and appeared far more cheerful after a difficult start to the season. “In the end, I’m 19, coming off winning a World Cup, having had the best holidays of my life. I’ve never been happier at any point in my life than I am now,” he said.

Beyond individual honours, Yamal emphasised that Barcelona’s primary target this season is the Champions League trophy, a title that has eluded the Catalan giants since 2015. “There’s no greater motivation than the Champions League, which is the one I still have to win. We will give our all to win it,” Yamal said ahead of Wednesday’s opener against Feyenoord. “Good players have arrived, like Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri.”

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised the young star, saying: “Lamine is a player who can decide games on his own, fantastic quality. It’s great, you can see it every day how he is enjoying playing football. For me the best thing is that he enjoys this game and then he’s on a top level.”

Yamal is also the favourite to win a third consecutive best young player award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, having been one of 10 players nominated on Tuesday, including Johan Manzambi, Yan Diomande, and Ayyoub Bouaddi, who all impressed at the World Cup and were then the subject of big-money summer transfers.

Interestingly, during the press conference, neither Yamal nor Flick mentioned Feyenoord by name, instead focusing entirely on Barcelona’s mission to win the Champions League. Yamal was recently elected one of three vice-captains by his teammates, alongside Eric Garcia and Frenkie de Jong, with coach Hansi Flick selecting Raphinha and Pedri as the other members of the five-man captaincy group. “It’s something to be proud of at 19 years old. I’m very grateful to my teammates. It’s a position that comes with responsibilities, even if I’m only 19, but I’m very happy,” he said.