Good Morning. Here’s a recap of top trending news stories this morning.
1. The Federal Government has urged the United Arab Emirates to invest in renewing Nigeria’s over 50-year-old oil pipelines, highlighting their outdated condition. It also affirmed that both countries remain committed to continuing oil exploration despite some calls to cease such activities.
2. The Nigerian High Commission in London, UK, has accumulated £8.4 million in unpaid congestion charges. A datasheet published by Transport for London (TfL) reveals that this amount includes fees and fines accrued by diplomats from the start of the congestion charge in 2003 until the end of last year. TfL manages various transportation modes in London, such as the tube, buses, trams, cars, bikes, and river services.
3. The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the housing industry, citing an imminent accommodation crisis in the country. This appeal follows the Lagos State Government’s discovery of several makeshift dwellings beneath the Dolphin Estate bridge in Ikoyi, Lagos.
4. The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) is set to inaugurate its new president, Akintoye Adeoye, who prioritizes mass housing and plans to institutionalize the association through legislation and self-regulation. The investiture will take place on Thursday, May 23, at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos, chaired by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dangiwa, with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the chief host.
5. Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state has inaugurated the construction of an 18.3 km road network in and around the Federal Housing Estate in Girei Local Government Area as part of his urban renewal programs.
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6. The organized Labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress on Monday gave the Federal Government a deadline of May 31, 2024, to reverse the hike in electricity tariff. The decision was made at the conclusion of a joint National Executive Council meeting.
7. President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Sadiq Abubakar, has linked the frequent building collapses in the country to cement price hikes by producers. He stated this during a Monday investigative hearing held by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Solid Minerals, Industry, Commerce, and Special Duties, which is investigating the recent cement price increases.
8. Nigerian airline, Air Peace has refuted claims of safety breaches in the United Kingdom, asserting that any issues regarding ramp inspections were addressed with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Lead of Corporate Communications for the airline, Mr. Stanley Olisa, dismissed these allegations in a statement provided to the press in Lagos.
9. President Bola Tinubu has met with the Honorable Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development at the State House to discuss progress in the housing sector and national development.
10. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and two other top Hamas leaders — Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. This is in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 7 October attacks on Israel and subsequent conflict in Gaza, according to the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan.