Archive September 12, 2025

Nigerians Can’t Afford Another Fuel Scarcity — Tonye Cole

By in News, Nigeria News

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2023 Rivers election, Tonye Cole, has warned that Nigerians cannot afford another fuel scarcity.

Cole, co-founder and former Group Executive Director of Sahara Group, spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Friday.

“Nigerians cannot afford another scarcity of fuel today. People are already in such a difficult situation, and another crisis would only worsen their suffering.”

Cole noted that the government intervened quickly to mediate between Dangote Refinery and NUPENG because preventing disruption was critical to citizens’ welfare.

FILE PHOTO: Nigerians with different gallons queue up at a filling station in Lagos. Photo Credit: Channels TV/Victor Kalu

Unionisation Debate

Cole stressed that unions play a vital role in ensuring checks and balances between employers, employees, and government.

“In a democracy, unions remain a necessary balance,” he said. “They give workers a strong lobbying voice, while the government must represent the interests of the people.”

Tonye Cole

Asked whether Dangote Refinery was handling the issue properly, Cole responded, “If they signed an agreement, integrity demands that they honour it, or call all parties to renegotiate.”

READ ALSO: NUPENG Threatens To Resume Strike, Accuses Dangote Refinery Of Breaching Agreement

On monopoly fears, he warned against allowing a single company to dominate Nigeria’s fuel market.

“Competition makes businesses stronger and benefits citizens most. Monopoly is extremely dangerous and unacceptable,” he said.

He added that while market disruption is natural in business, using government forces to ban competitors would harm citizens and the economy.

Strike Threat Resurfaces

Barely 48 hours after suspending its nationwide strike, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) accused Dangote Refinery of reneging on its commitments.

In a statement signed by President Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union warned it could resume industrial action.

“We are placing our members on red alert for the resumption of the suspended strike,” the statement read. “We call on labour groups and civil society to stand in solidarity.”

NUPENG said Dangote Refinery ordered truck drivers to remove union stickers from their vehicles despite signing an agreement at the DSS office.

The union urged the Federal Government to stop security agencies from being used “with impunity” against workers’ rights, warning that agreements must be respected.

Agreement and MoU

Present at the meeting are the national executives of NUPENG and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

NUPENG had suspended its strike on Tuesday after an agreement with Dangote Refinery to recognise employees’ right to unionise.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the DSS meeting stated that unionisation must commence immediately and be completed within two weeks.

It also ensured that no worker would be punished for joining a union and that the employer would not create a parallel union.

Signatories included Dangote Group, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Union Dispute

The strike initially began when NUPENG alleged that Dangote Refinery was hiring new drivers on the condition that they not join the union.

Dangote’s management dismissed the allegation as “cheap blackmail”, insisting operations continued normally and stressing there was no fuel shortage during the strike.

NUPENG/Dangote photo combo

The refinery, which has a 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity, is Africa’s largest and aims to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrol.

US Fed expected to cut rates amid cooling labour market, surging inflation

By in News, World News

New York, USA – Next week, the United States Federal Reserve will hold a two-day policy meeting to decide whether to lower interest rates.

The meeting follows a months-long pause in rates and comes amid heightened pressure on the central bank.

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US President Donald Trump recently dismissed Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on allegations of mortgage fraud, which she is contesting in court, and has escalated his loud and repeated criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

The Fed, which emphasises its independence from political influence, will weigh new economic data as it considers its next move. The benchmark interest rate has remained at 4.25 percent – 4.50 percent since December.

So far, the Fed has held rates steady, saying the stance preserves flexibility to respond to economic shocks tied to shifting trade policy. But many economists now believe a rate cut is imminent.

They point to signs of a cooling labour market and tariff-related pressure on inflation as factors that could support lowering rates, not political pressure.

“I think that the Fed has made it pretty clear that they’re going to cut rates in September, and the market certainly expects that,” Daniel Hornung, policy fellow at Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research and former deputy director of the National Economic Council, told Al Jazeera.

CME FedWatch, which tracks the probability of Fed policy moves, puts the likelihood of a quarter of one percentage point cut at 94.5 percent, echoing research from JPMorgan last month.

“For Fed Chair Jerome Powell, the risk management considerations may go beyond balancing employment and inflation risks, and we now see the path of least resistance is to pull forward the next cut of 25 basis points to the September meeting,” Michael Feroli, chief US economist at JP Morgan, said at the time.

Prices jump

Consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in August from the previous month, the sharpest increase in seven months, according to the Labor Department’s consumer price index (CPI) report released on Thursday.

The gain followed a 0.2 percent rise in July. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast a 0.3 percent monthly increase in core CPI.

Energy costs climbed 0.7 percent, fueled by a 1.9 percent jump in gasoline. Airfares climbed 5.9 percent, apparel prices rose 0.5 percent, shelter increased 0.4 percent, grocery prices were up 0.6 percent, and restaurant meals rose 0.3 percent.

Some goods saw particularly steep increases. Coffee prices jumped 3.6 percent on the month as Brazil, the world’s top coffee exporter, redirected shipments away from the US following new tariffs.

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which tracks prices businesses receive for goods and services, showed coffee up nearly 7 percent from July and more than 33 percent over the past year.

There is a comparable phenomenon with beef, for which the US relies heavily on Brazil.  CPI data showed a 2.7 percent increase, while the PPI measured a 6 percent monthly rise and a 21 percent yearly increase.

Overall, the PPI slipped 0.1 percent, suggesting some businesses are absorbing tariff costs rather than passing them to consumers. Service prices fell 1.7 percent, driven by a 3.9 percent decline in margins for machinery and vehicle wholesalers, which offset a 0.1 percent increase in goods prices. That came after wholesale inflation was revised higher to 0.7 percent in July, which was well above economists’ forecasts.

Even so, companies are beginning to warn that they cannot continue absorbing higher costs. In recent weeks, Campbell’s Co, which makes Campbell’s Soup and Goldfish crackers, and Procter & Gamble have both said they plan to raise prices on consumer goods in the months ahead as tariff pressures persist.

Labour market tumbles

The US labour market, a key factor in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions, has cooled sharply.

Approximately 263,000 people submitted initial jobless claims last week, the most in four years, Department of Labor data released on Thursday showed.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised down job gains over the past few months, as well as between April 2024 and March 2025, when the US economy added 911,000 fewer jobs than had been previously reported.

All of that is echoed by poor jobs numbers last week. In August, the economy added only 22,000 jobs, with gains concentrated in healthcare (which added 31,000 jobs) and social assistance (which added 16,000). The unemployment rate climbed to 4.3 percent, the Labor Department reported.

Revisions showed July job growth slightly stronger at 79,000, up from 73,000, while June was cut from a modest gain to a loss of 13,000.

“The recent job numbers were really, especially the revision of the earlier numbers, were really kind of problematic for the economy,” Michael Klein, professor of International Economic Affairs at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, told Al Jazeera.

Job openings and turnover also declined, leaving more unemployed workers than available positions for the first time since April 2021.

A report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas highlighted the strain, noting a 39 percent jump in job cuts between July and August. Private payroll growth slowed as well, according to the ADP National Employment Report, which showed just 54,000 jobs added, down from 106,000 the prior month.

Competing forces

Typically, high inflation prompts higher interest rates, which discourage borrowing and spending and help rein in prices.

“The Fed is in a very difficult position right now because there is both a weakening labour market and evidence of higher inflation. Typically, if the Fed is facing a weaker labour market, it would want to lower interest rates. And if it’s facing higher inflation, it would want to raise interest rates. But we’re in a situation now where there are countervailing forces,” Klein said.

The labour market is already weighing on consumer spending. Rising layoffs and slower hiring have made shoppers cautious, and the latest consumer confidence index shows plans to buy big-ticket and discretionary items are slipping.

With Trump’s shifting tariffs and hardline immigration policies, businesses are stuck in a “wait-and-see” mode, increasing uncertainty.

Netherlands threatens to boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates

By in News, World News

The Netherlands has announced it will boycott the 2026 Eurovision in Vienna if Israel participates, joining other European countries that have threatened to withdraw from the song contest over Israel’s war on Gaza.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that collectively fund and broadcast the contest, on Friday said it would not take part in next year’s competition in Vienna if Israel participates, “given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza”.

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“The broadcaster also expresses deep concern about the serious erosion of press freedom: the deliberate exclusion of independent international reporting and the many casualties among journalists,” it said in a statement.

Irish broadcaster RTE released a similar statement on Thursday, saying participating would be “unconscionable” as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza. Iceland said it may withdraw from the contest, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for Israel to be booted from the competition.

AVROTROS said it had also taken into account the high number of journalists who have died in Gaza.

The European Broadcasting Union, which runs the contest, said it was consulting its members on how to “manage participation and geopolitical tensions” around the contest and would give them until mid-December to decide if they want to participate.

“We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” said Martin Green, director of Eurovision. “It is up to each member to decide if they want to take part in the contest, and we would respect any decision broadcasters make.”

The organisation said in July it was launching a consultation with all members of the EEBU, which organises the song contest over the issue.

The Dutch broadcaster said it will continue preparing for the contest — which was watched by 166 million people on television this year — until it receives a decision from organisers about whether it will include Israel.

Calls to boycott Israel grow

The boycott threat is part of a campaign by arts organisations and figures to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza.

Earlier this week, Hollywood stars including Emma Stone, Ayo Edebiri, Ava DuVernay and Olivia Colman joined 3,000 other industry figures in signing a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” according to the group Film Workers for Palestine.

Russia has been banned from Eurovision since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete in the past two years despite disputes over its participation.

Dozens of former participants, including 2024 winner Nemo of Switzerland, have called for Israel to be excluded over its conduct in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests took place around this year’s contest in Basel, Switzerland, though on a much smaller scale than the 2024 event in Sweden.

Hollyoaks star secretly welcomes first child after lavish wedding

By in Entertainment News, News

A former Hollyoaks star has shared an adorable snap of himself alongside his son after he kept the news of the child’s birth quiet and details of his wife’s pregnancy under wraps

Jonny Clarke and his son(Image: instgram)

A Hollyoaks star has confirmed he is now a dad after his wife gave birth to their baby son. The news has been low-key announced on social media as the duo get used to life as parents.

Jonny Clarke, who plays the part of Bart McQueen and his wife Stephanie can be seen in Instagram clips and they look very much the adoring parents. The arrival earlier this year came two years after the pair tied the knot in a lavish ceremony.

The duo kept Stephanie’s pregnancy details largely under wraps and have shared only two images since their son’s birth. In a snap shared to Jonny’s social media account earlier this week, the actor is seen with his son in a soft play centre.

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Jonny shared a snap alongside his son on Instagram
Jonny shared a snap alongside his son on Instagram(Image: instgram)
Stephanie and Jonny keep a relatively low profile
Stephanie and Jonny keep a relatively low profile(Image: instgram)

The caption on the upload read: “My rainbow, my sunshine, my son.”

On his latest post, one fan gushed: “Aww, you’re a incredible father to your son, he’s lucky to have you as his dad.” Another added: “The lads.”

And it followed a image earlier in the summer which saw Jonny confirm the sweet news. In it, he revealed he had become a father and celebrated his first Father’s Day.

Back in 2023, the pair wed. Like their baby news, the couple largely kept the ceremony details away from the public. However, he did share one photo social media with his followers at the time.

Captioning a snap which shows the newlyweds looking extremely happy while posing on a bridge with a picturesque background, the actor simply penned: “07.08.23.”

Among those sending their well wishes was fellow Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas, who plays the part of Warren Fox. He wrote: “Congratulations mate,” before later adding a clapping hands emoji.

Bart McQueen
He starred as Bart McQueen(Image: LIMEPICTURES)

Another follower said: “Wow your not my little Bart anymore how much you have grown and changed now even married . @jamielomas21 ps I still hate warren fox and will till the rest of my life you should never have killed him @hollyoaksofficial bring back Jason Costello and Jonny to you and your Mrs a big congratulations. hope you have the best life possible not that you got the chance to in Hollyoaks”

Jonny first appeared on Hollyoaks back in 2010. He joined the McQueen family at the time, but was last seen on the soap in 2017. In 2012, Jonny was nominated for Best Serial Drama Performance at the National Television Awards.

In 2013, his character Bart fled the village alongside Joel Dexter. The duo were desperate to escape Brendan Brady after being caught stealing from him.

While Bart returned in 2017, his time back on the show was short-lived as Bart was beaten to death. It came as Bart played a part in the overdose of Warren’s sister, whose body was then buried in someone else’s grave.

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Since his exit, Jonny has kept a relatively low profile away from the cameras. It’s thought he embarked on a career in marketing as he stepped back from the limelight.

Love Island’s Shakira Khan makes brutal dig at co-stars weeks after leaving villa

By in Entertainment News, News

Toni Laites, Yasmin Pettet and Shakira Khan formed a friendship whilst in the Love Island villa together over the summer and the trio all ended up reaching the final

Love Island runner-up Shakira Khan made a dig at other islanders from the reality TV show whilst discussing her friendship with Yasmin Pettet and Toni Laites. The trio met in the villa over the summer and have become close pals.

Shakira, 22, reached the final of the latest series of the ITV2 show in August with her partner Harry Cooksley. Although she clashed with some co-stars whilst in the villa, she had grown close to Yasmin and Toni, who were coupled up with Jamie Rhodes and Cach Mercer respectively.

All three couples made it to the final, with Yasmin and Jamie placing third together. Shakira and Harry were announced as the runner-up couple by host Maya Jama, with Toni and Cach named the winners of the most recent series.

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Love Island finalist Shakira Khan (right) spoke about her friendship with co-stars Toni Laites (left) and Yasmin Pettet (centre) recently(Image: shakirakhan16/ Instagram)

Shakira spoke about her friendship with Toni and Yasmin whilst discussing her Love Island experience on Capital XTRA earlier this week. At one point in the interview, she was asked what makes them “different from the rest”.

She described the trio as “real” in her response and said that they found a “sense of sisterhood” together. The former islander added that the three pals “keep it real” and said in the recent radio interview that they are “outspoken”.

Shakira said: “We’re real. I think people will have their opinions but I feel like we’ve always said it how it is and we always found like a sense of sisterhood with each other. We always think the same things – like we always have the same opinion.”

She continued by sharing on the radio show: “And yeah, I just think we keep it real. I don’t think we’re the sort of people you would stereotypically put on Love Island either. Like we’re all quite outspoken, strong females.”

Shakira concluded her response to the question by addressing the reaction to the trio. Sharing her thoughts, she said: “And yeah, it didn’t land with some people but the girls who get it, get it, and the girls who don’t, don’t!”

Shakira Khan, in a black top, sat wearing headphones behind a microphone in a radio interview.
She discussed being part of the trio whilst on Capital Xtra earlier this week(Image: Capital Xtra)

She had been an original islander on the latest series of Love Island, which ran from June to August. She had initially coupled-up with Ben Holbrough but he was then ‘stolen’ by the first bombshell, Toni, in the launch episode.

A twist then saw Shakira pitted against her co-stars as she was told that she had 24 hours to get a different boy to couple up with her or she would be dumped from the show herself. It appeared to lead to some tension in the villa.

Shakira ended up recoupling with Harry, which meant that Sophie Lee, who had been coupled up with him, had to leave the villa instead. Shakira, who clashed with other islanders at time during her stint in the villa, and Harry had an on-off romance throughout the series, including as part of a long-running love triangle with Helena Ford, whom Harry also pursued.

Shortly before the final, Shakira and Harry reunited after being a part and ended up becoming the runner-up couple. Shakira took the opportunity to thank her pals Yasmin and Toni in a post after leaving the villa beside them.

She wrote last month: “To be in the final with my two babies was definitely not on my Love Island bingo card!! Toni and Yas, I genuinely couldn’t have lasted a single day in that villa without you. I’m forever grateful I get to call you my friends.”

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