News
Republican States Take Biden to Court Over Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Ban
On Friday, a coalition of Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against the outgoing U.S. president, Joe Biden, challenging his recent decision to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling across a significant portion of U.S. coastlines.
The legal action seeks to overturn Biden’s ban, arguing that the authority to implement such restrictions lies with Congress, not the president.
The ban, announced on January 6, affects a vast 625 million acres of ocean and aligns with Biden’s broader agenda to combat climate change.
However, critics have labeled the move largely symbolic, as it excludes regions where drilling is currently active and targets areas in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that are not considered high-priority for oil and gas exploration.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, comes during Biden’s final days in office, as Republican President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take over on January 20.
Furthermore, the Biden administration has not yet responded to the legal challenge.
News
“You Can Still Have Subsidy Without Long Queues” — Rufai Oseni Speaks On Subsidy
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
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Sanwo-Olu Speaks on Lagos’ Power Challenges and the Need for Change
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
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Sanwo-Olu Declares August 20 Public Holiday in Lagos for Isese Festival
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
