Ibadan – Petrol station workers under the aegis of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers have opposed plans by AA Rano to introduce what the company described as Nigeria’s first fully automated and unmanned fuel stations.
The workers warned that the move, if implemented without adequate safeguards, could worsen unemployment and contribute to rising insecurity across the country.
AA Rano recently announced plans to roll out the automated stations this January, noting that the outlets would operate a 24-hour self-service fuelling system.
According to the company, the stations will rely on contactless payment platforms, real-time monitoring technology, and automated dispensing systems, thereby eliminating the need for on-site pump attendants.
However, reacting to the announcement, the convener of the Concerned Petrol Station Workers and rights advocate, Comrade Ibrahim Zango, expressed strong reservations about the development.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, Zango said many young Nigerians currently engaged as petrol station attendants could lose their means of livelihood.
He noted that the timing of the initiative was wrong, given the country’s prevailing economic challenges and rising unemployment rate.
“At a time when Nigeria is already grappling with mass unemployment, rising cost of living, and growing insecurity, deploying job-eliminating technology without safeguards is dangerous,” Zango said.
He urged stakeholders to consider the human cost of the innovation, stressing that thousands of families depend on earnings from petrol station jobs.
Rivers Assembly serves Fubara, Deputy notice of gross misconducts
A few hours after receiving documents containing alleged gross misconducts against Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, from 26 lawmakers, Speaker Martin’s Amaewhule has transmitted letters containing the allegations to the Governor and his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
The letters entitled: “Notice of allegations of gross misconduct” brought pursuant to Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 was dated January 8, 2026 and signed by Amaewhule.
In the letter Amaewhule informed the Governor that he received a notice of allegations of gross misconduct dated January 5th, 2026 against him from 26 members of the Rivers Assembly.
He said the number that signed the notice represented two-third of the membership of the Assembly.
Amaewhule said he forwarded the notice to the governor in pursuant to Section 188 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended .
Impeachment: Fubara’s defection to APC threatens Wike’s grip on Rivers — Ex-Commissioner
A former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Austin Tam-George, has suggested that the defection of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, altered the political dynamics in the state, weakening the influence of the camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Tam-George said that political calculations in the state within the last three weeks has changed, noting that the development appeared to have unsettled Wike and his allies.
Speaking during the Arise Television’s Prime Time, the former commissioner stated it was why Wike in recent weeks embarked on visits to several local government areas in the state.
According to him, the governor’s defection eroded the leverage previously enjoyed by the Wike camp over the Rivers State Government, forcing them to seek new ways of reasserting their influence.
He, however, warned that the prolonged political tension and instability resulting from the rivalry would ultimately be detrimental to the state and its people.
Wike a ‘pestilence’ on Rivers, I resigned because of it – Ex-Commissioner
Austin Tam George, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a destabilising force in Rivers State, accusing him of attempting to exert godfatherism over the state’s political affairs.
He argued that the move to impeach the governor is a calculated attempt to reassert political control and reduce Fubara’s growing influence.
Tam George, who served under Wike’s administration, made the remarks on Thursday while speaking on Prime Time on Arise Television.
Ex-UFC welterweight champion Usman apologises over leaked video with Anthony Joshua
A former UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, has apologised after his FaceTime conversation with former heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, was posted online.
It was reported that Joshua recounted the tragic deaths of two of his close friends following a fatal car crash during an emotional conversation with Usman.
The conversation, shared in a YouTube video posted by Usman on Wednesday, took place while Joshua was recovering from injuries sustained in the accident and ahead of an MMA event held in Lagos on December 30.
Joshua had survived a crash on December 29 along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which claimed the lives of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
The boxer was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to Duchess International Hospital, where he received medical treatment.
Footage from the video showed
Joshua, lying in a treatment room with bandages wrapped around his head and torso as he spoke to Usman about the tragedy.
He admitted that the reality of the loss had not yet fully sunk in.
FG confirms release of Super Eagles’ bonuses
The federal government has announced that all group-stage bonuses due to players of the Super Eagles at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations have been released and are expected to reflect in the players’ domiciliary accounts within hours.
The disclosure was made by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, in response to reports suggesting that the national team was considering boycotting training sessions and could refuse to travel to Marrakesh for their quarter-final encounter against Algeria.
In a post on her official X handle, Uzoka-Anite provided an update on the administrative steps taken to resolve concerns surrounding the payment of match bonuses to the Super Eagles, stating that the issue had been addressed through coordinated action by the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
EFCC: N5.78b case against Ex-Kwara Gov, finance commissioner stalled
A mild drama ensued at the Kwara State High Court on Thursday at the continuation of hearing in the N5.78bn case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), against former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his erstwhile Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu.
Both Ahmed and Banu were physically present in court, but the matter was stalled midway into hearing following disagreement between the defence counsels and EFCC team on the alleged improper paginated documents tendered before the court as exhibits.
For several minutes, counsels to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and lead counsel to the defendants, Kamaldeen Ajibade, (SAN), argued about improper arrangement of documents served on the latter and same which was tendered before the court.
Jacob had tendered the documents to be admitted as exhibits before the court but counsel to the defendants insisted that the “bundle of documents” differed from what was served on them and were also not properly arranged nor numbered to guide the court in the proceedings.
Jacob on the other hand argued that the documents served the defence counsels and which were also made available before the court were the same with the one in his possession.
US to withdraw from United Nations, 65 other global bodies
United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw the US from 66 United Nations and international organisations.
Trump said he will also be pulling his country out of major forums for cooperation on climate change, peace and democracy.
According to a presidential memorandum by the White House, Trump said that the decision came after a review of which “organisations, conventions, and treaties are contrary to the interests of the United States.”
The changes would see the US cease participation and also cut all funding to the affected entities, Trump added.
The list shared by the White House included 35 non-UN organisations, including notably the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
UN Secretary-General regrets US decision to quit international organisations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has expressed regret over the decision by the United States to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities, stressing that assessed financial contributions to the organisation are a legal obligation for all member states.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General expressed regret over the White House’s announcement on the decision.
“The Secretary-General regrets the announcement by the White House regarding the United States’ decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities,” the statement read.
The UN chief emphasised that funding commitments approved by the General Assembly are binding under international law.
