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WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will allow people to connect without sharing their phone numbers.

Instead, users will be able to create special usernames just like on Instagram, Telegram, or X (formerly Twitter). This could be one of the biggest privacy updates in WhatsApp’s history. The new feature was discovered in WhatsApp’s beta testing program. It will let users chat and join groups using usernames rather than phone numbers.

This is meant to give people more privacy, especially in large groups or business chats where sharing personal numbers may feel uncomfortable. Screenshots from the test version show a new ‘Username’ field in profiles, allowing users to choose unique names and hide their numbers if they want. However, experts warn that this could lead to problems such as people copying others’ usernames or pretending to be someone else.

WhatsApp plans to add verification tools to prevent such misuse. The feature is still being tested, but if it succeeds, it could change how more than two billion people communicate making

The Federal Government has announced that the new Otakikpo Oil Export Terminal in Rivers State will make it easier to transport crude oil and increase Nigeria’s export capacity.

The $400 million facility, located in Ikuru Town, Andoni Local Government Area of the state, can handle 365,000 barrels per day. It is the first onshore oil terminal built in Nigeria in 50 years. President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the project as a major step toward improving Nigeria’s oil production and export systems.

He said the terminal will also serve as a new route to move crude oil from Ogoniland and nearby areas.

‘This project supports our goal to increase oil production, expand export facilities, and promote local investment,’ Tinubu said. ‘It will unlock large oil reserves and add value to the nation’s economy.’ Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, Chairman and CEO of Green Energy International Limited (GEIL), said the project was fully developed and completed by Nigerians within two years faster than expected. He explained that the terminal can store 750,000 barrels of oil, with room to expand to three million barrels, and can pump 360,000 barrels per day. Since operations began in June 2025, more than one million barrels of crude oil have already been exported through the terminal.

Adegbulugbe added that the facility could help produce oil from over 40 previously stranded fields in the region, which together hold about three billion barrels of reserves, potentially boosting Nigeria’s output by 200,000 barrels per day.

Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), said the terminal is a major success for local oil companies.

He noted that it gives producers another export option, reduces dependence on old facilities, lowers costs, and it will improve the overall efficiency of Nigeria’s crude oil exports.

Lead Pastor of Harvesters International Christian Center, Pastor Bolaji Idowu, hosted Lagos’ largest Singles Conference, drawing more than 8,000 people to the church’s headquarters.

The event, titled ‘Singles Prayers and Connect Conference,’ focused on faith, relationships, and personal growth. It was a powerful gathering where many experienced emotional healing, spiritual breakthroughs, and a renewed sense of purpose for their future. Pastor Bolaji said, ‘Our vision at Harvesters is to change lives. One key area is helping young adults who are trusting God for marriage breakthroughs. Singles are part of God’s plan, and tonight, destinies were realigned.’

Participants also had opportunities to connect and build friendships, reflecting the church’s commitment to creating a supportive environment where singles can grow spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

One attendee shared, ‘I’m so glad I came. I felt God’s presence strongly and left with peace and hope.

I can’t wait to return and share my testimony.’

The conference once again highlighted Harvesters’ mission to inspire faith, transformation, and community among young adults.

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday remanded a 42-year-old carpenter, Abdulrahman Malik for allegedly defiling his 17-year-old daughter, (name withheld).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Rahman Oshodi remanded Malik in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, pending trial and determination of the case.

Rahman adjourned the case until Jan. 15.

Earlier, the Lagos State Government arraigned Malik on a three-count charge of defilement of a child, incapacitating in order to commit felony and sexual assault. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The State Lead Counsel, Mr Babajide Boye, had told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence between 2015 and 2020 in Elepe Royal Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos.

Boye submitted that the defendant drugged the minor with sleep-inducing medication with an intent to have unlawful sex with her.

According to the prosecution, the offence contravenes the provisions of Sections 137, 263 and 239 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

Laolu Akande, the former spokesman to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has weighed in on the case of alleged certificate forgery of Uche Nnaji, the resigned Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.

While speaking in an interview with Sunrise daily on Channels Television on Thursday, Akande commended the minister for resigning from his position. ‘There is a good feeling that you have the minister resigning quite quickly after Premium Times did the story and made the whole thing known. It’s good that the minister resigned. We need to go to the extreme of the matter even in the interest of Nnaji himself. There has to be a criminal prosecution because the University of Nigeria, Nsukka said it did not issue him a certificate but he is insisting that the school did. So I don’t know whether it’s a civil case that can solve the matter. I think there has to be a pursuit of justice ultimately. The fact that he resigned, in my view, is not enough,’ he stated

Tinubu Calls for Pension Funds to Be Invested in Oil and Gas Sector

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suggested changing pension fund rules to allow part of the money to be invested in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

He said this could bring huge profits and help boost the nation’s economy.

Tinubu made the call while commissioning the $400 million Green Energy International Limited (GEIL) crude oil export terminal in Otakikpo, Rivers State. The terminal is Nigeria’s first new crude oil export terminal in 50 years and has increased the country’s oil exports by more than one million barrels in just four months.

Speaking through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Tinubu said the government is already working with Ogoni leaders to resolve disputes so that oil production can start in the area.

He explained that investing pension funds in oil and gas could yield much higher returns than traditional investments, citing an example from Senegal where an $8 billion investment is expected to return $40 billion over 25 years.

Tinubu also praised Green Energy for its commitment and criticized some license holders who misuse funds. ‘If you don’t have the capacity, look for something else to do instead of wasting your time in oil and gas,’ he warned.

He stressed that oil and gas remain central to Nigeria’s economic recovery.

‘The federal government will work with all stakeholders to unlock the full potential of this region,’ he said.

On energy transition, Lokpobiri dismissed calls to abandon fossil fuels, saying,

‘Oil and gas will never go away.’ He quoted global projections showing that oil and gas will still provide more than half of the world’s energy needs for at least the next 50 years. Lokpobiri also mentioned the African Energy Bank, which was created to provide funding for energy projects across the continent.

He confirmed that Nigeria has met all its financial obligations to the bank.

The chairman and CEO of Green Energy, Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, said the Otakikpo terminal has already handled four successful export operations since June 2025, moving over one million barrels of crude oil.

The terminal has a storage capacity of 750,000 barrels, which can be expanded to three million barrels, and a pumping capacity of up to 360,000 barrels per day.

Adegbulugbe said the project, completed in less than two years by Nigerian engineers, is a sign of the nation’s technical strength.

He noted that it will open access to over 40 nearby oil fields with reserves of more than 3 billion barrels, which could add over 200,000 barrels per day to national output.

He credited the success of the project to the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act, which encourage local participation in the oil sector.

Adegbulugbe thanked government agencies, financial partners, and workers for their support and said this achievement marks ‘the beginning of a new era of indigenous excellence in Nigeria’s energy sector.’

The CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, said the Otakikpo terminal is historic because it expands Nigeria’s export capacity and shows that local operators can deliver major projects once thought possible only for international oil companies.

He added that the terminal will help reduce dependence on existing export facilities and overcome security and pipeline challenges.

Komolafe said indigenous companies now account for about 30 per cent of Nigeria’s oil production.

The Federal Government lost about 13.5 million barrels of crude oil, worth $3.3 billion, to theft and pipeline vandalism between 2023 and 2024, according to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, revealed this on

Thursday during the 2025 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) conference in Lagos. He criticized the lack of transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, saying openness and innovation are key to improving the industry.

Speaking on the theme ‘Nigeria’s Energy Future: Exploring Opportunities and Addressing Risks for Sustainable Growth,’ Orji said the lost revenue could have funded the country’s entire health budget for a year or provided electricity to millions of homes.

He added that NEITI’s 2021-2022 Oil and Gas Industry Reports showed Nigeria earned $23.04 billion in 2021 and $23.05 billion in 2022 from the sector. However, some companies and government agencies still owe the Federation about ?1.5 trillion, which could have been used to improve energy and healthcare services. Dr. Orji stressed that transparency is not optional but necessary for a sustainable energy future.

He said NEITI is working to ensure every barrel of crude oil produced is properly accounted for, noting that secrecy in the value chain remains a serious issue.

According to him, reliable data is essential because ‘data build trust, trust drives investment, investment generates revenue, and revenue delivers results.’

He explained that NEITI has grown from being just an auditing agency to a full governance reform body.

The organization now conducts regular audits of the oil, gas, and solid minerals sectors, tracks production and payments, and exposes the real owners of over 4,800 extractive assets through its Beneficial Ownership Register.

NEITI has also partnered with agencies like NUPRC, NMDPRA, and NCDMB to promote transparency in licensing, metering, and community trust management.

Additionally, it introduced the Just Energy Transition and Climate Accountability Framework to ensure Nigeria’s shift to cleaner energy is fair and transparent.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has spoken up on why he appointed Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new INEC Chairman.

Tinubu, in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that Amupitan is apolitical and the first person from his state, Kogi state, to occupy the position. ‘President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025. President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical,’ the statement reads in part.