Author: Amina Ibrahim

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday ordered a suspension of student visa processing as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up vetting of their social media, according to an internal cable. The latest move, which will affect international students including Nigerians, a major source of revenue for US universities, after Rubio rescinded hundreds of visas and the Trump administration moved to bar Harvard University from admitting any non-Americans. The move will affect the migration phenomenon known as Japa which has been popularised by Nigerian youths leaving the country in their droves for economic prosperity and job security in faraway…

THE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted three days of moderate-heavy rainfall in 14 States across the country. The States predicted to experience the heavy downpour are: Bayelsa, Rivers, parts of parts of Delta, Ondo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Abia, Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kogi and Niger. The forecast period, according to the heavy rainfall forecast bulletin by the agency, is Wednesday 28 to Friday 30th May. The agency while noting that strong winds may accompany the rains, added that there are prospects of flash flooding as a result of the expected moderate to heavy rainfall. It…

SAUDI Arabian authorities have announced sightings of the Dhul Hijjah crescent, which means, pilgrimage will start on June 4, while the day of Arafah will fall on June 5. According to Arab News, the announcement was made by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Muslims who are not performing the pilgrimage this year will celebrate Eid-el-Kabir on June 6. The Supreme Court urged Muslims across the Kingdom to look out for the crescent moon on Tuesday — Dhu Al-Qa’dah 29 — and report any sightings as soon as possible to their nearest court. The Kingdom has also announced a weeklong Eid…

THE United States Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day, a significant federal holiday in the United States. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria announced through its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, noting that the annual holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, is dedicated to honouring American military personnel who lost their lives in service to the nation. “Memorial Day is a time for reflection and remembrance of the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces,”…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division under the ICT Department. The Commission made this known in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, on Thursday. He said that the approval for the creation of the new division is to continue to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections in 2027. According to Olumekun, the division will enable the commission to better coordinate and maximise existing technology investments through centralised AI governance. He added that it…

A PROFESSOR of Pharmacology at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Helen Ochuko Kwanashie, has said that the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode of learning democratises education and breaks geographical barriers. Kwanashie, of the NOUN’s Faculty of Health Sciences, stated this in an exaugural lecture that she delivered on Thursday at the university’s headquarters in Abuja. The lecture, titled: “From Chalkboards to Digital Networks: A Career Academic’s Forty-Four Year Journey from Face-to-Face Teaching through Open and Distance Education to Social Learning,” traced her four and a half decades of teaching career, marked by dedication and unwavering commitment to…

THE joint action committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union of Allied institutions (NASU) has rejected the recent distribution formula adopted for the disbursement of the ₦50 billion approved by the Federal Government for University based unions. The ₦50 billion is to be shared among SSANU, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT). However, in a statement, the non-academic unions expressed disappointment that 80% of the allocation was given solely to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), leaving only 20% to be shared among SSANU, NASU, and NAAT.…

MANY people have reportedly lost their lives at the popular Karu bridge on the expressway that links both the Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. Eyewitnesses said the crash involved a trailer and a vehicle conveying sachet water, commonly referred to as “pure water.” The accident comes barely 24 hours after a fatal crash claimed lives at the same location, raising concerns over road safety along the busy corridor. This newspaper reports that in this year alone, the road, along the Nyanya-Keffi linking Benue and Plateau states had recorded at least three different fatalities. Currently, emergency responders are at the…

A TOTAL sum of ₦1.681 trillion, being April 2025 Federation Account Revenue, has been shared to the Federal Government, States and the Local Government Councils. The revenue was shared at the May 2025 Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in Abuja, according to a statement released by FAAC spokesperson, Bawa Mokwa, on Friday. The ₦1.681 trillion total distributable revenue, according to Mokwa, comprised distributable statutory revenue of ₦962.882 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of ₦598.077 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of ₦38.862 billion and Exchange Difference ₦81.407 billion. A communiqué issued by the Federation Account…

THE Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has described the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) as a cornerstone of development in the nation’s tertiary institutions, noting that the agency will not be scrapped in the Tax Reform Bill. Alausa spoke on Friday in Lagos at a one-day Strategic Engagement with Heads of Institutions, Bursars, and Heads of Procurement of Beneficiary Institutions organised by TETFUND. The Minister allayed the fears of many stakeholders in the education space that TETFUND will be scrapped, stressing that President Bola Tinubu has approved more funding for the agency with 50 per cent development levy inclusive. Alausa…

VICE-CHANCELLOR of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olufemi Peters, has implored new students to uphold the values of academic integrity, hard work and excellence as they sojourn in their academic activities with the institution. He was speaking on Wednesday in Abuja at the university’s 28th matriculation ceremony, where a total of 25,342 students matriculated across nine faculties. Out of the figure, 18,698 were admitted for various undergraduate degree programmes and 6,564 for postgraduate programmes, including doctorate students. In his speech, Peters urged the freshers to build positive networks and healthy relationships while shunning vices that would serve…

THE Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ending examination malpractice in Nigeria’s education sector, saying that it would go ahead with the transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) by 2026. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated this during a guest appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday. His comments came amid growing concerns about the integrity of public examinations, especially following the release of statistics from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates…

THE controversy surrounding the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) took a twist on Friday as Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, denied allegations linking him to the internal rocking the association. In a statement posted via his Instagram account on Friday, Tinubu refuted the accusations made by Atiku Isah, who claimed to be the NANS President, describing them as false and defamatory. “Wow… how can someone lie with so much confidence? An attempt to defame my character. May God be with you, Comrade Atiku Isah,” Seyi wrote. He further stated, “I have never held a…

BANK customers will begin paying N6 for every SMS transaction alert starting tomorrow. The SMS charges were increased by 50% to N6 from the previous N4 per message. An email from Guaranty Trust Bank Limited with the heading “Increase in SMS Transaction Alert Fee” read: “Dear Valued Customer, Please be informed that effective Thursday, May 1, 2025, the SMS transaction alert fee will increase from N4 to N6 per message. “This adjustment is due to a recent increase in telecom rates as communicated by the telecommunication service providers. “Kindly note that transaction alerts are important and help you keep track…

ABOUT N1 trillion is required yearly for school feeding, the Federal Government said yesterday. Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting on the relaunch and scaling of the Renewed-Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (RH-NHGSFP in Abuja. The minister, in a statement by the Head of Communication and Public Relations of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Attari Hope emphasized the need for substantial funding, stating that approximately N900billion to N1trillion will be required annually to provide nutritious meals for primary school pupils in grades 1 to…

THE Federal Government has announced that “no fewer than 231 young Nigerians” trafficked to Ghana are “expected to arrive in Lagos on Friday,” where they will be received by government officials. The development followed the recent rescue of 219 victims by Ghanaian authorities from a human trafficking ring that forced them into cybercrime operations. The victims, mostly young men, were discovered confined in about 25 rooms within a residential estate in Accra. During a visit to the Economic and Organised Crime Office in Accra, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, expressed Nigeria’s appreciation for the rescue effort.…

A PROFESSOR of Public Health at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Gloria Oiyahumen Anetor, has stated that the One Health approach, which emphasises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, cannot succeed unless it is anchored in robust and widespread public health education. She made this known during the 33rd Inaugural Lecture of the NOUN, held on Thursday at the university’s headquarters in Abuja. Anetor, of the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences, asserted that “achieving the One-Health concept is a mirage without public health education.” In the lecture, titled: “Achieving the One Health Concept: A Mirage Without…

A PROLONGED power outage in Kano State, now entering its 10th day, has severely disrupted socio-economic activities in the metropolis, leaving residents and business owners in distress. The blackout, compounded by recurrent failures of the national grid, has plunged communities into darkness, forcing businesses to rely on costly alternatives and pushing many into financial strain. Speaking to this newspaper, several residents lamented the impact of the outage. A supermarket owner and restaurant owner in Sabon Gari, Fagge Local Council, Jude Michael, described the situation as frustrating. “I have been running on a generator for days, which is making me incur…

THE Federal Government has introduced the BisonFly Project, a new nationwide initiative aimed at reducing air travel costs within the Federal Civil Service. A statement from the Ministry of Finance said the programme will be implemented through a centralised, optimised, and technology-driven discount system designed to streamline air travel arrangements for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government. At the project launch in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, described BisonFly as a strategic initiative crafted by the Federal Ministry of Finance. He revealed that the project is…

THE prevailing barrage of tariffs initiated by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump may well be a blessing in disguise for African countries. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake made this remark at the Fireside Chat session on Foreign Direct Investment titled: The Alchemy of Foreign Direct Investment – Turning Policies into prosperity for Emerging Global Markets,” during the 14th edition of the AIM Congress held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, during the week. In his contribution to the fireside chat on the impact of the tariffs…