THE World Health Organization chief acknowledged Tuesday that US funding cuts had left the UN agency with a huge budget gap, forcing it to slash operations and lay off staff. “The sudden drop in income has left us with a large salary gap and no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states, according to a transcript of his opening remarks. The United Nations health agency has been bracing for the planned full withdrawal of the United States — traditionally its largest donor by far — next January. US President Donald…
Author: Maryam Garba
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THE United Kingdom Home Office received 22,619 asylum applications from Nigerian nationals from 2010 to 2024, according to findings by this newspaper. This is as Nigerians accounted for one in 30 UK asylum claims over the period, ranking 11th on the Home Office’s newly released year-end Asylum and Resettlement statistics. According to the Home Office, nearly twice as many Nigerians (2,841) applied for asylum in 2024 as in 2023 (1,462). Overall, 2024 saw the highest number of asylum applications to the UK, with 108,138 people, a 378 per cent rise from 2010. Most were first-time claims by South Asian and…
FRESH from implementing a N15 price reduction in its loading cost for Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, the Dangote refinery has again slashed its refined products prices to make them cheaper, cutting its ex-depot rate to N835 per litre. The new price is a reduction of N30 from N865 per litre implemented six days ago, marking a 3.5 per cent decrease and N45 from N880 per litre sold by the facility last Wednesday. This price slash also marks Dangote’s third downward adjustment in under six weeks. This newspapere gathered that the refinery informed its customers in a notice…
THE International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has announced the appointment of prominent media personalities to its standing committees, aimed at promoting press freedom and responsible journalism in Nigeria. The committees include Fundraising, Programming, Advocacy, and Membership, each comprising seasoned industry professionals. Notable appointees include Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mrs. Funke Egbemode; former Managing Director of Champion Newspapers, Mr Emma Agu; and former Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Mr Gbemiga Ogunleye.…
A 24-YEAR-OLD Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents to gain admission into a university in the United States. On Wednesday, April 9, Ojedeji admitted to fraudulently securing a student visa and gaining admission into the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023. He acknowledged using falsified academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a fabricated English language proficiency report to obtain the visa. The plea was entered in a US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri, according to a statement released by the U.S.…
MEMBERS of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday morning picketed the Ministry of Steel Development Complex at Wuse 2 in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The aggrieved unions demanded better welfare for themselves and their colleagues working in the ministry. They also opposed what they described as the unjust sack of workers and a ban on workers’ rights to practice unionism. The labour unions led by Eche Asuzu barricaded the main gate of the ministry’s headquarters in the nation’s capital and prevented staffers of the ministry from gaining access to their offices. Carrying placards…
THE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted three days of moderate-heavy rainfall in six States of the country. The affected States are: Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Bayelsa Delta and Ogun. The rainfall is anticipated between Wednesday April 9-11, 2025. The agency, in its heavy rainfall forecast bulletin on Tuesday, also forecasted light-moderate rainfall in Ondo, Lagos, Delta, Imo, Abia, Ekiti and few others states. It added that other parts of the country would experience very light or no rain in the next three days. The agency in the bulletin also hinted that there are prospects of flash floods as…
THE Presidency on Wednesday outlined new conditions for the quarterly Stakeholder and Citizens Engagement Meetings, saying the Federal Government is commitment to transparency, inclusivity, and citizen participation in governance. The guidelines, issued through the Central Delivery Coordination Unit under the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, mandate stricter requirements for ministries to ensure these meetings serve as genuine platforms for public engagement. According to the CDCU, the engagement meetings were introduced as a deliverable for every ministry in response to President Bola Tinubu’s directive that all ministers regularly communicate government initiatives, beneficial programmes, and…
MANAGING DIRECTOR Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, has predicted that the cost of premium motor spirit also known as petrol will continue to decline until June 2025. Both Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria National Petroluem Company Limited (NNPCL) have crashed the cost of the essential commodity in recent weeks, easing the pressure on millions of Nigerians who depend on fuel for their energy needs. But Rewane says the recent reduction in the pump price of the product is expected to continue until mid-year. “So, generally between now and June, we will see prices begin to decline. But…
NAIRA closed February 2025 with an 8.5 per cent gain month-on-month on the parallel market to settle at 1,490/$, while it closed at 1,500/$ on the official market, indicating a 1.7 per cent m/m decline. According to the Afrinvest Monthly Market Report, the foreign reserve dipped by 3.2 per cent month-on-month. As of Thursday, it stood at $38.46bn. “This decline can be linked to CBN’s efforts to stabilise the naira, particularly through the resumption of payments for the verified portion of the outstanding $7.0bn foreign exchange backlog,” the analysts said. They went on to project that “in March, we anticipate…
MINISTER of Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Ata, has accused the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, of disrespecting President Bola Tinubu. The minister, in a statement by his media aide, Seyi Olorunsola, said the Kano deputy governor while speaking on the lingering emirship tussle in Kano State, had asked President Tinubu to come and remove the emir he (Tinubu) enthroned and kept in a graveyard. The minister said the statement was “inflammatory and reckless. “The Deputy Governor’s audacity in publicly addressing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in such an uncouth and disrespectful manner is…
A SEASONED Guidance and Counselling scholar at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Augustine Chinweuba Ukwueze, has said that the role of academic counselling in Nigeria’s education sector is often under-appreciated despite its impact. Ukwueze, a lecturer in the NOUN’s Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, stated this on Thursday at the NOUN 31st Inaugural Lecture held at the university’s headquarters in Abuja. In the lecture titled, “Academic Counselling: A Dark Horse in Education Industry,” he provided an analysis of why academic counselling remains a “dark horse,” saying, “It is a powerful but overlooked force capable of…
MANY Nigerian passengers aboard an Air France flight have been left stranded in Lomé, Togo, following a diversion caused by bad weather in Abuja. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, raised the alarm over the situation in a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday night. Keyamo revealed that the Air France flight from Paris to Abuja was unable to land due to adverse weather conditions and was redirected to Lomé. However, he expressed concern over the airline’s handling of the situation. He said, “I have just been alerted of a situation involving mostly Nigerian…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is currently presiding over the national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. Tuesday’s meeting began at 7:22 p.m. when Tinubu arrived at the venue. It is his first meeting of this nature since assuming the presidency 20 months ago. However, journalists were not allowed into the main hall. In 2024, the two crucial sessions, earlier scheduled for September 11 and 12 in Abuja, respectively, were called off. Although the party did not state the reasons for the postponement, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, affirmed that…
AL-ISTIQAMA University, Sumaila, Kano State, has again made history celebrating its first set of 246 graduates who completed their studies from three faculties – Basic Health Sciences, Arts and Social Management and Science and Computing. The university, which was established in 2020 but officially took off on September 2021, is holding its maiden convocation today, having successfully produced 246 graduates from the three faculties. The convocation is being celebrated with a massive upgrade of the university’s facilities, with a view to providing an environment conducive for teaching and learning. One of the hallmarks of Al-Istiqama University is its unwavering commitment…
THE Transmission Company of Nigeria has announced a major milestone in the nation’s power sector, revealing that Nigeria has achieved a new peak power generation of 5,543.20 MW. This landmark event occurred on Friday, February 14, 2025, at precisely 11 pm, surpassing the previous record of 5,478.73MW, which was set just a day earlier, on Thursday, February 13, 2025. This milestone was disclosed in a statement issued by the management of the company late on Wednesday. The statement read, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria is pleased to announce that the Nigerian Power Sector achieved a new peak generation of 5,543.20MW…
THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the implementation of a 50% tariff hike by telecommunication companies, demanding immediate reversal to the old tariff. News Point Nigeria reports that the NLC and the Federal Government had earlier constituted a 10-man committee to deliberate on the tariff hike within two weeks and report back before any final decision would be made on the new telecom tariff structure. Despite the agreement, telecom firms have proceeded with the increase, prompting NLC to issue a March 1 deadline for a total shutdown of their operations if the tariffs are not reverted. In a communique…
FEDERAL Governemnt through Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has initiated maximum enforcement action against Kenya Airways for many consumer protection infractions. News Point Nigeria reports that among the infractions is the airline’s refusal to tender an official apology, refund and compensate a Nigerian traveller, Gloria Omisore, within 48 hours. According to the NCAA, while the airline requested an extension of one hour after 48 hours elapsed, it failed to comply with the agency’s determination. Disclosing this in a post on X on Saturday, the Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, also noted that…
THE Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, has announced that corps members will begin receiving a new monthly allowance of N77,000 starting February 2025. The NYSC DG disclosed this on Thursday while speaking to the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Stream II corps members in Katsina State. Ahmed confirmed that the increment has been included in the 2025 Federal Government budget and will take effect once the budget is passed. “This month (January) has already ended, but once the budget is passed, by next month (February), you will start receiving N77,000 instead of the usual N33,000,” he…
HOODLUMS suspected to be kidnappers have invaded the Chikakore area of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, kidnapping a man, his wife, son and two others. A resident of the community told our correspondent that the kidnappers, numbering about 30 and armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 12 am on Monday and went straight to the house of one Adefija Micheal Akinropo, who was kidnapped alongside his wife, son and elder brother. The resident, who is close to the victims, said the kidnappers later moved to another building housing a poultry farm, kidnapped a…