MINISTER of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has announced the discontinuation of the Bilateral Education Agreement, BEA, scholarship programme. Mr Alausa made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by newly elected officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS. He described the BEA programme as an inefficient use of public resources, noting that many of the courses pursued abroad under the scheme were readily available in Nigerian universities. “I was asked to approve N650 million for 60 students going to Morocco under the BEA programme when I assumed office in 2024. “I refused. It’s not fair…
Author: Khadija Abubakar
Read More
THE Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared Tuesday, April 29, 2025, as the first day of Zulki’ida 1446AH. This announcement was made in a statement issued on Monday by the Wazirin Sokoto and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto, Professor Sambo Wali Junaidu. The statement read, “The declaration followed the absence of any positive report from the National Moon Sighting Committee and the Sultanate Council’s Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs regarding the sighting of the new crescent on Sunday, April 27,…
THE National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has intercepted a group of suspected trafficking victims en route to Libya through the Babura border in Jigawa State. Speaking during the handover ceremony in Gusau, the Zamfara State Commander of NAPTIP, Aliyu Abubakar, revealed that nine victims were intercepted by operatives of the Nigerian Immigration Service. Out of the total, three of the victims were identified as indigenes of Zamfara State. The three female victims are from Yankuzo village, a community ravaged by banditry under the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State The victims had previously fled…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission has expressed willingness to allow eligible Nigerians without Permanent Voter Cards to vote in the 2027 general elections, but insists that such a move must be backed by legislative amendments. The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, told this newspaper on Wednesday that the commission was committed to expanding voter access through technology, but emphasised that legal provisions must first be updated to accommodate any shift from the current PVC-only system. The initiative followed remarks by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in December 2024 during a quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral…
THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria has revoked the licences of 574 schools that were found guilty of examination malpractices. The examination body stated that the schools will not be allowed to conduct examinations even as the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) commences from Thursday, April 24, 2025. The Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut made this known during a press briefing on Thursday at the headquarters of the examination body in Lagos. Dangut said WAEC had forwarded the list of the affected schools to the federal government. “This year, we have shared with…
THE All Progressives Congress has closed its national secretariat in Abuja, commonly called Buhari House, following the killing of its Director of Administration, AbdulRauf Adeniji. The APC announced this in a memo titled “Secretariat closure for the mourning of the director of administration” on Thursday. Reports indicate that Adeniji, who was kidnapped several weeks ago, was killed last month. The ruling party stated that the secretariat would remain closed until Monday, April 14, 2025. The APC encouraged all staff to use this mourning period for quiet reflection and prayers for the director’s family and loved ones. The party also announced…
THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has identified Ondo, Bauchi and Edo states as the epicentres of the Lassa fever outbreak in the country. Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, during a media briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, said that those states accounted for over 70 per cent of confirmed cases reported so far in 2025. Idris said that the three states contributed 71 per cent of the 660 confirmed Lassa fever cases recorded between January and the end of March 2025, with Ondo accounting for 30 per cent, Bauchi, 25 per cent, and Edo, 16 per cent.…
ISAIAH Yesufu, a Director of Certification, Compliance and Monitoring at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), on Monday, testified against former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Mr Sirika and his brother, Ahmad, and two companies with abuse of office and contract fraud. The contract was for the construction of the terminal building at Katsina Airport. Mr Yesufu, who is a prosecution witness, said this in his evidence at the trial of the former minister that the BPP was not aware of the split in contract. They are being prosecuted on 10 counts of…
NO fewer than 200,000 Nigerians use online dating platforms monthly to find life partners despite security concerns ranging from identity fraud, catfishing and predisposition to scammers. Co-founder of Tramatch International Limited, Elijah Bassey-Kokoette, made this known to journalists at a webinar, themed ‘Love, Relationship, Technology.’ He revealed that online dating was fast gaining momentum across the globe and in Nigeria as more individuals were seeking relationship partners online based on specific search criteria. He also said technology was key to tacking online dating scams and reducing individuals’ exposure to scammers, identity theft and impersonation, among other ills associated with online…
THE Federal Government has renamed an oncology centre at the National Hospital Abuja after a former First Lady, Maryam Sani Abacha. Tbis is following a request made by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Mrs Tinubu had previously called for the renaming of the radiotherapy unit at the National Hospital, Abuja, as a tribute to Maryam Abacha’s contributions to the hospital’s establishment. She made this appeal during the hospital’s 25th-anniversary celebration, themed “Celebrating 25 Years of Quality Healthcare Services and Specialized Medical Care.” In her remarks, the First Lady emphasized that the National Hospital was made possible due to the…
TIKTOK has removed 2.4 million videos posted by Nigerian users in the fourth quarter of 2024 for violating its content policy. TikTok, owned by Bytedance, revealed that Nigeria was among the top 50 countries where videos violating its policies emanated from in Q4. The platform, which disclosed this in its latest Community Guidelines Enforcement report, which indicated that a total of 153 million videos were removed globally in the period under review, noted that the highest number of violations were recorded in the United States, with 8.5 million videos yanked off the platform in the period under review. The company…
A NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, Impact Network, has charged young girls to remain focused and choose the right role models for themselves as they aspire for their goals. Founder of the organisation, Rose Akoh, as well as other keynote speakers, gave the charge in separate remarks at an event organised to mark the 2025 celebration of the International Women’s Day, held at Government Secondary School, Gwarinpa. According to Akoh, “I decided to come here today to speak to the young girls because we live in a fast-paced world and everybody is doing things in one way but we want to let the…
NIGERIA is missing from the list of countries on track to secure the World Health Organisation (WHO) vaccine approval due to low capacity and lack of infrastructure, raising concerns about the nation’s long-term health security and competitiveness in the biotech sector. The Africa Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) recently disclosed that three African vaccine manufacturers from Egypt, Ghana and Tanzania were set to secure the WHO prequalification for eight vaccines to supply the continental market and beyond between 2025 and 2030. This is a major development on the continent’s drive towards self-sufficiency in vaccine production, the ACDC said. The centre…
THE Cadre Harmonisé report on the Acute Food and Nutrition Insecurity situation in the country has projected that 30.6 million people across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory will be in a food crisis phase between June and August. The report, conducted by the federal and state governments with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other development partners, revealed that the figure includes 150,978 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). It observed that despite the declining food and general commodity prices across the country, an estimated 24.9 million people, including 116,765 IDPs in 26 states and the…
NGOZI Okonjo-Iweala, Tiwa Savage, Nissi Ogulu, Hephzibah Akinwale, and Eniola Shokunbi were recognised at the 2025 Forbes Women Africa Awards during the Forbes Women Africa Leading Women Summit in South Africa. The 10th edition, themed “To The Power of 10: The Rule-Breakers In Africa’s Next Chapter,” awarded Okonjo-Iweala the Lifetime Achievement Award. Savage received the Media Icon Award, Ogulu won the Youth Icon Award, Akinwale received the Next Generation Award, and Shokunbi was honoured with the Young Achiever Award. The summit, held annually, coincides with International Women’s Day on 8 March. Here is the complete list of this year’s award…
THE Job Creation and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Secretariat (Office of the Vice-President) has announced that the overall winner of the 2025 MSMEs Award will receive a car, a house, a shop, and a cash prize worth ₦220 million. Mr. Tola Adekunle-Johnson, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, made this known at a press conference on the seventh edition of the National MSMEs Awards on Monday in Abuja. Adekunle-Johnson also stated that other winners would receive prizes worth over N50 million. He announced that the application portal would open on Friday, March 7,…
Q – If a person misses ‘Isha’ prayer, it may be noted in the month of Ramadan in particular – as you are well aware – that there are more than two jamaa‘ahs in the same place and at the same time. This is something that often happens at the time of ‘Isha’ and Taraweeh prayer. For example, when the first jamaa‘ah has finished ‘Isha’ prayer, another jamaa‘ah comes and they say the iqaamah (call immediately preceding the prayer) and they begin to pray ‘Isha’. During this time, the first jamaa‘ah get up and start to pray Taraweeh. Is it…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Brigadier General Kunle Nafiu as the new Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Bri. Gen. Nafiu, until his appointment, was the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Olufemi Oluyede, having also served in the same capacity with the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Raised Abiodun Lagbaja. A Member of 47 Regular Course, Nafiu is an Artillery Officer who graduated from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College and the US Army War College. Before he was appointed Chief of Staff to the COAS, he was…
DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has launched an initiative to refund customers who purchase Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) above advertised rates from its key distribution partners across Nigeria. The announcement comes after the refinery recently reduced its gantry price from N890 to N825 per litre. According to a statement released this weekend, the company will refund N65 per litre on over 200,000 metric tonnes of PMS purchased by marketers at the old price before the reduction took effect. “The step, effective February 27, 2025, guarantees that none of our valued business partners will experience a loss due to the price…
THE Federal Government through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has directed MultiChoice Nigeria, the operator of DStv and GOtv, to maintain its current subscription prices pending the conclusion of an ongoing investigation into the company’s proposed tariff adjustment. FCCPC disclosed this in a statement on Thursday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu. The directive follows MultiChoice’s request for an extension regarding its scheduled appearance before the commission over concerns surrounding its recurring price increases. Although FCCPC granted the company’s request to postpone the session, it has now rescheduled the hearing for March 6, 2025, mandating…