Author: Khadija Abubakar

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…

CHAIRMAN and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof. Abdullahi Saleh, has announced that Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead the country’s contingent to this year’s hajj. He announced this during a live programme yesterday. Saleh said the Vice President would be performing the yearly religious rite – the fifth pillar of Islam – as a Muslim, adding that he would also personally supervise the spiritual exercise, and assess how it would be handled by those saddled with the responsibility, instead of relying on third party information. The hajj commission boss said the move would…

THE Federal Government has stated that its successfully repatriated 180 Nigerian migrants stranded in Niamey, Niger Republic. The returnees were received at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, on Wednesday, 26th February 2025, at approximately 11:20 a.m. The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), in collaboration with other stakeholders, coordinated the reception exercise for the returnees. It was gathered that this latest effort marks the continuation of voluntary returns initiated in 2024 and represents the fourth batch of returnees from Niger Republic. The 180 returnees comprised 86 adult males, 40 adult females, 25 male…

THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has recommended the retention of the 7.5% rate of Value added Tax (VAT) in the Tax Reforms Bills. ACF’s submission was contained in a comprehensive set of observations and recommendations to the National Assembly on the Executive Tax Reforms Bills, meant to achieve a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s tax laws. The group’s actions were the outcome of a special purpose committee of experts set up by its board of trustees which studied the bills for appropriate recommendations In the report signed by its National Publicity Secretary Tukur Muhammad-Baba, ACF said the retention of the 7.5%…

HAJIYA Hauwa Yakub Usman, the mother-in-law of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, has passed away at the age of 70. According to a statement by the minister’s media aide, Rabin Ibrahim, she died on Sunday night in Abuja after a brief illness and was laid to rest at Gudu Cemetery following funeral prayers at the National Mosque. The burial was attended by top government officials, including National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, and senior directors from various government agencies such as FRCN, VON, NTA, and ARCON. She…

LESS than 24 hours after its launching, the pirated copies of the autobiography of former Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), titled, ‘A Journey in Service’, on Friday surfaced on WhatsApp and other social media platforms. X, formerly known as Twitter, is awash with links for free downloads, with netizens vowing to embrace its pirated copies rather than waste their hard-earned money on the original copies of IBB’s biography. Another X account urged its followers to download the book for free, while others provided page-by-page copies. Some even dropped PDF copies of the pirated version in their WhatsApp groups. Popular…

THE chairman of the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Abdullahi Ganduje, has lamented a high rate of abandoned projects at the nation’s Airports. Speaking in Lagos after the tour of the Lagos Airports on Tuesday, Ganduje, who stated that some equipment at the airports is now obsolete due to improved technology, further lamented the high cost of completing the projects due to inflation. According to him, all the abandoned projects were awarded by the past administration, but the current administration will find a way out of the debacle. “Some of the challenges, according to them and…

ELECTRICITY customers in Nigeria will now pay over N200,000 for tempering with their meters and over N300,000 in subsequent offences as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) amends the order on Unauthorised Access, Meter Tampering and By-Pass. The order with No: NERC/REG/41/2017, which took effect from 22 January 2025 punished consumers with single phase non maximum demand meters N100,000 for first time offence and N150,000 for subsequent offences. For residential customers with non maximum demand meter of three phase, tempering with meter or by-pass stand at N200,000 and N300,000 for subsequent offences as administrative charge. Maximum demand meter are worst…

THE West African Examination Council (WAEC) has released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), private candidates, 2024-second series, with 34,878 obtaining credit and above in a minimum of five subjects including English and Mathematics. This was made known on Sunday, February 16 through the council’s official X handle, @waecnigeria, “The West African Examination Council (WAEC), Nigeria wishes to announce to candidates, stakeholders and the general public that the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates, 2024-second series, has been released.” The council explained that 43,923 candidates (68 percent) obtained credit…

NIGERIA’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for sustainable health financing mechanisms that ensure efficient resource mobilisation and utilisation to strengthen Africa’s healthcare systems. Speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the sidelines of the 38th African Union Summit, the First Lady stressed that Africa’s economic growth and social stability hinge on a robust healthcare system that guarantees access to essential medical services for millions across the continent. This was contained in a press statement signed by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, on Friday. According to the release, she made the call at a High-Level Meeting on…

THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says no fewer than 14 million Nigerians are estimated to have involved and addicted to the consumption of harmful drugs. The Deputy Commander, Ondo State Command, NDLEA, Yetunde Joyifous, made the disclosure at a drug abuse awareness programme, organised by Oijefon Youth for secondary schools in Ile Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday. Mrs Joyifous said that drugs consume were mostly chemical substances that have the ability to change the mind of users negatively. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says no fewer than 14 million Nigerians are estimated…