Author: Binta Kabir

THE Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that the federal government has turned back eight foreigners last week for attempting to enter Nigeria without valid visas. The minister made this known during an interview on TVC News on Sunday night. He stated that the ministry will no longer tolerate the entry of foreigners without proper documentation. Tunji-Ojo revealed that he met with the Airline Operators of Nigeria on Friday to discuss new enforcement measures concerning the entry and exit of individuals into the country. He said, “Just as I told the Airline Operators of Nigeria on Friday, the…

SUSPENDED Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has told the BBC that she only learnt that the federal government was suing her “on the news” and that she was “shocked” by the action taken against her. The federal government filed defamation charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan after she accused the country’s top politicians of plotting to kill her. In April, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello wanted to “eliminate” her. Both have denied this accusation. She had previously accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her – an allegation he has also denied. After learning of the…

THE United States granted citizenship to 34,289 Nigerians between 2020 and 2022, the latest Naturalisations Annual Flow Report from the US Department of Homeland Security shows. Compiled by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, the report pulls its numbers from Form N-400 — the application form every would-be American files. The data is also drawn from the electronic case files that US Citizenship and Immigration Services use to track each applicant from fingerprinting to the oath ceremony. Figures obtained by this newspaper indicated that 8,930 Nigerians became naturalised citizens between October 2019 and September 2020. That period included an 11-week…

THE Federal Government says Nigeria has so far lost more than N1.3 billion to the outbreak of Tuta absoluta, commonly known as the tomato leaf miner or “Tomato Ebola” in three states. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said this at the ongoing four-day capacity-building workshop for financial institutions on Wednesday in Abuja. The workshop is organised by HortiNigeria in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending Plc. Kyari said the outbreak had consequently led to the surge of a 50-kilogramme basket of tomatoes from N5,000 to N10,000 and approximately N30,000, thereby…

THE immediate past chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, visited former President Muhammadu Buhari in London, on Wednesday. The purpose of the visit was not disclosed, but coincidentally Bawa turned 45 the very day he visited the former president. Bawa goes into history as the youngest person to have led the anti-graft agency. As of 2021 when he was appointed, he was 41 years old. He is also the first non-police officer to head the agency.

THE Honourable Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, Esq., warmly received a delegation from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sokoto Branch, and the NBA Women’s Forum in his office on Tuesday, 29th April, 2025. In his welcome remarks, the Honourable Minister commended the Association for its unwavering commitment to justice, legal excellence and national development. Describing the NBA Sokoto Branch as his “first family,” he expressed his appreciation for the visit and reiterated the Federal Government’s dedication to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He emphasised the administration’s focus on the rule of law, gender inclusion and…

THE Federal Government has declared Thursday, May 1, 2025, as a public holiday to mark this year’s Workers’ Day Celebration. The government reiterated the need for peace to drive industrialisation and economic growth. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday on behalf of the Federal Government. Tunji-Ojo commended workers for their diligence and sacrifice, noting that workers’ efforts are largely responsible for the greatness of the country and the respect Nigeria commands in the comity of nations. ”There is dignity in labour; the dedication and commitment to the work we do is vital…

THE Federal Government has directed the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council to adopt full Computer-Based Testing for all their examinations by 2026. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the monitoring of the ongoing exams alongside JAMB officials, in Bwari on Monday. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that more than 2 million candidates registered for the ongoing examination in more than 800 centres across the country. Alausa revealed that both the WAEC and NECO would start administering their objective papers via CBT, effective this November. According to him, the full adoption of…

THE Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III will on Friday, 25th April, 2025 commission the Katampe Extension Jumu’at Mosque in Abuja. A statement issued by the organising committee for the ceremony said that, among other activities, the Sultan will unveil a plaque and cut a ribbon to symbolise the opening of the mosque after he has delivered a Nasiha (counsel) during the event. Before the unveiling of the plaque by the Sultan, the translated version of the Khutba (sermon) for that day’s prayer, which is to…

THE National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, says it will begin its Startup Consultative Forum on Monday, aimed at nominating members for a Startup Council to strengthen Nigeria’s startup ecosystem. Hadiza Umar, Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations at NITDA, made the announcement in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja. According to Mrs Umar, the inaugural consultative forum represents a major milestone in deepening stakeholder engagement within Nigeria’s rapidly evolving startup landscape. “The forum will serve as an interactive platform for startup founders, innovators, ecosystem enablers, and intermediaries to contribute meaningfully to national policies that foster growth, attract…

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari says Pope Francis death will be most felt by the poor and migrants whom he stood up for. In a statement by Garba Shehu, his spokesman, Buhari said Christians in Nigeria and across the world would miss an exemplary leader of the church. The former President joined Christians all across the world in mourning the demise of the Head of the Catholic Church, who departed the earth on Easter Monday. “He was a pope who served the poor and the weak, and cared much about migrants and refugees. “He strove to build a beneficial, complementary relationship…

THE National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SecDojo, a France-based cybersecurity training and upskilling company, the agreement is to build cybersecurity resilience in Nigeria, and establish a Cybersecurity Academy. This agreement was finalized on the sidelines of GITEX Africa 2025 in Marrakech, Morocco. According to the agency, the focus of the MoU is to strengthen national resilience against cyber threats through targeted capacity building initiatives. This strategic collaboration is designed to drive a multi-faceted approach to cybersecurity awareness, with emphasis on developing comprehensive skill-building frameworks, promoting cyber hygiene, and expanding access to…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Tuesday declared a national emergency on food security, urging expanded irrigation infrastructure and participatory water resource management nationwide. Tinubu made the declaration while opening the 6th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage in Abuja. He was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. He urged African nations to adopt innovative strategies in addressing the continent’s irrigation and water management challenges. He described the conference theme, “Tackling Irrigation Development and Water Management Crisis in Africa”, as a clarion call to action for sustainable agriculture and economic resilience. “Africa continues to face…

THE Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has directed all federal tertiary institutions that have been granted waivers to recruit staff to publicly advertise the available vacancies. This was contained in a statement released to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday by the Director of Press in the Ministry, Folasade Boriowo. Alausa urged the institutions to advertise in at least one national daily newspaper, on their respective websites, and in other relevant academic and professional journals. According to him, this directive aims to ensure a transparent, open, and competitive recruitment process that offers equal opportunity to all eligible Nigerians. “This follows…

THE Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported that the death toll from the ongoing meningitis outbreak has reached 151, with 1,826 suspected cases reported across 23 states. This translates to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 8.3%. According to the agency, the majority of suspected cases, approximately 94%, are concentrated in ten states: Kebbi (881 cases), Katsina (158), Jigawa (147), Yobe (109), Gombe (47), Sokoto (303), Borno (36), Adamawa (27), Oyo (23), and Bauchi (66). This is contained in the Cerebrospinal Meningitis Situation Report for Epidemiological week 12. Read also: Nigeria receives over 1m vaccine doses from Gavi…

A FIRE on Thursday gutted the 9th floor of the Northwest University City Campus building in Kano, affecting several academic offices. The fire, which started in the afternoon, was reportedly triggered by an electrical spark. Firefighters from the Kano State Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service responded swiftly, preventing the flames from spreading to other parts of the building. The affected offices include those of the Head of Department (HOD) and lecturers in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department. See photos from the scene below:

THE United States President, Donald Trump, Wednesday enacted sweeping new tariffs in a move that could escalate trade tensions globally at what he tagged “liberation day”. Trump said the U.S. will implement “reciprocal tariffs” on all countries of “approximately half” of what they charge us. Among the countries slammed with reciprocal tariff is Nigeria. Under the tariff plan, Nigerian exports will be charged 14 per cent tariff as against the 27 per cent charged by the Federal Government. Last year, Nigeria exported goods worth N931 billion to the United States, with crude oil forming the bulk of the goods. It,…

THE National Identity Management Commission has recorded a total of 117 million registrations for the National Identity Number as of February 28, 2025. According to the latest enrolment statistics from the NIMC dashboard, 66,281,803 (56.5%) of the registered individuals are male, while 51,079,521 (43.5%) are female. The data also reveals that Lagos State has the highest cumulative enrolment figure with over 12.6 million registrants, while Kano State followed with 10.2 million registrants. “NIMC’s enrollment figures as of February 28, 2025, currently stand at over 117 million unique records. The highest cumulative enrollment figure of over 12.6 million was recorded in…

THE Nigerian electricity sector slowed in the fourth quarter of 2024 (Q4 2024), with the electricity production index declining by 1.64% year-on-year (y-o-y). Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says this marks a reversal from the 5.55% growth recorded in the third quarter of 2024 (Q3 2024). Average estimated electricity generation rose by 2.34% to 4,206.50 megawatts per hour (MW/h) from 4,110.47 MW/h in Q3 2024. Similarly, electricity consumption saw a modest increase of 2.63%, reaching 4,105.66 MW/h from 4,000.24 MW/h in the preceding quarter. This is as the Nigerian economy witnessed widespread expansion in the fourth quarter…

ALIKO Dangote, Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, and Abdulsamad Rabiu have been named in the 2025 Forbes’ billionaires list. Forbes Magazine released the list on Saturday. The quartet are the only Nigerians who made the lineup. Dangote, who owns the Dangote Refinery, tops the list with a net worth of $23.9 billion, up from $13.9 billion in 2024. “Aliko Dangote of Nigeria tops the list for the 14th year in a row with an estimated net worth of $23.9 billion, up from $13.9 billion a year ago,” the magazine wrote. “The big jump in his fortune is primarily due to Forbes…