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…
Author: Binta Kabir
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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…
THE Federal Government has announced that it will pay the backlog of the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after several months of delays. The government had announced the allowance increase in September 2024, but despite multiple assurances, the increase has yet to be implemented. Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande confirmed the payment plan on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today. Olawande stated that the government would pay the ₦77,000 allowance, including backdated payments, to both serving corps members and those who were in the program when the increase…
THE Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa has been nominated as one of the 65 Nigerian women being recognized for their outstanding contributions to the country’s development. The announcement was made Wednesday morning on the Morning Show, of Arise News. The “Women of Impact” award is an initiative by Arise Group, owners of Thisday Newspapers and Arise, which celebrates the top 65 women who have made significant impacts in various fields. Minister Musawa was nominated for her innovative work in promoting Nigeria’s art, culture, tourism and creative economy She was nominated alongside fellow ministers,…
THROUGH the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Federal Government has taken steps end perennial flooding of communities in Nigeria by the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. The commission’s acting Head, Media and Publicity, Ifeanyi Nwoko, said the construction of the Dasin Hausa Dam is being accelerated. The intervention, Nwoko said, will end decades of devastating floods affecting residents in Taraba, Adamawa, Benue and other river basin communities. He noted that the dam, designed in the 1980s as a strategic buffer against floods caused by the release of water from Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authority, had…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has raised the alarm over the activities of 58 illegal Ponzi scheme operators defrauding Nigerians under the guise of investment opportunities. In a statement released on Tuesday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the anti-graft agency disclosed that the companies are neither registered with the Central Bank of Nigeria nor the Securities and Exchange Commission, making their operations illegal. Oyewale noted that the commission has taken legal action against many of the entities, leading to the conviction of five, while another five have pleaded guilty and are awaiting further judicial…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured a total of 4,111 convictions in 2024. According to the commission, the conviction was the highest number in any operational year since its inception. The commission also recovered significant sums across multiple currencies, totaling $214.5m, N364.6m, £54,318, €31,265, and various other amounts in different currencies. This was contained in a document obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday. “In 2024, the commission secured 4,111 convictions. This is the highest number of convictions secured in any operational year from inception to date. This laudable achievement is attributable to the dedication of our officers and…
FORMER Presidential Adviser, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has faulted Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment claim, saying once women become senators, they can’t be sexually harassed. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently claimed on a live television programme that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, frustrated her moves to raise motions about Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she refused to sleep with him. However, while reacting to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual allegation against the Senate President on Arise TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Senator Ita-Giwa said women can’t claim to be sexually harassed when they are elected into the Senate. The former lawmaker…
A VIDEO has emerged showing the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing an unnamed minister of sexual harassment. In the video, which appears to be from a press briefing, Natasha can be heard saying she suffered the harassment while seeking a job after spending five years at Brass LNG. She explained that she failed to secure the job because the minister confessed that she would be a distraction to him until he had his way with her. Natasha said, “I remember many years ago, I was just out of Brass LNG, where I worked for five years, and…
NO fewer than 20,197 Nigerians stranded in various countries have voluntarily returned to their homeland. According to data collated from various repatriation exercises facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration, the stranded Nigerians The stranded Nigerians returned to their country under the IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme, which involved intervention from the Federal Government and various Nigerian missions abroad. Women and girls constitute nearly 88 per cent of the returnees, while men account for 13 per cent. Most VoTs fall within the age bracket of 18 to 39 years, with those aged 18 to 25 being particularly susceptible…
THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has blacklisted Aveo Pharmaceuticals Pvt Limited, an India-based company implicated in the illegal production and exportation of highly addictive opioid combinations in Nigeria and some other West African countries. The company was found culpable of manufacturing, selling, and exporting a range of addictive pills containing a dangerous combination of Tapentadol, a potent opioid, and Carisoprodol, a banned muscle relaxant with addictive properties linked to overdoses and fatalities. The mix, sold under the names Tafrodol and Royal 225, has been widely trafficked across the region. A BBC World Service investigation…