Author: Binta Kabir

THE Federal Government has declared Friday, June 6, and Monday, June 9, 2025, as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-ul-Adha celebrations. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government on Monday in a statement by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Magdalene Ajani. Tunji-Ojo congratulated all Muslim Ummah both at home and in the Diaspora on this occasion. He called on the Muslim Ummah to continue to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice and faith as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon Him) and to also use the period to pray for a peaceful…

THE Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, has directed its members in all federal courts nationwide and other judicial institutions to withdraw their services from June 2. Mustapha Laminu, National Vice President, North Central said this in a statement signed and issued on Friday in Abuja. Laminu said the strike had become imperative to press home its demands as their members were yet to receive the one month wage award recently paid by government. According to him, this action is to protest against the non payment of five months arrears of wage award, non implementation of N70.000 national minimum wage…

THE death toll in the Niger State flooding rose to at least 150 on Saturday, according to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). A spokesman for the agency, Ibrahim Husseini, told this newspaper that the sharp increase from the previous death toll of 115 came as bodies were recovered nearly 10 kilometres (6 miles) away from the town of Mokwa, the epicentre of the floods. A total of 3,000 persons have also been displaced, levelling more than 250 homes and washing away two bridges. The update comes as President Bola Tinubu said he had directed the activation of the National Emergency…

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has weighed in on the explosion that occurred on Monday afternoon in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This newspaper had reported how the explosion occurred in front of the popular Mogadishu Army Cantonment, Abuja, along the Abuja-Nyanya road. Witnesses disclosed to our correspondent that a suspected suicide bomber was reportedly killed when the explosion happened. It was learnt the development led many passers-by, bystanders and other road users to scamper for safety during the incident. In a statement on Tuesday, NEMA said the incident occurred when an individual wearing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)…

AS Nigeria marks the 2025 edition of Children’s Day, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has called on leaders at all levels to intensify efforts towards securing a better future for children by tackling illiteracy, promoting peace, and creating a safe and enabling environment for all children to thrive. In a statement released to commemorate the Day by her Special Assistant on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communications, Desmond Utomwen, the presidential aide declared that the well-being of children remains central to Nigeria’s development agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development…

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…