Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration, on Monday, sealed an Access Bank branch and a Total petrol station located in Zone 6, Wuse, Abuja, over non-payment of ground rent spanning 34 years. The property occupied by Access Bank is officially allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited, not the bank directly, according to official documents. A letter dated March 13, 2025, signed by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated: “The Minister of Federal Capital Territory has in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation…

THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a fresh directive mandating telecom operators to compensate subscribers when major service outages last longer than 24 hours. The directive titled “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” made available to LEADERSHIP on Sunday, stated that affected consumers are to receive proportional compensation, including extensions of service validity, in accordance with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations. The new regulation applies to Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers, and other operators delivering last-mile services across the country. The move, the NCC said, was part of efforts to improve…

THE honeymoon between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government may soon be over, as the former has hinted on embarking on an industrial action to press home its demands over the unresolved 2009 Agreement. This is even as the union in its assessment of the President Bola Tinubu two-year administration lamented the institutional weaknesses, bureaucratic inefficiencies and endemic corruption that has undermined governance at all levels. The union asked the Federal Government to release the N150 billion revitalisation fund. The New President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stated this at a press conference in Abuja,…

THE President of the Association of African Private Universities (AAPU), Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, has commended the Vice Chancellor of Nile University, Professor Dilli Dogo, for enhancing the quality of education in the university. Gwarzo stated this during a courtesy visit to the university in Abuja, where he urged universities across the continent to stop working in isolation and instead build stronger ties with one another. He emphasised that collaboration was key if African countries hoped to improve their education systems and tackle broader social and economic issues. Gwarzo praised the Vice Chancellor Professor Dilli Dogo for raising the institution…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has paid tribute to Africa’s richest man and Founder of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, describing him as the “greatest black man in the past 300 years”. Shettima stated this while speaking at the Taraba International Investment Summit, tagged ‘Taravest,’ in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, on Wednesday. Dangote was on Tuesday named on TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the world’s most influential individuals shaping the future of charitable giving. He is the only Nigerian featured on the prestigious 2025 list, which honours 100 philanthropists from 28 countries under four categories—Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced that it will on Wednesday release the results of 379,000 candidates who sat the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination between Friday and Monday. JAMB rescheduled the exam following widespread outcry over mass failure during the initial UTME. The board admitted to technical and human errors, especially in Lagos and South-East states, which significantly affected candidates’ performance. Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat this year’s UTME, over 1.5 million scored below 200 marks out of a possible 400, prompting widespread concern among stakeholders. Following sustained pressure, JAMB investigated the mass failure…

THE Federal Government has commenced a revalidation exercise of the National Social Register as part of efforts to strengthen the ongoing conditional cash transfer programme aimed at cushioning the impact of economic reforms. So far, a total of 2.3 million households have been confirmed and cleared for payment under the renewed scheme. The Director General of the National Identity Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this at a recent press briefing held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. The revalidation exercise comes amid concerns raised by the World Bank over the slow implementation of the cash transfer programme, which was launched…

THE Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy and the National Sports Commission will embark on a groundbreaking partnership to build infrastructure for creatives. This historic collaboration was forged during a meeting between Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, and Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, in Abuja, on Thursday. The Minister emphasised that the two sectors that capture the attention of Nigerian youth are sports and creativity, particularly through music, film, and entertainment. She noted that sports and entertainment have become an integral part of the mindset of young…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has admitted that errors affected candidates’ performance during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which was held across different centres in the country. The Registrar of the board, Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, also broke down in tears while admitting to the error. “Once again, we apologise and assure you that this incident represents a significant setback…. We remain committed to emerging stronger in our core values of transparency, fairness and equity. “It is our culture to admit errors because we know that in spite of…

MILLIONS of MTN users across Nigeria woke up to network disruption on Tuesday morning. Subscribers of the network service provider expressed deep frustration as calls, text messages, and internet services were inaccessible in the early hours of Tuesday morning. This newspaper observed that social media platforms, like X, were flooded with reactions of MTN users expressing displeasure with the poor connectivity. Some said they began experiencing poor connectivity on Monday night, while others said they noticed the network failure in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. While expressing his frustration, one user blamed the network service disruption on the lack…

THE Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy invites eligible creatives, entrepreneurs, and organisations to apply for funding through the Creative Economy Development Fund. The CEDF is a bold step towards realizing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at fostering job creation, economic diversification, and enhancing Nigeria’s global cultural influence. Flagging off the CEDF, the Honorable Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa said that the Fund is a strategic national investment designed to unlock the vast potential of Nigeria’s creative sector, positioning it as a driver of economic growth and…

THE Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has stated that Meta’s threat to exit Nigeria does not exempt the social media giant from its legal responsibilities. The Commission emphasized that any ongoing judicial proceedings will not be invalidated by the company’s decision or threat to leave the country. The Commission said WhatsApp’s warning about possibly leaving Nigeria was a way to stir public sympathy and pressure the regulator into changing its decision. The agency gave the response in a statement signed by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, on Saturday. This follows an earlier warning by Meta that…

FACEBOOK, Instagram and WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, has said it may be forced to shut down all three apps and its operations in Nigeria after a tribunal insisted that it must pay the $220 million slapped on it in July 2024. Meta was also asked to pay the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) an additional $35,000 as the “cost of investigation.” The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) fined the company N60bn ($37.5m) and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission $32.8m, bringing the total to $290.3m. The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal “ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp…

IN a landmark move to advance Nigeria’s tourism sector, the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy has  signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emirates at the 2025 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The collaboration targeted at boosting inbound tourism to Nigeria will enable Emirates to leverage its extensive global network of over 140 destinations to promote Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, diverse natural attractions, and vibrant cities to international audiences. The agreement signed on Thursday, underscores the Ministry’s commitment to implementing the President’s Destination 2030 Soft Power Initiative, a key pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda,…

THE Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh on Wednesday expressed the commission’s readiness to provide seamless 2025 Hajj operations, beginning with the inaugural flight on May 9. Mr Saleh said this at the National Hajj Stakeholders Summit, with the theme “Sustainable Hajj Financing: Developing a Resilient Model for Nigerian Pilgrims and Operators’’. The summit was organised by the NAHCON, Hajj Institute of Nigeria, HIN, in collaboration with Jaiz Bank. According to Saleh, NAHCON, in its role as the regulator of Hajj affairs in Nigeria and the Hajj mission for Nigerian pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi…

NIGERIA’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has addressed a gathering of high-net-worth investors and business leaders at a Brazil–Nigeria Business Roundtable held in Rio de Janeiro. According to a statement by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir made available to this newspaper, Tuesday, t he event was organized under the auspices of ApexBrasil, Brazil’s leading investment promotion agency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). The roundtable featured key figures including José Luis Pinho Leite Gordon, Director of Productive Development, Innovation, and Foreign…

Soldier Sentence To Death

THE Federal Government is to pay the outstanding five months N35,000 wage award arrears to workers. The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF, made this known in a statement issued by Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations. Mokwa said that the Federal Government had earlier paid five months wage award in instalments. He said that the outstanding arrears would be paid in instalments of N35,000 per month for five months. He said the first instalment of the outstanding wage award arrears would be paid after the April 2025 salary. “The wage award arrears will…

THE United Kingdom government has deported 43 individuals, including failed asylum seekers and convicted foreign offenders, to Nigeria and Ghana. Among those removed were 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national offenders who had completed their prison sentences. Seven individuals also chose to leave the country voluntarily. This flight is the second to Nigeria and Ghana since the last election, bringing the total number of deportees to 87. Officials say this reflects the growing partnership between the UK and both West African nations. A report on gov.uk on Friday, said the move was to reinforce its ongoing efforts to…

THE Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). In a statement on Friday, the FCCPC’s Director for Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, announced that the tribunal also awarded the commission $35,000 to cover the investigation costs. Ijagwu noted that the Tribunal specifically determined that the Commission complied with prevailing laws, discharged its mandate, and exercised its powers within the confines of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). He added that the Tribunal ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp and Meta, for which the…