Northwest University, Sokoto (NWUS), was established on May 12, 2022, with Prof. Ahmed Maigari as its pioneer Vice-Chancellor. Following the appointment of Prof. Mukhtar Umar Bunza as Vice-Chancellor on January 1, 2025, change has moved beyond promise to visible reality across the campus. One year into his first tenure, the University is charting a new course—defined by renewed purpose, measurable institutional progress, and growing confidence in its future. This first year has been marked less by grand declarations and more by deliberate action—strengthening academic systems, expanding infrastructure, improving learning environments and restoring confidence in the institution’s direction. These efforts are…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Nigeria’s banking industry is entering the final stretch of a sweeping recapitalisation exercise as lenders race to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) deadline of March 31, 2026. The CBN revised minimum capital thresholds in March 2024, requiring commercial banks with international licences to raise at least ₦500 billion, national banks ₦200 billion, and regional banks ₦50 billion. The policy is intended to strengthen financial system resilience, expand lending capacity and position banks to support economic growth. Winners take early lead Several tier-one lenders have already crossed the new benchmarks, signalling strong investor backing and strategic positioning. Access Bank…
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has concluded accommodation arrangements for Nigerian pilgrims participating in the 2026 Hajj in Makkah and Madinah, ahead of the deadline set by Saudi authorities. NAHCON Chairman, Prof. Abdullahi Usman, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by his Technical Assistant on Media, Ahmad Muazu, and addressed to stakeholders, prospective pilgrims, and the general public. He said the accommodation details had been duly uploaded and approved by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. Usman explained that the early completion followed a directive by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who instructed the commission to…
The Federal Government says greenhouse gas emissions are driving respiratory and cardiovascular diseases nationwide, as it activates a national emergency response framework to address growing environmental public health risks. The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, raised the concern on Monday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ engagement on the National Emergency Response to Environment-Related Diseases Arising from Greenhouse Gas Emissions, organised by the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON). Lawal, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mahmud Kambari, said evidence from environmental surveillance, health statistics and peer-reviewed assessments shows a disturbing increase in diseases linked to poor…
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared ₦1.969 trillion as federation account revenue for December 2025 among the Federal Government, states and Local Government Councils (LGs). The allocation was made at the January FAAC meeting, according to a communiqué issued by Mr Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. The communiqué said the distributable revenue comprised ₦1.084 trillion statutory revenue, ₦846.507 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT) and ₦38.110 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL). It said total gross revenue of ₦2.585 trillion was available in December 2025, with…
Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s top producer of goat meat, producing 520,000 tonnes in 2023 and ranking fourth worldwide, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT). The data highlights Nigeria’s dominance on the continent, outpacing Sudan (420,000 tonnes, 6th globally), Ethiopia (400,000 tonnes, 7th), and Tanzania (310,000 tonnes, 8th). Other African nations like Kenya (190,000 tonnes, 16th), South Africa (170,000 tonnes, 17th), and Mali (165,000 tonnes, 18th) trail behind, underscoring Nigeria’s lead in this key livestock sector. Goats Globally, China tops the list with 2.63 million tonnes, followed by India (1.05 million tonnes) and Bangladesh…
Nigeria’s telecommunications operators are facing potential penalties of about N12.4 billion ($8.85 million) as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) intensifies enforcement of service quality standards in what officials describe as one of the toughest regulatory actions in recent years. The NCC said the fines stem from multiple violations of Quality of Service (QoS) obligations and are currently undergoing regulatory processing, with pre-enforcement notices already issued to affected operators. “The Commission is in the process of updating the Enforcement Processes Regulations to ensure that sanctions and penalties continue to achieve their intended deterrent effect,” the NCC told BusinessDay. The review, it…
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said Türkiye is targeting a $5 billion trade volume with Nigeria as both countries move to deepen economic and security cooperation. Erdogan made this known in Ankara during a joint press briefing with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is on a State Visit to Türkiye. Current trade volume between both nations stands at about $2 billion. Türkiye exports aircraft, machinery, iron and steel, and chemical products to Nigeria, while Nigeria exports crude oil and agricultural produce to Türkiye. The Turkish leader said the newly established Joint Economy and Trade Committee would drive expanded investments…
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has released the names of 16 officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria indicted by a Special Investigative Panel over allegations of serious misconduct, including an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu. The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, disclosed on Monday that the panel had concluded its assignment and found that several of the officers had cases to answer. ALSO READ DHQ confirms coup plot, to court-martial 16 officers He said the affected personnel would now be subjected to trial by a military Court Martial in line with established…
Microsoft on Monday unveiled the Maia 200, its second-generation in-house artificial intelligence chip, intensifying the battle among tech giants to break free from Nvidia’s hardware stranglehold. The new accelerator goes live this week at a data centre in Iowa, with another site in Arizona to follow soon. Engineers designed the Maia 200 specifically for AI inference workloads, delivering three times the FP4 performance of Amazon’s latest Trainium processor and Alphabet’s TPU lineup. Built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing using cutting-edge 3-nanometer technology, it packs high-bandwidth memory, though an older version than Nvidia’s upcoming “Vera Rubin” chips. Targeting Nvidia’s software fortress Microsoft…