Hundreds of residents of Dangamau community in Kusada Local Government Area of Katsina State have been displaced after a devastating windstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall destroyed more than 200 houses, shops and other property worth millions of naira. The incident, which occurred during the week, left several families homeless and disrupted economic activities in the community. Reacting to the disaster, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, expressed sympathy with the affected residents, describing the destruction as painful and unfortunate. The governor, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, assured the victims that the state…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, and the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will headline the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum scheduled to be held in Abuja next week. The two-day forum will take place at the CBN Headquarters on Wednesday, July 29, and Thursday, July 30, 2026, with senior policymakers, central bankers, ministers, development partners, private-sector leaders and economists expected to attend. Organised by the CBN in collaboration with the Emerging Markets Forum (EMF) and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), the event is themed…
CLAIM: A viral claim that the European Union has banned South Africans—including President Cyril Ramaphosa—from entering its countries is false, fact-checks have confirmed. The allegation, which has spread widely on TikTok and WhatsApp since late July 2026, misuses old footage of Ramaphosa and misrepresents current travel rules. Verdict: The claim that the EU has banned South Africans and President Ramaphosa from entering Europe is false. The video used to support it is from 2021 and relates to pandemic-era travel restrictions, not to the current xenophobic violence in South Africa. Full Text: Posts circulating on social media allege that “Europe has…
As many as 16.99 million Nigerians may require urgent food assistance by January 2027, according to projections by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). The latest projection comes amid broader concerns over food insecurity in Nigeria. Previous projections by PwC and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had estimated that up to 34.7 million Nigerians could experience acute or severe food insecurity during 2026, particularly during the lean season. FEWS NET projection is contained in the organisation’s July 2026 Food Assistance Outlook Brief, which estimates that between 16 million and 16.99 million Nigerians could face acute food insecurity…
The State Police Constitution Alteration Bill passed by the House of Representatives has introduced measures aimed at insulating the proposed State Police Services from political interference while guaranteeing direct funding and strengthening independent oversight. The bill, which seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to establish a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and State Police Services, also outlines the financial, operational and institutional framework for the proposed system. One of the key provisions is the direct funding of State Police Services. The proposed amendment to Section 121 of the Constitution stipulates that any amount standing to the credit…
The Nigerian government has launched an application portal for Nigerians seeking affordable credit to purchase laptops, smartphones, tablets and other digital devices under its C.L.I.C.K.D. Programme. The initiative, implemented by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is aimed at expanding access to digital tools for education, remote work, freelancing, entrepreneurship and other technology-driven activities. The programme is designed to enable eligible Nigerians to acquire digital devices through affordable credit and instalment payments rather than paying the full cost upfront.It also seeks to expand access to digital tools for…
The United States has imposed new tariffs ranging from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent on imports from Nigeria and 59 other countries, citing concerns over the failure of affected trading partners to adequately prevent the importation of goods produced through forced labour. The new levies, which took effect on Friday, affect major economies including China, India and the European Union, amid growing international reactions to the latest trade measures by the administration of President Donald Trump. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the United States had enforced a ban on imports linked to forced labour for nearly a…
A coalition of civil society organisations has launched a Forest and Climate Journalism Fellowship in Nigeria to strengthen media coverage of deforestation, climate change, forest conservation and environmental governance. The fellowship, organised by Policy Alert, in partnership with We The People, was unveiled on Thursday in Calabar, Cross River State, at the fourth Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Deforestation, an annual forum that brings together government institutions, civil society organisations, forest-dependent communities, researchers, journalists and development partners to discuss solutions to Nigeria’s deforestation crisis. According to them, the fellowship would help bridge critical gaps in environmental journalism by enabling reporters to produce…
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered 908 suspected ghost workers across federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), with about N942 million allegedly recovered from fraudulent payroll payments. The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this while speaking on the outcome of an investigation launched in 2024 following the discovery of irregularities in pension payments. According to the commission, the investigation revealed widespread manipulation of government payroll systems, including the insertion of fictitious names to divert public funds. Aliyu alleged that some senior public officials enrolled relatives and associates on government payrolls and…
When the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it is “holding rates steady,” it means the apex bank has decided to keep its key monetary policy parameters unchanged after a scheduled meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). In practical terms, borrowing costs, liquidity conditions, and the overall policy stance remain unchanged, signalling caution rather than a shift toward easier or tighter monetary policy. What exactly was held steady? At its 305th MPC meeting on 19–20 May 2026, the committee kept all major levers unchanged: Monetary Policy Rate (MPR): 26.5% – This is the CBN’s benchmark interest rate, effectively the…