Former Sokoto State Governor and Senator representing Sokoto North, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, on Saturday received the leadership of the Qadiriyya Movement in Nigeria, led by its National Leader, Karibullah Nasiru Kabara, at his Gawon Nama residence in Sokoto. Kabara led the delegation on a courtesy visit following the movement’s annual programme in the state. Receiving the delegation, Wamakko expressed delight over the visit and described his relationship with the Qadiriyya Movement as longstanding and cordial. He congratulated the leadership and members of the movement on the successful conduct of their annual programme in Sokoto and prayed to Allah to continue…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) hosted the 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum (AEMF 2026) in Abuja from Wednesday, July 29, to Thursday, July 30, 2026, bringing together policymakers, economists, development experts and industry leaders to examine strategies for building a more resilient and inclusive African economy. Attended by senior policymakers, central bankers, ministers, development partners, private-sector leaders and economists, the event, themed “Building Resilience Amidst Geoeconomic Uncertainties,” was organised by the CBN in collaboration with the Emerging Markets Forum (EMF) and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA). Over the two-day forum, participants discussed the…
Students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) have emerged first and third at the inaugural National Undergraduate Industry-Based Engineering Research Competition sponsored by Dangote Cement. At the grand finale held at the University of Lagos on July 28, 2026, Team Zenith, comprising three final-year FUTA students—Oluwaferanmi Oladepo of Information and Communication Engineering, Nunsi Shiaki of Computer Engineering, and Adejire Adegite of Electrical and Electronics Engineering—won the top prize. Team Data Knights, comprising Faith Alabetutu and Samuel Abayomi, both 400-level students of the Department of Computer Engineering, secured third position, while a team from the University of Lagos finished…
Lawyers, civil society and community representatives call for movement lawyering, stronger accountability, fair compensation and meaningful participation of women and affected communities in Africa’s just transition
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the intensifying El Niño weather phenomenon could push nearly six million additional people in West and Central Africa into acute food insecurity by the end of 2027, deepening an already worsening hunger crisis across the region. According to the UN agency, erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells, flooding and rising temperatures associated with El Niño are expected to disrupt agricultural production, reduce household incomes and increase food prices, leaving millions more vulnerable to hunger. The projection forms part of WFP’s latest global assessment, which estimates that a powerful El Niño could…
Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who is also the President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has called for an immediate investigation into the alleged assassination of Nigeria’s most senior Igbo Muslim Army officer, Col. Abdur-Razaq AbdlKarim Ode. The Sultan also condemned what he described as the growing hate and vilification directed at minority Igbo Muslims in the South-East, warning that such actions undermine national unity and peaceful coexistence. In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Media Team and signed by Bashir Adefaka, the Sultan described reports of persistent hostility against minority Igbo Muslims as “a sad…
Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, expects its cocoa production to drop by at least 16% in the 2026/27 season, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has confirmed. The projected decline—covering the crop season beginning in September 2026—has intensified concerns over tighter global supplies and higher chocolate prices. Causes of the decline COCOBOD attributes the expected fall to a combination of adverse weather, disease, and structural challenges in key farming regions. Weather and crop cycle: The regulator cited the likelihood of El Niño conditions, excessive rainfall in May and June 2026, and the cocoa tree’s natural bearing pattern, which alternates between…
Dangote Industries Limited and Sinoma International Engineering Company Ltd. have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth over $800 million to expand the Dangote Cement Plant in Itori, Ogun State, doubling its production capacity from 6 million to 12 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA). The agreement was signed by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the Chairman of Sinoma, Lin Zhong, reaffirming the long-standing strategic partnership between the two companies and their shared commitment to advancing industrial development across Africa. Under the agreement, the expansion project will significantly boost the Itori plant’s production capacity, enabling Dangote…
Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, has defended the performance of Governor Ahmad Aliyu, insisting that the administration’s development projects are spread across the state and not limited to the Sokoto metropolis as claimed by critics. Speaking shortly after arriving in Sokoto from Abuja on Friday, where he was received by supporters at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport before proceeding to his residence in Gawon Nama, the former governor said the administration had delivered infrastructure and social projects in both urban and rural communities. Wamakko said road construction projects had either…
A coalition of civil society organisations across West Africa has called for the immediate and unconditional release of prominent Nigerien journalist and human rights defender, Moussa Tchangari, following a United Nations finding that his detention is arbitrary. The organisations, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, said the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had declared Tchangari’s detention contrary to international human rights law. They said the UN finding reinforced concerns raised by civil society organisations, human rights defenders and international partners since Tchangari’s arrest on December 3, 2024, arguing that his detention was politically motivated and violated fundamental…