A purported federal agency uncovered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) allegedly deployed a carefully structured nationwide network of appointments to create the impression that it was a legitimate government institution, while claiming to have secured Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval dating back to 2017. The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which operated from premises within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), reportedly presented itself as a duly constituted federal agency with zonal directors and coordinators across the 36 states. The development has raised fresh concerns…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called on state and local governments to account for the N10.4 trillion distributed to them from resources generated following the removal of petrol subsidy. NECA Director-General, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, made the call during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, following the Federal Government’s disclosure of how subsidy savings were distributed. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, had disclosed that the removal of petrol subsidy generated N15.8 trillion in resources for the Federation between June 2023 and December 2025. Of the amount, the Federal Government received N5.4…
Nigeria’s food inflation rate accelerated to 20.31 per cent year-on-year in July 2026, its highest level in 10 months, despite a further moderation in the country’s headline inflation. The latest figure was contained in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which showed that food inflation rose sharply from 17.52 per cent recorded in June. The July figure represents a 2.79 percentage-point increase from the previous month and marks the highest food inflation rate since September 2025, when it stood at 20.16 per cent. Food inflation subsequently declined to 16.30 per cent in…
Professor Abdulkadir Usman Junaidu of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, has been elected Provost of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria (CVSN). Junaidu, a professor of Veterinary Public Health, emerged from an election conducted among Fellows of the College across Nigeria. The result was announced in Abuja by the Electoral Committee, chaired by Professor Caleb Kudi. The College is Nigeria’s premier postgraduate professional institution for specialist veterinary training and the advancement of veterinary practice. His campaign focused on repositioning the College through professional excellence, stronger specialist training, institutional development and improved national and international relevance. Junaidu said his election was…
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has claimed 2,325 lives, making it the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the country’s history. The latest figures released by the Congolese public health authorities on Sunday showed that confirmed infections had risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases recorded within 24 hours. The current outbreak has surpassed the previous record set during the 2018–2020 Ebola epidemic, which claimed 2,299 lives in the country. The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026, after cases were initially detected in Ituri Province in northeastern DRC. It has since spread…
As Southern Africa marks ten years since adopting the landmark SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage, civil society groups and researchers are calling for an urgent overhaul of regional child protection strategies. Speaking at the SADC People’s Summit 2026, ecofeminist scholar and researcher Dr. Melania Chiponda warned that legal reforms alone are no longer enough to protect young girls against the compounding threats of climate shocks and rapid mining expansion. The call, championed by global feminist network Shine Collab, advocates for a new regional framework linking child marriage prevention directly to climate justice and extractive industry accountability. While the…
Nigerian banks increased lending to the agriculture sector to ₦3.86 trillion in March 2026, even as credit to oil and gas fell by ₦335 billion in the first quarter, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) latest Quarterly Statistical Bulletin. The shift underscores a changing credit landscape in which agriculture is gaining ground while some traditional heavyweights, particularly oil and gas and manufacturing, see their share of bank financing shrink. Sectoral credit trends in Q1 2026 CBN data shows a steady month-on-month rise in agricultural credit during the first three months of 2026: January: ₦3.71 trillion February: ₦3.81 trillion…
The United Nations says a ransom payment of about $50 million made in late 2025 to secure the release of a hostage in Mali helped finance an Al-Qaeda-linked offensive in the country and strengthened the militant network across West Africa. A UN monitoring report said the money was channeled mainly to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in the Sahel. It said the funds were then distributed to other parts of the Al-Qaeda network, including its core leadership and affiliates in the region. The report said the ransom was large enough to materially support the group’s…
The new Sokoto State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Bashir Muhammad Achida, has pledged to build on existing reforms and introduce new strategies to accelerate the implementation of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s 9-Point SMART Innovative Agenda. Dr. Achida made the commitment during a briefing with the State Technical Working Committee on the 9-Point Agenda, held at the Ministry’s conference room in Sokoto. The meeting served as a formal handover and strategic review session with the immediate past Commissioner and former Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Zayyana. Focus on completion and data-driven planningDr. Zayyana, who recently resigned…
Dangote Petroleum Refinery could become one of the most influential companies on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) if it proceeds with an initial public offering (IPO) at a valuation close to the $40 billion implied by a recent private placement. According to EBC Financial Group, in a statement emailed to ASHENEWS on Thursday, such a valuation would put the refinery’s value at about N54.63 trillion, based on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market rate of N1,365.6856 per dollar as of August 7, 2026. The figure represents a significant share of Nigeria’s equity market. Companies listed on the NGX…