The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has described the death of Nafiu Baba-Ahmed, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, as a great loss to Islam, the Muslim Ummah and Nigeria. The Sultan, in a statement issued by his media team and signed by Bashir Adefaka on Tuesday, expressed profound sadness over the death, describing Baba-Ahmed as a dedicated servant of Allah who devoted his life to promoting Islamic values, scholarship, unity, peaceful coexistence and service to humanity. He said the deceased, who was an accomplished…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on behalf of the Debt Management Office (DMO), is set to offer N900 billion in Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs) at the first auction of the fourth quarter of 2026, with the one-year instrument accounting for the bulk of the offer. The auction, scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, comprises N100 billion each in 91-day and 182-day bills, while N700 billion will be offered through the 364-day tenor. Settlement is scheduled for Thursday, October 8. The 364-day bill represents 77.8% of the total offer, underscoring the DMO’s continued emphasis on longer-dated Treasury instruments. The auction comes…
Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to lead a historic government-to-government peer exchange focused on accelerating nutrition delivery. The Vice President is attending the forum on the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia,Temesgen Tiruneh, who is championing the country’s multi-sectoral approach to boost nutrition in the country. According to the statement, the head of Nigeria’s delegation, the Vice President, will participate in the inaugural Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Visit, a forum aimed at enabling key stakeholders to share experiences of building a federal, state and local compact on nutrition. It further reiterates that…
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has released the identities of the 25 people killed in the crash of its ATR-42 aircraft, NAF 931, in Igbokoda, Ondo State, confirming that there were no survivors. The aircraft, which had five crew members and 20 passengers, was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed on Monday. The NAF said search-and-rescue operations were immediately activated in coordination with relevant authorities. Names of the five crew members The five crew members were identified as Squadron Leader MI Aburime, flight captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, co-pilot; Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, co-pilot; Warrant…
Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has called for a thorough investigation into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft crash in Ondo State, which claimed lives on Monday. The Sultan said the probe was necessary to establish the cause of the crash and prevent a recurrence, describing the incident as a “deeply unfortunate national tragedy.” The aircraft was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when the crash occurred. In a statement signed by Bashir Adefaka on behalf of the Sultan’s Media Team, the Sultan said the loss…
Nigeria has surpassed its formal financial inclusion target, with 73% of adults now having access to formal financial services, but about 60.4 million formally included adults remain financially vulnerable or are merely coping. The findings are contained in the 2026 Access to Financial Services in Nigeria (A2F) Survey conducted by Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) and weighted by the National Bureau of Statistics. The survey covered 18,679 adults across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Overall financial inclusion, covering both formal and informal services, rose to 79% in 2026 from 74% in 2023 and 68% in 2020.…
The Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki, has dismissed reports suggesting that the recent defection of eight lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown the Assembly into crisis. Moriki said the affected lawmakers had been suspended since February 26, 2024, following allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, contempt of the House and violation of the Assembly’s Standing Orders. According to the Speaker, the allegations included forcibly gaining access to the offices of the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms, breaking into the Legislative Chamber, damaging public property and subsequently convening an unauthorised sitting. He said the…
The naira has strengthened beyond the N1,500-to-one-euro mark for the first time since April 2024, closing at N1,497/€ amid a broader decline in the value of the European currency. Latest Central Bank of Nigeria data cited by Nairametrics showed that the naira breached the key N1,500 level as the euro weakened against the US dollar in global foreign exchange markets. The euro fell to about $1.1161 during Asian trading, its weakest level since May 2025, amid investor concerns over political and fiscal instability in the Eurozone. The decline was also linked to renewed uncertainty surrounding France and preparations for an…
The United States has withdrawn all its bomber aircraft from RAF Fairford in southwest England following a security incident that triggered a counter-terrorism investigation around the British airbase. The Pentagon confirmed that all US bombers deployed to Fairford had returned to their home stations in the United States, citing operational security for its earlier refusal to disclose the movement of the aircraft in real time. The withdrawal follows a September 27 incident in which police were alerted after a farmer reported suspicious activity involving several vans and masked men near the base. The incident led to the evacuation of about…
The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (Benue-SEMA) has deployed local divers to search for passengers still missing following a boat mishap on the River Katsina-Ala in the Buruku Local Government Area of the state. Mr Tema Ager, Head of the Information Unit, Benue-SEMA, confirmed this in a telephone interview with Nigeria’s news agency, NAN, on Monday in Makurdi. Ager said the search operation had been challenging due to difficult conditions in the affected section of the river, including the presence of submerged motorcycles and other materials. “Rescue teams are working methodically to locate the missing persons and establish the circumstances…