The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the first batch of results for candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), announcing that 632,788 candidates who participated on the first day of the exercise can now access their scores. The disclosure was made in a statement issued on Friday by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, who noted that the released results cover candidates who wrote the examination on Thursday, April 16, 2026. According to JAMB, candidates can check their results by sending “UTMERESULT” via SMS to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number used…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has underscored the critical importance of strengthening institutional and human capacity across Africa to drive sustainable economic growth and resilience. Cardoso made this known while addressing delegates at the Leadership Dialogue on Capacity Development in Africa, held on the sidelines of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C., on April 15, 2026. The high-level dialogue brought together policymakers, central bankers, and development experts to examine how African countries can build stronger institutions, enhance policy effectiveness, and improve governance frameworks amid…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has absorbed a total of N4.48 trillion from the banking system within two sessions over six days, intensifying its liquidity tightening stance through aggressive Open Market Operations (OMO). Financial system data from April 8 to April 15, 2026, show that the apex bank stepped up efforts to sterilise excess liquidity, with major interventions recorded on April 9 and April 14. As a result, banks’ opening balances dropped sharply to N99.05 billion on April 15, down from N135.76 billion the previous day, reversing earlier gains recorded during the period. Despite the tightening, significant funds remained…
Shareholders of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc have approved a N500 billion Rights Issue to strengthen the company’s financial position, expand its capital base, and accelerate key strategic initiatives. The shareholders noted that the Rights Issue would support the company’s ambitious backward integration projects aimed at boosting local production. Approval was granted at the company’s 20th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Wednesday in Lagos, where shareholders also commended Dangote Sugar’s performance over the past year and expressed confidence in its growth trajectory. Chairman of the company, Arnold Ekpe, told shareholders that despite a challenging economic environment, the company recorded significant…
The Nigerian naira strengthened to N1,348/$ at the official foreign exchange market on Tuesday, supported by a broader weakness in the US dollar, which has fallen to a six-week low. Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed the local currency improved from N1,358/$ recorded on Monday, extending gains from last week’s close of N1,355.25/$. The appreciation reflects improving investor sentiment in global markets. The dollar index slipped to 98.109, hovering near its weakest level in over six weeks, as easing geopolitical tensions boosted appetite for riskier assets and currencies, including emerging market units like the naira. ALSO READ…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is proposing a major shift in how lending disputes are resolved, with plans to require creditors and borrowers to first submit to a mediation panel before approaching the courts. This follows a circular issued by the apex bank on Tuesday, inviting stakeholders to review and comment on draft guidelines for a Mediation and Dispute Resolution Panel under the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets framework. The circular was signed by P. I. Oluikpe, Acting Director of the Development Finance Advisory Department. Under the proposal, the panel would serve as the primary platform for resolving disputes…
Energy experts have criticised recent recommendations by the World Bank urging Nigeria to deepen fuel importation and fully liberalise its downstream petroleum sector, warning that such advice is ill-timed, economically regressive, and potentially in conflict with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). An energy economist and professor, Ken Ife, faulted the position during a televised interview on Nigeria’s economic outlook. He noted that while parts of the World Bank’s latest Nigeria Development Update were analytically sound, its recommendations on fuel importation undermine Nigeria’s strategic push for energy independence and local value addition. “You cannot come to a country that is struggling,…
The media team of the Sultan of Sokoto has dismissed as false a viral social media post alleging that Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, was seen worshipping the Sultan, describing the claim as misleading, divisive, and potentially dangerous. The team, in a press statement signed by Bashir Adefaka on behalf of the Media Team of the Sultan of Sokoto and dated Sunday, April 12, 2026 and issued on Sunday, said it had been alerted to the circulation of a post titled “Leaked photo of Governor Hyacinth Alia worshipping the Sultan of Sokoto,” which has been widely shared across WhatsApp groups…
The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately deactivate and withdraw passports issued to individuals who have formally renounced Nigerian citizenship. The directive was issued by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in a statement released on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Babatunde Alao. According to the minister, the order applies strictly to Nigerians whose renunciation requests have been duly approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He explained that the move aligns with constitutional provisions governing citizenship status. “Once a person ceases to be a citizen, they can no longer hold sovereign…
The Federal Government has approved the rollout of a biometric passenger identity verification system, VPASS, across domestic airports to strengthen security and improve passenger identification. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday through his spokesperson. The initiative forms part of broader reforms aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency in Nigeria’s aviation sector, while addressing persistent gaps in passenger verification processes. Keyamo explained that VPASS is designed to ensure proper identification of all passengers through a contactless biometric verification process, effectively closing loopholes often exploited under the current system.…