Nigeria has commenced the implementation of the newly enacted National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026, ushering in a major overhaul of the country’s identity management system with a stronger focus on digital identity, enhanced data protection and stricter penalties for identity-related offences. The new legislation, which repeals the 2007 NIMC Act, establishes digital identity as a key component of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), allowing citizens to authenticate their identities through smartphone applications, QR codes, biometric verification, digital wallets and other electronic credentials rather than relying primarily on physical identity cards. Under the law, the National Identity Management Commission…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
The Kaduna State Ministry of Health has launched an intensified rainy‑season preparedness programme aimed at preventing and rapidly responding to outbreaks of malaria, cholera and other seasonal illnesses across the state. The Commissioner for Health, Umma Ahmad said on Monday, that the ministry is working with local government health authorities, the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) and development partners — including the NCDC, NMEP, WHO and UNICEF — to strengthen surveillance, pre‑position supplies and deploy rapid‑response teams where needed. Expanded surveillance, rapid response According to Ahmad, the ministry has scaled up Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) activities and…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to launch its largest monthly Treasury Bills (T-Bills) issuance of 2026, with plans to raise N2 trillion in July as part of an aggressive liquidity management strategy aimed at tightening money supply and supporting macroeconomic stability. The planned issuance is significantly higher than the N647.79 billion worth of Treasury Bills scheduled to mature during the month, resulting in a projected net liquidity withdrawal of about N1.35 trillion from the banking system. The July exercise marks the opening phase of the CBN’s third-quarter Treasury Bills issuance programme, under which the apex bank intends…
Newly surfaced official documents have revealed that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) approved an international trip by Adeniyi Adeyemi, the embattled promoter of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), months before the organisation became the subject of a major controversy. The documents show that Adeyemi received clearance from the OSGF to participate in a fintech summit in Canada scheduled for August 3 to August 8, further complicating the Federal Government’s position that the PFIPC was a non-existent body. The approval reportedly authorised Adeyemi to attend the event in his capacity as…
The naira maintained relative stability in the foreign exchange market, supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) tight monetary policy, stronger crude oil production and improved foreign exchange inflows, according to market analysts. Analysts said the CBN’s hawkish monetary stance has continued to attract foreign portfolio investments, helping to strengthen liquidity in the official foreign exchange market and reduce exchange rate volatility. The improved performance of the local currency has also been linked to increased crude oil output and stronger export earnings, which have boosted Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and enhanced confidence in the economy. Market data showed that…
A 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs Mary Yetunde Barek, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following the discovery of 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in plantain peels made to appear like real plantains and packed among other food items in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 at Lagos Airport while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on Sunday, 28 June 2026. A thorough search of her…
Former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the African Union of Journalists (AUJ), Lanre Ogundipe, has called for the immediate release of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, warning that the treatment of journalists as criminals undermines the rule of law and threatens Nigeria’s democratic values. Ogundipe, in a statement issued on Sunday, expressed concern over Ugagbe’s arrest and continued detention, describing the development as one that extends beyond the liberty of an individual journalist to the broader issue of press freedom and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the media. According to him, the growing tendency to subject…
A member of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has urged the CBN to press commercial banks to translate gains from the industry’s recent recapitalisation into lower lending rates for households and businesses. The MPC member made the call following the banking-sector recapitalisation exercise, saying stronger supervisory pressure and dialogue from the CBN are now necessary to ensure improved capital buffers result in cheaper credit for the real economy. The member argued that despite improvements in banks’ balance sheets, credit transmission remains weak and persisted high loan rates are restricting investment and recovery across manufacturing, agriculture and…
No fewer than 268 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks and anti-migrant protests arrived in Nigeria on Friday as the Federal Government intensified efforts to bring home citizens who voluntarily opted to leave the Southern African country. The latest batch was airlifted aboard an Air Peace charter flight arranged by the Federal Government. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, the aircraft departed O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 5:36 a.m. carrying 268 returnees, alongside two officials and crew members. The minister said the evacuation exercise was ordered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu…
Le Réseau des Journalistes pour la promotion des systèmes agro-sylvo-pastoraux et halieutiques en Afrique de l’Ouest et au Sahel (ReJPAH-AOS) prend part, du 1er au 3 juillet à Saly, au Sénégal, à un atelier d’échange et de collaboration entre organisations paysannes et médias, dans le cadre de la campagne Family Farmers for Climate. Point focal de l’atelier Le président du ReJPAH-AOS, Gilles Esssonana Podjoley, a participé aux travaux aux côtés du président du Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs agricoles de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (ROPPA), Ibrahim Coulibaly, lors d’un panel consacré à la visibilité des exploitations familiales dans les…