The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised N1.457 trillion at its June 3 Treasury Bills (NTB) Primary Market Auction (PMA), increasing stop rates across all maturities despite strong investor demand that pushed subscriptions to N2.160 trillion, more than twice the N1 trillion offered. Official auction results released by the apex bank showed that the 364-day bill attracted the strongest demand, drawing N1.946 trillion in subscriptions against an offer of N800 billion. Acting on behalf of the Debt Management Office (DMO), the CBN offered N100 billion each in the 91-day and 182-day instruments, and N800 billion in the 364-day tenor. Settlement…
Author: Newsdesk
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Kogi State Chapter, organized the PROOF Spelling Bee Competition among six schools on Wednesday as part of activities celebrating the 2026 Children’s Day. Held in Lokoja, the competition brought together students from participating schools to showcase their spelling, vocabulary, and language skills. Speaking at the event, Justice Ojoma Haruna said the competition aligned with this year’s Children’s Day theme, “One Child, One Word, One Hope.”Haruna, represented by Magistrate Dorcas Abraham, emphasized that every child has immense potential and deserves access to quality education. “Every child carries a future of possibilities, and it is…
Unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths annually worldwide, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO). This underscores the often-overlooked toll of contaminated food on health, development, and fragile economies. The new insights, released on Wednesday ahead of next week’s World Food Safety Day (WFSD) on June 7, show that children under five are particularly vulnerable. Unsafe food is any food that may cause illness, injury, or harm when consumed. It is typically contaminated by biological (bacteria, parasites), chemical (toxins, heavy metals), or physical (glass, metal) agents. These hazards can cause conditions…
The Senate on Wednesday approved a new excise duty regime on sugar-sweetened beverages. The upper chamber also endorsed the creation of a dedicated funding stream to strengthen public health interventions across the country. This move aims to curb the rising cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The decision followed the consideration and adoption of the report on the Customs, Excise Tariff, etc. (Amendment) Bill by the Joint Committee on Finance and Customs, Excise, and Tariff during plenary. The report was presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Sen. Sani Musa. He stated that under the new framework, the…
The United States has reaffirmed its counterterrorism partnership with Nigeria, citing recent joint operations that dealt a major blow to the Islamic State terrorist network. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the disclosure while speaking on U.S. foreign policy and international security cooperation. Rubio stated that American and Nigerian security agencies recently collaborated in an operation that eliminated a senior global ISIS leader operating from within Nigeria. He added that concerns previously raised about violence affecting Christian communities in Nigeria have strengthened security engagement between both countries. “Regarding Nigeria, where many were very concerned about violence against Christians, we…
Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have increased to 344 confirmed infections, with 60 deaths recorded so far. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Ghebreyesus said the backlog of suspected Ebola cases had dropped significantly from over 1,000 to 116 as laboratory testing capacity continued to improve across affected areas. The WHO chief provided this update after returning from the outbreak epicenter in Ituri Province, where he met with political leaders, frontline health responders, and community groups involved in controlling the outbreak. He…
Leadway Group has launched the fourth edition of its flagship ‘Pages to Places’ school outreach initiative to promote literacy and improve access to educational resources among public primary school pupils nationwide. The company disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Managing Director, Mr. Olusakin Labeodan. According to the statement, the programme will be implemented in Lagos, Warri, Ekiti, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Abuja. Labeodan stated that the initiative would provide beneficiary schools with carefully selected literature books and mobile libraries. “This is to strengthen literacy levels, encourage a reading culture, and improve access to learning materials in…
The Katsina State Police Command has foiled a cattle rustling operation and recovered 12 cows stolen by suspected armed bandits in Bakori Local Government Area. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Katsina. He stated that the incident occurred around 11 p.m. on June 2, when armed bandits invaded Gidan Dan Maye village along the Gangaren Makurdi–Jargaba axis, rustling 12 cows and an unspecified number of sheep. Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Bakori quickly mobilized police operatives and vigilante members to the area. “The team…
The Kano State Government has upgraded 320 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres to Level 2 and Level 3 status and added eight new secondary health facilities, bringing the total to 52. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, disclosed this on Wednesday during a news conference in Kano. He stated that the initiative aims to improve healthcare delivery and ensure residents have better access to quality medical services across the state. “The upgrades will strengthen the capacity of PHCs to handle a wider range of cases, reduce pressure on secondary hospitals, and bring essential care closer to communities,” Labaran said. He…
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is expanding digital learning and skills development programs to address school dropout syndrome and youth unemployment across Nigeria. A UNICEF Education Specialist, Mr. Harold Kpojime, made the announcement on Wednesday during a two-day media dialogue on digital learning, artificial intelligence, and skills development for out-of-school children. The event began on Wednesday in Ede, Osun, and was organized by UNICEF in partnership with the Osun State Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Universal Basic Education Commission, and the Global Partnership for Education, among others. Kpojime noted that recent data shows an increasing…