Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and Planning, Abubakar Alhaji, the Sardauna of Sokoto, has died at the age of 91 after a brief illness. The elder statesman reportedly passed away on Wednesday at the Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja, bringing to an end a distinguished career in Nigeria’s public service that spanned several decades. Family sources said funeral prayers would be held on Thursday in Abuja before his remains are taken to Sokoto for burial in accordance with Islamic rites. Alhaji served as Minister of National Planning and later Minister of Finance during the administration of former military President Ibrahim Babangida.…
Author: Newsdesk
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has lowered the stop rate on its one-year Treasury Bills after an overwhelming wave of investor demand pushed subscriptions to nearly seven times the amount offered at its latest primary market auction. At the auction conducted on Wednesday, the apex bank offered N500 billion worth of 364-day Treasury Bills but received subscriptions of about N3.38 trillion, underscoring a strong appetite for government securities despite declining yields. The one-year stop rate fell by 31 basis points to 17.35 per cent from the previous auction’s level, while rates on the 91-day and 182-day instruments were left…
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says its newly inaugurated 3367 toll-free call centre successfully processed 2,843 public engagements within the first 30 days of operation. LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said this in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Mr Taofiq Adebayo, on Thursday in Lagos. He listed the engagements as including 1,047 enquiry calls, 709 commendation calls, 468 successfully resolved cases, 400 accident and vehicular breakdown reports, 163 formal complaints, 11 information requests and 45 unsuccessful calls. Bakare-Oki noted that the development further reinforced the agency’s unwavering commitment to institutional…
Some residents of Kazaure Local Government Area in Jigawa State have revived the traditional practice of harvesting rainwater to supplement their household water supply. The residents told reporters on Thursday that many families now collect and store rainwater during the rainy season for cooking, washing and other domestic purposes. They said the practice has become important in helping households cope with water shortages when other sources are inadequate. Mrs Rabi’a Musa, a resident, said many households had returned to rainwater harvesting because it provides an affordable and readily available source of water. She said families usually keep containers ready to…
The Integrated Child Survival Advocacy at the Last Mile (ICSA) has commenced the orientation of local government and health facility team members to strengthen child survival and maternal health advocacy across Kaduna State. Speaking during the orientation in Kachia Local Government on Wednesday, the Project Manager of ICSA, Mr Agada Simon, said the programme was designed to equip selected participants with the knowledge and skills required to implement child survival advocacy in communities across the state. Simon said the participants would serve as frontline advocates, engaging communities on issues affecting child health and survival while promoting maternal health interventions. According…
Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL) says the absence of reliable housing data remains a major obstacle to effective planning, policymaking and regulation in Nigeria’s housing sector. The Executive Director, Operations, FHFL, Dr Emeka Inegbu, said this during the ongoing Stakeholders Validation Workshop on the National Housing Data Programme in Abuja. A copy of his presentation was made available to reporters on Thursday in Abuja. Inegbu described data as a critical driver of development programmes, saying global experience showed that planning became difficult where reliable information was unavailable. “Data has remained one of the key drivers of development. “Our experience across…
The President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Oba Akintoye Adeoye, has called for stronger regulation of Nigeria’s built environment to curb building collapse and promote sustainable housing development. Adeoye made the call in a presentation at the ongoing stakeholders’ validation workshop on the National Housing Data Programme and the National Housing and Built Environment Regulation Policy in Abuja. A copy of the paper presented at the event was obtained by reporters on Thursday. Adeoye, the traditional ruler of Okeigbo community in Ondo State, said effective regulation remained critical to ensuring safety, order and sustainability in the…
The Federal Government has urged cooperative societies across the South-South to invest in the proposed Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and embrace digital reforms to strengthen the sector. The call was made on Wednesday in Yenagoa by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi. Abdullahi, represented by his Special Adviser on Cooperative Matters, Mr Victor Oyegoke, spoke at the grand finale of the 2026 United Nations International Day of Cooperatives and the South-South Zonal Ministerial Advocacy Tour on cooperative bank share capital mobilisation. The minister said the proposed Cooperative Bank of Nigeria would be government-enabled but…
The Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Mohammed Ibrahim, has urged African countries to move beyond financing agricultural research and focus on building innovation ecosystems that connect research with industry and market demand. Ibrahim made the call at the High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on Sustainable Financing for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation (AR4D), held on the sidelines of the 9th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW9) on Wednesday in Abuja. The dialogue, organised by NADF and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), was themed: “Financing Africa’s Agricultural Future: Mobilising Strategic Investments for Science, Innovation and Transformation.” Ibrahim…
The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation say the Federal Government’s National Housing Data Programme will end years of uncertainty and conflicting figures in Nigeria’s housing planning. They made the statement on Wednesday at the Stakeholders’ Workshop on the Validation of the National Housing Data Programme Report and the Regulation of the Built Environment in the Housing Sector in Abuja. The workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. The Managing Director of FMBN, Shehu Osidi, said credible and accessible housing data was essential for effective planning,…