The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would conduct a thorough clean-up of the country’s register of voters with a view to further sanitising and strengthening the integrity of the register. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said this during the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with Civil Society Organisations on Wednesday in Abuja. Amupitan said that a credible register of voters remained the bedrock of free, fair and transparent elections, stressing “no electoral process can command public confidence without trust in the integrity of its voters’ register”. He noted that Nigeria’s national register, first compiled ahead of the 2011…
Author: Newsdesk
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has joined forces with Clemson University in a landmark collaboration aimed at transforming banana farming across Africa while generating agricultural innovations that could also benefit growers in South Carolina, USA. According to the university’s news update, the partnership, backed by a new $1.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to tackle persistent challenges in banana production — from disease to inconsistent planting materials — and deliver scalable solutions for smallholder farmers. Under the agreement, Clemson researchers will work directly with scientists from IITA — a nonprofit agricultural research organisation headquartered in…
Spain will join the list of countries that have banned access to social media for children under 16, said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Sánchez chided the world’s biggest tech companies in a speech at a Dubai summit, saying they allow illegal content such as child sex abuse and non-consensual sexualised deepfake images to proliferate on their platforms. He said governments also needed to “stop turning a blind eye”. “Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,” Sánchez said. “We will no longer accept that.” Spain joins a growing number of countries, including Australia…
As the world commemorates World Cancer Day today, the global health community reflects on the strides made in oncology – innovative immunotherapies, early detection, and falling mortality rates in developed nations. However, in Nigeria, the narrative remains starkly different. While cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, for Nigerians, a diagnosis is too often perceived as a death sentence, not due to the nature of the disease, but due to the systemic hurdles in diagnosis and treatment. Today, ASHENEWS examines the state of cancer care in Nigeria, highlighting the critical challenges hindering survival and what every Nigerian needs…
Global payment platform, PayPal, has appointed Enrique Lores as its next President and Chief Executive Officer to take over from Alex Chriss on March 1, 2026. The appointment on Tuesday comes on a day the company released its fourth-quarter 2025 results that missed expectations across all key metrics. PayPal’s revenue was reported at $8.68 billion, which was below the expected $8.79 billion. PayPal, in a statement said the appointment was made because the company’s pace of change and execution was “not in line with the Board’s expectations” given broader market trends. The Board cited the need for faster execution and more decisive action amidst intensifying competition and rapid technological change. Lores joins PayPal after more than six…
The Senate has called on the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure the procurement and nationwide availability of antivenoms in public and private hospitals. This is according to a statement by Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during plenary deliberations. The call follows growing concerns over preventable deaths linked to the absence of life-saving antidotes in health facilities, especially in high-risk regions across the country. According to Senator Akpabio, Nigeria must urgently strengthen its emergency healthcare response to prevent avoidable fatalities. “The Federal Ministry of Health, in…
The United Nations Association of Africa (UNAA) has charged world leaders to engage more on effective peace dialogues. Amb. Victor Asije, UNAA’s Director of Peace, Security, and Conflict Prevention, gave the charge in a message to mark the 2026 International Day of Fraternity. The International Day of Human Fraternity 2026 is a United Nations international day observed annually on Feb.4. It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding, and cooperation for peace. Asije said that all forms of human differences, misunderstanding, biases , prejudices, and racial discrimination should be replaced with peaceable…
The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 arrested a Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa over alleged Naira mutilation. Inuwa was arrested following a viral video circulated on social media platforms where she was seen conspicuously cleaning mucus from her nose using Naira notes. Following the release of the viral video, the Commission swung into action by tracing and subsequently arrested her to answer questions. She is currently being held at the Commission’s detention facility while investigation is ongoing. The suspect will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
The Federal Government says Nigeria is targeting gas production of 10 billion Standard Cubic Feet Per Day (BSCFD) by 2030, positioning natural gas as a cornerstone of national energy security and economic prosperity. Dr Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), said this while delivering a ministerial address at the ninth Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026, on Tuesday in Abuja. The summit had the theme “Energy for Peace and Prosperity: Securing Our Shared Future”. The minister said government efforts were yielding tangible results, with Nigeria’s gas production maintaining an upward trajectory in 2025, averaging between 7.5 and…
Top British boarding schools have announced plans to meet Nigerian families in March during UK Boarding Schools Week 2026, with exhibitions scheduled in Abuja and Lagos. The events will showcase specific boarding school programmes, admission requirements, and learning opportunities in the United Kingdom. The events are organised by Mark Brooks Education, led by Mr Mark Brooks, a UK Department for Business and Trade Export Champion with over 17 years’ experience advising Nigerian families. Brooks in a statement on Wednesday said the programme allows parents and students to interact directly with school leaders and better understand academic pathways available within the…