Ekiti State First Lady, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has appealed to political, traditional, and religious leaders, as well as advocacy groups, to intensify efforts to secure the future of female children by protecting them from female genital mutilation. The governor’s wife made the call in Ado Ekiti on Thursday during an engagement with journalists to commemorate the 2026 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, themed: “2030: No end to FGM without sustained commitment and investment.” Different bodies and agencies held programmes on February 6, the official date for the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, to highlight…
Author: Newsdesk
Ikeja Electric has mandated customers to submit their Tax Identification Number, National Identification Number, or CAC registration details, or risk disconnection. The electricity distributor issued a public notice on Wednesday to warn customers that bills issued without at least one of these identification numbers are now considered invalid under Nigeria’s new tax law. Customers who don’t comply by February 20 could see their electricity supply suspended. The company says it’s responding to the Nigeria Tax Act (2025), which became law on January 1, 2026, and requires all invoices to include customer identification information. The company has asked customers to fill out…
Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma has assumed office as the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria [NOUN], unveiling six priority areas for his administration. He identified the priorities as strengthening study centres, enhancing learner support, improving ICT infrastructure, ensuring credible e-examinations, promoting staff welfare, and sustaining quality assurance. Uduma spoke at a handover ceremony in Abuja where he took over from Prof. Olufemi Ayinde Peters. The event marked the beginning of his five-year tenure as the sixth Vice-Chancellor of the institution. His appointment had earlier been announced by the Pro-Chancellor, Malam Isa Yuguda, in October 2025. In his inaugural…
The Federal Government, in partnership with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has launched a Smart School Protection Strategy to strengthen security across schools nationwide. Unveiled during a strategic engagement in Abuja on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the federal government said the initiative underscores the administration’s zero tolerance for attacks on schools and its commitment to guaranteeing the safety of every Nigerian child. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described school protection as a non-negotiable priority. Alausa announced the establishment of a dedicated Department of Safe School Initiative to coordinate policy, monitoring, and inter-agency collaboration, with NSCDC…
The Seplat Energy Plc, a Joint Venture partner of NNPC Ltd. and a key gas supplier to NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC) pipeline network, has announced routine maintenance on its gas production facilities. This is was made known in a statement signed by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd. Mr Andy Odeh, said the planned maintenance on its plants and facilities would take place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 15, 2026. Odey said the planned activity formed part of standard industry safety and asset integrity protocols designed to ensure the continued reliability, efficiency and safe operation of critical…
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2026 African Union (AU) Summit. Ashenews gasthered that the theme of the summit is: ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063’. It will focus on advancing continental commitments towards sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development aspirations encapsulated in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework. While in Addis Ababa, the vice-president will join other African leaders at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government. Similarly,…
Fidelity Bank has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives and wellbeing of indigent persons with the donation of relief items to inmates at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre in Lagos. The project, executed under the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative known as Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP), saw the bank’s Human Resources (HR) department hand over various household tools and gift items to the leadership of the correctional facility as part of its efforts to support the rehabilitation and development of indigent persons in society. Through the FHHP, staff across Fidelity Bank branches nationwide identify crucial interventions needed…
The Bauchi State Government has approved the renovation of the ‘blind workshop’ in Bauchi as a functional empowerment centre to improve the welfare of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). The Executive Chairman of the Bauchi Agency for Persons With Disabilities, Mrs Brisca Aaron, disclosed this in an interview with reporters in Bauchi on Wednesday. She said the initiative is part of the state government’s commitment to inclusiveness in governance, accountability, empowerment, and sustainable development. Aaron said the government also plans to reduce street begging among PWDs through skills acquisition and empowerment programmes. “The governor has approved the rehabilitation and renovation of…
The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has expressed satisfaction with the rice processing centres established under the International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) in Enugu State. The organization made the commendation during inspections of rice farms in Mbulu Owo, Nkanu East, and Uhueze Nenwe, Aninri Local Government Areas of Enugu, alongside IFAD-VCDP officials. Speaking during the visit, SON Coordinator in Enugu, Mr Peter Ameh, said the organization inspected the processing centres to assess on-ground facilities, as SON is responsible for standardization and quality assurance of products in Nigeria. Ameh described the facilities and efforts of the women…
The Enugu State Government says over 1.5 million children have so far received vaccination against measles and rubella within a week in the ongoing statewide immunization campaign. Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Ocheku, Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), disclosed this during the flag-off of the integrated Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, on Wednesday. Ani-Ocheku added that the figure represents about 68 per cent of the target population of 2.2 million children in the state, describing it as unprecedented and a reflection of the state’s commitment to achieving zero cases of the diseases. She…