The International Improv and Playback Theatre Festival, Africa’s first global gathering focusing on social justice, community engagement, mental health, and resilience building, has officially begun in Abuja. Ibrahim Aminu, Mandate Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Federal Capital Territory Administration, announced at the opening on Sunday that the festival would showcase Nigeria’s creative sector to the world. Aminu, represented by Mrs. Nonye Obi, Director of Finance and Accounts, stated that the event brought together creative minds, practitioners, educators, development partners, and advocates from across the globe. He emphasized that the gathering reaffirms the FCT’s belief that creativity transcends borders…
Author: Newsdesk
The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, on Sunday directed the contractor handling the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road to temporarily stop work and study pavement mixture specifications at another project site. Umahi issued the directive to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Ltd. during an inspection tour of the Osun axis of the road reconstruction project. The minister inspected the road project alongside some federal lawmakers and other stakeholders. “Go and check that mixture, then resume your work,” he instructed. Umahi also directed the contractor to slow down work on the carriageway and form two teams to work on the outer and…
Torrential rainfall and the accompanying windstorm on Saturday night destroyed farmlands and shops in Abakaliki and Akpoha Community in Afikpo North LGA of Ebonyi. The over four-hour rainfall caused severe flooding on the Abakaliki–Afikpo Expressway, submerging farmlands and destroying crops worth millions of naira. A cross-section of affected farmers told reporters in Abakaliki on Sunday that the flood washed away yams, cassava, maize, rice, melons, and other crops. Mr. Cletus Idam said the disaster wiped out all his investments this planting season. “We invested huge sums of money in our farms, but everything has been washed away; we may have…
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated 111 personnel from Special Forces Course 13/2026. This was announced on Sunday in Abuja by the Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. Ejodame stated that the graduation would further enhance the NAF’s capacity to support ongoing air and joint military operations across Nigeria. He added that the ceremony, held at the Regiment Training Centre Annex (RTCA) in Bauchi, marked the successful completion of an intensive and demanding training program designed to produce highly skilled, combat-ready, and mission-oriented operators capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.…
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, Mr. Abdullah Ali Ahmed, has stated that doubts among some members of the National Assembly about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway have been cleared. Ahmed attributed this to the pace and quality of the road construction. He made the remarks during an inspection tour of road projects in Lagos and neighboring states, alongside the Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi. “We thought this project would take forever, but the speed at which it’s progressing has dispelled doubts. The quality of work here is top-notch,” he said. Ahmed also praised the contractor,…
Lagos residents defied a downpour on Saturday night to attend the 2026 edition of the Knorr Jollof Fest at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos. The annual culinary festival, the fourth edition sponsored by Unilever Nigeria Plc., attracted thousands of food enthusiasts, chefs, culinary entrepreneurs, and stakeholders in Nigeria’s food industry. Despite the rainfall, the event saw a massive turnout from different parts of Lagos, including Igando, Alakuko, Ikorodu, and neighboring communities, all gathering to celebrate Nigeria’s iconic delicacy, Jollof Rice. The festival featured masterclasses, food exhibitions, entertainment performances, interactive sessions, and cooking demonstrations showcasing various styles of Jollof Rice,…
A public health expert has called on the Federal Government to ensure that the N10 billion approved for Ebola preparedness is directed toward critical gaps in Nigeria’s disease response system. Emeka Oguanuo, Senior Partnership Manager at Nigeria Health Watch, made this statement in an interview with reporters on Sunday in Abuja while assessing Nigeria’s readiness for a potential Ebola outbreak. Oguanuo noted that President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the intervention fund and the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness have elevated health security to a national priority. “President Tinubu’s approval of N10 billion and the creation of…
Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has congratulated Chief Ikeje Asogwa on his landslide victory in the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, describing it as a “statement victory.” In a statement issued on Sunday in Enugu, Mbah said the win confirmed the widespread acceptance and political dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. He stated that the people of the senatorial district made the best choice for quality representation and demonstrated full alignment with the APC. “On behalf of the government and people of Enugu State, I congratulate Chief Ikeje Asogwa on this resounding victory. It is…
Police in Osun have arrested several suspected members of secret cults terrorizing the state. This was stated in a release by Police Spokesperson DSP Abiodun Ojelabi on Sunday. According to Ojelabi, a suspected notorious cultist known as “Small,” who was terrorizing the Iloro community in Ilesa, was apprehended on Wednesday at about 6 p.m. “He confessed to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity,” he said. Ojelabi added that, similarly, the Anti-Cultism Unit of the command, through intelligence efforts, arrested suspected cultists in Sasa Area, Osogbo, at about 1 a.m. on Friday. He said efforts are ongoing to apprehend other…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently issued a circular requiring fintechs and other regulated financial institutions to identify, verify, and disclose their Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs). While the directive may initially appear to be another addition to the growing list of compliance obligations facing the industry, it potentially signals a much deeper regulatory shift. At its core, the circular reflects a simple but increasingly important question: who ultimately owns, controls, and influences the institutions that have become central to Nigeria’s financial system? As fintechs evolve from fast-growing startups into critical components of the country’s payment infrastructure, the CBN appears…