President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Sunday for Rome to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting, which will focus on addressing West Africa’s security challenges. The trip was announced in a statement by the Presidential Spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga. The high-level summit, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, will bring together African leaders, top intelligence and military officials, as well as representatives of key intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. The Aqaba Process, launched in 2015 by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and co-chaired by the Jordanian and Italian governments, serves as a global platform for counter-terrorism cooperation. This…
Author: Newsdesk
No fewer than 17 houses have been demolished by the Lagos State Government for encroaching on the Right of Way (RoW) of the Ikota River alignment. The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, led a monitoring team alongside journalists to the site on Saturday. Wahab urged residents to desist from acts that harm the environment, stressing that nature often retaliates against human negligence and unlawful reclamation. He said the ministry had received complaints months earlier about illegal reclamation works aimed at narrowing the river’s RoW. “We stopped them then, but we were alerted again recently that…
The Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency (Jigawa-ATA) has convened a key validation workshop to finalize the strategic design of the Jigawa Agribusiness Incubation Programme (AIP)—a landmark initiative aimed at empowering youth and women, creating thousands of jobs, and positioning the state as a hub for agricultural innovation. Held at the 3-Star Hotel in Dutse, the workshop brought together a wide range of stakeholders to review and enrich the findings of a comprehensive scoping and feasibility study conducted by Agrighar Service Limited, an Indian agribusiness firm partnering with the state. The session marked a major milestone in a process that began with…
Nigerian author and cultural storyteller Oyindamola Olugbile has won the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), claiming the prestigious $100,000 award ahead of fellow finalists Chigozie Obioma and Nikki May. The Advisory Board for the Prize, chaired by Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, announced the winner at the award ceremony held on Friday night in Lagos. Olugbile clinched the prize with her debut novel, Sanya — a story that explores love, loss, and redemption within a mystical empire that captivates even the Òrìṣà. She beat Obioma’s The Road to the Country and May’s This Motherless Land.…
The political landscape of Ondo State took a historic turn on Thursday, October 9, 2025, as the two remaining opposition lawmakers in the Ondo State House of Assembly officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Their defection, which took place on the floor of the House, marked the first time since the return to democracy that the Ondo Assembly became an all-APC chamber. The move has been described as a major boost for unity, stability, and effective governance in the state. Reacting to the development, Engr. Mike Adeyanju commended the lawmakers for their decision to join what he…
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has launched a strong counter-offensive against Lagos PDP chieftain, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, threatening to take legal action over what he described as a “reckless and defamatory” statement labelling him a criminal on live television. In a demand letter dated October 7, 2025, signed by his counsel, S. I. Ameh (SAN) & Co., Akpabio accused Pearse of deliberately maligning his character during an appearance on Arise Television’s political programme on October 4. The Senate President said Pearse’s remarks were aimed at destroying his hard-earned reputation before Nigerians. Akpabio has given the PDP chieftain three…
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced a final 48-hour reopening of its verification portal to enable tertiary institutions yet to complete their student verification exercise to do so. This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, Director of Strategic Communications at the Fund. According to the statement, the portal will be accessible from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Oluwatuyi said the extension aims to ensure that all eligible students are duly verified by their respective institutions as part of the ongoing 2024/2025…
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has called for the implementation of programmes and policies that will give adolescent girls and young women in Akwa Ibom State improved access to healthcare. The Country Programmes Director of AHF, Dr. Echey Ijezie, made the call on Friday in Uyo during the commemoration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child with the theme, “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontline of Crisis.” Ijezie said the future of the girl child must be protected through well-designed policies and sustained investment in sexuality education, HIV prevention, testing, and treatment.…
The Wife of the Kwara State Governor and Founder of the Ajike People Support Centre, Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRazaq, has described the Measles-Rubella Vaccine (MRV) as a life-saving intervention for children and families in the state. AbdulRazaq stated this on Friday during the official flag-off of the MRV campaign in Ilorin. She said the introduction of the combined Measles-Rubella Vaccine marks a major step in improving child health and closing gaps in immunization coverage. According to her, the rollout of the vaccine would help protect every child, mother, and family, bringing the state and the nation closer to achieving the goal…
The governors of Jigawa, Adamawa, and Plateau States have been honored as Digital Governors of the Year for the North-West, North-East, and North-Central regions respectively. The awards were presented at the Nigeria GovTech Gala and Awards 2025, organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) on Friday in Abuja. The event recognized outstanding public and private sector institutions, as well as individuals who have integrated digital technology into their operations and contributed to developing Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State said the recognition reflected the success of their efforts to integrate e-governance, transform public service delivery,…