The Oyo State Government has refuted allegations of plans to sell the Ogbomoso Farm Settlement. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, in a statement issued on Friday in Ibadan, clarified that developing portions of the farm settlement was part of a long-term plan to integrate agriculture, housing and economic growth. He said the initiative was not an attempt to sell the farm settlement, stressing that it aligned with the Gov. Seyi Makinde-led administration’s agenda on agricultural transformation, food security, job creation and sustainable economic development. “The proposed New Town to be sited at the farm settlement will feature a…
Author: Newsdesk
The Federal Government says it is ready to partner with the private sector to boost housing delivery, urban renewal and national development. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Shuaib Belgore, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The statement was issued by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr Badamasi Haiba. This followed a courtesy visit by a delegation from TEC Engineering Company (Nigeria) Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway International Group. He said the ministry was ready to deepen engagement with TEC Engineering, particularly in large-scale housing development, urban renewal and Public-Private…
The Sultan and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of the Emir of Gumel in Jigawa State, Ahmed Muhammad Sani II. The Sultan, in a condolence message issued by Bashir Adefaka on Friday, extended his sympathies to the late Emir’s immediate family, the Gumel Emirate Council, the Jigawa State Government and people, the Northern Traditional Rulers Council (NTRC) and the wider Muslim community. The Emir died on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt, after a 46-year reign. He ascended the ancient throne of Gumel on…
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has inaugurated two technical committees on agricultural insurance and reinsurance to strengthen expertise and promote industry best practices. The association disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that the inauguration increased its technical committees to 16. Speaking at the inauguration, NIA Director-General, Mrs Bola Odukale, described the committees as essential platforms for advancing Nigeria’s insurance industry. Odukale said the committees were set up following calls by Governing Council members and stakeholders for dedicated platforms to address emerging issues in key insurance segments. She said the Agricultural Insurance Technical Committee would promote best practices while…
The British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), in collaboration with the Jigawa State Government, has provided poultry starter kits to 200 women to support their livelihoods. Each beneficiary received 20 Noiler birds, a bag of poultry feed and medication after undergoing training under the Empower-Her Poultry Project. Adetola Oniyelu, Project Manager of the BATN Foundation, disclosed this on Thursday at the inauguration of the project at the Jigawa State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (JARDA), Dutse. Oniyelu, who represented the foundation’s General Manager, Oludare Odusanya, said the beneficiaries were selected from rural communities and trained in Noiler production. He said…
Mr Ganiyu Oseni, Special Adviser on Technology, Broadband and Innovation to the Lagos State Governor, has urged Nigeria to lead Africa in digital finance, tokenised assets and cross-border financial settlement. Oseni gave the charge at the close of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) Nigeria, a three-day digital finance summit held in Lagos on Thursday. He said Nigeria must move beyond being a market that simply adopts technologies developed elsewhere and instead develop home-grown solutions capable of positioning the country as a leader in Africa’s digital financial ecosystem. According to him, Nigeria has the talent, technology ecosystem and market size…
Prof. Palokinam Pitche, Director-General of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), has visited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) in Abuja. The visit, disclosed on Thursday in a statement, focused on strengthening strategic collaboration and coordination between WAHO leadership and the RCSDC to improve health security and preparedness across the ECOWAS region. During the working session, Pitche reviewed the RCSDC’s activities, including recent achievements, operational challenges and prospects for strengthening disease surveillance and response, while discussing priorities for effective regional health security. “The discussions provided an opportunity to identify areas…
President Bola Tinubu has extended warm congratulations to former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. In a tribute to commemorate the milestone in Abuja, Tinubu described Mustapha as “an exceptional leader, bridge-builder, and a pillar of the nation’s public service”. Tinubu commended Mustapha on his seven decades of life, noting that the former SGF’s career has been consistently defined by humility, diligence, and an unwavering commitment to the progress of Nigeria. Reflecting on Mustapha’s tenure as SGF from 2017 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu praised his…
Zoho Corporation says it has upgraded its Catalyst cloud platform with new AI-powered tools to help developers turn computer-generated code into working applications more easily. The Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Ogundare, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos. Ogundare said the new tools would simplify the process of building, testing and launching applications, while reducing the time and effort developers spend managing technology. He noted that AI coding tools had made it faster to create applications, but getting those applications ready for real-world use remained challenging. According to him, Catalyst is designed to reduce such…
The naira strengthened further in the official foreign exchange market on Wednesday, reaching N1,326.69 per dollar, its strongest level in two years, amid improved dollar liquidity and stronger external reserves. The latest appreciation came as Nigeria’s foreign exchange market recorded increased activity, with market turnover rising to $14.68 billion in August, the highest monthly level in five months. Data from the Financial Markets Dealers Association (FMDA) showed that the naira gained 1.5 percent against the dollar during the month, reflecting improved liquidity in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM). Nigeria’s external reserves also rose to $53.51 billion in August, the…