The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has announced that the Federal Government is set to evacuate Nigerians who wish to return home from South Africa. The Minister disclosed this in a statement on her verified Facebook page on Thursday, following a telephone conversation with her South African counterpart, Ronald Lamola. According to her, Lamola expressed concern over the Nigerian government’s evacuation plan amid rising xenophobic attacks and anti-foreigner protests in South Africa, including a recent incident in Durban on May 6. Odumegwu-Ojukwu said she made it clear that Nigeria would not stand by and watch the systematic harassment,…
Author: Newsdesk
The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 12-member committee to recover over ₦1.8 billion illegally deducted from civil servants’ salaries by private loan vendors. Inaugurating the committee in his office, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Faruq-Ibrahim, said the panel is tasked with investigating the deductions and ensuring the funds are refunded to the affected workers. Faruq-Ibrahim explained that the monies were deducted by a private loan vendor from workers who obtained soft loans. He noted that an independent audit report revealed arbitrary and illegal deductions from the workers’ salaries. “In February 2025, the government received complaints of…
Troops of the Joint Task Force-Operation Enduring Peace (JTF-OPEP) have arrested five suspected illegal arms fabricators and recovered a cache of weapons during a raid in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. This was contained in an operational report by the Nigerian Army, made available to reporters in Abuja on Friday. The report said the operation was conducted on Thursday at about 15:00 hours at Vom community, based on credible human intelligence (HUMINT) about illegal arms manufacturing in the area. Troops carried out a well-coordinated raid on two fabrication sites, where the suspects were caught in the act…
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Abdu Maikaba and Eboboritse Uwejamomere as head coaches of the U20 and U17 boys’ national football teams respectively. A statement by Ademola Olajire, the NFF’s Director of Communications, said the NFF Executive Committee approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee for the appointments. Maikaba, who previously coached the Golden Eaglets and served as assistant coach of the Flying Eagles under Paul Aigbogun, has also managed top clubs including Enyimba, Wikki Tourists, Kano Pillars and Plateau United. He guided Akwa United to victory in the 2017 Federation Cup. READ ALSO: Carter Efe…
India has pledged support for Nigeria’s efforts to revive its cotton, textile and garment industry through technology transfer, investment partnerships, skills development and value chain integration. Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, made the announcement on Thursday in Abuja at a Textile Meet and Business-to-Business (B2B) engagement themed “Reviving the Textile Industry in Nigeria,” organised by the Indian High Commission. Singh said Nigeria and India share a long-standing economic partnership built on complementary strengths, noting that Nigeria’s large population and growing demand for textiles make it a strategic partner for India. He stated that India is currently the world’s…
At least four male passengers died in a lone commercial bus crash at Nunya on the Abia end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway on Thursday. The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Abia, Mrs. Ngozi Ezeoma, confirmed the accident to reporters in Umuahia. Ezeoma said the crash occurred at about 2:10 p.m. and involved a white Nissan Caravan bus. She said preliminary investigation revealed that a tyre burst caused the accident. READ ALSO: Faith leaders call for just energy transition in Nigeria According to her, 17 male adults were involved in the crash. Four died, 12…
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), in collaboration with regional partners, has inaugurated a Lassa fever simulation exercise in Cotonou, Benin, to strengthen disease surveillance and emergency response coordination across West Africa. The five-day exercise (May 4–8) is being organised with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control, the International Association of National Public Health Institutes, and Integrated Laboratory Services. Surveillance and laboratory officers from Benin, Mali, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso are participating in sessions focused on laboratory systems, infection prevention, risk communication, community engagement,…
The Nigerian stock market closed on a negative note on Thursday as investors lost ₦1.92 trillion following sell-offs in banking and cement stocks This decline was triggered by reactions to new regulatory guidelines issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on foreign subsidiaries of banks. Market capitalisation fell from ₦155.780 trillion to ₦153.858 trillion, representing a 1.23 per cent or ₦1.922 trillion decline. The All-Share Index (ASI) also dropped by 1.23 per cent or 2,994.90 points to close at 239,734.61, down from 242,729.51. The Year-to-Date (YTD) return moderated to 54.82 per cent. Investment banker and stockbroker, Mr Tajudeen Olayinka,…
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Thursday warned that weak penalties under Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) policy are weakening efforts to protect telecom assets. The President of ATCON, Mr Tony Emoekpere, made this known during an interview with reporters in Lagos while calling for urgent legal reforms to strengthen enforcement. Emoekpere said that although offenders are being apprehended and prosecuted, the current framework is failing to serve as a deterrent. He noted that Nigeria’s Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order 2024, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, provides the main legal…
Hemingway’s Safaris Africa and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) have hosted a five-day robotics bootcamp to equip young Africans with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics skills. The initiative aims to enable participants to solve real-world challenges in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Head of Member Experience at Hemingway’s Safaris Africa, Ms Eucharia Egbuaba, said in a communique on Thursday in Lagos that the bootcamp targeted young Africans aged 12 to 15. Egbuaba explained that the programme was designed to equip participants with AI and robotics skills to tackle real-world problems. She noted…