Local and regional news updates, covering events, stories, and developments in metropolitan areas.
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, has unveiled a robust social security agenda for 2024, aiming to tap into the International Labour Organization, ILO’s Convention 102 old age benefits, unemployment and family benefits, among others. The fund also plans to create new branches and service centres in 2024 to expand social services to the…
President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Moscow will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine after an unprecedented attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod. The attack killed 24 people and left over 100 wounded in Belgorod on Saturday. It came after Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities. “We’re going…
President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the 2024 Appropriation Bill of N28.78 trillion. President Tinubu, who arrived his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, from the airport at exactly 2pm, headed straight for the brief budget signing ceremony, surrounded by senior government officials. Among those present at the budget signing were the President of…
Following a challenging 2023, the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged elected leaders in Nigeria to tackle the year 2024 with resolve and without excuses. In a New Year message signed by its newly elected National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, the Council reflected on the resilience of Nigerians amidst a year marred by political upheaval,…
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said democracy must be progressive and inclusive with a primary focus on addressing poverty through the provision of job opportunities for youths and quality education for all Nigerian children. Receiving members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), on Thursday, in Lagos, President Tinubu expressed…
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has paid a condolence visit to the family of his late predecessor Rotimi Akeredolu in Ibadan Oyo State. Aiyedatiwa led some members of the State Executive Council and Ondo State House of Assembly members to commiserate with the Akeredolu family at his Jericho residence. Recall that Aiyedatiwa, who was…
Gov Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti has signed into law the N159,572,481,915.51 2024 appropriation bill with an assurance that his administration would fully implement the budget for the prosperity of the people. The 2024 Appropriation, Christened “Budget of Sustainable Growth and Development” was presented to the governor by the speaker of the State House of Assembly,…
— Works Commissioner, Special Adviser, others resign —- More appointees to resign — Why they resigned — Govt source —- We’re loyal even in death —- Don’t want to be victimized — source. —- Mimiko, former Speakers , Ondo Obas, Pensioners, others mourn Akeredolu Former political aides to the late governor of Ondo state, Rotimi…
President Bola Tinubu has declared to governors that the federal and state governments have the joint responsibility to ensure peace and stability of Nigeria. Tinubu stated this at a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) at his Lagos residence on Tuesday. The President said, “Nigeria needs peace and stability to move forward. Nigeria belongs…
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State is dead after battling illness for long. In view of reports received, Akeredolu died in Lagos on Wednesday. The Sunshine State governor died at the age of 67. The source explained that Governor Akeredolu’s condition had deteriorated to the point where he needed a dialysis machine to help him….
In a tragic turn of events, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has passed away. Na’Abba, the second Speaker of the House of Representatives in the current 4th Republic, died early Wednesday morning. Details of his death were not immediately available. Na’Abba was elected to the House of…
Israel bombed Gaza on Tuesday after its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed there won’t be peace until its Hamas rulers are destroyed and Palestinian society is “deradicalised”. The army said it had struck more than 100 targets in 24 hours, including military sites and tunnel shafts in central Jabalia and Khan Yunis in the south,…
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, from the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, has urged Nigerians to renew their commitment to self-examination and repentance for the nation to experience significant transformations. He advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to anchor his Renewed Hope agenda on a sturdy foundation of faith and hope, aiming for the restoration of Nigeria’s former…
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, has called on all Nigerians to have love for and confidence in Nigeria and fight together for its peace and progress. Musa made the appeal on Monday when he visited ailing personnel at the Defence Headquarters Hospital, Abuja, to mark Christmas and his birthday. He urged…
In a shocking turn of events, a popular actor, Azeez Ijaduade, has been reportedly shot by police in the Iperu area of Ogun State. According to sources, the actor was shot at the Iperu market in the presence of his friends. The cause of the shooting is not yet clear, but local residents are said…
In 2023, Nigeria emerged as the leading consumer of local food in the African market, marking a significant surge in local food orders, with a staggering 25-fold increase, as revealed in a survey conducted by Glovo. Mrs. Lamide Akinola, the General Manager of Glovo Nigeria, disclosed these findings in the company’s annual report released on…
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake has assured young people of not allowing their talents die but supported and tapped for national development. Alake gave the assurance during the commissioning of Amal Technologies Limited Factory at Idu Industrial Estate, Abuja, as contained in a statement signed by the Head, Press and Public…
The Israel-Hamas war is pushing Gaza towards famine, the United Nations warned ahead of an expected Security Council vote Friday on a resolution to boost aid to the Palestinian territory but not call for a ceasefire. Separate diplomatic efforts were also underway for a fresh pause in the worst-ever Gaza war, which was triggered by…
A 30-year-old man, Mr. Ismaheel Olakanye, has been reported missing by the Ekiti State Police Command. The Ekiti State Police Command has announced that Ismaheel Olakanye, a resident of Ado-Ekiti, has been missing since August 18. The police spokesperson, DSP Sunday Abutu, released a statement on Thursday, stating that Olakanye left home at 8 am…
The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has raised an alarm that the N35,000 wage award given to workers by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the economic crisis caused by the fuel subsidy removal has been stopped. The workers, on Thursday, alleged that the Federal Government paid only one month out of the six…
Vice president Kashim Shettima has challenged graduates to embrace their potential and contribute to building a brighter future for Nigeria instead of jolting out of the country in search of greener pastures. He gave the charge when the chief of staff to the president and former speaker of the House Of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila,…
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Tuesday night, killed two villagers in Chibok local government area of Borno State. The attack which reportedly took place at 7pm was said to have sent terrible fear through the headquarters of Chibok local government thus prompting villagers to flee into nearby bushes for safety. Sources in the community said…
The Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, says it recorded zero jailbreak and attacks in all the 253 custodial centres across the country in 2023. The spokesman, Assistant Controller of Corrections (ACC) Abubakar Umar, made this disclosure in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. Umar said the government had taken comprehensive measures to strengthen the…
A new report by the Ford Foundation and TechnoServe Explores has shown that although Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal are signatories to several international conventions against Gender-based violence, GBV, and have developed a legal framework that punishes offenders, there is still a low level of confidence in the protection offered by the law. The report which…
Telecom providers in Nigeria have received a fresh instruction from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to block phone lines that are not linked with National Identity Numbers (NINs) by February 28, 2024. This most recent order was issued in response to the NCC’s order from April 4, 2022, which mandated that operators limit outgoing calls…
In Rivers State, an unfortunate incident occurred in which a police officer accidentally killed his colleague while responding to a complaint. Inspector Nelson Abuante and Inspector Monday Gbaramana, two colleagues, had been dispatched to the Taabaa Division of the Rivers State Police Command to investigate a complaint. As they went about their work, an unfortunate…
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has confirmed that the police have taken into custody a lawyer named Ekere Ebong, who was seen in a viral video assaulting his wife. This information was given by the minister at a press briefing in Abuja following the weekend incident in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state. Mrs Kennedy-Ohanenye stated…
Unlike other states of the federation where the N2bn palliative fund as well as food items received from the federal government were already disbursed to citizens to cushion the effects of subsidy removal, residents in Bayelsa have waited endlessly for the prosperity government of Senator Douye Diri to roll out plans for distribution, to get…
The World Bank says only 1.5 million of the 15 million targeted helpless Nigerian households have received the Federal Government’s N25,000 conditional cash transfer. World Bank’s Lead Economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, disclosed this during his presentation of the Nigeria Development Update, December 2023 edition, last week in Abuja. According to the figure, only 0.1…
There are no festive lights strung overhead and no sign of the huge tree normally erected to celebrate the event that Christians believe took place on this spot 2,000 years ago: the birth of Jesus Christ. Outside Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian West Bank, the throngs of tourists and pilgrims who normally…
The Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, has revealed that ailing Nollywood actor, John Okafor, aka Mr Ibu, has undergone another leg amputation and is barely able to talk while calling for prayers and support for the veteran. The AGN National President, Dr Emeka Rollas, disclosed this in a chat with newsmen. He said the association…
