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In a dialogue with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais des Élysée on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritising education for Nigerian children. He outlined plans to significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children through innovative return-to-class initiatives and skills development programmes. President Tinubu, in a statement by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to create a supportive framework that ensures school-age children re-enter classrooms, emphasising the role of motivation and skill acquisition in the initiative. “In order to bridge the gap for some who are of age, and have been out-of-school…

The chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra, has revealed that Nigeria’s long-awaited population and housing census will take place in 2025. The disclosure came nearly two decades after the last census was conducted in 2006, despite international recommendations for decennial population counts. Kwarra disclosed this during the 2024 anniversary of the Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Abuja on Thursday. “A major setback that we face is the delay in conducting a Population and Housing Census. A reliable and accurate census is fundamental for good decision-making,” he said. “But the…

Navy operatives of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Ibaka in Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State have busted a drug syndicate and arrested three suspected traffickers with large consignments of assorted contraband drugs and industrial chemicals. Performing the handing over ceremony at the Base, the Commanding Officer (CO), Capt. Uche Aneke recalled that naval gunboats intercepted a wooden boat during a stop-and-search operation while on routine patrol around the Bendero and Uta Uyata general area. Capt. Aneke explained that the seized boat ferrying the illicit items was coming from neighbouring Cameroon to Akwa Ibom when it was…

The House of Representatives has mandated its relevant committees to invite the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all Commercial Banks and other Financial Institutions utilising Point of Sale (PoS) terminals, to appear before them an find measures to address the challenges posed by the undocumented identities of the PoS operators. The resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. John Okafor from Imo State at plenary on Wednesday. Presenting the motion, Okafor said the increasing challenges posed by the undocumented identities of PoS operators and fund…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Mr. Gimba Kumo Ya’u and two others over an alleged diversion of $65 million meant for the development of 962 units of residential housing units in Kubwa District, Abuja. ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare said in a statement that Mr. Ya’u was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja alongside the former Executive Director of the bank, Mr. Bola Ogunsola and the Managing Director of T-Brend Fortunes Nigeria Limited,…

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, on Wednesday, ordered the remand of the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until December 10. The court will rule on his application for bail on that date. Justice Maryann Anenih gave the order after Bello and his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge filed against them by the EFCC. The charges include conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of unlawfully obtained property linked to an alleged N110 billion fraud.…

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has called on state governments to urgently implement consequential adjustments to the newly signed national minimum wage. TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, made the demand during a press briefing in Abuja after the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Labour Center on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists, Osifo emphasised the need for state governments to go beyond announcing minimum wage figures and engage in meaningful dialogue with organised labour to ensure the proper implementation of consequential adjustments. The labour leader criticised states like Cross River and Zamfara for failing to prioritise workers’ welfare,…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has explained that it is the old Port Harcourt Refinery, having 60,000 barrels per day capacity that has been revived and not the entire refinery. Recall that the Port Harcourt Refinery complex comprises two operational units established in 1965 and 1989, respectively, and with a combined installed capacity of 210,000 barrels per day. The older plant, which has a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, has now been revived and is currently operating at 70 per cent capacity, producing significant volumes of petroleum products daily. The newer plant with 150,000 barrels per day…

Adamawa State Police Command has arrested two persons in connection to the gruesome murder of a police officer identified as Ibrahim Maizabuwa. The suspects nabbed include Ezekiel Kefas, 67, and Stephen Zabadi, 44, who hail from Wamsa Suwa Ward in Lamurde local government area of the State. The spokesman of the Police Command, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, who confirmed the arrest, said that the suspects were apprehended on November 19, 2024. He said the son of the deceased, Danlami Ibrahim Maizabuwa, who hails from Gombe State, reported the matter to the Adamawa State Police Command. “Our investigation reveals that the…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of Mr. Martins Ugwu, who impersonated and used the certificate of his ‘best friend’ to secure a job at the Federal Ministry of Health. ICPC had in February 2016, filed a 7-count charge before Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi, against Ugwu, for making false statement to the chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), through which he secured employment into the Federal Ministry of Health, in 2006. The Commission said the offence contravened Section 25 (1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act, 2000…