Author: Anule Emmanuel

Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, on Friday received an award from the State House Press Corps for his investments supporting reforms in Nigeria’s oil-and‑gas sector, a recognition that comes as the government presses ahead with changes to the industry. The award was part of events marking the inaugural 2026 presidential press corps dinner on July 2, an evening attended by President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Dr. Anule Emmanuel, chairman of the SHPC, and members of the corps presented the plaque at the presidential villa. Dangote was unable to attend the dinner as his handlers…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate  of Nasarawa State, Ahmed Wadada has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic programmes, calling detractors “enemies” of Nigeria. Wadada who spoke to State House Correspondents after meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said and the administration’s policy shifts are already producing tangible gains and impacting millions of lives. Wadada described his visit as a bid to align his campaign with the President’s economic vision and to explore ways to contribute to national development. “My mission to the Villa, as always, is to see how best we will all contribute our quota to…

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, has urged Saudi Arabia to help fold Almajiri and other out-of-school children into formal education, saying a blend of religious and Western-style schooling would protect the nation’s future. Mrs. Tinubu made the appeal while receiving Saudi Ambassador Yousef Al‑Balawi at the State House in Abuja. A statement from her media aide, Busola Kukoyi quoted the First Lady as saying that the country’s vulnerable children—particularly those in the northern Almajiri system—“deserve to be educated” and warned that neglect could deepen Nigeria’s insecurity challenges. “I work with the women and vulnerable children in the society; my heart goes…

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has approved nearly $500 million in support for vaccines and primary health care in Nigeria over the 2026–2030 period. The decision followed a meeting on Friday between the Coordinating Minister of Health Muhammad Ali Pate and Gavi Chief Executive Dr. Sania Nishtar in Abuja. The support is expected to bolster routine immunization and strengthen the country’s primary‑care system. The funding, authorized under Gavi’s new 6.0 programme, will help Nigeria sustain gains from polio eradication efforts, expand human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and shore up long‑term vaccine financing, officials said after a meeting between Coordinating Minister of Health…

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday said that his administration refused to pay ransom to the armed militants who abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State, describing the hard line as central to the operatives’ safe recovery and to broader shifts in the nation’s security posture. Speaking at a the Presidential Villa, Abuja in a meeting with traditional rulers from Oyo, led by the Olubadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, President Tinubu outlined the government’s response to the mass abduction in Oriire Local Government Area in mid‑May and the subsequent rescue on July 10. The pupils and teachers—about 44 people taken in simultaneous…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike on  Thursday said that the long-stalled Abuja Millennium Tower project remains unfinished because its price tag, estimated at more than ₦400 billion exceeds what the administration  can fund from its statutory budget. Wike has extended a request to President Bola Tinubu to reclassify the project as a national asset, requiring federal funding. Deputy Director of Press in the  Minister’s office Rabi Musa in a statement said Wike diclosed this after inspecting a string of road and infrastructure projects across Abuja. He said the tower, conceived as an iconic tourist and national…

President Bola Tinubu has dissolved the Presidential Implementation Committee on the  management on the sale and privatisation and leasing of federal lands, shifting oversight of such activities to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. The decision, announced Wednesday, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President Bayo Onanuga in a statement on Thursday said the President has transferred the  responsibility for coordinating matters related to the committee’s work to the Minister of Justice. The statement said the President’s decision is effective immediately, The committee was created in 2000 under President Olusegun Obasanjo to implement the government’s…

Nigeria and Canada have advanced discussions on establishing direct air service between the two countries. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said the Federal Government remains committed to expanding bilateral aviation links even as Ottawa pressed for clearer immigration procedures. Minister Keyamo met with David Sproule, chargé d’affaires at the Canadian High Commission, and a Canadian delegation that included the Deputy High Commissioner and the trade commissioner. The talks, held at the Ministry in Abuja, centered on an Air Services Agreement intended to allow non‑stop flights between Nigeria and Canada. According to a statement by the Minister’s Media…

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has urged women to support one another’s ambitions, saying collective backing will accelerate efforts to break glass ceilings and increase female representation in leadership positions. According to a statement signed by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady’s spokesperson said Mrs Tinubu made the remarks on Tuesday when she received Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, the President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), at the Presidential Villa. Abuja. “This victory means a lot for women in general,” the First Lady said. “You should set the bar and make room for other women coming behind you. In the judiciary…

President Bola Tinubu has condemned an attack that killed about 30 people early Monday in Naridon Village, Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The President called the assault a “barbaric and cowardly” act against civilians. The incident, which reports indicate included the burning of homes and the killing of women and children, prompted President Tinubu to pledge an intensified security response. In a statement issued Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the President said he had directed the Armed Forces, the police and intelligence services to step up operations in the affected…