Author: Our Reporter

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume will lead a five-persons strong delegation dispatched by President Bola Tinubu to represent Nigeria at the funeral of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the US civil rights leader and former presidential candidate who died at aged 84. Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President Bayo Onanuga announced this in a statement on Wednesday. Jackson, a longtime advocate for African causes, passed away in Chicago on 17 February. NewsQuest reports that the funeral rites of the late civil rights advocate began last week with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH…

Deep fissures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State erupted into open schism on Tuesday, as rival factions loyal to Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume staged competing state congresses. Each of the rival factions has installed parallel executives. Thousands of party loyalists rallied at Eunice Resort along Ankpa Road in Makurdi for the Akume-aligned faction, endorsing the return of Austin Agada’s state working committee in a non-elective congress. The event drew heavyweight APC figures including Second Republic senator Jack Gyado, former health Minister Professor Iyorwuese Hagher, and…

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has named new leaders to guide Veritas University  after the end of the previous officers’ terms. Archbishop Matthew Man’oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, recently elected as CBCN president, becomes the University’s new visitor. A statement by the Head, Corporate Affairs of the institution Mr. Ben Agande said, he succeeds Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, who completed a four-year stint as CBCN president Bishop Augustine Echema of Aba Diocese takes over as pro-chancellor and council chairman from Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, also after four years in the post. According to Agande, both appointees…

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has instructed elite troops of the 4 Special Forces Command to decisively defeat terrorists and insurgents across the country. Speaking during his first operational visit to the 4 Special Forces Command in Doma, Nasarawa State, on Tuesday, General Shaibu said the units were leading a campaign to dismantle criminal networks threatening national security. Addressing personnel at the command and the Nigerian Army Special Forces School, he stressed the need for precision, intelligence-led strikes and proactive tactics to dominate the battlefield. “The era of reactive engagements is over,” he warned, adding…

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a pioneering project in Kaduna State to slash post-harvest losses for tomato farmers, replacing rudimentary ground-drying with efficient solar-powered slab dryers. David Tsokar Communication specialist of the FAO in a statement said the “Smart Tomato Value Chain Enhancement” initiative, with £1m-plus technical cooperation  – backed by the Kaduna state government – distributed solar water pumps, fertilisers, improved seeds and tools to 180 farmers across six local government areas, including Ikara, Makarfi and Giwa, was unveiled on 5 February. It is being implemented under the FAO Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) through…

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has unveiled a bold three-year rescue plan in what it said is to urgently arrest a deepening food crisis that could engulf 34.7 million Nigerians in acute hunger by mid-2026—including over 5.4 million malnourished children. FAO launched in Abuja from 11-16 February, the Emergency and Resilience Plan (ERP) 2026-2028 demands $347m (£270m) to aid 12.6 million people across the nation’s ‘battered’ north-east, north-west and north-central regions. According to David Tsokar Communication specialist of the FAO hardest hit are States such as Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Kaduna and Plateau, and Benue where conflict,…

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele, the head of the presidential committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms, as Minister of state for finance. Oyedele replaces Dr Doris Anite-Uzoka, who shifts to her role to Minister of state Budget and National Planning. Dr. Angie-Uzoka is occupying her third position in President Tinubu’s administration since it’s inauguration in 2023. Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President Bayo Onanuga in a statement said President Tinubu in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, requested confirmation of the 50-year-old Economisr and Accountant’s nomination. Oyedele, from Ikaram in Ondo State, previously…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Nigeria’s gleaming new bet on self-sufficiency in fuel, has jacked up its ex-depot price for petrol by 100 naira ($0.06), from 774 to 874 naira per litre. Our correspondent confirmed that the increase reflects the fresh turmoil in global crude markets triggered by escalating conflict between America, Israel and Iran. Filling stations in Abuja have wasted no time in adjusting their pumps, now charging 960 naira per litre by Tuesday morning, up from 880 and 875 the day before. NewsQuest reports that vendors blamed the refinery’s midnight suspension of loading operations on March 2nd, after Brent crude…

The Federal Government has begun enforcing Executive Order 9 of 2026, requiring the direct transfer of oil revenues into the account managed by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, detailing key resolutions reached at the meeting. This followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive on remittances to FAAC and the inaugural meeting of the implementation committee for the executive order. NewsQuest reports that the move aims to streamline revenue distribution among federal, state, and local governments, bypassing previous intermediaries in the oil sector…

President Bola Tinubu presided over a meeting of the Police Council on Monday that formally endorsed the appointment of Olatunji Disu as acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), subject to confirmation by the Senate. The endorsement paves the way for President Tinubu to transmit Disu’s nomination to the senate for final confirmation, in line with constitutional requirements and the Police Act 2020. The council, which includes Governors of the 36 States and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) convened in a closed-door session at the Presidential Villa, Abuja following the resignation of the previous IGP, Kayode Egbetokun. Among…