Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Nigeria will need an estimated $23 billion to bridge electricity gaps in underserved and unserved communities nationwide, a revelation that underscores both the scale of the country’s energy deficit and the urgency of accelerating its clean energy transition. The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, disclosed the figure in Abuja during the switch-on ceremony of Phase 1 of the Greening of the UN House solar project. Aliyu said a comprehensive nationwide mapping exercise by the agency identified approximately 143,000 communities at varying levels of electricity access. While some are fully electrified, many remain underserved, and a…

Donald Trump photo The United States President, Donald Trump, has said he must be involved in choosing of Iran’s next leader following the death of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Axios on Thursday, dismissing the possibility of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeding his father. “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela,” he said. The US president was referring to Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power in Venezuela after US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro earlier…

… notes trade and innovation would play a key role. The ECOWAS Parliament has called for stronger participation in regional trade across West Africa, urging businesses and citizens to take greater advantage of existing integration frameworks aimed at boosting cross-border commerce and economic cooperation. The call was made in Abuja on Thursday during a press briefing to announce private sector activities marking the Parliament’s 25th anniversary. Speaking at the event, the Director of Parliamentary Affairs and Research at the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr Kabeer Garba, who represented the Speaker, Mémounatou Ibrahima, said regional trade and innovation must translate into improved welfare…

President Bola Tinubu. Credit: State House President Bola Tinubu has elevated Ibrahim Masari from Senior Special Assistant to Special Adviser on Political Affairs. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the elevation in a statement on Thursday. “As a special adviser, Masari will work alongside Alhaji Yau Darazo, whom Tinubu appointed in July 2023,” Onanuga revealed. Masari, a close ally of the President, was first appointed as Senior Special Assistant in 2023 for the same role. The Katsina-born politician previously served as the All Progressives Congress welfare secretary during the tenure of Senator Adams…

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. File photo The Federal Government has announced that it now has the capacity to identify and apprehend foreigners who overstay their visas in the country. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said this on Thursday in Abuja during the 2026 Sectoral Performance Review Retreat of the Federal Ministry of Interior. Tunji-Ojo said the government now possesses comprehensive data that enables authorities to track individuals who have entered the country over the past decade and determine those who have failed to comply with their visa conditions. According to him, the development followed the establishment of…

Elegbede Abiodun Amstel Malta has presented Nigerian football icon, Asisat Oshoala, as its new Brand Ambassador. The declaration comes in March, a month globally recognised for celebrating women. The timing underscores Amstel Malta’s commitment to recognising excellence not only in sport, but in everyday life, aligning perfectly with its brand’s message: Be Your Best. Widely regarded as “Agba Baller” and Africa’s most decorated female footballer, Oshoala represents a standard of performance built on preparation and consistency. A six-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year and a UEFA Women’s Champions League winner, her journey from Lagos, Nigeria, to the pinnacle of…

Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) The Federal Government has said that the recruitment for Batch B beneficiaries of the Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) will commence nationwide on Monday, March 9, 2026. This was according to a statement issued on Thursday by the Coordinator-General of the programme, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, informing eligible Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 50 to participate in the exercise. In the statement, the recruitment will be conducted across the country except in Kano State, where the process will be overseen by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf through a newly established Kano…

Manny Ita  – A growing rave scene in Lagos is reshaping nightlife for many young Nigerians who say the city’s traditional club culture has become too expensive and exclusive. On a recent Friday night, thousands of mostly young people gathered inside a large auditorium in the upscale Lekki district of Lagos for “Group Therapy,” a rave event that offers an alternative to the city’s table-driven nightclub culture. The venue was largely dark, illuminated only by flashing green strobe lights as revelers danced closely together on a crowded floor. Participants said the event offers a different party experience in Nigeria’s commercial…

Manny Ita  – Developers of the Enyimba Economic City project have said an arbitration tribunal declared the Abia State Government’s threatened withdrawal of the project’s Certificate of Occupancy and the attempted seizure of 929.87 hectares of land unlawful. In a statement, the developers said both the majority and dissenting rulings of the tribunal rejected the government’s move to take over the land allocated to the project. “Of both the Majority and Dissenting Ruling are CAPITAL NO. Therefore, the threatened withdrawal of the Certificate of Occupancy of Enyimba Economic City by Abia State Government and attempted seizure of 929.87 hectares of…

Manny Ita  – Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced a “historic settlement” to resolve the long-running dispute over Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245, one of Nigeria’s most valuable deepwater oil blocks, potentially unlocking an additional 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The presidency said the agreement clears the way for the development of the Zabazaba–Etan project, a major offshore field expected to strengthen Nigeria’s oil production and attract new investment into the sector. OPL 245, located in the Niger Delta, is estimated to contain about nine billion barrels of crude oil but has remained largely undeveloped for nearly three decades…