Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

The Senate will make a donation of N100 million to Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, following their historic victory at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat, Morocco. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the donation during plenary on Tuesday while presiding over a motion moved by Senator Abdul Ningi (ADC-Bauchi Central) on the need to congratulate the team for its achievement. Moving the motion, Ningi described the victory as historic, noting that the young players had achieved what several other Nigerian national teams had struggled to accomplish. He said the team’s triumph was particularly remarkable…

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has been selected among 13 international football stars for the second edition of FIFA’s Player Impact Programme, an initiative designed to empower footballers to use their influence to drive positive social change in their communities. Ajibade is among the first 11 players who gathered in Boston, Massachusetts, in June for a three-day Impact Accelerator Workshop aimed at equipping participants with the knowledge, resources and skills to develop sustainable social impact projects. The programme, which builds on a female-only pilot launched in 2025, has expanded to include its first male participant, former India international Sunil Chhetri,…

Ahead of Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounter against Super Eagles, the first batch of 22 players and officials of Tanzania’s national team, the Taifa Stars, arrived in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Tuesday. The delegation touched down at the Victor Attah International Airport at about 8.10am, with the second batch expected to arrive on Wednesday, according to an official of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association. The official said the visiting delegation was received and transported to its hotel, where members checked in, had breakfast and rested ahead of their scheduled training session. “The first batch of…

File photo: Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has said the much-awaited economic turnaround of Ibadan is only a matter of time. A statement issued by his media aide, Chief Adeola Oloko, in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday, said the monarch made this known after signing the Olubadan Economic and Investment Committee blueprint at the Olubadan Palace, Oke-Aremo, in Ibadan North Local Government Area of the state, on Monday. Ladoja constituted the committee on October 23, 2025 with a mandate to lay a solid economic foundation for the future of the ancient city.…

File photo: Prince Shuaibu Audu * Govt to address the problem associated with scrap metal collection and trading without undermining the livelihoods of thousands of Nigerians who depend on the industry. The Federal Government has moved to tighten regulations in Nigeria’s scrap metal industry, targeting the illegal trade in stolen metals and the vandalism of critical infrastructure, including electricity cables, railway components and manhole covers. The government said it was developing a regulatory framework that would compel operators to obtain appropriate licences, verify the sources of scrap materials and maintain transaction records to prevent stolen metals from entering the recycling…

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal The security situation along the Funtua–Gusau highway has witnessed a notable improvement, with strong security personnel presence and intensified patrols along strategic sections of the road, a development that has attracted commendation for Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, over his administration’s sustained commitment to tackling insecurity. The major transportation corridor linking Katsina and Zamfara states has been fortified with armed security operatives deployed at critical locations to safeguard commuters, motorists and other road users against criminal attacks. A journey along the strategic highway reveals the visible presence of security personnel at major settlements and vulnerable…

Minna State Governor, Mohammed Bago, sings during the eighth edition of SHOUT, an annual Christian gospel music concert organised by House On The Rock Minna, at the Trade Fair Complex in Minna, Niger State. Photo: House On The Rock Minna/Facebook The governor sang three songs, including “I’m a New Creation,” “May the Spirit of the Lord Come Down,” and the hymn “Hold the Fort.” The Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has drawn attention after joining worshippers on stage to sing Christian gospel songs at an annual concert in Minna, including one with the refrain, “I’m a new creation, I’m born…

* Introducing specialised leadership programmes for serving, incoming and outgoing governors and their deputies. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has approved a 10-year plan, spanning 2026 to 2036, to establish a leadership academy as a flagship directorate within its secretariat, offering training, research and advisory services to improve governance and policy delivery across the 36 states. NGF, in a statement on Monday, signed by its Director-General, Abdullateef Shittu, explained that the initiative was designed to provide executive capacity development, applied research, governance advisory services, digital innovation and peer-learning opportunities for state-level political and administrative leaders. It stated, “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum…

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr. Photo: NELFUND The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has ruled out publishing the names of students benefiting from its loan scheme, citing data protection concerns and the need to protect beneficiaries from embarrassment and possible targeting. The Director-General of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the fund would only disclose the institutions that received payments and the number of beneficiaries, insisting that the identities of individual students would remain confidential. Since the launch of the student loan portal on May 24, 2024, NELFUND has disbursed a total of N375.28bn as of Monday, November…

L-R: Country Director of the British Council in Nigeria, Donna McGowan, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, Obi Asika, with Nigeria and UK delegates at CANEX… Credit: British High Commission Jonny Baxter said the UK was interested in developing sustainable partnerships with Nigeria’s creative sector. The United Kingdom and Nigeria are working to strengthen partnerships in their creative industries, following engagements involving 17 British professionals and Nigerian stakeholders to explore investment, business opportunities and access to global markets. The initiative is part of preparations for the 2028 UK-Nigeria Season of Culture. The Communications Lead for Growth, Trade and…