Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Customs beats target by N106b, records N1.75tr revenue in Q1 2025  Bashir Adewale Adeniyi * Says increase was due to reforms. * Cites challenge of FCSO suspension The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday, reported a significant surge in revenue generation for the first quarter of 2025, generating N1,751,502,252,298.05. It noted the seizure of several illicit consignments, including arms, contraband goods and narcotics through enhanced surveillance and intelligence-driven operations. The Comptroller-General (CG) of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a briefing in Abuja, where he gave a detailed breakdown of the agency’s performance in revenue collection, anti-smuggling efforts, and trade facilitation…

Pope Francis’ funeral takes place Saturday, world leaders prepare to attend Pope Francis (Photo by Andreas SOLARO/AFP) Pope Francis’ funeral takes place Saturday, world leaders prepare to attend Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders including US President Donald Trump to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader. The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia. His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10:00 am…

ECOWAS decides to meet in Ghana over Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso ECOWAS headquarters … decisions about to be made. The Economic Community of West African States member states will meet in Ghana on Tuesday to discuss the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The meeting will take place over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the bloc said member states will discuss the modalities of the countries’ withdrawal and its implications for ECOWAS agencies in the countries. The bloc also said it would “set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with…

Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traore thwarts coup plot Captain Ibrahim Traore * Claimed both active and retired soldiers involvement. Burkina Faso’s military-led government has announced that it successfully foiled what it described as a “major coup plot” targeting junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, according to a report by the BBC on Tuesday. Burkina Faso’s Security Minister, Mahamadou Sana, disclosed in a televised address on Monday that both active and retired soldiers, allegedly working in coordination with terrorist groups, had conspired to storm the presidential palace. The group, reportedly planned to execute the attack last week. Sana claimed that the objective was…

Nigeria’s economic growth fallen short of expectation – IMF International Monetary Fund Nigeria’s economic growth fallen short of expectation – IMF * Account balance to drop from GDP 9.1 per cent to 5.2 in coming year The International Monetary Fund has revised Nigeria’s 2025 economic growth forecast downward by 0.2 percentage points, citing lower oil prices as a key reason for the adjustment. In its latest April 2025 World Economic Outlook report published on its website on Tuesday, the IMF said Nigeria’s real GDP is now projected to grow by 3.0 per cent in 2025, down from an earlier forecast…

Gbenga Daniel, GFF Unveil Loyalty Card Initiative in Ogun East * With aim to provide palliative support for vulnerable people. The Gateway Front Foundation (GFF), in strategic collaboration with Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, came up with its boldest intervention yet — the 2025–2030 Food Security & Humanitarian Funding Initiative, in a landmark move to combat hunger and strengthen humanitarian support systems. The five-year roll-on program, unveiled in Ijebu North East Local Government Area, aims to provide consistent and tech-driven palliative support for vulnerable populations. The initiative is tailored to align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s…

Meeting between Tinubu, Fubara; conditions to fulfill. Siminalayi Fubara Meeting between Tinubu, Fubara; conditions to fulfill * Fubara’s Easter message emphasizes unity and support for Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing intense pressure to revoke the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, with sources revealing that he has laid out stringent conditions for Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s possible reinstatement. Tinubu, who has been on an unofficial visit to France for about three weeks, reportedly made a discreet trip to London to hold a closed-door meeting with the suspended governor. Investigations by The Southern Examiner indicate that…

The Upright Man: A Brief Story of Thomas Sankara In the heart of West Africa, a young army captain named Thomas Sankara rose not with guns blazing, but with ideas sharper than swords. In 1983, at just 33 years old, he became the President of Burkina Faso, a country whose name he would soon change from “Upper Volta” to a name meaning “Land of Upright People.” Sankara wasn’t your ordinary head of state. He rode a bicycle to work, cut his own salary, and banned government officials from driving luxury cars. He rejected foreign aid that came with strings attached…

Money supply, despite CBN’s tightening measures, hits N114tn. Naira notes Money supply, despite CBN’s tightening measures, hits N114tn. Nigeria’s broad money supply rose to N114.22tn in March 2025 despite aggressive monetary tightening by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which raised the Cash Reserve Ratio to an unprecedented 50 per cent. The latest money and credit statistics released by the apex bank show that the March figure represents a 24 per cent increase when compared to N92.19tn recorded in the same month of 2024. On a month-on-month basis, the figure also rose by 3.2 per cent from N110.71tn in February. The…

APC, NASS to ensure Nigerians in diaspora participate in vote at elections — Ganduje APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje APC, NASS to ensure Nigerians in diaspora participate in vote at elections * Ganduje unveils a new executive committee for the France chapter. The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has hinted that the ruling party is working closely with the National Assembly to ensure that Nigerians in the diaspora vote during elections. Ganduje stated this while unveiling a new executive committee for the France chapter of the party in Paris At the event which took…