Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Wike announces Friday as work-free day, imposes restriction in preparation for FCT poll File Photo: FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has declared “a work-free day on Friday,” and imposed a restriction of movement from 8 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday ahead of the Area Council elections. Wike made the announcement in a special broadcast on national television and radio stations on Thursday, urging residents to participate actively in the polls. His broadcast was contained in a press statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media,…

Cross-border Payments Backbone of Global Monetary, Financial Systems ~ Cardoso Elegbede Abiodun The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso • Development of cross-border payments which leads to macroeconomic is a priority. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, has said cross‑border payments are becoming the backbone of the international monetary and financial system globally. Cardoso, said this in his plenary speech at the G‑24 Technical Group Meetings (TGM), in Abuja on Thursday, themed ‘Mobilising Finance for Sustainable, Inclusive, and Job‑rich Transformation.’ The title of his speech was ‘Digital Cross-Border Payments,…

FG, by 2027, plans to triple yam output File photo: Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi The Federal Government has made open it’s plans to increase Nigeria’s average yam yield from 10 metric tonnes per hectare to 30 metric tonnes per hectare by 2027 in a bid to close a national supply gap of over 50 million metric tonnes. While speaking at the National Yam Advocacy Summit in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The summit was organised…

Manny Ita  – Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has inaugurated the board of the Lagos State Sports Trust Fund (LSSTF), charging its members to mobilize resources for the development of grassroots, school, and community sports across the state. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at Lagos House, Marina, the governor stated that the board’s primary mandate is to support funding for sports and build strong institutions that will sustain athletic development for present and future generations. He urged the members to leverage their professional expertise, networks, and influence to attract support and investment into the sector. ​Sanwo-Olu emphasized that grassroots…

Manny Ita  – The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared Friday, February 20, 2026, a work-free day across Abuja to enable residents prepare for and participate in the forthcoming Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday. The announcement was made during a special broadcast on national television and radio on Thursday, with the minister stating that the measure received the approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The directive is intended to allow workers and voters to travel to their respective communities within the territory ahead of the polls. In addition to the public holiday, the FCT Administration…

Manny Ita  – The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, says last year’s approval of a 50 per cent tariff increase prevented the country’s telecom industry from sliding into a crisis marked by possible service rationing. He said operators had reached a “stage where service rationing was becoming a real possibility,” but noted that the tariff adjustment helped stabilise the sector. Adebayo said the impact of the increase is already evident across the industry. “Today, we are seeing companies gradually return to profitability. Network stabilization has improved. Capital expenditure planning has resumed,” he…

Aliko Dangote Foundation Supports 3,704 Students Through Dangote Refinery, Fertiliser In Host Communities Elegbede Abiodun Pupils were elated to have received gifts which they openly displayed, showing their appreciations to Dangote Foundation. Aliko Dangote Foundation, in collaboration with Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Limited, has distributed school uniforms, bags, sandals and writing materials to primary school pupils in their host communities in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, as part of its education support programme. A total of 1,323 pupils, including children with special needs, benefited from the five-day distribution exercise under the first phase of the intervention. Beneficiary…

Manny Ita  – A Nigerian national, Afeez Adewale, has appeared before a United States federal court in Philadelphia following his extradition from Nigeria over allegations of involvement in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy connected to the death of a young American. Mr Adewale was handed over to U.S. authorities last Friday by Federal Bureau of Investigation operatives in Nigeria, who had held him in custody since his arrest in August 2023. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, he faces charges related to sexual extortion targeting minors in the United States. “Adewale is charged by…

Gov Sanwo-Olu Inaugurates Board of Lagos State Sports Trust Fund … demands use of influence to set up a robust institution in sports. The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday inaugurated the Board of Lagos State Sports Trust Fund and charged them to deploy resources for the growth and development of grassroots sports, school sports and other sporting activities in the various divisions of the State. The Board of the Lagos State Sports Trust Fund is chaired by the former Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development and the current President of the International Table Tennis Federation, Mr.…

Edo gov approves Mercy Johnson-Okojie as special adviser Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson. Credit: Instagram| mercyjohnsonokojie Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has appointed Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson-Okojie, as Special Adviser on Public Engagement and Advocacy. The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Secretary to the State Government, Musa Ikhilor. According to the statement, the governor approved Johnson-Okojie’s appointment as part of efforts to strengthen public engagement with government policies and programmes. The communique read, “This is to inform the general public that Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has approved the appointment of Mercy Johnson-Okojie…