Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Manny Ita  – An audit report has reportedly indicted six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory over alleged financial infractions amounting to more than ₦100 billion, raising fresh concerns about fiscal accountability at the grassroots level of administration in the nation’s capital. According to documents cited by officials familiar with the audit, the infractions span several fiscal years and include alleged contract inflation, diversion of public funds, non-remittance of internally generated revenue, payments for unexecuted projects, and persistent violations of public procurement regulations. The councils named in the report are said to account for the bulk of the questioned…

Manny Ita  – The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced a partial closure of sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to facilitate critical repair and rehabilitation works scheduled to last for the next two months. According to a statement released by the corps’ spokesperson on Saturday, the maintenance project is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to improve the structural integrity of the nation’s busiest highway and ensure the safety of commuters. The closure, which affects specific lanes between the Long Bridge and the Berger axis, is expected to result in significant traffic diversions and narrowed carriage ways. The…

Manny Ita  – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally declared 2026 as Nigeria’s “Year of Social Development and Family,” unveiling an expanded economic and social intervention programme designed to support an estimated 25 million women across the country. The declaration was made during a federal executive policy briefing in Abuja, where the president said the initiative would consolidate existing social investment schemes while introducing new family-centred and women-focused economic measures. Tinubu described the programme as a strategic pillar of his administration’s broader development agenda, linking social stability directly to economic growth and national cohesion. According to the presidency, the expanded…

Manny Ita  – The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed separate appeals filed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), upholding a N2.5 billion judgment debt awarded to 110 university staff members dismissed in 1996. In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Okon Abang affirmed the previous rulings of the National Industrial Court and directed both institutions to comply immediately with the payment order. The court criticized the appellants for their prolonged resistance to subsisting judicial directives, characterizing the legal maneuvers as an unnecessary obstruction of justice. Justice Abang specifically faulted the apex…

Manny Ita  – Nigerian football icons Kanu Nwankwo, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Finidi George have been confirmed to participate in the African Legends United Gala Match as part of the upcoming African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Festival in Abuja. Speaking to journalists on Thursday during the festival’s sideline events, Nwankwo expressed confidence that the match would be a landmark occasion for the continent. He noted that the initiative is designed to celebrate African culture while providing a platform to empower youth at the grassroots level. “It’s happening in Nigeria and the legends are going to be there. They are going…

Manny Ita- Former president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has co-founded a global platform aimed at attracting scarce capital into the continent amid rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions that are constraining global capital flows. The Global Africa Investment Summit (GAIS) is designed to connect African governments with global chief executives and institutional investors, with the objective of accelerating Africa’s transition from aid dependence to investment-led economic growth. The initiative comes as Africa remains home to 12 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies but continues to struggle with fragmented markets and limited preparedness of public assets for private investment.…

Manny Ita  – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognized the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, marking a pivotal turn in the protracted leadership struggle within Nigeria’s main opposition party. The decision was formalized on Thursday during INEC’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders, where the Wike-aligned factional chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, was seated as the legitimate representative of the PDP. ​The move follows a judgment by the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which directed the electoral umpire to recognize the Mohammed-led caretaker committee as the authentic…

Manny Ita  – The Leadership of the House of Representatives announced a comprehensive restructuring of its Conference Committee on Friday, February 6, 2026, in a strategic move to resolve a deepening legislative deadlock over the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. The “shake-up,” confirmed in a formal correspondence from the Clerk to the House, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, Esq., is aimed at harmonizing conflicting versions of the bill passed by the House and the Senate, particularly regarding the contentious issue of electronic result management. ​The primary point of contention lies in the technical language governing how votes are recorded and moved from polling…

Manny Ita  – The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Joseph Osanipin, has revealed that Nigeria expended over ₦1 trillion on the importation of vehicle tyres in 2024 alone. Speaking at a sensitization workshop for the Nigeria Tyre and Battery Industry held in Abuja on Thursday, February 5, Osanipin described the expenditure as “unsustainable” for an economy prioritizing industrial growth and the conservation of foreign exchange. ​The NADDC head emphasized that the country possesses the necessary raw materials, market demand, and capacity to produce these essential components domestically. “According to our survey, Nigeria spent more than…

As medical aid, UNICEF donates boat ambulance to Ogun By Elegbede Abiodun In order to boost emergency healthcare delivery in hard-to-reach communities, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday donated a boat ambulance to Ogun State, strengthening the state government’s response to medical emergencies in riverine and coastal areas. The unveiling took place at Makun-Omi in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, with the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, commending the initiative as a key intervention to improve access to healthcare in the state’s difficult terrain. “The challenges of water transportation and remote locations have long hindered…