The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, has backed Saudi Arabia’s proposed reform of Nigeria’s Hajj operations, including the planned migration to a Business-to-Business model. Mahmoud, however, called for a smooth and phased transition to prevent disruptions to pilgrims and other stakeholders. She spoke on Thursday during a policy engagement on the proposed reform, saying Nigeria would respect reforms introduced by the Saudi authorities while ensuring adequate arrangements were made for stakeholders to adjust to the new system. The minister welcomed the proposed transition period, saying a gradual implementation would help Nigeria adapt and ensure…
Author: National Update
By Vitus Ozoke Peter Obi did not travel to Benue State on September 8, 2026, to hold a campaign rally. He did not go there to commission an NDC Party office, receive defectors, canvass for votes, or challenge Governor Hyacinth Alia’s control of the state. He said he was going to Yelwata to visit and sympathize with families still grieving the June 2025 massacre in their community. He said he would mourn with mourners. But somewhere around Gyado Villa and Gboko Road, near the Nigerian Air Force Base and Makurdi Airport, a group of youths blocked his convoy. Videos circulating…
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja A Professor of Dramatic Literature and Film Studies at Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Oja Paul Egwemi, has called for a major overhaul of theatre and performance curricula in Nigerian universities to make them more responsive to the country’s development challenges. Egwemi made the call while delivering PAAU’s 27th Inaugural Lecture, titled “The Gowns We Wear, The Towns We Go: Rethinking Performance Curricula for Development in Nigeria Amid a Polycrisis,” at the university auditorium in Anyigba. He said the country’s universities must urgently close the gap between academic training and the realities confronting communities across…
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Okutepa, has warned that any attempt to prevent Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, from moving freely in Benue State could pose a serious threat to constitutional democracy. Okutepa issued the warning following reports that youths suspected to be political thugs allegedly blocked Obi from freely moving in the state during his visit to internally displaced persons’ camps. He, however, stressed that the allegation must first be established by credible investigation. “If this allegation is true, then it portends danger to constitutional democracy and freedom of choice of the people,” Okutepa said. The…
The United States has delivered a fresh consignment of military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force as Washington and Abuja deepen security cooperation against terrorism and other armed threats. The equipment was flown into Nigeria by a United States Air Force C-17 aircraft under the existing Foreign Military Sales agreement between both countries. The United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, disclosed the delivery, saying the shipment arrived over the weekend. AFRICOM said the equipment would support Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations and strengthen the military partnership between the two countries. “Partnership in action: A US Air Force C-17 delivers equipment to the Nigerian…
Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, says his recent meetings in Europe have opened further opportunities for international support for Nigeria, particularly in education. Obi said he was encouraged by what he described as the sincere readiness of Nigeria’s international partners to support the country during his engagements in Germany and the United Kingdom. The NDC candidate disclosed this in a statement after returning from the European trip, where he participated in meetings focused on some of Nigeria’s major development challenges. He said the discussions covered democracy and electoral integrity, poverty, education, corruption and…
The Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) has secured a court order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) from interfering with its use of the party’s modified “two-finger” logo ahead of the 2027 elections. The Federal High Court in Abuja, in a judgment delivered by Justice J.O. Abdulmalik, ordered INEC to approve the NDC’s digitally designed logo and use it for all elections conducted by the commission. The ruling followed a legal battle between the party and INEC over the logo, after the commission allegedly removed the NDC’s modified symbol from its system and restored an older association logo. The NDC said its…
A US federal court has received a request from political adviser and lobbyist Dr Karl Von Batten to join an ongoing Freedom of Information Act case involving records linked to President Bola Tinubu. The request has been added to the court’s official records. However, this does not mean the court has approved it or agreed with the arguments in the filing. Von Batten-Montague-York, the political advisory and lobbying firm linked to Von Batten, announced the development on its verified X account. The firm said Von Batten’s request to submit a brief as a friend of the court, along with additional…
A disagreement over the use of a shared compound space in Lugbe, Abuja, has landed a woman in court after she allegedly poured boiling water on her neighbour during the dispute. The suspect, Beauty Monday, was arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command and arraigned over the alleged assault. The incident occurred on September 4, but the police said the complaint was formally lodged at Lugbe Police Division on September 6. According to the police, the dispute began after the victim, identified as Gift Amos, moved Monday’s pot of boiling water from a stove to the portion of the…
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has taken an unusually strong position against the disruption of Peter Obi’s political engagement in Benue State, saying no candidate should be prevented from moving freely because of political differences. Keyamo’s intervention came after protesters reportedly stopped Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, from proceeding to the venue of his planned visit in the state on Tuesday. The minister said the incident should be condemned regardless of who was behind it, including claims by the Benue State Government that the disruption was connected to disagreements within Obi’s party. He…