The Federal Government has stepped in to curb overreach by the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), suspending all its enforcement activities nationwide. The directive, signed off by Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, comes after mounting complaints from industry operators about heavy-handed inspections, fines, and compliance actions. Special Adviser on Media and publicity in the ministry Dr. Nneka Ikem Anibeze in a statement quoted her to have said, “The Ministry is committed to a fair and business-friendly tourism environment. Until a full review of NIHOTOUR’s operations is completed, all enforcement activities are…
Author: National Update
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse A major political shift is unfolding in Jigawa as APC Polling Units Chairmen from the Ringim/Taura Federal Constituency have thrown their weight behind Hon. Auwal Dalladi Sankara, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Humanitarian Affairs, urging him to run for the House of Representatives in 2027. Their declaration came during a charged solidarity rally in Taura town, staged to coincide with Governor Umar Namadi’s Government–Citizens Engagement Forum. The forum’s chairman, Malam Ibrahim Sani Majiya, said the endorsement was unanimous and strategic—designed to openly signal their preference to the governor. According to Sani, the constituency is tired…
***Demands Full Account of N595bn Intelligence Budget The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has blasted the Federal Government after terrorists stormed the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, abducting scores of students in an early-morning raid. The rights group said the attack has shattered government claims of massive investment in school security and raised urgent questions about the N595 billion budgeted for Nigeria’s intelligence community in 2024. In a statement by National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA condemned the attack—which left a staff member dead and a security guard wounded—as a “grim reminder that…
Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has issued one of his starkest warnings yet to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party is hurtling toward self-destruction as opposition governors and lawmakers pour into its ranks without adding value. Speaking Sunday night at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Award Lecture in Abuja—where he was honoured as “Most Outstanding Legislator and Advocate of National Unity”—Ndume used his acceptance speech to deliver a blunt message: the APC is taking in too many defectors it cannot absorb. “I have warned that the APC is becoming overloaded,” he said. “When you overload a ship, especially…
What began as an ordinary night in Maga, Danko/Wasagu LGA, quickly dissolved into chaos when armed bandits forced their way into Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, leaving behind grief, panic, and unanswered questions. By dawn, the community awoke to the devastating news: Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu had been killed—shot while trying to shield his students from the attackers. The bandits escaped with scores of schoolgirls, their exact number still unknown as officials remain silent on the details. Residents say the assault was shockingly unhindered. “It is a heartbreaking tragedy that has thrown the entire region into deep fear and…
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed reports claiming that Nigerian Navy officer Lt. A.M. Yerima survived an assassination attempt in Abuja, describing the viral narrative as false and unsubstantiated. Police spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh said on Sunday night that no incident resembling an attack on the officer was ever reported or recorded within the territory. “The attention of the FCT Police Command has been drawn to publications alleging an attempted assassination on Lt. Ahmed Yerima. The command categorically states that no such incident occurred anywhere within the FCT. The public should disregard this false information,” Adeh stated.…
Abuja was thrown into tension Sunday evening as naval officer Lt. A.M. Yerima narrowly survived an assassination attempt, days after his high-profile clash with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike sparked nationwide outrage. Military sources say the attempt on Yerima’s life unfolded around 6:30 p.m. when two unmarked Hilux vehicles, occupied by men in black, began trailing him from the NIPCO Filling Station along the Line Expressway. The vehicles reportedly shadowed him all the way to Gado Nasko Way. Realizing he was being hunted, Yerima executed a quick tactical manoeuvre that allowed him to break free from the suspected hit squad. The…
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi, has reconnected 104 communities in Taura and Ringim local government areas to the national grid, ending a crippling 16-year blackout that had stifled economic and social life across the region. Commissioning the large-scale electrification project, Governor Namadi said the development marks a major milestone in his administration’s drive to improve living standards statewide. He described the restoration as a fulfilment of a core campaign promise and a transformative moment for communities that have endured more than a decade and a half without electricity. “This administration is committed to transforming the…
***As Nigerians Lose N2.23 Trillion to Kidnappers in One Year Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has issued a bold call to Nigerians who have paid ransom to kidnappers: take the Federal Government to court and demand a refund for its failure to protect citizens. Speaking at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Falana argued that ransom payments—now running into trillions—are the direct result of the government’s dereliction of its constitutional duty to safeguard lives. According to him, both the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights make…
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has disowned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention held in Ibadan on Saturday, describing it as “a gathering of friends for entertainment, not a legally recognised convention.” Speaking on ARISE News, Lamido insisted the event held in defiance of a valid court injunction he personally secured on Friday, which, according to him, was duly served on both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP before the gathering took place. “A convention is defined clearly under our laws and constitution,” Lamido said. “Once a court order has been issued restricting it, there cannot…