***Petrol smuggling to neighbouring countries threatens domestic supply Nigeria could face fresh pressure on petrol supplies as the escalating Middle East crisis threatens global energy supply chains, President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has warned. Dangote said the unfolding crisis could affect Nigeria more through product availability than price, urging attention to the possibility of supply disruptions. “The problem now, going forward, I must also warn that this crisis in the Middle East is not even about price; it’s about availability,” he said in an interview aired by Arise TV. His warning comes as Nigerians continue to grapple with…
Author: National Update
Edo State has stepped up its drive to take basic healthcare closer to residents, with the state government revamping 61 Primary Healthcare Centres across its 18 local government areas in less than two years. The renovated facilities now provide services including free malaria testing and free childbirth, giving residents in underserved communities an alternative to costly and often distant urban hospitals. Among the facilities renovated are the PHCs in Idogbo, Ikpoba-Okha; Usih, Egor; New Era, Oredo; Urhonigbe, Orhionmwon; and Iguoriakhi, Ovia South-West, among others. For residents, the intervention is about more than renovated buildings. They say the return of functional…
A Mexican national suspected of being a key figure in a transnational methamphetamine network has been arrested at the Lagos airport as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency uncovered a chain of clandestine laboratories and alleged local collaborators across three states. The suspect, Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to leave Nigeria, according to NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.). The arrest followed months of investigation into methamphetamine laboratories uncovered in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states, exposing what the agency described as an attempt by international drug syndicates to establish production bases in…
Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote, is challenging one of Africa’s most enduring succession traditions — the belief that a family empire must pass to a son. Dangote says his three daughters could take charge of the business empire he has spent decades building, and could even push it further. Speaking in an interview with ARISE News, the billionaire said Halima, Fatima and Mariya have shown interest in business, making gender irrelevant to the question of succession. “I can definitely see one of the three that can actually lead,” Dangote said when asked if any of his daughters could head the…
Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has urged people nursing the pain of rejection and heartbreak not to mistake a painful chapter for the end of their lives. Dalung gave the advice while reflecting on gospel minister Nathaniel Bassey’s account of how he met his wife, Sarah, saying the story reminded him that some of life’s most beautiful moments can emerge from circumstances people never planned. For Dalung, the striking part of Bassey’s story was not simply the romance but what happened after the singer had been hurt by a previous relationship. According to Bassey’s account, a painful…
Gospel minister Nathaniel Bassey has shared how a painful heartbreak that once made him lose interest in marriage eventually gave way to his relationship with his wife, Sarah. In his personal account of how they met, Bassey said he had been deeply hurt by a previous relationship in 2008 and had practically shut the door on marriage. He recalled joking at the time that he was “married to Jesus.” According to Bassey, his outlook began to change during a ministry assignment in Eket, where he encountered Sarah, who was serving on the protocol team. Bassey said he did not immediately…
Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has threatened to drag two of his political opponents to court over claims that he is an indigene of Ekiti State. Adeola, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State, gave Hon. Abayomi Hunye and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, 24 hours to produce evidence backing their claims or face libel proceedings. The senator, who represents Ogun West, issued the ultimatum through his media adviser, Chief Kayode Odunaro, accusing the two politicians of attempting to undermine his political ambition ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election. According to Odunaro, Hunye…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has urged the Kaduna State Government to move beyond the recovery of farmland from bandits and ensure the safe return and rehabilitation of displaced farmers. HURIWA made the call while commending Governor Uba Sani over the reported recovery of more than 500,000 hectares of farmland previously controlled by bandits across the state. Kaduna State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed the development at a gala night organised by the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel during its 2026 retreat in Kaduna. Maiyaki said improved security, community-based strategies and early-warning mechanisms had enabled farmers…
By Tunde Olusunle Come October 10, 2026, it will be exactly one year since Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, assumed office as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). I recall I was in the office of a kinsman, out of my usual abode in Abuja, and we were both fixated on live national television, as Amupitan took questions from members of the Senate who screened him, even as we both relished the dextrous dance of “our own masquerade,” in a manner of speaking. One year is both a brief and an eternity in the life of a nation…
The Federal Government is backing a new digital push to turn Nigeria’s festive season into a major economic engine, with the launch of MyCityApp and a 100-day tourism calendar aimed at helping unlock a projected $100bn tourism and creative economy. The special adviser on media and Publicity to the Tourism Minister, Dr Nnekka Ikem Anibeze in a statement indicated that the platform was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, is designed to bring festivals, concerts, cultural events and other lifestyle experiences across Nigeria into one digital calendar. The initiative the statement explained targets…