The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Mariya Mahmoud, has urged Nigerian manufacturers to embrace digital transformation, artificial intelligence, automation and capital restructuring to improve productivity, cut production costs and remain competitive amid prevailing economic challenges. Mahmoud made the call on Thursday at the 13th Annual General Meeting and Public Lecture of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Abuja, Nasarawa and Niger Branch, held in Abuja. Represented by her Special Assistant on Social Development Secretariat, Helen Zamani, the minister described manufacturing as a critical driver of economic growth, job creation and national prosperity, stressing that technology…
Author: National Update
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has faulted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s (ICPC) interim report on the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing it as a “whitewash” that leaves the most critical questions surrounding the scandal unanswered. The rights group said the anti-graft agency’s findings appeared to focus almost exclusively on the alleged actions of one suspect while failing to establish how a body later declared non-existent by the Presidency allegedly gained access to government institutions, secured official recognition and reportedly found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act. In a…
In a move aimed at strengthening institutional governance and enhancing conflict resolution mechanisms, the Jigawa State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (JPCACC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on peacebuilding, mediation, capacity development and policy engagement. The agreement, signed at the institute’s headquarters in Abuja, signals a growing recognition that effective anti-corruption institutions require robust conflict management frameworks and continuous investment in professional capacity to deliver sustainable public service. Speaking at the ceremony, Executive Chairman of JPCACC, Barrister Salisu Abdu, described…
Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) Peter Obi, has donated ₦10 million to the College of Nursing Sciences, Oluyoro, Ibadan, as part of his continued support for healthcare education and the training of future medical professionals. Obi announced the donation after visiting the institution following his participation in the 50th/15th Biennial Conference of the Methodist Church. During the visit, he met with the management and students of the college, where he reiterated his conviction that education remains one of the strongest pillars for national development, particularly in the healthcare sector. According to him, the training of competent healthcare professionals…
By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja The disability community in Kogi State has welcomed the appointment of the Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Mr. Ibrahim Daniel Arome, as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo on Grassroots Mobilisation, describing it as a significant milestone in the struggle for greater political inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs). The appointment has been widely hailed as a reward for years of advocacy by disability groups seeking meaningful representation in governance and recognition of the electoral and developmental contributions of persons with disabilities in the state. According to the…
The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has uncovered fresh details of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy regime, revealing that the country spent N1.16 trillion on fuel subsidy in 2021, while lawmakers threatened to compel the Auditor-General of the Federation to appear before the committee over his absence from the ongoing probe into the oil and gas sector. The disclosure was made on Thursday by the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, during the committee’s investigation into the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) audit reports covering the 2021–2023 fiscal years. Shehu told the committee…
By Douglas Baye-Osagie dbayeosagie@yahoo.com In Nigeria, a name alone is never enough. We dress it up, pad it, crown it. _His Excellency, His Imperial and Royal Majesty, Your Highness and Highnesses, Dr, High Chief, Double Chief, Triple Chief, Senior Apostle, Deacon, Elder, Mallam, Alhaji, Engr, Surveyor, Barrister, Pharmacist, The Most Distinguished, Honourable, Comrade_ — these are not just prefixes. They are keys. They are invitations to the front row. We are a people sociologically wired to chase titles because titles mean access. In a society where people almost worship money and the good things of life, your prefix and appellations…
Nigeria’s ability to prevent and contain livestock disease outbreaks is being dangerously undermined by weak disease reporting, fragmented laboratory systems and poor veterinary infrastructure, with experts warning that the country is operating without the surveillance intelligence needed to protect its livestock industry. At the Public-Private Veterinary Laboratory Forum on Strengthening Poultry Disease Surveillance in Nigeria, organised by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, leading veterinary professionals called for an integrated national laboratory network linking federal, state and private veterinary facilities to strengthen disease surveillance, safeguard food security and protect billions of naira invested in livestock production. The experts—including Director of…
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts as a breach of the Constitution, insisting that the President—not the anti-graft agency’s chairman—should resign over the controversy. Reacting to calls for the resignation of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, the SDP standard-bearer argued that the commission merely exercised powers granted to it under the law by obtaining a court order, while the President’s intervention amounted to executive interference in a judicial process. According to him, the…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the continued presence of stray cattle on major roads in Abuja, saying public apologies must be backed by concrete action. In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the civil rights group said it was concerned that weeks after Wike publicly apologised and accepted responsibility for the menace, cattle were still roaming highways, residential districts and business areas across the nation’s capital. The group recalled that the minister had acknowledged the problem following criticisms…