The Senate on Friday interfaced with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, over the management of billions of naira released under the Safe Schools Initiative, as lawmakers intensified efforts to ensure full accountability for government appropriations and international donor funds committed to protecting schools across Nigeria. The engagement, held by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative and Safe Schools Financing and chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, focused on the funding, implementation and institutional reforms of the programme established after the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls to safeguard schools against terrorism, banditry and other security…
Author: National Update
The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative on Friday intensified its scrutiny into the management of billions of naira earmarked for protecting schools across the country, as the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, appeared before lawmakers to explain the disbursement and oversight of funds under the programme. The high-stakes hearing, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu at the National Assembly, came less than 24 hours after the committee questioned the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in what is fast becoming one of the Senate’s most comprehensive investigations into the implementation…
The war of words over Nigeria’s deepening economic crisis intensified on Friday as presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, took direct aim at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his recent comments on hunger, accusing the President of displaying insensitivity to the plight of millions of struggling Nigerians. In a statement titled “Hunger and the Insensitivity of Mr. President,” Obi said President Tinubu’s assertion that hunger had always existed in Nigeria—even before he was born—was not only ill-timed but also failed to acknowledge the severity of the economic hardship currently confronting citizens. The President had made the…
A new chapter in Nigeria–United States collaboration has begun following the formal launch of a strategic partnership between the City of East Orange, New Jersey, and the Ugwumba Center in Imo State, Nigeria. The landmark initiative, which will be coordinated by the Ugwumba Center for Leadership, is designed to promote leadership development, human capacity building and sustainable socio-economic progress through cross-border collaboration. The partnership was unveiled during a high-level meeting in East Orange, where the Mayor of the city, Ted Green, received the President of the Ugwumba Center, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, and his delegation. In recognition of his contributions to…
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has ignited fresh debate over the tone of political discourse in Northern Nigeria, condemning a controversial song targeting former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami, as a dangerous departure from the region’s long-standing culture of dignity, civility and respectful political engagement. In a strongly worded statement on his Facebook Wall, Dalung said the song crossed the line between legitimate political criticism and character assassination, warning that the growing acceptance of abusive political propaganda threatens the moral fabric of the North. His intervention comes amid heightened political realignments…
Health insurance experts and industry stakeholders have called for sustained investment in capacity building, stronger institutions and strategic partnerships to accelerate Nigeria’s journey toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The call was made at the 2026 Health Insurance and Managed Care National Leadership Award of Excellence organised by the Institute for Health Insurance and Managed Care of Nigeria (IHIMN), with the theme, “Building Robust Capacity for Universal Health Coverage.” Delivering the keynote address, the Patron of IHIMN and former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Muhammed Mustafa Lecky, described health insurance as the most sustainable model for…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has launched a scathing attack on the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), accusing the panel of conducting what it described as a politically motivated exercise aimed at shielding powerful public officials while undermining the judiciary. In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the rights group alleged that the committee had abandoned the principles of impartial legislative oversight and was instead staging what it called a “political cover-up” by reaching conclusions on issues already pending before a…
The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) has paid glowing tribute to the late Sardaunan Sokoto and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, describing his death as the close of a remarkable chapter in Nigeria’s public service history. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Forum said the elder statesman, who died in Abuja at the age of 87, left behind an enduring legacy of integrity, patriotism and exceptional service to Nigeria. The statement, signed by the Forum’s Chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua, said the late Sardaunan Sokoto distinguished himself as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished…
The crisis rocking the Niger State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deepened on Thursday as five aggrieved senatorial aspirants from the Niger South Senatorial District rejected Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago’s reconciliation efforts and headed to court to challenge the outcome of the party’s primary election. The aspirants—Engr. Adamu Alfa Abu, Senator Peter Ndalikali Jiya, Senator Bima Muhammad Enagi, former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, and Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed (SAN)—said they had resolved to seek judicial intervention over what they described as irregularities that marred the party’s primary process. Their decision comes despite a…
By Douglas Baye-Osagie _dbayeosagie@yahoo.com_ Donald Trump, the self-styled mighty overseer of world politics, has laid his hands on Gianni Infantino’s forehead. All we hear now is more money from commercials, a redefining of the rules of the game, the expansion of the World Cup, and more money to football federations for “the development of the game.” Yet when corrupt football administrators, like some we have in Africa, receive these huge flows of millions of dollars, they cannot even clear the grass to get a stadium off the ground. We have seen it before. That money will be diverted into non-football…