The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has opened a fresh front in the battle over Nigeria’s soaring cement prices, questioning why a country with vast limestone deposits and enough installed production capacity to meet domestic demand continues to sell cement at significantly higher prices than some African countries. The commission said a three-month cross-border investigation had uncovered preliminary evidence suggesting that prevailing cement prices in Nigeria may not be fully explained by normal market forces. Its findings have now triggered a deeper investigation into possible anti-competitive practices in one of the country’s most critical industries. The FCCPC’s Anticompetitive Practices…
Author: National Update
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has dragged Senate President Godswill Akpabio into the tense aftermath of the Osun State governorship election, alleging that the Senate President ordered a halt to the collation of results. Davido made the claim in a post on his verified X account on Saturday, as results from polling units across the state were being collated. “Senate President Akpabio has called the Collation Centre that they should stop collation,” the singer alleged. The claim immediately added another layer of political tension to an already closely watched election, coming at a time when the Independent…
Governor Monday Okpebholo[/caption]Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has rejected calls to apologise to Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo over his decision to publish what he described as the governor’s WAEC result. Davido, speaking in an exclusive interview with News Central on Tuesday in Osun State, insisted that he had done nothing wrong and was only drawing public attention to the academic record of the Edo governor. “I’m not going to apologise. I didn’t do anything wrong,” the singer said. The controversy erupted after Okpebholo travelled to Osun State during the governorship campaign and took a swipe at…
Fear and grief have deepened across Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State following another deadly attack on Amper community, where more than 20 people, including women and children, are feared dead and several others remain missing. The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in BWI District, is the third reported violent incident in Mangu within one week, raising fresh concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the area. Residents said the attackers stormed the community while many people were asleep, leaving families devastated and forcing others to flee for safety. The Plateau State Police Command confirmed…
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has raised a question that goes beyond the outcome of the Osun governorship election: when does legitimate political mobilisation become an abuse of political power? His concern is not that political parties campaign, mobilise voters or deploy their structures during elections. Those are normal features of democracy. The alarm is over something potentially more consequential—the growing spectacle of serving governors, senior government officials, party leaders and heavily protected political entourages travelling into states holding off-cycle elections and effectively turning a local contest into a national display of political power. Jonathan believes Nigeria should stop and examine…
Abuja was conceived as a carefully planned capital—a city where residential districts, green areas, roads, drainage systems and natural waterways would function together as parts of an integrated urban system. Yet the latest flooding in Maitama Extension has exposed a disturbing contradiction at the heart of Abuja’s development story: a capital designed to control urban growth is increasingly struggling to control the powerful interests reshaping its landscape. The irony is difficult to miss. The Abuja Master Plan provides designated corridors through which stormwater is expected to flow. Green areas are intended to provide environmental buffers, while drainage networks are supposed…
By Livy-Elcon Emereonye There are men who simply live through their generation, and there are men whose lives become landmarks by which a generation measures itself. There are professionals who practise their professions, and there are those who stretch the boundaries of their professions until their influence touches business, industry, leadership, national development and society. Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, FPSN, FPCPharm, FNAPharm, MON, OFR, NPOM, belongs to that rare category. As he celebrates another birthday, we celebrate much more than the passing of another year. We celebrate a remarkable life of professional excellence, entrepreneurship, leadership, courage, wisdom, integrity and service. Mazi…
The Federal Government has unveiled a new 100-day tourism campaign designed to reposition Nigeria as a year-round destination for culture, entertainment, hospitality and leisure, with the initiative running from September through December 2026. Tagged “Ember to Remember 2026,” the initiative is being championed by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy in partnership with MyCityApp, a digital platform focused on connecting people with events and experiences across Nigeria. Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, announced the initiative on Monday in Abuja, saying the programme was designed to transform Nigeria’s vibrant…
It was an evening of recognition, celebration and institutional pride as the University of Ilorin honoured distinguished alumni and individuals whose exceptional contributions have helped advance the growth and development of the university. The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Arc. Sonny Echono, PhD, FNIA, OON, chaired the colourful award ceremony, which brought together accomplished personalities and members of the university community to celebrate excellence and impactful service. Among those honoured was Sir Olusegun Adekunle, OON, former Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (PS-GSO), whose record of public…
The outcome of the Osun State governorship election has exposed the limits of political power and offered an early warning to parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, former All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank, has said. Frank said the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke showed that voters could frustrate political calculations when they were determined to defend their choices at the ballot box. In a statement issued in Abuja, he said the Osun result should caution political leaders against assuming that government influence, campaign machinery or financial inducements could guarantee electoral victory. For Frank, the…