Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD FCTA) has commenced a three-day warning strike over unpaid salaries, allowances, and other demands. The strike has grounded activities in government hospitals in Abuja. The President of ARD FCTA, Dr George Ebong, disclosed this in a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. Dr Ebong said the strike came after a three-week ultimatum issued last year by the doctors elapsed. Speaking on behalf of ARD, Dr Ebong decried the neglect of hospitals and doctors’ welfare in the nation’s capital. He stressed that doctors in Abuja have become abandoned projects, calling on the…

The Federal Government has congratulated Donald Trump following his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States of America. A statement signed by the Acting Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa on Tuesday, said Nigeria and the United States have enjoyed cooperation in diverse areas of mutual interest, especially promoting good governance, sustainable development, and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. “Nigeria therefore looks forward to further strengthening our historic, strong, and vibrant strategic partnership for the benefit of all our people,” the statement added. Trump was sworn in for a historic second term as president on…

Prince Harry Wednesday dramatically settled a hotly disputed lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloid publisher, which apologised for hacking the British royal’s phone and agreed to pay him “substantial damages”. Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers offers “a full and unequivocal apology” to the prince “for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them”, Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne told the High Court in London. AFP

Yet-to-be-identified gunmen have abducted a medical doctor working with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State. This is coming barely three days after the launch of the joint security force, Operation Udo ga-achị, meaning, Peace must reign, in the state, by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, as part of his administration’s strategic move to combat crimes and restore lasting peace and security in the state. The victim, a neurosurgeon, identified as Dr. Collinus Onuigbo, was said to have been kidnapped in the late hours of Tuesday. According to reports, he was kidnapped in front of his residence, a few…

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed plans by the Federal Government to establish an aircraft manufacturing firm in Nigeria. The facility is a collaboration between XeJet and indigenous banks, aiming to transform Nigeria into a regional hub for aviation services. Keyamo announced this during the launch of XeJet’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, MRO, facility and flight support centre in Abuja. He noted that the move aligned with the government’s vision to support local operators and boost the nation’s aviation industry. Keyamo said: “Since we came to office, we’ve been focused on attracting MRO facilities to…

Wildfires in Brazil last year consumed a total area larger than all of Italy, a monitor reported Wednesday, as the country continues to battle blazes often set by farmers and ranchers illegally expanding their territory. Some 30.8 million hectares (119,000 square miles) of vegetation were burned in Brazil in 2024, a 79 percent increase from 2023, monitoring platform MapBiomas reported. Fires in the Amazon, a crucial carbon sink for the rest of the world as well as a global hotspot of biodiversity, accounted for 58 percent of the damage. The figures are discouraging news for the government of President Luiz…

A Federal high court in Kaduna State has denied the bail application filed by Mr Bashir Saidu, the former chief of staff to the immediate past Governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai. Saidu, who also served as Commissioner for Finance under the El-Rufai administration, was arraigned on 10 counts bordering on money laundering, embezzlement and stealing of public funds belonging to the Kaduna State Government. He was arrested on January 2nd, 2025 by the police and was later remanded at the Kaduna correctional centre in the state capital. However, when the matter came up for mention before Justice Isa Aliyu…

President Donald Trump’s administration has removed Admiral Linda Fagan — the first woman to lead a US military service — as the head of the Coast Guard. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Coast Guard, did not immediately respond to a request on Tuesday for comment on Fagan’s dismissal. Fox News cited a senior official saying reasons included her failure to address border security threats, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and an “erosion of trust” over the Coast Guard’s investigation into sexual assault cases. Trump and other Republicans have long railed against government programs aimed…

The Senate has vowed to push for the conduct of a national population census before the current administration ends in 2027. This commitment was reiterated during a budget defense session with the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra. The Chairman of the Committee on National Identity Management and Population, Senator Abdul Ningi, said, “We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends”. He revealed that the Senate was preparing to meet with President Bola Tinubu to stress the urgency of conducting the census in 2025. “We will soon engage the…

Immigration advocates have sued the US President, Donald Trump following his move to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily in the country. According to a Bloomberg report, immigration advocates swiftly filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire on Monday evening, shortly after the order was signed. The development was after Trump on Monday, signed an executive order at the White House aimed at ending the longstanding policy of birthright citizenship. The order, which is set to take effect in 30 days, challenges more than a century of US policy and…