Author: Amina Mohammed

Nigeria will host a Conference on Gender Inclusion from January 30 – 31, 2025, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The conference with the theme, ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Resilience for Sustainable Women’s Economic and Financial Inclusion,’ is organised by the Office of the Vice President. The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Sen. Ibrahim Hadeija, disclosed this in a press briefing at the Villa on Tuesday. Hadejia highlighted the importance of the conference in addressing urgent challenges related to women’s empowerment. “This conference is not just a gathering; it is a…

A new strain of bird flu has been confirmed at a duck farm in California, the first time the variant has been discovered in poultry in the United States, an international agency said. A report by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), which AFP saw on Tuesday, said “highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N9” had been confirmed in a commercial duck premise in Merced County, California. “This is the first confirmed case of HPAI H5N9 in poultry in the United States,” said Paris-based WOAH, which monitors animal diseases worldwide. It said the outbreak, whose origin was unknown, was confirmed…

Disgraced former Premier League referee David Coote says he hid his sexuality over fears of the abuse he would receive for being gay, apologising for the actions that led to his sacking. Coote, 42, was suspended in November after footage emerged of him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in a video that was widely shared on social media. Further photographs shared by the Sun newspaper in November, which the newspaper said were taken during Euro 2024, appeared to show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled-up bank note. He was dismissed by referees body Professional…

The Governor of the Central Bank, Olayemi Cardoso has announced that forensic verification to clear all pending foreign exchange backlogs is now completed and payments will commence soon. Speaking during the launch of the foreign exchange code, Cardoso lamented how it took the bank over twelve months to clear the $7 billion foreign exchange backlog in 2024. In March last year, the CBN announced clearance of the backlog, effectively eliminating a legacy burden. The apex bank boss said the era of multiple exchange rates which accorded privileges to a select few is gone, adding that all deposit money banks that…

Ademola Lookman will miss Atalanta’s Champions League clash at Barcelona, the Serie A club said on Tuesday, after the Nigerian star suffered a knee injury in training. In a short statement, Atalanta said the 27-year-old forward had hurt the lateral joint in his right knee and would not travel to Spain where on Wednesday the Italians are aiming to secure direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League. Atalanta did not say how long Lookman would be out but Italian media report he could be sidelined for up to a month. Lookman will be a huge loss for Atalanta…

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok, while the app’s future in the country faces uncertainty. TikTok is facing a US law that ordered the company to divest from its Chinese owner ByteDance or be banned in the United States. Asked late Monday if Microsoft was in discussion for acquiring TikTok, Trump told reporters: “I would say yes.” “There’s a lot of interest in TikTok, there’s great interest in TikTok,” he added aboard Air Force One. He noted that a “bidding war” would also be a good development. A law banning the video-sharing…

Nigerian music legend, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, has announced his separation from his wife, Annie Idibia, in a series of Instagram posts that have sparked reactions from celebrities and social media users. In a video posted on his Instagram story, 2Baba stated, “Hello to my beautiful people of all federations. Well, this thing I have to say is short but also long. I and Annie Macaulay have been separated for a while now, and currently filing for divorce. “I would grant a press release soon to say my story. Not because it is anyone’s right to know about…

Brazilian star Neymar on Monday ended his injury-plagued 18 month stay in Saudi Arabia as his club, Al-Hilal said they had “agreed to terminate the player’s contract by mutual consent”. “The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career with Al-Hilal, and wish the player success in his career,” said a club statement posted on social media. The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward played just seven times since joining the club in August 2023, despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year. Neymar, the subject of what is…

Media personality, Toke Makinwa has condemned music super star 2Baba for who he handled separation from wife Annie Macaulay-Idibia. Makinwa expressed  outrage on social media  stating that 2Baba’s actions were unacceptable She warned 2Baba that if he thought Annie was alone, he would have to face the collective opposition of her supporters. Toke wrote: “This is wrong on all levels and you should be ashamed of yourself for bringing this here. Bring it on if you think she is alone, let me tell you here that you will have to fight all of us”. In another post, Makinwa emphasised the importance of women…

Adams Oshiomhole, a former national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that retired military generals are allegedly behind illegal mining activities in Nigeria.  Oshiomhole, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior,  made the assertion during the submission of the 2025 budget report by Senator Sampson Ekong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, before the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He expressed concerns that the illegal mining activities, driven by powerful figures, pose a significant threat to Nigeria’s efforts to diversify its economy. “The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being…