Author: Amina Mohammed

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano state has received the Most Courageous Governor of the Year Award from a Lagos-based newspaper, This Nigeria. According to a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the award was presented during the 2024 annual lecture and awards ceremony marking 25 years of continuous democratic governance. The accolades were bestowed following a meticulous evaluation by a panel of adjudicators appointed by the newspaper’s leadership, who assessed the performance and qualities of all 36 state governors in Nigeria. “Governor Yusuf was declared the winner of the Courage in Leadership Award category in the…

The House of Representatives on Thursday, June 27, resolved into an executive session to deliberate on the request from President Bola Tinubu to extend the life span of the capital component of the 2023 budget and the 2023 supplementary budget to 31st December 2024. It will be the third time the life span of the capital component of the budget will be extended. Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley China had argued that while it is legally ok to extend the capital component of the budget, it is morally wrong to have about four budgets running simultaneously. He argued that…

Police in Kenya fired tear gas at small groups of demonstrators in the capital Nairobi on Thursday, AFP journalists saw, a day after President William Ruto agreed to scrap contentious tax hikes and called for dialogue following deadly protests. The protests this month — led largely by young, Gen-Z Kenyans — caught the authorities off-guard, as Ruto’s government ricocheted between taking a tough line on the protests and issuing entreaties for dialogue with the demonstrators. Dozens of protesters made their way to Nairobi’s central business district on Thursday, with soldiers deployed and police in anti-riot gear blocking access along roads…

The University of Ibadan (UI) and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), have sent a strong message to the Federal Government, demanding the return of union funds deducted from their salaries during the recent strike action. The chairmen of the two universities’ union, Professor Ayo Akinwole (UI) and Dr Babatunde Lawal (LAUTECH), equally tasked the Federal and state governments in Nigeria to give more and due attention to tertiary education funding. While addressing newsmen on Thursday, shortly after protesting against the foot-dragging attitude of the federal government to the demands of…

The Police have dismissed a trending video circulating in the social media purportedly showing a group of terrorists planning to invade Nigeria as an edited 2018 clip. The Police said the clip, a 2018 video, was manipulated with the aim of generating panic and fear among citizens and residents of Nigeria. It decried the act as unpatriotic, criminal and punishable under the law, noting that such can cause significant harm, incite panic, and heat up the polity. The Police, therefore, urged the public to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information, while warning individuals who engage in the deliberate spread…

Anthony Joshua will face Daniel Dubois in an all-British showdown for the IBF world heavyweight title at Wembley on September 21 after Oleksandr Usyk confirmed he was vacating the belt. Dubois is the IBF’s mandatory challenger and it was announced on Wednesday that he will go up against Joshua. Usyk, 37, became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in Saudi Arabia last month. “Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you on September 21,”…

The Police Command in Ekiti State has arrested 21 suspects in connection with the recent killings and other crimes in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four people, including a commercial motorcycle ticket agent, were recently killed by gunmen at different locations in Ado-Ekiti metropolis. The command’s spokesman, DSP Sunday Abutu, told newsmen on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti that the suspects were arrested following discreet investigation by the command. The spokesperson for the command disclosed that the suspects were arrested for alleged armed robbery and cultism. Abutu explained that the suspects were members of different cult groups…

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer went head-to-head over tax, immigration, gender and Brexit in their final debate before next Thursday’s general election. The Tory leader repeatedly accused Sir Keir of planning tax rises and having no plan to deal with illegal immigration, in the 75-minute BBC event. Sir Keir told him off for making constant interruptions and attempted to rebut the attacks by accusing Mr Sunak of making unfunded tax promises and of being “out of touch” with voters. The pair did not know the questions they faced from members of the public at Nottingham Trent University, with one…

Ecuador boosted their chances of reaching the knockout rounds of the Copa America on Wednesday after hanging on to beat Jamaica 3-1 in their Group B clash in Las Vegas. Ecuador, beaten by Venezeula in their opening match of the tournament on Saturday, held off a spirited second-half rally by the Reggae Boyz to claim a vital three points at the Allegiant Stadium. The South Americans looked to be cruising to victory after taking a 2-0 lead following a Kasey Palmer own goal and a penalty from Chelsea-bound teenager Kendry Paez. However, Jamaica pulled a goal back from veteran striker…

In the wake of the cholera outbreak in the country, the Federal Government yesterday initiated dialogue with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, GAVI, to obtain emergency supplies of oral cholera vaccine, OCV, as Nigeria battles the disease amid a global shortage of the vaccine. Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, is leading the discussions with GAVI. The development came as NCDC yesterday announced an increase in the death toll and spread of…