Author: Festus Adeloye

President Bola Tinubu has approved a fresh funding arrangement for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), directing that liquid cash recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as well as certain unclaimed dividends, be channelled into the student loan scheme. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House Correspondents following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja. According to him, the council approved the presidential directive as part of measures to strengthen NELFUND’s financial capacity and enable it to cope with its expanding obligations to Nigerian students. Alausa said the arrangement…

President Bola Tinubu will address world leaders at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York on Wednesday, September 23. Tinubu is scheduled to speak as the 10th speaker during the morning session on the second day of the high-level General Debate, which will run from September 22 to 28 at the UN headquarters. A provisional list of speakers obtained by the newsmen indicates that the President is expected to deliver his address between 11:30am and noon New York time, or 4:30pm Nigerian time. He will join representatives of the 193 UN member states,…

The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, has resigned from office, throwing the state legislature into fresh political uncertainty. Agbebaku  tendered his resignation early Monday morning after receiving information that 18 of the 24 lawmakers had signed a notice seeking his impeachment as of Sunday night. A two-thirds majority, equivalent to 16 lawmakers, is required to remove the Speaker from office. Agbebaku’s resignation was confirmed by his media aide, Ivy Ebojele, who said further details surrounding the development would be made public later. Following his exit, Yekini Idiaye, the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo Constituency I and a…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has filed a suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential poll. Atiku, who is the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, deposed to an affidavit in support of the suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday. The statement noted that joined in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress ( APC). According to the statement, the former Vice President wants the court to determine whether…

President Bola Tinubu has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible governorship election in Osun State, warning that voters and electoral officials must be protected from intimidation. The President gave the charge on the eve of Saturday’s governorship election, in which 15 candidates are vying for the governorship of the state. Among the leading contenders are the incumbent Governor, Ademola Adeleke; the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji; and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Hon. Najeem Salaam. In a statement issued on Friday by his Special…

The United States has launched a new inter-agency task force to tackle birth tourism, with the government revoking more than 600 visas in its first round of action. The Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force was announced by the US Department of State under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of efforts to stop foreigners from travelling to the country primarily to give birth and obtain US citizenship for their children. The development followed two executive orders signed by Trump directing federal agencies to deny visas, revoke travel authorisation and deport foreign nationals who enter the…

The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has warned that the growing erosion of integrity in Nigeria’s electoral and judicial institutions poses a serious threat to the country’s democracy and future. Obi raised the concern at the annual Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, held at the Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre, Bauchi, on Tuesday, where he called on Nigerians to critically examine the direction of the country and take urgent steps to reverse what he described as a disturbing democratic decline. Recalling his experience of challenging his election in court, Obi said the…

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) shut down the operations of Air Peace in Abuja and Lagos in the early hours of Tuesday over allegations of blocking workers from unionising and non-remittance of ticket sales charges owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Passengers were stranded as the unions were led by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and said they had to picket the airline after the warning they gave…

Organised labour in Osun State on Monday defended the N20,000 disbursed to workers last week, clarifying that the funds were approved as palliatives to cushion the effects of economic hardship rather than for political vote-buying. The unions, who temporarily shut the entrances to the state secretariat in protest, carried placards bearing various inscriptions, including “Call Oyetola to order.” Addressing journalists, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman in the state, Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, explained that the financial support followed a direct request made by the union to Governor Ademola Adeleke. “On April 8, organised labour wrote a letter to His Excellency,…

The UK Conservative Party has announced plans to restrict access to new social housing for certain foreign nationals in England if it returns to power at the next general election, a proposal that could affect thousands of immigrants, including Nigerians living in the country. Under the proposed policy, some foreign nationals would no longer qualify for new social housing tenancies, while certain existing tenants could be required to vacate their homes within six months. The Conservatives said the measure would make an estimated 228,144 homes available for British families, arguing that it would ease pressure on England’s social housing system…