Author: Ogochukwu Ndubuisi

Lagos Hosts Food Festival to Foster Growth across Agric. Value Chain The Lagos State Government has hosted the 5th edition of the annual Food Festival to foster growth across the various food spaces and the entire agro value chain. The event hosted by the State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, held at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island Lagos on Sunday. The event had in attendance food vendors and caterers across the Lagos agric space. In his address, the Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, commended the ministry’s effort to ensure all within the agriculture space thrive. “You have all…

Edo Reviews Radisson Hotel Deal Amid ₦385m Monthly Debt The Edo government says it is servicing a ₦385 million monthly Irrevocable Standing Payment Order for the Radisson Hotel project. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kassim Afegbua, disclosed this on Sunday in Benin. Afegbua said the obligation stems from a ₦25 billion capital market facility secured by the previous administration. He noted that the liability has prompted a comprehensive review of the transaction and its underlying agreements. According to him, Edo continues to bear the debt burden despite emerging concerns over the project’s equity arrangement. He expressed concern that…

ADC Urges Transparency in Nigeria–France Digital Tax Deal African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Sunday called for transparency in the Nigeria-France digital tax agreement. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, expressed concern over the agreement. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had recently signed a landmark cooperation pact with France. The agreement, FIRS said, was aimed at modernising Nigeria’s tax administration through digital transformation, capacity development and improved cross-border enforcement. The agreement came barely weeks before the FIRS formal transition into Nigeria Revenue Service by January 2026. FIRS Chairman, Dr Zacch…

Increasing Defections to APC: Tinubu is on Right Course Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said the increasing number of politicians switching to the All Progressives Congress (APC) showed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and the direction of his administration. Abdulaziz disclosed this when he addressed a mammoth crowd of APC supporters at a rally in Fagge, on Sunday in Kano. Abdulaziz said the president’s inclusive style had attracted members from across party lines and geopolitical zones. “There is no party in Nigeria today that symbolises unity like the APC,” he declared. Abdulaziz stated that several…

Insurance Recapitalisation Closes Solvency Gaps, Deepens Stability The insurance industry is addressing long-standing solvency and capacity gaps through phased recapitalisation, a reform designed to strengthen underwriting capacity, restore public confidence and support broader economic growth. Operators say the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025 provides a gradual transition that enables insurers to build capital sustainably, improve governance, enhance risk absorption and better protect policyholders. NIIRA 2025, enacted to support Nigeria’s ambition of building a one-trillion dollar economy, seeks to reposition the insurance sector for resilience, competitiveness and increased contribution to national development. Under the Act, minimum capital requirements have…

Osun 2026: Adeleke ‘s Emergence Remains Valid, Says S’West Accord Key stakeholders of Accord party in South-West zone on Sunday reaffirmed the candidacy of Gov. Ademola Adeleke for the 2026 gubernatorial election in Osun. The stakeholders stated this in a communique issued at the end of their emergency meeting on Sunday in Ibadan. The communique was read by the party’s National Vice-Chairman, South-West, Mr Paul Igbinsola. They insisted that the governorship primary that produced Adeleke on Wednesday in Osogbo remained valid. The communique said that the two warring factions under the national leadership of Rev’d John Adeniyi and Nduibem Maxwell…

Tinubu Increases CCB Budget From N3bn to N20bn President Bola Tinubu has approved a massive increase in the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB)’ budget from about N3 billion to nearly N20 billion. The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Dr Abdullahi Bello disclosed this in an interview with the News men on Sunday in Abuja. Bello said the increase was to overhaul the nation’s outdated asset declaration system, strengthen verification and enforcement to make the bureau more virile. He added that the budget increase was necessary to fund technological upgrades, improve the bureau’s working environment and strengthen verification…

US Warns Rwanda of Measures Over Congo The United States has threatened Rwanda with measures just days after the signing of a peace agreement in Washington. This followed the capture of a strategically important city in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the rebel militia M23. The actions of Rwanda in the east of Congo represented a clear violation of the Washington agreement co-signed by President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X on Saturday. The United States will take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept,” Rubio added. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi…

Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Hits PPDC Operations – CEO The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), , says the suspension of foreign aid announced by United States President, Donald Trump, has significantly disrupted its operations and forced it to lay off workers. Mrs Lucy Abagi, Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, a leading Nigerian governance and justice-sector reform organisation, made this known in an interview with the News men on Sunday in Abuja, Abagi said that the development created serious funding gaps for projects supported by United States agencies. President Trump, upon assuming office, ordered a halt to nearly all U.S.…

NGX Retakes N95trn Valuation as Investors Gain N1.54trn The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) retook N95 trillion in market capitalisation as equity investors gained N1.54 trillion week on week in the domestic bourse. The Nigerian equities market extended its December momentum, riding on a fresh wave of optimism and stronger buying interest as investors positioned ahead of year-end flows. The market’s mood was visibly upbeat, with confidence deepening and the seasonal effect firmly taking hold across major blue-chip and mid-tier names, according to Cowry Asset Limited. The benchmark All-Share Index advanced by 1.63% to settle at 149,433.25 points, inching closer to the…