JAMB distances itself from hijab harassment at Ibadan exam centre
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has attributed an incident involving the alleged harassment of hijab-wearing candidates at a computer-based test centre in Ibadan to an "overzealous" ad hoc staff member who acted outside official guidelines. The incident occurred at the Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre during the first session of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination screening exercise on Thursday, April...
Mimiko quits PDP
Former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing the need to put to rest lingering speculation about his membership status. Mimiko conveyed his decision in a letter to the party chairman in Ward 7, Ondo West Local Government Area, on Thursday, stating that his resignation took effect from April 10, 2026. "I am tendering...
Enugu introduces ₦36,000 flat levy for traders as IGR rises to ₦7.4bn
The Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS) says traders and informal sector operators in the state now pay a flat annual levy of ₦36,000 under a newly harmonised tax structure designed to eliminate multiple taxation and improve revenue collection. The Executive Chairman of ESIRS, Ekene Nnamani, disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholders’ sensitisation session on the state’s new tax...
NIS rejects passport used in UK property dispute involving Useni, Ozekhome
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that a Nigerian passport presented in proceedings over a disputed London property linked to the late former FCT Minister, Jeremiah Useni, was not issued by the agency. Testifying before Justice Chizoba Oji on Thursday, Aridegbe Akim, a Principal Staff Officer to the Comptroller-General of Immigration, said checks...
MTN halts xtratime, data borrowing service over new FCCPC lending rules
MTN Nigeria has temporarily suspended its airtime and data advance service, Xtratime, as it moves to comply with new consumer lending regulations introduced by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). The FCCPC’s DEON 2025 rules expanded digital lending oversight and set a final April 2026 regularisation window for eligible operators. The telecoms giant disclosed the development in a filing...
Pastor bags life imprisonment for raping church member’s daughter
The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in the Ikeja area of Lagos State on Thursday sentensed a 63-year-old pastor, Chris Mcdouglas, to life imprisonment for raping his 18-year-old church member’s daughter (name withheld). The presiding judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, sentenced Mcdouglas, a pastor at the Peculiar Generation Assembly Church in Lagos, to life imprisonment after he found the...
FG expands maritime investments, targets 50,000 new jobs
The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to unlock opportunities in Nigeria’s maritime sector, with ongoing investments projected to create about 50,000 jobs across shipping, port operations, fisheries, and related services. Recent government projections linked 30,000 jobs to the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) and another 20,000 to port modernisation projects. Speaking at the commissioning of the new Institute of...
The Dantsoho Doctrine: Why cooperation is new competition in West African waters
By IBRAHIM NASIRU “The sustainability of African countries rests heavily on the sustainability of their seaports; we are linked by water, but we must be united by purpose.” As the global maritime map is redrawn by digital transformation and shifting trade routes, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has found its "Captain of Consequence" in Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho. Since assuming command, the Liverpool...
Reps approve N248.64bn relief, 10-year debt repayment plan for Kano, Jos, Ikeja DisCos
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has approved a N248.64 billion debt relief and restructuring package for Kano, Jos and Ikeja electricity distribution companies as part of efforts to ease financial pressure in Nigeria’s troubled power sector. The package, approved on Thursday, combines N128.60 billion in waived accrued interest and N120.06 billion in restructured legacy principal debts, to be...
Gunmen kidnap UTME candidates, other travellers on Benue highway
Several passengers, including candidates travelling for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), were abducted by gunmen along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway in Benue State. The incident occurred on Wednesday night when a Benue Links bus carrying travellers from Makurdi to Otukpo was reportedly ambushed by armed men near Otukpo at about 8 pm. Sources said the bus had about 18 passengers...
