Author: Atoyebi Adenike

By Atoyebi Nike The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has commenced the screening of 5,723 candidates shortlisted for its 2025/2026 Overseas Scholarship Scheme (OSS), aimed at equipping Nigerians with world-class expertise for the country’s evolving oil and gas industry. Out of 29,633 applications received nationwide, the shortlisted candidates are undergoing interviews across designated centres. The OSS offers opportunities for MSc and PhD studies in top institutions in the UK, Germany, France, and Malaysia, with select PhD scholars also benefitting from a split-site model linked to PTDF’s College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna. Speaking in Abuja during the launch…

By Atoyebi Nike Heavy security presence enveloped Daura on Tuesday as preparations entered the final stages for the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The late president is to be laid to rest in a designated garden adjacent to his residence in his hometown. Personnel from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army manned the entrance of the compound, while police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) operatives were positioned strategically around the premises. A group of men, believed to be family members, were seen digging the grave, though journalists and members of the public…

By Atoyebi Nike Suspected gunmen have abducted the Permanent Secretary of the Nasarawa State Ministry for Information, Barrister Yusuf Musa, in a brazen attack at his residence in Ungwan Nungu, Lafia, during the early hours of Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Barr. Musa, a former General Manager of the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS), was taken along with his vehicle, a GMC bearing plate number KUJ 88 PA. Police authorities confirmed the abduction. According to the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, a patrol team discovered an abandoned Peugeot pick-up van near the premises with its doors left wide open,…

By Atoyebi Nike The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has encouraged smallholder farmers in Adamawa State to adopt organic farming as a strategic route to tap into the booming global market for clean, certified produce. Speaking at a training workshop in Jimeta, Yola, NEPC Executive Director/CEO, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, highlighted the $97 billion global organic food market, projected to grow to $437 billion by 2028, and emphasized Nigeria’s need to position itself as a key supplier. “The main objective of this initiative is to develop capacity for a prosperous organic export,” Ayeni said. She added that the workshop aimed to…

By Atoyebi Nike The ECOWAS Commission has wrapped up a four-day technical meeting in Cotonou, Benin Republic, where tourism experts from across West Africa reviewed and validated six draft classification standards for hospitality establishments. The session, held from July 8 to 11, 2025, aimed to harmonies regional standards for hotels, ecolodges, aparthotels, and similar facilities under the ECOTOUR framework, organized by the ECOWAS Commission’s Private Sector and Industry Directorates, the meeting aligns with broader efforts to elevate the region’s tourism sector to global standards while retaining its cultural richness. Speaking at the event, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture,…

By Atoyebi Nike Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has stepped up its enforcement efforts by removing over 10 million fake profiles and 500,000 spam accounts in the first half of 2025. The company said these actions target impersonators and accounts spreading fake engagement. In a statement released Monday, Meta said it’s tightening rules to promote original content. Pages that repeatedly share recycled or unedited content—including videos with watermarks—will lose monetisation access and see reduced visibility on users’ feeds. To support original creators, Meta is testing tools that trace reposted content back to the source and is enhancing content insights…

By Atoyebi Nike The United Nations has raised fresh concerns that the world is dramatically falling behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, warning that urgent and united action is needed to avoid leaving more people behind. Launching the 2024 Sustainable Development Goals Report on Monday at the opening of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared, “We are in a global development emergency.” The report outlines both encouraging gains and sharp setbacks. While lives have been transformed with child and maternal mortality rates reduced by about 15%…

By Atoyebi Nike Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has initiated plans to build Nigeria’s biggest and deepest seaport at Olokola in Ogun State, marking a major expansion into maritime logistics. In an interview with Bloomberg, Dangote said he submitted paperwork for the project in June. The port, located about 100km from his Lekki refinery, will support exports of fertilizer, petrochemicals, and LNG, while easing imports of equipment and raw materials. “This move will encourage other entrepreneurs,” Dangote stated, highlighting the need for improved port infrastructure. The planned Atlantic seaport would rival existing ports in Lagos, including the Lekki Deep Sea…

By Atoyebi Nike The body of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, departed London on Tuesday morning aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft en route to Daura, Katsina State, where he will be laid to rest with full state honours. Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently in the United Kingdom, heading a top-level Federal Government team finalising logistical details for the repatriation of the late president’s remains. Buhari died in a London hospital on Sunday at the age of 82. Information Minister Mohammed Idris, speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will receive the…

By Atoyebi Nike Nigeria’s telecommunications sector recorded its highest-ever monthly data consumption in May 2025, reaching 1.04 million terabytes, according to new figures released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This marks the peak since the Commission began publishing data usage statistics in January 2023. The surge in data consumption comes amid a downturn in internet subscriptions across the country, largely attributed to recent price hikes by major telecom operators. In April 2025, data usage stood at 983,283 terabytes, while January saw a similar peak of 1 million terabytes. Internet Subscriptions Slide Despite the record data consumption, total internet subscriptions…