Author: Atoyebi Adenike
By Atoyebi Nike The Federal Government has criticized road contractors for mixing removed asphalt with laterite during construction, a practice it says is responsible for recurring highway failures nationwide. Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway on Tuesday, describing the method as “technically unsound” and responsible for premature cracks and potholes. “When Julius Berger was doing the job, they removed the asphalt and said they wanted to grind it with laterite. It is not a good construction method,” Umahi said, noting that such blending weakens the road’s sub-base because new laterite lacks the…
By Atoyebi Nike The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, in partnership with the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), will host the Nigeria-EU Health Investment Forum on October 30, 2025, in Abuja. Themed “Made in Nigeria. Made for Health,” the event will bring together government leaders, investors, and industry experts to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the forum would drive “health sovereignty” by promoting local production, investment, and innovation across Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.…
By Atoyebi Nike Nigeria’s push for industrial self-reliance has received a major boost following the signing of a $400 million cooperation agreement between the Federal Government and Stellar Steel Company Limited, a Chinese-backed firm, to establish a large-scale steel plant in Ewekoro, Ogun State. The deal, sealed in Abuja between the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and Stellar Steel, represents one of the biggest foreign direct investments in Nigeria’s steel sector in nearly ten years. The plant, backed by China’s Galaxy Group and RSIN Group, is expected to begin operations by mid-2026. According to the Minister of Steel Development, Prince…
By Atoyebi Nike The Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria (AICAN) has threatened to stage a nationwide protest on November 3, 2025, over the Federal Government’s alleged failure to pay for completed 2024 projects. Addressing journalists in Abuja, AICAN President Jackson Ifeanyi described the situation as a “grave injustice,” noting that members executed government-approved projects in good faith but were yet to receive payment. He said many contractors were now indebted and financially strained, warning that members would boycott all 2025 projects unless mobilisation funds were released upfront. National General Secretary Babatunde Seun urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene, while…
By Atoyebi Nike The Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) says the removal of fuel subsidy has ushered in full deregulation, creating room for innovation, competition, and digital transformation in the downstream oil and gas sector. Speaking at the OTL Africa Downstream Week 2025 in Lagos, MEMAN Chairman Huub Stokman said the policy shift is driving new business models such as Energy-as-a-Service, Virtual Power Plants, and peer-to-peer energy trading. He noted that with the Dangote Refinery operational, dependence on imports is declining, while natural gas is emerging as a key transition fuel. Stokman added that sustainable and digital technologies …
By Atoyebi Nike The Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Kwarra, has ended his five-year tenure, handing over to Muhammad Dattijo, the Federal Commissioner representing Niger State, who will serve in acting capacity. A statement from the Commission said the handover ceremony took place Tuesday at its Abuja headquarters, attended by commissioners, directors, and staff. Kwarra thanked colleagues for their support, highlighting achievements in data digitisation, civil registration, and census preparations. Appointed in 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, Kwarra oversaw key reforms ahead of Nigeria’s long-awaited population and housing census, which was postponed in 2023. Dattijo will lead…
By Atoyebi Nike At least 50 people were killed and 200 wounded in Israeli air strikes across Gaza overnight, the territory’s civil defence agency said, calling it a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire. Victims included 22 children, women, and the elderly. The Israeli military said the strikes followed the killing of a soldier in Rafah, blaming Hamas for the attack – a claim Hamas denied. Hospitals reported heavy casualties, with blasts hitting near Al-Shifa and Al-Awda facilities. Hamas has delayed the return of hostage remains, citing renewed Israeli offensives, while Israel accused the group of breaching the truce. Since October…
By Bagudu Mohammed When the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, described Nigeria’s infamous yahoo boys as “geniuses,” it sparked a storm of controversy and a national conversation that refuses to fade. While addressing youths in Onitsha, Obi had remarked that “some of our so-called yahoo boys are geniuses who need redirection, not condemnation.” To him, the creativity and courage that fuel online fraud could, if properly harnessed, drive innovation and national development. His challenge, he said, was to “channel their energy from deception to productive enterprise.” Predictably, the statement ignited both outrage and awe. To…
By Atoyebi NikeLiquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) marketers have unveiled plans to raise Nigeria’s annual LPG supply to six million metric tonnes in the coming years as part of efforts to expand the use of clean energy nationwide. Outgoing President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Oladapo Olatunbosun, disclosed this on Tuesday at the association’s 38th Annual General Meeting in Abuja. Olatunbosun said LPG consumption in Nigeria had increased from around 900,000 metric tonnes four years ago to over two million metric tonnes in 2024, driven by new investments, government collaboration, and growing public adoption. He expressed…
By Atoyebi Nike The Senate will today (Wednesday) screen and possibly confirm the newly appointed service chiefs nominated by President Bola Tinubu as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security framework. Tinubu’s request was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary, urging lawmakers to give “expeditious consideration” to the nominees. The President named Gen. Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Maj. Gen. Emmanuel…