Author: Atoyebi Adenike
By Atoyebi Nike OpenAI has introduced a new generation of apps integrated directly into ChatGPT, allowing users to access third-party services through natural conversations. The company announced this in a blog post on Monday, unveiling the Apps SDK, now available in preview for developers. The SDK allows apps to fit seamlessly into chats, either through user prompts or ChatGPT’s suggestions. Apps are now accessible to all logged-in ChatGPT users outside the EU on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. Pilot partners include Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify, and Zillow, with more to follow later this year. Users can call…
By Atoyebi Nike The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted varying weather conditions across the country, with prospects of thunderstorms, moderate rainfall, and possible flash floods in several states between Monday, October 6, and Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Monday, October 6: In the Northern region, sunny skies with patches of clouds are expected in the morning, followed by isolated thunderstorms and moderate rains over Taraba, Adamawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, Jigawa, and Kaduna states. Later in the day, more thunderstorms are expected over Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, and Taraba. The Central region will experience cloudy conditions with…
By Atoyebi Nike The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced stricter eligibility rules for Point of Sale (PoS) operators under its revised Agent Banking Guidelines, barring individuals with bad loans, watch-listed BVNs, or financial misconduct records from the sector. Released on October 6, 2025, the rules disqualify anyone with non-performing loans in the past 12 months, bankrupt individuals, or those convicted of fraud and related offences. Credit records will be verified through licensed bureaus to block defaulters from re-entering the system. Banks and payment service providers must now conduct background checks on prospective agents, covering credit history, BVN status,…
By Atoyebi Nike After weeks of inactivity, the Nigerian Senate will reconvene on Tuesday with a crowded agenda led by long-delayed security and electoral reform debates. The upper chamber had postponed its resumption from September 23 to October 7, extending its annual recess by two weeks and stalling key national issues. Top on the agenda are the proposed National Security Summit, amendments to the Electoral Act, the 2025 Constitution Alteration Bill, and the National Assembly Budget and Research Office Bill a two-decade-old proposal to strengthen fiscal oversight through independent budget analysis. An internal memo from Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s office…
By Atoyebi Nike France’s outgoing Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, began two days of negotiations on Tuesday to rally cross-party support for a new cabinet and end the country’s political impasse. President Emmanuel Macron tasked Lecornu with forming a government in September after parliament toppled his predecessor over an unpopular austerity budget. Lecornu unveiled a cabinet on Sunday, but it was swiftly criticised for retaining key figures from the previous administration, prompting his resignation on Monday. Macron, however, asked him to stay temporarily to salvage his government and secure a stable platform by Wednesday. The political crisis, triggered by last year’s…
By Atoyebi Nike The Federal Government has reconstituted and inaugurated the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee to fast-track discussions with academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the new body would unify all negotiation processes under a single framework to ensure sector-wide inclusiveness. He added that the committee has a fully equipped secretariat and will hold its inaugural meeting on Tuesday, October 7. Alausa noted that President Bola Tinubu has given full political backing for swift and fair negotiations, stressing that the goal is…
By Atoyebi Nike The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Cross River State has called on the state government to raise education funding from 15% to 26% of the annual budget to enhance productivity in the sector. Speaking at the 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Calabar, NUT Chairman, Comrade Gregory Olayi, urged the government to promote teachers to Grade Level 17 and appoint them as permanent secretaries, as done in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers states. He also demanded timely release of the education budget, recruitment of more teachers, and prompt payment of primary school teachers’ salaries. Olayi lamented…
By Atoyebi Nike Several retired senior military officers have supported former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd), in calling for a state of emergency to tackle Boko Haram insurgency and worsening insecurity across Nigeria. In his new book, Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, Irabor argued that the absence of political will had hindered Nigeria’s counterinsurgency efforts. He urged the Federal Government to proclaim an emergency, backed by the National Assembly, to mobilise all elements of national power against the terrorists. Recent attacks have underscored the urgency. Boko Haram fighters seized Kirawa, a border town in…
By Atoyebi Nike Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has cautioned that certificate forgery among public officials could normalise crime and undermine Nigeria’s moral fabric. He made the remarks on Monday in response to revelations that Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, admitted in court that he never received a university degree. An investigative report revealed that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, disowned the Bachelor of Science certificate held by Nnaji. The institution stated he did not complete his studies and was never issued a certificate. In reaction, the minister reportedly filed a suit against the education…
By Atoyebi Nike The President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has led the groundbreaking of a $2.5 billion fertiliser plant in Gode, Ethiopia. The project, in partnership with Ethiopian Investment Holdings, will produce three million metric tonnes of urea annually, making it one of the world’s largest fertiliser complexes. Located in Ethiopia’s south-east, the plant will use natural gas from the Hilal and Calub reserves to boost agriculture, create jobs, and strengthen food security across the Horn of Africa. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the project as a symbol of “shared responsibility, cooperation, and peace,” reflecting Ethiopia’s drive…