Author: Atoyebi Adenike
By Bagudu Mohammed In December 2024, Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s Conservative Party star and a woman of Nigerian heritage, stirred a storm not merely by criticizing Nigerian leadership for corruption, but by the tone, timing, and tactlessness of her delivery. It wasn’t her message that shocked the public it was the condescension dripping from every word, the calculated detachment, and her choice to strike not with intellect, but with venom. That’s where the line between the thoughtful and the thoughtless is drawn. Her now-infamous exchange with Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, exposed far more than a political disagreement. It laid…
By Atoyebi Nike Residents and businesses in Adamawa, Taraba, and Yobe States will experience a temporary power outage due to scheduled maintenance announced by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC). The outage is set to occur on Thursday, August 7, and Friday, August 8, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. According to YEDC, the planned maintenance is being carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The focus of the work is the T2A 150MVA 330/132kV transformer at the Gombe Transmission Station. The company stated that the maintenance…
By Atoyebi Nike Zubara Global Services Limited has partnered with Tech for Agriculture and Community Africa Initiative (TAC Africa) to launch the Afri AGRITECH Institute, aimed at reducing crime and youth unemployment through smart farming and empowerment programmes. The initiative, announced in a joint statement, will focus on using agriculture and technology to create jobs and support peacebuilding efforts in communities affected by poverty, insecurity, and disasters. According to Promise Chizara, CEO of Zubara Global Services, the project is designed to connect vulnerable youth with sustainable livelihoods. “Agriculture is not just about food, it’s a way to empower people, reduce…
By Atoyebi Nike Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has announced that the state’s new 400-bed Teaching Hospital under construction along the Maiduguri–Damaturu Road will be fully completed and operational by the end of September 2025. During an inspection visit on Monday, Zulum said the state-of-the-art facility would provide affordable, high-quality healthcare and drastically reduce the number of citizens seeking medical treatment abroad. “With this hospital, our people no longer need to travel to Cairo or India for healthcare. We are building a world-class facility that will be accessible, affordable, and professionally run,” Zulum told journalists after touring the…
By Atoyebi Nike Google has significantly expanded its digital mapping coverage in Africa by adding millions of previously undocumented buildings to Google Maps, thanks to an ambitious artificial intelligence and satellite imagery project aimed at bridging infrastructure data gaps across the continent. The project, led by Google Research, involved deploying machine learning models to analyze satellite images, particularly in under-mapped, remote, and informal settlements. According to Abdoulaye Diack, Programme Manager for Google Research, nearly half of all buildings currently visible on Google Maps in Africa were mapped through this effort. “When we started, many African neighborhoods didn’t appear on Maps,”…
By Atoyebi Nike The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has officially called off its nationwide warning strike, asking all members across the country to return to work immediately. In a circular titled “Suspension of the Ongoing Nationwide Nurses’ Strike” and signed by the association’s National President Comrade Haruna Mamman and General Secretary T.A. Shettima, the union directed state chapters to mobilize for full resumption of services. The strike, which began on Wednesday, was a seven-day warning protest over outstanding demands, including review of shift allowances, improved uniform allowance, and the creation of an independent salary structure tailored…
By Atoyebi Nike The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has extended humanitarian aid to 500 households affected by the recent flood disaster in Adamawa State, distributing essential relief materials to victims in Yola South Local Government Area. The materials were handed out on Saturday, with the NSA’s younger brother and Adamawa State APC Organizing Secretary, Mustapha Atiku Ribadu, overseeing the exercise. He said the assistance aimed to ease the suffering of families whose homes and livelihoods were devastated by last Sunday’s flooding. Each beneficiary household received food items including rice, spaghetti, noodles, cooking oil, as well as blankets, mats,…
By Atoyebi Nike The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has launched a new initiative to strengthen Benue State’s social protection systems, with a focus on vulnerable populations. Funded by the European Union, the project titled Support to Sustainable Social Protection Systems aims to enhance service delivery to children, displaced persons, people with disabilities, and the poorest households in four pilot states: Benue, Abia, Oyo, and Sokoto. UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Enugu, Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, made the announcement during a stakeholders’ meeting in Makurdi on Monday. She explained that the initiative…
By Atoyebi Nike President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to delivering stable and uninterrupted electricity across Nigeria before the end of his administration, the Federal Government has assured. Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, gave this reassurance during the commissioning of the 1X15 MVA 33/11KV Injection Substation in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos on Saturday. He said the project will boost power supply to communities including Abaranje, Igando Road, Okerube, and others, enhancing local businesses, creating jobs, and reducing outages. “The Tinubu-led government views energy as the backbone of national growth. That’s why we are pushing reforms that improve generation,…
By Atoyebi Nike Humanitarian agencies have warned that the situation in Gaza is deteriorating rapidly and could lead to an irreversible humanitarian collapse unless the fighting ends immediately. At least 56 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the enclave on Monday alone, including 27 individuals reportedly trying to access humanitarian aid, according to local health officials. The escalating violence has crippled relief efforts, with aid groups struggling to reach vulnerable populations amid continuous bombardment and access restrictions. Calls for a ceasefire have intensified as the civilian toll grows, pushing Gaza further into crisis.