Author: Atoyebi Adenike
By Atoyebi Nike The National Sports Commission (NSC) has pledged full support for Team Nigeria ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, scheduled for September 13-21. In a statement, NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade urged athletes to give their best and bring pride to the country, stressing that Nigerians were firmly behind the team. The 15-member squad is headlined by Tobi Amusan, world record holder in the 100m hurdles, and Ese Brume, long jump star. They are joined by athletes competing across sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws, and relays. Nigeria hopes to build on its 2022 success, where Amusan claimed…
By Atoyebi Nike The Federal Government has set a target to raise Nigeria’s industrial contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 10 per cent to 25 per cent by 2035. Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan, announced this at the Gastech Conference in Milan, describing the newly validated framework as a major policy shift under President Bola Tinubu. Owan said the plan would move Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a productive and competitive one, noting Tinubu’s reforms fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification had already stabilised the economy. He also highlighted Tinubu’s push for Compressed Natural…
By Atoyebi Nike A neglected tropical disease once thought to have faded from Nigeria’s public health radar has resurfaced in Adamawa State, claiming eight lives and infecting at least 28 people as of September 10, 2025. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies the illness as Buruli ulcer, an infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, a bacterium that produces a destructive toxin known as mycolactone. Often sensationally dubbed a “flesh-eating disease,” Buruli ulcer slowly destroys skin and soft tissue, beginning as a painless nodule or swelling before progressing to large, undermined ulcers. Unlike necrotizing fasciitis, which causes rapid, painful tissue death, Buruli…
By Atoyebi Nike The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted widespread rainfall and thunderstorms across the country between Thursday, September 11, and Saturday, September 13, 2025. According to NiMet’s Central Forecast Office, isolated thunderstorms with moderate rains are expected over parts of Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, and Borno states on Thursday. The Central Region, including Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, and the FCT, will experience thunderstorms later in the day. In the South, moderate rains are forecast for states such as Osun, Oyo, Enugu, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom. On Friday, the agency said thunderstorms would spread across most…
By Atoyebi Nike The United Kingdom has lifted its travel restrictions on Kaduna State, upgrading it from the “Red” to the “Amber” category in its foreign travel advisory. The announcement was made on Wednesday during the signing of the Kaduna Mutual Accountability Framework (KaMAF) between the Kaduna State Government and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Kaduna had been on the “Red” list since 2022 due to banditry and insurgent attacks that forced school closures and displaced thousands. With the new status, British nationals can now travel to the state with fewer restrictions, though caution is still advised…
By Atoyebi Nike The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has launched the Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 (PSV 2028), a new framework designed to strengthen the country’s digital financial system. The project was unveiled at the inaugural meeting of the PSV 2028 Project Committee in Lagos on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. According to Musa Itopa Jimoh, Director of the Payments System Policy Department, the initiative will build on earlier reforms, including PSV 2020 and PSV 2025, to improve financial inclusion, innovation, and interoperability in the sector. He said the strategy would be developed with input from regulators, banks, fintech companies,…
By Atoyebi Nike The Federal Government has clarified that Nigerian contractors are not restricted to road projects valued below ₦20 billion, contrary to widespread interpretation of its new “Nigeria First” policy. Works Minister David Umahi made the clarification on Wednesday during an inspection of the Carter Bridge in Lagos, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Umahi explained that while expatriate firms will no longer be awarded projects under ₦20 billion, indigenous companies remain free to compete for larger contracts.“They are not limited to just ₦20 billion. We are saying that our expatriate firms will no longer do jobs…
By Atoyebi Nike Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has unveiled the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in transforming its operations, citing gains in safety, productivity, and workforce training. Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Olakunle Osobu, told over 50,000 participants at the Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Milan, Italy, that AI integration had become essential to manage the company’s large-scale gas infrastructure and workforce. “With over 10,000 operators and technicians working simultaneously, the use of AI is not only imperative but compulsory,” Osobu said, noting that AI had reduced plant operator training time from 6-12 months to just 2-3 months. He…
By Atoyebi Nike President Bola Tinubu has directed a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to fast-track measures aimed at bringing down food prices across Nigeria. Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja, noting that the directive prioritises safe passage of farm produce to reduce logistics costs. “The President has given a matching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it on how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” Abdullahi said at a capacity-building workshop…
By Atoyebi Nike The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations has met with Finance Minister Wale Edun and Budget and National Planning Minister Atiku Bagudu to review the implementation of the 2024-2025 Appropriations Act. Committee chairman Abubakar Bichi (APC-Kano) said Nigerians were concerned about the slow pace of budget execution. He noted that the engagement was part of the National Assembly’s oversight duty to ensure effective service delivery. Edun disclosed that the 2024 budget had reached about 80 per cent implementation as of September. He added that the National Assembly’s extension of the budget until December would allow further progress,…