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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has commissioned critical medical facilities at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital (44 NARH) and newly completed officers’ accommodation at Ribadu Cantonment in Kaduna State. The projects are aimed at strengthening combat medical support, improving troop welfare and enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army. At the 44 NARH, Lieutenant General Shaibu commissioned the newly completed Waidi Shaibu Critical Care Centre and a modern helipad designed to facilitate the rapid evacuation of wounded personnel from operational theatres to definitive medical care. The COAS described the facilities as strategic interventions…

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Firstway FZE and Global Software & Digital Solution (GSDS) for the implementation of the Pre-Loading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) framework in Nigeria. The agreement, is aimed at strengthening aviation security and enhancing the integrity of Nigeria’s air cargo supply chain. Implementation will initially focus on inbound air cargo and provide a structured framework for technology deployment, stakeholder onboarding and operational assessment. Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo, described the agreement as an important milestone in efforts to…

President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football following the country’s repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global tournaments. The President said the reform must address longstanding weaknesses in the governance and administration of Nigerian football, while strengthening stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, President Tinubu noted that other sports had recorded meaningful progress since the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission. He, however, observed that football had continued to struggle…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, has intercepted a consignment of illegally traded wildlife and arrested three male suspects along the Kano-Daura Road. The interception, carried out on August 25, 2026, followed an intelligence-led operation conducted in accordance with Section 55(1)(i) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Speaking during the formal handover of the intercepted wildlife, the Acting Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Muhammad Zanna, who represented the Acting Customs Area Controller, Kano/Jigawa Area Command, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Usman…

The Nigeria High Commission in the Republic of Rwanda on Thursday commended the Women Farmers Advancement Network, WOFAN, for its transformative impact on youth, women and farming communities.Exploring Travel Maps The High Commission also described the WOFAN’s decision to champion strategic communication, digital innovation, artificial intelligence and peacebuilding as a demonstration of visionary leadership. Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Ibrahim G. Zanna, made the commendation at the opening of the international training on “Strategic Communication: Integrating Digital and AI-Driven Innovation for Sustainable Leadership and Peacebuilding – Rwanda as a Case Study for Digital Transformation and Post-Conflict Reconstruction,” in Kigali, capital of…

Lamara Garba Azare Some names are written into history because of courage, sacrifice and service to humanity. Others become forever associated with suffering, destruction and the darkest chapters of human history. Ratko Mladić belongs to the latter category. The bull necked Bosnian Serb general, remembered across much of the world as the “Butcher of Bosnia”, died on Thursday, 27 August 2026, at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence in United Nations custody in The Hague. His death closes the physical life of one of the most notorious military commanders of the Bosnian War, but it does not…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has pledged its support for the implementation of the Nigeria Alcohol Policy and its Multisectoral Implementation Plan (2026–2030), launched by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The policy and implementation plan were launched by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as part of efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm and promote responsible economic development. The framework provides a coordinated national approach to alcohol control, with emphasis on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, effective regulation, and the protection of underage and vulnerable populations. Delivering a goodwill message at…

Bosede Olufunmi The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kano State has decorated 261 newly promoted personnel with their new ranks across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state. The Sector Commander of the Corps, Idris Lawal, disclosed this during the decoration ceremony held on Thursday in Kano. Lawal, who was represented by the Deputy Corps Commander, Mohammed Bello Yakubu, said the personnel were among those who successfully passed the Corps’ latest promotion examination. He said the promotion covered officers and marshals across various cadres, including five senior officers promoted from the rank of Chief Route Commander to Assistant…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), succeeding Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who retired after attaining the statutory retirement age of 60. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the State House in Abuja and witnessed by the Permanent Secretary, State House, Temitope Fashedemi, alongside other senior government officials. Enitan’s appointment, which took effect on August 27, 2026, was announced by the Presidency on August 19. Before his appointment, Enitan served as Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and was the most senior…

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is considering reducing transportation fares nationwide under the proposed national affordable CNG transit programme (NACTP). In a communiqué issued after the forum’s meeting held in Abuja and signed by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara and chairman of the NGF, the initiative will leverage the lower operating costs of compressed natural gas (CNG) to provide cheaper public transportation for Nigerians. Under the proposed programme, states are expected to support the conversion of vehicles to CNG, provide fleets and facilitate the development of supporting infrastructure, while participating transport operators would, in turn, commit to reducing passenger fares.…

The Prime Time Institute of Development Journalism (PTIDJ), Kano, has opened applications for its Professional Diploma in Development Journalism programme for aspiring and practising media professionals. The programme is designed to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills in contemporary journalism, digital media and strategic communication. According to the institute, the training will cover Development Journalism and News Reporting, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Media, Digital Media and Content Creation, Public Relations, Photojournalism, Radio Journalism, as well as Media Law and Ethics. The institute said the programme is aimed at strengthening the professional capacity of media practitioners and equipping participants with…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to maximise the country’s gas resources by reducing gas flaring and converting the environmental liability into economic benefits for Nigerians. The President made the call on Wednesday at the State House in Abuja when he received members of the NLNG Board, led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Adeleye Falade. President Tinubu said greater emphasis should be placed on domestic utilisation of the country’s gas resources to ensure that Nigerians benefit directly from the nation’s energy assets. He commended the NLNG management for improving the…

Nigeria has recorded significant improvements in its laboratory and diagnostic systems, although gaps in diagnostic capacity and quality assurance remain a challenge to national health security. The World Health Organization’s Joint External Evaluation (JEE) report of 2023 identified notable strengths and persistent bottlenecks within Nigeria’s diagnostic network. According to the report, Nigeria’s overall health security readiness score increased from 39 per cent during the country’s first evaluation in 2017 to 54 per cent in the second assessment. Despite the progress, the JEE identified continued gaps in laboratory diagnostic capacity and quality systems that require sustained attention. Against this backdrop, the…

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), in collaboration with the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), has convened stakeholders in Abuja to validate the National Biosafety Guidelines on Progeny Lines and Hybrid Seeds Derived from Biotech-based Hybrid Seed Systems (BbHSS). BbHSS technologies are transforming hybrid seed production by replacing conventional manual processes such as detasseling and emasculation with precise molecular and genetic tools. With the technologies emerging in Nigeria’s seed systems, stakeholders say clear regulatory guidance is essential to provide researchers, seed companies and farmers with certainty on requirements and expectations. The draft guidelines provide a science-based, case-by-case framework for determining…

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has launched the one-billion-dollar Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project, HOPE-SP, as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s social protection and humanitarian response systems. The initiative, themed “From Palliatives to Pathways,” was unveiled on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja. The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, and his team for their efforts to transform humanitarian interventions from temporary assistance…

The Federal Government has established the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Prize, an annual N365 million initiative to recognise and reward outstanding academic research, innovation and intellectual excellence across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced this while unveiling the initiative in Abuja. Dr. Alausa said the prize is aimed at repositioning tertiary institutions as centres of research, innovation, enterprise and problem-solving, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Minister noted that Nigeria has exceptional intellectual capacity across its universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education, but said outstanding research…

The Kano State Fire Service has rescued a 40-year-old man and his cow after they became trapped in an old well at Sabon Ruwa Village in Makoda Local Government Area of the state. The Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, said the Emergency Response Unit of the Danbatta Fire Station received a distress call from one Ibrahim Jibrin, who reported the incident at the station. He said firefighters immediately mobilised to the scene and found that a five-year-old cow had fallen into the old well. According to him, the owner of the cow, Badamasi…

The Kaduna State Office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has inaugurated an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State. The initiative is aimed at strengthening institutional integrity, transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s aviation training sector. Representing the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, the Assistant Commissioner and Head of the System Study and Review Department of the Kaduna State Office, Habib Muhammad Kwalam, commended the management of NCAT for supporting the establishment of the unit. Kwalam charged the newly inaugurated ACTU members to discharge…

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has pledged the continued support of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for the development of volleyball in Nigeria following the qualification of two Customs players for the national team. Adeniyi made the commitment when he received members of the national volleyball team at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja after their return from Egypt with medals from the championship. The Comptroller-General said sports development had remained part of the tradition of the Customs Service, adding that concerns over Nigeria’s declining dominance in volleyball prompted the Service to identify and support young talents. He said the…

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has urged state governments, particularly in Northern Nigeria, to domesticate and implement federal policies and legal frameworks aimed at improving access to education for Almajiri and out-of-school children. The Minister, represented by his Special Adviser on Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, Dr Balarabe Shehu Kakale, made the call at a stakeholder engagement in Kaduna. Dr Alausa said the frameworks included the Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education Act, the operationalisation of Section 15 of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act 2004 on Almajiri education, and the National Policy on the Enhancement of…