Author: damazah@gmail.com

A former House of Representatives aspirant for Ilorin South/Ilorin East Federal Constituency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Ojolowo Tunji Abdullahi, has resigned from the party and declared support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its 2027 governorship standard-bearer in Kwara State, Hon. Yakubu Danladi. In a statement issued on Sunday, Abdullahi attributed his decision to the protracted internal crisis within the ADC, which he said had undermined the party’s capacity to provide effective leadership and pursue its political objectives. He also cited Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s decision to zone the 2027 governorship ticket to Kwara…

A new report has revealed that about half of the approved diagnostic tests for six epidemic-prone diseases prioritised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) cannot be used in most primary healthcare facilities across Africa because they require laboratory infrastructure that is often unavailable. The report found that 50 per cent of approved diagnostics for Mpox, dengue, cholera, bacterial meningitis, malaria and Ebola depend on laboratory facilities beyond the reach of many frontline health centres. For Ebola alone, 88 per cent of approved diagnostic tests require laboratory infrastructure. It also found that funding for diagnostic research…

Trump’s remarks to Carney when they attended the game on Sunday came after he threatened last week to impose new tariffs on Canada to pay for what Trump described as the “incalculable” cost of the smoke’s impact on the US.The US president posted the threat on social media on Friday as thick smoke shrouded Washington DC and New York City as it drifted across a large swathe of the eastern US.Ford told reporters on Monday that the neighbourly squabbles can be maddening.”I get frustrated just listening to a bunch of rubbish,” he told reporters at a press conference. Canada has…

Following the conclusion of a spectacular FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA has unveiled the tournament’s individual award winners, with Spain’s Rodri crowned the competition’s best player after inspiring La Roja to a historic second World Cup title. The midfield maestro produced a series of commanding displays throughout Spain’s triumphant campaign, dictating the tempo of matches and serving as the heartbeat of Luis de la Fuente’s side across all eight games. His outstanding performances earned him the coveted Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament’s best player. Although France fell short of reaching a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final, Kylian Mbappe…

Actress Annie Macaulay has dismissed viral claims that she has reconciled with her former husband, the Nigerian music icon Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, describing the reports as false. The actress addressed the speculation on Monday through a series of posts on her Instagram Stories after old videos of her and 2Baba resurfaced online, fuelling rumours that they had rekindled their relationship. The speculation gained momentum after an unverified post circulated on X, claiming that Annie had admitted to finding her way back to the singer after allegedly being “misled”. Annie’s Instagram story Annie Idibia’s Instagram story Reacting, Annie said the…

Education remains the major foundation for economic growth and development. And, it is not education for its sake but for quality. Achieving quality education in a country like Nigeria requires massive funding and focused reforms. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, since taking up the job, has made many off-hand policy statements that require in-depth discussion, analysis, and erudition. Education is at the core of every country’s programme, and projects for growth and development do not require piecemeal policy statements to drive their activities, but a comprehensive, research-backed plan or strategy. Investments in education or human capital development today will…

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has said much of the increase in Nigeria’s public debt since the current administration assumed office resulted from exchange-rate depreciation and accounting adjustments rather than extensive new borrowing. Mr Oyedele spoke on Monday while briefing the Senate Committee on Finance on the state of the economy, in response to concerns by lawmakers over the country’s rising debt profile. His remarks followed questions from Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), who referred to claims that the President Bola Tinubu administration had borrowed about ₦80 trillion in addition to the approximately…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has blacklisted Onifam Laboratories Ltd. following investigations that revealed regulatory misrepresentation and other violations that could compromise public health. The agency’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, announced the decision on Monday during a news briefing at NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Apapa, Lagos. Represented by the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, Ms Adeyeye said investigations revealed that the company engaged in regulatory misrepresentation, including the improper use of approvals and certificates, as well as activities that undermined product traceability, accountability and the integrity of the country’s medicines…

Wholesale petrol prices at Nigeria’s private depots have pushed higher for a second straight week, averaging around N1,250 a litre, up from roughly N1,200 last week, as an extended halt in loading at Dangote Petroleum Refinery collides with a rally in global crude and a market adjusting to the refinery’s shift to dollar-based transactions. A survey by Petroleumprice.ng of major depots on Monday found loading prices clustering between N1,248 and N1,270 a litre across Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar, a further step up from last week’s levels. The suspension of loading at Dangote’s refinery has now stretched into a…

Almost 3,000 websites have been blocked or seized for illegally streaming World Cup matches, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has said.More than 1,000 domains were shut down in the US alone during the tournament, with a similar number blocked in Colombia.Enforcement agencies in America and across South America carried out the action under investigations named “operation offsides” and “operation red card”.Ivan J. Arvelo, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (NIPRCC), said unauthorised broadcasting of World Cup matches violated intellectual property rights and “fuels criminal organizations”.The DOJ said at the end of last month it had taken…