Author: damazah@gmail.com

The Central Bank of Nigeria says the benefits of Nigeria’s economic stabilisation will soon begin to reach households and businesses. The bigger question is whether the financial system has enough affordable credit to make that promise real. Olayemi Cardoso, CBN governor, said on Tuesday that improving macroeconomic conditions would increasingly translate into better outcomes for households and businesses as monetary and fiscal reforms take stronger effect. Cardoso, who was represented by Philip Ikeazor, the deputy governor, at the 19th Annual Banking and Finance Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in Abuja, acknowledged that the improvement in economic…

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has asked the U.S. government to ban several hack-for-hire firms — companies that carry out cyberattacks on behalf of paying clients. The lawmakers accuse the firms of targeting Americans and abusing foreign courts to silence U.S. reporting on their activities. Democratic senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and Republican congressman Pat Harrigan, on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, urging him to add three Indian companies to the department’s economic sanctions “entity list.” The list effectively bars U.S. businesses from transacting with a named…

Liam Sloan, principal at Bolton College, said not many students missed more than half of classes, but those who were absent often had mental health challenges or part-time jobs.”Sometimes the student being able to be offered that £30 shift there and then means more… than the potential qualification in six or seven months’ time,” he said.He said there was a particular issue in English and maths GCSE classes, which students in England are required to study alongside other courses if they don’t have a grade 4 or above.Attendance rates at the college had improved in recent years though, he said,…

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), widely used to treat diabetes and support weight loss, may also have benefits for mental health, particularly among people with bipolar disorder, according to new research from Griffith University. Diabetes, obesity, and bipolar disorder frequently occur together and may share some underlying biological mechanisms. According to the latest World Health Organization estimates, about one in 200 people worldwide, or roughly 37 million people, live with bipolar disorder. GLP-1 medications are already established treatments for diabetes and obesity, but their possible effects on bipolar disorder have remained unclear. Large Study Examines GLP-1 Drugs and Bipolar Disorder…

Real Madrid’s Belgian goalkeeper #01 Thibaut Courtois looks on during a press conference on the eve of the UEFA Champions League football match between Real Madrid CF and Juventus at the Real Madrid Sports City in Valdebebas, in the outskirts of Madrid on October 21, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said in quotes published on Wednesday he has decided to put his Belgium career on standby until September 2027. The 34-year-old made the last of his 115 international appearances at this summer’s World Cup but will only return to the Red Devils set-up for Euro…

London’s Gate theatre, not to be confused with its Dublin namesake, is no more. A combination of factors, including rising costs, declining funding and its move in 2022 from its original home in Notting Hill Gate, means that it will cease trading next month. But it is worth celebrating its achievement over five decades. It has been an astonishing nursery of talent and has always stood for a defiant internationalism. “I sometimes think,” I once wrote, “that one learns more about world drama at the Gate than at any other London theatre.”That was the dream of its founder, Lou Stein,…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it did not authorise a petition challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the 15 August governorship election in Osun State. Jungudo Mohammed, the national publicity secretary of the PDP loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, disclosed this at a press briefing on Wednesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Mr Mohammed said the party’s national secretariat neither instituted the petition nor directed its legal team to take any legal action challenging Mr Adeleke’s victory before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. “We are here to tell you that…

The Anambra State Police Command has said it has arrested no fewer than 12 persons in connection with the killing of a popular comedian and town crier, Isaac Nwosu, popularly known as “Aiza Nwosu”, as well as other cult-related killings in Awka, the state capital. The command, however, denied allegations that its officers collected ₦600,000 to secure the release of Nwosu Jennifer, said to be a sister of one of the suspects. Spokesman for the command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, made the clarification during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Awka on Wednesday. Ikenga insisted that Jennifer’s arrest and…

*Seven candidates unveil four-year plan targeting insecurity, food crisis, education, healthcare, jobs and regional economic integration *Back Atiku’s promise to reverse removal of fuel subsidy *Pledge N110k minimum wage for workers in region The seven governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Nigeria’s Northwest have signed a regional development compact aimed at tackling insecurity, poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and weak human development through coordinated action across the seven states. The Northwest ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact 2027–2031, was adopted and signed on Wednesday by the party’s governorship candidates from Sabo Mohammed Nakudu (Jigawa), Isa Mohammed Ashiru (Kaduna), Ibrahim Ali…

By Udeme Akpan President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has said the forthcoming Initial Public Offering, IPO, of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is being structured to enable ordinary Nigerians to participate in the ownership of one of Africa’s strategic industrial assets. According to him, the public offering was “for the people”, noting that efforts were being made to simplify the share purchase process and make it accessible to investors across different income groups. He said the objective of the offering goes beyond raising capital to promoting broader participation in wealth creation by allowing Nigerians to…