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Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Federal Government has stepped up its enforcement of environmental regulations, as the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed off four facilities in Nasarawa State over alleged pollution and other environmental violations. The affected facilities are ABZAT Quarry, Hoafong Mining Trading Company Ltd, Emono Venture and Mivanyi Integrated Farms. The enforcement operation, conducted on Thursday by officials of NESREA’s Karu Operational Office, was led by the Head of Operations, Mr. Da’am Monday. NESREA said the facilities were shut down for breaches of environmental standards, including pollution-related offences and failure to comply with…

Emma Okonji Chairman of the Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, argued that the Nigeria First Policy represented a major protection for creatively ambitious Nigerian entrepreneurs. He stated this during a session on: ‘E-Commerce and Procurement: Transforming Public Contracting through Digital Systems, Transparency and Local Capacity Development,’ at the just concluded Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference. Ekeh’s position was anchored on a simple but important principle: Nigeria cannot build a sustainable digital economy if indigenous businesses are consistently pushed aside in favour of foreign alternatives. He advocated for a policy framework that would require government Ministries, Departments and Agencies…

Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta – who represented one of the leading states in the Meta lawsuit – said he was “looking to ensure” TikTok adopted similar measures to Meta.In agreeing on Wednesday to make various changes to end the states’ lawsuit, Meta said they would only be truly effective “if all our peers join us.”Bonta told US News outlet CNBC he was “interested” in speaking to TikTok and YouTube, and that TikTok was “interested in speaking with us”.Neither company has responded to requests for comment since then.Bonta added that he had communicated with Snap, another popular social media…

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Donald Duke, has urged opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 general election, describing President Bola Tinubu as a formidable political opponent who should not be underestimated. Duke, a former Cross River State governor, spoke in an interview shared by Symfoni, a podcast on its YouTube channel on Friday. The PRP candidate said the opposition would struggle to defeat Tinubu if political parties and their candidates remained divided, stressing that the advantage of incumbency gives the ruling party significant leverage during elections. According to him, the control of government institutions by…

German health authorities have urged calm after two workers at Frankfurt Airport died from malaria in a rare outbreak linked to the country’s biggest airport. In a statement on its website, the Frankfurt Public Health Department said the situation is being closely monitored and that it is in regular contact with airport authorities to ensure “necessary measures are implemented as early and effectively as possible.” Cumulatively, six people have been infected with malaria in connection with the airport. The health department described the cases as “airport malaria”, a very rare occurrence in which malaria-carrying mosquitoes are transported from endemic areas…

Autism groups and researchers have reacted with alarm to a federal research roadmap drawn up by advisers handpicked by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, fearing it will promote unproven fringe therapies at the expense of promising genetic research.A slew of scientific bodies and groups within the autism community are warning that the 336-page plan risks deflecting federal dollars away from potentially groundbreaking genetic research in favor of unreliable alternative therapies.There is little or no evidence, they say, that many of the proposed treatments work, or that they even fit the definition of autism.“So much of the plan…

Nigeria’s D’Tigers have little time to dwell on their disappointing start to the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers as they return to action against South Sudan in Radès, Tunisia, on Friday (today). David Fizdale’s side will be looking for an immediate response after falling 78-62 to Cameroon on Thursday, a result that exposed Nigeria’s struggles offensively and left their World Cup qualification campaign under greater pressure. The encounter against South Sudan is scheduled for the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès. And with the qualification race in Group E so tightly contested, another defeat could leave…

A street artist has defended his mural of the snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan in Sheffield after critics suggested the world champion looked like a zombie.Chris Ashmore was commissioned to produce the artwork featuring the former seven-time world champion for the back wall of the Spot On snooker club, the BBC reported.Many people have reportedly said they like the mural, while others suggested O’Sullivan was “zombie like” or “skeletal” and told the broadcaster the artwork was “shocking”.Ashmore said he had only completed two weeks of the five that have been assigned to the job and “touch-ups” were forthcoming. “I usually use…

“All the upcoming young men and women who used to have a capital of 10 million, 20 million, and they were employing two, three other people, and then all of them went bankrupt and unemployed. How can there be security. So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will.” The post 2027: I’ll reopen all borders, develop southern ports if elected – Atiku appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

 * Says upgrade will boost air power, national security Linus Aleke in Abuja  The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has unveiled the newly upgraded runway and military apron in Rivers State, aimed at strengthening the NAF’s operational capability and mission readiness.  The air chief also noted that the upgrade represents a significant boost to Nigeria’s air power and national security architecture. Air Marshal Aneke said the upgraded facilities are set to enhance aircraft deployment, turnaround times, maintenance and overall operational efficiency, particularly in support of security operations across the South-south region. According to a statement…