NEWS

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State on Tuesday exchanged sharp criticisms over the state’s 2026 budget, with the opposition branding it a “symbol of elitism” and misplaced priorities. While the PDP condemned what it described as outrageous expenditure items in the approved budget, the APC rejected the claims, accusing the opposition of twisting facts for political gain. In a statement released by its Director of Media and Public Communication, Wande Ajayi, the PDP alleged that the APC-led government had placed the comfort of political office holders above the welfare of citizens. “This once again reveals a government more focused on the comfort of political office holders than the well-being of the people,” Ajayi said. He poi...

A 29-year-old Harare vendor has been released on bail after spending nearly two months in custody following a dispute over the condition of public toilets at Mbare bus terminus that allegedly escalated into remarks interpreted as insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe. The release was confirmed on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), which said the High Court ordered the vendor’s freedom after he had been detained since early December 2025. According to ZLHR, Anashe Mundandi was arrested on 1 December 2025 at Mbare bus terminus following a verbal altercation with a City of Harare employee responsible for cleaning the public facilities. “We have secured freedom for a vendor, who had been languishing in prison for more than two months ...

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law this month. Akpabio made this known on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session where the lawmakers constituted a committee to harmonise its version of the bill with the one passed by the House of Representatives amid the backlash triggered by some amendments to the Act. “I believe that if you are able to conclude within this, in the next few days or one week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February. So I wish you a worthy deliberation with your colleagues,” he said. According to him, the 12-member committee will work with the House of Representatives to harmonise the versions of the ...

A former Kaduna State Governor and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed claims of a personal fallout with President Bola Tinubu, stating that he never had a personal relationship with the President in the first place. Speaking during an interview on Trust TV on Monday, El-Rufai said his support for Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid was driven by party loyalty and political arrangements, not friendship. “I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari of blessed memory,” he said. The former governor explained that his involvement in Tinubu’s emergence as president followed consultations within the All Progressives Congress and broader political considerations ahead of the election. ...

The Malaysian government has unveiled plans to roll out a new digital recruitment platform that will enable employers to hire foreign workers directly, effectively eliminating the role of private recruitment agents that have traditionally dominated the process. According to Economic Times, the announcement was made by Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, who said the initiative is designed to reduce recruitment costs, prevent exploitation of migrant workers, and enhance transparency in the country’s foreign labour system. Ramakrishnan noted that heavy reliance on intermediaries has exposed foreign workers to excessive recruitment fees, debt bondage, and practices resembling modern-day slavery. “This issue has been raised repeatedly in Parliament...

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted a longer-than-normal rainy season in Lagos, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Ogun, Oyo, Nasarawa, Anambra, Kwara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Gombe, and Taraba States in 2026. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, disclosed this during the public presentation of the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction in Abuja on Tuesday. Keyamo said NiMet revealed that an early onset is expected in Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Oyo, and parts of Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Adamawa, and Taraba States. “While a late onset is expected over Borno State. Rainfall cessation is anticipated to be earlier than normal in parts of Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Imo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, and Niger States. “However...

President Bola Tinubu has approved a new round of appointments across key government agencies and institutions. According to a statement released on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President appointed Hon. Magaji Da’u Aliyu as the Managing Director of the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), Abuja. SHESCTO is tasked with research and development in science and technology and oversees the operation of a nuclear research facility. In the power sector, President Tinubu also appointed Engr. Adesayo Olusegun Michael as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA). The President further constituted the Board of NEMSA with the following appointments: Engr. Aliyu Ab...

The Senate on Tuesday held an emergency plenary session to deliberate on the contentious amendments to the Electoral Act, following widespread protests sparked by the removal of a provision mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results. The extraordinary sitting came only days after the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, and amid growing backlash from civil society organisations, labour unions, opposition parties, professional bodies and youth groups, who have accused the National Assembly of weakening electoral transparency. Early on Tuesday, hundreds of protesters converged on the entrance of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, singing solidarity songs and displaying placards calling for electoral accountability and the adoption of digital resu...

The United States has warned Nigerians that overstaying their visas could jeopardise travel opportunities for other citizens seeking to visit the US for education, business, or family purposes. The warning came amid ongoing immigration crackdowns and tighter travel restrictions under the administration of President Donald Trump. In a statement posted on X on Monday, Feb. 9, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria stressed that compliance with visa rules is essential to protecting access for Nigerians who travel responsibly. “Visa overstays by Nigerian travellers can affect opportunities for their fellow citizens,” the Mission said. “Strengthening compliance helps protect access for students, business travellers and families who travel responsibly.” The Mission also urged Nigerians ...

The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to deport additional 18 Nigerians listed on its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register.  The development comes barely one week after 79 Nigerians convicted of various offences were marked for deportation. According to the statement published on DHS website on Monday, February 9, 2026, 18 Nigerians were convicted for wire fraud, child solicitation, mail fraud and identity theft. “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the statement read. “Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations...