NEWS

Leaders from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS met on Saturday with Guinea‑Bissau’s military junta to discuss the release of political detainees and the country’s return to constitutional governance, according to sources. The delegation, which included Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio — the current ECOWAS chairman — and Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, engaged with officials from the ruling junta in Bissau. Their mission focused on accelerating progress toward restoring democratic order, a source close to Guinea‑Bissau’s foreign ministry told AFP. ECOWAS representatives also met with two opposition figures: one who remains in detention following the coup and another who sought refuge in a foreign embassy. The discussions centred on calls for the release of tho...

The Edo State Government has advised residents to avoid violence and disorderly conduct, following a protest that led to the blockage of major roads in Ekpoma on Saturday, January 10. In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, the government said it was responding to public concerns arising from the protest, which disrupted vehicular movement and raised questions about the state’s security situation. While acknowledging the constitutional right of citizens to protest, Afegbua stressed that security-related issues require calm, coordination, and constructive engagement. He warned that actions such as road blockades and movement disruption do not support security efforts and could expose residents to further risks or be exploited by criminal...

Following weeks of negotiations, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), are set to sign an agreement. A circular issued by the Ministry of Education invited Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of federal universities to witness the signing ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall, Abuja. It was titled ‘Invitation to the Ceremony for the Signing of Agreement Between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.’ The circular was sighted by our correspondent on Saturday and confirmed by the Ministry’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade. According to the circular, “This signing represents a critical milestone in promoting industr...

Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos-based hospital of medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. ARISE News reported on Saturday that Adichie’s media team confirmed she authored the statement, which was initially shared privately with family and close friends. According to Adichie, her son passed away due to complications at Euracare Hospital, where he had been taken for an MRI scan and central line insertion. She claimed that he was sedated with propofol but was not adequately monitored, leading to loss of responsiveness, seizures, and ultimately cardiac arrest. Adichie said her son “would be alive today if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6,” when he underwent t...

Property valued at millions of naira was destroyed on Friday when a fire gutted three vehicles and a community power house at a filling station in the Kara area of Kishi, Irepo Local Government Area of Oyo State. An eyewitness told our correspondent on Saturday that the incident occurred at about 5:00 p.m. following an explosion in the power house, which ignited nearby flammable materials and spread to adjoining property. Findings revealed that the affected vehicles included a Volvo truck with registration number AGG Lagos 731 GB, a Golf 3 with registration number KUT 403 AP, and an empty DAF truck with registration number GB0 14 AB. Confirming the incident in a statement issued in Ibadan on Saturday, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and Chairman of the ...

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has dismissed as untrue reports claiming he plans to marry former First Lady, Aisha Buhari. Pantami described the story as false, unfounded, and entirely impossible. The rumour spread widely on social media after an alleged wedding invitation card surfaced online, suggesting that the former minister was set to wed the widow of late President Muhammadu Buhari. However, the invitation card contained no wedding date or any verifiable information. Reacting during an interview with PRNigeria, Pantami said he was shocked by the claim, emphasising that the late President Buhari was a father figure to him. “Aisha Buhari is a mother to us. It is troubling that such a story could be fabricated,” he said.“Pr...

The Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Professor Clement Adebooye, has approved the appointment of Professor Alamu Oguntola of the Department of Mechanical Engineering as the acting Provost of the Postgraduate College of the institution. The appointment, which took effect on Monday, January 5, 2026, was part of the institution’s ongoing efforts to strengthen leadership and enhance academic excellence across its postgraduate programmes. This was contained in a statement on Friday by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji. Adesoji said the don would bring his 26 years of academic experience and expertise in teaching, research, and university administration to the growth of the college. The statement partly read, “The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebooye...

The Federal Government has set aside ₦7.01 billion for the travel expenses of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in the proposed 2026 appropriation bill. According to the budget proposal, ₦6.14 billion is earmarked for President Tinubu’s international travel, while ₦873.88 million is allocated for domestic trips, bringing his total travel budget for the year to ₦7.01 billion. For Vice-President Shettima, the proposal allocates ₦1.73 billion for travel and transportation, including ₦1.31 billion for international trips and ₦417.48 million for domestic travel. In a bid to reduce government spending, President Tinubu had previously cut the number of officials accompanying him on local and international trips by 60 per cent in 2024. Despite this reduction, the to...

A forensic audit firm, SALLY TIBBOT Consulting Limited, has accused the Osun State Government of fraudulently adding 8,452 ghost workers to its payroll, allegedly costing the state ₦13.72 billion annually. The firm’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, made the allegation through her legal counsel, Jiti Ogunye, during a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Lagos on Friday. According to Bakrin-Ottun, the figures emerged from a comprehensive forensic audit and payroll validation exercise commissioned by the Osun State Government, which she said exposed widespread payroll fraud across the state’s civil and public service structures. Attempts to obtain a response from the state government were unsuccessful as of...

At least 13 State Houses of Assembly across Nigeria have collectively added more than ₦1 trillion to their states’ 2026 budgets after reviewing and amending appropriation bills submitted by governors, an analysis by Saturday PUNCH has revealed. The increase emerged from a comparison of the original budget proposals presented by state governors and the final appropriation laws passed by the assemblies, with the differences reflecting legislative insertions and adjustments. This development comes against the backdrop of sustained public pressure to reduce the cost of governance, amid growing fiscal stress, rising debt levels and increasing debt-servicing obligations faced by sub-national governments. Each year, governors present budget proposals—commonly referred to as appropriation...