NEWS

The United States has criticised China over its latest actions in the South China Sea, warning that Beijing’s activities around the disputed Scarborough Shoal could further threaten regional stability.In a statement issued on Saturday, the US State Department accused China of restricting Filipino fishermen from accessing waters around Scarborough Shoal, an area located off the coast of the Philippine island of Luzon.Washington also rejected China’s decision to designate the disputed area as a “national nature reserve,” arguing that the move could be used to reinforce Beijing’s territorial claims.“The United States rejects China’s ongoing attempts to enforce its destabilizing ‘national nature reserve’ at Scarborough Reef and deny Filipino fishermen access to their traditional fi...

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Saturday disclosed that the state’s monthly federal allocation surged from an average of N3.8bn to N4.5bn before the removal of fuel subsidy, to between N14bn and N16bn today.He credited President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms for freeing up resources previously consumed by subsidy payments across all tiers of government.Sule made the disclosure while receiving a delegation of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Tour, led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, at the Nasarawa State Government House in Lafia.Sule said, “I can tell you for free. You are right when you say that in the first four years, everybody knows Nigeria was sharing anywhere between maybe N590bn to about N620bn mo...

The Independent National Electoral Commission has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been...

Nigerian law professor and diplomat, Akasoba Duke-Abiola, has accepted her nomination and endorsement by the African Policy and Research Consortium for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations.Duke-Abiola, the widow of the late businessman and politician, Chief Moshood Abiola, disclosed this on Saturday in a statement responding to the endorsement, which was recently announced by the consortium.The African Policy and Research Consortium comprises government officials, scholars, policy leaders and development practitioners across Africa and other parts of the world.Her endorsement comes as African stakeholders seek greater representation and influence in the leadership of key international institutions, with the UN secretary-generalship traditionally attracting ca...