NEWS

\With just two days to the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, security agencies, electoral officials and civil society groups have intensified preparations for what is expected to be one of Nigeria’s most closely watched off-cycle elections.The Independent National Electoral Commission will on Thursday (today) begin the movement of sensitive election materials to the 16 local government areas of the state, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has deployed 10,000 personnel and the Nigeria Police Force activated a comprehensive election security framework to safeguard the poll.The heightened preparations came as the Court of Appeal constituted the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, while the Nigerian Air Force confirmed the successful a...

US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of former President Barack Obama’s handling of relations with Iran, claiming Iranian officials mocked Obama after the signing of the 2015 nuclear agreement.Speaking alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a joint appearance at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, Trump defended his own approach to Iran while attacking the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the landmark nuclear deal negotiated under the Obama administration.Trump described the agreement as a poor deal for the United States and alleged that Iran benefited financially from it.“Nobody could have made this deal. I mean the JCPOA done by Obama. He handed them $1.7 billion in cash… $1.7 billion in cash, green cash from banks into a Boeing 7...

A total sum of N2.300 trillion, being the May 2026 Federation Account Revenue, has been shared between the federal government, states, and the local government councils.In a statement on Wednesday by the spokesperson of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, the revenue was shared at the June 2026 Federation Account Allocation Committee FAAC meeting held in Abuja.The N2.300 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N1.611 trillion and distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N688.785 billion.A communiqué issued by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) indicated that the total gross revenue of N3.395 trillion was available in the month of May 2026. Total deduction for cost of collection was N...

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has directed the Katsina State Police Command to strengthen security measures around schools across the state to protect students, teachers and educational facilities from security threats.The directive was conveyed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Finance and Administration, Sulaiman Abdul, during a two-day operational visit to Katsina State. According to the police, the command has been instructed to increase surveillance, intensify patrols around schools, improve intelligence gathering and maintain a visible security presence at educational institutions throughout the state.DIG Abdul said the initiative is aimed at preventing criminal activities, enhancing emergency response capabilities and ensuring that scho...

The memorandum further calls for the gradual removal of sanctions imposed on Iran, including United Nations Security Council measures, International Atomic Energy Agency-related restrictions, and unilateral U.S. sanctions.The United States and Iran are expected to sign a draft memorandum of understanding in Switzerland on June 19 that could pave the way for negotiations aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries and placing new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme.Bloomberg reported that it had obtained a copy of the proposed 14-point memorandum, which outlines a framework for a 60-day negotiation period that could culminate in a broader peace agreement.According to the report, the proposed memorandum calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities between the tw...

A former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was acquitted on Wednesday of six bribery charges following a high-profile corruption trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.Alison-Madueke, who served as minister from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.She denied all charges.Prosecutors alleged that Alison-Madueke, 65, was given “a life of luxury” in London by oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, a country that has long struggled with corruption and mismanagement.However, the former minister, who also briefly served as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said she never received any bribes and ...

The Nigerian Air Force has airlifted sensitive electoral materials for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election and a series of senatorial and federal constituency by-elections scheduled for June 20, 2026.The NAF said the operation was carried out between June 15 and 16 at the request of the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure the secure and timely movement of sensitive materials from Abuja to designated locations across the country.According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the operation covered preparations for the Ekiti governorship election, senatorial by-elections in Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State, Nasarawa North Senatorial District of Nasarawa State, an...