NEWS

President Bola Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Professor Ayo Omotayo as the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.The renewal was confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the statement, Omotayo will serve a final four-year term.The statement recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari first appointed Omotayo in November 2021, with the Senate confirming the appointment in February 2022.A Professor of Environmental Sustainability, Omotayo earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Ibadan, where he studied between 1980 and 1990.He began his academic career at Lagos State University in 1985 and became a Senior Lecturer in 199...

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called on residents of Abuja not to allow politicians mislead them for electoral gains.Wike made the statement on Wednesday during a thank-you visit to stakeholders in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), appreciating them for supporting candidates loyal to President Bola Tinubu in the February 21 Area Council elections.He commended the residents for keeping their promise at the polls, assuring them that he would also honour his commitments without offering excuses.The former Rivers State governor said the president specifically wants an FCT minister who engages directly with the people rather than remaining distant in the office.“Never again will we allow politicians to deceive us. Never again will w...

President Bola Tinubu has approved the construction of six major road projects across the country.He also approved the proposed demolition of the Carter Bridge in Lagos and the redesign of a new bridge.This was disclosed by the Minister of Works, Dav Umahi, on Wednesday.According to Umahi, the road projects approved for construction include:The Suleja–Minna Road, which was originally awarded to Salini Construction Company but later terminated due to poor performance. Umahi said only 10 km of the road was completed before the contract was cancelled.He said the government has now resolved to complete the remaining 71 kilometres of the dual carriageway, with one carriageway awarded to China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGC) at a cost of ₦91 billion. The second carriageway,...

The Federal Government has approved N9.99 billion for the purchase of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines for people living with HIV/AIDS and the upgrade of cancer treatment facilities nationwide.The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.Salako said the approval addresses earlier concerns about a possible shortage of ARV drugs in the country.“At the beginning of the year, there were fears that Nigeria might run out of ARVs. With this approval, that concern has been resolved,” he said.He revealed that the contract for the procurement of ARVs under the presidential treatment programme has been awarded to Fidson Healthcare at a cost of N9.99 billion.A...

The Anambra State Government has approved and awarded various contracts totaling about ₦604 million for road and other key infrastructural projects aimed at driving social cohesion, economic growth, and improving the lives of its citizens across the state.This is just as the state government also approved the three primary events for the swearing-in of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and his deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, for a second term and established several subcommittees to ensure smooth execution.According to a press statement released on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the three events are an interdenominational service to be held on Sunday, March 15; a swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, March 17; and a thanksgiving service on Sunday, ...

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed a five-member delegation to represent him and Nigeria at the final burial ceremonies of American civil rights icon, activist, and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.Jackson died on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84 in Chicago.According to reports, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, is heading the delegation.A statement issued on Wednesday by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga listed other members of the team as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs, Brian Browne; and Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambas...

About 140 people are missing after an Iranian navy ship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka.  The Sri Lankan navy says around 180 people were on board, with 32 rescued. A spokesman tells the BBC the cause of the sinking is not known. Sri Lanka’s navy has confirmed that it’s rescued 32 people after it received a distress call from Iranian navy ship ‘IRIS Dena’ early this morning, March 4.  Budhika Sampath, the spokesman of Sri Lanka’s navy says: “Though it was beyond our waters, it was within our search and rescue region. So we were obliged to respond as per international obligations.” He adds: “We found people floating on the water, rescued them, and later when we inquired we found that those people are from an Iranian ship.” He also says that according to the documentation of the ship 180 peo...