By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has commissioned the 33.5km Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Akpabu-Ikiri-Omoku Dual Carriageway in Rivers State, a project delivered under the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Shettima performed the commissioning on Thursday, 20 August, 2026 acting on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, at an event that saw the road officially opened to link communities across Ikwerre, Emohua and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, cutting through a vital agricultural, commercial and oil-and-gas corridor to Omoku. Speaking at the event, the Vice President stated that the current administration was intentionally expanding infrastructure and economic opportunities beyond major urban centres in…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal Government has paid more than 1,000 contractors in recent weeks as it moved to ease mounting pressure over unpaid project debts, though a senior official at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has disclosed that some of the approved payments are yet to receive cash backing, an indication that the government’s efforts to settle outstanding obligations may still face implementation delays. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed the payment figures during the question-and-answer session of a media conference held on Thursday, 20 August, 2026 to…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has adopted Nigeria’s Revised 2025 National Migration Policy, marking a significant step by the Bola Tinubu administration towards building a more coordinated, responsive and people-centred migration governance system. The policy, approved at the FEC meeting on Wednesday, 19 August, 2026, updates the National Migration Policy first adopted in 2015 and provides a broader framework for addressing emerging migration realities while maximising the contribution of migration to Nigeria’s development. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard M. Doro, described the approval as a major milestone that would translate Nigeria’s…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Saliu Mustapha, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect, citing the departure of the party’s leadership in Kwara State from its founding principles of collective unity and internal democracy. The lawmaker, who is also Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Production Services and Rural Development, conveyed his resignation in a letter dated Thursday, 14 August 2026, addressed to the Ward Chairman of the APC, Gambari Ward 1, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, and titled “Resignation of Membership of the…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal Government has moved to revive the long-dormant Delta Steel Company, with its current owners, Premium Steel and Mines Limited, committing more than $1.3 billion to rehabilitate and modernise the plant and return it to commercial production within 18 to 24 months. The revival plan, which could create about 25,000 direct and indirect jobs, received a boost on Thursday, 20 August, 2026, following the signing of a Sub-lease and Operations Agreement between the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, and Premium Steel and Mines Limited, an arrangement expected to address one of the major requirements…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called for wider adoption of alternative payment channels to expand financial inclusion, particularly among farmers, traders, small businesses and operators in the informal sector. The call was made at the 2026 CBN Fair in Lokoja, Kogi State, where the apex bank sought to deepen public understanding of its policies, reforms and consumer protection initiatives while promoting the use of digital payment platforms to stimulate economic activity. The fair, themed “Driving Alternative Payment Channels as Tools for Financial Inclusion, Growth and Accelerated Economic Development,”brought stakeholders together to examine how digital…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Industrial Training Fund has said that it has committed over N700 million to the international certification of more than 7,000 Nigerian artisans under the Federal Government’s Skill-Up Artisans, SUPA, programme. The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of ITF, Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, disclosed this while monitoring the ongoing international certification examination at the ITF Centre of Excellence in Jos, Plateau State. Ogun said the examination was being conducted across 27 states and 28 examination centres, marking a major expansion of the international certification component of the SUPA programme after an earlier pilot exercise in Abuja…
The Chairman of Imota Local Council Development Area, Hon. Benson Sunday Ayodele, on Thursday, 20 August, 2026, joined the people of Imota, traditional institutions, and adherents of African Traditional Religion to commemorate Isese Day 2026 in a colourful celebration of Yoruba culture, spirituality, tradition and heritage. Hon. Benson attended the celebration alongside the Vice Chairman of Imota LCDA, Princess Abisoye Omowunmi Jimoh, members of the legislative arm led by the Leader of the House: Hon Oluwole Ademola Adeshina, the Secretary to the Local Government: Hon Mohammed Fagbesan, Supervisors, members of Hon Benson’s cabinet and other government officials, demonstrating the administration’s…
By Alhassan Bala Hundreds of young Nigerians, including students and graduates from northern Nigeria, have benefited from legitimate scholarships and educational opportunities offered by foreign governments and institutions. Such programmes can open doors to quality education, professional development and international exposure. However, the growing use of social media to advertise scholarships, jobs and training opportunities abroad also presents serious risks. Some seemingly attractive offers may be fraudulent, exploitative or even serve as channels for human trafficking and forced recruitment. This is why young Nigerians must exercise extreme caution before accepting foreign scholarships or employment opportunities promoted online. Recently, I came…
Canadian government on Friday, 20 August, 2026 announced plan to admit at least 230,000 foreign workers through its two major temporary work permit programs in 2026, in line with the federal government’s annual immigration levels plan, reports thegazellenews.com. The figures come as Canada introduces new rules that could allow some employers operating multiple small work locations to hire more low-wage temporary foreign workers. According to a CanadaVisa’s official X handle post on Friday,20 August, 2026, the government it expect to admit 60,000 workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and another 170,000 through the International Mobility Program (IMP) this year.…