The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to institutionalise gender-responsive planning and budgeting across ministries, departments and agencies, with the 2027 national budget expected to reflect the new approach. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Deborah Odoh, disclosed this at a capacity-building programme on gender-responsive planning and budgeting, stressing that gender considerations must be embedded throughout the national planning and budgeting cycle. Odoh said the Budget Office of the Federation had already included gender-responsive planning and budgeting in the guidelines for the 2027 budget, but expressed concern over the low level of response from government institutions.…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has moved to strengthen Nigeria’s criminal justice chain against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, with a renewed focus on closing operational gaps between investigation, prosecution and judicial decision-making. The initiative is coming against the backdrop of Nigeria’s strategic position in West Africa and its exposure to transnational organised crime, particularly human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Nigeria serves as a country of origin, transit and destination, a position that exposes the country to complex operational and judicial challenges requiring a coordinated response across the entire criminal justice system. Speaking in…
The Federal Government has launched a new regional initiative with France to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against human trafficking, with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) warning that criminal networks are increasingly exploiting digital platforms, irregular migration channels and vulnerable populations to expand their operations. The PROTECT Regional Project, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by Expertise France, seeks to move Nigeria’s anti-trafficking response beyond the arrest of individual suspects to the disruption of the networks, financial systems and cross-border partnerships that sustain the exploitation of victims. The five-country intervention, covering Nigeria, Benin,…
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has enrolled 2,296 applicants in the first six operational days of its Special Passport Intervention Exercise in the United Kingdom, with the Manchester Centre recording the higher number of enrolments. The exercise, which commenced on September 7, 2026, recorded 1,709 applicants at the Manchester Centre and 587 at the London Centre, as Nigerians with confirmed appointments continued to turn out for passport services. Daily enrolment figures across the two centres stood at 245 on September 7, 401 on September 8, 396 on September 9, 429 on September 10, 406 on September 11 and 419 on…
British High Commissioner Designate to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, has arrived in Abuja to assume leadership of the United Kingdom’s diplomatic mission, pledging to deepen the longstanding partnership between both countries. Vowles, who succeeds Dr Richard Montgomery CMG, arrived in the Nigerian capital on Monday, according to a statement issued by the British High Commission. Speaking on his arrival, the new envoy said his immediate priority would be to listen, learn and engage with Nigerians across the country “I am hugely excited to be in Nigeria. My first priority is to listen and learn – to travel, meet people and immerse…
By: Dr. James Bwala Last week I was at the Garki area, specifically at the Kiss FM 99.9, to supervise one of my students on SIWES at the radio station. I arrived while a call-in program was on air with discussions and contributions coming in as I took a seat in the studio. The discussion was centered around politics and religion, with the visits of some religious leaders to the presidency and endorsement of the Tinubu and Kashim Shettima’s administration for the 2027 general elections in the country. This program got hot at some point, and I smiled as I…
Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and China’s National Immigration Administration have explored stronger technical cooperation, intelligence sharing and capacity building as part of efforts to combat irregular migration, document fraud and transnational organised crime. The discussions took place during a bilateral meeting between the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, and officials of the National Immigration Administration of China on September 9, on the sidelines of the Sub-Forum on Migration Management Cooperation in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province. The international forum, held from September 8 to 11, brought together more than 2,000 participants from 139 countries and organisations to…
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has graduated 1,626 officers from its Fourth Combined and Upgrading Course, 2026, with the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, urging them to deploy professionalism, technology and sound judgment in tackling emerging border-security and migration challenges. The officers passed out during a ceremony held at the Immigration Training School, Kano, and the Digital Bridge Institute, marking one of the Service’s largest training exercises and reinforcing its drive to strengthen operational capacity through continuous professional development. Nandap, represented by the Assistant Comptroller-General in charge of Human Resources Management, Samuel Agba, said the changing nature of border…
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has commissioned a nine-span flyover, a dualised 2.5-kilometre road with five kilometres of drainage, and two mega schools in Maiduguri, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to rebuilding infrastructure and restoring public services disrupted by insurgency. The projects, inaugurated on Sunday, form part of the state government’s urban renewal and post-insurgency recovery efforts aimed at easing traffic congestion, improving drainage, supporting economic activity and expanding access to education. The commissioning ceremony was attended by Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, who served as special guest of honour and performed the symbolic cutting of the tape. The…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the police to maintain the status quo in a suit challenging an invitation by the Force Intelligence Department (FID) to members of the GThomes Estate Residents Association, Lekki, to appear in Abuja for interrogation. Justice Friday Ogazi issued the order on Monday, 7 September, 2026 pending the determination of a Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure (FREP) suit filed by the estate’s executive committee. The suit arose from a dispute between a resident and the estate management over her alleged disconnection from the estate’s power supply after she reportedly failed…