Author: Alade Adisa

President Donald Trump publicly backed efforts by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash government spending and cut the federal workforce on Wednesday, with the president downplaying potential conflicts between Musk and members of his Cabinet. Trump opened his first Cabinet meeting shortly before noon at the White House, with Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth seated beside him. For more than an hour, Trump weighed in a wide range of topics, fielding questions from reporters on Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan, the House Republicans’ budget plan and more. But first, the president allowed…

Forty-six people were killed when a Sudanese military transport plane crashed into a residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of Khartoum, the regional government said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement said the Antonov aircraft went down on Tuesday night near Wadi Seidna air base, one of the army’s largest military hubs in Omdurman, northwest of the capital. The army, which has been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, said the plane crashed during takeoff, killing and injuring both military personnel and civilians. “After a final tally, the number of martyrs reached 46, with…

In what turns out to be a piece of positive news, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have surpassed the $40 billion mark for the first time in three years, marking a significant milestone in economic recovery efforts. The governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, who disclosed during a meeting with the Assistant Governor for Monetary Affairs at the Saudi Arabian Central Bank (SAMA), Talal Al-Humond, on the sidelines of the inaugural Conference on Emerging Market Economies in Riyadh, attributed the rise to key reforms. A statement by CBN said the reserves were at their highest in nearly three years.…

The spokesperson for former President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu has explained the reason the erstwhile leader was absent from the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday. The meeting, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu, had in attendance top APC figures, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), and other key stakeholders. However, notable figures such as Buhari, former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi were absent. Speaking to BBC Hausa, Garba…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a N65 reduction in the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, lowering it from N890 to N825 per litre. The new price takes effect from February 27, 2025. According to the refinery, the price cut is aimed at providing relief to Nigerians ahead of the Ramadan season while also supporting President Bola Tinubu’s economic recovery efforts by easing financial pressures on citizens. This marks the second price reduction in February 2025, following an earlier N60 decrease at the beginning of the month. Similarly, in December 2024, the refinery slashed…

…But Zelenskyy wants security guarantees Ukraine and the U.S. have outlined an agreement in which they would jointly fund Ukraine’s future security and reconstruction using an investment fund powered by the country’s rare earth minerals, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday. However Zelenskyy said the deal would fail if it did not adequately provide for Ukraine’s future security against Russia — and only looked after American interests. “If I see and hear a broader vision from him [President Donald Trump] — one that aligns with our concept of a just peace for Ukraine — then this agreement can be part of…

Special adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has admonished former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai to stop acting like a “crying child” and move on from the ministerial snub episode. President Tinubu sent the list of ministerial nominees, including el-Rufai, to the senate for screening and confirmation in July 2023. The senate withheld el-Rufai’s confirmation over petitions filed against him on security grounds. The former FCT minister, speaking in an interview on Monday, said Nigerians should not believe the narrative that the national assembly rejected him as a ministerial nominee. “The National Assembly had…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has come under fire for allegedly frustrating a Senate investigation into the N30 trillion facility provided to the last administration from 2015 to 2023. The Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating Ways and Means has condemned the apex bank for frustrating the probe. Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Senator Jibrin Isah Echoch, made the accusation after receiving an interim report from consultants commissioned to investigate the matter. He said the committee was mandated to investigate how the Ways and Means facility was utilized by the past administration, particularly as it affects the government’s cover for budget…

Top chieftains and leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are currently at the National Secretariat of the party for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). However, former President Muhammadu Buhari; former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; and former governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi onspicuously absent from the NEC meeting were conspicuously absent from the NEC meeting. Hours before the meeting, all roads leading to the venue on Blantyre Street were cordoned off by a combined team of armed security men, including soldiers from the Guards…

President Trump said Monday that his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron marked an “important step” in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, as Trump’s return to the White House has indicated a likely tipping point in American support — and a possible rift with France and other European allies. Trump and Macron, who have a long-standing relationship after both came to office in 2017, held a bilateral meeting and news conference Monday afternoon, after participating in a Group of Seven leadership call earlier in the day to mark three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Macron is the…