Author: Alade Adisa

The official federal government agency in charge of student loans in Nigeria, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), has disbursed a total of N23 billion to several individuals and 128 tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Speaking to senior journalists in Lagos during the week, managing director, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed that N18 billion has been channelled to the institutions while about N5 billion has been disbursed for students’ upkeep. He said, “So far, we have had 326,000 individuals apply for the loan. “A total of about N23 billion has left our account and gone to the accounts of the institutions and…

There is palpable tension and an atmosphere of apprehension in Edo State over the removal of the leadership of some of the 18 local government areas (LGAs) of the state. According to TheCable, the councillors have impeached the chairpersons and deputies of the Uhunmwonde, Orhionmwon and Owan east LGAs. In Nigeria, ward councillors are members of the legislative arm of local councils vested with the power to remove or sanction local government chairmen. The impeached chairpersons were accused of alleged misappropriation of funds and dereliction of duty. During the impeachment of Kenneth Adodo, chairman of Uhunmwonde LGA, on Wednesday, violence…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on Thursday invited former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to a tour of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries to confirm their operational status. This move by NNPCL is to assure the former president that the days of inefficiency were gone and that the one-time corporation is now a profit-driven company. The company was reacting to an interview Obasanjo granted Channels Television, in which he said Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) told him that the NNPCL could not run a refinery. In the interview, the former president said SPDC was invited to buy equity…

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has given reason for his absence from the governors’ visit to President Bola Tinubu’s Lagos home on New Year’s Day, saying political meaning should not be read into it. The governors, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) visited the president at his Bourdillon Road home in Ikoyi, Lagos on Wednesday. Among the governors in attendance were; Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara). Others were Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Usman…

Subscribers of MTN and other telecommunication companies (TELCOs) will face hard times as the operators move to increase their service tariffs in the country. This comes after the Chief Executive of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, disclosed that the telecommunications firms have sent a proposal to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for a 100 percent service tariff increase. Toriola spoke during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, where he said the proposal aims to address rising operational costs, including inflation and increased service delivery expenses. According to Toriola, the proposed tariff hike is necessary for the sustainability of the industry,…

To a large extent, the year 2024 was one of visible economic hardship in Nigeria.Undoubtedly too,the same year, ,majority of Nigerians witnessed as their living standards plummeted to ignoble and pitiable levels.It was truly a year of visible economic deprivation and hunger, occasioned by the two major policies of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration: Removal of oil subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market.The two policies also triggered remarkable negative multiplier effects on the nation’s economy in terms of depreciating value of the Naira,price hike, inflation, low productivity, unemployment, poor power supply/ high electricity tarrif ,high cost…

The leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate and recover the N25 trillion allegedly stolen byAll Progressive Congress leaders and government officials. Making the call in its New Year address titled ‘Address Insecurity, Fuel, Food Crisis,’ PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba on Tuesday, also urged the president to address the critical challenges of insecurity, food and fuel supplies to ease suffering among Nigerians. The party wrote, “@OfficialPDPNig congratulates Nigerians on the dawning of the year 2025 and charges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT not to taint the new year with…

In fulfilment of its promise, the government of Oyo State, led by the governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has paid a 13th-month salary to workers in the state civil service. NEW DAILY PRIME learnt that the workers received the payment alert on their phones on the evening of Monday, December 30, 2024. Confirming the payment, the state’s commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said this was despite the cumulative payment of N77 billion, which the government spends yearly for salaries and wages of Oyo State workers. The commissioner recalled that only two weeks ago, Governor Makinde approved the payment…

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, said on Tuesday that he would not retract his comments on the tax reform bills put in place by President Bola Tinubu. The presidency, had on Monday, asked the governor to withdraw some of the statements he made on the controversial tax reform bills. The governor condemned the tax reform initiatives during a visit of the Bauchi State Christian Community to the Government House on Christmas Day, describing them as “anti-north” and favouring only a section of the country. Continuing, the governor, in what the Presidency deplored as a direct threat on the president,…

A former Niger Delta freedom fighter and militant leader, Mujahid Asari Dokubo has become a royal father after being presented staff of office and certificate, alongside four others as recognised monarchs by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. Dokubo was installed as His Royal Highness, the Amanyanabo of Torusarama Piri in Degema Local Government Area of the state. The other recipients included His Royal Majesty Winston Odize Alamina Oputibeya XII, the Amanyanabo of Koniju in Okrika Local Government Area; His Royal Majesty Eze Noble Friday Uwoh (CSP rtd), the Eze Igbu-Ehuda (Ahoada) IV in Ahoada-East Local Government Area; and His…