Author: Damilola

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to a total of 75 years imprisonment over a N33.8 billion money laundering and fraud case. The former minister was found guilty on all 12 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice James Omotosho, who delivered the judgment, sentenced Mamman to seven years imprisonment on 10 of the counts, while he received three years and two years respectively on counts four and five. The judge ruled that the prison terms would run consecutively and without the option of a fine,…

The Nigerian naira posted a marginal appreciation against the United States dollar on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, across both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets amid improving liquidity and sustained interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) showed that the naira traded at about ₦1,373/$ at the official window, improving slightly from roughly ₦1,375/$ recorded in the previous trading session. The development reflects a modest gain for the local currency as the regulated market continued to witness improved dollar supply and stronger participation from authorised dealers. At the parallel market, popularly…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) boss, Ishaq Oloyede, has announced that Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin from Ekiti State emerged as the highest-scoring candidate in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), scoring 372 out of 400 marks. Speaking on Monday during the 2026 admission policy meeting in Abuja, the JAMB registrar said Jesudunsin sat for the examination in Ogun State and selected University of Lagos as her first-choice institution to study Medicine and Surgery. Oloyede noted that the score is three points lower than the highest mark recorded in the 2025 UTME, when Chinedu Okeke from Anambra State scored…

The Nigerian naira depreciated to N1,387 per dollar at the parallel market on Monday, weakening from N1,383/$ recorded last Thursday. However, the local currency appreciated at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), where it closed at N1,367.5/$. Data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that the indicative exchange rate improved from N1,374/$ last Thursday to N1,367.5/$, representing a N6.5 gain for the naira at the official market. As a result of the mixed performance across both segments, the gap between the parallel market and the official exchange rate widened to N19.5/$ from N9/$ recorded last Thursday. Meanwhile, activity…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 1.4 million members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will be engaged as ad hoc personnel for the 2027 general election. INEC boss Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Monday during a courtesy visit to Olakunle Nafiu at the Yakubu Gowon House in Abuja. Amupitan described the meeting with the NYSC management team as more than a routine visit, saying it was an opportunity to express appreciation for the long-standing partnership between both institutions. According to him, corps members have remained central to Nigeria’s electoral process since 1999, stressing that INEC…

The screening committee of the All Progressives Congress for the Rivers State House of Assembly election has cleared 33 aspirants while disqualifying 65 others ahead of the party’s primaries. The committee, chaired by Muraina Ajibola, screened 98 aspirants who purchased nomination forms to contest the 32 assembly seats in the state. The report of the exercise was signed by Ajibola, Ishaku Tanko Yamawo, secretary of the committee, Aisha Abdullahi Adamu, and Danjuma Samuel. One committee member, Ayuba Audu, was absent. According to the committee, the affected aspirants failed to meet the requirements outlined for the screening process. Among the reasons…

The Nigerian naira maintained relative stability against the United States dollar on Monday, May 11, 2026, trading within a narrow range at both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets amid ongoing interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and cautious investor sentiment. Figures published on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s exchange rate portal showed the naira exchanging at about ₦1,361/$ at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM). During the trading session, the local currency fluctuated between roughly ₦1,355 and ₦1,366 against the dollar as market forces continued to influence demand and supply. At the parallel market, commonly referred…

As discussions around the 2027 presidential election intensify, renewed attention has turned to whether former President Goodluck Jonathan can legally contest for the presidency again. The debate has resurfaced following a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, seeking a declaration that Jonathan is constitutionally barred from seeking another term in office. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, argues that Jonathan had already taken the presidential oath twice — first in 2010 after the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and again in 2011 after winning the presidential election. Jonathan served as vice-president from…

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Kabiru Turaki has challenged Nyesom Wike to carry out his threat to shut down its operational office. The development follows comments made by Wike during his monthly media briefing earlier this week, where he questioned the legitimacy of the Turaki-led faction and demanded that it operate openly if it claims to be authentic. The FCT minister also warned that any building being used by the group could be sealed. Wike insisted that any attempt by the group to operate as a parallel leadership would expose what he described as its lack…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday adjourned indefinitely the suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe challenging the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress under former Senate President David Mark. Justice Emeka Nwite suspended further proceedings after the plaintiff informed the court that an application had been submitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court seeking the transfer of the case to another judge. The court had earlier shifted the case to Friday following an application submitted by Bala’s legal team seeking accelerated hearing of the case. In a letter dated May 5 and addressed to…