Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

President Bola Tinubu has authorised the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to disburse over N700 billion to tertiary institutions in 2025. Announcing this during the 2025 Strategic Planning Meeting with heads of tertiary institutions in Abuja on Thursday, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said each benefiting universities is expected to get N2.8 billion. Additionally, the Executive Secretary outlined the allocation structure, stating that 91.08% of the funds would be distributed directly. He said this includes 48.90% for annual direct disbursement and 42.18% for special direct disbursement. Furthermore, 8.72% is earmarked for designated projects, while 0.20% is allocated to…

President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to troops in Russia’s western Kursk region on Thursday where he ordered them to press their lightning advance and swiftly retake the rest of the area from Ukrainian forces. Putin made his visit after Washington asked him to consider a 30-day ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine, and after Russian forces retook a swath of territory in Kursk, forcing Ukrainian troops to fall back and cede control of the town of Sudzha. Ukraine sprang one of the biggest shocks of the war on August 6 last year by storming across the border and grabbing…

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being headed by billionaire businessman, Elon Musk has announced that it has saved approximately $115bn through various cuts. The recently created DOGE posted on its website the receipts of $17.9 billion from contract cuts, over $16.6 billion from grant cuts, and at least $489.2 million from real estate cuts. According to the data, DOGE has so far issued 13,640 receipts totaling around $35 billion. Reports revealed that the General Services Administration suffered the most significant cuts from the department followed by the Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Labour, and Office of…

A federal judge has ordered half a dozen federal agencies to “immediately” reinstate probationary employees fired last month as part of the Trump administration’s effort to rapidly shrink the federal workforce, calling the effort a “sham.” The preliminary injunction issued from the bench Thursday by US District Judge William Alsup requires the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury to rehire the employees. The judge said that he might extend the order to cover other federal agencies at a later time. Alsup, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said he was making the ruling because he…

European Union leaders announced 4.7 billion euros ($5.1 billion) in investments in South Africa on Thursday to support green energy and vaccine production, and agreed to start talks on new trade deals with Africa’s most advanced economy. The announcement came at the first bilateral summit between the bloc and the African country in seven years. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke of the need to boost international cooperation during the meeting, held at the South African leader’s Cape Town office. Their message stood in contrast to the…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted $1,154,900 and SR135,900 undeclared foreign currency at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano State. Annoucing this in a statement on Thursday,NCS spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed that the seizure was made recently during a routine baggage check on an inbound passenger, Hauwa Ibrahim Abdullahi, who arrived on Saudi Airline Flight No. SV401 from Saudi Arabia. Maiwada said, during the physical examination of the passenger’s luggage conducted by NCS officers, the undeclared currency was discovered concealed within palm-date fruit packs locally referred to as Dabino. He stated that the interception aligns with…

A high school track athlete faces a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery after a now-viral video showed her hitting a competitor’s head with her baton during a relay event. Alaila Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, was running the second leg of the 4×200-meter relay when her baton struck Kaelen Tucker, a junior from Brookville High School, in the head. It happened March 4 during the Virginia State High School League Championships at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Bethany Harrison, the commonwealth’s attorney for the city of Lynchburg, confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that a…

Six Americans who were imprisoned in Kuwait have been released in an agreement with the United States, a representative for their families has confirmed. The Americans, many of whom are veterans and former military contractors, were convicted on drug charges, Jonathan Franks, a crisis management consultant, said on Thursday. For years, however, the prisoners have “vigorously” maintained their innocence, Franks said. Six Americans who were imprisoned in Kuwait have been released in an agreement with the United States. Jonathan Franks Several more prisoners are expected to be freed in the coming weeks as part of the agreement, Franks added. “This…

All of the remaining migrants being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have been moved to Louisiana over the last two days, according to a U.S. official. In late January, President Donald Trump announced he was signing an executive order “to instruct the departments of Defence and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay.” But since then, the number of migrants sent to be temporarily held there has only reached the low hundreds, and now the Department of Defence and the Department of Homeland Security are discussing whether to make further use of the base.…

The moon will look like a coppery red ball in the sky, a phenomenon known as the blood moon A total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Western Hemisphere overnight Thursday, with the best views in North America and South America. Skywatchers in Africa and parts of Europe may also be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the celestial spectacle. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth, the moon and the sun line up and the Earth’s shadow blocks, or eclipses, the moon. The moon will look like a coppery red ball in the sky, a phenomenon known…