Author: Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi

Tension flared on Monday at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja as protesting indigenous contractors blocked the main entrance of the complex, temporarily preventing the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, from accessing the premises. The protesters, under the umbrella of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), said the demonstration was to protest the Federal Government’s alleged failure to pay outstanding debts for completed projects, despite budgetary provisions made in the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. They claimed that the prolonged delay in fund disbursement has pushed many indigenous contractors into severe financial distress, with several…

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have uncovered an underground logistics and fuel storage facility belonging to Boko Haram after overrunning several terrorist enclaves in the Timbuktu Triangle area of Borno State. The discovery followed a series of coordinated, intelligence-led ground offensives carried out on Sunday in Chilaria, Garin Faruk and Abirma, during which troops also repelled multiple armed drone attacks launched by the insurgents. The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt Col Uba Sani, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, describing the operation as a major boost to ongoing counterterrorism efforts…

Kemi Badenoch joined Donald Trump in criticising the UK government’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, branding the proposal “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY” and warning that it could undermine Western security interests. Badenoch wrote on X: “Keir Starmer’s plan weakens UK security, hands away sovereign territory, and leaves us and our NATO allies weaker in the face of our enemies.” Meanwhile, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the agreement — under which Britain would hand over sovereignty while leasing back the strategically vital military base on Diego Garcia — was reckless and ill-considered.…

All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders have ruled out the granting of automatic tickets to governors and members who recently defected to the ruling party or are expected to do so ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that all aspirants must emerge through the party’s internal democratic process. Governors affected by the decision include Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, and Abba Kabir Yusuf, whose defection to the APC is believed to be imminent. A member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said…

Social welfare activist and self-claimed celebrity, Adetoun Onajobi, popularly known as Just Adetoun, has gone into hiding to evade arrest, while a medical doctor accused of issuing a falsified medical report to aid her has been remanded in prison. The state government also confirmed that the Ogun State Police Command has filed a six-count charge against the activist, who is currently at large, following a formal petition submitted by the state. These disclosures were made in a statement issued on Monday via the government’s official X account by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN). According to…

The Federal Government has announced the opening of applications for the 2026 Overseas Scholarship Scheme of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), offering Nigerian postgraduate students the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Malaysia. The development was confirmed on Monday in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun. “FG has announced the commencement of applications for 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) scholarships overseas,” the post stated. Read related news from New Daily Prime: Tinubu: Nigerian scholarships for Caribbean students start…

A letter attributed to Donald Trump has ignited fresh controversy after the  U.S. president suggested that his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize influenced his interest in taking control of Greenland, while also questioning Denmark’s right to sovereignty over the territory. He has also challenged Denmark’s claim of ownership over the island. The letter, addressed to Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, was obtained by the U.S. public broadcaster PBS and has since drawn international attention for its unusually blunt tone and sweeping geopolitical claims. In the correspondence, Mr Trump appeared to link his long-expressed frustration over…

A major diplomatic controversy has emerged after the Kremlin confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join a newly created international body known as the “Board of Peace,” which is intended to oversee the reconstruction and demilitarisation of Gaza. Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the invitation was delivered to Moscow through diplomatic channels and is currently under review. According to Peskov, Russian authorities are studying the proposal and expect further contact with Washington to clarify its scope and conditions. The Board of Peace, chaired by Trump, is…

Residents of Makoko, the famous stilted fishing community in Lagos often dubbed the “Venice of Africa,” are enduring heartbreaking evictions as government bulldozers raze homes, leaving families with nowhere to go. One man fled his house in panic as an excavator approached on a recent Tuesday, escaping with just the clothes on his back – a shirt and trousers – and no shoes. He now sleeps on the damp, grimy floor of a small canoe alongside his brother, uncertain about his family’s future shelter. Community leader Francis Samson Vituwa highlighted the widespread suffering, noting that thousands of locals find themselves…

An obscure Nigerian activist operating from a small tools shop in southeastern Nigeria has become an unlikely but influential figure in shaping a controversial international narrative about violence in Africa’s most populous nation — a narrative that has reached the highest levels of American politics and even informed military action. According to the New York Time, Emeka Umeagbalasi, a short, soft-spoken man who sells screwdrivers and wrenches in a bustling market in Onitsha, Anambra State, is the founder of the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, known as Intersociety. Though little known outside advocacy circles, his…