Author: Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi

In a decisive move toward overhauling Nigeria’s taxation framework, the House of Representatives has passed for second reading a Bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to clearly define the taxation powers of the Federal, State, and Local Governments. The proposed legislation is aimed at eliminating multiple taxation, curbing unlawful outsourcing of tax collection, and fostering transparency in the nation’s fiscal system. The Bill, titled “Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), to Clarify the Taxation Powers of the Federal, State, and Local Governments; to Define the Scope…

In a major political development ahead of its 2025 national convention, Northern stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have endorsed former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as their consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman. The decision, made public on Wednesday via the party’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, followed an extensive consultative meeting in Abuja attended by key PDP figures from across the northern region. According to the communiqué issued after the meeting, the endorsement came after “intensive consultations and deliberations among Northern PDP leaders aimed at fostering cohesion and strengthening…

The King and Queen arrived in Rome on Wednesday evening ahead of a historic state visit to the Holy See, where the monarch will meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time and become the first Supreme Governor of the Church of England to pray with the head of the Roman Catholic Church in nearly five centuries. The royal couple touched down at Ciampino Airport just before 6.30pm, greeted by senior Vatican and British representatives including Christopher Trott, the UK’s Ambassador to the Holy See, and Archbishop Francesco Canalini, retired Apostolic Nuncio. Dressed in a feather-print silk dress by Fiona…

Vladimir Putin ordered a series of nuclear missile tests and large-scale military drills on Thursday, only a day after U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled a planned peace summit between the two leaders. The Russian president claimed the exercises had been “planned in advance,” but the timing underscored mounting tensions between Washington and Moscow following a new round of U.S. sanctions on Russia’s energy sector. The White House announced on Wednesday sweeping measures targeting Rosneft and Lukoil, two of Russia’s largest oil companies, in an effort to “degrade the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war machine.” The sanctions, coupled with…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Dr Bernard Doro from Plateau State as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, forwarding his name to the Senate for confirmation. His nomination follows the election of Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in July — a move that left a vacancy in the Federal Executive Council. Here are 10 key things to know about the new ministerial nominee who is drawing attention both at home and abroad: 1. A Nomination from the Plateau Born on January 23, 1969, in Kwall, Bassa Local…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Dr Bernard Doro from Plateau State as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, forwarding his name to the Senate for confirmation. The nomination, confirmed on Tuesday through a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, comes amid expectations of a minor cabinet reshuffle to fill two vacant ministerial positions. Dr Doro’s appointment follows the elevation of Prof Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, who was elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in July. His departure from the…

Cameroon stands on a knife’s edge following one of the most fiercely contested elections in its post-independence history, as opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary declared himself the victor over President Paul Biya, the 92-year-old leader who has ruled the Central African nation for more than four decades. Tchiroma’s announcement, made just days after the 12 October presidential election — has sent shockwaves through the capital, Yaoundé, and other major cities. The 76-year-old former government spokesman, once a loyal Biya ally, claimed he had “defeated tyranny with the will of the people,” promising to defend what he described as a legitimate…

Nigeria’s federal government has unveiled a new campaign to promote locally made goods and services under its ‘Nigeria First’ policy. President Bola Tinubu said the initiative will revitalise the country’s manufacturing sector and reduce its long-standing dependence on imports. Announcing the initiative at the Adeola Odutola Lecture organised by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), President Tinubu, represented by John Enoh, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, said the campaign aims to shift national demand toward Nigerian-made products that meet international quality standards. “No country achieves prosperity or dignity without producing what it can and exporting at scale what…

The International Monetary Fund has upgraded Nigeria’s economic growth forecast to 3.9 per cent, signalling renewed optimism for Africa’s largest economy following a turbulent period of reform and inflation. The latest projection, released during the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., marks an improvement on the Fund’s earlier forecast of 3.0 per cent. It follows a series of upward revisions over the past year, including an October 2024 estimate of 3.3 per cent, as the global lender credited Nigeria’s non-oil sector expansion, foreign exchange reforms, and tax revenue improvements under President Bola Tinubu. The IMF now expects Nigeria’s growth…

More than two decades after the legendary Concorde made its final flight, the dream of supersonic passenger travel is set to take off once again. Aviation insiders have confirmed that a new generation of high-speed jets, informally dubbed Concorde 2.0,  could enter commercial service within the next few years, promising to whisk passengers from London to New York in as little as two hours. The breakthrough follows a landmark move by U.S. lawmakers earlier this year to lift the long-standing ban on supersonic travel over land. The change, signed into law in June, clears the way for a revival of ultra-fast…