Author: New Daily Prime

By Adeniyi Yusuf The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), and some Nigerians have condemned four northern governors for ordering school closures during Ramadan. The governments of Katsina, Kebbi, and Bauchi states have directed all schools—public and private—to go on holiday for the entire month of Ramadan, during which Muslims observe strict fasting. The governments stated that the holiday was intended to allow students, teachers, and other stakeholders to observe the holy month, which begins on Saturday, March 1, 2025. According to Kebbi State’s revised 2024/2025 academic calendar, the second term will conclude on February 28,…

PORT HARCOURT, March 3, 2025 – Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed Heads of Local Government Administration to immediately assume control of the 23 local government areas, pending the conduct of fresh elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). This directive follows last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment, which nullified the previous local government elections and upheld the legitimacy of the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 lawmakers as the authentic Rivers State House of Assembly. Governor Fubara, in a statewide broadcast from Government House, Port Harcourt, on Sunday evening, emphasized that the transition was necessary given the outlawing of caretaker…

By Alade Adisa The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has criticized the decision by the Bauchi and Katsina state governments to shut down primary and secondary schools during the ongoing Ramadan fasting. The association has called for an immediate reversal of the decision. Speaking in an interview with New Daily Prime, NAPTAN National President, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, described the move as unnecessary and warned that it would further set back the education system. **“This decision is unnecessary. In the end, it will bring further setbacks to the education system. Firstly, not all pupils and students in these states…

European leaders, led by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have agreed to work with Ukraine on a plan to end the war. Starmer confirmed that the UK, France, and possibly other allies will collaborate with Kyiv on a roadmap for peace, which will then be presented to the United States. “I think we’ve taken a step in the right direction,” Starmer told Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC. “We must find a way to work together because, after three years of bloody conflict, the focus must now be on securing a lasting peace.” “The United…

By Friday Omosola and Damilola Olufemi The Lagos State House of Assembly has been a hub of political activity since its inception. The once eyed Assembly by opposition with a history of conflicts and power struggles that have shaped the state’s politics. From its early days to the present, the Assembly has been a battleground for politicians seeking to assert their influence and control. Founded in 1979, following the introduction of the presidential system of government in Nigeria, the first Assembly was dominated by the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), with the party’s candidate, Lateef Jakande, serving as the first…

As Moscow’s top trading partner, Beijing wields substantial economic leverage over the Kremlin While Europe remains outraged by the Trump administration’s controversial groundwork on ending the war in Ukraine, some officials have questioned whether China might be able to step up its peace brokering efforts. Beijing’s continued approach of cool distance makes it a reticent yet critical potential player in negotiating a ceasefire — but the situation is complex. As has been shown by its interventions on the Israel-Hamas conflict, China is keen to raise its stature as a global peacemaker. However, in the case of Ukraine, it seems…

It has been a deadly start to the year in Nigeria, where jihadist organisation Boko Haram and other militias murdered over 220 people in January alone. Their atrocities continue more than a decade after the Chibok girls were abducted, exposing leadership and policy failures in parts of western Africa. Boko Haram’s ideology — rooted in a grotesque distortion of Islam — declares education forbidden. The group targets women’s empowerment through violence, knowing that education is key to a just society. Elsewhere in the wider Muslim world, similar mistakes are being made — 1.4mn girls are currently barred from classrooms in Afghanistan, and similar restrictions are unfolding in…

She attacks those whose aims she shares in a failed attempt to gain the support of those who oppose her What is Kemi Badenoch’s problem with 1995, anyway? During a recent speech on foreign policy, the Conservative leader attacked “the inevitable pearl clutching of those who wish it was still 1995”. The remark was unusual for many reasons, not least because what followed was so banal and incoherent that it is difficult to imagine who, exactly, might need to clutch their pearls in response, other than opponents of cliché. (Were political speeches better in 1995?) More important is that…

But PM’s peacemaking efforts fail to lower the temperature in the White House Sir Keir Starmer urged Volodymyr Zelensky to return to the White House and patch up his relationship with Donald Trump after the shouting match in the Oval Office, it has emerged. The televised showdown between the US President and his Ukrainian counterpart on Friday saw Mr Trump accuse Mr Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” and being “disrespectful” towards America. The Ukrainian delegation was then ejected from the White House. Later that evening, Sir Keir telephoned Mr Zelensky to try to persuade him to return to the…

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has welcomed a new addition to his ever-growing family, announcing the birth of his 14th child, a son named Seldon Lycurgus. The baby is his fourth child with Shivon Zilis, a Canadian executive at Neuralink, Musk’s neurotechnology firm. Ms. Zilis shared the news on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, also revealing the previously unknown name of their third child. “Discussed with Elon and, in light of beautiful Arcadia’s birthday, we felt it was better to also just share directly about our wonderful and incredible son, Seldon Lycurgus,” Zilis wrote. “Built like a juggernaut,…