Debates are raging over South Africa’s announcement that it is relaxing visa rules for Nigerian nationals planning to visit the country for tourism and business.President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement after he hosted his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, last week for bilateral talks to strengthen ties.Tensions between citizens of the two African giants had previously led to deadly xenophobic attacks in both countries – with business premises raided and goods…

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says it is committed to conducting a hitch-free 2025 Hajj operation.Its Executive Chairman, Prof. Abdullahi Usman, gave the assurance during a meeting with Chief Executives of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Agencies and Commissions, held on Wednesday at the Hajj House in Abuja.He also emphasised the commission’s dedication to overcome it’s challenges and reposition Hajj operation for greater efficiency.The chairman had outlined several…

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has granted UZMA Aviation Services Limited an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to commence commercial flight operations.The certificate was awarded on Wednesday in Abuja.Capt. Chris Najomo, the Acting Director-General of the NCAA, commended the management of UZMA Aviation Services for meeting all regulatory requirements and standards during the application process.However, he urged the airline to continue upholding safety, security, efficiency, and excellence throughout its operations.In…

An assurance has come from the Nigerian Navy that it will begin extensive rehabilitation of abandoned accommodation facilities across its formations nationwide in 2025. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, disclosed this yesterday during the inauguration of newly refurbished accommodation buildings at the Headquarters of the Naval Training Command (HQ NAVTRAC)in Ebube-Eleme, Rivers State. The completed projects include two blocks of 94-room apartments built for Ratings at…

The Lagos State Government yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to creating an eco-friendly state with fewer cars on the roads in the future. Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, said this during a presentation at the closing of the fifth Lagos Real Estate Marketplace Conference and Exhibitions in Lagos. Osiyemi said that the commitment was in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu- led administration. He expressed…

Respite came yesterday for victims of bandits’ attack, flood disaster and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Zamfara State as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) donated relief materials to them. The Director-General of the agency, Hajiya Zubaida Umar, disclosed this while handing over the materials to the state government in Gusau.Umar who was represented by the Head of Sokoto Operations Office of the agency, Mr Aliyu Kafindangi,added;“On behalf of the…

A statement by the Head of Corporate Communication for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Dr. Friday Adakole Elijah, announced on Wednesday that the national grid, for the umpteenth time, had collapsed. A grid collapse, which occurs due to the breakdown of transmission lines caused by over-frequency or under-frequency, is reported to be responsible for the outage. Electricity distribution companies confirmed the system outage, which occurred around 1:32 p.m. on…

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has urged President Bola Tinubu to reduce the price of petrol to N300 per litre ,to make things easy for Nigerians during the festive season.George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, made this plea at an interactive session with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.The price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, is currently above N1,000…

Citing the non implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) salary adjustment, the coalition health sector unions has embarked on a three-day warning strike. Oloruntoba Odumosi, Secretary , National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Oloruntoba disclosed to reporters that the meeting held on December 9,2024 ended in a deadlock despite various ultimatums issued by the unions. Explaining the negligence of the communique issued, Odumosu said, “the government…

President Bola Tinubu has assured that the reintegration of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will be guided by diplomacy and wisdom, prioritising the welfare of their citizens.This was disclosed by Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy in a statement on Wednesday.He added that President Tinubu spoke during a state visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the Presidential…

Bills seeking amendments to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act and the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act (ICPC), 2000, have scaled second reading in the National Assembly. The amendments aim to strengthen basic education and introduce mandatory counselling and training for corruption-related offenders.The UBEC amendment bill, sponsored by Senator Adamu Usman (Kaduna Central), passed its second reading in the Senate.Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, the bill…

Following their elections as Edo State Governor and Deputy ,the Senate and the State’s House of Assembly,yesterday declared Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa’s seats vacant respectively.The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, declared the Edo Central Senatorial seat formerly occupied by Okpebholo vacant following a formal request by the Minority Leader, Abba Moro. The announcement was made during plenary after Akpabio read Moro’s letter, which called for the seat to be declared…