Author: News Room

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has tasked the Combined National Project Steering Committee, NPSC, with delivering on its mandate, saying it will transform the agricultural ecosystem and achieve food security, economic diversification and inclusive prosperity. The minister made this known during the combined NPSC meeting held at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Abuja on Thursday. Kyari stated that, ‘’It is a strategic committee that sits at the intersection of policy authority, development financing, and the national imperative to secure the future of nation’s food systems’’. He emphasised that, ‘’It is important to state that this…

The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, on Thursday, distributed motorcycles to Monitoring and Evaluation Officers for effective supervision of public basic schools in the state. The Oyo SUBEB Chairman, Nureni Adeniran, at the headquarters of the board, in Ibadan, said the initiative is aimed at improving mobility, timely school visits and efficient monitoring of teaching and learning activities, particularly in hard-to-reach communities. Adeniran said, “Effective monitoring remains a critical pillar in achieving improved learning outcomes in the state schools. “The motorcycles would enable Monitoring and Evaluation Officers carry out their duties with greater ease, reduce delays in school inspections…

The House of Representatives on Thursday constituted an ad hoc committee to probe the alleged discrepancies in the tax reforms passed by the parliament and the official gazetted copy currently in circulation across government agencies. This was as the Peoples Democratic Party demanded that the Federal Government further shift forward by six months the  January 1, 2026 take-off of the new tax law. The opposition party said the shift became important following an alleged illegal alteration made to the law passed by the  National Assembly. The PDP added that the six-month shift would allow for “sufficient enlightenment campaigns on the…

An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ogbon-Inu Taiwo Popoola, has died in Ebonyi State. A police source, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Thursday on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation, said the incident occurred around 11am on Tuesday while he was attending a management meeting at the command headquarters in Abakaliki. PUNCH Metro reports that until his sudden death, Popoola was the officer in charge of the State Intelligence Department. According to the source, he suddenly developed breathing difficulties and began gasping for air during the meeting. “He was immediately rushed to the Police Medical Centre at the…

Whereas Item 39 of the exclusive legislative list of Nigeria’s Constitution provides that “mines and minerals, including oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas” are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government only, it is baffling that some state governments are mining other minerals that are supposed to be an exclusive preserve of the Federal Government, or of the federation. Because the concurrent legislative list does not include the word “mining”, it is safe to assume that mining is not constitutionally within the jurisdiction of state governments. And because mining has already been mentioned in the exclusive legislative list, it…

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has vowed to resist any attempt by the All Progressives Congress to intimidate voters in the 2027 elections, insisting that the era of APC bullying opposition parties is over. The party’s chairman, Abayomi Tella, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, accused the APC of deploying violence, voter intimidation, and other coercive tactics to secure victories in the 2023 elections and the recently held Remo Federal Constituency by-election. He stated that the PDP is ready to match the APC’s tactics in 2027, stressing that the party would no longer allow any attempts to bully…

President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the leadership of Nigeria’s petroleum regulators on Thursday pledged sweeping reforms aimed at plugging value leakages, restoring discipline across the sector and unlocking fresh investments under the Petroleum Industry Act. The nominee for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, and her counterpart at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Saidu Mohammed, made the commitments during their screening by the Senate at Room 117 shortly after plenary. Both nominees told lawmakers that digitisation, strict contract enforcement, credible data management and accelerated gas development would be central to their leadership, as Nigeria seeks…

Medical doctors have called for the accelerated adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria’s health sector and improved financial planning among medical professionals. This call was made at the Seventh Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the University of Ilorin Medical Class of 2009, which was held virtually. The statement made available to our correspondent on Saturday noted that the conference brought together alumni practising across Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the world to discuss emerging trends shaping global healthcare and the future of medical practice. Speakers at the event emphasised the need for Nigerian…

Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress have recorded a significant rise in the latest FIBA World Ranking Girls, climbing nine places to 26th and emerging as one of the biggest movers in the newly released standings published on Thursday, The PUNCH reports. The update places Nigeria among the top climbers globally, ranking as the fourth biggest mover overall and the highest-ranked nation to make such a leap within the top 30. The Junior D’Tigress now sit third in Africa with 469.5 points, behind Mali, who are 16th, and Egypt, who climbed four places to 21st. At the summit, there was no change as…

WWE legend John Cena has retired from professional wrestling, bringing the curtain down on a 24-year in-ring career after his final match at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.‎‎Cena bowed out at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where he faced Gunther in his farewell bout.‎‎The 48-year-old was defeated after being forced to submit to a sleeper hold in a contest that lasted just under 25 minutes, ending one of the most decorated careers in WWE history.‎‎Fans inside the arena watched in disbelief as Gunther relentlessly kept Cena locked in the hold during the closing moments of the match,…