Author: News Room

Commercial banks have identified high risks, weak infrastructure, and market uncertainties as major factors limiting lending to Nigeria’s agricultural sector despite growing calls for increased financing for farmers. The President of the Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks, Rasheed Bolarinwa, told Sunday PUNCH that although banks recognise agriculture as critical to food security and economic growth, lenders remain cautious due to the peculiar nature of the sector. “Banks are all agreed on the need to support agriculture to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. However, the challenge is more around the peculiarities of the agric business and the unique challenges…

Kun Khalifat FC goalkeeper Chijioke Ejiogu has urged supporters of the club to turn out in large numbers for their decisive 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League survival fixture against Wikki Tourists at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The veteran shot-stopper said the presence of fans could play a major role in lifting the team and making it difficult for visiting sides to perform, as Kun Khalifat battle to secure their top-flight status on the final day of the season. Kun Khalifat go into the encounter knowing that only victory will guarantee their survival…

It has become much harder to forget since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.Hundreds rather than the usual thousands of vessels have passed through the strait since March 5.“This really feels like a global crisis, a little similar to what happened with Covid-19,” says Rystad’s Abramov. Gasoline and diesel prices have surged, and jet fuel and fertiliser are already in short supply; food prices are expected to rise, while the next phase of the crisis is likely to lead to fuel rationing and industrial shutdowns, experts have said.Policymakers are debating when recession may set in. “The word on…

The country is continuing to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to NASCAR legend Kyle Busch after his untimely and shocking death. “Kyle Busch was not just a talented and record-setting driver; he was also a kind person,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said in a statement shared via the North Carolina Department of Transportation on Friday, May 22, announcing that he has ordered all “U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff” in honor of the late racer. “His loss will be felt throughout the entire NASCAR community and well beyond,” the governor continued. “Anna and…

Some years ago, the then Eastern Region leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, spoke on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) about the outcome of the Aburi meeting held in Ghana on 4 and 5 January 1967 during the turbulent period preceding the Nigerian civil war. The outcome of the meeting has been controversial in Nigeria because it was one of the major events that preceded the civil war in which millions of Nigerians were killed. At the time, the Eastern Region, dominated by the Igbo ethnic group, was agitating for secession and the creation of the Republic of Biafra under Eastern leaders.…

David Umahi, has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will completely address Nigeria’s insecurity challenges within the next five years if given another mandate. Umahi made the declaration on Saturday at Umunaga Ward in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State during the APC presidential primary election. He said the 5,009 party members who turned out at the ward to elect President Tinubu as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election show the people’s trust and confidence in the president. Addressing party faithful and leaders, Umahi described Ebonyi State as a stronghold of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing…

The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has said that if only members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, vote in 2027, President Bola Tinubu would secure a second term. Uzodinma spoke on Saturday against the backdrop of the large turnout of voters at the ongoing APC presidential primary in Orlu East Local Government Area of the state. According to the governor: “It’s very obvious that Tinubu has done enough to deserve going back for a second term. Look at how the grassroots have been stimulated, starting from the membership registration, which was done electronically, to the validation of members. “You…

A 27-year-old man, Chukwuemeka Iheamama, has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for trafficking two minors for exploitation. The victims were identified as Bright Edim, 15, and Mary Ekong, 15. According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Iheamama was tried before the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on a three-count charge bordering on child trafficking. He was subsequently sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and a N250,000 fine for count one, five years’ imprisonment and a N500,000 fine for count two, and another five years for count three, with the sentences to run concurrently. The…

On Friday, May 15, armed men stormed Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and abducted staff, students, and pupils from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. By the weekend, one of the kidnapped teachers had been killed, not just killed, but beheaded on camera. On Monday, the Presidency issued a statement in which President Bola Tinubu sympathised with the people of Oyo State and Governor Seyi Makinde. He also gave a promise Nigerians have become familiar with since such killings became a recurring feature in the news, “The bandits and…

Banks, fintech firms, insurance companies, capital market operators, and other reporting entities flagged 82,143 suspicious transactions to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit in 2024 amid intensified efforts to detect money laundering, terrorism financing, and other illicit financial activities. The figure was contained in the NFIU’s 2024 Annual Report, which also revealed that the agency received 25,819,719 Currency Transaction Reports and 23,364 Suspicious Activity Reports during the year under review. The report, which was recently released on the NFIU’s website, was obtained by Sunday PUNCH on Friday. According to the report, “During the review period, the NFIU received a total of…