Author: News Room

Within just one month of the new year, African political attention has been pulled in multiple directions – with both world and continental crises demanding urgent responses. At the same time, economic outlooks point to slower trade growth, sustained debt pressure and declining development assistance as donors redirect their resources towards security and defence. Reactive crisis management can lead to policy failure. Rushed responses to overlapping shocks can jeopardise long-term planning if not anchored in forward-looking frameworks that build resilience. Several African governments experienced this firsthand during COVID-19. Reliance on short-term borrowing and emergency funding to stabilise economies led to…

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the temporary terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos State, is nearing completion as part of efforts to sustain international flight operations during the planned rehabilitation of the ageing Terminal One. The facility, covering about 8,000 square metres, is over 90 per cent complete and is expected to become operational within weeks, according to the authority. FAAN said the temporary structure is designed to handle up to 1,500 departing passengers during peak periods. The terminal will initially serve between five and six airlines on departure-only operations and is equipped…

Elections should not be moments of emotional mobilisation followed by collective amnesia. They should serve as checkpoints in a longer process of national design, review, and course correction… Citizens, civil society, the private sector, labour, professionals, and the diaspora are to engage in the process not merely as voters, but as co-architects of Nigeria’s future. The task before us is not to choose saviours, but to build systems that do not require them. Nigeria was founded on democratic promises; an egalitarian society anchored on freedom of movement, the sanctity of the law, guaranteed safety of lives and property, and assured…

The Society for Family Health (SFH) has said it reached millions of Nigerians across seven states during the 2025 integrated Insecticide-Treated Net (ITN) and Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaigns, providing protection against malaria for both households and vulnerable children. SFH disclosed this in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday. According to the statement, the campaign was implemented in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), state ministries of health and development partners, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and Malaria Consortium (MC). The organisation said the 2025 campaign adopted an integrated delivery model,…

The Abia State government has warned criminal elements not to test its resolve, stating that the protection of lives and property of its citizens remains its top priority. The warning was given on Wednesday after the January 2026 edition of the Abia State monthly security council meeting, presided by Governor Alex Otti. Disclosing the outcome of the meeting to Journalists, the Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on security matters, Navy Commander McDonald Ubah, Rtd, declared that Abia is safe and secure. The retired Security officer urged Abia citizens to go about their lawful businesses without fear and to report suspicious…

As political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Niger State, youth and political groups have called for the emergence of a mature, credible and widely respected leader to steer the affairs of the state. A youth group, Kolo Magba Association in Wushishi Local Government Area, said Niger State must move away from what it described as “money-bag politics” and focus on competence and experience. In a statement signed by its leader Abdullahi Maina and made available to newsmen, they suggested that only successful retired civil servants should be allowed to contest governorship positions, while…

South African club Orlando Pirates have announced the departure of their centre-back Olisah Ndah, DAILY POST reports. Ndah leaves as a free agent after agreeing to the termination of his contract at the club. The defender has struggled for regular playing time at Pirates this season. The 28-year-old requested an early release from his contract. Ndah joined the Buccaneers in 2021 from Nigerian club, Akwa United. He made 81 appearances for Pirates, scoring once.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has denied reports claiming that he held a closed-door meeting with former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, at his Abuja residence. Fayemi, immediate past Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, dismissed the report in a statement issued by the Head of his Media Office, Ahmad Sajoh, on Thursday, describing the claim as false and urging the public to disregard it. The report, which circulated on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, was shared by several social media handles alongside an old video clip showing Fayemi greeting Kwankwaso at his residence. According to the…

The Senate witnessed another defection on Thursday as Senator Pam Dachungyang, representing Plateau State, formally abandoned the Action Democratic Party to join the ruling All Progressives Congress. Dachungyang’s defection letter was read on the floor of the Senate during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, bringing an end to weeks of speculation over his political future. In the letter titled “Notice of Defection from the Action Democratic Party,” the lawmaker attributed his decision to irreconcilable differences and prolonged internal crises within the ADP, which he said had made it increasingly difficult for him to function effectively…

The National Pension Commission has approved an upward review of pensions for 2,116 retirees under the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, increasing their total monthly pension payments from N12.56m to N159.95m. In a statement on Wednesday, PenCom said that the upward review translated to an unprecedented 1,173 per cent enhancement in the total monthly payout to the retirees under the fund. The PUNCH reports that the payments were recently approved by the Director-General of PenCom, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, who continues to champion landmark reforms that have transformed the landscape of the Contributory Pension Scheme. This marks the first pension increase…