Author: News Room

The continued reliance on manual procurement systems and inefficient logistics is undermining the African Continental Free Trade Area, Kuraway Chief Executive Officer David Chima noted in this interview with JUSTICE OKAMGBA For years, high transaction costs and lengthy procurement cycles have weighed on Nigerian businesses. What structural issues within the country’s procurement system do you see as the most obstructive? First, there is no unified, trusted database of vetted vendors. This means each time a purchase needs to be made, individuals or teams have to start searching for, vetting, and negotiating with vendors from scratch. This slows the process, exposes…

Nigeria began their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over a resilient Tanzania side, as Ademola Lookman’s superb second-half strike proved decisive in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The win extended the Super Eagles’ dominance in the fixture to nine matches unbeaten against the Taifa Stars and offered a timely response after last month’s failure to qualify for a second successive fifa world cup finals. Éric Chelle’s side started with clear intent and almost took the lead inside the opening minutes when Akor Adams forced Tanzania goalkeeper Zuberi Foba into a sharp save from a…

Software testers in Nigeria on Saturday called for stronger standards and stricter quality controls to bolster digital trust as the country expands its technology sector. The call came during the 8th Annual Conference of the Association of Nigerian Software Testers, held in Lagos. The conference, themed “TESTING NIGERIA FORWARD: Building Trust. Powering Progress. Shaping the Future”, highlighted the critical role of high-quality software in ensuring reliable digital platforms for businesses, government services, and consumers. In a country racing to digitise banking, government services, and commerce, the reliability of digital platforms has become a matter of national interest. Discussions at the…

Bitcoin’s lack of an exciting year-end price rally may be the catalyst that prevents a significant crash in the first quarter of next year, according to Bitcoin entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano.“Given where the volatility is right now, it would be very surprising that Bitcoin’s volatility has drastically compressed and yet still could get a 70% or 80% drawdown,” Pompliano said during an interview on CNBC on Tuesday.Pompliano said the short-term disappointment from Bitcoin (BTC) holders over the asset not reaching $250,000 this year overlooks the broader performance. “We have to remember that Bitcoin is up 100% in two years. It’s up…

A man in Florida has been arrested after he allegedly opened fire on a car full of teenagers during a scary road rage incident. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Ruben Rodriguez Heredia was involved in a road rage incident on Wednesday, December 17, that began at the intersection of Branan Field Road and Blanding Boulevard. While the situation first began as a traffic dispute, it escalated into a rolling shooting. Several witnesses called 911 to report that a black pickup truck was aggressively pursuing a black sedan as the truck’s driver shot at the…

The House of Representatives has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to extend the implementation of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act to 31 March 2026. The approval was granted on Tuesday during plenary after lawmakers adopted the report of the House Committee on Appropriations. This followed a clause-by-clause consideration of the revised 2024 and 2025 budget bills in the Committee of Supply. PREMIUM TIMES reported that last Friday, President Tinubu transmitted the Appropriation (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bills, 2024 and 2025, seeking lawmakers approval to repeal the existing budgets and replace them with revised expenditure frameworks aligned with current…

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has granted pardon to a death row inmate, Sunday Jackson. Jackson was sentenced to death for killing a herdsman. An Adamawa farmer, Jackson is widely perceived to have been unjustly sentenced for allegedly killing a herdsman in self-defence. There has been widespread calls for intervention in his case. Jackson who is in Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre was pardoned alongside Joseph Eugene from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Yola, and Maxwell Ibrahim, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Center in Kaduna. The pardon is in commemoration of Christmas and New Year celebrations, according to…

William Troost-Ekong is backing the Super Eagles to make a positive impact at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, DAILY POST reports. Troost-Ekong was named in the Super Eagles’ provisional squad for the competition but announced his retirement from international football days before the final list was unveiled by head coach, Eric Chelle. The centre-back is confident the team will have a good outing in Morocco despite his absence. “As our Super Eagles begin their AFCON journey today, I wish the team every success. As promised, I’ll be supporting them all the way. I believe in this group, our nation…

The South-East Youths for Development and Good Leadership and some residents in the South-East region have expressed concerns over the severe hardship faced by travellers returning home for the Christmas season, particularly on major highways linking the region with other parts of Nigeria. Findings by South-East PUNCH across some major highways linking the region over the weekend showed high influx of vehicular movements while motorists and commuters are currently encountering difficulty in making use of the highways. The roads include the Lagos–Benin–Agbor bypass, Onitsha-Owerri Road, Okigwe-Owerri Road, Enugu-Abakaliki Road and other access roads linking the region. Their deplorable conditions are…

The Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos State Branch, organised its 2025 Fire Prevention Sensitisation Walk on Lagos Island on Tuesday as part of its sustained efforts to curb recurring fire outbreaks in the area. The initiative comes amid growing concerns over fire disasters that have claimed lives and destroyed properties worth billions of naira across Lagos Island and other parts of the state. Speaking at the event, a fire safety expert and volunteer with the Nigerian Red Cross, Usman Hammed, said the sensitisation campaign was born out of the alarming rate of fire incidents recorded on Lagos Island, particularly during…