At least 35 people lost their lives in a road accident near Samunaka in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The victims, mostly Muslims traveling to celebrate Maulud, were aboard a J5 bus that collided head-on with an articulated vehicle. Malam Abdullahi, one of the event organizers, said the accident has devastated their plans. “We had around 70 people, including women and children, in our group. I personally counted the victims. It was a heartbreaking scene,” he said. Over 35 injured individuals have been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Plateau State for treatment. Another vehicle in the convoy was also involved in an accident with a motorcycle, causing further casualties. Authorities have not yet issued an official statement, and the tragedy has cast a somber tone over the Maulud celebrations in Kaduna State.

  Officials from the United Nations and humanitarian organisations have visited Maiduguri over the devastating floods ravaging the area. The team, comprising of international and national Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), was led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall. They arrived in the Borno State capital on Saturday on an assessment visit over the Alau Dam flood disaster. This was disclosed in a press release to journalists on Sunday by the National Information Officer of the UN Information Centre, Oluseyi Soremekun. Soremekun said the team met with affected residents, government officials, and Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, to assess the damage and outline immediate support measures. “The flood-affected people are facing a crisis within a crisis, as the floods occurred during a severe food insecurity and malnutrition crisis. “I witnessed firsthand the devastation and hardship caused by the flooding, including the destruction of hom

  The Federal Government of Nigeria has unveiled a N100 million AI Fund aimed at boosting local startups in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. The announcement was made by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, during the Global Inclusivity and AI Africa conference hosted by the US Department of State in collaboration with the Nigerian government. Tijani revealed that the fund, created in partnership with Google and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), will initially support ten innovative AI projects. Each selected startup will receive up to N10 million, along with access to Google's AI tools, mentorship, and a global network designed to accelerate their growth. The fund is intended to address key sectors such as healthcare, education, financial inclusion, and governance, showcasing AI's potential to drive transformative change. Tijani highlighted the role of AI in revolutionizing various fields and

Milan's city mayor, Giuseppe Sala. Inter and AC Milan have turned down the proposal to renovate the historic San Siro stadium, according to Milan's city mayor, Giuseppe Sala. Following a meeting with officials from both clubs, Sala announced that the teams had rejected the plan put forward by the construction group WeBuild. The clubs concluded that the renovation project was not financially feasible and expressed their desire to pursue alternative options. However, the clubs are open to revisiting their original plan of constructing a new stadium near the current San Siro site. Sala acknowledged the resistance from local residents but emphasized that the process of building new stadiums in Italy is complex and challenging. Both Inter and AC Milan, who have each won European titles multiple times, are seeking to increase their commercial revenue and are considering relocating from the San Siro, which is owned by the city of Milan. The San Siro, officially known as the Giuseppe M

SpaceX  Polaris astronauts complete  first spacewalk  by  private  citizens. The  historic  mission led by Elon Musk, achieved the world’s first civilian spacewalk on Thursday morning. Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis became the first non-government astronauts to perform a spacewalk in Earth's orbit, stepping outside the Crew Dragon capsule. The spacewalk, part of the Polaris Dawn mission, occurred approximately 400 miles above Earth. Isaacman and Gillis spent about 30 minutes outside the spacecraft while their crewmates, Scott Poteet and Anna Menon, observed the mission from inside. The Polaris Dawn mission is a pioneering effort in private space exploration, testing advanced technologies such as SpaceX’s new spacesuits and a sophisticated depressurization process for the Crew Dragon cabin. SpaceX has made notable progress in commercial space travel, being the first private company to regularly send humans into orbit and bring them back safely. The suc

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has instructed all Payment Service Providers to route Point of Sale (PoS) transactions through an approved Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA) to enhance transaction monitoring and decentralize routing. Providers have 30 days to comply with these new guidelines. The move aims to strengthen oversight of electronic transactions and address centralization concerns. The directive, issued by Oladimeji Yisa Taiwo, mandates that all PoS transactions from merchant and agent locations must go through CBN-licensed PTSAs. This decision follows recent issues with PoS business registration and fraud incidents, with PoS terminals being linked to a significant percentage of fraud cases in 2023. https://youtu.be/nYV_e9dnkcY

      Image Credit -爪丨丂ㄒ乇尺_卩丨ㄒㄒ丨几Ꮆ乇尺 Brazil suffered their fourth defeat in five qualifying games with a 1-0 loss to Paraguay as Argentina were beaten 2-1 by Colombia in the latest qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup. Inter Miami's Diego Gomez scored the winner for Paraguay in Asuncion after 20 minutes as Brazil failed to register a shot on target in the first half. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and West Ham playmaker Lucas Paqueta all started all started for Brazil with the Real Madrid trio of Rodrygo, Endrick and Vinicius Jr in attack. "I want to apologize to the fans, I know it's a difficult time, but we just want to improve," Vinicius told Brazilian TV channel Globo. The 24-year-old winger has scored over 20 goals for Real in each of the last three seasons but has only five goals from 35 caps for Brazil and failed to score at the 2022 World Cup. "I know my potential, what I can do for the national team," he adde

The Department of State Services (DSS) has released labour leader Joe Ajaero. Ajaero, who confirmed his release to our correspondent, said the secret police allowed him to go home around 11 pm on Monday. The Nigeria Labour Congress president said he was grilled for about 15 hours since his arrest around 7 am at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Ajaero, however, said his travel passport was seized by the secret police. The labour leader said though he was detained by the DSS, some police officers also came around to grill him at the DSS office in Abuja over the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests that took place in August. Ajaero said he was quizzed over alleged terrorism financing involving a British national, Andrew Wynne. The labour leader was on his way to the United Kingdom on Monday for a Trade Union Congress (TUC) event when he was arrested at Abuja airport. The NLC had condemned Ajaero’s arrest and gave the secret police Tuesday midnight to release the labour l

  Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) has proposed a constitutional amendment to prevent presidential pardons for corrupt leaders. Announced at an ICPC roundtable in Abuja, the amendment aims to exclude corruption cases from the prerogative of mercy. The roundtable, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, brought together legal and civil society stakeholders to enhance anti-corruption efforts. Fagbemi emphasized that the amendment, to be pursued in the next constitutional review, is essential for ensuring corrupt leaders face full legal consequences. Previous presidential pardons for corruption include those of former Bayelsa Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and former Delta Governor James Ibori. Fagbemi highlighted the need for a unified, evidence-based approach to combat corruption and avoid influence from public sentiment. Support for the proposal was expressed by Senate Anti-Corruption Committee Chairman Senator Osinakachukwu Ideozu and House Anti-Corruption Comm

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has successfully secured a historic €1.425 billion through the senior phase of its global loan syndication, aimed at boosting financing for Nigerian businesses. This deal, which saw a 42.5 percent oversubscription from international financial markets, solidifies BOI’s role as a major player in supporting Nigeria’s industrial and private sectors. Previously, the largest loan syndications by BOI were €1 billion each in 2020 and 2022, both of which were repaid in July 2024. Olasupo Olusi, BOI’s Managing Director and CEO, stated that the recent loan syndication represents a strong endorsement from foreign investors of both BOI and Nigeria’s economic outlook. The lenders include Global Coordinators such as Africa Finance Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank, Facility Agent Africa Export-Import Bank, and various Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners, along with numerous financial institutions from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Olusi emphasized t

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has offered free legal representation to EndBadGovernanc protesters with court cases across the country. President of the NBA, Afam Osigwe, who announced this on his X handle on Wednesday, also directed NBA branches to monitor the legal proceedings against protesters across the country. He said, “I have directed the branches of the Nigerian Bar Association to monitor the trials of the EndBadGovernance protesters. “Additionally, I have launched a pro bono support initiative for protesters who lack legal representation. “The Nigerian Bar Association Citizens’ Liberties Committee (NBA-CLC) has been tasked with liaising closely with the chairmen and human rights committees of NBA branches in regions where protesters are currently being prosecuted. This ensures that no defendant suffers injustice. “The NBA legal team will continue to monitor court proceedings to ensure that trials are conducted with strict adherence to due process, safeguarding the legal

A Financial technology company Opay has once again left its over 40 million customers stranded due to an unexplained application glitch, just a month after users complained of funds disappearing without a trace. On September 3, 2024, many customers faced repeated transaction failures without any explanation from the company, which promotes itself as a platform for quick and easy payments. This incident has raised concerns about Opay’s reliability, as customers were unable to make or receive payments, forcing some to turn to alternative fintech apps like Moniepoint and Palmpay. One frustrated customer shared, “I went to bokku mart to buy some goods, and since I don’t have an ATM card, I usually rely on Opay because it’s been easy to use. But I was embarrassed when my payment failed, and I couldn’t even see my transaction history, though my account was debited. It was like the money just disappeared.” Another customer recounted his experience when trying to purchase food for his baby: “

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has issued a wanted notice for Andrew Wynne, a British national, in connection with alleged plans to overthrow President Bola Tinubu. Wynne, along with Nigerian Ehis Obinyan, was declared wanted during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. Muyiwa Adejobi, the force spokesperson, accused Wynne of orchestrating a covert network aimed at destabilizing the government and inciting chaos in the country. According to Adejobi, Wynne used a rented space at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abuja for “Iva Valley Bookshop” and established “STARS of Nations Schools” as fronts for his activities. Adejobi detailed that Wynne allegedly issued directives, provided financial support, and offered operational guidance to effect an unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria. He is accused of channeling billions of naira to his Nigerian associates to incite violent attacks on police and military installations, intending to provoke international condemnation of t

  President Bola Tinubu on Sunday arrived in Beijing, the capital of China, on a state visit. In the Asian country, the Nigerian leader would attend the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, themed “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build High-Level China-Africa Community with Shared Future.” This was disclosed in a post on X by the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives in Beijing for his official state visit to China,” the presidential aide said. “He will meet with President Xi Jinping and will hold meetings with Chinese business leaders on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.” Tinubu was received by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Kaduna State counterpart, Uba Sani; Minister of Works, David Umahi; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; among other Nigerian and Chinese government officials. Earlier, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping in

  United States' rapper, Fatman Scoop, has died, his family and manager announced Saturday, after the 53-year-old artist suffered a medical emergency while performing on stage, prompting a wave of tributes from the world of hip-hop. Scoop, best known for the hit tracks “Be Faithful” and “It Takes Scoop,” collapsed on stage at Hamden Town Center Park, Connecticut and was taken to hospital where doctors were unable to revive him, US media reported. Medical staff apparently attempted to administer CPR while he was still on the stage, according to a video of the incident obtained by celebrity news site, TMZ.  He was then carried away on a stretcher.  In a post on his Instagram account, his family wrote that “it is with profound sadness and very heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of the legendary and iconic Fatman Scoop.”  “Fatman Scoop was known to the world as the undisputed voice of the club. His music made us dance and embrace life with positivity,” they wrote.  Scoop’s

  Canada-Based Nigerian Woman, Amaka Sunnberger, Under Investigation for Death Threats Against Fellow Nigerians Canadian authorities have launched an investigation into Amaka Sunnberger, a Nigerian woman based in Canada, after she allegedly threatened to harm other Nigerians living in the country. The threats, which were reportedly made online, have sparked concern within the Nigerian community in Canada. Local law enforcement is taking the matter seriously, and the probe is ongoing to determine the extent of the threat and any potential legal actions that may follow. Sunnberger could face serious consequences if found guilty of making violent threats.   https://youtu.be/j8A1_oUdgnA