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Tinubu Ends 51-year Frustration, Flags Off Plateau Road Rehabilitation

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja President Bola Tinubu has ended the 51-year frustration experienced by road users in Plateau State by flagging off the rehabilitation of Babban Lamba–Sharam Road, Phase II, spanning 38.625 kilometres. The road, which stretches from Babban-Dungun Village to Sharam, with an additional two-kilometre spur linking Dungun to Kwai, was taunted with frequent potholes since 1975 before the eventual award of the contract by the Federal Executive Council, FEC. Tinubu restated his intentions to deliver critical infrastructure that promotes economic growth, regional connectivity, national development, and integration, adding that the project formed part of the present administration’s infrastructure renewal programme implemented across six geopolitical zones. Represented by the National Chairman of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, he described the project as a strategic investment that will drive economic growth, create jobs, b...
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FG Clears ₦39.63bn Outstanding Arrears For 24,814 Pensioners

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja   L:R: Director General of  Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate ,PTAD, Mrs Tolulope Odunaiya in a warm handshake with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele at the Ministry's Headquarters in Abuja. Committed to implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Government has cleared ₦39.63 billion outstanding arrears for 24,814 eligible pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme, DBS, ending years of endless lamentations from the beneficiaries.    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, carried out the payments following the directive of Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele to prioritise the settlement of verified pension liabilities. While reaffirming his commitment to improving the welfare of pensioners, Oyedele said that the payment reflected the administration's determination to ensure that retired public servant...
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Fire Guts Lagos Fuel Terminal

BY CHIKA OKEKE The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is strategically battling to quench a fire outbreak at the Bono Energy Terminal in Coconut, Apapa area of the state. Spokesperson for the LSFRS, Shakiru Amodu confirmed the development in a brief message sent to journalists on Friday. He said: “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is currently curbing a Fire explosion at Bono Energy Terminal on Apapa-Oworonshoki Expressway, by Coconut, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Update to follow.” The cause of the fire remains uncertain at the press time. A similar outbreak had occurred in 2024, forcing the management of Sifax Group, owners of Port and Cargo Handling Services operating at Terminal ‘C’ of the Tincan Island Port to suspend operations following the fire incident that happened at the terminal. In 2018, fire broke out in the famous Container Complex around the PTML razing over 40 others.
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NBMA, EHCON Damage N40m Unauthorised Transgenic Cotton Seeds

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja Officials of   National Biosafety Management Agency covering the disposed transgenic cotton seeds at the Nasarawa State Dump Site on Thursday Committed to environmental standards, the National Biosafety Management Agency, NBMA, in collaboration with Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, EHCON, has damaged 57 cartons of unauthorized transgenic hybrid cotton seeds weighing approximately 950 kilograms that were imported into the country without the requisite approvals and certifications required under the law.  The Genetically Modified, GM, seedlings worth N40 million, were imported through Qatar Airlines, with Air Waybill number 157- 4027 6795, destined for Abuja, while Aerotrans Global Forwarding India PVT Limited served as the agent. Speaking during the exercise on Thursday in  Nasarawa, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NBMA, Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu stated that the action followed intelligence gathering, surveillance activ...
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Insufficient Assets: CBN Revokes Licences Of 46 Microfinance Banks

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja Governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licenses of 46 Microfinance Banks effective July 1, 2026, over insufficient assets and other regulatory impediments.   This followed the banks’ failure to meet the regulatory requirements for continued operation as licensed financial institutions, in accordance with its powers under Sections 12 and 13 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), 2020. The apex bank revealed the decision in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Ag. Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mrs Sidi-Ali, Hakama in Abuja. According to CBN, the revocation was approved by its Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, just as the revocation order became necessary due to closure of operations without the CBN approval, as well as inactivity and cessation of financial intermediation. Other issues listed for the revocation include failure to commence operations within...
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Customs Interceptz N53.39bn Counterfeit Drugs, Cannabis

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted counterfeit medicines bearing fake National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, labels; illicit drugs and expired pharmaceutical products with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N53.39 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos. The seizures, which involved nine separate consignments, were displayed on Wednesday during a ceremony at the Apapa Area Command. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi described the operation as one of its most significant anti-smuggling successes in recent years. He said that the interceptions were made through intelligence-driven operations involving cargo scanning, detailed physical examinations and close collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. According to Adeniyi, the confiscated items included more than 6.7 tonnes of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Canadian Loud, concealed inside two 40-foot containers alongside imported veh...
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FMBN Sets Ambitious Target On Innovative Mortgage Solutions

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, 3 rd R; Managing Director/Chief Executive of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi, 2 nd L; flanked by others while presenting keys to beneficiaries of the Brains and Hammers Bungalow City in Abuja.  The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, has set an ambitious target to deliver innovative mortgage solutions for decent and more accessible housing, while strengthening partnerships that drive sustainable housing development across the country. Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi stated this in Abuja shortly after the presentation of keys to the beneficiaries of Brains and Hammers Bungalow City, a housing project funded by the Bank. The project, financed under the Megacity Housing Project, reflected the Bank’s commitment to expanding access to affordable housing and supporting Nigerians on the path to homeownership. Osidi sai...
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