News Rider

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja The Federal Government has concluded plans to unveil National Single Window (NSW) platform on March 27, aimed at transforming Nigeria's trade and investment ecosystem. Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting at the State House, Abuja, attended by ministers, agency heads, and key officials. He said that the initiative, first launched by President Tinubu nearly two years ago, is a far-reaching fiscal reform that will streamline trade procedures, improve efficiency, and enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness. "We are about to launch yet another reform, fiscal reform by this administration, which in its nature will be very transformational. "As the name suggests, it is a single national window as opposed to multiple single windows. "This meeting is to review the progress we have made and get your commitment that we will manage this transition smoothly," he said. The Chief of Staff ...

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja   Prof Ayo Omotayo  The Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Prof Ayo Omotayo is in high spirit following presidential tenure elongation. The appointment according to President Bola Tinubu is for a final term of four years. Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Omotayo in November 2021. The Senate confirmed the appointment in February 2022. Omotayo is a Professor of Environmental Sustainability. He attended the University of Ibadan from 1980 to 1990, where he obtained a PhD in Geography. He began his teaching career at the Lagos State University in 1985 and rose through the ranks to become a Senior Lecturer in 1992 at the age of 30. Omotayo was the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences between 2012 and 2017 and the Director of the Centre for Planning at Lagos State University until he was appointed Director-General of the National Institute in 2021. This was contained in a statem...

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja     Late Rev Jesse Jackson President Bola Tinubu has sent a five-person delegation to represent him and Nigeria at the final burial rites of American civil rights leader, activist and former presidential candidate, Rev. Jesse Jackson.  Jackson passed away at age 84 on February 17, 2026, in Chicago. The Federal Government's delegation will be led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.  Other members are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu;  Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs, Brian Browne; and Senior Special Assistant, Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye. The delegation will deliver President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family. In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a great friend of Niger...

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja   Engr David Umahi  The Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi has dismissed the allegation of N280 million campaign debt and sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by Mrs TracyNither Ohiri.  This was even as the minister stated that he remains focused on his duty and cannot be distracted by the allegations trending on Social Media.  Reacting during the inspection tour of major infrastructure projects in the Southeast, Umahi recalled his long record in public service and leadership. "I want to thank all of you who know me very well. As party chairman, I owe nobody and of course I presided over both men and women, and nobody ever said I harassed him/her or I owe him/her," he said.  A businesswoman, Tracy Nicholas Ohiri had accused the minister of owing her N280m for promotional materials supplied during his 2014 governorship campaign in Ebonyi State.  Reflecting on his years in executive office, Umahi added: "I was a...

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja   Mr Taiwo Oyedele  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Mr Taiwo Oyedele as the Minister of State for finance, replacing Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite. Uzoka-Anite will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, making it her third portfolio in the APC-led administration.  President Tinubu on Tuesday conveyed the nomination of Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation, in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.  Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert. He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.  Oye...

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja    Engr David Umahi The Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi has emerged winner of the Silverbird Group Extraordinary Personality of the Year award for transformative road projects across the country.   The award conferred on Umahi over the weekend at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, brought together top government officials, lawmakers, technocrats, and stakeholders in the works sector.  Organised by Silverbird Group, the attendees were drawn by a shared recognition of a minister whose tenure symbolises scale, speed, and ambition in Nigeria’s infrastructure drive. The minister described the honour as a deserved recognition of visible performance and hard choices taken in the national interest. The Minister of State (Works), Barr. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, who represented Umahi said: "We cannot but register our sincere gratitude and appreciation for this award for identifying our own, the  Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, f...