Author: Opalim Lifted

Trade tensions between the European Union (EU) and the United States have escalated after fresh tariff threats from US President Donald Trump, prompting urgent talks between top officials. Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade commissioner, is set to meet Jamieson Greer on Tuesday. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of a G7 ministerial gathering in Paris. The discussions follow Trump’s announcement on Friday that the US plans to raise tariffs on EU vehicle imports to 25 per cent starting this week. He also accused the EU of failing to comply with a prior trade agreement. The European Union has…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Friday, May 8, 2026, to rule on the no-case submission filed by Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, in a criminal suit instituted against him by the Department of State Services (DSS). Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, fixed the date on Monday after Sowore and the DSS adopted their final written arguments for and against the no-case submission filed on April 21. Sowore is standing trial on a two-count charge brought against him by the DSS. The charge stems from Sowore’s August 25 post on X, in which he described President Bola…

Discussions between the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee (JAC), representing non-teaching university staff (SSANU and NASU), ended without agreement on Monday in Abuja, as major concerns remained unresolved. The JAC comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU). The meeting, convened by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, was adjourned to May 5 at 3 p.m. for further negotiations. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that SSANU and NASU began an indefinite strike on April 30, following the expiration of a one-month ultimatum to…

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its Nigeria press freedom pledge ahead of the 2027 elections, promising stronger protections for journalists and a safer working environment. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, gave the assurance in Abuja during an inter-ministerial briefing marking World Press Freedom Day 2026. The event, themed “Shaping a Future at Peace: Promoting Press Freedom for Human Rights, Development, and Security,” brought together security agencies, media leaders and other stakeholders to discuss safeguarding journalists ahead of the next election cycle. Idris said a free and responsible press remains central to democratic governance, stressing that credible information…

Relief may at last be reaching telecom subscribers in the country, as service providers have begun compensating users for poor network performance. This development follows a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which ordered operators to compensate users for failing to meet quality standards between November 2025 and January 2026. Today, telecom operator Airtel Nigeria, which has over 63.6 million subscribers as of the first quarter of 2026, sent SMS notifications to alert qualified customers about the compensation. The message informed customers that the compensation had been applied and could be checked using a USSD code. In many cases,…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two Chinese firms to explore a partnership for the completion and operation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries. The agreement was signed with Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xinganchen (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd in Jiaxing City, China, on April 30. According to a statement by Andy Odeh, NNPC’s chief corporate communications officer, on Monday, the proposed collaboration will be structured as a technical equity partnership. The framework, the company said, will cover the completion of outstanding work at the refineries,…

The Federal Government has called on the government of South Africa to take urgent and decisive action to halt renewed xenophobic violence targeting Nigerians and other African nationals. The appeal followed a high-level meeting in Abuja between Dunoma Ahmed, permanent secretary of Nigeria’s foreign affairs ministry, and Lesoli Machele, acting high commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria. According to ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Nigerian government raised concerns over disturbing reports and viral videos showing protesters in parts of South Africa calling for foreigners, particularly black immigrants to leave the country. Officials warned that the situation risks straining long-standing diplomatic…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), backed by Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State governor, has appointed Kabiru Turaki as chairman of its interim National Working Committee (NWC). Turaki was appointed to lead the 13-member interim NWC on Monday at the party’s 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja. Other members of the committee are Woyengikuro Daniel, Hamza Koshe, Ihediwa Nnabugwu, Isa Abubakar, Okechukwu Daniel, Theophilus Shan, Ini Ememobong, Aribisala Idowu, Bara’u Shafi’i, Ogbu Chinenyenwa, Umar Aji, and Arapaja Taofeek (secretary). Aziegbemi Anthony, the PDP chairman in Edo State, moved a motion for the appointment of the interim committee. On Thursday,…

Nigeria’s banking sector is under fresh strain as a massive distressed loan linked to Nestoil Limited forces top lenders to suspend dividend payments and overhaul their balance sheets. The crisis centres on an estimated $2 billion (about N2.9 trillion) exposure that has triggered sweeping loan loss provisions across the industry, hitting profitability and investor returns. Major lenders including United Bank for Africa, Access Holdings and FirstHoldCo have all reported sharp spikes in impairment charges in their 2025 full-year results, with several opting not to declare dividends. UBA booked N331 billion in loan loss provisions, with profit before tax dropping 47%…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is planning a visit to the United States, citing what he calls an “alarming deterioration” in Nigeria’s security, governance and economy. In a statement on Sunday, his media aide, Paul Ibe, said the trip will involve meetings with policy and institutional stakeholders. The date has not yet been fixed. Atiku described Nigeria as facing a “full-blown internal crisis” that can no longer be dismissed or politicised. He pointed to escalating violence in the North-West and North-East, ongoing bloodshed in the Middle Belt, and the spread of kidnapping and criminality nationwide. According to him, the situation…