Author: Africa News Nation

By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja ActionAid Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to urgently investigate the alleged recruitment and exploitation of young African women, including Nigerians, under Russia’s Alabuga Start Programme, warning that the scheme bears the hallmarks of modern slavery and unsafe migration. The organisation said it was deeply disturbed by reports that young women were lured to Russia with promises of education, professional training and lucrative employment, only to allegedly end up in unsafe working conditions and involved in the production of military drones. ActionAid also expressed concern over reports linking a senior recruiter associated with the programme,…

By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and the Canadian High Commission have commenced discussions on a strategic partnership to modernise Nigeria’s electricity sector through technology transfer, capacity development, renewable energy integration and investment in critical power infrastructure. The development followed a courtesy visit by the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, David Sproule, and his delegation to the NISO headquarters in Abuja, where they were received by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed, alongside members of the NISO management team. Speaking during the engagement, Mohammed described the visit as a significant step towards deepening…

By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The Federal Government has approved a new institutional reform and financing framework aimed at accelerating the electrification of health facilities nationwide and ensuring reliable, 24-hour electricity supply to hospitals. The decision was reached at the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC) of the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a presidential programme jointly coordinated by the Federal Ministries of Power and Health and Social Welfare. The initiative is targeting reliable electricity for at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027. The meeting, chaired by the Minister of State…

• Minister, Silverbird, Permanent Secretary rally Nigerians behind Soye Karibi-George By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The Federal Government has formally sent forth Miss World Nigeria 2026, Miss Tamunosoye Karibi-George, as Nigeria’s official representative to the 2026 Miss World Pageant scheduled to hold in Vietnam, with the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, urging Nigerians to rally behind the beauty queen and support her quest to bring the crown home. The Minister spoke on Wednesday at a grand send-forth reception organised in honour of the Nigerian representative at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, describing the event as a proud…

By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the freezing of statutory allocations due to local governments in Osun State, describing the action as “political terrorism” and accusing the Federal Government of using state institutions to undermine the state ahead of the forthcoming governorship election. The opposition party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was pursuing a “win-at-all-cost” political strategy capable of undermining democratic governance and national stability. The ADC said the withholding of funds should not be viewed as an administrative matter or…

— Eyesan says projects will boost production, create jobs, strengthen Nigeria’s energy security By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has projected between $30 billion and $50 billion in investments from 22 major offshore oil and gas projects expected to come on stream between 2026 and 2030. The NUPRC Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos while delivering a keynote address at the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE 2026). Eyesan, who was represented at the conference by the Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Engr. Enorense…

By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has achieved approximately 85 per cent of its 2026 contribution target within the first half of the year, despite significant institutional changes during the period. Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Fund, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, disclosed this while declaring open the 2026 Half-Year Management Performance Review held simultaneously across six regional locations of the NSITF. Faleye attributed the performance to the commitment of regional and branch leadership, compliance teams and staff, noting that the Fund remained focused on delivering results despite operational challenges. He said the first half of 2026…

By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja Nigeria is set to host the world’s leading weather, water and climate experts and decision-makers as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) hosts the Alliance for Hydromet Development Annual Meeting 2026 in Lagos. The high-level meeting, scheduled for October 13–15, 2026, will take place at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, following an invitation from the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The event marks the first time the Alliance’s Annual Meeting will be held on African soil, bringing together global and African leaders to deliberate on investment, innovation and the future of weather, water and climate…

• Six Towers Along Yola–Jalingo 330kV Transmission Line Targeted By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed the arrest of a suspected mastermind behind the vandalism of six transmission towers along the Yola–Jalingo 330kV Transmission Line. The affected towers, identified as T995, T998, T999, T1002, T1003 and T1004, were vandalized by removing critical structural bracing members, putting the integrity of the transmission infrastructure at serious risk. According to TCN, the vandalism was discovered on July 29, 2026, during a routine patrol by its engineers along the transmission line. The company said the vandals had removed…

• 122km Kaduna–Birnin Gwari Road reconstruction flagged off By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja “The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government is abandoning existing roads to concentrate on constructing new ones, saying ongoing rehabilitation projects across the country belie such assertions. “Umahi spoke on Tuesday in Kaduna during the flag-off of the reconstruction of the 122-kilometre Kaduna–Birnin Gwari Road, where he also disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved a 50-kilometre internal light rail project for Kaduna State valued at $868 million. Congratulating Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, on the approval, Umahi…