Mali has ordered the closure of schools and universities nationwide for two weeks starting Monday amid a worsening fuel shortage caused by a blockade enforced by al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents. The measure follows a campaign launched in early September by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which announced it would block fuel entering the country. The group has…
Economic activities were completely grounded in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Monday as markets, schools, shops, and offices remained closed, with residents staying indoors. Major areas such as Douglas Road and the popular Douglas Market—often compared to Lagos’ Idumota—were deserted. Shops were locked, and no traders were seen. The silence extended across Wethedral, MCC,…
Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking, with multiple seizures across Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna and Gombe in the past week. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, operatives in Lagos on 22 September confiscated 85,100 tramadol pills from three suspects at Apapa. The same day in Kaduna, officers at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate intercepted…
Residents of Kaido Tsoho in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT have decried poor infrastructure, insecurity and lack of government support. Speaking during a community visit by the NGO Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTION), villagers listed lack of potable water, healthcare, electricity and schools as major challenges. They also lamented herder invasions of…
Nigeria’s fight against climate change has received a boost with a £19 million (approx. $24 million) funding package from the United Kingdom to strengthen vital health and education infrastructure. The investment, channelled through the Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services (CRIBS) initiative, will provide 39 health centres and 45 schools built to withstand flooding, droughts,…
Nigeria has pledged to intensify its Safe Schools Programme to ensure children can learn free from the threat of violence, with development partners promising continued support. At an event marking the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, Federal Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, said school insecurity must not be normalised. “Every child…
A research, conducted by Oxford Policy Management, has revealed that from 2020 to 2025, about 330 students were abducted in Batsari, Faskari and Kankara Local Government Areas of Katsina. Hadiza Tijani, a Consultant with the Oxford Policy Management disclosed this in Katsina on Tuesday, while presenting the findings of their survey, at a dissemination workshop….
The Nigerian government has officially released the results of the 2025 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), determining eligibility for admission into the country’s 80 Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) for Junior Secondary School (JSS1). Also unveiled were the outcomes of the separate entrance examination for the Federal Government Academy (FGA), Suleja — a specialised institution for…
A powerful rainstorm has damaged several schools and staff residences across the Funtua zone in Nigeria’s north-western Katsina State, according to a government statement released on Tuesday. The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa, expressed deep concern over the incident, which she said caused extensive structural damage to school buildings and staff…
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has given its official backing to the newly established Sam Okwaraji Secondary Schools Soccer Championship, a grassroots football initiative designed to celebrate the legacy of one of the nation’s most revered football icons. The annual tournament, spearheaded by the Samuel Okwaraji Foundation, has also received the endorsement of the Senate…
