Category Nigeria News

The third edition of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), spearheaded by the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has helped more than 9,500 veterans and elderly people in the 36 federation-wide and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through a nationwide social protection drive.

250 people from the state’s three senatorial districts were honored with 200, 000 each in recognition of their service, resilience, and contributions to nation-building at the Edo State edition of the program, which was held at the New Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City.

The third installment of the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS), which has the theme “Finding Joy in Old Age,” will be distributed in total to 1.9 billion dollars, with 50 million going to each state, the FCT, and the Defense and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA).

The initiative affirms the government’s commitment to senior citizens’ welfare, dignity, and well-being, as well as providing support to veterans’ families through DEPOWA.

Oluremi Tinubu, who spoke at the event, described the initiative as a representation of a kind, caring, and people-centered government that acknowledges the sacrifices and enduring worth of its elderly population.

She noted that the Renewed Hope Initiative has consistently celebrated senior citizens every December as a sign of national gratitude since the administration’s beginning in 2023.

Read more about Oluremi Tinubu’s N50 million support of 250 Katsina seniors.

The First Lady explained that the scheme targets 9, 500 vulnerable elderly citizens nationwide, who each receive $ 200 000 to ease economic pressures and improve their quality of life during the holiday season, as well as the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Edo State, Edesili Okpebholo Anani.

It is crucial that we give our elderly citizens priority as we approach the holiday season. They chose challenging paths so that younger generations could use them for smoother travel. We have a moral duty and privilege to ensure that they pass away in peace, good health, and dignity,” she said.

Andrew Iyamu, Special Adviser on Health to the Edo State Government, emphasized the value of holistic care for the elderly by urging beneficiaries to lead healthy lifestyles, exercise moderately, and avoid self-medicare through regular medical checkups and follow-ups according to professional advice in his goodwill message.

In a move intended to improve transparency and safeguard government profits, the Nigeria Customs Service announced that it would impose penalties against designated banks that prevent the remittance of customs revenue.

According to NCS spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada, who made this disclosure in a statement on Wednesday, the delays undermine the government’s ability to manage revenue.

Following reconciliation of collections processed through the B’odogwu platform, the statement read, “The Nigeria Customs Service has observed instances of delayed remittance of customs revenue by some designated banks.”

These delays “violate remittance obligations and negatively affect the government revenue administration’s efficiency, transparency, and integrity.”

The Nigeria Customs Service and designated banks’ Service Level Agreement states that it is “in accordance with the terms of the Service Level Agreement” that stakeholders are informed of the start of enforcement actions against banks that have broken the agreed remittance deadlines.

Read more about DisCos cutting supplies as a gas shortage hits power stations.

PRESS ELEASE

NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICE APPEARS FOR DIFFICULTIES ABOUT DIFFICULTIES REQUIRED FOR CUSTOMS REVENUE REQUEST.

1. The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has been informed of instances of delayed customs revenue remittance by some designated banks… https://twitter.com/lXTzXANQ8J

According to Maiwada, any bank that doesn’t return Customs revenue within the allotted time will be subject to penalty interest that is three percent above the current Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate for the time being delayed.

He further stated that affected banks would receive formal notice of the delayed amounts, the applicable penalty, and the settlement deadline.

Any designated bank that doesn’t return collected Customs revenue within the prescribed time will be subject to penalty interest that is three percent above the current Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate for the duration of the delay.

In order to improve public transportation in the state, the Katsina State Government has approved the purchase of thirty (30) hybrid compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.

The decision reflects the administration of Governor Dikkoa Radda’s commitment to improving access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation, especially for students.

Muhammad Uthman, vice-chancellor of the Federal University, requested this information from Tarda during a courtesy visit to Government House in Katsina on Tuesday.

In order to lower costs and ease congestion, he claimed, the buses would be strategically distributed throughout major cities.

“Some buses will be dispatched to Daura to accommodate students at higher institutions, while others will be sent to Malumfashi, Funtua, and Dutsinma.

According to the governor, “Transportation continues to be a significant component of our development agenda, especially for students who rely on regular, affordable transportation to pursue their education.”

According to Governor Radda, each bus can carry up to 100 passengers, which would significantly lessen the burden on Federal University Dutsinma students and the general public.

Ogun also has plans to ease the burden of mass transportation with 100 CNG buses.

Our goal is to prevent transportation from preventing students from moving safely and conveniently, he continued.

Governor Radda assured the vice-chancellor that a tractor would be released to the university after the course of business was completed.

During the visit, the governor stated, “We are committed to supporting Federal University Dutsinma and other institutions in initiatives that promote academic excellence and improve student welfare.”

Uthman for his part requested support from the Katsina State Government for addressing pressing issues affecting students’ mobility and learning environment.

Governor Radda remarked, “Governor Radda has always been genuinely concerned about student welfare in the entire state.”

Afam Osigwe, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is unhappy with how the Senate chose ambassadorial candidates. &nbsp,

Osigwe criticizes the lawmakers’ “bow and go” approach when evaluating the recently-nominated envoys in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. &nbsp,

“The Senate’s process was very subpar,” the senator said. when the majority of them were compelled to bow down. And when we don’t know much about it, and those we know, and we thought there ought to be some discussion about their views, their position on a wide range of issues, including national unity, the NBA president said.

They were not asked those questions, and some senators got into a fight at some point. I guess what I’m going to expect from the ambassadorial appointees because it’s just political favoritism.

Read more about Tinubu’s nominations for Omokri, Fani-Kayode, Ugwuanyi, Mahmood Yakubu, and 28 others as ambassadors.

In late November, Tinubu put about 32 people on Tinubu’s list of potential career and non-career ambassadors.

President Tinubu emailed the Senate on Saturday, asking it to consider and confirm quickly 15 nominees for career ambassadors and 17 candidates for non-career ambassadors, according to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement released on Saturday.

Some of the nominees were screened by the lawmakers a few weeks later, but Osigwe claimed they failed to do so, which he claims does not bode well for the nation.

Read more about Tinubu receiving letters of cred from 17 ambassadors and four high commissioners.

He claimed that the appointment of non-career ambassadors in Nigeria has become a joke.

Osigwe criticized the nation’s leaders for appointing the appropriate ambassadors.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s Ibadan Zonal Directorate has discovered significant counterfeit foreign notes worth $3,430,000 (Three Million Four Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollars) and €280,000 (Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Euros) in the possession of a five-member syndicate accused of allegedly defrauding one Halima Sanni of sums of N$ 26, 550,000 (Twenty-Six Million

Following extensive surveillance and information gathering about their implausible activities, the herbalists were detained on December 7, 2025, at their shrines in Osun and Lagos states, according to a release signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, &nbsp, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in a release.

According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly defrauded people of their legitimate incomes by pretending to be spiritual healers and healers for various ailments.

Also read: Gunmen abduct three people from Plateau after killing 12 miners.

Additionally, they allegedly promised to protect their alleged victims by ensuring that they could conjure several currency notes by performing spiritual sacrifice sacrifices before spending the money. They hypnotized their victims to get money for the sacrifice, and they did all of these.

Two exotic cars and mobile phones are among the items that were recovered from them.

Michael Ango has been appointed the acting chairman of the FCT Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Lere Olayinka, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant for Public Communications and Social Media, stated in a statement on Wednesday that the minister also reinstated Danlami Hayyo, the state’s education secretary.

The statement read, “The Minister directed the Dr. Danlami Hayyo and Michael Ango to resume duty with immediate effect, warning that acts of indiscipline will not be tolerated by FCTA officials.”

Ango’s ordeal

Ango was fired from his official duties as FCT-IRS on December 5th, removing him from his position as acting chairman.

Although Ango’s sudden resignation was not explained, Wike’s spokesman said the agency’s most senior official was instructed to assume leadership immediately.

Also read: Wike Sacks Acting Chairman of the FCT-IRS

In August of this year, President Bola Tinubu appointed Ango in an acting capacity. The president at the time described him as a well-established professional with strong organizational leadership skills in financial management, revenue administration, and organizational leadership.

The FCT-IRS staff celebrated him at an event called “A Night with Ango” just last month for what they referred to as his visionary leadership, dedication to staff development, and efforts to make the organization a model revenue institution.

False school closure

Hayyo was suspended by the FCT Minister on November 26. A memo directing the government’s Abuja schools to close on November 28 was widely circulated on November 25 and led to his suspension.

Due to unnamed security concerns, the Director of School Services, Aishatu Sani Alhassan, signed the memo, which mandated that all public senior secondary schools in the FCT shut down “on or before Friday, November 28.”

Principals were instructed to immediately suspend academic activities and dismiss students “in an orderly and safe manner.”

However, the FCT administration claimed that no such directive had been approved.

According to Wike’s spokesman, the administration “debunked the report that all government schools in the Federal Capital Territory were mandated to close by November 28, 2025,” underscoring that “no such decision was taken at any level of the administration.”

Under civil service regulations, the minister also directed Nancy Nathan to launch disciplinary proceedings against Alhassan.