Category Nigeria News

According to state-linked media, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi granted prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah a pardon on Monday after spending the better part of the past ten years in jail.

The 43-year-old British-Egyptian national, who was pardoned alongside five others, was a key figure in Egypt’s uprising in 2011 and has since been imprisoned under each successive administration.

After sharing a Facebook post about alleged torture in Egyptian jails, Abdel Fattah received a five-year sentence in December 2021 for “spreading false news.”

According to Al-Qahera News, which is connected to Egypt’s state intelligence service, Sisi pardoned “a number of convicted persons, following the constitutional and legal procedures in this regard.”

Alaa Ahmed Seif El-Islam Abdel Fattah is included in the pardon, according to the statement.

Laila Soueif, Alaa’s mother, activist and academic, just ended a 10-month hunger strike calling for his release.

Following a partial strike in solidarity with his mother that started in March, Abdel Fattah has been on a hunger strike since September.

“My brother has been pardoned by President Sisi!” I’m currently heading to the prison with Mum andamp to check on when and where Alaa will be released. Sanaa Seif, Abdel Fattah’s sister, posted on X.

“I can’t believe we’ve got our lives back” she continued.

Shortly after the pardon, his other sister, Mona Seif, wrote, “My heart is going to stop,” Seif said.

Authorities insisted that Abdel Fattah’s sentence would come to an end in September 2024, but they disregarded his remand period.

All procedures have been finalized, according to Tarek al-Awady, a member of Egypt’s presidential pardons committee, and the prison is awaiting the implementation of the presidential decree.

Read more about Egypt’s latest megaproject, “New Desert City,” here.

According to Awady, who spoke to AFP in response to a significant prison complex on the outskirts of Cairo, “He will be released immediately from Wadi al-Natrun Prison.”

Pardon Petition:

Following Sisi’s earlier this month’s order to examine a petition filed by the state-affiliated National Council for Human Rights to pardon a number of people, including Abdel Fattah, the pardon comes on Monday.

Abdel Fattah was removed from the country’s terrorism list after a Cairo criminal court found no evidence linking him to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organization, according to a court decision.

Abdel Fattah’s case has been repeatedly brought up by the British government with Egyptian authorities, even in discussions with Sisi and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

A panel of experts from the UN called for his immediate release after finding his detention to be unlawful and arbitrary in May.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Egypt’s authorities to end a practice that allows for protracted arbitrary detention of government critics last month.

Prior to the end of a detainee’s remand period, the “rotation” practice frequently involves filing new charges against the detainee.

According to Turk, the practice “appears to be used to circumvent the laws governing individual liberty, due process, and equality before the law.”

Sisi’s administration has pardoned several prominent dissidents, including Mohamed al-Baqer, Abdel Fattah’s lawyer, and has released hundreds of detainees since 2022.

Despite receiving a pardon, hundreds of other politicians and activists are still imprisoned.

The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) gave Certificates of Return to the councillorship candidates who won the recent by-elections on Saturday, September 20, 2025, on Monday.

Ovuchor Suleiman, the EDSIEC Chairman, Jonathan Aifuobhokhan, delivered the certificates at the Commission’s headquarters on Airport Road, GRA, Benin City.

Several of the victorious candidates were present to receive their certificates, but a number remained absent and did not collect their Return Certificates during the ceremony.

Read more about EDSIEC holding by-elections in 15 Edo LGAs despite court order.

The contentious by-election was officially concluded with the issuance of the certificates despite a High Court ex parte order preventing EDSIEC from holding the elections.

However, EDSIEC had sent a notice to the court asking for a judicial review of the ex parte order.

The Commission stated in a press release on Friday, September 19, that it would continue conducting the elections, citing legal justifications, on the same day as the election.

Ann-Kio Briggs, a Rivers Elders Forum member, claims that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has abused the trust of Rivers State residents and Nigerians.

She claimed that the party’s inaction had caused the state’s residents to experience protracted political crises.

Read more about Rivers People’s Agreement with Tinubu by Ann-Kio Briggs here.

She lamented on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics about the state’s political developments that, despite Rivers residents’ longing for the PDP since 1999, the party has failed to rise to the occasion when it was most important.

“We have always voted for the PDP, including myself, for the PDP, so I feel let down by the political party as a stakeholder and elder,” said the elder.

The PDP would not have been where it is today, according to Briggs, if they had intervened and done what they should have done right away, not just in Rivers State but as a political party so well-known in the Niger Delta.

She claims that the PDP allowed internal divisions and power struggles to erode its influence. She further claims that Rivers State’s political situation had been worsened as a result of the party’s negligence, causing the state to deal with consequences that might have been avoided.

Intervention by Tinubu

The Rivers elder distanced herself from such sentiments, saying that politicians may have their own reasons for being appreciative. Governor Siminalayi Fubara has publicly commended President Bola Tinubu for bringing about peace in the Rivers.

No, even the President will be aware that not everyone in Rivers State will be forever grateful to him, or even Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, and all the politicians, in fact.

He claimed that both the APC and PDP have contributed to the deepening of the crisis, noting that “he is the politician, and I am not as happy or grateful to the APC party as the governor is.”

She argued that the electorate is what has taught the most, not the politicians.

The electorate and the people of Rivers State have learned that we have rights that are much bigger and deeper than what politicians believe they have, in my opinion.

The Federal Government has made the announcement that it wants to give Nigerians at least 30 million citizens a specific training and empowerment goal by 2030 in order to reach 95 percent of the population.

At the Grand Finale of the Tech4Dev Digital for All Challenge 2.0, Kashifu Abdullahi, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency, represented by Aristotle Onumo, the agency’s director of stakeholder management.

Abdullahi explained that NITDA is advancing the initiative through strategic alliances, particularly with the National Youth Service Corps and other educational institutions.

The NITDA’s vision is reflected in the DFA 2.0 competition. By 2030, we want to ensure that 95% of Nigerians are digitally literate. 30 million Nigerians will be trained and empowered by 2027. We can’t do it alone, he said, so we’re collaborating with partners.

READ MORE: FG HELPED TO SET up A MINIST for Artificial Intelligence

Abdullahi praised the NYSC’s role in training corps members to become digital literacy champions who are stationed all over the country.

“Digital Literacy Champions are currently educating citizens in every local government area of Nigeria. He continued, “Our portal also provides real-time data on how many Nigerians have been trained thus far.

He added that NITDA has successfully integrated digital literacy into the national curriculum across all educational levels in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

“Digital literacy was recently made a part of the curriculum for all secondary, tertiary, and primary institutions. For instance, the General Studies program at Nasarawa State University includes digital literacy. He explained that by the end of their first year, students are certified by Cisco and equipped to use the digital economy.

According to Abdullahi, civil servants are also being targeted to increase effectiveness and service delivery.

Digital literacy is now a required component of promotion exams for civil servants. He remarked, “This is another step toward achieving our goal of a nation that is digitally literate by 2027.”

The Digital for All Challenge was described as a “shared vision,” according to the NITDA boss, who praised Tech4Dev’s partnership.

“We think that the 21st century will need more digital literacy.” We are laying the groundwork for innovation, job creation, and long-term prosperity with the right digital skills. Because 400 NITDA employees alone cannot reach 270 million Nigerians, partnerships like this are crucial, he said.

The winners of the challenge were commended, but Abdullahi urged them to view the event as a tool for transformation rather than just a competition.

This is a transformation as opposed to just a competition. The young entrepreneurs we are celebrating today are using digital tools for nation-building and empowerment. He said, “We create the future through knowledge, courage, and collaboration, not something we wait for.”

He emphasized that all Nigerians should use digital technology, not just for the youth.

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the minister of state for labor and employment, reiterated the government’s commitment to advance digital literacy by highlighting its significance for both national development and job creation. She urged more young people to take active part in these initiatives.

Idongesit Udoh, the country lead for the UK’s International Development Digital Access Programme and Idongesit Udoh, praised the initiative as “a really significant digital-for-all challenge” and described it as a landmark project that has expanded access to digital skills across the country.

In the digital era, Udoh emphasized that everyone must have access to technology to ensure that no one is forgotten.

A modern digital economy’s foundations are skills, connectivity, and trust, and this project has advanced all three, he said.

He noted that the competition has also led to increased opportunities for young people, civil servants, and emerging leaders.

It has given young people the opportunity to compete both domestically and internationally. It has improved the delivery of services for civil servants. It has already opened up digital journeys for teenagers and children. And it has rewarded and inspired many, he continued, “with its awards and certifications.”

Oladiwura Oladepo, a co-founder of Tech4Dev, highlighted the positive effects of the Digital for All Challenge, noting that nearly 18, 000 youths in Nigeria were benefited directly from the first edition.

She explained that the second edition aimed to advance digital literacy, increase individual empowerment, and provide opportunities for people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, and classes.

In addition to the Youth Intermediate category, which included young learners between the ages of 8 and 18, participants explored areas like cybersecurity, product design, data analysis, digital and social media marketing, and software development, as well as a dedicated Civil Servants category, which aimed to increase digital capacity among government employees for more effective service delivery.

“This program has had an impact on Nigerians everywhere, giving them the skills they need to thrive in a world where technology is at its core.” I can proudly report on the accomplishments we have made in achieving that vision today. Through awareness campaigns, training sessions, assessments, and competitions, over one million Nigerians have been reached at various stages of this challenge, according to Oladepo.