Category Nigeria News

During an air raid in Zamfara State on May 31, 2025, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) claimed its airstrikes neutralized over 20 armed terrorists and destroyed more than 21 motorcycles.

Ehimen Ejodame, a spokesperson for the NAF, stated in a statement that the operation, which was carried out in the Maru Local Government Area of the state’s Maru Local Government Area, was to stop armed bandits’ planned large-scale assault on vulnerable communities.

According to the Air Force, the intelligence that was gathered revealed that numerous terrorists were preparing to attack unarmed settlements.

“A number of civilians, including children and women, were abducted by the bandits, according to additional intelligence,” according to further investigation.

According to Ejodame, “NAF aircraft under Operation Fansan YAMMA was immediately dispatched for armed reconnaissance and possible rescue missions.”

Over 200 Bodies Recovered in the Mokwa Flood, claims the commissioner, [READ ALSO].

Over 30 motorcycles carrying armed terrorists heading into the nearby forest were positively identified, according to Ejodame when they arrived in the area.

The terrorists opened fire when they saw the aircraft, prompting a precise attack that resulted in the destruction of several motorcycles and the elimination of dozens of terrorists.

“Ground forces were immediately dispatched to take advantage of the circumstance. They confirmed that more than 20 terrorists had been neutralized and that the enemy’s assets had been destroyed.

Two local vigilantes were killed and two others were hurt in the crossfire, sadly, according to the statement.

NAF expressed regret over the brave vigilantes’ deaths and pledged to work with local communities to ensure the safety and security of all citizens.

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is accused of defying a subsisting court order and preventing the launch of a new satellite-driven Digital Switch Over (DSO) scheme tagged “The Big Picture” by the Association of Set-Top Box Manufacturers of Nigeria (STBMAN).

The group is urging President Bola Tinubu to immediately intervene.

The NBC’s approach was described by its chairman, Sir Godfrey Ohuabunwa, as “incoherent and unfair,” according to STBMAN, who also alleged a consistent pattern of disregard for existing agreements and stakeholders.

The Commission is beginning a course without the slightest consideration for agreements or for key DSO ecosystem stakeholders, according to the group.

Despite a presidential executive order encouraging local content in procurement, the manufacturers expressed concern about NBC’s plans to import five million hybrid set-top boxes from China.

They contend that this action is incompatible with the “Nigeria First Policy” and undermines local investment. According to STBMAN, “NBC should therefore be a promoter of economic activities rather than a destroyer of ideas and investments,” STBMAN said, noting that its members still keep unsold boxes made to NBC’s original specifications.

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PRESS RELEASE BY THE ASSOCIATION OF SET TOP BOX MANUFACTURERS OF NIGERIA, ON THE JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY THE DIRECTORS GENERAL OF THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION (NBC) AND NIGCOMSAT ON THE UNVEILING OF SATELLITE DRIVEN DIGITAL SWITCH OVER (DSO) TAGGED “THE BIG PICTURE”

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is once more compelled to release a statement about the incoherent and unfair practices being used in the implementation of the FGN’s policy on the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, as requested by the Association of Set Top Box Manufacturers of Nigeria (STBMAN). Regrettably, it is becoming a common practice for the Commission to take a course without even considering agreements or the needs of key DSO ecosystem players.

The general public is invited to take note that STBMAN is a group of technology-driven companies that is open to the use of new technologies. Similar to how the Association does not suggest that the project’s implementation should be the most important factor. It is not surprising for anyone who has followed the DSO closely since its conception by the DigiTeam to choose the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) option because of the high cost that the majority of TV viewers will find it difficult to pay for. Second, excluding the millions of dollars spent by local DTT factories, broadcast signal distributors, and other parties that have deployed DTT infrastructure, the Federal Government of Nigeria currently has spent close to N60 billion on the DSO program. This does not bother the over 10 million poor television households who will be impacted by the mindless action of the hybrid box.

It is known that STBMAN has repeatedly urged NBC to work with NIGCOMSAT to reduce the high cost that was being paid to foreign satellite distribution/carriers, but NBC outright refused to do so because we are not opposed to any change in any government policy. It is heartwarming to finally discover that NIGCOMSAT has the best and most recent signal coverage.
Curiously, the press release stated that local manufacturers would work together to create hybrid reception devices every year, but there hasn’t been any communication with the 13 licensed STB manufacturers, who have invested significant money to produce DTT boxes that have been specifically ordered and created by the NBC/Digiteam. The public must be aware that the STB manufacturers have worked hard and given up for the DSO’s success, but there always seems to be a deliberate and calculated decision to stifle their efforts and investments. Due to NBC’s failure to fulfill its obligations and contractual agreements, STBMAN members have been left with scores of boxes in their warehouses without the ability to sell for almost 10 years. Any well-intentioned government agency that is concerned about the expansion of its economy should have engaged with the current licensed manufacturers to come up with a workable arrangement taking into account both the cost of the investments and the technological advancements that have changed.

Further, the public is asked to comment on why the Association filed a Writ of Summons in Suit No: FCT/HC/GAR/CV/442/2024 to defend its interests by requesting Court intervention to stop any attempt to license new STB manufacturers. This and NBC’s attempt to undermine the agreement and the exclusivity granted to the pioneer manufacturers is further supported by this. The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sitting in Abuja, issued interim orders restraining NBC from proceeding with any further action in relation to the reliefs the Claimants wanted on the 11th day of September 2024. NBC chose the path of contempt to short circuit the lines of justice, despite the fact that it has already seized the case/action and had issues with the Claimants. No matter how marginally or lightly placed it is in society until it is set aside, a court order, whether valid or not, must be followed if it is subsisting. The rule of law is all about this.

In total disregard of the Presidential Executive Order “The Nigeria First Policy,” which mandates that Nigeria come first in all procurement decisions, NBC announced in the press release that they intend to import 5, 000, 000 Hybrid/DTH Set Top Boxes from China. Without a compelling reason, no foreign goods or products that are already produced locally will be purchased. In line with President Ahmed Tinubu’s GCFR’s strategy of industrializing Nigeria, protecting the country’s economy from global shocks, and establishing long-term local capacity, the policy is based on that vision. Therefore, NBC should promote economic activity rather than devastate ideas and investments.

We give Mr. President, Alh., a call in light of the information above. The NBC leadership and its advisers are pressing on to stop this rather dangerous trend, which Bola A. Tinubu GCFR is attempting to perpetrate.

Thank you.
For: National Association of Licensed Licensed Licensed Stock Manufacturers. (STBMAN)

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is set to launch a local postgraduate scholarship program for young people in the Niger Delta to help them with their studies, according to Samuel Ogbuku, the NDDC’s managing director.

Ogbuku, who was observing the oral interview process for applicants for the Port Harcourt 2025 NDDC Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship program, claimed that 600 students will be admitted to the program each year.

He claimed that the commission’s decision to launch the local postgraduate scholarship was a result of its success in the field of foreign postgraduate scholarships.

The NDDC scholarship program, which first launched in 2010, aims to develop top-level professionals with the necessary skills to compete in the oil and gas industry and other sectors.

The scholarship program includes management sciences, including law and architecture, environmental science, environmental science, environmental science, and engineering.

The NDDC Managing Director mentioned the success of the foreign postgraduate scholarship program, saying that “we actually had multiple distinctions last year, this year too, from the report we are having, and we will also have multiple distinctions from our scholars in various UK and American universities,” and that we are encouraged to continue doing so.

The introduction of the local postgraduate scholarship is a result of the successes because we felt that we should also accommodate more students at local universities, which will be our next step as soon as we complete this foreign postgraduate scholarship.

READ ALSO: The Supreme Court Rejects a Suit Displacing President Tinubu’s Executive Appointment

He continued, “We are only doing 200 for the foreign scholarship, but we will be doing 600 for the local scholarship, which will accommodate more people.” By Monday, the publication for the local postgraduate scholarship program will be out and people will start applying, because this exercise (the oral interview session) is coming to an end on Friday.

Blessing Chinonso, a candidate who is visually impaired, was one of the candidates who praised the 2025 NDDC Postgraduate Scholarship program, calling it straightforward and transparent.

Senator Orji Kalu has defended the government’s borrowings and warned that the nation’s economy could collapse without external funding in light of worries about the country’s rising debt load.

The senator addressed criticism of the National Assembly’s role in approving executive loan requests on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“Let me tell you, this country will collapse if it doesn’t borrow.” That is accurate. The former Abia State Governor stated that this is where we are.

Kalu pressed on whether legislators properly scrutinized loan applications, insisting that the oversight procedure is still in place.

“Of course.” They are subject to scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Debt and Local Debt. That committee does not include me. Most of these tasks are performed on committee levels. The National Assembly did a good job, he said, adding that.

Not a Rubber Stamp, please.

Nigeria fully repaid the $3.4 billion IMF loan it received during the COVID-19 crisis in April 2025. The nation will continue to be subject to Special Drawing Rights (SDR) fees associated with the facility, which are estimated to be around $30 million annually.

Despite this, Nigeria plans to borrow an additional $ 26 billion between 2025 and 2026 to close the country’s deficits and fuel economic growth, a move that many Nigerians have criticized as a “rubber stamp” the National Assembly.

Read more about Nigeria’s external debt servicing at $5.2 billion in 2025 by Fitch.

The former Senate Chief Whip, however, has refrained from criticizing and argued that all laws are adhered to in accordance with the law.

He claimed that “any law or legislation you see passed in the National Assembly has passed the standards set forth. I’m satisfied once it has a course. That is what lawmaking entails.

Kalu refrained from claiming that lawmakers were abusing their legal authority and cited the tax bill’s recent passage as evidence of Senate vigor.

“We’re very thorough,” he says. People only want to see us and the executive engaged. We are mature. We can’t fight. We have safeguards in place to protect that in Nigeria’s best interests.

I went to the Senate President’s house to congratulate him the day the tax bill was passed. It was done thoroughly. We took it one by one the evenings we were there, at seven and six. He continued, “A rubber stamp doesn’t do that,”

Nigerians are still suffering, though.

Senator Kalu also addressed the economic hardship that Nigerians have experienced since the naira’s flotation and the end of the fuel subsidy in 2023.

He acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s reform initiatives, but he also acknowledged that the effects had not yet reached the populace.

The “macro side” is coming, but the “other downsides” are not very well-developed. Lower-ranking Nigerians are still suffering. According to Kalu, they have not yet begun to benefit from the modifications that President Tinubu is making.

He attributed the country’s persistent insecurity, which has hampered farming and other productive activities, to the slow pace of economic recovery.