Category Nigeria News

President Bola Tinubu revealed that his administration inherited a dire financial situation, including a near-empty treasury and chaotic economy, when it took office in 2023.

Despite the challenges, Tinubu said the bold and painful reforms implemented have started showing positive results.

Speaking during a state visit to Awka, Anambra State capital, Tinubu highlighted the massive public debts, unsustainable subsidies, and unstable foreign exchange regime he inherited.

He said: “We met near-insolvent public finance, a decades-old monster of unsustainable multiple subsidies, a chaotic and debilitating forex regime.

“Just as we tamed the Atlantic in Lagos, many of these monsters have been tackled.”

The fiscal difficulties inherited from the Buhari administration, marked by ballooning public debt, soaring subsidy costs, and worsening inflation, were directly addressed by President Tinubu.

While acknowledging the rising cost of living and public discontent stemming from subsidy removal and currency devaluation, he maintained that the implemented reforms were inevitable and are now working to restore macroeconomic stability.

This marks one of his strongest public acknowledgements of the situation he faced upon taking office.

“These reforms are difficult, yes, but inevitable. Courage and our collective action were required to confront them in order to lay a strong foundation for a more stable, prosperous, and inclusive economy.”

The President, who was on his first official visit to Anambra since assuming office, inaugurated major infrastructure projects executed by the Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo administration including the Solution Fun City and the new Government House mini-city.

He praised Soludo’s vision of transforming Anambra into an “African-Dubai-Taiwan-Silicon Valley” and stated that the Federal Government would continue to support the state, particularly in the areas of security, infrastructure, and investment in technology and manufacturing.

Tinubu also noted that his administration had renegotiated and passed a new minimum wage law to cushion the impact of the reforms on workers, commending the state government for implementing and even exceeding the N70,000 national minimum wage benchmark.

Persecondnews reports that the highpoint of the visit was the conferment of a chieftaincy title on the president by all traditional rulers in Anambra.

Expressing his gratitude, Tinubu deemed the recognition a landmark moment, declaring himself a “true son of the land.”

A new leader for world’s 1.5 billion Catholics has emerged.

He is American Robert Francis Prevost, now to be known as Pope Leo XIV.

Cardinals’ decision confirmed with the words “Habemus Papam” – Latin for “we have a Pope”

When white smoke emerged from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, billions of people worldwide knew a new Pope has emerged.

Born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, the United States (U.S.), Cardinals chose him as successor to Pope Francis.

He is former Superior General of the Order of Saint Augustine.

The American Catholic prelate is now officially head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 8, 2025, taking the papal name Leo XIV.

He spent the early part of his career working for the Augustinians. He served in Peru from 1985 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1998 as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher and administrator.

He was made a cardinal in 2023. He served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023.

He served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, and was general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a prominent role that elevated his profile as a potential papal candidate.

Immediately after the announcement, the new pope was led to a small room next to the Sistine Chapel where he put on the white papal robes.

The decision was confirmed with the words “Habemus Papam” – Latin for “we have a Pope”.

The new Pontiff was introduced by his chosen papal name.

Huge cheers came from the crowd as the white smoke rose, with everyone running forward to see it.

People were jumping up with joy while some were praying to the sky.

White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that cardinals locked inside have elected a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Thousands of pilgrims and curious onlookers in St Peter’s Square cheered and applauded as the smoke appeared and bells began to ring, indicating the 2,000-year-old institution has its 267th pope.

All eyes now turn to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, to see who has been elected to succeed Pope Francis, an Argentine reformer who died last month after 12 years as leader of the worldwide Church.

The new pontiff will be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and address the world for the first time.

He faces a momentous task: as well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, he faces burning Church issues from the continued fall-out from the sexual abuse scandal to the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets.

Some 133 “Princes of the Church” from five continents — the largest conclave ever — began voting on Wednesday afternoon.

Sworn to secrecy, on pain of excommunication, their only means of communicating their progress to the outside world was by sending up smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

On Wednesday evening and then again on Thursday lunchtime, the smoke was black, emitting disappointed sighs from the tens of thousands watching.

But on Thursday afternoon just after 6pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader.

By tradition, he now enters the Room of Tears — where freshly-elected popes give free rein to their emotions — to don a papal cassock for the first time, before returning to the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals can pledge their obedience.

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Akwa, Anambra State capital, for an official visit, where he is expected to inaugurate several “legacy” projects of the state government.

Persecondnews reports that the Nigerian leader touched down at the Chinua Achebe International Airport in Umueri at about 12:17 pm, wearing an Akwete Igbo fabric with a red cap to match.

Tinubu was warmly received by Anambra Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, members of the House of Assembly, and other top dignitaries.

Following a ceremonial gun salute from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the President and Governor Soludo proceeded to the commissioning ceremony venue in the governor’s official vehicle.

According to Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, the President is expected to inaugurate several projects, including the new State Government House, Solution Fun City, the new Governor’s Lodge, and the revamped House of Assembly.

“The President will commission some ‘legacy’ projects completed by the Soludo administration,” Obiogbolu said.

During the visit, President Tinubu will also host a high-level Town Hall meeting with key stakeholders in the state at the newly refurbished Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka.

In order to address socio-political tensions, particularly the Rivers State crisis, the Senate has announced plans to work closely with the Executive.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the leader of the Senate, stated in a statement released on Monday that the main objectives of the country’s reconciliation are to reconcile key stakeholders and address root causes in the interest of national stability and reconciliation.

The upper chamber, according to the statement, will be the first item on the agenda as lawmakers resume with the 2024 Tax Reform Bills.

Senate Over Emergency Rule in Rivers Session READ ALSO.

Its passage makes it necessary to overhaul the federation’s tax system and increase its revenue. This will also aid all levels of government in putting together projects and delivering democracy’s benefits.

The Senate raised questions about the state of insecurity in states like Plateau, Borno, Katsina, and Benue. In light of this, Senator Bamidele emphasized that the legislature would conduct more consultations with security organizations to come up with new strategies to combat terrorism and restore peace in the regions affected.

The South-South Development Commission officials were among the appointments that the Presidency made during the recess. In the upcoming days, the Senate is expected to begin screening these nominees.

Protesters stormed the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) in Area 3 of&nbsp, Abuja on Monday, demanding the immediate release of popular social media influencer m, Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).

Persecondnews correspondent, who was at the scene of the protest, reports that demonstrators gathered at the new generation bank in Abuja as early as 8am, chanting “#FreeVDM” and carrying placards bearing messages such as”Activism is not a sin”, and “VDM has committed no offence”.

They accused the authorities of “unjustly targeting” the activist.

Bankole Ojo, one of the protesters, questioned the EFCC’s involvement in cyberstalking cases, saying, “What’s the business of EFCC with cyberstalking? Is cyberstalking now a fraud case”?

Another protester, Antonio Bamiyi, said: “If GTBank knows they don’t have a hand in it, they should put out a statement instead of CCTV footage. VDM is the voice of the voiceless, EFCC should release him so the protest will end”.

The protesters vowed to continue demonstrating until VDM is freed.

Persecondnews recalls that VeryDarkMan was arrested by EFCC operatives on&nbsp, Friday May 2, over alleged cyberstalking.

His lawyer, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, claimed VDM was ambushed and arrested within the bank premises, an incident that has sparked widespread outrage, with many accusing the EFCC of cracking down on dissent.

“VDM was locked inside the GTB exit door for over five minutes to enable EFCC to arrest him and his friend”, Adeyanju said.

GTBank, has however, denied any involvement in the arrest, releasing CCTV footage that shows VDM walking out of the banking hall towards the car park shortly before his detention.

The protesters questioned the bank’s alleged role in the arrest and condemned what they described as an attempt to silence the influencer for his outspoken activism.

Contacted, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale explained that VDM’s arrest followed multiple petitions alleging misconduct.

“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners”, he said.