Category Nigeria News

President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025 into law before month end.

This is according to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, during a public hearing jointly organised by the Senate and House of Representatives committees on ICT and cybersecurity and Digital and Information technology today.

He indicated that Nigeria is poised to make history as the first African nation to enact a comprehensive law on digital economy and e-governance.

Tijani described the Bill as a transformative framework that will modernise governance, strengthen the digital economy and help unlock Nigeria’s pathway to a 1 trillion dollar economy.

“This Bill is being awaited by President Bola Tinubu for assent this month, as it is one of the catalysts for achieving our 1 trillion dollar economic projection,” the minister said.

READ ALSO: We’re Taking Power Very Seriously To Enhance Livelihoods Of Nigerians – Tinubu

According to him, the digital economy contribution to Nigeria’s GDP has grown from 16 percent to 19 percent, with projections to reach 21 percent by 2027.

The bill he explained, establishes a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for electronic communications, digital signatures, artificial intelligence (AI) governance, cybersecurity and digital literacy.

He stressed that the Tinubu administration is focused on long-term digital reforms not short-term solutions.

“Together with the National Assembly, we are deploying 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic network to connect every geopolitical zone, state and local government with world-class internet access.

“Beyond this, we are addressing the needs of over 20 million unconnected Nigerians by deploying nearly 4,000 new communication towers in underserved communities,” Tijani said.

The bill also proposes the creation of a National Data Exchange System to facilitate secure data sharing among government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and between the public and private sectors, further outlining a framework for ethical AI adoption, aimed at boosting productivity and competitiveness across industries.

“In strengthening this Bill, we are shaping the future of generations yet unborn. The generation that liberalised our telecoms sector in 1999 laid the foundation for today’s growth. Now, we take the next bold step to expand our economy through technology and innovation,” he said.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has decried what he says is a lack of transparency in the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) project in the state.

He spoke when he received a delegation of European diplomats, including the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, and the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, at the Government House, Benin City.

READ ALSO: West African Art Museum Will Be Restored As Birthday Gift To Benin Monarch — Okpebholo

“The controversy surrounding MOWAA stems from the lack of openness by the previous government,” Okpebholo was quoted as saying in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, on Monday.

“It is curious how the project evolved from the Benin Royal Museum to the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA), and now to the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), without clarity or consultation with our revered traditional institution,” he said.

The governor noted that the state government was never briefed on the project’s financials, ownership structure, or operational details.

He said even the Oba of Benin had personally expressed concern over its handling.

“The previous administration never briefed me about MOWAA nor handed over any documentation concerning the project. I know nothing about its transactions or agreements,” he added.

Respect For Tradition

Reaffirming his administration’s openness to partnerships, he noted that transparency and respect for the Benin Kingdom were non-negotiable.

“We welcome foreign collaborations, but everything must be transparent and must honour our traditions,” he said.

“Why destroy a functioning hospital to build a museum? We are proud of our heritage, but development must be responsible and people-centred,” he said while condemning the demolition of the historic Central Hospital in Benin City to make way for MOWAA.

Okpebholo, however, assured that his administration remained committed to accountability and due process in all dealings.

“Edo people are peace-loving and welcoming, but we will not condone secrecy or actions that undermine our culture and institutions,” he declared.

The governor also said he was shocked over the recent visit of the foreign envoy to the state for activities related to MOWAA, saying that his administration was not informed.

Okpebholo later led the delegation on a courtesy visit to the Palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, where he described the development as another example of the “lack of transparency” that has surrounded the MOWAA project since its inception.

“They have spoken about areas of collaboration and also about what happened yesterday. Honestly, I wasn’t aware that such a gathering was going to take place; that’s the truth,” he added.

While expressing displeasure over the handling of the project, the monarch said, “It is like history wanting to repeat itself.

A rally organized by a faction of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) to mark the 30th anniversary of the execution of the group’s founder, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others witnessed low attendance.

The event, held at the Peace and Freedom Park within the MOSOP secretariat premises, proceeded as planned despite the limited turnout, amid reports of separate commemorations by other Ogoni groups.

Professor Olu-Andah Wai-Ogosu, acclaimed president of the group, expressed concern over the low level of engagement by the Ogoni people in the organization’s activities.

He described the turnout as indicative of growing divisions within MOSOP, recalling how the organisation founded by the late Ken Saro-Wiwa was once a united and formidable force for the Ogoni struggle.

He called for renewed participation and unity to continue the struggle for environmental and social justice, emphasizing that the legacy of those who sacrificed their lives must be preserved.

READ ALSO: NYSC Begins Verification Of Foreign‑Trained Graduates For Batch ‘C’ 2025

Professor Wai-Ogosu further lamented that the Ogoni community had lost not only “very intelligent minds” but also leaders who could have driven development in the region.

He recalled that the decades-long struggle for environmental rights claimed many lives, including four chiefs killed at a community gathering and the nine executed by the military regime in 1995.

He added that over 2,000 others died in various military operations prior to that year.

As part of the week-long commemoration, MOSOP organized a public lecture, thanksgiving service, and tributes to the “Ogoni 9.” The group also laid wreaths at memorial sites and visited families of unsung heroes who fell during earlier military crackdowns.

Clashes between members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have claimed nearly 200 lives in the restive Lake Chad area, intelligence, militia, and jihadist sources told AFP Monday.

Fighting between Boko Haram and rival militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group broke out in Dogon Chiku on the shores of Lake Chad on Sunday, in the latest bout of infighting for territorial control fuelled by ideological rifts.

READ ALSO: ISWAP Terrorists, Bandits Killed As NAF Raids Hideouts In Borno, Others

“From the toll we got, around 200 ISWAP terrorists were killed in the fight,” Babakura Kolo, a member of an anti-jihadist militia assisting the Nigerian military, told AFP.

A former Boko Haram jihadist, who has since renounced violence but follows jihadist activities in the region, also said “around 200 ISWAP fighters were killed in the clashes”, with several of their weapons seized.

Boko Haram lost four fighters in the battle, according to the former militant, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Saddiku.

“This could be the worst clash between the two groups since they began attacking each other,” said Saddiku, who lives in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency.

Short video clips seen by AFP appear to show several dead bodies in canoes, with some of the vessels flooded with bloody water.

A Nigerian intelligence source working in the region said they were following the aftermath of the clashes, estimating that they “killed more than 150”.

“We are aware of the fighting, which is good news to us,” the intelligence source said.

Although the defence headquarters has yet to comment on the incident, the Nigerian Air Force said in a statement on Monday that several members of ISWAP were killed during intensified counterterrorism and counter-banditry operations nationwide.

But it did not disclose the number of terrorists or bandits killed in the operation.

Deadly Struggle For Control

ISWAP and Boko Haram have been locked in a deadly struggle for territorial control since their split in 2016 over ideological differences, with much of the fighting taking place around Lake Chad.

The freshwater lake, which straddles Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, serves as a sanctuary for both Boko Haram and ISWAP, from which both launch attacks across the four countries.

2016 Splinter

ISWAP, which claims allegiance to the Islamic State group, has risen to prominence since breaking off from Boko Haram in 2016.

Both factions have fought for dominance since, leading to the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau during clashes in his Sambisa forest hideout in May 2021.

Some Boko Haram fighters joined ISWAP to avoid execution, others surrendered to Nigerian troops while the rest fled to islands on the Niger side of Lake Chad under the control of Shekau’s successor, Bakura Buduma.

In one of the largest flare-ups, a September 2021 raid by Boko Haram on the ISWAP-controlled Kirta-Wulgo island led to weeks of back-and-forth fighting between the two militias.

Boko Haram has since succeeded in pushing ISWAP out of most of Lake Chad, which the two groups covet as a refuge from military attacks and a huge source of revenue from fishing, farming, herding, and logging.

Nigeria’s jihadist conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million people in the predominantly Muslim northeast since it erupted in 2009.

The violence has spilt into neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the creation of a regional military force to fight the jihadists.

US President Donald Trump had threatened military intervention in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, over what he calls the “killing of Christians” by radical Islamists.

The National Youth Service Corps has begun the physical verification of credentials and travel documents for foreign-trained Nigerian graduates who registered for the 2025 Batch ‘C’ Service Year.

Disclosing this in a statement via X on Sunday, NYSC said it will hold from Monday, November 10 (today) to Wednesday, November 12, 2025, across designated centres nationwide.

The scheme noted that the exercise is meant for Prospective Corps Members whose documents are yet to be physically verified after completing their online registration.

According to the statement, the verification centres included NYSC Secretariat, 2 Abakaliki Road, GRA, Enugu; Shadawanka Military Barracks, Bauchi; NYSC Orientation Camp, Kubwa, Abuja; Bukavu Military Barracks, Fagge, Airport Road, Kano; NYSC Orientation Camp, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos; NYSC Secretariat, New Ikirun Road, Osogbo; NYSC Secretariat, 40 Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt; Eagle Officers Mess, Gingiya Military Barracks, Gusau Road, Sokoto; and NYSC Secretariat, Federal Secretariat Complex, Yola.

READ ALSO: Lawyer Threatens Legal Action Against NYSC Over Raye’s Service Extension

“As part of the measures to ensure orderliness and avoid overcrowding, Prospective Corps Members are expected to strictly report on the date, time, and venue specified on the verification slip,” the statement said.

The Corps said all participants must present the original copies of their credentials and travel documents as uploaded online during registration.

It further directed that “medical graduates should, in addition, upload Licenses, Registration Certificates and other relevant documents issued by their various bodies and also come along with the originals to the verification centres.”

NOTIFICATION OF PHYSICAL VERIFICATION OF CREDENTIALS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS OF FOREIGN-TRAINED GRADUATES FOR THE 2025 BATCH ‘C’ SERVICE YEAR

This is to inform all Foreign Trained Nigerian Graduates that after online registration for the 2025 Batch ‘C’ Service Year, Prospective…

The NYSC also clarified the process for those who obtained their qualifications abroad and required official recognition.

“Original copies of Evaluation letters issued by Federal Ministry of Education (where applicable) should be submitted at the NYSC Headquarters, Abuja and acknowledged copies uploaded online by the PCMs,” the management stated.

Emphasising the importance of the verification exercise, the NYSC warned that “only persons physically seen with credentials, physically verified and cleared would be deployed, exempted, or excluded from National Service.”

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy have rescued 10 crew members, including one Cameroonian, one Equatorial Guinean, and eight Nigerians, from the distressed vessel MV SEMA III, which was en route to Calabar from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

The Naval Director of Information, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Adams-Aliyu, a Commodore, said that the rescue occurred on Friday, November 7, following a distress call received at about 2000 hours.

According to him, a naval gunboat equipped with a submersible pump was immediately deployed to the scene.

READ ALSO: Police Rescue 15 Girls, Arrest Three Suspected Traffickers

“On arrival, the team discovered the vessel was taking in water and promptly evacuated all occupants—one Cameroonian, one Equatorial Guinean, and eight Nigerians, who were later received, debriefed, and catered for at FOB IBAKA until Saturday, 8 November 2025.

“The Master of MV SEMA III expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Nigerian Navy for its timely intervention and exceptional professionalism,” Adams-Aliu said.

He added that the successful operation underscored the Navy’s renewed efforts under the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas (Admiralty Medal), to enhance maritime safety, protect critical national assets, and promote lawful economic activities within Nigeria’s maritime domain.

The latest rescue comes just days after the Navy saved 11 passengers from a sinking boat along the Bonny River in Rivers State.

According to the Navy, “On Tuesday, 4 November 2025, personnel of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base Bonny rescued 11 passengers from a sinking speedboat along the Bonny River.

“The boat, which departed Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt en route Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island, developed engine failure midstream and began taking in water near the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne, Rivers State.

“The swift response of the Forward Operating Base Bonny patrol team under heavy rainfall prevented a major tragedy.

“All rescued passengers, six males and five females, were safely taken to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Jetty for medical checks and subsequently handed over to the Marine Police for reunification with their families.”

Meanwhile, the Navy said it has intensified anti-crude oil theft operations across the Niger Delta, deactivating multiple illegal refining sites in four different locations.