The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has welcomed the defection of Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as a historic moment for the state’s political landscape.
In a statement posted on his verified X (Twitter) handle, Matawalle said the development signals the beginning of a renewed effort to address the challenges confronting Zamfara, particularly insecurity, while advancing the “Renewed Hope” agenda of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Today marks a historic moment in the political history of our state and our dear nation as we welcome a friend and brother, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, His Excellency, @daudalawal_, into our great party, the APC,” a former Zamfara State governor wrote.
He added that the state now requires collective commitment from political actors to tackle insecurity and promote development, noting that Governor Lawal has joined a progressive political family.
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“Zamfara State now needs the collective commitment of all of us to confront and address our challenges, especially the insecurity, while working together to deliver the realisation of the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Governor Dauda is now part of a progressive family. Therefore, we warmly welcome him into this fold so that we can support him and work together with all our strengths to ensure a more secure, safe, and prosperous Zamfara State.”
The former governor described the development as a political reunion built on shared commitment to national progress.
“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has shown us that politics is not war; rather, it is the art of building bridges across rivers of difference. For me, this is a political reunion with my friend and brother. We are a family united by the shared belief that Nigeria can, and must, work for all citizens,” he said.
Member states of the International Energy Agency (IEA) met on Tuesday for crisis talks to assess security of supply and the potential release of emergency stocks as the Middle East war roils markets, the body’s chief said.
In a statement following a Paris meeting of G7 energy ministers on the economic fallout of the conflict, IEA executive director Fatih Birol said he was “in close contact” with energy ministers from key energy producers and consumers regarding the situation.
“In oil markets, conditions have deteriorated in recent days. In addition to the challenges of transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a substantial amount of oil production has been curtailed. This is creating significant and growing risks for the market,” he said ahead of the meeting.
“I have convened an extraordinary meeting of IEA member governments, which will take place later today to assess the current security of supply and market conditions to inform a subsequent decision on whether to make emergency stocks of IEA countries available to the market,” Birol added.
He said the G7 meeting addressed “all the available options, including making IEA emergency oil stocks available to the market”.
Italy’s Environment and Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said that regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, “countries have committed to showing solidarity by using stockpiled reserves in order to compensate for the lack of availability at the global level.”
The IEA did not announce any decision after Tuesday’s meeting.
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Crude prices have seen sharp fluctuations due to supply disruptions, jumping 30 percent on Monday to nearly $120 per barrel before retreating later that day.
They fell further on Tuesday, reassured by US President Donald Trump stating Monday that the US-Israel war on Iran was “going to be ended soon”.
Nevertheless risks remain, with Iran vowing earlier on Tuesday that not one litre of oil would be exported from the Gulf while the United States and Israel press ahead with their bombardment of the country.
IEA member countries currently hold over 1.2 billion barrels of public emergency oil stocks, with a further 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government mandates.
‘We want to be ready’
A meeting of G7 finance ministers on Monday discussed a possible release of strategic oil reserves, but French Finance Minister Roland Lescure, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven advanced economies, said later the situation was “not there yet”.
On Tuesday, Lescure said the G7 nations wanted to prepare for any developments.
“We have asked the International Energy Agency to start working on scenarios and, of course, to update its stock data so that we have the most recent information,” he told reporters.
“We want to be ready to react at any moment,” he added.
He said there were no supply issues in North America and Europe, unlike in Asia, which is dependent on oil supplies flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
About 100 million barrels of oil are consumed globally every day.
The Paris-based IEA was created to coordinate responses to major supply disruptions after the 1973 oil crisis.
In order to ensure energy security, the IEA imposes on its members an obligation to hold emergency oil stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of net oil imports.
The Federal Government has directed a hybrid payment system that will accommodate both cash and card payments at all airport access gates.
This followed a meeting of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); and senior officials of the ministry.
“The Ministry has resolved to engage concessionaires in order to introduce a fully automated or electronic system at all access gates at our airports in order to fully and eventually eliminate cash payments,” the Special Adviser On Media and Communications to the Honourable Minister, Tunde Moshood, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“In the meantime, a hybrid payment system that accommodates both cash and card payments will resume at all airport access gates with effect from Friday, March 13, 2026.”
READ ALSO: [UPDATED] Tinubu Suspends Cashless Payment System At Federal Airports
The ministry explained that motorists who already have FAAN Go Cashless Cards may continue to use them until further notice.
Other electronic payment options, including POS terminals and other approved digital channels, will also remain available.
“Members of the public and road users are encouraged to obtain and use the FAAN Go Cashless Card as the Authority continues to enhance and fully optimise the cashless payment system,” the statement read.
“This directive restores the previous access gate payment arrangement whilst the Ministry continues to work on the fully automated or electronic system.”
Last week, President Bola Tinubu mandated FAAN to suspend the cashless policy, citing traffic congestion at airports across the country.
This came just about four days after the policy was introduced, leading to gridlock at airports in Nigeria.
Launched on March 1, the policy directed digital payments via “Go Cashless’ cards or PoS systems for airport access gates, lounges, parking, and other access points.
But on the first day of its implementation, there were reports of massive gridlock at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
As the United States-Israel war on Iran continues to dominate international headlines, below is a roundup of some of the stories you may have missed on Tuesday.
Syrian ex-colonel faces crimes against humanity case in London
A former Syrian colonel living in the United Kingdom has appeared before a London court to face crimes against humanity charges linked to his alleged role in repressing demonstrations in 2011.
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Salem Michel al-Salem appeared virtually at a hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He did not speak or enter any plea, but could be seen with a breathing tube over his mouth.
The 58-year-old has been charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, relating to killings in April and July 2011 “as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population with knowledge of the attack”.
The case is the first prosecution of its kind in the UK, according to police.
A general view of Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London [File: Toby Melville/Reuters]
Syria appoints Kurdish YPG commander as deputy defence minister
Syria’s Defence Ministry has announced that Sipan Hamo, a commander in the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), has been appointed deputy defence minister for the country’s eastern territories.
The move on Tuesday is part of the implementation of a US-brokered agreement reached in late January to end weeks of deadly clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian army.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led group that signed the reintegration deal, said in a statement that Hamo’s appointment “confirms the commitment of all Syrian parties to supporting security and stability in the region”.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took power after the fall of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been seeking to reintegrate Kurdish forces into the country’s state institutions.
In a mid-January interview with the Reuters news agency, Hamo said the Kurds were not seeking secession and emphasised that they saw their future within Syria.
People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters operate near a front-line position on January 24, 2026 in Hasakah, Syria [File: Ethan Swope/Getty Images]
Zimbabwe cracking down on critics of presidential term extension: HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused authorities in Zimbabwe of intensifying a crackdown on critics of the ruling party’s attempt to advance a constitutional amendment that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office.
The global rights group said the amendment proposed by the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party would extend both the president’s and parliament’s terms from five to seven years. That would effectively postpone the country’s 2028 elections until 2030.
HRW said on Tuesday that police and unidentified armed men in recent months have “threatened, harassed, and beat up several people” who are opposed to the move, including members of the opposition National Constitutional Assembly political party.
“Zimbabwe’s leaders should demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law by respecting the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations for freedom of expression and assembly,” Idriss Ali Nassah, a senior Africa researcher at HRW, said in a statement.
“Civil society, legal experts, and ordinary people should be allowed to peacefully express their views without fear.”
Italy buys rare Caravaggio portrait for about $35m
Italy has purchased a rare portrait by Baroque master Caravaggio for nearly $35m, one of the largest sums the state has ever paid for a single artwork, the country’s Culture Ministry announced.
The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini, an influential cleric who later became Pope Urban VIII, was painted by Caravaggio around 1598.
“This is a work of exceptional importance,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement.
The painting had been held in a private Florence collection and was attributed to Caravaggio in 1963. It was shown in public for the first time in 2024 at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini and will now enter the permanent collection in the palace’s art gallery.
The acquisition comes a month after the Italian Culture Ministry bought Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo” for $14.9m, securing the rare work by the 15th‑century Renaissance master just as it was due to be auctioned in New York.
A visitor looks at Caravaggio’s ‘Portrait de Maffeo Barberini’ at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica in the Barberini Palace in Rome in 2024 [AFP]
UN peacekeepers in South Sudan defy order to leave opposition-held town
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has said it will keep its peacekeeping force in Akobo despite an order by the country’s military to leave the opposition-held town.
In a statement on Monday, UNMISS warned that any military operations in and around Akobo – a town in the country’s northeast, near the border with Ethiopia – could “gravely endanger the safety and security of civilians”.
The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces had on March 6 ordered civilians to leave Akobo and neighbouring villages ahead of a planned offensive, UNMISS said, while peacekeepers were given 72 hours to leave.
“For its part, UNMISS reaffirms that its peacekeepers will remain in Akobo, providing a protective presence for civilians. The Mission reiterates that the safety and security of its personnel, premises, and assets must be fully respected at all times,” it said.
The head of the Iranian Football Federation on Tuesday cast further doubt on his country’s participation in this summer’s World Cup, saying women playing in the Asian Cup in Australia had been coerced into defecting.
“If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Mehdi Taj asked on Iranian state television.
The men’s World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, but Iran is scheduled to play all three group games in the United States, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
Its participation has been in out doubt since the United States and Israel started their attacks on Iran which launched reprisals.
On Tuesday, at the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, players from Iran’s team claimed asylum.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim sanctuary from Australian officials, the Australian government announced.
At least two more team members applied to stay later in the day, according to local media.
Some of the players had been branded “wartime traitors” by Iranian state television after remaining silent during the national anthem before their opening loss to South Korea.
Every player saluted and sang the anthem before the next two group games.
Iran lost both those matches and were eliminated after a defeat to Philippines on Sunday.
Taj said the players had done their part during the anthem.
“Our women’s national team sang the national anthem and gave the military salute,” he said.
He blamed US President Donald Trump.
“The US president himself… tweeted two tweets about a women’s team (saying) ‘we welcome them and that they should become refugees’.”
“He threatened Australia that ‘if you don’t grant them asylum, I will give them asylum in the US’.
“How could one be optimistic about the World Cup that is supposed to be held in America?”
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‘Taken hostage’
Taj claimed the five women players had been kidnapped and the team had been obstructed as it tried to leave Australia.
“After the game, unfortunately, the Australian police came and intervened, removing one or two of the players from the hotel, according to the news we have.”
He made reference to an alleged air strike on a school in Minab at the start of the war which Iran has blamed on Israel and the US.
“They martyred our girls in Minab, 160 of them, and in this incident they are taking our girls hostage,” Taj said
“They did a terrible thing. Last night, some people came and lay down in front of the car they were driving to the airport,” he said.
Crowds had gathered outside the Gold Coast stadium for the game against Philippines banging drums and shouting “regime change for Iran”, an AFP reporter saw.
Supporters surrounded the Iranian team bus, chanting “let them go” and “save our girls”.
Taj said that at the airport the squad had trouble boarding their flight.
“They completely blocked them at the gate and told everyone to become refugees.”
