Category Nigeria News

The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified rumors that were being shared on social media about money given to Nigerian TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition winners.

Nafisah Abdullahi, the TeenEagle Global Finals winner, was presented $200,000 in August 2025. Earlier, Nigeriastartupact. According to ng, Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, the winner of the TeenEagle World English Language Competition, received $800,000 from the CEO of Manga Automobiles, Muhammad Manga. On August 29, 2025, the total amount was 1.7 million.

The Ministry claimed that the government did not provide any financial support for the eight Nigerian students by giving them personal gifts from the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, in a statement released on Thursday on its official X handle.

The Ministry of Education explicitly declares that the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, gave them as gifts at the national recognition event on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

The statement read, “These gifts were not funded by the Federal Government or the Federal Ministry of Education.”

Dr. Alausa, who had previously addressed the issue on his verified social media page, explained that the gesture was meant to motivate the students.

He said, “This gift was just a token of my appreciation for the effort put forth by these young girls, and it serves as an encouragement to other girls and young children in Nigeria to excel,” adding, “.

The Ministry stressed that in accordance with government policy, its financial provisions are strictly channeled into scholarships and structured educational support rather than cash awards or monetary gifts.

These are restricted to students who enter or continue their education at public tertiary institutions, such as universities, colleges of education, and polytechnics, it was noted.

Further, it urged the general public to disprove claims that the funds came from government accounts, calling them “false and misleading.”

The Minister’s gesture, according to the Ministry, should be seen as a personal gesture of support and encouragement intended to motivate young Nigerians to strive even higher.

Mercy Oluwagbenga, a recent rescuer from Libya, claims she was forced to donate blood to the sick employee’s mother in the North African nation after being beaten and forced to do so.

Oluwagbenga, who spoke on Thursday when she appeared as a guest on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief, also narrated how she worked without a paycheck and was imprisoned in Libya.

Within three months, the first place I worked was fine. I asked them for my salary the first month, and they said they wouldn’t give it to me until their father returned because he had to pay me. They claimed their father would return the following month, which was the third month, the same thing happened the following month. So I assumed they were saving it for me, in my opinion.

I began asking for my salary the third month their father had returned, but they refused to give me a response or to take any action. Because their mother was ill, they began removing my blood.

Also read: NEMA Receives 203 “Vulnerable” Nigerian Returneees From Libya  

“I initially assumed it was normal because you had to take tests every three months to make sure you were okay at the time you worked at an Arab’s house.” However, it started to stay that way.

I learned that the same nurse who was taking their mother kept removing my blood without taking me to the hospital. Oluwagbenga, who is a native of Kabba in Kogi State, said in an interview that he refused to let them take my blood and that is when the beating began.

She explained that her efforts to get help were unsuccessful in various ways.

I called my agent, who later found out he was a prisoner there, and we called back. There was no way I could leave because I was locked up, so I tried to run.

The door was unlocked because I was inside the house the day I attempted to escape. Because I was watching the person who was going to pick me up, I wasn’t aware that they were monitoring me. When did they double-crossed me at that point? I was beaten until I was unconscious.

She claimed that the only reason they allowed me to use my phone was because they were taking care of their sick mother so that they could call and check in on her because my SIM card changed every month. As a result, I didn’t have a stable SIM card at the time.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the leader of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), praised Oluwagbenga for her bravery and survival, citing her as one of the “lucky ones,” as well as the many others who had perished in the desert or the Mediterranean Sea while some of the victims remained untraceable.

Dabiri-Erewa advised young Nigerians to always look for safe and legal travel routes and that irregular immigration was equivalent to “voluntary suicide.“

Chuka Udedibia, a former naira and dollar exchange rate acting permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has demanded better funding for Nigerian missions abroad.

He cited the main difficulties that Nigeria’s foreign missions face as being financially and structurally constrained.

Without lasting reforms, he contends, the same issues will persist.

Udedibia stated on Thursday’s Sunrise Daily, Channels Television’s breakfast program, that the challenges facing foreign missions were stemmed from persistent underfunding, volatile exchange rates, and significant dependence on rental properties abroad.

“I would prefer to discuss the causes rather than the symptoms. The current official rate of 1 to $1 was roughly 150 a long time ago. Today, it’s about ₦1, 500, at one point, it was even about ₦1, 800.

Remittances to missions must reflect the shortfall they suffer as a result of the naira’s devaluation of major international currencies, but this is not the case. The issue began there.

You have noticed a cumulative decline in missions remittances and increased debt throughout this time. He continued, “The ministry itself is a victim.”

Read more about Nigerian Embassies’ Conflicts With Unpaid Rent, Salary Arrears, and Other Stories in FG.

Although intervention had previously been taken, the relief, according to the former envoy, was frequently temporary.

Although they have made some special interventions, he said, “Don’t be surprised if we are battling the same issue again in the next six to a year.”

Udedibia also criticised Nigeria’s slow progress making permanent housing arrangements for missions abroad as a major cost-cutting factor.

“We don’t spend a lot of money in missions where we own the chancery and quarters.” However, he claimed that in some places, rent is paid for both officers’ homes and offices, and that’s very expensive.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently acknowledged the financial difficulties of missions abroad, citing allocation issues and currency issues.

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) Board of Trustees is one of the key national positions held by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent appointments of Ogoni indigenes.

The council described the appointments as reflecting the people’s wishes during a press briefing held in Bori, Khana Local Government Area’s headquarters.

The royal fathers stated in a statement that His Royal Majesty Swano Lumani, the chairman of the council, “We give full support to Mr. Deeyah’s appointment as Chairman, Board of Trustees, Ogoni Trust Fund (HYPREP).” The President has the authority under the Constitution to make such appointments because he is the executive branch’s head.

READ MORE: &nbsp Rivers Administrator Ibas swears in newly elected LG chairmen

They applauded the president for appointing Professor Don Baridam as Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council chairman.

The Federal University of Environmental and Technology in Ogoniland is credited to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a communiqué.

Bariere Thomas and the newly elected councillors were also commended for winning the election as the leader of Khana Local Government Area by the council.

We urge the Chairman and councillors to consider their election as a benefit to the entire Khana population, not a source of animosity, they said.

The traditional rulers warned that the council would impose sanctions on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Emmanuel Nwiika Deeyah, and other Ogoni leaders as a result of constant media attacks.

A member of the House of Representatives, Joshua Obika, has called for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to have a police force as a pilot phase in response to the government’s increasing debate over state police. Obika also cited rising insecurity and stretched infrastructure in Abuja.

Obika claimed that the initial security structure for Abuja had been overbuilt as a result of the influx of visitors from all over the nation looking for safety during a speech on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief program on Thursday.

The National Assembly is the FCT’s legislative body, and Mr. President is Abuja’s governor under the Constitution. Before we can pass the law establishing FCT policing, we don’t need the two-thirds state assembly’s approval. To start this program, I suggest using the FCt as a pilot state.

READ MORE:   Tinubu Orders Security Review In Katsina, Backs State Police

People now believe that Abuja is Nigeria’s safest city, and both good and bad people are also influxing as a result. He claimed that the security architecture in Abuja was “overwhelming.”

The lawmaker, who represents the FCT’s Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency, noted that many rural areas lacked police presence, making them potential hideouts for criminals.

He added that the majority of modern technology was absent.

Obika suggested earmarking a small portion of Abuja’s internally generated revenue when proposing a funding model.

You can only use modern technology to solve these kinds of issues, according to the FCT command, which I don’t believe has any drones in place. Money is necessary for the police.

“The FCT generates about 1.8 trillion internally,” according to the statement. The independent police force of the FCT can use about 2% of the proceeds. He argued that there are many benefits to using modern technology, hiring more men, and increasing vehicle ownership to combat crime.

His request comes as President Bola Tinubu recently stated that some states required security personnel who are knowledgeable about the local environment and culture.

The President stated that the federal government would take into account the state police’s operations and to properly equip recently deployed forest guards when he received a delegation of prominent citizens of Katsina State led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda at the State House on Tuesday.

Ezekwesiri David Anyaegbu, the country’s diplomat and Vice Chair of the Second Committee, has given over to the elected members of the Second Committee Bureau for the 80th Session with the scheduled 79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting meeting to end on September 8, 2025.

The UN Economic and Financial Committee’s (formerly known as the UN Economic and Financial Committee) completed its work for the session with a flurry of activities over the past few weeks, including discussions about revitalizing the committee’s work and combined bureau meetings to appoint a new set of elected representatives.

Anyaegbu presided over the UN General Assembly’s selection of a chair for the remainder of the session in the absence of a substantive Second Committee Chair for the session earlier in June 2025.

UN DISCOVERS CAMPUSDOWN DURING THE CAMEROUN Election.

On June 2nd, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly’s six committees elected members for the 80th Session (UNGA80), including Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, the president of the UN General Assembly. On the day of the 80th Session’s opening day, September 9th, 2025, the Second Committee’s elected bureau will take office.

The 80th Session of the Second Committee is led by Ambassador/Permanent Representative of The Gambia, Lamin B. Diba, while Jenni Mikkola (Finland), Andres Napuri Pita, and Andres Napuri Pita have been appointed as session vice-chairs. Iran’s Javad Momeni serves as the session’s rapporteur.

Anyaegbu was in charge of facilitating UN microeconomic resolutions on investment, debt, trade, development financing, illicit financial flows, and tax reforms while serving as the UN Second Committee’s vice chair.