Category Nigeria News

Nancy Nathan has been appointed as the Acting Head of Service (HoS) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The appointment is pending the confirmation of a substantive Head of Service.

Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, announced this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the appointment is with immediate effect.

“Mrs Nancy Sabanti Nathan, mni, has been appointed as Acting Head of Service of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA),” the statement read.

“She was appointed in an acting capacity, pending the appointment of a substantive Head of Service.

Nathan’s appointment followed the death, last Monday, of Grace Adayilo, the former FCTA Head of Service.

Until her new appointment, Nathan was the Permanent Secretary of the Youth Development Secretariat of the FCTA.

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“She had served as the Director of Finance and Administration in the office of the Honourable Minister of FCT before she was appointed Permanent Secretary. The appointment takes immediate effect,” Olayinka added.

See the full statement below:

Sabanti Nathan Appointed FCTA Acting Head of Service

Mrs Nancy Sabanti Nathan, mni, has been appointed as Acting Head of Service of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

She was appointed in an acting capacity, pending the appointment of a substantive Head of Service.

Mrs Nancy Sabanti Nathan was appointed as a result of the death, last week Monday, of Mrs Grace Adayilo, the FCTA Head of Service.

Until her appointment, Mrs Nancy Sabanti Nathan, was the Permanent Secretary, Youth Development Secretariat of the FCTA.

She had served as the Director Finance and Administration in the office of the Honourable Minister of FCT before her appointment as Permanent Secretary.

The appointment takes immediate effect.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned airline operators against the unnecessary flight delays and cancellations as well as the attitude of airline staff abandoning passengers.

In a statement via X on Monday, NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, said such moves “will no longer be tolerated,” vowing that the authority would begin naming and shaming defaulting airlines.

He said NCAA would enforce strict compliance with aviation regulations, stressing that passengers stranded between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am due to cancellations or delays are entitled to hotel accommodation at the airline’s expense.

Achimugu said the decision, backed by directives from the Federal Government and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signals a tougher regulatory approach aimed at boosting accountability and protecting passenger welfare in Nigeria’s aviation sector.

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The move comes amid rising incidents of airport violence linked to flight disruptions. While some unruly behaviours were caused by passengers’ ignorance of aviation rules, others, according to the NCAA, stemmed from airlines’ deliberate attempts to circumvent regulations and deny passengers their rights.

The authority condemned a growing trend in which airline staff allegedly disappear from terminals during disruptions, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to manage stranded and agitated passengers alone.

“The situation where airline staff intentionally disappear, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to handle justifiably irate and frustrated passengers will no longer be tolerated,” Achimugu warned.

He acknowledged the operational difficulties facing airlines in Nigeria and maintained that such challenges do not excuse non-compliance with established rules.

The NCAA also criticised the exposure of its staff to potentially dangerous situations, stressing that officials are only present to support both passengers and the airline industry.

“While one understands the challenges that operators face in our peculiar operating environment, whoever willfully ventures into a business and wants to remain in it must do it well.

“We must not always choose the easy way out. Don’t you want to be called ‘world class’? Don’t you want to compete at the highest level? If not for the sake of the passengers who trust you to safely fly them, what about for your own pride?

“You cannot expose NCAA officials to avoidable risk when all they do is support your business and protect your rights,” Achimugu added.

If an airline has kept passengers at the terminal up to 00hrs before cancelling a flight, they OWE their passengers hotel accommodation. The regulations stipulate that passengers stranded between the hours of 2200 and 0400 be given accommodation.

The situation where airline…

Troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have intensified their clampdown on oil theft and arms trafficking in the Niger Delta, with significant breakthroughs recorded in Rivers State.

A statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, disclosed that the operations between August 25 and September 7 led to the arrest of 35 suspects, the destruction of six illegal refining sites, and the recovery of over 14,000 litres of stolen products.

He said that, at the Kilometre 45 axis in Degema Local Government Area, two illegal refining sites were destroyed, with 4,500 litres and 3,000 litres of stolen crude and illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO) recovered.

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In Emohua, troops discovered dugout pits filled with crude oil and arrested a suspect while attempting to package 1,800 litres of stolen crude in sacks.

At Abacheke near the Rivers–Imo border, 35 sacks containing 1,750 litres of illegally refined AGO were seized, while in Omoku, a Mitsubishi Hilux conveying 12 sacks of AGO was intercepted before its driver fled.

The operation, according to the statement, extended to other states in the Niger Delta, with troops uncovering an illegal refining site in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State with 1,050 litres of stolen AGO.

In Akwa Ibom, a red minibus carrying 750 litres of AGO was intercepted in Oruk Anam LGA, while in Abak, 21 jerricans and several storage drums were destroyed at another site. In Bayelsa, troops continued to dominate waterways and hinterlands, preventing criminals from operating freely.

The Army also confirmed the dismantling of a gunrunning syndicate notorious for trafficking small arms and light weapons across the Niger Delta corridor.

The suspects—Innocent Emiyemokumo Deidei (alias Sele Bobo), Godknows Alabor Avor, and Godwin Osik—were arrested through intelligence-led operations. Troops recovered two English pistols, four locally fabricated pistols, and a double-barreled gun.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma, the operation was described as a major success, resulting in “the arrest of 35 criminals, the destruction of six illegal refining sites, and the confiscation of over 14,000 litres of stolen products.”

Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Radda, on Monday launched a €5.1 million European Union-funded Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response, and Resilience project to strengthen peace and stability in the state.

The 18-month project, which covers eight local government areas in Katsina and two in Zamfara State, builds on a previous initiative that benefited over 95,000 people.

Radda described the project as a new era of hope, partnership, and collective action designed to empower communities, particularly women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

According to him, the project would help communities transition from trauma to recovery, fear to safety, and despair to hope.

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The governor also inaugurated the Katsina State CPCRR Project Steering Committee to coordinate, monitor, and ensure transparency in all project activities.

The project focuses on three core areas, namely peacebuilding and conflict mitigation, livelihood support and economic recovery, and governance, as well as institutional strengthening.

Speaking at the event, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Grantier Migrot, reiterated the Union’s commitment to the state.

“This project builds on our previous successes in poverty alleviation, education, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability,” Migrot stated.

The ambassador emphasised the EU’s focus on dialogue, education, and empowerment, particularly for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

The project targets internally displaced persons, host communities, and other vulnerable groups through vocational training, climate-smart agriculture, and improved market access.

New activities include establishing community peace structures, strengthening early warning systems, conducting media campaigns for peace, and implementing 20 quick-impact projects.

Mustapha Shehu, Executive Secretary of Development and Partners in Katsina State, said the project would ensure that at least 60 percent of beneficiaries are youth.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that over 3.5 million Nigerians pre-registered online for voter cards within the first three weeks of its ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise.

This was disclosed in a statement signed on Monday by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumeku.

According to the Commission, as of Sunday, September 7, 2025, a total of 3,544,850 citizens had completed online pre-registration since the process began on August 18, 2025.

Of this figure, 1,709,933 (48.24 per cent) are male, while 1,834,917 (51.76 per cent) are female.

The majority, 2,291,809 (64.65 per cent), fall within the ages of 18 and 34, with 882,441 (24.89 per cent) identified as students.

On completed registrations, INEC disclosed that it would henceforth present both online and physical (in-person) figures in a single graphic.

The cumulative number of completed registrations since the physical exercise commenced on August 25, 2025, stood at 288,614 as of Thursday, September 4, 2025.

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Out of this, 132,634 (45.96 per cent) are male and 155,980 (54.04 per cent) are female, with youths between 18 and 34 years making up 215,414 (74.64 per cent).

Students accounted for 114,150 (39.55 per cent) of the completed registrations.

A detailed breakdown of registrations by state, gender, age, occupation, and disability has been made available on the Commission’s website and official platforms.

INEC expressed appreciation to citizens and organisations mobilising civic participation in the exercise, but reiterated that only Nigerians aged 18 years and above are eligible to register.

“It is illegal for anyone to encourage underage registration or those below 18 years of age to register in anticipation that they will attain the legal age of voting by the time the general election holds in 2027,” the agency disclosed in the statement.

INEC on August 20 said that eligible voters who pre-register during the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise cannot obtain the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) outside the office of the commission.

It said that online registration alone was not enough to complete voter registration.

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It said that the PVC could not be issued after the pre-registration process because the biometrics of each eligible voter would have to be done physically at designated INEC offices.

“For now, you can’t sort everything at home because we still need to capture your biometrics. If we are able to capture your biometrics online, then there will be no need to go to those centres.

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has called on Edo indigenes and residents of the state to embark on a two-week fasting and prayer to ward off evil from the land.

In a statement on Monday by the Obamedo of Benin, Efosa Igbinomwanhia, the revered traditional ruler said the fasting would commence from September 15 to September 28.

He urged all Benin sons and daughters at home and abroad to fast and pray during the period.

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“His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, CFR, Oba of Benin, uses this medium to inform the general public that from 15 September, 2025 to 28th September, 2025, all sons and daughters of Benin Kingdom and, by extension indigenes and non-indigenes living in Edo State, to embark on two weeks fasting and prayer,” the statement read.

“This is in line with our age-long tradition that before the commencement of the yearly new yam, it is important that we fast and pray tp God Almighty and the royal ancestors for bountiful harvest and to shield us away from sudden death and for peace and tranquillity in our individual homes, families, state and country at large.

“All Benin sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora are to fast and pray during this period.