Author: Prima News

The Ogun State Government has officially inaugurated a 15-member Joint Monitoring Committee in a move to eliminate environmental pollution and address the alarming reports of lead poisoning in the Ogijo axis. The committee, according to a statement issued on Wednesday, is tasked with providing localised oversight and serving as a critical watchdog over the operations of Used Lead Acid Batteries (ULAB) recycling facilities within the community. A group photograph of participants at a meeting of the 15-member Joint Monitoring Committee to tackle lead poisoning in Ogun State, Wednesday, February 25, 2026. | Credit: Ogun State Ministry of Environment. Inaugurating the…

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has reduced the benchmark interest rate to 26.5 per cent, a move members of the Organised Private Sector described as minimal but a positive signal for businesses and the broader economy. At the end of its 304th meeting in Abuja, the MPC cut the Monetary Policy Rate by 50 basis points from 27 per cent to 26.5 per cent. All 11 members of the committee were in attendance. The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, announced the decision on Tuesday. “The committee decided to reduce the monetary policy rate by 50 basis…

Four witnesses gave their evidence virtually on Wednesday in the Federal High Court in Abuja in the opening trial of former Minister of Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke at Southwark Crown Court in the UK. The proceeding was taken virtually by Justice James Omotosho in accordance with the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, 2018, and other applicable laws. The hearing was based on a request from the UK Central Authorities for witnesses to testify from Nigeria to the trial court where Mrs Justice Thornton is the presiding judge. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the charge, marked CS/72/2026, on…

An Improvised Explosive Device exploded early Wednesday along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara State, damaging a trailer conveying cement at Unguwar Mai Chida and disrupting traffic. The device is suspected to have been planted by bandits, who have been under pressure from ongoing security operations in the area. The blast reportedly destroyed the head of the truck travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna, but no casualties were recorded. The driver, Dauda Adamu, was rescued alive. Confirming the incident, Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, said combined tactical teams, particularly Explosive Ordnance Disposal units, detected and detonated multiple IEDs…

Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada highlighted the “positive financial impact of our off-pitch transformation” after the club recorded a profit increase following their recent job cuts. United generated an operating profit of £32.6 million ($44 million) in the first six months of the fiscal year, compared with a £3.9 million loss for the same period last year. The operating profit for the most recent quarter, over the last three months, was £19.6 million, compared to £3.1 million in the same period last year. Those numbers come after United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe, who heads the club’s football operation, oversaw…

Fast-rising Afrobeats singer Awosika Josiah, also known as Fido, has issued a public apology following months of criticism, online backlash, and controversies surrounding his rapid emergence on Nigeria’s music scene. The “Joy is coming” crooner, who gained attention during his breakout run in 2024, shared the apology on X (Formerly Twitter) on Monday, acknowledging mistakes and reflecting on the pressures that came with his sudden fame. “There’s no easy way to write this, so I’ll just say it plainly. I messed up,” Fido wrote. He admitted that the speed of his rise left him navigating public attention while still adjusting…

U.S. President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon. Even while assembling a massive military force in the Middle East, Trump has done little to explain to the American public why he might be leading the U.S. into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. In his speech, Trump pointed to Tehran’s support for militant groups, its killing of protesters and the…

China and Germany want to deepen cooperation, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Beijing on Wednesday, as Merz began a visit aimed at resetting ties amid a widening trade imbalance. Merz told Li that Germany attached great importance on maintaining and deepening its extensive economic exchanges with China, its largest trading partner last year, while emphasizing the need for fair cooperation and open communication. “We have very specific concerns regarding our cooperation, which we want to improve and make fair,” said Merz, who faces a tough balancing act of redefining an economic relationship that is…

Switzerland votes next month on a proposal to slash funding for its state broadcaster SRG, a step supporters say will save Swiss households money, but opponents say reflects pressure globally on public media corporations from the political right. National broadcasters across Europe, squeezed by declining audiences, fierce competition and falling revenue streams, have been accused of political bias by right-wing groups. Backers of the organisations see them as an independent voice that can hold the powerful to account and which populists wish to stifle. The proposal, backed by several groups including the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), is to cut…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit that both countries have cast as a chance to deepen relations, as regional concerns mount over the risk of military conflict between the United States and Iran. Modi, a Hindu nationalist, became the first prime minister in India’s history to visit Israel in 2017, during which he and right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a barefoot stroll on a beach in the northern port city of Haifa. Both still in power nearly nine years later, the two leaders, who describe one another as friends, are expected to…