Author: Prima News

Access Bank’s proposed acquisition of Bidvest Bank has collapsed, bringing an end to a high-profile cross-border banking transaction that would have expanded the Nigerian lender’s footprint in South Africa. The transaction, which was intended to transfer ownership of Bidvest Bank to Access Bank, did not progress to completion after key conditions attached to the agreement were not fulfilled within the stipulated timeframe. As a result, both parties have discontinued the process, leaving Bidvest Bank to continue operating independently. The failed deal marks a setback for Access Bank’s broader African expansion strategy, which has focused on building a strong presence in…

The Senate has appointed 12 members to work with the House of Representatives on the Electoral Amendment Act, which has stirred recent uproar. The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced the committee members on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session. The members are Senator Simon Lalong, who will serve as Chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Tahir Mungono, Senator Adamu Aliero, Senator Abba Moro, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, Senator Aminu Iya Abbas, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (SAN), Senator Jibrin Isah, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, and Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi. Akpabio said, “After consultation with the leadership, we have moved the…

A couple, Mr Olawale Olulaja and his wife, Blessing Chigozie, were among the graduands at the just-concluded convocation of the University of Lagos, completing their programmes through the Distance Learning Institute. While the husband was a graduate of Business Administration, the wife graduated from the Department of Accountancy for the 2024/2025 academic session. The duo, in a conversation with The PUNCH, spoke about how they overcame the demands of marriage, parenthood, and years of academic disruptions, and graduated at the same time. Olawale, a graduate of Business Administration, said he began the programme before his wife but could not complete…

Amid stubbornly high food prices and rising worries about supply-chain bottlenecks, Nigeria’s food inflation crisis is placing increasing strain on households and businesses. In this interview with DAMILOLA AINA, Kofi Abunu, Managing Director of Food Concepts Limited, shares an operator’s insight into the true drivers of food inflation, contending that post-harvest losses and poor infrastructure, rather than outright scarcity, are key factors To what extent is Nigeria’s current food inflation driven by post-harvest losses? Food inflation in Nigeria is driven by several forces, but post-harvest losses account for a meaningful share that is often overlooked. A significant portion of locally…

Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has revealed that her children received death threats during the #EndSARS protests, an experience she says fundamentally altered her approach to activism. Speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds on Sunday, Omotola said she had previously grown accustomed to personal threats but was shaken when the intimidation extended to her family. “I am used to death threats; I have received them many times. “But I have never seen anything like what happened during EndSARS. It was intense, my kids started getting death threats. That was when it became real, and when I realised this was no…

News » Premier League news » Arsenal newsFebruary 9, 2026 20:41 GMT (UK), by Sri Aswin Ndiaye to Arsenal or Man Utd? Manchester United and Arsenal are prepared to battle it out for the signature of Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye at the end of the campaign. The 25-year-old had a good first half to the season (four goals and two assists) before reporting for the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. He has struggled to find the back of the net on his return, but has still impressed with his out of possession play for the Toffees.Ndiaye has excelled with his dribbling and movement in…

Vice President (Oil & Gas) of Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar V. G. Edwin, has been honoured with the prestigious Person of the Year award at the 9th Annual Award and Lecture of the Daily Asset Newspapers, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and his role in advancing the operations and strategic communication of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP). The award, presented during a well-attended ceremony that brought together government officials, industry leaders, media executives, and key stakeholders, celebrated Mr Edwin’s leadership, professionalism, and commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s energy sector. Speaking at the…

Across Nigeria, nearly nine million girls are not in school, not because they lack intelligence, curiosity, or ambition, but because the system designed to protect and educate them has quietly stepped aside. Their absence is so widespread that it has begun to feel normal. Empty desks no longer shock us. Lost futures barely register…But what kind of country accepts the disappearance of almost half of its daughters from the classroom and calls it business as usual? On a dusty road in northern Nigeria, a girl balances a tray of sachet water on her head and walks past a school compound.…

The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria says Nigeria remains Africa’s second-largest onion producer after Egypt, with annual production estimated at 2.1 million metric tonnes. The national president of the association, Alhaji Aliyu Isah, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja. Isah said, “Nigeria currently produces about 2.1 million metric tonnes of onions annually, with a value of approximately N1.17 trillion.” According to him, Nigeria is among Africa’s largest onion producers, second only to Egypt. Nigerian onions are exported across West and Central Africa, as well as to some…

The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to deport an additional 18 Nigerians listed on its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register, bringing the total number of Nigerians scheduled for removal to 97. The development comes barely one week after PUNCH Metro exclusively reported that 79 Nigerians convicted of various offences had been marked for deportation. A follow-up check of the DHS website on Monday showed that 18 more names had been added to the list, indicating an expansion of the enforcement exercise. According to the updated records, wire fraud, mail fraud and identity theft were among the most common…