Author: Prima News

For more than four decades, I have lived and worked in Northern Nigeria. I first arrived in Kaduna in 1980 as a young NYSC professional and later settled in Abuja. During those years, I travelled widely across Kaduna State and neighbouring areas as part of a World Health Organisation–supported research effort on onchocerciasis. My work took me to rural communities such as Birnin Gwari, Kuduru, Lere, Galadimawa and Were—places of warmth, resilience and dignity. Today, many of those same communities have become synonymous with insecurity. Areas that once welcomed researchers and development workers are now often described as “no-go zones”…

Elon Musk’s X has offered to make changes to its blue checkmark for “verified” accounts, a European Commission spokesman said Friday, after the platform received a 120-million-euro ($138 million) fine. The European Union slapped the fine in December on X for breaking its digital rules, including through the “deceptive design” of its blue checkmark. “X has submitted remedies in relation to its blue checkmark. The commission will now carefully assess the proposed remedies,” EU spokesman for digital affairs Thomas Regnier said. He did not provide details about what X had submitted. X risked periodic financial penalties had it not submitted…

Nigeria’s sports community has been struck by a series of deaths in recent weeks, including former footballers, coaches, sports administrators, journalists, and relatives of current players. While this list may not be exhaustive, the following confirmed losses have left a significant impact on the nation’s sporting landscape. Henry Nwosu (Footballer) File photo: Henry Nwosu Former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu has died at the age of 62. The Imo State-born player, the youngest member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations squad, passed away at 4:00 a.m. on March 14, 2026, at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos,…

Nigeria has halted the issuance of new petrol import licenses in a move that signals a strategic shift toward strengthening domestic refining capacity and reducing reliance on imported petroleum products. The development comes as the Dangote Refinery continues to increase its supply of refined fuel to the local market. Industry regulators confirmed that no new permits for petrol imports have been granted in recent weeks, confirming the government’s position that domestic refining output is increasingly capable of meeting national demand. Officials say the policy direction aligns with provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, which encourages local refining and allows fuel…

The Abia government says 6,381 confirmed glaucoma cases have been recorded in the state from September 2024 to date. Betty Emeka-Obasi, Administrator of the Abia Eye Health Management Bureau, disclosed this on Thursday in Umuahia during the World Glaucoma Week 2026 symposium. The symposium, themed ‘Glaucoma-Free World: A Shared Responsibility’, aimed to raise awareness and encourage collective action against glaucoma. Mrs Emeka-Obasi said the actual number of cases is likely higher because many people remained undiagnosed.She described glaucoma as a leading cause of irreversible blindness in Nigeria, affecting millions, with Africa carrying the highest global burden. She attributed the problem…

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Caretaker Working Committee, Bisi Kolawole, has said plans are underway to rebuild the fractured structure of the party and reposition it for future political success. Kolawole, who was the PDP governorship candidate in the Ekiti State in 2022, made the statement on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti during the state congress of the party. The congress, which was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agencies produced Lanre Omolase, an ally of former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, as the party chairman while a former Commissioner in…

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 31: Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan celebrates her victory in the Women’s Singles Final against Aryna Sabalenka during day 14 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 31, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) Elena Rybakina continued her run against the best players in women’s tennis by defeating Elina Svitolina in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Open. Rybakina claimed a 7–5, 6–4 victory to book her place in the final, extending an impressive streak to 12 consecutive wins against Top 10 players. Her last loss to a Top 10 opponent…

Afrobeats star, Asake, was seen in a viral video struggling to get close enough to touch the Black Stone during a pilgrimage in Mecca. In the circulating clip, the singer, whose real name is Ololade Ahmed, was lifted by people around him in an attempt to reach the sacred stone embedded in the Kaaba. However, the effort appeared difficult due to the massive crowd of pilgrims gathered around the Kaaba, with many worshippers also attempting to get close to the sacred site. The video showed the music star surrounded by thousands of worshippers performing prayers and religious rites at the…

Cambodia said Friday it has drafted its first law targeting online scam centers, after vowing to shut them down by the end of April. Cambodia is a major hub for scam operations, which extort money from victims online through bogus investment schemes and feigned romances. Victims around the world are estimated to have been cheated out of tens of billions of dollars annually. At the same time, thousands of people, especially from other Asian nations, have been recruited with false job offers and then forced to work in scam centers in conditions of near-slavery. “This law is the most important legal instrument for Cambodia in combating scams…

After about a month of hearing from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers and executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, 12 jurors heard closing arguments before deciding whether social media companies should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms. Closing statements in the trial began Thursday at the Spring Street Courthouse in Los Angeles. Lawyers representing the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, and those representing the two defendants, Meta and Google-owned YouTube, made their respective cases to the jurors. TikTok and Snap were also named defendants in the lawsuit, but they each settled before the trial began. The case, along with two others,…