Author: Prima News

The Chairman of the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission,  Abdullahi Garba, has described the conduct of the state’s local government elections as a major milestone, following the expansion of the electoral process from 11 local government areas to 24 administrative councils. Speaking while announcing the election results on Saturday, Garba said the expansion became possible after Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya approved the creation of 13 Local Council Development Areas to bring governance closer to the people. “The last cycle of elections in 2023 was conducted in 11 local governments. But His Excellency created an additional 13 Local Council Development Areas…

The Federal Government has drawn down $1.5bn from a $5bn financing facility arranged with the United Arab Emirates’ largest lender, First Abu Dhabi Bank, despite growing concerns from global financial institutions over the increasing use of complex derivative financing by African sovereigns. Bloomberg reported on Friday that the latest drawdown represents the first tranche of a $5bn Total Return Swap facility approved by the National Assembly on March 31, 2026, and is expected to support the 2026 budget, finance infrastructure projects, and refinance existing debt obligations. The report quoted people familiar with the transaction, who asked not to be identified…

The African Democratic Congress has alleged a coordinated attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the forthcoming general election, warning that Nigeria risks sliding into a one-party state if what it described as the “growing assault on democracy” is not checked. The party’s position followed the decision of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja to set aside its earlier judgment recognising the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), a development the ADC said fits into a broader pattern of actions aimed at shrinking the country’s democratic space. In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the…

Firefighters on Saturday averted a major disaster in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after preventing a petrol tanker carrying 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit from exploding following a mechanical fault. The incident occurred around 9:40 a.m. at Madi Junction along the Oko-Olowo Expressway. The Kwara State Fire Service, in a statement by its spokesperson, Hassan Adekunle, said the tanker developed a mechanical fault while in transit. According to the statement, the situation worsened when the tank detached from the truck as the driver attempted to repair the faulty component, resulting in a leakage of the highly flammable petroleum product.…

June 27, 2026 17:06 GMT (UK), by Sri Aswin Chido Obi to leave on loan? Manchester United academy striker Chido Obi could leave the Red Devils on a season-long loan deal, according to Football Insider. The 18-year-old joined the Red Devils prior to the 2024/25 campaign and he made seven first-team appearances during his debut season.However, he did not get a single game last term. Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee were preferred upfront.His situation may not improve next season, given that the Red Devils are open to pursuing a new backup striker, with Zirkzee likely to…

DJ Dewik and Hypeman Best have emerged as two of the standout acts on the 2026 edition of Soundcity On Tour, following a journey that began with a chance discovery at the inaugural edition of the campus entertainment tour in 2023. According to organisers, the duo first caught the attention of the tour’s executive producer, Adedeji Adeniji, during their debut performance together at Soundcity On Tour three years ago. Despite having no established partnership or extensive experience performing as a team, their stage chemistry and ability to engage the audience reportedly convinced Adeniji that they had the potential for bigger…

Resolution 2824 (2026) extends until 31 December 2026 the mandate of UNDOF, one of the UN’s longest-standing peacekeeping missions.The Security Council established the mission following the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria, which ended the Yom Kippur War. Its mandate is to maintain the ceasefire between the parties and supervise the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces as well as the areas of separation and limitation in the Golan.Syria: ‘Among most stable countries in the region’“Syria today is among the most stable countries in the region,” Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi of Syria told the Council.His country is engaged in…

The Embassy of Ireland in Nigeria has announced that applications for the 2026 Ireland Fellows Programme will open on June 29, offering Nigerians the opportunity to study for a fully funded Master’s degree in Ireland. The embassy disclosed this in a post on its X handle on Friday, stating that the programme is open to early and mid-career professionals from Nigeria and Ghana seeking to pursue a one-year Master’s degree at top Irish universities. “Applications for the Ireland Fellows Programme opens on 29 June 2026! Apply for the opportunity to study in Ireland on a fully funded master’s scholarship,” the…

Two years ago, Ifelade Ayodele began his mornings glued to the app store. He refreshed the dashboard, checking how many people had downloaded Blaaiz, the cross-border payments startup he had launched in 2023, since he last looked. Blaaiz had about 500 users at the time, but Ayodele would tell you that he knew most of them by their first name. Today, Ayodele says he no longer monitors app downloads. The customers he keeps tabs on are banks, fintechs, payment companies, and financial institutions, integrating the payment infrastructure he built. To understand how he switched from building a consumer-facing app to…

President Tinubu has appointed Obi to head the newly created NHTDAO. NewsOnline Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Obi Adigwe as the National Coordinator of the newly established National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO), a strategic body created to coordinate Nigeria’s digital health ecosystem. The National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office will operate from the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and is expected to serve as the country’s central coordination platform for digital health initiatives.  According to the Federal Government, the office is designed to complement, rather than replace, existing health institutions…