Author: Prima News

The Dollar to Naira black market exchange rate continued its upward movement on Thursday, March 12th 2026, as sustained demand for foreign currency exerted additional pressure on the naira in Nigeria’s parallel market. As of today, black market operators are buying the United States Dollar at ₦1,410 and selling at ₦1,420, reflecting a ₦10 spread between buying and selling rates. The steady increase signals persistent liquidity constraints and heightened demand within the informal foreign exchange segment. The Dollar to Naira exchange rate remains one of the most closely tracked economic indicators in Nigeria because of its direct impact on importation…

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, on Thursday, said President Bola Tinubu remains committed to democratic governance and the rule of law following his assent to the Electoral Law of 2026. Yilwatda disclosed this in a statement posted on his official X account after attending an interfaith breaking of fast with the President, Vice President Kashim Shettima, leaders of the APC and members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council at the State House in Abuja. According to him, the gathering reflected unity among political and religious leaders and underscored a shared commitment to Nigeria’s development. “I had…

Officials enforcing sanitation laws in Lagos State have apprehended five individuals during an early morning operation to curb open defecation and other environmental nuisances. This was revealed in a video shared on X by the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Thursday. According to the commissioner, the operation was carried out around Ebute Ero and the surrounding areas on Lagos Island. “Anti-open defecation squad on early morning duty at Ebute Ero and environs in Lagos Island, to curb open defecation and other environmental nuisances. “Five (5) defaulters were apprehended during the operation. “They have been…

The Democratic Republic of Congo have named their 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup intercontinental play-offs, leaving out two players who were highlighted in a formal complaint by the Nigeria Football Federation, a move that adds a new twist to an eligibility dispute still pending with FIFA. Head coach Sébastien Desabre confirmed the squad on Wednesday, keeping the core group that beat Nigeria on penalties in the African play-off round, while recalling several players who had not featured in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Captain Chancel Mbemba will lead the team, joined by experienced players including Cedric…

Dapper Live, the live events division of Dapper Group, is ramping up plans for international expansion following its official recognition by Guinness World Records as the title holder for the largest orchestra at an Afrobeats concert, it said on Wednesday. The record was achieved during Trench Symphony: The Dapper Live Experience, held on December 16, 2025, at the Balmoral Eko Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, where more than 80 orchestra members performed live alongside leading Afrobeats artistes in what organisers described as a landmark fusion of classical orchestration and contemporary African music. The production, conceived and executive…

There will be a new leader at billionaire eBay founder Pierre Omidyar’s philanthropic group that aims to expand access to the digital revolution’s economic opportunities. Omidyar Network President Michele Jawando takes over as CEO next month, according to a Wednesday announcement from the left-leaning organization that blends charitable grantmaking with for-profit impact investments. A civil rights lawyer and former Google executive who managed the company’s public policy partnerships, Jawando will helm one of the best-financed technology organizations looking to loosen Silicon Valley’s grip on artificial intelligence’s development, deployment and regulation. “Our focus will be making sure that there is a much…

China said it was disappointed after the UN Security Council failed to adopt a Russia-backed draft resolution mourning the “tragic loss of life throughout the ongoing hostilities” in the Middle East. China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, said the draft reaffirmed the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and called on all sides to halt military actions. The proposal also condemned attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and urged parties to return to diplomatic negotiations, Fu said, according to the Global Times. “China welcomes and supports this, and was disappointed and regretful that the draft resolution…

Senegal’s National Assembly late on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a ‌bill doubling the maximum prison term for same-sex sexual acts to 10 years and criminalising any efforts to promote homosexuality. The law – passed by 135 votes to zero, with three abstentions – fulfils a campaign promise of the government that ​came to power in 2024, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister ​Ousmane Sonko. It now awaits Faye’s signature. Senegal’s penal code already carried an article, last ⁠amended in 1966, imposing up to five years’ jail and fines of up to 1,500,000 CFA ​francs ($2,700) for “acts against…

A man was arrested with more than 2,200 live garden ants in his luggage at Nairobi’s main airport ​this week amid a rise in cases of smuggling ‌of the insects in Kenya. Chinese national Zhang Kequn, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Tuesday while he was trying to ​leave the country, court filings seen by Reuters on ​Thursday showed. Immigration officials flagged a “stop order” on ⁠Zhang’s passport after he evaded arrest in Kenya last year. Ant ​aficionados pay large sums to maintain colonies in large transparent vessels known ​as formicariums, which offer a literal window into the species’…

A Russian military court handed down life sentences on Thursday to four ​Tajik men and 11 accomplices over ‌their involvement in a mass shooting that killed 149 people at a concert hall near Moscow two ​years ago, Russian state news agency ​TASS reported. Prosecutors charged 19 people in connection ⁠with the shooting spree at the Crocus ​City Hall on March 22, 2024 – the deadliest ​such attack in Russia in two decades. The Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility. The four other defendants ​were given sentences ranging from 19 to ​22 years in prison, Russia’s RIA state news agency ‌reported. It ⁠was…