Author: Aminu Imam

Nigeria’ debt servicing soars 49% in 4 months, exposing fiscal vulnerabilities

Aminu Imam
Nigeria’ debt servicing

Nigeria’s debt service payments have surged by a staggering 49.2 percent year-on-year, reaching $2.01 billion in the first four months of 2025, when compared to $1.34 billion recorded in the same period in 2024.  This alarming rise was revealed in the latest International Payments data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), underscoring the mounting pressure on the country’s fragile economy. The sharp increase in debt servicing costs highlights Nigeria’s growing struggle to meet its external obligations, especially in the face of persistent foreign exchange shortages and a weak…

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Kano: Gov. Yusuf settles 84 stranded Cyprus students’ ₦2.24bn tuition fees

Aminu Imam
Gov. Yusuf clears debts

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has cleared outstanding tuition and accommodation fees totalling ₦2.24bn for 84 students stranded in Northern Cyprus after years of neglect under the previous administration. The affected students, who were sponsored by Near East University during the tenure of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, were unable to complete their studies or collect their certificates after the scholarship program was discontinued by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Announcing the intervention yestetday, the Governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, said the payment was both a humanitarian and moral obligation.…

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16yrs after, FG establishes regional maritime bank, with Aderogba as CEO

Aminu Imam
FG on regional maritime bank

President Bola Tinubu has approved Nigeria as the host country for the Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB) and appointed Adeniran Aderogba as its first President and Chief Executive Officer ending a 16-year delay since its conception. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed this yesterday, according to a statement signed by Bolaji Akinola, Media and Communications Adviser to the Minister. The Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB), also known as the Regional Maritime Bank, is a proposed financial institution intended to facilitate maritime development in West and Central Africa.…

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2027: League of Northern Democrats pushes for new political front

Aminu Imam

…Threatens civil resistance over lawmakers’ defections The League of Northern Democrats (LND), a growing political movement in northern Nigeria, has signaled its intent to reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.  At a high-level meeting held yesterday at the NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja, the group, chaired by former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, adopted key resolutions ranging from party registration to direct political mobilisation across the North. The communiqué was jointly signed by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, as Chairman, and Dr. Umar Ardo as Convener. The…

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Rivers: Tinubu submits ₦1.48tr Appropriation Bill to NASS, amid Assembly suspension

Aminu Imam
Tinubu submits Rivers budget

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, formally submitted the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to the National Assembly, following the recent suspension of the state’s House of Assembly. The proposed budget, totaling ₦1.481 trillion, was communicated to the Senate through a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which President Tinubu called for swift legislative action on the fiscal plan. The submission comes amid political turbulence in the state and underscores the federal government’s intervention to keep governance running smoothly. The 2025 fiscal proposal prioritizes strategic sectors with the aim…

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2027: Atiku, Obi, el-Rufa’i seal opposition alliance under ADC to challenge Tinubu 

Aminu Imam
Atiku, Obi, el Rufa'i seal alliance

In a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party (LP)’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i have finalised a coalition deal aimed at unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.  The alliance, months in the making, will operate under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking a significant attempt to forge a united opposition platform. The agreement, which was reached during a high-level meeting on Tuesday evening and confirmed publicly by el-Rufa’i during the Arewa TechFest in Katsina…

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Kaduna: Gov. Uba Sani revives Information Ministry, appoints new commissioners

Aminu Imam
Uba Sani revives Ministry

Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has appointed Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo as the State’s Commissioner for Education. He has also redeployed the outgoing Commissioner for Education, Sani Bello (Mainan Zazzau), to the newly created Ministry of Information. Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ibraheem Musa, in an issued statement, said that the Governor has also appointed Barrister Gloria Ibrahim as the Commissioner for Youth Development. The appointments and redeployment take immediate effect. Recall that the Ministry of Information was disbanded under the administration of the immediate past governor of the…

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Protesters storm UAE embassy, seek Mele Kyari’s deportation over NNPCL probe

Aminu Imam
Protesters on Mele Kyari

Hundreds of young Nigerian professionals on Wednesday stormed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Abuja, demanding that the country to deport Mele Kyari, former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, to answer questions over alleged corruption during his tenure. The protesters, under the aegis of Young Professionals Forum (YPF), said Kyari’s presence in Nigeria is required in the probe of the financial activities of the national oil company during his tenure as group chief executive officer. The group accused Kyari of sabotaging local…

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Tinubu congratulates two British-Nigerians sworn-in as London Mayors

Aminu Imam
Tinubu on London mayors

President Bola Tinubu yesterday felicitated two British-Nigerians, Opeyemi Bright and Jason Jackson, on their election and inauguration as Mayors in London, United Kingdom. The President commended Bright and Jackson for sustaining the legacy of good works by Nigerians in the diaspora and consistently promoting the values of honesty, integrity, hard work, and commitment to the well-being of others. Their stories, he said, would inspire countless young people – both at home and in the diaspora – to pursue excellence and serve their communities with distinction, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s…

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Canal+ set to takeover DStv, GOtv owner MultiChoice

Aminu Imam
MultiChoice bows2

South Africa’s competition authority announced yesterday that it had approved the buyout of Africa’s largest pay TV enterprise, MultiChoice by France’s Canal+, which wants to expand its footprint on the continent. The merger, which has been in the works for nearly a year, needs the final go-ahead from the Commission’s Competition Tribunal, it said, in a statement. Canal+ holds around 45 percent of MultiChoice’s shares, and offered last year to acquire the remainder for 125 rand (6.16 Euro) per share. Canal+ is present in 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries,…

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