International News Archives - Page 4 of 23

Tinubu, Macron hold private lunch meeting in France

September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 Aminu Imam

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, held a private working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, as his 10-day working leave entered its fifth day. Photographs released by the State House showed both leaders in a warm handshake before proceeding into the palace. Tinubu is currently on the second tranche of his annual leave, which he is spending between France and the United Kingdom. Yesterday’s meeting marks his seventh visit to Paris since assuming office in May 2023, and his first since attending the BRICS summit…

‘Nigerians face long bans for US visa overstays’ – Embassy cautions

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 Aminu Imam

The United States Mission in Nigeria has warned Nigerian travellers to strictly follow the terms of their visas, stressing that overstaying could result in long-term entry bans. In a statement posted yesterday on its official X handle, the Mission said violating visa conditions may damage future chances of travelling to the U.S. “It’s important to use your U.S. visa according to its terms. Misusing it, for example, by overstaying, may affect your ability to travel to the U.S. in the future”, it stated. The caution comes amid heightened scrutiny of…

FG hails Finland, as court jails Simon Ekpa for terrorism

September 2, 2025September 2, 2025 Aminu Imam

A Finland District Court, Päijät-Häme, has sentenced Simon Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges. The court ruled that Ekpa had participated in a terrorist organisation and had publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes. The court also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud. The charges relate to Ekpa’s alleged activities aimed at re-establishing an independent state in the Biafra region of southeastern Nigeria, which was briefly independent in the late 1960s. In its verdict, the court said that Ekpa had used his significant social…

US contradicts Okonjo-Iweala, says Nigerian economy in shambles

August 21, 2025August 21, 2025 Aminu Imam

The United States of America has contradicted Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, over the state of Nigerian economy, saying that the new minimum wage of N70,000 had been undermined by the continued depreciation of the Naira. Recall that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had on August 14 commended President Tinubu’s administration’s reforms by restoring stability to Nigeria’s economy. “You cannot really improve an economy unless it’s stable. The President and his team have worked hard to stabilise the economy. The reforms have been in the right direction. The…

‘Nigerian visa applicants must provide 5-year social media history’ – US embassy

August 19, 2025August 19, 2025 Aminu Imam

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has issued a directive to visa applicants, mandating the disclosure of all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process. The directive, announced in a post on the Mission’s official X account yesterday, comes as the US Department of State recently reiterated its commitment to bolster national security through enhanced screening measures. U.S. Mission said Nigerian visa applicants are required to provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application…

Canadian court labels APC, PDP terrorist groups

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025 Aminu Imam

…Denies ex-member asylum The Federal Court of Canada has upheld a ruling classifying Nigeria’s All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organisations, denying asylum to former member Douglas Egharevba over his past affiliations. In a judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, Egharevba’s application for judicial review after Canada’s Immigration Appeal Division found him inadmissible under security provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness had argued that the PDP and the APC were deeply implicated in acts of…

Nigeria, 12 others selected for $93m US food aid scheme

August 11, 2025August 11, 2025 Aminu Imam

The United States government has listed Nigeria and 12 other nations among the beneficiaries of its $93 million emergency food assistance programme set aside to address worsening hunger and malnutrition. Speaking recently at a press briefing, the principal deputy spokesperson for the US State Department, Tommy Pigott, said the aid will also cover essential food commodities, targeted nutritional support, and emergency logistics. “Today marks the first 200 days of the Trump Administration, and with it 200 days of delivering results and real wins for the American people. Under the leadership…

Mass deportation looms for Nigerians, as UK scraps skilled jobs

July 27, 2025July 27, 2025 Aminu Imam

Over 10,000 Nigerians working on Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), or Skilled Worker visas may be deported at the end of their agreement with their sponsors, following the United Kingdom government’s delisting of over 100 jobs, including skilled worker roles, from CoS eligibility. Feelers from London revealed that this new reform, which takes effect from July 22, 2025, is part of the UK’s efforts to control immigration and tighten the criteria for Skilled Worker visas. These changes involve increasing the skills requirement to RQF Level 6, which means only jobs at…

‘France will recognise Palestinian state’ – Macron

July 26, 2025July 26, 2025 Aminu Imam

France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G-7 nation to do so. The G-7 is a group of major industrialised nations, which alongside France includes the US, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan. In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York. “The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population…

Visa fraud: US threatens lifetime ban for Nigerians

July 22, 2025July 22, 2025 Aminu Imam

The United States government has warned Nigerians that individuals who engage in visa fraud risk being permanently barred from entering the country. The warning, issued yesterday through a post by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria on its official X handle, stated that the U.S. is intensifying interagency efforts to combat immigration fraud and clamp down on illegal immigration. The mission noted that those found guilty of committing visa fraud or aiding and harbouring illegal migrants would face criminal prosecution. It stressed the importance of border security to national integrity and…