Author: Naija Daily News

The Rivers State Executive Council has approved a N1.85 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year, outlining the state government’s spending priorities amid prevailing economic challenges. The approval followed a meeting of the council presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, according to disclosures by state officials and reports by the News Agency of Nigeria. The spending framework, which covers both capital and recurrent expenditures for the 2026 fiscal period, was reviewed and endorsed by the council at the meeting. The proposed budget will now be forwarded to the Rivers State House of Assembly for legislative consideration and approval. Briefing…

A night-time fire outbreak around the old Mangu Market in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State has claimed the lives of six siblings, throwing the community into deep mourning. A spokesperson for the family of Malam Sanusi Maifaci confirmed that the victims were children aged between four months and 12 years. Recounting the incident, an uncle of the deceased, Umar Basbangida Aliyu, said the fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at about 2:00 a.m. He explained that the children’s mother sustained severe injuries while attempting to rescue them and is currently receiving treatment at Allah Nakowa…

The Janaza (funeral) prayer for Sina Ghami and Abdul Latif “Latz” Ayodele, close friends and key members of former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s team, will take place on Sunday, January 4, 2026, in London. The prayer service is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the London Central Mosque, 146 Park Road, London NW8 7RG, following the repatriation of their bodies to the United Kingdom after a fatal road accident in Nigeria. The two men died on December 29, 2025, in a car crash on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway at Makun, Ogun State. The Lexus SUV conveying Joshua, Ghami, and Ayodele reportedly…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to resume its Total Industrial and Clinical Services (TICS) 2.0 nationwide from January 12, 2026, citing the failure of authorities to fully implement agreements on doctors’ welfare and conditions of service. The decision followed an Emergency National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held on January 2, 2026. In an update issued after the meeting, NARD President, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, said the renewed action became necessary due to what the association described as persistent non-compliance with previously reached agreements. According to the resolution, the resumed industrial action, tagged “No Implementation, No Going…

A Senior Special Assistant on Media to Lagos State Governor, Mr Wale Ajetunmobi, has criticized claims circulating on social media that recent fire outbreaks in major Lagos markets were targeted attacks against Igbo traders, describing such narratives as misleading and divisive. Ajetunmobi, reacting in a post on X, said it had become routine for “some individuals from the Southeast” to fabricate ethnic motives around market fire incidents in Lagos, even when investigations and eyewitness accounts point to unsafe trading practices as the primary causes. His comments followed a post by an X user, Obiasogu David (@afrisagacity), who alleged that the…

US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that American forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following overnight air strikes on Caracas and other cities, a development that marks a sharp escalation in the long-running confrontation between Washington and the Venezuelan government. Residents of the Venezuelan capital were awakened around 2:00 am local time by loud explosions and the sound of helicopters as strikes hit several targets, including a major military complex and an airbase. AFP journalists reported that the bombardment lasted for nearly an hour. In a post on his Truth Social platform about two hours after the attacks…

Suspected political thugs on Friday night invaded a popular hotel in the Orazi area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a live television interview being aired by Arise TV on the political situation in the state. The incident occurred at about 9:15 pm during a live broadcast of Arise TV’s News Night programme, while a former Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, was being interviewed by the station’s crew within the hotel premises. Eyewitnesses said the attackers, believed to be politically motivated and allegedly armed, stormed the hotel chanting in a local dialect. They…

The Ogun State Police Command has arraigned the driver of a Lexus SUV involved in the fatal road crash that claimed the lives of two associates of former heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua. The defendant, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was brought before a Sagamu Magistrate Court in Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State on Friday, January 2, 2026, in connection with the accident. Confirming the development, the Police said Kayode was charged on four counts bordering on traffic and safety violations. The charges include dangerous driving causing death, contrary to Section 5(1) of the Federal Highway Act, Cap F:135,…

Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi has criticized Nigeria’s approach to taxation, warning that raising revenue by placing heavier burdens on poor citizens would weaken economic growth, erode social trust and threaten national unity. In a statement posted on his X account, Obi argued that prosperity cannot be achieved by taxing poverty, insisting that taxation should function as a transparent social contract founded on fairness, honesty and visible public benefit. Drawing from his interactions with leaders of countries that have achieved sustained progress, the former governor said national development begins with broad consensus and clear communication between government and citizens.…

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to delivering free, fair, and credible elections in 2027, disclosing that preparations are already underway to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process. Amupitan gave the assurance in his 2026 New Year message to INEC staff nationwide, describing the new year as a period of renewal and a critical phase for institutional consolidation ahead of the next general elections. Reflecting on the commission’s activities in 2025, the INEC chairman commended staff for their dedication and professionalism, particularly in the successful conduct of the Anambra…