Author: Naija Daily News

Photo: Wilfred Ndidi Beşiktaş midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has been appointed the new captain of the Super Eagles, taking over the leadership of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. The announcement was confirmed on Friday via the official Super Eagles social media handle, which quoted Ndidi as describing the role as deeply meaningful as Nigeria prepares for the continental tournament. Ndidi’s first major assignment as captain will be leading the three-time African champions at AFCON 2025, where Nigeria will be aiming to reclaim continental glory. Speaking to the Super Eagles media…

By Deborah Nnamdi Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has raised alarm over what he described as serious discrepancies between laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions eventually published and enforced by the executive arm of government. In a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Obi said Nigeria had moved from the era of padded budgets to what he termed the forging of laws, warning that such practices pose grave threats to constitutional governance, taxpayers’ rights, and access to justice. “Our national shame continues to unfold, evident in…

By Deborah Nnamdi President Bola Tinubu will embark on a festive season tour of three states—Borno, Bauchi, and Lagos—beginning this weekend, the Presidency has announced. In a statement on Friday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday for Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. While in Borno, the President is scheduled to commission a number of projects executed by the state government under Governor Babagana Zulum in collaboration with the Federal Government. He will also attend the wedding ceremony of Sadeeq Sheriff, son of former Borno State governor and…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the recovery of suspected remains of a police inspector who was earlier declared missing in the Guma Local Government Area of the state. Police sources, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama, said the remains are believed to be those of Inspector Mohammed Yakubu of the 13 Police Mobile Force (PMF), attached to Operation Zenda Joint Task Force, who went missing on June 13, 2025, at Tse Keleke, about 10 kilometres from Daudu. It was gathered that on December 18, at about 9:30 a.m., actionable intelligence led security operatives to a…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Ekiti State Government has dismissed a surgeon accused of removing a patient’s kidney without prior consent at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH). The decision was announced in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Oyebanji Filani, and made available to journalists on Thursday. According to the statement, the government also approved the suspension of all members of the surgical team present in the operating theatre on the day of the procedure for one month, pending further administrative review. The action followed the submission of a detailed report by a seven-member panel of enquiry,…

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has directed that all enforcement actions related to the proposed ban on sachet alcohol products be suspended until further notice. The directive followed an official correspondence from the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drug Administration and Control concerning plans by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to enforce the ban. In a statement issued on Monday by the Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Terrence Kuanum, the OSGF said the correspondence, dated November 13,…

By Deborah Nnamdi Senate President Godswill Akpabio has appealed to Bola Tinubu to reconsider his directive ordering the withdrawal of police operatives from Very Important Persons (VIPs), citing concerns over the safety of federal lawmakers. President Tinubu had, on November 23, ordered the redeployment of police officers attached to VIPs to bolster efforts against rising security challenges nationwide. Under the directive, VIPs requiring armed protection are to seek personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead of the police. Speaking on Friday during a joint sitting of the National Assembly shortly after the President presented the 2026…

By Deborah Nnamdi President Bola Tinubu on Friday presented a N58.1 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, outlining a spending plan focused on security, infrastructure, and economic consolidation. The proposal sets capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion, while recurrent (non-debt) expenditure stands at N15.25 trillion. Tinubu pegged the crude oil benchmark at $64.85 per barrel, with projected oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day and an exchange rate assumption of N1,400 to the US dollar. According to the President, total revenue for 2026 is estimated at N34.33 trillion, while total…

Afrobeats megastar David ‘Davido’ Adeleke will perform at the opening concert of the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in an official statement unveiling the lineup for the opening ceremony concert. According to CAF, Davido will share the stage with global hip-hop star French Montana, Moroccan singer Douaa Lahyaoui, French-Moroccan hitmaker Lartiste, and rising artist Says’z. CAF said the selection of artists reflects the tournament’s celebration of African culture, music, and its growing global influence. The opening concert is scheduled…

Key justice and human rights stakeholders on Thursday opposed a Senate proposal seeking to prescribe the death penalty for kidnapping under a proposed amendment to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, warning that capital punishment would neither deter crime nor strengthen national security. The opposition was voiced at a one-day public hearing organised by the Senate Joint Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, National Security and Intelligence, and Interior. The Bill seeks to classify kidnapping, hostage-taking, and related offences as acts of terrorism and to impose the death penalty without an option of fine or alternative sentence. Raising…