Author: Naija Daily News

By Deborah Nnamdi A powerful earthquake has hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, smashing buildings in the capital, Port Vila, including one used by foreign embassies. Witnesses reported that dead bodies were lying in the city. The 7.3 magnitude quake struck at a depth of 57 kilometers (35 miles), some 30 kilometers off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu’s main island, at 12:47 pm (01:47 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey. A 5.5-magnitude aftershock struck minutes later, followed by a string of lesser tremors, shaking the low-lying archipelago of 320,000 people that lies in the quake-prone Pacific Rim…

By Deborah Nnamdi President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed international development expert Aisha Garba as the new Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday described Garba as a seasoned education specialist with over 24 years of experience in designing and implementing impactful education programs across Nigeria and beyond. The statement reads in part, “With over 15 years of hands-on experience at the World Bank, Garba has consistently led end-to-end design and management of education programs and reforms, from conceptualization to completion and…

By Deborah Nnamdi Nollywood actress, Nancy Isime is celebrating her 33rd birthday today with a new house. In a post on her official X (formally Twitter) handle, she recounted how she had promised herself to own a good home as a child while living in an uncompleted building. Her post reads in part: “Which of the Lord’s blessings can I deny? None! “I remember so clearly, I was about 13, sitting in what was going to be our new home – an uncompleted building, the only windows and doors were those protecting the rooms we would sleep in. Everywhere else…

By Deborah Nnamdi A female corps member, Tayachibiyacha Ebal, with code KB/24C/918, serving at Dakingari in Kebbi State, has slumped and died. When she slumped, she was immediately rushed to the camp clinic at Dakingari and later moved to FMC Birnin-Kebbi, where she finally gave up the ghost after all necessary medical attention. In a statement issued by the spokesman of the Kebbi State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Comrade Nurudeen Bala Fingiller, it was confirmed that the body has already been taken to the family in Adamawa State. “Consequently, I want to use this medium to pay a…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Enugu State Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned two bankers before a Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu State for allegedly selling newly minted N500,000 to customers. According to a statement by EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, the defendants were arrested on November 15, 2024, at their workplace on 18 Okpara Avenue, Enugu State, based on actionable intelligence linking them to the sale of Naira mints in the Enugu State metropolis. The accused, Ekpe Anayaoha Okoronkwo and Umeonuoha Onyinye were brought before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar on a count…

File photo: Lt Gen Igor Kirillov Ukraine officials have claimed responsibility for the killing of the head of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defence troop, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. Kirillov and one of his assistants were killed on Tuesday morning when a bomb went off in front of his apartment in Moscow. It was learnt that the explosion was caused by a remotely triggered bomb planted in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow. The high-ranking Russian official had been under sanction from major Western countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, for his role in the ongoing Russian…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Federal Executive Council has approved the renaming of the University of Abuja as Yakubu Gowon University. This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, after the council held its last meeting for 2024 at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Monday, December 16. Idris said, “…There is also a decision taken by the Federal Executive Council to rename the University of Abuja to honor elder statesman General Yakubu Gowon. “The University of Abuja will, henceforth, be called Yakubu Gowon University. “Of course, the process will have to go to the National…

Nigeria and Atalanta Football Club forward, Ademola Lookman has won the Confederation of African Football Player of the Year 2024. Ademola Lookman was crowned the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year at the ceremony held in Marrakech, Morocco. Lookman’s exceptional performances for his club and the Nigerian national team this year played a significant role in his victory. He scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final, helping his club win their first European trophy. Lookman edged out strong competition from players like Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Simon Adingra (Côte d’Ivoire), and Ronwen Williams…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the 2025 Budget Proposal. The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, revealed this to State House Correspondents after the Council met for the last time in 2024 at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. He said: “Today, the Federal Executive Council approved the budget proposals for 2025 with amendments which Mr President directed following a presentation to the Federal Executive Council led by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu. “The 2025 framework is based on an oil price benchmark of $75 per barrel. Oil production of 2.06…

Photo: Some of the 792 suspects arrested by the EFCC The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested nearly 800 fraudsters in a major raid on a crypto crime ring operating from the exurb corporate set-up in Victoria Island, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State. EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who disclosed this in Lagos on Monday described the arrest as a landmark raid, revealing that 792 suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams. Photo: Building where the fraud suspects were arrested in Victoria Island, Lagos A statement on the commission’s official ‘X’…