Author: Naija Daily News

File Photo: M346 Attack jets in flight by Deborah Nnamdi The federal government has approved a $618 million loan to purchase six Italian-made M-346 attack jets and ammunition for the Nigerian Air Force. The development was announced by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Wednesday. Recall that the Nigerian Air Force had recently announced its fleet renewal strategy, which includes the acquisition of 24 M-346 attack jets and 10 AW-109 Trekker helicopters. The Air Force expects the first three jets to arrive by early 2025, with the remaining deliveries continuing through mid-2026. A high-level delegation, led…

A minor tsunami has hit Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lays off the Ministers of Education, House and Development (State) and Youth, Tahir Mamman SAN, OON; Abdullahi Tijjani, and Jamila Bio Ibrahim respectively. Others affected are Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, and Lola Ade-John of Women’s Affairs and Tourism in that other. President Tinubu, in the list released by the Presidency on Wednesday afternoon, saw the appointment of seven (7) new ministers, including for the recently created Ministry of Livestock, which is headed by Idi Mukhta Maiha and, notably Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of Late Biafra activist, DIm…

Photo: Gambaryan in court The Federal Government, on Wednesday, withdrew the money laundering charge filed against the detained Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, due to his ill health and diplomatic intervention. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gambaryan was the 2nd defendant in the charge preferred against the cryptocurrency platform (1st defendant) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). EFCC’s counsel, R. U. Adagba, told Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja, of the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw the charge against the detained employee because of his deteriorating health. She, however, informed the…

There are concerns on Wednesday over the health of popular Nigerian cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye (aka Bobrisky) after he was reported rushed to the hospital after collapsing in a Nigeria Immigration Service holding facility. The NIS, which refused to speak on the matter, did not disclose what led to the collapse of the embattled public figure. An official who cannot be named said he was running temperature and might have “suffered from exhaustion” due to his endless wait for either an arraignment or release. Bobrisky, who was released from prison recently, courted fresh controversy following revelations that he was given preferential…

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has eliminated the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development as part of a significant restructuring aimed at improving government efficiency. This decision was made during the ongoing Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House in Abuja, as reported by Bayo Ononuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, via his verified X account, @aonanuga1956. A new Ministry of Regional Development will be established to oversee various regional development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and North East Development Commission.…

Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta is gradually releasing its facial recognition technology across the platforms to help people who are locked out of their accounts recover them. The technology also aims to help spot scam ads that use celebrities’ images to defraud unsuspecting users. Tech experts say the move is a major expansion of Meta’s facial recognition system, which was rolled back in 2021. Already, the company’s Vice President of Content and Privacy, Monika Bickert, said it has started using face technology to help Instagram and Facebook users reclaim their accounts that are being locked out. “The company has…

by Deborah Nnamdi The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has raised the alarm over the threats posed by cybercrime, revealing that Nigeria lost more than $500 million to criminal activity in 2022. Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Ola Olukoyede spoke during a National Cybercrime Summit in Abuja on Tuesday. “The research I did earlier this year confirmed that cybercrime has become the third largest GDP in the world with approximately 2,328 cases occurring daily. “The implication of all this is that if left unchecked, cybercrimes portend grave dangers to the entire world. “Bringing it to Nigeria, in 2022 alone,…

By Oghenekevwe Kofi, Lagos Once heralded as the “Golden Boy” of Nigerian politics, Farouk Lawan embodied the qualities that many Nigerian youths sought in a hero: bravery, eloquence, and a compelling presence. With a voice that resonated like a sabre, he engaged effectively with the media and garnered support from activists. As the leader of the Integrity Group in the House of Representatives, Lawan was perceived as a reformer, instrumental in unseating the first female Speaker, Rt Hon Patricia Etteh, amidst allegations of corruption. From that moment on, he was touted as presidential material, and the public battles that he…

Former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, has saluted his cousin and successor, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, on the occasion of the latter’s 70th Birthday on Tuesday. Ibori, in a post dripping with emotion, looked back at his growing stage with his ‘brother’ Uduaghan, confessing, “As I pen these words, I am filled with nostalgia for our early days growing up in the backwaters of Mosogar and Ogharefe, and joy for the remarkable man you have become—a statesman”. Ibori, in a post on his verified Facebook account, described Udaughan as a brilliant professional, touting him as an accomplished…

Debts from use of MNOs platforms for USSD Telecommunications giant MTN has warned that companies in the industry would be forced to close down unless the Federal Government approves an upward review of telecoms charges in the country. “MTN and the entire industry are in a dire situation. MTN is loss-making because of the naira devaluation. The fundamentals need to change, tariffs have to be changed,” MTN’s CEO, Karl Toriola, said on Monday while speaking at Fellows of Media Innovation, MiP, sponsored by MTN at the Pan Africa University, Lekki, Lagos. Besides, he asked the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to…