Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

NCC Mandates Banks To Deduct USSD Transaction Fees From Mobile Airtime Starting 3 June 2025. In a significant shift in Nigeria’s banking sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to cease deducting Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transaction fees directly from customers’ bank accounts. Effective from 3 June 2025, these charges will now be deducted from users’ mobile airtime balances, aligning with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model. The directive, announced through a statement from United Bank for Africa (UBA) to its customers, marks a pivotal change in how USSD banking services are billed.…

Nigeria To Import Danish Dairy Cattle In Bold Move To Slash £1.2bn Import Bill. In a significant step towards boosting local milk production and reducing reliance on costly imports, the Federal Government of Nigeria has unveiled plans to import high-yielding dairy cattle from Denmark. The initiative, announced on Monday, 2 June 2025, aims to address the nation’s £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) annual dairy import bill, which accounts for approximately 60% of Nigeria’s milk consumption. The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, revealed the ambitious strategy, which targets doubling Nigeria’s milk production from 700,000 tonnes to 1.4 million tonnes annually…

CBN Extends Bureau De Change Recapitalisation Deadline To Save 3 Million Jobs. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has extended the recapitalisation deadline for Bureau De Change (BDC) operators by an additional six months, setting a new deadline of 3 December 2025. This decision follows urgent appeals from the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), which warned that the looming deadline threatened over three million jobs and livelihoods across the sector. The CBN’s initial directive, issued in May 2024, required all BDC operators to reapply for licences under a new two-tier system. Tier 1 operators, permitted…

Nigeria’s Agricultural Sector Poised For Growth As FG Bolsters Mechanisation, Says AGCOMS. Nigeria’s agricultural landscape is on an upward trajectory, driven by the Federal Government’s robust mechanisation initiatives, according to AGCOMS International Trading Limited, the country’s authorised dealer of John Deere equipment. Speaking at the 2025 NAMPO Harvest Day in South Africa, Chijioke Okoli, AGCOMS’s Chief Executive Officer, highlighted the transformative potential of the government’s focus on increasing tractor usage to address the nation’s historically low mechanisation levels. The four-day NAMPO event, Africa’s largest agricultural trade fair, hosted over 87,000 visitors and 750 exhibitors, providing a global platform for…

Military Airstrike In Zamfara Kills 20 Bandits, Five Vigilantes Amid Ongoing Security Operations. A Nigerian military airstrike targeting bandit hideouts in Maraya and Wabi villages, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, has resulted in the deaths of over 20 bandits, but tragically claimed the lives of five vigilante members due to misidentification, according to reports from The Nation and TheCable. The operation, conducted on 31 May by the Nigerian Air Force, aimed to disrupt criminal activities in the restive North-West region, where banditry has wreaked havoc on communities. The airstrike, part of the military’s ongoing efforts to curb…

Covenant University Tops TIMES Higher Education Rankings For Nigeria’s Best Universities In 2025. Covenant University in Ogun State has been named Nigeria’s top university in the 2025 TIMES Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, solidifying its reputation as a leader in academic excellence. The prestigious list, which evaluates institutions based on teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook, places Ahmadu Bello University in second place, followed by Landmark University in Kwara State, the University of Ibadan, and the University of Lagos, rounding out the top five. The rankings, published on the THE website, highlight Nigeria’s growing prominence in higher…

Meta Set To Revolutionise Advertising With Full AI Automation By 2026. Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has unveiled ambitious plans to fully automate its advertising process using artificial intelligence (AI) by the end of 2026. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the initiative will allow brands to create and target advertisements entirely through AI, streamlining the process and potentially reshaping the digital marketing landscape. With a global user base of 3.43 billion unique active users across its platforms, Meta’s AI-driven tools will enable advertisers to submit a product image and budget, after which…

Nigeria To Launch Lithium Processing Plant At AFNIS 2025 Summit. The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to commission a state-of-the-art lithium processing plant during the 4th edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS), scheduled for 14–17 July at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development under Dr Dele Alake, underscores Nigeria’s commitment to harnessing its mineral wealth for sustainable economic growth. The lithium plant, developed by ASBA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate with investments in mining and industrial development, is a flagship project aligned with…

Maldives Unveils Streamlined 2025 Work Visa System To Attract Global Talent. The Maldives has launched a revamped work visa system for 2025, designed to simplify and accelerate the process for foreign workers seeking employment in the tropical paradise. Announced by the Ministry of Economic Development and Maldives Immigration, the new system introduces a fully digital application process, enhanced transparency, and stricter compliance measures, making it easier for professionals to contribute to the nation’s thriving tourism, hospitality, and construction sectors. The updated system, effective from 19 May 2024, mandates that employers secure a work visa for foreign employees within 15…

Wike Claims Credit For PDP’s Rise As Party Faces Internal Strife. Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, has declared himself instrumental in transforming the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into a major political force in Nigeria, firing back at critics within the party. Speaking at an end-of-year thanksgiving event organised by PDP stakeholders in Ahoada East and Ahoada West at Ukpata community in Ekpeye Kingdom, Wike challenged detractors to match his contributions, asserting, “I have not seen anybody who will have the guts to tell me, ‘Wike, you are not a member of…

Ondo Police Arrest Five Over Brutal Assault On Vice Principal For Preventing Exam Cheating. The Ondo State Police Command has apprehended five suspects, including a woman named Dorcas Asije, for allegedly orchestrating a violent attack on Alexander Rotifa, the Vice Principal (Academics) of Complete Child Development College, Aule, Akure. The assault stemmed from Rotifa’s enforcement of exam regulations during the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), where he confiscated an Android phone from a Senior Secondary 3 student, Wisdom Elisha, caught attempting to cheat on 26 May. According to a preliminary report by the Ondo State Ministry…

Russia Braces For Formidable Super Eagles Despite Osimhen, Lookman Absence. Russia’s national football team manager, Valery Karpin, has warned that Nigeria’s Super Eagles remain a formidable force ahead of their historic first-ever international friendly clash at Luzhniki Stadium on Friday, 6 June, despite the absence of star forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman. The match, kicking off at 6 p.m., is part of both teams’ preparations for upcoming international tournaments. Karpin dismissed suggestions that the Super Eagles are weakened by the omission of Osimhen, the former African Footballer of the Year who led Galatasaray to a Turkish Super Lig…