General news

• CBN mandates BDCs to sell unutilised FX to NFEM within 24hrs

  17-07-2026 10:06 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •May confiscate unutilised balanceBy Elizabeth AdegbesanThe Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has directed Bureau De Changes, BDCs, to sell unutilised foreign exchange (FX) balances to the Nigerian Foreign Exchange, NFEM, market within twenty-four (24) hours of the expiry of the utilisation period.The apex bank disclosed this in its regulatory guidance on purchase of FX by BDCs through authorized dealer banks in NFEM.According to the apex bank, “BDCs are not permitted to retain in t
  
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• Who is Slavko Vincic? Meet the referee for the 2026 World Cup final

  17-07-2026 09:39 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will take charge of Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, becoming the first official from his country to referee the tournament’s showpiece match.The appointment also places the 46-year-old among an exclusive group, as he becomes only the 23rd referee in history to oversee a FIFA World Cup final.Vincic was informed of the decision by FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, in
  
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• US strikes Iran as Tehran warns of Mideast reprisals

  17-07-2026 09:14 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The United States hit Iran on Friday, with Tehran accusing US forces of striking civilians sites and drawing Iranian threats of reprisals on regional infrastructure.A battle over the strategic Strait of Hormuz has rekindled the war in the Middle East and the foes have traded fire for six days running.The US military reported hitting “dozens of Iranian military targets” in response to attacks on commercial shipping, its latest strikes after a preliminary deal with Tehran fell apart.E
  
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• Tinubu will deliver permanent UN Security Council seat for Nigeria — Jimoh Ibrahim

  17-07-2026 08:35 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure a permanent seat for Nigeria on the United Nations Security Council, saying the President is committed to pushing for Africa’s greater representation in the global body.Ibrahim spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television, where he said Tinubu had consistently argued that the absence of any African country from the counci
  
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• SEC commences nationwide campaign to recover unclaimed dividends

  17-07-2026 08:17 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Peter Egwuatu The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has commenced a nationwide enlightenment campaign to help Nigerians recover unclaimed dividends and other monies arising from capital market transactions.The campaign, which began with a town hall meeting in Lagos yesterday, is aimed at sensitising investors on the existence of unclaimed monies, the role of the National Investor Protection Fund (NIPF) and the procedures for verifying and recovering legitimate claims.The SEC
  
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• BoI to channel 70% of EIB facility to drive cocoa, dairy sectors

  17-07-2026 08:07 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Etop EkanemNigeria’s foremost development finance institution, Bank of Industry (BoI) has secured a 60 million euro credit facility from the European Investment Bank to fund Nigeria’s cocoa and dairy value addition drive, with a focus on processing, ingredients and chocolate manufacturing.Managing Director/CEO of BoI, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, disclosed this during the Africa Cocoa Summit convened in Abuja on July 14 by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with th
  
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• UOO commends Gov Otti’s transformation of Abia

  17-07-2026 08:03 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Speaks on 70th anniversaryBy Osa AmadiThe Chairman of U.O.O Nigeria Plc, Nze Edozie Uche Okafor, has commended the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, on the rapid transformation he has brought to the state within a short time.Speaking recently at the 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company held in Lagos, Edozie said: “We are excited about the transformation taking place in Aba, the state’s commercial hub. Governor Alex Otti has improved infrastructure, enhanced securi
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, July 17, 2026

  17-07-2026 08:00 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Nigerian naira traded within a relatively stable range against the United States dollar on Friday, July 17, 2026, as the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) continued to reflect modest day-to-day movements, while the parallel market maintained a premium over the official window.According to the latest available data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the official NFEM exchange rate was around ₦1,380 per US dollar, with the most recent published NFEM fixing at ₦1
  
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• From charity to rights:’We have rights, we are not asking for favours’

  17-07-2026 07:57 via vanguardngr.com
  
  *How persons with disabilities are redefining Nigeria’s accessibility movement*Challenges confronting the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities*Only about 22.4 per cent of assessed public buildings have functional ramps*17 states are on board against discrimination*11 states yet to domesticate anti-descrimination lawsBy Ebunoluwa SessouFor millions of Nigerians living with disabilities, the greatest obstacle is not blindness, paralysis, deafness or intellectual disab
  
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• External reserves now $52bn, as net reserves exceed $40bn

  17-07-2026 07:57 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •Reforms restore investor confidence•Bigger banks will drive growth – CardosoBy Babajide KomolafeGovernor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, yesterday, said Nigeria’s external reserves have risen to about $52 billion, while net external reserves have exceeded $40 billion.He attributed the improvements to reforms that have restored investor confidence and also expressed confidence that the ongoing banking recapitalisation would position lenders t
  
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• Importers set to increase depot petrol price to N1,350/litre

  17-07-2026 07:54 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Fuel importers are set to increase the depot price of petrol from N1,230 per litre to N1,350.As of Thursday Importers have reportedly notified marketers of the new depot price of N1,350 per litre, industry sources say.The new depot price is expected to take effect from July 17, according to a report publish by TheCable meaning that Nigerians will pay more at the pumps.It was further learnt that the new price reflects the increased cost of imported cargoes.The development follows the issuan
  
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• PFIPC: Gbaja slams N15bn defamation suit against Adeyemi 

  17-07-2026 07:47 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …Says he never met defendant, denies bribery, abuse of office…Allegations caused grave damage to my personal, professional reputationBy Innocent AnabaLAGOS — Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, instituted a N15 billion defamation suit against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi  at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Abuja, over allegations that he demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant approved for a federa
  
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• Oriire Abduction: The children came home, the fears remain

  17-07-2026 07:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Adeola BadruFor 56 agonising days, the people of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State measured time differently. The passing of each day was not marked by work, school or the ordinary rhythm of rural life, but by unanswered prayers and anxious anticipation. Parents woke every morning hoping for news of children who had disappeared into captivity. Nights brought little comfort, only another round of questions about whether the abducted pupils and their teachers were alive, safe or e
  
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• US congress okays 50% cut in aid to  Nigeria over Christian persecution

  17-07-2026 07:40 via vanguardngr.com
  
  … Future aid to be determined by FG’s facilitation of IDPs safe return•Earmarks $2m to tackle violence in M-Belt regionBy Nkiruka Nnorom & favour UleborThe United States House of Representatives has approved a 50 percent cut in assistance to Nigeria over what it described as the federal government’s failure to protect Christian communities from religiously-motivated violence.The National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations B
  
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• No N210trn missing from NNPC accounts, ex-NAPIMS GM tells senate committee

  17-07-2026 07:35 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Henry UmoruABUJA – FORMER Group General Manager (GGM) of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Bala Wunti, has disclosed that there was no evidence in the 2023 audited financial statements of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to support claims that N210 trillion went missing from the company’s accounts.Wunti, who made this disclosure when he appeared before the Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North)-led Senate Committee on Public Ac
  
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• 2027: INEC to conduct mock presidential poll

  17-07-2026 07:34 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •To audit systems tooABUJA — THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, disclosed that it is considering conducting a comprehensive audit of all its electoral technology systems, alongside a mock presidential election, as part of measures to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections.Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, on a courtesy
  
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• Naira now N1,422/$ in parallel market

  17-07-2026 06:55 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanThe Naira yesterday depreciated to N1,422 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,415 per dollar on Wednesday. However, the naira appreciated to N1,381 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market,   NFEM .Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, showed that the indicative exchange rate for the naira fell to N1,381 per dollar from N1383.5 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating N2.5 appreciation for the naira. Consequently, the margin between the para
  
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• Four kidnapped during NECO exams ‎rescued – Kogi govt

  17-07-2026 06:32 via vanguardngr.com
  
  ‎By Boluwaji ObahopoKogi State Government said it has successfully rescued the four persons kidnapped during the recent attack on an examination centre in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of the state.‎Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, described the rescue as the outcome of a coordinated security operation ordered by Governor Ahmed Ododo immediately after the incident.‎According to the Commissioner, Gov
  
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• Shettima’s final test, by Azu Ishiekwene

  17-07-2026 06:23 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Vice President Kashim Shettima cannot be blamed for having doubts about whether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would renominate him as his running mate for a second term.As governor of Lagos State for eight years, Tinubu used three deputies: KofoworolaBucknor-Akerele, Femi Pedro, and AbiodunOgunleye. Only Senate President GodswillAkpabio (as AkwaIbom governor) matched this record in the last 27 years. Whether it was a matter of style, chemistry, or vision, Governor Tinubu always had a reason
  
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• The unidentified problem of Nigeria: From forced migration to AUTOSUCOM Revolution (I) 

  17-07-2026 06:19 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Victor-Bandele DadaFor more than six decades, Nigeria has debated its problems without ever adequately identifying the problem beneath the problems.Economists have diagnosed fiscal instability. Political scientists have examined institutional weakness. Sociologists have studied ethnic and religious fragmentation. Development specialists have focused on poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and human capital. Security analysts have examined insurgency, banditry and communal conflict.All
  
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• Jimoh Ibrahim is uninformed: UN intervenes in nation’s internal affairs, by Owei Lakemfa

  17-07-2026 06:18 via vanguardngr.com
  
  I do not support the call by Oyo State Governor SeyiMakinde that international bodies like the United Nations (UN) should participate in probing the 56-day abduction of 39 pupils and six teachers in the state.In receiving the freed victims, he called “on the appropriate international human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution.”He exp
  
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• Just what is government doing for us? By Adekunle Adekoya

  17-07-2026 06:15 via vanguardngr.com
  
  IN the last two weeks or thereabouts, I have been one very angry Nigerian. I don’t know whether there are others like me who are angry. If there are, I do not know how many of us are angry. I also don’t know where the other angry Nigerians are, apart from those who vent their anger by posting on social media platforms like Facebook, or in video skits in Facebook Reels or on Tik-Tok..All I know is that I have been angry for a long time, even in my sleep, because I often wake up
  
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• Why Nigeria must invest in mangroves preservation

  17-07-2026 06:13 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Nigeria and the world are bleeding biodiversity at an alarming rate. Globally, the United Nations (UN) reports that 420 million hectares of forest, which is roughly the size of the European Union, have been lost since 1990, with mangroves vanishing even faster at 35 per cent of their original extent. In Nigeria, the Niger Delta’s mangrove forests have shrunk by over 40 per cent in the last three decades due to oil pollution, urban sprawl, and aquaculture, wiping out genetic capitals
  
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• Why Tinubu must lead football governance reforms – Experts/Stakeholders

  17-07-2026 05:58 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …John Terry, Segun Odegbami, Obi-Mikel, Efe Sodje, Tana Ayejina, Odion Ighalo lamentBy Tony UbaniEvery year, Nigerians watch with admiration as countries across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas implement policies that improve the lives of their citizens. Efficient public transportation, quality education, reliable healthcare, stable electricity, disciplined sports administration, transparent governance and thriving economies, among others. These are not accidents; they are the produ
  
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• Kogi announces successful rescue of kidnapped victims in Dekina

  17-07-2026 02:28 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Kogi State Government has announced the successful rescue of the four persons kidnapped during the recent attack on an unauthorized examination center in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of the State.The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, describing the rescue as the outcome of a coordinated security operation ordered by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo immediately after the incident.According to the Commissioner, Go
  
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• Obi urges EFCC to focus on strategic priorities, leave Randy Peter, Mama Pee alone

  17-07-2026 02:14 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Henry Umoru, ABUJAThe Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 elections, Peter Obi, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to focus its attention on major corruption cases and other strategic priorities rather than pursuing social media activists.Obi made the call through the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), which criticised what it described as the “needless harassment” of two social media commentators, Randy Peter an
  
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• Mary Habila was like daughter to me – Umahi

  17-07-2026 00:24 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Thursday, described late Miss Mary Habila, a staff member who died at the minister’s residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, as “like a daughter” to him.Read Also: Mary Habila told boyfriend she had nosebleed night before death — Umahi
  Habila, a nurse with the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, in a guest house located within the minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu.Umahi, who address
  
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• US forces board ship to ensure ‘compliance’ with Iran blockade

  17-07-2026 00:17 via vanguardngr.com
  
  American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of the renewed blockade of Iran’s ports that began earlier this week, the US military said.US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.The previous day, a US aircraft fired on and disabled an unladen oil tanker that tried to break the blockade.The military command also said Thursday it had “redirect
  
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• US strikes in Iran hit airport, bridges, railway station

  17-07-2026 00:03 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Deadly US strikes overnight hit an airport, a railway station in the port city of Bandar Abbas and two bridges in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said Friday.“Three explosions were heard around the airport and at least one American enemy projectile hit Iranshahr airport,” in the southeast, state television IRIB said on Telegram.“A few minutes ago, the Bandar Abbas Railway Junction Station was targeted by the American enemy. According to this report
  
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