General news

• Crypto-asset surge poses risks to monetary policy – IMF warns

  17-06-2026 08:10 via vanguardngr.com
  …Says Nigeria received $59bn in crypto inflows, ranks 2nd globallyBy Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau ChiefThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the rising use of dollar-backed stablecoins in Nigeria could undermine monetary policy effectiveness, financial stability and monetary sovereignty, even though they offer benefits in cross-border payments.In its Country and Regional Focus report released in Washington, D.C., the Fund noted that sharp depreciation of the naira, high inflat
  
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• How Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 in World Cup opener

  18-06-2026 09:36 via vanguardngr.com
  Ghana scored a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening World Cup Group L clash in Toronto on Wednesday.Caleb Yirenkyi bundled in the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sending thousands of Ghanaians in Canada’s largest city into a frenzy and settling an otherwise attritional battle.Both sides largely struggled to generate chances in the first half after Panama striker Cecilio Waterma’s second minute attempt was steered away by outstretched Ghana goalkeeper
  
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• Oil prices sink further as Trump signs deal to reopen Hormuz

  18-06-2026 09:25 via vanguardngr.com
  Oil prices tumbled again Thursday after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed off on a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.The news boosted optimism for a lasting peace between the two nations after more than three months of war that has rattled energy markets and fuelled a fresh spike in inflation.However, the upbeat mood on trading floors was tempered by expectations the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates before year’s end, after its new bo
  
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• Just in: Governors back State Police, demand constitutional safeguards

  18-06-2026 09:22 via vanguardngr.com
  *** Back National Nutrition Bill and Agriculture; reiterate commitment to ongoing power sector reformsBy Henry Umoru, AbujaThe thirty-six state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, have again thrown their weight behind the immediate establishment of state police in the country, as they would push for such a structure that will be constitutionally sound and aligned with federalism and citizens’ rights.Rising from its 2nd meeting in Abuja from Wednesday to e
  
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• Luis Diaz shines as Colombia beat Uzbekistan in WC group game

  18-06-2026 09:12 via vanguardngr.com
  Colombia beat World Cup debutants Uzbekistan 3-1 in their opening Group K game on Wednesday thanks to an inspired performance from Luis Diaz at the Estadio Azteca.The Bayern Munich forward provided an assist, a goal and also hit the post as the Colombians resisted a battling performance from the Uzbeks in front of 80,824 spectators in Mexico City.Diaz’s superb lofted pass allowed Daniel Munoz to volley in after 40 minutes, but Abbosbek Fayzullaev equalized with his nation’s maiden&n
  
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• Cartoon: ‘Renew, sorry, release my leg now or I’ll call Netanyahu!’

  18-06-2026 09:12 via vanguardngr.com
  Read Also: ‘If Tinubu says terrorism must end, it will end, but…’ — Adebayo, SDP presidential candidateVanguard NewsThe post Cartoon: ‘Renew, sorry, release my leg now or I’ll call Netanyahu!’ appeared first on Vanguard News.
  
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• Why kidnappers are raiding schools; way out — NAPTAN boss

  18-06-2026 09:07 via vanguardngr.com
  By Adesina Wahab The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, has said kidnappers and criminal elements are focusing their attacks on schools because of the vulnerability of those institutions.Read Also: ‘If Tinubu says terrorism must end, it will end, but…’ — Adebayo, SDP presidential candidateOgunbanjo, who spoke with Vanguard Learning, also added that all necessary steps must be
  
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• Marketers retain high petrol price despite reduction at Dangote Refinery

  18-06-2026 09:01 via vanguardngr.com
  By Obas Esiedesa, AbujaFuel marketers across Abuja on Wednesday continued to sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, at old prices more than 24 hours after Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a reduction in its ex-depot price.Checks by our correspondent showed that major retail outlets were yet to adjust their pump prices despite the N75 per litre reduction announced by the refinery on Monday.At the retail stations visited in Abuja, the Nigerian National Petroleum Comp
  
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• Why Kenyan kids are burning schools, killing classmates

  18-06-2026 08:59 via vanguardngr.com
  Almost 50 fires have ripped through Kenyan schools this year, 16 schoolgirls have died, and more than 100 schools have temporarily closed. Everyone knows there is a crisis, but few have solutions.To many, Kenya’s strange and deadly spate of arson attacks is the result of an education system buckling under chronic funding shortfalls and corruption.Problems are exacerbated by Kenyans’ preference for boarding schools — a legacy of the British colonial system — where ch
  
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• Mutual Benefits decries Nigeria’s credit gap, offers solutions

  18-06-2026 08:48 via vanguardngr.com
  By Rosemary IwunzeMutual Benefits Assurance Plc has said a situation where only about six per cent of adults can currently access credit through formal financial institutions, is not ideal.According to the company, while access to credit remains important for economic growth, financial protection mechanisms are equally essential in helping individuals and businesses withstand economic shocks.According to the Managing Director, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Femi Asenuga: “Through our dive
  
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• ILO Platform Economy Convention 2026: Rights, responsibilities for stakeholders

  18-06-2026 08:48 via vanguardngr.com
  By Victor Ahiuma-Young
  The platform economy, particularly work- organised and facilitated through digital labour platforms, has become an increasingly important feature of the modern world of work. While it has created new opportunities for businesses, workers, and the formalisation of economic activities, it has also raised concerns regarding working conditions, labour rights, social protection, and the use of automated decision-making systems.Read Also: ILC 114: Inside Nigeria’s ju
  
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• Over 92% of personal pension savings accounts remain unfunded

  18-06-2026 08:40 via vanguardngr.com
  By Rosemary IwunzeAmidst efforts by the National Pension Commission, PenCom, to include informal sector workers in the pension scheme, the Personal Pension Plan, PPP, which caters to the informal sector, has remained stagnant.While the PPP has 215,412 registered Retirement Savings Accounts, RSAs, only 17,320 of these RSAs, which represents 8.0 per cent, have received contributions. The remaining 198,092 RSAs, which represent 92.0 per cent, are dormant.PenCom, in its fourth quarter 2025 rep
  
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• ILC 114: Inside Nigeria’s jumbo delegation to Geneva

  18-06-2026 08:39 via vanguardngr.com
  • Conference may have cost over N2.4 billionBy Victor Ahiuma-YoungNigeria’s participation in the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference, ILC, in Geneva, Switzerland, has once again brought into sharp focus a long-standing question surrounding the country’s international engagements: when does representation become excess, and when does participation become performance?Read Also: Nigeria raises AI concerns at ILC With an estimated delegation of more
  
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• Kwara gov takes Saraki to court over free speech

  18-06-2026 08:38 via vanguardngr.com
  Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has sued former governor of the state, Senator Bukola Saraki, over allegations that his social media post circulated on April 17, 2026, constituted criminal defamation and cyberbullying against him.
  Consequently, lawyers to Saraki, led by Mr Jimoh Mumini, SAN, appeared in Kwara State High Court to defend him
  Abdulkadir Abdulganiy, Press Officer on Local Matters, Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said:
  
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• Incoming NIA Chairman outlines three-pronged agenda to deepen market

  18-06-2026 08:26 via vanguardngr.com
  By Rosemary IwunzeThe incoming Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, has unveiled a strategic blueprint anchored on collaboration, public trust, and regulatory compliance.Speaking at a pre-investiture press conference in Lagos, Nwachukwu who is the Managing Director of REX Insurance Company Limited said that she also targets transitioning insurance from a niche product into a mass-market essential.She said: “I do not come to office at an ordi
  
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• Dunamis terminal distances self from Ago Palace gridlock

  18-06-2026 08:22 via vanguardngr.com
  By Efe OnodjaeOfficials of Dunamis Inland Terminal have distanced the facility from the recurring gridlock along Ago Palace Way, insisting that the congestion is largely caused by the poor condition of the road and seasonal rainfall rather than truck operations linked to the terminal.The clarification comes on the heels of a recent Vanguard report highlighting the return of severe traffic congestion along the Ago Palace corridor, where residents, motorists and business owners lamented spending
  
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• NDC exempts Obi, Kwankwaso from anti-defection oath

  18-06-2026 08:21 via vanguardngr.com
  The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has exempted its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the party’s newly introduced anti-defection oath aimed at discouraging elected officials from abandoning the platform after winning elections.The National Secretary of the party, Ikenna Enekweizu, disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the policy against criticisms that it
  
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• Enugu North Senatorial By-election: Mbah boosts APC’s chances with scorecard

  18-06-2026 08:19 via vanguardngr.com
  …Charges party supporters on door-to-door campaign…Asogwa: I won’t disappoint Enugu NorthGovernor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has boosted the senatorial bid of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the June 20, 2026 by-election for Enugu North Senatorial District, listing reasons the zone would overwhelming vote for the party.The seat, if won, would be APC’s first-ever electoral victory in the state. He described Asogwa as the best candidate, given his track recor
  
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• Telcos allay fears of tariff increase as NCC begins mobile termination rate review

  18-06-2026 08:16 via vanguardngr.com
  By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech EditorTelecommunications operators in Nigeria has dismissed notions that the recent attempt by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to commission a cost-based study to determine fresh mobile termination rates, will lead to increase in telecom tariffs in the country.
  The telcos said such assumptions would only wrongly preempt the outcome of the market study and throw the industry into baseless panic mode, when in several instances price could even drop, dependi
  
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• Truckers build database amid management inefficiencies in Lagos ports

  18-06-2026 08:15 via vanguardngr.com
  •As AMATO plans QR verification systemBy Godwin OritseThe Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has upgraded its Members Web Application Database as part of efforts to strengthen professionalism, transparency, and operational efficiency within the maritime haulage sector particularly in Lagos ports.AMATO disclosed that the latest round of improvements was carried out entirely by its in-house technical team without the involvement of external software developers, a development i
  
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• No considerations for fuel, telecoms taxes, FG reply IMF

  18-06-2026 08:12 via vanguardngr.com
  By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau ChiefThe Federal Government has said it is not considering the imposition of fuel and telecommunications taxes.It was reacting to reports suggesting that it has adopted or is considering new taxes on telecommunications services and petroleum products following the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Article IV Consultation Report on Nigeria.The government position was contained in a statement by Efe Ovuakporie, Head of Information and Public R
  
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• PIPELINE OF APATHY: How South-East Devt Commission, stumbled into Abuja rent scandal

  18-06-2026 08:05 via vanguardngr.com
  By Chioma Gabriel, Editor Special Features & Steve OkoFor more than five decades, the loudest refrain from Nigeria’s South-East was one of neglect.
  From the ruins of the civil war to the gully erosion sites swallowing entire communities in Anambra and Imo States, from crumbling federal highways linking commercial hubs to the absence of major federal investments, many in the region nurtured a common grievance: that the South-East had been left behind.
  Successive administrations acknowl
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, June 18, 2026

  18-06-2026 08:00 via vanguardngr.com
  The naira traded relatively stable against the United States dollar at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) on Thursday, June 18, 2026, as traders continued to monitor foreign exchange liquidity and demand pressures across the market.Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed the official exchange rate hovering around the ₦1,360 per dollar range in recent trading sessions at the NFEM window, reflecting the continued impact of ongoing foreign exchange reforms and imp
  
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• ‘Senate not performing its constitutional role’ — Ireti Kingibe criticises National Assembly

  18-06-2026 07:56 via vanguardngr.com
  Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate, has criticised the National Assembly for what she described as its failure to effectively serve as a check on the Executive arm of government.Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Kingibe argued that the legislature has increasingly functioned as a “cooperating arm” of the Executive rather than an independent institution responsible for oversight and accountability.According to
  
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• We’ll continue to nurture nextgen innovators, industrial leaders — BIRD, DANGOTE MD

  18-06-2026 07:37 via vanguardngr.com
  By Udeme AkpanDangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing the next generation of African engineers, innovators, and industrial leaders, as it hosted outstanding students from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) on an educational tour of Africa’s largest refinery complex.
  The visit was in fulfilment of a promise made by the President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, during the university’s
  
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• Soludo calls on residents to support fight against fake pastors

  18-06-2026 07:34 via vanguardngr.com
  Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has called on citizens and residents to actively support the government’s drive against fake pastors operating in the state.
  The governor urged the public to provide credible information on individuals disguising themselves as clergymen while engaging in criminal activities.
  The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor.
  Mefor said the Soludo administration has pe
  
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• Alleged N1.3bn fraud: Mr P’s absence stalls trial

  18-06-2026 07:32 via vanguardngr.com
  By Innocent AnabaThe continued hearing in the trial of Jude Okoye, the manager of the defunct music group, P-Square, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, was stalled, yesterday due to the absence of Peter (Mr. P), who was billed to be cross-examined by the defence team.
  Jude and his musical firm, Northside Music Limited company, are standing trial before the Justice Alexander Owoeye on alleged N1.3 billion and $1 million fraud.
  Both Jude and his company were arraigned before the court
  
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• One month later: Oriire school children, teachers still missing

  18-06-2026 07:29 via vanguardngr.com
  Timelines OF The Oriire school abduction crisis•May 15, 2026: Terrorists abduct pupils and teachers in Oriire
  •May 17, 2026: IGP visits affected communities.
  •May 18, 2026: Abducted teacher beheaded by kidnappers.
  •May 18, 2026: Tinubu condemns killing, orders intensified rescue efforts.
  •May 30, 2026: Makinde visits Oriire community.
  May 31, 2026: FG delegation visits Oriire.
  •June 1, 2026: Teachers embark on strike as protests erupt.
  •June 16, 2026: VeryDark
  
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• Lagos CP allays fears over terror threat at Pan-Atlantic University, deploys drones

  18-06-2026 04:49 via vanguardngr.com
  By Esther OnyegbulaThe Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, yesterday conducted an on-the-spot security assessment at Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki, following the circulation of a viral video showing two masked individuals emerging from a forest area adjoining the institution.The visit, carried out alongside operational personnel of the command, was part of efforts to evaluate the security situation around the university and
  
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• Naira down to N1,405/$ in parallel market

  18-06-2026 04:37 via vanguardngr.com
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanThe Naira yesterday depreciated to N1,405 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,389 per dollar on Tuesday.Similarly, the naira depreciated to N1,361.5 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 market rose to N1,361.5 per dollar from N1,356.5 per dollar on Tuesday,   indicating N5 depreciation for the naira.  Consequently, the margin betw
  
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