General news

• Customs begins processing of form M via B’Odogwu platform

  05-05-2025 20:34 via vanguardngr.com
  By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau ChiefThe Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced the pilot phase of processing Form M through its new Unified Customs Management System, known as the B’Odogwu platform, across all commands.According to NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada (AC), the initiative marks another significant step in the Service’s ongoing technology-driven reforms aimed at modernizing trade procedures and improving operational efficiency.Following approval for the integration of
  
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• Police deploy special squads ahead Tinubu’s Borno visit

  20-12-2025 11:42 via vanguardngr.com
  Tactical teams, surveillance squads, and operatives of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit are some of the special operatives deployed by Borno State Police Command ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s visit today.Read Also: Tinubu departs Abuja Saturday on three-state visit, to spend end-of-year holidays in LagosThis was revealed in a statement issued, Saturday, by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso.He also said there would be temporary vehicular restrictions and diversions
  
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• Bandits, criminals will not find it easy in 2026 – Guards Brigade Commander

  20-12-2025 11:31 via vanguardngr.com
  The Commander, Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Adebisi Onasanya, has warned that bandits and criminal elements operating within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs will face sustained and intensified military pressure in 2026.Onasanya declared that they will not find the area conducive for criminal activities.He gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja while speaking with journalists at the summit of Aso Rock, during the Guards Brigade’s annual ascent of Aso Rock
  
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• Nigerians benefit from UK visa rules exemptions for prison workers

  20-12-2025 11:30 via vanguardngr.com
  Nigerians are among foreign nationals working as prison officers in the United Kingdom, UK, given a temporary exemption from new visa rules, as some jails were facing a staffing crisis.Read Also: Top 10 African countries with largest economies in 2025BBC reports that prisons have increasingly been relying on overseas recruits, particularly from Nigeria and Ghana.However, organisations representing officers had warned jails faced losing thousands of staff, after the government increased the mini
  
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• Africa Cup of Nations: Prize money, 5 shocks of previous tournaments

  20-12-2025 11:13 via vanguardngr.com
  As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco, Sunday, tomorrow, we bring you five shocking developments in previous tournaments.But first, let’s know the prize money at stake.Prize money
  $500,000: 4th groups$700,000: 3rd groups and do not qualify for knockout phase$800,000: Round of 16 losers$1.3 million: Quarter-finals losers$2.5 million: Semi-finals losers$4 million: Runners-up$7 million: ChampionsShocksEquatorial Guinea hammering Ivory Coast 4-0 in a 2024 first round match is
  
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• Nigeria’s case against DR Congo ‘very tight’ – Dikko

  20-12-2025 11:03 via vanguardngr.com
  The Super Eagles case against DR Congo fielding several ineligible players in a 2026 World Cup Playoffs is “very tight”, according to the chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC).
  Nigeria have now asked FIFA to throw out DRC from the World Cup qualifiers because they did not follow the rules in clearing some of their players to feature for them after they had previously represented another country.
  “Our case is very tight, we’re not sore losers, this is part of t
  
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• Tinubu to inaugurate developmental projects in Maiduguri – Presidency

  20-12-2025 10:18 via vanguardngr.com
  President Bola Tinubu will on Saturday visit Borno to inaugurate key development projects and attend a high-profile wedding ceremony in Maiduguri.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit is part of the President’s engagement across selected states during the yuletide period.While in Maiduguri, Tinubu is expected to inaugurate projects in the aviation, transport and education sectors executed by the Borno State Government and the Federal Government.According to the president
  
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• Detty December a career booster for artistes – Odunfa Damilare, Entertainment Executive

  20-12-2025 09:51 via vanguardngr.com
  Detty December remains one of the most impactful periods for artistes in Nigeria, offering visibility, fan engagement and career growth through a packed calendar of performances across Lagos and other major cities.Odunfa Damilare, CEO of BOSS CITY iNC, says the festive season delivers overwhelmingly positive outcomes for artistes, with back-to-back shows allowing them to connect physically with fans and strengthen loyalty. From a management perspective, he estimates that up to 90 per cent of th
  
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• Drinking coffee slows aging in severe mental illness, research says

  20-12-2025 09:04 via vanguardngr.com
  By Sola OgundipeA new study has found that a cup of coffee may be doing far more for people with serious mental illness than simply jump-starting the morning; it has an astonishing association with slower biological aging.Researchers say the discovery could reshape how people think about one of the world’s most consumed beverages.The findings, presented in BMJ Mental Health, with a rather striking headline: a consumption of three to four cups of coffee daily can have the cells of individu
  
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• Menopause brings reversible brain changes in women – Report

  20-12-2025 09:01 via vanguardngr.com
  By Sola OgundipeA new scientific review unveiled at The Menopause Society’s annual meeting is casting new light on one of menopause’s most misunderstood symptoms: brain fog. Sure, hot flashes may get all the airtime, but mounting evidence reveals cognitive changes, difficulty in concentrating, forgetfulness, mental slowness as the top concerns for many women in this life transition.All of these findings are now pulled together in one new analysis of multiple brain-imaging studies, t
  
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• My visit to Kanu not driven by political ambition – Otti

  20-12-2025 08:53 via vanguardngr.com
  Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has said that his visit to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in Sokoto Correctional Centre was not driven by political ambition.Otti spoke on Friday, when the leadership of the Abia Diaspora Commission and the medical team of the Abia Global Medical Mission 2025 visited him at the Government House, Umuahia.He was reacting to a video circulating on social media, where a certain man was criticising his visit to Kanu.The governor d
  
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• Celebrities share their regrets, triumphs in 2025, aspirations in 2026

  20-12-2025 08:46 via vanguardngr.com
  …How they intend to celebrate the holiday seasonBy BENJAMIN NJOKUAs 2025 winds down, Nigeria’s brightest stars are taking a moment to look back at the year that was unpacking the regrets and setbacks that shaped them, celebrating the small victories that kept them going, and mapping out bold aspirations for 2026. From the bustling streets of Warri to the creative hubs of Lagos and Abuja, these celebrities opened up about the lessons they learned, the obstacles they faced, and the d
  
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• Nigeria’s bizarre chase for 2026 World Cup ticket

  20-12-2025 08:39 via vanguardngr.com
  By Douglas Baye-OsagieAt a time when the Africa is preparing for the commencement of the biggest football event in the continent, the 35th edition of the biennial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Nigeria Football Federation has awaken the hopes and raised the consciousness of soccer fans with a different kind of distraction.
  They’ve whispered loudly to the Nigerian football lovers globally that there is a backdoor entra
  
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• Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat lead dignitaries at Christmas carol, pray for peaceful coexistence in Lagos

  20-12-2025 08:27 via vanguardngr.com
  By Olasunkanmi AkoniLagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, on Friday led other dignitaries at the 2025 Christmas Carol of Nine Lessons, offering prayers for peaceful coexistence in Lagos and across Nigeria.The event, held at Lagos House, Ikeja, brought together government officials, religious leaders, and invited guests in a solemn celebration of the birth and reign of Jesus Christ.Dignitaries present included Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,
  
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• APC NEC: Shettima, Akpabio, Abbas rally APC behind Tinubu

  20-12-2025 08:24 via vanguardngr.com
  …stress coalitions, legislative backing, internal discipline•Our party now a ‘beautiful bride’ — UzodimmaBy Johnbosco Agbakwuru, AbujaAhead of the 2027 election, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Friday rallied support for President Bola Tinubu.The APC party leaders who gave their support at the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Executive Commit
  
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• PDP will not fail – Party factions assure Nigerians after meeting with INEC

  20-12-2025 08:23 via vanguardngr.com
  The two warring factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday said the party remained on course and would not disappoint Nigerians.The party’s National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, made the statements in a separate interview with journalists shortly after the factions met with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.The embattled National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, also spoke to reporters in a separate interview following the meeting.“We want to ass
  
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• Pastor Chris Okafor: Drama unfolds in another Nigerian showbiz saga

  20-12-2025 08:23 via vanguardngr.com
  By Benjamin NjokuThe Nigerian social media sphere is ablaze with a fresh show biz saga. Actress Doris Ogala has taken to the internet to accuse Lagos based Pastor Chris Okafor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry of reneging on a marriage promise.She says the cleric, with whom she began a relationship in 2017, asked her to leave her ex husband with the assurance that they would marry. After nine years, Okafor proposed to another woman, leaving Ogala “shattered.&r
  
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• Davido, Montana, others headline AFCON 2025 kick-off concert tonight

  20-12-2025 08:20 via vanguardngr.com
   By Benjamin NjokuNigeria’s Afrobeats  star, Davido alongside French Montana are set to headline the official kick-off concert of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Rabat, Morocco.The concert, scheduled to take place at the Olm Souissi Fan Zone today, ahead of the tournament opener between host Morocco and Comoros at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.It will also feature performances by Moroccan singer Douaa Lahyaoui, French-Moroccan hitmaker Lartiste, and rising artist Says
  
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• Chelle experiments with new players as Nations Cup begins tomorrow

  20-12-2025 08:20 via vanguardngr.com
  The 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations will kick off tomorrow in Morocco through 18 January 2026, bringing together 24 men’s national teams from across the continent to compete for African football’s biggest prize. The tournament will be played across six Moroccan cities that include Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Fez and Tangier. The champions will be crowned in Rabat on January 18th.
  It is the 35th edition of the competition and the first to be held during the Christmas and New
  
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• PANDEF backs Tinubu’s oil sector shake-up

  20-12-2025 08:17 via vanguardngr.com
  •Urges FG to set up a modular refinery devt fundBy Henry UmoruABUJA—THE Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Apex socio-political body of the South-South geo-political zone has backed President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.The group has expressed confidence that the reforms would be comprehensive and sustained, saying that consistency in policy direction and leadership must be put in place if the oil and gas sector must continue to play its
  
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• Supreme Court throws out INEC’s appeal against SDP, awards N2m cost

  20-12-2025 08:15 via vanguardngr.com
  By Ikechukwu NnochiriThe Supreme Court, on Friday, dismissed as lacking in merit, an appeal the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, filed to query the leadership of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.The Commission, through its team of lawyers, sought to set aside the October 17, judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld an order that compelled it to include SDP candidates in by-elections that were conducted across 12 states of the federation.INEC faulted the appellant
  
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• Police crush ‘Sai Malam’ cult, unmask rape syndicate, issue yuletide security alert in Sokoto

  20-12-2025 08:13 via vanguardngr.com
  By Musa Ubandawaki, SokotoThe Sokoto State Police Command has recorded decisive breakthroughs in its sustained crackdown on crime, with the arrest of the leader of the notorious “Sai Malam” cult group and the exposure of a rape and abduction syndicate that preyed on young girls under false pretences.At a press conference in Sokoto on Friday, the state commissioner of police CP Ahmed Musa said the said the operations form part of intensified efforts to restore peace, protect resident
  
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• Birth of Jesus, reign of Christ and Christmas in Nigeria

  20-12-2025 08:07 via vanguardngr.com
  Fr George AdimikeWith Emperor Constantine’s intervention and the Christian religion’s legitimisation, which gave rise to the free practice of the faith in the then Roman Empire that comprised parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, Christmas has been celebrated across cultures and constituencies. This celebration marks the special in-breaking of God in human history. It celebrates the historical birth of Jesus of Nazareth and the advent of Christ, the ultimate self-disclosure of God, who
  
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• Benue Teacher killed in clash with Civil Guard Commander

  20-12-2025 08:07 via vanguardngr.com
  By Peter Duru, MakurdiA secondary school teacher, Simon Iorkase, has been shot dead in Abaji-Kpav, Tordonga, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, following a confrontation involving the Ward Commander of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard (BSCPG).An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident occurred while the Commander was at his duty post. He was reportedly exchanging pleasantries with a young woman when two men, suspected to be heavily intoxicated, ap
  
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• INEC summons warring PDP factions, urges them to ‘put their house in order’

  20-12-2025 08:06 via vanguardngr.com
  •Turaki, Mohammed blocs restate claims to party leadershipBy Omeiza Ajayi
  The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Friday summoned the two rival factions of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to a troubleshooting meeting at its national headquarters in Abuja, advising them to urgently “put their house in order” ahead of critical off-season elections.The session, which began mid-day, brought face-to-face the Tanimu Turaki-led bloc and the faction backed by Federal Cap
  
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• Grammys to celebrate Fela Kuti at 2026 ceremony

  20-12-2025 07:54 via vanguardngr.com
  Legendary Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, will be posthumously honoured with a Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammy Awards.The Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards ceremony—recognising recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical Grammy Award—will take place on January 31, 2026, during Grammy Week, a day ahead of the main Grammys event.Announcing the honourees in an Instagram post on Friday, the Recording Academy
  
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• Art meets media legacy at ‘Uncle Sam Exhibition’

  20-12-2025 07:50 via vanguardngr.com
  By Prisca Sam-DuruFrom every visual sense, the Uncle Sam Art Exhibition is a unique show that not only flaunts colourful masterpieces from Nigerian artists with impeccable artistic endowment, but, also, a media centric exhibition that stepped away from the traditional norm which forbids artworks to be touched. Having to touch and flip through the 41-year-old artifact of the first printed copy of Vanguard Newspaper, symbolizes a major milestone.It was a great honour to have had media titan,
  
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• Ambassadorial List: Lagos indigenes fault Senate over disregarded petitions

  20-12-2025 07:40 via vanguardngr.com
  By Dapo AkinrefonLagos State indigenes under the aegis of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, have accused the Senate of ignoring its petitions opposing the confirmation of certain ambassadorial nominees.The group, in a statement by its Media Office, said it had written several petitions to President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to protest the nomination of Mr Femi Pedro and Mrs Lola Akande, whom it described as non-indigenes of Lagos State.The Foundation expressed surprise
  
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• Peter Obi and the elephant he must shoot, by Emmanuel Aziken

  20-12-2025 07:36 via vanguardngr.com
  It may appear superfluous to once again warn of the existential threat confronting Nigeria’s continued existence as a multiparty democracy, especially given the manner in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to ride roughshod across the political landscape. Yet what remains disturbingly underappreciated is not the threat itself, but the striking ill-preparedness of the political class—particularly the opposition—to confront the gravity of what is at stake.
  T
  
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• Joshua knocks out Paul to win Netflix boxing bout

  20-12-2025 07:36 via vanguardngr.com
  Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial Netflix-backed bout in Miami on Friday.The fight at the Kaseya Center, which saw both men reportedly splitting a mammoth purse of $184 million, had triggered alarm across boxing due to the gulf in physical size and class between Britain’s two-time former world champion Joshua and Paul, an internet personality who has forged a lucrative career through a handful of novelty box
  
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