General news

• Data privacy: WhatsApp to let users chat without sharing phone numbers

  29-06-2026 20:02 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Juliet UmehMeta’s messaging platform, WhatsApp, has unveiled a new feature that will allow users to initiate conversations without revealing their phone numbers, in a move aimed at enhancing privacy and giving users greater control over their personal information.The platform on Monday, June 29, began rolling out username reservations globally ahead of the feature’s full launch later this year.The development means users who enable the feature will be able to communicate with new
  
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• Pre-election cases: Federal High Court CJ issues new practice directions

  30-06-2026 10:24 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Federal High Court (FHC) has issued pre-election practice directions, 2026, for a fair, impartial and expeditious determination of pre-election cases across the country.The new practice direction was issued by the Chief Judge (CJ), Justice John Tsoho, on Tuesday.This, the CJ said, is in exercise of the powers conferred on him by virtue of Sections 254 and 285 (9), (10) and (14) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended); Sections 29 (5) and 88 (2) of the Electoral Act, 2026; and all other powers
  
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• South Africa police deploy on protesters’ anti-migrant ‘deadline’

  30-06-2026 10:12 via vanguardngr.com
  
  South African police deployed to head off unrest and protests on Tuesday, the unofficial deadline set by citizen-led groups for undocumented foreign nationals to leave that has already pushed thousands to flee.Officers were out in force to prevent violence and looting, while hundreds of foreign nationals took refuge in several cities, urgently seeking help to leave.At least two Mozambicans, an Ethiopian and a Malawian have been killed in anti-immigrant violence over recent weeks and several Afr
  
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• Air dominance, intelligence surveillance aid rescue of Borno students — CAS

  30-06-2026 10:05 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Nigerian Air Force says air superiority and intelligence surveillance of the military aided the rescue of the abducted students of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno.This is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the assailants attacked the school on Monday morning while students were
  
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• Violence against women declines from 9% to 5% in six years— UN Women

  30-06-2026 09:04 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Favour UleborAbuja-The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women, has said the prevalence of sexual violence against women in Nigeria declined from 9 per cent in 2018 to 5 per cent in 2024.UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, disclosed this during the close out of the Ford Foundation-funded traditional and cultural leaders for ending gender-based Violence by Advancing Advocacy, Policy and Social Norms Change in Nigeria
  
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• Refinery fraud probe: EFCC recovers N38.66bn, property

  30-06-2026 09:04 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …Moves to prosecute NNPC officialsBy Innocent AnabaThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has recovered over N38.66 billion in cash and assets as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of funds earmarked for the rehabilitation and turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, with several former and serving officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, and contractors now facing possible criminal prosecution.
  Th
  
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• NELFUND set to crack down on varsities’ unethical practices

  30-06-2026 09:00 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Joseph ErunkeAbuja-The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has condemned what it described as unethical practices by some tertiary institutions accused of withholding tuition refunds from students and arbitrarily increasing school charges, despite benefiting from the federal government’s scheme.The Fund, in a public notice issued by the Director, Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, yesterday, said it had received reports that some institutions were refusing or delaying
  
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• Economy: No govt can ignore employers — Shettima

  30-06-2026 08:57 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Assures FG committed to reducing bottlenecks in doing businessBy Johnbosco AgbakwuruABUJA—THE Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said yesterday the Federal Government must keep engagement with the business sector openly.According to him, any government that ignores employers cannot fully understand the economy.Consequently, he said the federal government remained committed to reducing bottlenecks and digitising government processes, so that reforms announced in Abuja were exper
  
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• Neimeth shareholders okay fresh capital to drive expansion

  30-06-2026 08:53 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Peter EgwuatuShareholders of Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc have approved plans by the company’s Board of Directors to raise additional capital to accelerate its expansion programme and complete its ongoing world-class pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Amawbia, Anambra State.At the company’s 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held virtually, shareholders unanimously approved all the board’s resolutions and called for appropriate timing of the capital
  
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• eTranzact deepens financial inclusion in Ogun

  30-06-2026 08:50 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Elizabeth AdegbesaneTranzact has deepened its large-scale financial inclusion initiative, PocketMoni, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, where the onboarding of over 1,000 agents and the deployment of thousands of PocketMoni terminals across communities are ongoing.The initiative, launched through the company’s PocketMoni Business platform, is designed to expand access to digital financial services in underserved communities while creating income opportuniti
  
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• Agents fault FG’s Green Tax on imported vehicles, demand suspension

  30-06-2026 08:46 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Godwin OritseThe Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has called on the Federal Government (FG) to suspend the implementation of the Green Tax Policy, scheduled to take off from July 1st, 2026,  citing inadequate stakeholder engagement by the implementing agency, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).The association argued that key stakeholders, particularly licensed customs agents and importers, who will be directly affected by the policy were not sufficiently sensi
  
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• Domestic air travel fare rises 20.8% in May

  30-06-2026 08:37 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanDomestic air travel fares rose by 20.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) to N157,552 in May 2026 from N130,361 in May 2025.The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in its latest Transport Fare Watch which showed increases in fares across other transport categories.The NBS stated: “In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for a specified route (single journey) was N157,552.19 in May 2026.“On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 20.86
  
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• Cost of Healthy Diet rises 3% to N1,589/day

  30-06-2026 08:32 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanThe national average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) rose by 3.12 percent month-on-month (MoM) to N1,589 per adult per day in April from N1,541 per adult per day in March 2026.The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this yesterday in its CoHD Report for April 2026, noting that the increase was driven by rising prices across all food groups except starchy staples.it stated: “The national average Cost of a Healthy Diet was N1,589 in April 2026. This shows
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, June 30, 2026

  30-06-2026 07:55 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Nigerian naira began trading at an official exchange rate of ₦1,379.80 per United States dollar at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, according to the latest available market data.The latest figure indicates that the naira remained within the ₦1,370 to ₦1,380 range seen in recent sessions as market participants continued to monitor foreign exchange liquidity and dollar demand. Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed the offici
  
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• Morocco down Netherlands to reach World Cup last 16

  30-06-2026 07:21 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday after a thrilling battle in Monterrey finished 1-1 after extra-time.Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made the crucial save to block the Netherlands’ fifth penalty from Crysencio Summerville before striker Ismael Saibari stepped up to blast home the winning spot-kick that sealed a 3-2 shootout win.The victory sends Morocco into a last 16 clash with Canada in Houston on Saturday.An
  
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• Naira now N1,395/$ in parallel market

  30-06-2026 06:12 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanTHE Naira yesterday depreciated to N1,395 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,386 per dollar last Friday.Similarly, the naira depreciated to N1,385 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 N1,385 per dollar from N1,384 per dollar last weekend,  indicating N1 depreciation for the naira. Consequently, the margin between the paralle
  
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• FEC reforms NYSC, to be headed by civilians

  30-06-2026 06:05 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •Introduces professional training for corps members to boost employabilityBy Johnbosco AgbakwuruABUJA — The Federal Executive Council, FEC, yesterday approved sweeping reforms to the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, announcing that the scheme will now be headed by a civilian instead of a military officer.Briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister
  
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• Xenophobia: Over 15,000 Nigerians stranded as FG evacuates 271 today

  30-06-2026 05:57 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •It’s not true — Foreign Affairs MinistryBy Nkiruka Nnorom, Favour Ulebor and Dickson OmotolaNo fewer than 15,000 Nigerians willing to come back home, Vanguard can authoritatively report,  are still stranded in South Africa on the eve of June 30 deadline issued by anti-immigration groups.The revelation came as the federal government yesterday said it was evacuating 271 more Nigerians as it ramps up repatriation drive ahead of the deadline.A stranded Nigerian told Vang
  
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• FG orders marketers to reduce fuel price

  30-06-2026 05:33 via vanguardngr.com
  
  ***Dangote Refinery determines price changes — Marketers***NLC blames govt for fuel price standoffBy Udeme Akpan, Energy Editor, Victor Young, Ediri Ejoh & Obas EsiedesaLAGOS — The Federal Government has directed the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, to ensure petroleum marketers do not exploit Nigerians through excessive pricing under the deregulated downstream petroleum market.Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Hein
  
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• Where failure is free, nations pay, by Dakuku Peterside

  30-06-2026 04:57 via vanguardngr.com
  
  There is a powerful lesson in the political fate of Keir Starmer, but it is not merely a British lesson. It is not about Westminster drama or parliamentary theatre. It is about a deeper democratic principle: leadership improves only when failure has consequences.That is the discipline of public office. Power must never be separated from responsibility; authority must never be insulated from scrutiny. Where consequences are credible, leaders think harder, prepare better, and act with urgenc
  
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• How one resident’s voice rescued road project in Delta community

  30-06-2026 04:40 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Egufe YafugborhiFor 72 hours, progress froze on Imoniyamen Street. What was meant to be a celebratory kickoff for a long-awaited Delta State government road contract in Iwhrekpokpor, an Ughelli North suburb, turned into a standoff between community leadership and the project contractor.At the centre of it is the appointment of a Community Liaison Officer, CLO. The dispute stalled equipment, drove up costs, and exposed what residents now describe as a gap in state contract oversight. It
  
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• The NDC case and the dangerous precedent for democracy, by Ejiro Ofoye

  30-06-2026 04:12 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The decision of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja to set aside its earlier judgment directing the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised far-reaching legal and political questions that go beyond the fate of a single political party. At the heart of the controversy lies a fundamental question of law: can a judge, having delivered a final judgment, subsequently turn around and set aside that same judgment?For centuries, the answer has been largely settled by
  
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• Bayelsa community screams for help as medical facility collapses

  30-06-2026 04:10 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •Come to our rescue before more lives are lost — Chiefs beg govt, NDDC By Emem IdioOkoroba Cottage Hospital, a once thriving healthcare sanctuary, has been reduced to a haunting symbol of governmental neglect and the natives are crying out for help before it’s too late.The Okoroba Council of Chiefs last week sounded a desperate alarm over the crumbling state of the community’s only cottage hospital, describing the facility as a “ghost hospital” that now r
  
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• Boycott the boycottables (4), by Eric Teniola

  30-06-2026 03:56 via vanguardngr.com
  
  This week, we continue the narrative on boycott of elections in NigeriaSir Abubakar immediately confirmed that he would form “a broadly based government” representing all shades of opinion. He said completion of outstanding elections in the Eastern and Mid-Western Regions, as well as in Lagos, arrangements would be made to bring in new ministers and to make a general reassignment of all ministries.On January 13, 1965, the ministers in Sir Abubakar’s new government we
  
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• Jos lynch mob must be hunted down

  30-06-2026 03:53 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The lynching and burning of Malama Ummulkhairi in Maraban Jos, Kaduna State, is a stain on our national conscience. Taken into police protective custody recently after an unverified allegation that she intended to steal children, the mother of four was nevertheless seized by a mob and killed. That a citizen could be removed from state protection and burned alive before any inquiry or trial exposes a chilling collapse of authority and decency.
  Mob justice is not spontaneous righteousness. It is
  
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• Benue, Cross River: Good neighbours in conflicts that refuse to die 

  30-06-2026 03:44 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Emma UnaOBANLIKWU — They share borders stretching for tens of kilometres across several local government areas. Their people speak similar dialects, farm the same crops, inter-marry freely and drink from the same rivers. Yet, Benue and Cross River states, two ‘sister’ states bound by geography, culture and blood, find themselves locked in a cycle of perennial conflicts that refuses to die.From Obanlikwu in northern Cross River, where the state shares a boundary with Kw
  
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• DARKNESS IN THE LAND OF LIGHT: Isoko nation groans under 15-year blackout

  30-06-2026 03:22 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •Students read by candlelight, businesses collapseBy Ochuko AkuophaASABA — For over 15 years, the people of Isoko nation, an ethnic nationality blessed with over 100 oil wells and eight flow stations, have been living in what they describe as “total darkness,” even as the rest of Delta State moves forward.The situation has become so dire that students now read by candlelight in the 21st Century, businesses are folding up daily, and investors are shunning the land tha
  
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• AI will drive Africa’s sustainable development, Conference declares

  30-06-2026 02:56 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been identified as a critical catalyst for accelerating innovation, strengthening governance, improving institutional resilience and advancing sustainable development across Africa and the Global South, as experts at an international conference called for urgent investments in digital infrastructure, ethical governance and human capital development to enable the continent fully harness emerging technologies.
  The position formed the central outcome of the Interna
  
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• Igbo leaders reject concession of Enugu International Airport

  30-06-2026 02:53 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …Say FG funding withdrawal will undermine airport standardsBy Anayo OkoliENUGU — The Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), a group of prominent Igbo intellectuals, traditional rulers and stakeholders, has rejected the Federal Government’s concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, to a private company.The group described the decision by the administration of President Bola Tinubu as “another grave act of injustice against Ndigbo” and a further dem
  
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• CBN’s HoldCo rules: What bank investors should watch

  30-06-2026 02:14 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By AYODEJI EBO The Central Bank of Nigeria recently released an exposure draft on the proposed new rules for Financial Holding Companies, commonly called HoldCos. This may sound technical, but it is important because many major banking groups in Nigeria now operate through HoldCo structures. A HoldCo is like a parent company that owns different businesses within a single group. For example, a group can own a bank, a pension business, an asset management company, a payment business, an
  
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