General news

• Meta Parties Exit: We’re working with them to resolve issues – NDPC Commissioner

  05-05-2025 16:28 via vanguardngr.com
  By Emmanuel ElebekeABUJA – The National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has assured Nigerians that it is working closely with Meta and WhatsApp to resolve the issues that led to their threatened exit from the country.Speaking on Monday at a one-day workshop for Data Protection Officers organized by the NDPC in collaboration with Mastercard in Abuja, NDPC Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, emphasized a collaborative approach toward finding a mutually beneficial solution.“Our appro
  
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• FBI charges Nigerian, others over $41m insider trading, market manipulation

  22-12-2025 12:47 via vanguardngr.com
  A Nigerian is among five suspects charged by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, over “insider trading and market manipulation on a massive scale” put at $41 million.Read Also: FG declares Dec 25, 26, Jan 1 public holidaysThe suspects are Izunna Okonkwo, a Nigerian; Muhammad Saad Shoukat, Muhammad Arham Shoukat, Muhammad Shahwaiz Shoukat, and Daniyal Khan, all Pakistanis.Another suspect, Gyunho Justin Kim, is being tried over another complaint.Vanguard News
  The p
  
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• Former PDP national youth leader MaiBasira resigns from party

  22-12-2025 12:39 via vanguardngr.com
  Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Hussaini MaiBasira, a former National Youth Leader and National Financial Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has formally resigned his membership of the party with immediate effect.In a resignation letter dated December 22, 2025, addressed to the PDP Ward Chairman of Tudun Wada South Ward, Chanchaga Local Government Area, Minna, MaiBasira expressed gratitude to the party for the opportunities he received while serving in various national and auxiliary capacities
  
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• Man City players face Christmas weigh-in as Guardiola issues ‘fatty’ warning

  22-12-2025 12:16 via vanguardngr.com
  Manchester City’s players face a Christmas Day weigh-in to check they have not over-indulged over the festive period — with Pep Guardiola warning they will be dropped if they have piled on the pounds.City enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Premier League strugglers West Ham on Saturday to keep the pressure on leaders Arsenal.But Guardiola, who has won six league titles during his spell at the Etihad, is famously demanding, revealing his men had been weighed before their short break.&
  
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• More Abducted Nigerian Children Released, Government Says

  22-12-2025 12:09 via nytimes.com
  A spokesman for the Nigerian government said that the “remaining” students from a Catholic school had been freed, but the Diocese said only that a “second batch” had been released.
  
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• Iran says missile programme defensive, non-negotiable

  22-12-2025 12:00 via vanguardngr.com
  Iran insisted on Monday that its missile programme was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attack, while adding the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate.Israel had presented Iran’s ballistic missiles, along with its nuclear programme, as the two main threats it sought to neutralise during the 12-day war the foes fought in June.“Iran’s missile programme was developed to defend Iran’s territory, not for negotiation,” foreign ministry spokesman
  
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• Court grants FG’s plea to reopen terrorism case against suspects linked to Bello Turji

  22-12-2025 11:45 via vanguardngr.com
  The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an application filed by the Federal Government to reopen a terrorism charge filed against five suspects linked to the notorious terrorist kingpin, Bello Turji.Justice Emeka Nwite granted the application in a ruling on the motion on notice filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) seeking an order re-listing the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/633/2024, in the cause list of the court.Justice Nwite held that the motion, moved by the AGF’s la
  
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• Liverpool fear Isak has broken leg – Reports

  22-12-2025 11:28 via vanguardngr.com
  Liverpool are awaiting scan results they fear will confirm record signing Alexander Isak has suffered a broken leg after he was injured in their win against Tottenham, reports said Monday.The Sweden forward was hurt in the act of scoring the opening goal in Saturday’s 2-1 victory in London after a sliding challenge from Spurs defender Micky van der Ven.Isak, 26, who had come on as a second-half substitute, was unable to celebrate with his teammates and left the pitch in considerable distr
  
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• Troops arrest bandit leader in Benue

  22-12-2025 10:55 via vanguardngr.com
  Troops of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wukari, under the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have arrested a bandit leader in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.A statement on Monday by Lt. Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations of the Brigade, described the arrest as a major operational breakthrough for the army.According to him, the arrest of the notorious bandit leader responsible for multiple kidnapping and armed robbery incidents
  
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• Residents flee Kwara community after fresh abduction attempt as king remains in captivity

  22-12-2025 10:50 via vanguardngr.com
  By Demola Akinyemi, IlorinResidents of Bayagan Ile in the Ifelodun local government area of Kwara State are now fleeing the community in droves, following a fresh attempt by bandits to abduct residents Sunday morning.Vanguard reliably gathered that the community has been left in fear and confusion following the sudden abduction of the monarch, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, the Ojibara of Bayagan, on November 29, 2025, while working on his farm on that fateful Saturday morning.It was further gathered th
  
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• Nigerian newspapers review: Why Presidency raised 2026 budget to N58trn

  22-12-2025 10:16 via vanguardngr.com
  In today’s Nigerian newspapers review programme, Today in the News, Vanguard leads with the Presidency increasing the 2026 budget from N54.46 trillion in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to N58.18 trillion to fund large-scale recruitment into the military, police and other security agencies.Another story focuses on the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on June 12, 2023, highlighting the slim numerical gap between the ruling All Progressives Congress and opposition parties in
  
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• Photos: Forum congratulates Seyi Tinubu on coronation as Okanlomo of Yorubaland

  22-12-2025 09:57 via vanguardngr.com
  The Non-Indigenes in Lagos Consultative Forum has congratulated Mr. Seyi Tinubu on his coronation as the Okanlomo of Yorubaland, describing the title as one of deep ancestral significance, cultural honour, and moral responsibility within the Yoruba traditional institution.In a congratulatory message signed by its Coordinator, Hon. Steve S. Oswald, the forum noted that the revered title represents a solemn call to service to humanity, culture, and the people whose heritage it embodies. The group
  
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• Rescue of Niger students reaffirmation of Nigeria’s resolve to protect its people – FG

  22-12-2025 09:37 via vanguardngr.com
  The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, says the rescue of the remaining 130 children and staff from St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, is a reaffirmation “of our nation’s resolve to protect its people.”This is contained in a statement issued by Idris in Abuja on Sunday.He said, “As it is, the Federal Government can confirm that all the abducted pupils of the Catholic School, Papiri, numbering 230, have been freed.
  
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• AI resurrections of dead celebrities amuse and rankle

  22-12-2025 09:06 via vanguardngr.com
  In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding.Hyper-realistic AI videos of dead celebrities — created with apps such as OpenAI’s easy-to-use Sora — have rapidly spread online, prompting debate over the control of deceased people’s likenesses.OpenAI’s app, launched in September and widely dubbed as a deepfake machine, has unleashed a flood of v
  
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• Visa restrictions‘ll address US-Nigeria mutual security concerns – Envoy

  22-12-2025 08:15 via vanguardngr.com
  The United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, says the recent visa restrictions announced by the U.S. government are designed to strengthen security procedures and are not actions targeted at Nigerians.Mills gave the clarification at a news conference on Sunday in Abuja during the visit of a U.S. Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to Nigeria.He said the presidential proclamation, which would take effect from Jan. 1, 2026, affecting certain visa categories, was part of broader mea
  
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• ‘Dens of bandits’: Rwanda closes thousands of churches

  22-12-2025 08:06 via vanguardngr.com
  Grace Room Ministries once filled giant stadiums in Rwanda three times a week before the evangelical organisation was shut down in May.Read Also: A night out in Lagos ‘Detty December’It is one of the 10,000 churches reportedly closed by the government for failing to comply with a 2018 law designed to regulate places of worship.The law introduced new rules on health, safety, and financial disclosures, and requires all preachers to have theological training.President Paul Kagame has b
  
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• A night out in Lagos ‘Detty December’

  22-12-2025 07:52 via vanguardngr.com
  The first winds of west Africa’s Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent’s most populous country, is abuzz.Read Also: Hardship dampens Christmas for Onitsha’s poor It’s “Detty December”, when the city turns into a site of pilgrimage for Nigerians and those in the diaspora to make their way home for the holidays – and party.The frenetic mega-city, churning with some 20 million people on a normal day, swe
  
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• NCC slams telcos over poor telecom services

  22-12-2025 07:21 via vanguardngr.com
  By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech EditorThe Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has read the riot acts to telecom operators in the country to step up their services or incur the wrath of the regulator.Read Also: Hardship dampens Christmas for Onitsha’s poor The commission’s riot act may not be unconnected with the persistent complaints from subscribers that the operators have been giving them epileptic telecom services since the yuletide.However, to prove the seriousness of its t
  
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• Cartoon: ‘Mr President, leave the tail, grab horns’

  22-12-2025 07:13 via vanguardngr.com
  Read Also: Why Presidency raised 2026 budget to N58trnVanguard News
  The post Cartoon: ‘Mr President, leave the tail, grab horns’ appeared first on Vanguard News.
  
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• Hardship dampens Christmas for Onitsha’s poor 

  22-12-2025 07:06 via vanguardngr.com
  By Nwabueze OkonkwoThis year’s Christmas appears bleak in many parts of Anambra State, particularly in the commercial city of Onitsha, as many of the downtrodden rely heavily on donations of cash and food items from philanthropists, kind-hearted individuals and groups to make the season bearable.Read Also:‘Why Dangote Cement is cheaper outside Nigeria’Findings show that destitute persons, including the physically challenged and the poor, have been actively sharing informa
  
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• Canadian Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, December 22, 2025

  22-12-2025 06:52 via vanguardngr.com
  ​The Nigerian foreign exchange market opened the week with the Canadian Dollar (CAD) maintaining a steady position against the Nigerian Naira (NGN).As of today, December 22, 2025, market data reflects a continued gap between the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) rates and the unofficial parallel (black) market.
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  Official NFEM Rates
  ​In the official window, managed through the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the Canadian Dollar is trading at an average
  
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• Yuletide: Consumers salute Tinubu, Dangote Group for affordable fuel prices nationwide

  22-12-2025 06:46 via vanguardngr.com
  As Nigerians prepare for the festive season, the Forum of Consumers for National Growth (FCNG) has commended President Bola Tinubu and the Dangote Group for their efforts in reducing petrol prices nationwide, describing the developments as clear evidence that economic reforms are yielding tangible benefits at the grassroots level.In a statement signed by Dr Adekunle Olorunfemi, National Coordinator, and Rev. Moses Alkali, Public Relations Officer, the forum highlighted the recent reduction in p
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, December 22, 2025

  22-12-2025 06:45 via vanguardngr.com
  ​The Nigerian Naira maintained a narrow trading range against the United States Dollar on Monday, December 22, 2025, as activity in the foreign exchange market reflected the usual year-end liquidity patterns.Data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and informal channels show that the local currency continues to battle persistent inflationary pressures despite recent interventions.​Official Market Performance (NFEM)
  ​At the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, which s
  
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• Some ladies now use detergents for hair maintenance

  22-12-2025 06:42 via vanguardngr.com
  *As prices of shampoo, washing, setting soarBy Elizabeth AdegbesanThe adage, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, has come to play in the lives of many Nigerians who have created one innovation or the other to save or change a lifestyle.The old tradition of visiting the salon, washing, drying and styling of hair is fading gradually as the cost of living keeps skyrocketing and purchasing power reducing.Economy&Lifestyle has discovered that apart from cutting hair, maintaining
  
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• Ban on wood export’ll boost local furniture manufacturing — MAN

  22-12-2025 05:52 via vanguardngr.com
  The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)  has described the federal government’s decision to impose an immediate nationwide ban on the export of wood and allied products as a timely and strategic boost for Nigeria’s furniture manufacturing sector.Chairperson of the Wood & Wood Products/Furniture Sectoral Group of MAN, Mrs. Ngozi Oyewole, said the move signals the government’s strong commitment to sustainable industrial growth, local value addition, and envi
  
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• ‘Why Dangote Cement is cheaper outside Nigeria’

  22-12-2025 05:38 via vanguardngr.com
  President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has blamed high taxes and regulatory burdens in Nigeria as the reasons why cement produced by his company is more expensive in the country than outside.Explaining the price differential between exported cement, he said exporting permits his company to avoid a variety of taxes that would dramatically increase production expenses at home.“When you look at my invoice, the cement I export is cheaper than the one I’m selling domestically, b
  
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• Companies to retain tax holidays for 2yrs under new law

  22-12-2025 05:25 via vanguardngr.com
  •As tax credits replace tax exemptionsBy Yinka KolawoleAs Nigeria transitions to a new tax regime with effect from January 2026, the 149 companies currently enjoying pioneer status incentives (PSI) have been assured of retaining their tax holidays for at least two more years.Chairman of the presidential tax reform committee, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this at a media parley organised by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC.PSI is a tax incentive provided by the federal gov
  
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• NDIC, NIBSS partner to speed up depositors’ reimbursement

  22-12-2025 05:12 via vanguardngr.com
  By Babajide KomolafeThe Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc. are set to formalise a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at ensuring faster and more efficient reimbursement of depositors in the event of bank failures.The development was disclosed by NDIC Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Thompson Oludare Sunday, during a courtesy visit to the Corporation’s Abuja headquarters by the NIBSS Executive Man
  
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• Stock market adds N1.67trn as bullish momentum persists

  22-12-2025 05:08 via vanguardngr.com
  By Peter Egwuatu Nigerian equities extended their bullish run last week as investors added about N1.67 trillion in value to their portfolios, with the stock market closing higher on a week-on-week basis despite the Yuletide slowdown in trading activities, reflecting sustained confidence in fundamentally strong stocks.Market data showed that investors gained over N1.672 trillion during the week, with total market capitalisation rising to N96.946 trillion from N95.264 trillion recorded
  
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• Forgotten Nigerian Airways pensioners storm PTAD, seek help

  22-12-2025 03:22 via vanguardngr.com
  By Victor Ahiuma-YoungRetirees of the defunct Nigerian Airways have turned to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate,  PTAD, for support as they continue to struggle with long-delayed pension payments.The apparently abandoned pensioners stormed PTAD’s office in Abuja, demanding dignity and pay.The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs Tolulope Odunaiya, met with representatives of the Association of Airways Retired Workers of Nigeria, AARWN, to discuss longstanding pen
  
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