General news

• Musk defends AI data centers, slams EU rules at G20

  01-09-2026 17:25 via vanguardngr.com
  Elon Musk on Tuesday urged the G20 to tread softly on regulating tech and AI, saying European-style rules inhibit innovation.Musk also made a defense of building data centers to meet the needs of the AI revolution, amid a growing backlash against their construction in the United States ahead of midterm elections later this year.The Tesla and SpaceX chief was participating virtually in a tech-focused G20 meeting in North Carolina amid a global debate on how governments should address the dangers
  
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• Nigeria denies backing failed Niger coup

  04-09-2026 08:26 via vanguardngr.com
  By Favour UleborABUJA — The Federal Government has dismissed claims circulating on social media that Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) backed the recent failed coup attempt in Niger Republic.Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, described the claims as baseless, irresponsible and a deliberate attempt to misinform the public and tarnish Nigeria’s image.In a statement on Thursday, Enikanolaiye said Nigeria had never supported and wo
  
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• Consumers pay N1.2trn for electricity in six months — NERC

  04-09-2026 08:21 via vanguardngr.com
  By Obas Esiedesa, AbujaElectricity consumers across Nigeria paid about N1.2 trillion for power consumed in the first six months of 2026, according to data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).The figure represents revenues collected by the 11 electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos), based on NERC’s monthly commercial performance reports between January and June 2026.The reports showed that the DisCos collected N204.75 billion in January, N196.68 billion in
  
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• Morning recap: FG counters opposition on Tinubu’s 2027 chances, 37 die from toxic fumes in Rivers, other top stories

  04-09-2026 08:17 via punchng.com
  
  Stay updated with Nigeria news recap: FG counters opposition on Tinubu’s 2027 chances, 37 die from toxic fumes in Rivers, and NECO exam scandal.Read More: https://punchng.com/morning-recap-fg-counters-opposition-on-tinubus-2027-chances-37-die-from-toxic-fumes-in-rivers-other-top-stories/
  
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• Nine killed in Oyo kidnap victims’ rescue operation — DSS DG

  04-09-2026 08:17 via vanguardngr.com
  IBADAN — Nine people, comprising four civilians and five security personnel, were killed during an operation to rescue victims abducted by suspected members of an international terrorist organisation in Oyo State, Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, has disclosed.Ajayi made the disclosure in an interview published by Premium Times, explaining that security operatives launched an immediate pursuit of the kidnappers after receiving credible intelligence about
  
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• NECO questions papers sold for N3,000 before exams — Education Minister

  04-09-2026 08:14 via vanguardngr.com
  ABUJA — Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has revealed that National Examinations Council (NECO) examination questions were allegedly sold for as little as N3,000 before candidates sat for the papers.Alausa made the disclosure on Thursday at a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other stakeholders in the education sector, where he described the level of examination malpractice in Nigeria as “mind-boggling.”The minister warned paren
  
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• ‘My N500,000 electricity bill now N4m, Atiku’ll restore subsidy’ — Amaechi

  04-09-2026 08:07 via vanguardngr.com
  PORT HARCOURT — Former Rivers State governor and Vice-Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has said the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will restore electricity subsidy if elected president in 2027.Amaechi made the declaration on Thursday during ward visits across Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he delivered Atiku’s campaign message to residents.He criticised the electricity tariff regime introduced
  
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• How military rescued abducted victims without killing terrorists — Defence minister

  04-09-2026 08:01 via punchng.com
  
  Defence Minister explains military rescue strategy for abducted victims, detailing how troops secure release without bloodshed or paying ransom.Read More: https://punchng.com/how-military-rescued-abducted-victims-without-killing-terrorists-defence-minister/
  
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• CDCFIB recruitment: Board clarifies dress code for oral interview

  04-09-2026 08:01 via punchng.com
  
  The CDCFIB has clarified the dress code for candidates attending the oral interview for the 2024/2025 recruitment. Adhere strictly to guidelines.Read More: https://punchng.com/cdcfib-recruitment-board-clarifies-dress-code-for-oral-interview/
  
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• He did terrible things in Kaduna — Musa accuses El-Rufai of dividing Kaduna

  04-09-2026 07:59 via vanguardngr.com
  ABUJA — Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of taking actions that allegedly deepened divisions in the state during his tenure.Musa made the allegations on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television, claiming that El-Rufai’s administration created a situation in which residents from southern Kaduna could not freely live in the northern part of the state and vice versa.“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, September 4, 2026

  04-09-2026 07:54 via vanguardngr.com
  The naira is trading against the dollar at different levels across Nigeria’s official and parallel foreign exchange markets, with the latest available figures showing a gap between the two.The latest available figures put the official rate at about N1,323.21 per dollar, while the parallel market is quoting around N1,400 to buy and N1,410 to sell. The official figure is a live exchange-rate reading, while the parallel-market figures are the latest available dealer quotes.Official market ra
  
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• Bolt, inDrive target Uber’s market share after Exit

  04-09-2026 07:52 via vanguardngr.com
  ABUJA — Ride-hailing rivals Bolt and inDrive are moving to strengthen their presence in Nigeria following Uber’s abrupt exit from the country after about 12 years of operations.Uber announced its departure from the Nigerian market on September 2, citing “evolving business priorities and investment focus across the continent”.The exit has opened a fresh opportunity for competing platforms to expand their customer and driver bases in one of Africa’s largest ride-hail
  
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• UN approves new learning institute, Nigeria backs merger of UNITAR, UNSSC

  04-09-2026 07:45 via punchng.com
  
  The UN General Assembly has approved a new learning institute, merging UNITAR and UNSSC. Nigeria supports this move to strengthen UN capabilities.Read More: https://punchng.com/un-approves-new-learning-institute-nigeria-backs-merger-of-unitar-unssc/
  
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• Fibroid without the knife: How sound waves are giving women a new treatment option

  04-09-2026 06:38 via vanguardngr.com
  By Sola OgundipeFOR generations, the word “fibroid” has carried a familiar fear for Nigerian women: heavy bleeding, severe pain, a swollen abdomen, infertility and, often, the prospect of surgery and a long recovery. For many women, it starts quietly.
  Periods become heavier, the pain worsens and the abdomen gradually becomes distended. Eventually comes the hospital visit, the scan and, for some, the word they have dreaded all along: surgery.Treatment has traditionally meant procedur
  
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• Tinubu not on trial in US —Presidency 

  04-09-2026 06:20 via vanguardngr.com
  By Johnbosco AgbakwuruABUJA— THE Presidency has clarified that the ongoing Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, litigation involving President Bola Tinubu before a United States federal court is a civil records-disclosure dispute and not a criminal case against the President.It said: “For clarity, the matter is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the United States Freedom of Information Act. It is not a criminal case against President Tinubu, nor has the court found him guilty of
  
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• 2027: Nobody’ll intimidate us again, Obi assures supporters

  04-09-2026 06:16 via vanguardngr.com
  By Davies Iheamnachor PORT HARCOURT: The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, has assured his supporters and party faithful that nobody would intimidate them or subvert their will at the polling booths during the 2027 general elections.Obi also vowed that anyone who attempts to make votes not to count in the elections, would himself be counted.This came as his Vice presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, warned political parties against relying on
  
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• Naira rises, now N1,405/$ in parallel market

  04-09-2026 06:15 via vanguardngr.com
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanThe Naira yesterday appreciated to N1,405 per dollar from N1,410 in the parallel market on Wednesday. Likewise, the naira appreciated to N1,322.5 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 naira fell to N1,322.5 per dollar from N1,324.5 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating N2 appreciation for the naira.Consequently, the margin between the parallel and official markets
  
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• GDP growth data masking deep industrial, security crises — MAN 

  04-09-2026 06:13 via vanguardngr.com
  ***Services dominate at 56.62% as industry plunges to 3.96% ***Nigerians’ well-being, measures economy, not GDP—Daniel By Yinka KolawoleNigeria’s 4.43 percent economic growth in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2’26) is masking a deepening industrial crisis, with manufacturing and the broader industrial sector losing ground as services increasingly dominate economic activity, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, has warned.This came as the senator represe
  
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• Money-driven politics threatens Nigeria’s democracy, says Balarabe-Musa

  04-09-2026 05:36 via punchng.com
  
  Ibrahim Balarabe-Musa warns that money-driven politics is destroying Nigeria’s democracy, making elective office inaccessible to competent citizens. LearnRead More: https://punchng.com/money-driven-politics-threatens-nigerias-democracy-says-balarabe-musa/
  
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• Condolences to a class act, by Donu Kogbara

  04-09-2026 04:48 via vanguardngr.com
  Many years ago, I used to go to the Mayr Clinic, a spa that overlooks a beautiful lake in Carinthia, a mountainous part of Austria. It’s a perfect place in which to rest, eat sparingly, focus on your health, go for long walks, inhale fresh Alpine air and be pampered.The Mayr is a modest establishment and attracts people who want comfort, discretion and serenity rather than flashiness and attention. One such person was Queen Sonja of Norway. I was very impressed by her. I bumped into her a
  
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• Queen Sarraounia: Hausa guerrilla warrior who took on barbaric France, by Owei Lakemfa

  04-09-2026 04:30 via vanguardngr.com
  Niger Republic was rocked by an attempted coup from August 29 to 30, 2026. The plotters invaded the Diori Hamani International Airport, where Air Base 101 is stationed. They also stormed the state broadcaster and the presidential palace.They were defeated, and the populace took to the streets in protest against the attempt to return France to its position of dominance in the country. France had, in 1898, invaded, destroyed and colonised territories that now constitute Niger Republic. It virtual
  
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• Building permit in Lagos: Approval must end in inspection

  04-09-2026 04:10 via vanguardngr.com
  FOR much of this week, and as we inch closer to the next general elections, issues about and appertaining to the economy and well-being of Nigerians dominate discourse everywhere — in the traditional media, the social media, at beer parlours, and inside buses as commuters move from one point to another. Government and its spokesmen have never missed an opportunity to remind all of us that is doing well. At every turn, we are reminded that the GDP grew by 4.43 percent year-on-year in the s
  
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• Has Atiku cornered Tinubu on petrol subsidy? By Azu Ishiekwene

  04-09-2026 04:02 via vanguardngr.com
  A few months before the 2023 general elections, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, warned voters to reject any politician who promised an easy road. “Anybody who tells you that it is going to be easy,” he said in Kaduna in October 2022, “please, don’t vote for him. It’s either that he’s lying to you, or he does not know what job he’s going to get.” The problem is that the most remarkable things politicians do at election time are not to say what
  
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• Summit targets solutions for $54bn construction market

  04-09-2026 03:58 via punchng.com
  
  Explore solutions for Nigeria’s $54bn construction market at Big 5 Construct Nigeria. Discover new products, technologies, and expertise for industry growtRead More: https://punchng.com/summit-targets-solutions-for-54bn-construction-market/
  
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• Experts commit to local skills, invest in homegrown solutions

  04-09-2026 03:58 via punchng.com
  
  Experts urge African governments to embrace African indigenous knowledge and local skills for sustainable development, moving away from reliance on importeRead More: https://punchng.com/experts-commit-to-local-skills-invest-in-homegrown-solutions/
  
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• Police brutality: He-of-the-springy-steps

  04-09-2026 03:49 via vanguardngr.com
  By CHETA NWANZETwo events I came across yesterday captured the state of Nigeria’s police-public relations with unsettling clarity. In Port Harcourt, angry youths blocked Agip Road to protest the killing of Anthony Obodo, a 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate murdered by a police officer. The youths’ anger is not hard to understand. The Rivers State police commissioner, who warned that the protest could be “hijacked by hoodlums,” completely missed the point.
  
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• UNICEF urges improved staffing, maintenance of Katsina PHCs

  04-09-2026 03:41 via punchng.com
  
  UNICEF hands over renovated PHC in Katsina, urging the state government to improve staffing, provide essential equipment, and ensure maintenance for qualitRead More: https://punchng.com/unicef-urges-improved-staffing-maintenance-of-katsina-phcs/
  
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• UNICEF, stakeholders urge media to track govt budget on children

  04-09-2026 03:41 via punchng.com
  
  UNICEF and stakeholders call on Nigerian media to scrutinize government budgets and spending on children to ensure improved education, healthcare, and nutrRead More: https://punchng.com/unicef-stakeholders-urge-media-to-track-govt-budget-on-children/
  
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• Stakeholders seek investment boost for Africa’s gold, gemstones

  04-09-2026 03:41 via punchng.com
  
  Stakeholders call for increased investment, skills development, and women’s participation in Africa’s gold and gemstone industry. Learn about GGCE 2026.Read More: https://punchng.com/stakeholders-seek-investment-boost-for-africas-gold-gemstones/
  
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• SPIN urges firms to make sustainability core strategy

  04-09-2026 03:41 via punchng.com
  
  Learn how Nigerian companies can integrate sustainability into core business strategy, moving beyond compliance to drive long-term value and resilience. InRead More: https://punchng.com/spin-urges-firms-to-make-sustainability-core-strategy/
  
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