General news

• ‎Nigeria’s democratic progress slow with uneven development – NBA chairman

  12-06-2026 15:22 via vanguardngr.com
  Paul Azuka, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Asaba Branch, has described Nigeria’s democratic journey as slow and largely stagnant.‎Azuka stated this in an interview withNewsmenwhile reacting to Nigeria’s 27 years of unbroken democratic rule and June 12 Democracy Day commemoration in Asaba on Friday.‎He said though Nigeria has recorded progress in some areas, the pace of development remained slow and uneven.‎According to him, certain sectors have moved forward,
  
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• ‘Things will go well’ – Ronaldo on Portugal chances at World Cup

  12-06-2026 16:58 via vanguardngr.com
  Cristiano Ronaldo said on Friday that he was feeling “very positive” before flying out of Lisbon with the Portuguese team to their World Cup base camp in Palm Beach, Florida.“We’re approaching this competition with a lot of hope,” said the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.“The preparation has been very good, tiring, because we have worked hard,” continued the veteran Portugal captain who insisted he was “physically good”.“I am very p
  
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• Alexx Ekubo: ‘Stop dragging my P.A’ – BamBam speaks on alleged phone theft

  12-06-2026 16:55 via vanguardngr.com
  By Adegboyega AdeleyeNollywood actress and former Big Brother Naija star BamBam has addressed claims that her personal assistant stole her phone during the service of songs held in honour of the late actor Alexx Ekubo, clarifying that the device was stolen after the event and not by anyone in her team.The actress spoke out after videos circulated on social media showing a woman removing a phone from her bag during the memorial ceremony, prompting speculation and accusations against her assistan
  
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• Elon Musk becomes the world’s first trillionaire

  12-06-2026 16:25 via vanguardngr.com
  Elon Musk has become the first person in history to surpass the $1 trillion net worth mark, at least on paper, after SpaceX priced its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) at $135 per share.Prior to the IPO, Musk’s fortune was estimated at $813 billion, already making him the world’s wealthiest individual by a considerable margin. According to Forbes, his wealth was more than double that of the second-richest person, Google co-founder Larry Page, whose net worth stands a
  
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• Plateau will never negotiate with terrorists — Gov Mutfwang

  12-06-2026 16:18 via vanguardngr.com
  By Golok NanmwaGovernor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has declared that his administration will not negotiate with terrorists or criminal elements, insisting that the government will sustain ongoing security operations to restore lasting peace across the state.Mutfwang made the declaration on Friday in Jos while speaking during a Democracy Day Town Hall Meeting, where he also highlighted key interventions of his administration in agriculture, water infrastructure, security and social services
  
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• World Cup: Bellingham urges England unity after Tuchel warning over starting place

  12-06-2026 15:50 via vanguardngr.com
  By Adegboyega AdeleyeEngland midfielder Jude Bellingham has called for unity and togetherness within the Three Lions squad as they begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, days after manager Thomas Tuchel warned that no player is guaranteed a starting place.Bellingham, one of England’s biggest stars heading into the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, said every member of the squad must feel valued if the team is to end its long wait for World Cup glory.England open their
  
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• Iran insists on nuclear enrichment under any deal with US

  12-06-2026 15:41 via vanguardngr.com
  Iran insisted on Friday on its right to enrich uranium and maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz under any deal with the United States, after President Donald Trump said a draft accord was ready.US ally Israel has said that Trump had promised it that any agreement would see Iran stripped of its enriched nuclear material, but Tehran’s official IRNA news agency said this was not even on the table.Iran and the United States have engaged in weeks of indirect negotiations seeking to bring
  
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• Insecurity and fifth columnists: Highly placed individuals fund kidnap for survival, politics – Rear Admiral Olisemelogor

  12-06-2026 15:37 via vanguardngr.com
  By Evelyn UsmanEvery year, June 12 serves as a reminder of Nigeria’s democratic journey, a symbol of the people’s struggle for freedom, justice, accountability and representative governance. It is a day that celebrates the triumph of the popular will and the resilience of democratic ideals.Yet, as Nigerians commemorate another Democracy Day, the significance of the occasion is being overshadowed by a troubling reality: the persistence of insecurity across several parts of the countr
  
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• 2026 World Cup: Lamentation galore as Nigeria misses out again

  12-06-2026 15:36 via vanguardngr.com
  By Jacob AjomThe football world stood still as the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off in Mexico, Canada and USA, yesterday. Forty eight nations are participating in the quadrennial global showpiece.
  Out of that number, ten nations are representing Africa. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not among them. It is the second consecutive edition that Africa’s most populous nation has failed to qualify for the World Cup. A general sense of frustration pervades the land. The fans are despondent and stakehol
  
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• Unchecked power greatest threat to democracy – Saraki

  12-06-2026 15:25 via vanguardngr.com
  By Enitan AbdultawabFormer Senate President Bukola Saraki has warned that unchecked power remains the greatest threat to democracy, stressing that Nigeria’s democratic system was deliberately designed to ensure that no arm of government operates without scrutiny.Saraki, who spoke at The Platform in Lagos on Friday in commemoration of the Democracy Day celebration, said democracy only thrives when arms of government can check one another. He stressed that unchecked powers within the arms o
  
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• Photos: Borno reintegrates 720 repentant terrorists, 992 spouses, 2,050 children back to society

  12-06-2026 15:19 via vanguardngr.com
  By Ndahi MaramaBorno State Government has reintegrated a total of 720 men, 992 spouses, and 2,050 children who had repented and surrendered to troops after many of them were deradicalised, disarmed, and rehabilitated at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri and acquired various skill acquisition programmes.These latest categories of repentant insurgents, who all swore on the Holy Quran, formed part of Batch 9 low-risk and minor clients who are to be reunited with their various communities across Borno Sta
  
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• Amotekun crossroads: Funding, welfare challenges threaten regional security outfit

  12-06-2026 15:16 via vanguardngr.com
  *Personnel paid N75, 000 salary*Why we established Amotekun — South-West GovsBy Dayo Johnson, Dapo Akinrefon, Rotimi Ojomoyela, Shina Abubarka, James Ogunnaike & Adeola BadruThere were grand designs to frustrate the realisation of that day.  From the Federal Government, which did not give any go ahead for the launching, while the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, declared that it was illegal; to the boycott by the Police and mi
  
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• Netanyahu says in ‘full agreement’ with Trump for Iran not to acquire nuclear weapons

  12-06-2026 15:15 via vanguardngr.com
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that he and US President Donald Trump were in “full agreement” to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a day after Trump touted an imminent deal with Tehran.“As long as I am prime minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. There is full agreement between me and President Trump on this issue,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
  The post Netanyahu says in ‘full agreement’ with Trump for Iran no
  
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• 5 questions Canada must answer ahead historical World Cup opener against Bosnia

  12-06-2026 15:09 via vanguardngr.com
  Canada’s big day has finally arrived. The Canucks are about to become the latest nation to host a World Cup match on home soil, kicking off their campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina—a side that clawed their way through the grueling UEFA play-offs by dispatching giants like Italy and Wales.While FIFA’s rankings place these two teams roughly 30 spots apart with Canada holding the edge, head coach Jesse Marsch knows better than to underestimate the visitors. The preparation i
  
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• June 12: Tinubu hasn’t targeted oppositions, protesters  -  Aide defends president’s democratic records

  12-06-2026 14:55 via vanguardngr.com
  Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday defended the administration’s commitment to democratic freedoms and the protection of opposition voices, saying the government has neither curtailed civil liberties nor targeted critics.
  Speaking on Vanguard’s Politics Hub, Ajayi said the administration has upheld key democratic tenets, saying “Democracy guarantees freedom, freedom of choice, freedom of expression,” and
  
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• ‘Stop faulting outcome, elections are imperfect’ – Fashola tells opposition

  12-06-2026 14:49 via vanguardngr.com
  By Enitan AbdultawabFormer Lagos State governor and ex-Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola, has described elections as inherently imperfect exercises, urging Nigerians to recognise the complexities involved in conducting nationwide polls and to focus on strengthening democratic institutions beyond the electoral process.Fashola made the remarks on Friday while speaking at The Platform, a public policy forum held in Lagos as part of activities marking Democracy Day.According t
  
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• World Cup 2026: Donald Trump will not attend US opening game

  12-06-2026 14:41 via vanguardngr.com
  President Donald Trump will not attend the United States men’s national team’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Paraguay on Friday, according to World Cup Task Force CEO Andrew Giuliani.The announcement confirms earlier reports that Trump was not planning to be present for the fixture at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California.Instead, the U.S. government will be represented by senior officials, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Transportation Se
  
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• AI replaces Paul the Octopus for 2026 World Cup tips

  12-06-2026 14:39 via vanguardngr.com
  ChatGPT and Claude are betting on Spain. Le Chat from France’s Mistral reckons Les Bleus will clinch it. And China’s DeepSeek and Qwen have a fondness for Argentina.The 2026 World Cup is the first with widely available generative AI chatbots, and fans and researchers alike are turning to the systems in a bid to predict the final victors.This year’s fad for non-human answers recalls Paul the Octopus, the cephalopod who divined winning teams by eating from food containers marked
  
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• World Cup: Africans troll South Africa after Mexico defeat

  12-06-2026 14:20 via vanguardngr.com
  South Africa faced an unusual backlash from fellow African football fans after a 2-0 opening-match loss to Mexico at the World Cup, with social media trending more with jokes and taunts than the usual early-tournament solidarity seen among African nations.The match itself saw co-host Mexico beat South Africa 2-0, but the online reaction reflected wider tensions. Memes celebrating Mexican culture — sombreros, flags and playful name changes — were common, yet many posts carried a shar
  
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• NCDMB equips 160 Kebbi, Zamfara youths with AI, data analytics skills

  12-06-2026 14:20 via vanguardngr.com
  The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has trained 160 youths from Kebbi and Zamfara states in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Analytics to boost their digital skills and employment prospects.Mr Luka Dalang, Programme Coordinator of RimaFin Consulting, said this in an interview withNewsmen on Friday in Kaduna at the end of the five-day training programme.Dalang said the participants, comprising unemployed youths and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, were
  
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• Mexico vs Xenophobia: Africans troll South Africa over migrant violence

  12-06-2026 14:20 via vanguardngr.com
  South Africa faced an unusual backlash from fellow African football fans after a 2-0 opening-match loss to Mexico at the World Cup, with social media trending more with jokes and taunts than the usual early-tournament solidarity seen among African nations.The match itself saw co-host Mexico beat South Africa 2-0, but the online reaction reflected wider tensions. Memes celebrating Mexican culture — sombreros, flags and playful name changes — were common, yet many posts carried a shar
  
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• Edo reopens schools shut over kidnap threats, cites improved security

  12-06-2026 14:20 via vanguardngr.com
  The Edo government has approved the reopening of schools in Akoko-Edo LGA, recently shut over security concerns, after intelligence reports indicated a plan to attack schools in the area.The approval is contained in a circular issued by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Enodolomwanyi Otamere, and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Friday.According to Otamere, the decision to reopen the schools was taken after a comprehensive review of the security s
  
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• World Cup 2026: Empty seats, ‘mandatory’ water breaks, other talking points from matchday 1

  12-06-2026 14:11 via vanguardngr.com
  The 2026 FIFA World Cup is only a few days old, but the tournament has already generated discussion both on and off the pitch.While fans have been treated to goals, drama and historic moments, concerns over stadium attendance, ticket pricing, disciplinary records and FIFA regulations have emerged as some of the biggest talking points of the competition’s opening stages.Empty seats raise attendance concernsOne of the most noticeable issues so far has been the sight of thousands of empty se
  
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• State Police Bill: A clause-by-clause breakdown and what it means for Nigeria

  12-06-2026 14:02 via vanguardngr.com
  By Gift Chapi-Odekina, AbujaAfter decades of debate, failed attempts, and mounting insecurity that has left Nigerians questioning the capacity of a centralised police force to police a country of over 200 million people spread across 36 states, the National Assembly has placed before the executive a landmark constitutional alteration bill — Bill No. 7 — formally titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to Provide for the Estab
  
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• Video: Sowore collapses after police tear-gassed Abuja protesters

  12-06-2026 14:01 via vanguardngr.com
  By Enitan AbdultawabHuman rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has reportedly collapsed and was subsequently taken to a hospital following a confrontation with the Nigerian police during a Democracy Day protest at Unity Fountain in Abuja.Witnesses at the scene alleged that Sowore collapsed after police operatives moved to disperse protesters gathered to demonstrate against insecurity, economic hardship and what they described as poor governance.The protest, which a
  
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• Let’s repeat 1993 credible election in 2027, Peter Obi requests on June 12

  12-06-2026 13:45 via vanguardngr.com
  By Henry UmoruPresidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, ahead of the 2027 polls, Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to let the June 12 day celebration be a critical assessment of the nation’s political landscape by repeating the 1993 credible election next year.Writing on his X handle on Friday, the former Anambra State governor said, “Today, we are observing a day that should mean a lot to us as a people who cherish democratic principles. Every year on June 12
  
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• Betway Appoints Don Jazzy as Brand Ambassador for Nigeria

  12-06-2026 13:00 via vanguardngr.com
  Betway, a premier online sports betting and gaming brand, today announced award-winning music executive, entrepreneur and cultural icon Don Jazzy as its new brand ambassador in Nigeria.Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential entertainment figures, Don Jazzy is a defining force in Nigerian popular culture. As founder of Mavin Records, he has shaped the careers of some of Africa’s biggest music stars while building a personal brand synonymous with confidence, creativity and
  
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• Shift from oversight to foresight critical for Nigeria’s economic transformation — Minister Enoh

  12-06-2026 12:53 via vanguardngr.com
  …​As CIoD chair, Eshiett seeks stronger corporate governance cultureBy Progress GodfreyABUJA – ​The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, has stated that Nigeria must transition from basic administrative oversight to strategic foresight to achieve its long-term economic transformation goals.​He stated this during the investiture of Mrs Rose Eshiett as the new Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD) Nigeria, A
  
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• UNICEF laments child malnutrition, anemia, stunting in Benue

  12-06-2026 12:46 via vanguardngr.com
  …seeks state funding as only 6.4% consume globally acceptable minimum dietBy Peter Duru, MakurdiThe United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Benue state government to take ownership of nutrition interventions and commit adequate funding to tackle rising cases of child malnutrition, revealing that 25.5 percent of children under five years in the state are stunted while only 6.4 percent receive the recommended minimum acceptable diet.The call was made at a High-Level
  
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• January 2027’ll reveal FG’s failure to conduct security impact of new tax laws – Omole

  12-06-2026 12:35 via vanguardngr.com
  By Henry OduahSecurity consultant Charles Omole has knocked the Federal Government for what he described as the lack of a security impact assessment of the new tax laws.On 26 June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed the four Tax Reform Bills into law. These laws include the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), the Nigeria Revenue Service Act (NRSA) and the Joint Revenue Board Act (JRBA).Dr Omole said on Friday, while speaking on the topic “Governance, Democracy
  
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