General news

• PDP will survive  —  Sowunmi dismisses defection concerns

  09-05-2025 16:14 via vanguardngr.com
  By Bayo WahabAmidst concerns about the wave of defections impacting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s chieftain, Segun Sowunmi, has strongly asserted that the party is well-equipped to survive these challenges. Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Sowunmi downplayed the significance of members leaving the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).He questioned the panic surrounding their movements, saying, “Why would PDP not survive.”He argued that with
  
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• ‘No fear’ as safety concerns shadow Paul vs Joshua clash

  19-12-2025 12:24 via vanguardngr.com
  By Enitan AbdultawabAnthony Joshua and Jake Paul will meet on Friday in Miami for a professional heavyweight contest that is already generating huge attention and questions about safety (especially for Paul) in modern boxing.The bout, scheduled for eight three-minute rounds at the Kaseya Centre, brings together two fighters whose careers could not have begun more differently. Joshua turned professional in 2013 after winning Olympic gold, while Paul was a teenage social media star known for pran
  
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• INEC wades into PDP leadership crisis, summons factions

  19-12-2025 12:12 via vanguardngr.com
  By Omeiza Ajayi – ABUJAThe Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has summoned the two warring factions of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for a troubleshooting meeting at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.Read Also: PDP caretaker committee backed by Wike takes charge, dissolves 14 state executivesThe meeting, which is currently underway, has the Tanimu Turaki-led faction and the Nyesom Wike-backed Abdulrahman Mohammed faction.Some of those who accompanied Turaki are m
  
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• Putin hails Ukraine gains, threatens more, in annual press conference

  19-12-2025 12:09 via vanguardngr.com
  Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed his troops’ progress in Ukraine during an annual press conference in Moscow — a staple of his 25-year rule — with the Russian president emboldened by battlefield gains in Ukraine during a US diplomatic push to end the almost four-year war.As Russia’s offensive enters another winter, Putin has spent days telling Russians that Moscow will seize the rest of eastern Ukraine by force if diplomacy fails.Lanched in February 2022, the Russian lead
  
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• NFVCB seeks title change for ‘A Very Dirty Christmas’ after CAN’s complaint

  19-12-2025 11:42 via vanguardngr.com
  The Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr Shaibu Husseini, says the board has requested a title modification for the controversial film “A Very Dirty Christmas” from its producers.He stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.The title of the family drama, produced by ace Nollywood actress Ini Edo and released in cinemas on Dec 16, has attracted public backlash and a complaint from the Chri
  
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• From football to the Moon: Five things to keep an eye on in 2026

  19-12-2025 11:16 via vanguardngr.com
  Next year promises trips around the Moon, footballing spectacles and a battle for control of the US Congress.Here are five big events to watch out for in 2026.– Climate: Will the world act? –The world is already experiencing record heat — and things are likely to get hotter in 2026.Last year was the warmest on record, but the UN says there is an 80 percent chance that at least one year will be even hotter by 2029.How will nations react? COP30 in Brazil recently showed that mul
  
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• Breaking: INEC wades into PDP leadership crisis, summons factions

  19-12-2025 11:14 via vanguardngr.com
  By Omeiza AjayiABUJA: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has summoned the two warring factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a troubleshooting meeting at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.The meeting, which is currently underway, has the Tanimu Turaki-led faction and the Nyesom Wike-backed Abdulrahman Mohammed faction.Some of those who accompanied Turaki are members of his National Working Committee (NWC), secretariat staff and former Governor Babangida
  
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• 2027: Reps increase Presidential candidates’ campaign spending limits from ₦5bn to ₦10bn

  19-12-2025 11:02 via vanguardngr.com
  The House of Representatives has approved an increase in campaign spending limits for candidates seeking elective offices in Nigeria, doubling the ceiling for presidential candidates from ₦5 billion to ₦10 billion ahead of the 2027 general elections.The decision was taken during Thursday’s plenary following a clause-by-clause consideration of a report recommending amendments to the Electoral Act 2022.Under the approved changes, lawmakers raised the maximum amount a presidentia
  
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• Trump administration suspends US green card lottery

  19-12-2025 10:51 via vanguardngr.com
  US homeland security chief Kristi Noem suspended a green card lottery on Thursday, saying it was used by the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University.Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, is accused of bursting into a building at the Ivy League school on Dec 13 and opening fire on students sitting exams, killing two and wounding nine.He is also accused of killing a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) two days later.Noem wrote on social media th
  
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• Deportation fears spur US migrants to entrust guardianship of their children

  19-12-2025 10:48 via vanguardngr.com
  After her husband was detained by US immigration authorities in September, Rosa found herself alone with her two children, wondering what would happen should she suffer the same fate as him.“I go out to work less and less, and I’m afraid that I won’t come home to my children,” Rosa told AFP. “It’s not easy to explain this to them. My son waits for his dad to come home, and when he doesn’t, he gets sad.”To avoid the possibility of her children bein
  
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• 2023 Election: Osinbajo was Buhari’s preferred candidate  —  Ojudu counters Omole’s claim

  19-12-2025 10:38 via vanguardngr.com
  A former presidential adviser, Babafemi Ojudu, has disputed claims that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari did not support the presidential ambition of ex–Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 general election.Ojudu was reacting to assertions made by Charles Omole, author of From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, unveiled at the State House on Monday. In the book, Omole claimed that Buhari did not back Osinbajo’s presidential bid, allegedly becau
  
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• China to increase tax on condoms in attempt to boost birth rate

  19-12-2025 10:28 via vanguardngr.com
  China will impose a 13% value-added tax (VAT) on condoms and other contraceptives from January 1, ending an exemption in place since the nationwide VAT system was introduced in 1993.
  The change, included in a VAT law passed in 2024 to modernise the tax regime, comes as Beijing intensifies efforts to raise its declining birthrate. VAT accounts for nearly 40% of China’s total tax revenue.The move follows years of policy “carrots” after China abandoned its one-child policy, inclu
  
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• Nigerian newspapers review: [Oil sector] Far-reaching reforms coming, Eyesan, Mohammed vow

  19-12-2025 10:25 via vanguardngr.com
  In today’s Nigerian newspapers review programme, Today in the News, Vanguard leads with President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the leadership of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) pledging to implement wide-ranging reforms to stabilise Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.Another headline features the Federal Government saying it is unsure of the status of the 11 soldiers and ai
  
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• Army neutralises five bandits, recovers motorcycles in Sokoto, Zamfara

  19-12-2025 10:18 via vanguardngr.com
  Troops of 8 Division Garrison Nigerian Army Sokoto have neutralised five armed criminals and recovered weapons and motorcycles during a coordinated operation conducted in parts of Sokoto and Zamfara states.A credible source from the army told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that the planned operation kicked off on Wednesday.“It struck a major blow against banditry during a sweeping offensive that targeted notorious hideouts spanning Sokoto and Zamfara states.”The coo
  
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• Trump says does not need Congress to launch strikes in Venezuela

  19-12-2025 09:55 via vanguardngr.com
  US President Donald Trump asserted Thursday he does not need congressional approval to launch strikes on land against Venezuela despite criticism that he is already exceeding his constitutional authority with attacks at sea.When a reporter asked whether he would seek authorization from the US lawmakers to hit drug cartels on land in the Latin American country, Trump said he’d have no problem doing that, although he cited concerns that politicians “leak like a sieve.”“I w
  
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• State police: What I told US, European partners – Tinubu

  19-12-2025 09:38 via vanguardngr.com
  President Bola Tinubu on Thursday said that he had assured the United States and European partners that his administration would implement state police to boost security in Nigeria.He said this during the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.The president said he had a very long discussion with the country’s United States and European partners and assured them that state police would be used to improve securit
  
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• Army dismantles bandit enclaves, kills five in Sokoto–Zamfara operation

  19-12-2025 09:03 via vanguardngr.com
  By Musa Ubandawaki, SokotoSOKOTO—Troops of the 8 Division Garrison of the Nigerian Army have carried out a coordinated operation against armed bandit groups in parts of Sokoto and Zamfara States, resulting in the death of five suspected bandits and the recovery of arms and logistics.A security source disclosed on Friday that the operation began in the early hours of Wednesday and targeted identified hideouts linked to bandit activities along border communities in the two states.According
  
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• Mobile Trading on the Rise – How Smartphones Are Driving Nigeria’s FX Trading Culture

  19-12-2025 08:54 via vanguardngr.com
  Mobile trading is no longer a niche activity for tech-savvy investors in Nigeria. It is fast becoming a cultural shift, one that blends convenience with ambition while giving a new generation of Nigerians a practical entry point into global finance.
  The result is a trading environment shaped by mobility and a desire for financial autonomy.A New Generation Fueled by Accessibility
  The rise of mobile forex trading starts with something simple: smartphones are everywhere. Young Nigerians rely on th
  
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• NSIA grows assets to $3bn

  19-12-2025 08:49 via vanguardngr.com
  …Builds Nigeria’s Health, Agric & Infrastructure SectorsBy Yakubu DanladiMore than a decade after its establishment, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (‘NSIA’ or ‘The Authority’) has continued to evolve from a stabilisation vehicle and long-term savings institution into a national systems builder, that blends financial discipline with a wider ambition to solve structural challenges that limit economic opportunity for millions of Nigerians. Creat
  
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• La historia de un secuestro masivo

  19-12-2025 08:00 via nytimes.com
  Unos hombres armados irrumpieron en una escuela católica en Nigeria y raptaron a 253 niños. Sus padres hablan sobre la aterradora experiencia y la falta de interés de las autoridades locales.
  
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• Tinubu to govs: Obey S’Court judgment, handover LG their allocation

  19-12-2025 07:54 via vanguardngr.com
  ABUJA — PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, yesterday told the 36 governors to hand over local government allocation to the councils in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment.The President said there would not be an autonomy to councils without funded mandate.Speaking at the 14th APC National Caucus meeting at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the President said he had assured the United States and the European Union that Nigeria will establish state Police to tackle insecurity challenges.
  
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• Africa’s migrant workers still trapped in exploitation, ITUC warns

  19-12-2025 07:37 via vanguardngr.com
  By Victor Ahiuma-YoungAfrica’s migrant workers continue to face widespread exploitation, abuse and insecurity despite the existence of regional and global protection frameworks, the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, has warned.
  In a statement issued on December 18, by Akhator Odigie
  General Secretary, ITUC-Africa, the group said the continent remains a region of origin, transit and destination for migrants, with most movements takin
  
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• 2027: ADC nominates Tubo, Badawi as Transitional Committee chair, Secretary for Borno

  19-12-2025 07:34 via vanguardngr.com
  By Ndahi Marama, MaiduguriFollowing alignment and realignment towards the forthcoming 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has nominated Hon. Adamu Usman Tubo as the Transitional Committee Chairman, while Hon. Sunusi Lawan Badawi emerged as the Secretary.Tubo hails from Southern Borno Senatorial District, while Badawi is from Borno North Senatorial District.According to a circular signed by the party’s office of Assistant National Organizing Secretary, as well as
  
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• Why we’re now considering satellites for telecom services – Airtel

  19-12-2025 07:17 via vanguardngr.com
  — Links Starlink to launch first satellite-to-mobile service in AfricaBy Prince Osuagwu,Hi-Tech EditorAirtel Nigeria has explained that recent advances in satellite technology, driven by SpaceX’s Starlink, have made satellite-based telecom services both effective and cost-efficient.The explanation was given by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Balsingh, while responding to questions from journalists during the announcement of Airtel Africa’s partnership with
  
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• Ondo Deep Sea Port to serve Nigeria, West Africa — Aiyedatiwa

  19-12-2025 07:01 via vanguardngr.com
  — Receives revalidated licence from Federal GovernmentBy Dayo Johnson, AkureOndo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said the proposed Ondo Deep Sea Port will serve as a major hub for international trade, benefiting not only Ondo State but Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries.The governor spoke after receiving the revalidated licence for the project from the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Chief Adegboyega Oyetola.Aiyedatiwa said the state government is fully prepared to
  
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• Dangote Refinery’s PMS supply will reduce petrol price, says IPMAN

  19-12-2025 07:01 via vanguardngr.com
  By Udeme AkpanThe Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on all its members nationwide to patronise the Dangote Refinery in their purchase of PMS products, noting that the refinery already offers the best affordable price for all marketers, even as free delivery commences in January 2026.The association also expressed delight over a recent agreement by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to begin the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) – also known as p
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, December 19, 2025​

  19-12-2025 06:55 via vanguardngr.com
  The Nigerian Naira continues to experience fluctuations against the United States Dollar as the trading day opens on Friday, December 19, 2025.Data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and various parallel market segments show a slight tightening in the gap between official and unofficial rates.
  ​
  Official Market Rates (NFEM)
  ​In the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, the Naira opened at approximately N1,455.98 per $1. This reflects a period of relative volatility earlier
  
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• PenCom recoveries from defaulting employers rise 180%, hit N4.04bn

  19-12-2025 06:53 via vanguardngr.com
  By Victor Ahiuma-Young & Rosemary IwunzeThe National Pension Commission, PenCom, has recorded a major breakthrough in pension compliance, recovering  N4.04 billion from defaulting employers between January and November 2025—a 180 per cent increase over the N1.44 billion recovered in the whole of 2024.Director General of PenCom, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos, during an interactive meeting with Journalists, attributed the sharp rise in recoveries
  
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• NIPC attracts $10bn investments, over 5,000 jobs in 2025

  19-12-2025 06:45 via vanguardngr.com
  By Progress GodfreyNigeria attracted investment commitments worth about $9.88 billion in 2025, with projects facilitated by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) generating over 5,000 direct jobs across key sectors of the economy, signalling renewed investor confidence.Deputy Director, Depar-tment of Investment Promotion, Emmanuel Longza, NIPC, disclosed this in a document presented    during a media parley with journalists in Abuja.According to the document, the in
  
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• Nigeria’s trade with ECOWAS countries rises 43% to N6.9trn

  19-12-2025 06:39 via vanguardngr.com
  By Elizabeth Adegbesan Nigeria’s trade with other countries in the Economic Community of West African States,   ECOWAS, by 43 percent,   rose year-on-year   (YoY)   to N6.9 trillion in the first nine months of the year (9m’25) from N4.82 trillion in the corresponding period of 2024.Analysis of data   in the Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics Report recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS,   
  
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