General news

• SMEDAN unveils N500m zero-interest fund for MSMEs

  29-06-2026 08:03 via vanguardngr.com
  
  ByYinka KolawoleThe Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has unveiled Grow Fund for Small Businesses in Nigeria, a N500 million zero-interest fund for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.SMEDAN Director-General, Charles Odii, announced the initiative, in Abuja, as part of activities to mark the 2026 World MSME Day.Odii said the revolving loan would be disbursed through cooperatives, trade unions, business member organisations and associ
  
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• 2026 World Cup: 7 countries qualify for Round of 16, 3 fixtures confirmed

  01-07-2026 08:26 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Seven countries have now secured their places in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with three knockout fixtures already confirmed.The latest team to book a place in the last 16 is co-hosts Mexico, who defeated Ecuador 2-0 in their Round of 32 clash on Wednesday.Julián Quiñones and Raul Jiménez scored in the first half to hand Javier Aguirre’s side a comfortable victory, while Ecuador finished the match with 10 men after Piero Hincapié was sent off in
  
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• World Bank to end lending to China by 2031

  01-07-2026 08:24 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The World Bank will phase out its lending to China by 2031 under its new Country Partnership Framework, marking a significant shift in its relationship with the world’s second-largest economy.A source familiar with the matter confirmed the development on Tuesday, corroborating an earlier report by the Financial Times.According to a World Bank official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the decision reflects China’s economic progress over the past several decades.“China has m
  
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• Lagos Flood: Ago Palace Way, Gbagada, Isashi, Iba, Ojo, Okokomaiko submerged

  01-07-2026 08:20 via vanguardngr.com
  
  After a 12-hour downpour yesterday, submerged property and roads in Lagos, bringing normal commercial.Among the worst-hit areas were Ago Palace Way in Okota and sections of Gbagada, where rising water levels rendered roads impassable.Residents of Ago Palace Way said the flood began shortly after the early morning downpour and worsened as drainage channels overflowed.Read Also: Refuse takes over roads in Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun“It started as a normal rainfall, but within an hour, the entire
  
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• NPA backs Abuja MoU on  regional maritime cooperation

  01-07-2026 08:18 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Godwin OritseManaging Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has expressed support for the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (Abuja MoU) Capacity Building Programme as a major step towards strengthening maritime governance and enhancing Port State Control across West and Central Africa.Speaking at the programme’s launch in Abuja, Dantsoho reaffirmed the NPA’s commitment to initiatives that promote maritime safety, security and regulatory compl
  
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• Police bust Kidnap syndicate, recover AK-47, ammunition, livestock in FCT–Nasarawa operation

  01-07-2026 08:15 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Kingsley OmonobiThe Nigeria Police Force has recorded a major breakthrough in its fight against violent crime with the dismantling of a notorious kidnapping syndicate linked to a series of abductions and killings in communities along the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)–Nasarawa border.Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Okon Iniedu, disclosed this on Tuesday, saying operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS) arrested two members of the
  
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• Sanwo-Olu approves dredging of 28 drainage channels 

  01-07-2026 08:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Following flooding in parts of the state, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the dredging of 28 additional primary drainage channels.Read Also: Lagos submerged as floods sack homes, paralyse traffic, halts businessesHe noted that the incident was not peculiar to Lagos, explaining that similar heavy rainfall also affected other African countries and parts of North America on the same day.According to the commissioner, Lagos faces a more complex hydrological challenge because
  
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• APC Drops Suswam, 25 Other National Assembly Candidates

  01-07-2026 08:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Omeiza AjayiABUJA — The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has dropped former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, former House of Representatives member, Gbenga Elegbeleye, and 24 other National Assembly candidates from the party’s final list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).The affected candidates include seven senatorial nominees and 19 House of Representatives candidates who emerged from the party&r
  
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• Floods: Lagos moves against FG’s reclamation plan at Kuramo Beach

  01-07-2026 08:03 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Lagos State government has expressed determination to stop the ongoing reclamation project on the Kuramo Beach axis along the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway embarked upon by the Federal Government’s agents.Read Also: Lagos submerged as floods sack homes, paralyse traffic, halts businessesSimilarly, the state government has ordered the removal of all buildings and structures on drainage alignments, wetlands, obstructing the flow of storm water to the lagoon in the Le
  
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• Over 50 Nigerian firms embrace global sustainability reporting standards —FRC

  01-07-2026 08:02 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Progress GodfreyABUJA — The Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) says more than 50 organisations are actively working towards adopting the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards.Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the FRC, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, disclosed this yesterday   at the 5th Annual Nigeria Employers’ Summit in Abuja, themed,   “Leveraging Reforms and ESG for Enterprise Competit
  
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• Stock market: Investors lose N13.3trn in June amid profit-taking

  01-07-2026 07:53 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •FTSE Russell delays Nigeria’s Frontier Market status   over T+1 concernsBy Peter EgwuatuThe Nigerian stock market ended June on a bearish note, with investors losing a whopping N13.3 trillion in the value of their investments listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the highest monthly loss recorded in the first six months of 2026.Despite the sharp decline in June, equity investors recorded a gain of N44.8 trillion in the first ha
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, July 1, 2026

  01-07-2026 07:49 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Nigerian naira traded relatively stable against the United States dollar at both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, as the gap between the two markets remained narrow.Data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) showed that the official exchange rate stood at approximately ₦1,380.17 to the US dollar on July 1. The rate reflects continued stability in the official market after the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent efforts to imp
  
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• Lagos submerged as floods sack homes, paralyse traffic, halts businesses

  01-07-2026 04:55 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Clifford Ndujihe, Olasunkanmi Akoni, Ebunoluwa Sessou & Efe OnodjaeTORRENTIAL rainfall lasting over 12 hours, yesterday, submerged property and roads in Lagos, bringing normal commercial activities and vehicular movement to a halt.The downpour, which started on Sunday, reached a crescendo, leaving motorists and commuters stranded across the metropolis, while residents had to bail out storm water from their homes to stay safe.Parents and guardians, inpanic mode, prevented their
  
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• Nigeria’s security crisis: 79,323 Killed, 34,773 abducted in six years

  01-07-2026 04:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …As ORFA report re-examines Nigeria’s violenceBy Golok NanmwaJOS— A six-year investigation by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, ORFA, has reported that 79,323 people were killed in terrorism-related violence across Nigeria between 2020 and 2025, while 34,773 civilians were abducted during the same period.
  The findings were unveiled in a report titled, “Four Times Boko Haram? How the World Misreads Nigeria’s Violence,” and announced in a statem
  
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• Xenophobia: FG to seek compensation from South Africa for Nigerians’ abandoned properties

  01-07-2026 04:37 via vanguardngr.com
  
  ***As 269 arrive Lagos in 2nd govt evacuation flight
  ***603 repatriated so far lS’Africans can’t force law abiding migrants out — Nigerians in SA
  By Nkiruka Nnorom &  Favour UleborThe federal government has said it would seek from its South African counterpart compensation for Nigerians forced to abandon businesses and other valuable properties as they returned home, following renewed anti-immigrant tensions in the country.This came as 269 more Nigerians arrived Lagos
  
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• 2027: PDP, APC, NDC members back APGA Reps candidate in Anambra

  01-07-2026 04:06 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Vincent UjumaduAWKA — The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) House of Representatives candidate for the Dunukofia/Njikoka/Anaocha Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections, Chief Chukwudi Oli, has received a boost following the endorsement of his candidacy by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and other political parties.The endorsement was announced during a consultative meeting between the gr
  
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• Borno school attack: 37 children still missing — Parents

  01-07-2026 03:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  No fewer than 37 children are still missing, following an attack on Government Day Secondary School, in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, on Monday, said some parents of the students.
  Recall that terrorists attacked the school about 9a.m., while candidates were writing the National Examinations Council examination, killing two teachers and abducting an unspecified number of students.
  Acting Military Information Officer, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Cap
  
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• Obeagwe: Anambra riverine community worships alligator as god

  01-07-2026 02:58 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Vincent UjumaduOBEAGWE is a riverine community in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra State. It has a unique culture which has not been abandoned despite modernity. In this community, the people revere the Alligator, a semi-aquatic animal which they believe protects them and wards off external aggressors when necessary.
  The people are mainly farmers and fishermen, and it is one of the food baskets of Anambra State. In Obeagwe, alligators could be seen moving around in the compounds, and
  
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• Distressed Enugu community cries out over 30-year uncompleted bridge

  01-07-2026 02:52 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …Laments no government presence in 2 autonomous communities that make up communityBy Steve OkoFor more than three decades, the people of Mgbidi community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State have struggled to complete a bridge project they conceived and funded through communal efforts.
  Today, the abandoned structure stands as a painful symbol of neglect, frustration, and unfulfilled hopes.
  The project has recorded about 55 per cent completion. After exhausting their resources and
  
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• FG seeks local production of mobile phones

  01-07-2026 02:46 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …Waves market incentives on Chinese OEMs….Telcos, subscribers commend moveBy Prince Osuagwu, Hitech Editor.THE Federal government has waved a carrot stick on Chinese phone manufacturers and their Nigerian counterparts to consider establishing phone manufacturing plants in Nigeria in exchange of mouth watering business incentives.
  The government said that tax waivers and other rare operating incentives will be all for grabs to phone manufacturing companies who will take up the chal
  
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• 79,323 killed, 34,773 abducted in 6 years

  01-07-2026 02:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  …As ORFA report re-examines Nigeria’s violenceBy Golok NanmwaJOS— A six-year investigation by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, ORFA, has reported that 79,323 people were killed in terrorism-related violence across Nigeria between 2020 and 2025, while 34,773 civilians were abducted during the same period.
  The findings were unveiled in a report titled, “Four Times Boko Haram? How the World Misreads Nigeria’s Violence,” and announced in a statem
  
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• 45 days after: UNICROSS ASUU, CRSG set for meeting over strike

  01-07-2026 02:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Ike UchechukwuCALABAR—After 45 days of a crippling strike that has shut down academic activities at the University of Cross River State, UNICROSS, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, said it was set to meet with the state government as both sides move to resolve the impasse.
  The ASUU chapter chairman, Dr. Patrick Ushie, who disclosed this in an interview with Vanguard in Calabar, yesterday, noted that the union had received an invitation from a technical committee set up by
  
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• Allegations against Gbajabiamila unsubstantiated, distractions — Coalition

  01-07-2026 02:38 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Dapo AkinrefonLAGOS—A coalition comprising Concerned Nigerians in Diaspora United Kingdom, Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria and the Assembly of Lagos Youths has dismissed allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, describing them as unsubstantiated and a distraction.
  In a joint statement by US-based public affairs commentator, Kofo Williams; Chairman of Concerned Nigerians in Diaspora United Kingdom, Abanikanda Olumoro; Convener of Concerned Fulani
  
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• NAFDAC raises alarm over unsafe food, pushes nationwide safety reforms

  01-07-2026 02:17 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Chioma ObinnaThe Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on Monday sounded the alarm over the growing dangers of unsafe food in Nigeria, warning that millions of lives remain at risk from preventable foodborne illnesses.
  Speaking at the agency’s 2026 World Food Safety Day celebration in Lagos, Adeyeye called for urgent and sustained action to strengthen food safety systems across the country, declaring that
  
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• Cancer care: Medserve-LUTH retains Nigeria’s top oncology centre award for 4th straight year

  01-07-2026 02:13 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Chioma ObinnaCancer care in Nigeria received a boost for cancer care in Nigeria, as the Medserve-LUTH Cancer Centre retained its title as the Most Outstanding Oncology Centre in Nigeria for the fourth consecutive year, further cementing its status as a leading cancer treatment hub in West Africa.The award was conferred at the 12th edition of the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award, NHEA, held in Lagos, in recognition of the centre’s sustained excellence in oncology care, innovation, a
  
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• Nigeria gets 1st Mental Health Tracker to expose policy failures, accountability

  01-07-2026 02:11 via vanguardngr.com
  
  … Millions remain at risk as key reforms stall four years after Mental Health Act
  By Chioma ObinnaTo confront Nigeria’s deepening mental health crisis, Nigerian Mental Health (NMH) has launched the country’s first-ever public-facing Mental Health Policy Commitment Tracker, an accountability tool aimed at exposing implementation gaps and compelling government action on long-promised reforms.
  The data-driven platform, officially unveiled in Abuja, is designed to independently m
  
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• TB @ 65: Profile in diligence  

  01-07-2026 02:07 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Ondaje IjagwuAs Mr Tunji Bello marks his 65th birthday on July 1, there is a natural temptation to measure his public life by the offices he has held, the policies he has championed or the regulatory milestones achieved under his leadership. Yet those who have worked most closely with him often tell a quieter story, one found in meetings, conversations and decisions that have gradually reshaped the culture of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). It is a story l
  
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• MFM trains 130 counsellors to tackle rising teen drug abuse

  01-07-2026 02:04 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Chioma ObinnaOn this year’s World Drug Day the Mountain Top Rehabilitation Centre (MTRC), the addiction prevention and treatment arm of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, trained 130 guidance counsellors from government secondary schools across Lagos in substance use prevention, early identification, counselling and referral systems.The two-day event, aimed at tackling the growing concerns over substance abuse among adolescents, intensive training, held as part of activities mar
  
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• Exodus to Cairo: Have Nigerians given up on Nigeria? By Usman Sarki

  01-07-2026 02:04 via vanguardngr.com
  
  “The basis of every civilisation is wealth – wealth to provide the background of leisure, which in turn is the basis of culture in a commercial world,” John BuchanThe old and historical Exodus was out of Egypt to the Promised Land. It was the movement of a people away from bondage, uncertainty and oppression towards security, hope, dignity and divine fulfilment. It occurred several thousand years ago, under the command and protection of Almighty God, and remains one of th
  
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• Right under our nose, by Ochereome Nnanna

  01-07-2026 02:02 via vanguardngr.com
  
  On Monday this week, the story of another United States military operation in Nigeria trended. Sebastian Lukacs Gorka, United States Senior Counterterrorism Director and President Donald Trump’s confidant, made startling revelations about a counter-terrorism operation in Nigeria that took place three weeks ago at an undisclosed location. According to him, he watched the operation from the White House Situation Room, during which 199 jihadist terrorists “who will not harm Americ
  
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