General news

• US military says Iran war has led to munitions shortfall

  15-09-2026 09:49 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The US Defense Department’s inspector general revealed Monday that the United States is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of its costly war in Iran.In a first-of-its-kind mandatory report to Congress, the inspector said that between February 28 and June 30, Operation Epic Fury (OEF) had an estimated cost of $33.4 billion, with $22.3 billion of that spent on expended munitions alone.The report noted “the munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shor
  
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• From campus mud to NYSC khaki: The inspiring story of Bitrus Nwalsu

  18-09-2026 09:04 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By CHRISTOPHER AMEH, BauchiThirty-year-old Bitrus Nwalsu was recently spotted manoeuvring a locally-fabricated wheelchair through the heavy traffic of the busy Shafa Roundabout. He struggled cautiously to cross, a daily battle made necessary by the complete absence of accessible pedestrian infrastructure.Read Also: Toyin Abraham rejects inclusion in Lagos APC campaign councilNwalsu graduated in 2024 from the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic (ATAP), Bauchi, where he studied Business Administration
  
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• Nigerian Bottling Company marks 75yrs, reaffirms commitment to Nigeria

  18-09-2026 08:53 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Tunde OsoNigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Ltd, a member of the Coca-Cola HBC Group, has marked its 75th anniversary in Nigeria with a gala event held at the Conference Centre, Abuja.Reflecting on the company’s origin, Anastassis G. David, Chairman of Coca-Cola HBC, said: “In 1951, Anastasios Leventis negotiated the rights for the whole of Nigeria. It was a big, bold decision, but it was also a statement of belief; Belief in Nigeria, as a country of exceptional importance, scale an
  
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• Oye: Nigeria’s economy in severe strain despite $10.37bn capital inflow

  18-09-2026 08:50 via vanguardngr.com
  
  •Says Fed rate hike litmus test for Nigeria’s $54.61bn reserves, FX marketChairman of the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics, AERE, Mr. Dele Oye, has said Nigeria’s economy remains under severe strain despite attracting $10.37 billion in capital inflows, warning that the composition of the inflows raises concerns about the country’s reliance on short-term foreign portfolio investment.Oye said the size of the capital inflow should not be mistaken for evidence that t
  
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• Dangote Refinery IPO: Rwanda moves to facilitate investor participation

  18-09-2026 08:46 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The Capital Markets Authority, CMA, of Rwanda has commenced discussions with relevant stakeholders to facilitate the participation of Rwandan investors in the initial public offering, IPO, of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.The regulator, in a statement on Wednesday, said it had observed strong interest in opportunities offered by capital markets and was working to facilitate participation by investors in the Dangote Refinery offer.“The Capital Markets Authority of Rwanda is working with relev
  
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• Why I rejected APC  —  Seriake Dickson

  18-09-2026 08:42 via vanguardngr.com
  
  National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, has explained that he declined to join the All Progressives Congress, APC, because he did not want Nigeria to drift into a one-party state.Dickson spoke in Abuja on Thursday when the management of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, led by its Vice Chairman, Mike Okpere, presented him with the notification of the newspaper’s 2026 Politician of the Year award.The former Bayelsa State governor said his decision followed wha
  
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• Foreign shipping firms reject double port-charging claims

  18-09-2026 08:41 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Godwin OritseThe Shipping Association of Nigeria, SAN, has rejected claims that shipping companies impose double charges on importers for electronic cargo release services, saying the allegation confuses different processes and deflects attention from other cost pressures in the nation’s ports.The association, an umbrella body for foreign shipping companies operating in Nigeria, said its members’ charges remain below prevailing commercial rates.The reaction followed a recent alle
  
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• Nigeria’s net domestic assets rise to N101trn

  18-09-2026 08:26 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Peter EgwuatuNigeria’s Net Domestic Assets (NDA) rose by 27.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to N101.006 trillion in July 2026 from N79.496 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, according to the money and credit statistics of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for July 2026.NDA represents the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) domestic claims (assets) on behalf of the Federal Government, including lending to commercial banks, government securities and other domestic inv
  
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• Manufactured goods imports surge 17% to N18trn in H1’26

  18-09-2026 08:21 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Yinka KolawoleNigeria’s manufactured goods imports surged Year-on-Year, YoY, by 16.9 per cent to N18 trillion in the first half of 2026 (H1’26), deepening concerns over rising import dependence and the growing pressure on local manufacturers.Latest Foreign Trade Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that manufactured imports rose from N15.4 trillion in H1’25 to N17.99 trillion in H1’26.The increase was driven by a sharp rise in the seco
  
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• 2027 Budget: FG moves to produce implementable Finance Bill

  18-09-2026 08:16 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau ChiefThe Federal Government (FG) has commenced preparations for the 2027 budget with the inauguration of a subcommittee to review existing fiscal and tax reforms and develop an implementable Finance Bill.The Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms was inaugurated yesterday in Abuja by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele.The Finance Bill, which usually accompanies the annual budget, provides the legislative framework
  
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• CSOs protest rising debt, demand end to excessive borrowing

  18-09-2026 08:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Emma UjahCivil Society Organisations, CSOs, youths, students and market women yesterday protested at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja, demanding an end to what they described as excessive borrowing by the Federal Government.The protesters, under the aegis of Climate Action, said the rising public debt-servicing burden was crowding out funding for critical public services and undermining efforts to tackle climate change, poverty and unemployment.Carrying placards with various messages,
  
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• Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, September 18, 2026

  18-09-2026 08:02 via vanguardngr.com
  The Nigerian naira weakened against the United States dollar on Friday, September 18, 2026, across both the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and the parallel market.In the official market, the naira traded at about ₦1,331 per dollar, according to the latest data reported from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).The rate represents a depreciation from ₦1,329.56 per dollar recorded on Wednesday, with the naira losing about ₦1.44 against the greenback.In the parallel market,
  
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• 2027: Sowore promises 24-hour electricity within three years

  18-09-2026 07:46 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Sekinat OsundijiPresidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has promised to deliver uninterrupted electricity across Nigeria within three years if elected president in the 2027 general election.Sowore said his administration would dismantle the existing national electricity grid and replace it with regional grids powered by a mix of solar, gas, hydro and biogas.Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Sowore said Nigeria would require more than 60,000 me
  
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• Pan-African social impact announces social impact network

  18-09-2026 07:34 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The organisers of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) have announced the establishment of the Africa Social Impact Network (ASIN), a pan-African platform designed to extend the impact of the Summit beyond its annual convening by mobilising partnerships, financing, knowledge, and collective action throughout the year.
  The announcement follows the successful conclusion of the 5th Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 2026), held in Lagosy under the theme, “Financing for Development: Building
  
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• Akure-Ado Ekiti Road: 96bn road project stalls

  18-09-2026 06:55 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Dayo Johnson & Rotimi OjomoyelaThe woman was beside her SUV when a commercial motorcycle rider reportedly crashed into her vehicle. Before she could understand what was happening, other riders and street youths allegedly descended on her, blaming her for the incident.Some reportedly banged on the vehicle and attacked her with dangerous objects. The disturbing part was that it happened in broad daylight, in the presence of a large crowd, yet no one immediately came to her rescue.According
  
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• Policing Lagos: Why 15,597 officers can’t be everywhere

  18-09-2026 06:40 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Emma NnadozieA seemingly ordinary day in Festac, Lagos, turned into a frightening drama early this year when a well-dressed woman was allegedly attacked by more than 20 hoodlums following a minor road incident.The woman was beside her SUV when a commercial motorcycle rider reportedly crashed into her vehicle. Before she could understand what was happening, other riders and street youths allegedly descended on her, blaming her for the incident.Some reportedly banged on the vehicle and attacke
  
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• Naira depreciates to N1, 375/$ in parallel market

  18-09-2026 06:17 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Elizabeth AdegbesanThe Naira today depreciated to N1, 375 per dollar from N1, 370 in the parallel market on Wednesday. The naira also depreciated to N1, 331 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 rose to N1, 331 per dollar from N1, 329.56 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating N1.44 depreciation for the local currency.Consequently, the margin between the parallel and officia
  
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• 2027: APC governors, Wike’s feud deepens

  18-09-2026 06:14 via vanguardngr.com
  
  ***Aliyu slams Wike, say he’s been compensated for 2023 support***Jibrin warns APC govs against embarrassing Wike***Shettima clarifies remarks on northern govs’ support for presidentBy Olasunkanmi Akoni, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Omeiza AjayiLAGOS — THE feud between the All Progressives Congress, APC, governors and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, deepened, yesterday, with APC leadership in the South-East throwing its weight behind the Progressive Gov
  
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• Hajja Bintu Konto: Meet Labour Party vice presidential candidate for 2027 election

  18-09-2026 06:12 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Hajja Bintu Konto is a distinguished public health expert, humanitarian leader and development practitioner whose professional career spans over three decades of dedicated service in healthcare delivery, community development, humanitarian intervention and stakeholder engagement. Her impressive record of service, particularly in conflict-affected communities across Northern Nigeria, has earned her widespread respect as a bridge-builder, consensus mobiliser and compassionate leader.Read Also: Pr
  
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• Houthis and Saudis: When the weak strike back, by Owei Lakemfa

  18-09-2026 02:33 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Ears across the globe have been virtually blocked since September 14, 2026, with news of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including its fuel pipeline and military infrastructure. The news outlets are jammed with stories of alleged Houthi aggression. These one-sided stories, some of which I will try to debunk here, portray Saudi Arabia as the victim. In truth, the Saudis are the aggressors who, since March 26, 2015, have been bombing the Yemenis, whom the dominant media prefer to call the Houthis
  
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• My farewell to dear Orlando, by Donu Kogbara

  18-09-2026 02:09 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Orlando Modesti was born on 4th May 1944 in Argentina, to Raquel and Belmo Modesti. He studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, then left his country with high hopes in his heart, to seek global work experience, multinational friends and adventure.He fulfilled his dream. He worked in Rome, then in London for Norman Foster, a world-famous architectural guru, designing projects located in the UK, Canary Islands and Spain. Then, in 1978, he accepted a coordinator position in a
  
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• When the state turns the law against dissent under Tinubu’s watch

  18-09-2026 02:07 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By KOLAWOLE OLANIYAN It is happening again. Under President Bola Tinubu, Nigerians are facing an increasingly repressive political and legal environment. Like the Muhammadu Buhari government before it, the Tinubu administration is making an utter mockery of Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law. There is something deeply troubling about a country in which the security agency created to protect the state and its peopl
  
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• What shall we do about South Africa? By Azu Ishiekwene

  18-09-2026 01:58 via vanguardngr.com
  
  If South Africa needed any serious signal that the mobs roaming the streets of its cities and townships in search of immigrants were a disgrace, the FIFA World Cup in June 2026 provided a large screen. But the country is not looking. Or it is looking but cannot see. In the last three years, according to Xenowatch, about 50 people have been killed in xenophobia-related incidents in South Africa. That’s not counting the displaced and wounded, or the hundreds forcibly repatriated, and those
  
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• Arresting the diphtheria scourge

  18-09-2026 01:56 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Nigeria’s continuing diphtheria outbreak is a grim reminder that preventable diseases can become deadly when public-health systems fail to sustain basic immunisation. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says more than 10,000 confirmed cases have been recorded in 2026, with Kano, Borno and Bauchi among the worst-affected states. The figures are particularly disturbing against the cumulative burden. Since the outbreak began in 2022, Nigeria had recorded 65,759 suspe
  
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• As Nigerians battle compounded hardship on a daily basis, by Adekunle Adekoya

  18-09-2026 01:55 via vanguardngr.com
  
  THE last one week has been quite impactful on Nigerians. Just as everyone was figuring how to continue managing fast-disappearing resources as prices of just about everything resumed an upward climb, the price of fuel energy took off from its precarious perch in the stratosphere, and headed for outer space. Most of us Nigerians woke up to see filling stations selling petrol at above N1,350 last Monday. Ostensibly, the latest surge in the price of petrol was triggered by tensions in the Middle E
  
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• I don’t tolerate godfathers so I won’t be one – Otti

  18-09-2026 00:41 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Gov. Alex Otti of Abia says he will neither be a godfather nor impose his successor on the state after serving his second tenure in 2031.Otti spoke on Thursday in Umuahia, while receiving a former Social Democratic Party Gubernatorial Candidate, Mrs Ngozi Johnson-Chukwunenye, and her supporters into the Labour Party (LP).He said that leadership succession should be based on identifying the most suitable person for the job, rather than perpetuating a “sit-tight” culture.He said&
  
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• N.Korea leader’s sister blasts US drills, threatens ‘more offensive’ response

  18-09-2026 00:26 via vanguardngr.com
  
  The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused the United States of escalating regional tensions through frequent military drills and warned of a “more offensive” response from Pyongyang, according to a statement published by state media Friday.“The present situation, in which new records are set in terms of practical action hostile toward the DPRK, stresses the need to break records in our responsive action, proportional or more offensive in its nature,”
  
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• Toyin Abraham rejects inclusion in Lagos APC campaign council

  18-09-2026 00:12 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Actress Toyin Abraham has denied her inclusion in the All Progressives Congress Lagos State Campaign Council’s Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate.The movie star urged the public in an Instagram Story post Thursday to disregard reports suggesting her inclusion in the council.“I’m not a member of any campaign council. I have said it recently. I am staying out of politics. Please disregard the supposed inclusion of my name in any campaign committee,” she wrote.A
  
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• Lagos 2027: Egunjobi, Ninolowo dump APC for APM

  17-09-2026 23:55 via vanguardngr.com
  
  By Ebunoluwa SessouTwo politicians who were aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Lagos State House of Assembly have defected to the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, following changes to the APC’s candidate list for the Agege constituencies I and II.The affected politicians are former Agege Local Government Chairman, Kola Egunjobi, who is seeking the Agege Constituency I seat, and Azeez Yusuf, popularly known as Ninolowo, who is contesting for Agege Constit
  
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• EFL: Samba stars on debut as Man City thrash Norwich 5-0

  17-09-2026 23:49 via vanguardngr.com
  
  Floyd Samba enjoyed a dream Manchester City debut as the 17-year-old struck twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich to set up a League Cup last 16 meeting against Brighton.Samba was one of 10 changes Enzo Maresca made to the side that won a dramatic derby against Manchester United with 10 men on Sunday and the 17-year-old made his case for more minutes going forward.“To get a debut like that is mind blowing. I couldn’t believe it myself,” said Samba, the son of former Blackburn an
  
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