T he Federal Ministry of Education has made the authentication and evaluation of academic credentials fully digital. The service is now available only online.   Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, announced the change in a statement on Thursday. She said the move supports the government’s plan to digitise public services.   The goal is to manage data better, protect the integrity of school records, and improve how the ministry serves the public.   With the new system, applicants must register on the ministry’s verification portal at http://essverify.education.gov.ng and upload their documents. They must also ask their schools to send transcripts directly from an official school email address to ess1@education.gov.ng .   People no longer need to visit ministry offices for physical checks.   Officials say the automated platform will make the process simpler, shorten wait times, and boost trust in academic verificatio...

MTN Nigeria has temporarily stopped its Xtratime service. The service lets prepaid customers borrow airtime or data and pay back on their next recharge.   The company announced the move in a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited on Thursday. Company Secretary Uto Ukpanah signed the statement.   MTN said the suspension is to meet new rules from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The FCCPC released the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025. These rules add new licensing and compliance steps for companies that offer digital credit.   Because Xtratime is a form of short-term credit, it falls under the new framework. MTN said it is pausing the service while it works through the approval process.   Customers can still buy airtime and data through other channels like bank apps, USSD, and vendors. MTN said the pause will not hurt its finances in a major way.   “We do not exp...

T he Nigeria Revenue Service has announced plans to launch Rev360, a new digital platform designed to improve tax administration across the country. The platform will become operational on April 30, 2026. The Service described Rev360 as the start of “Tax Administration 3.0,” a phase that will replace disconnected procedures with a unified and automated system. The goal is to make tax-related activities easier for individuals and businesses while strengthening transparency in the process. Rev360 builds on earlier digital tools such as TaxPro Max but introduces complete automation and real-time reporting. By integrating tax functions into systems already used by taxpayers, the NRS expects to reduce the need for in-person visits to tax offices, shorten processing times for returns and payments, and support better decision-making through data analysis. To ensure stability during the transition, the NRS will implement the platform in phases. After a successful pilot exercise, the first cate...

G rief has affected the Orosikiri community in Bonny Island, Rivers State, after a resident identified as Favour Amos drowned on Thursday. Witnesses stated that the incident occurred shortly after he allegedly consumed a dangerous synthetic substance commonly referred to as ‘Colos’ by youths. According to individuals present at the scene, Amos became disoriented after ingesting the substance and entered the nearby river. His absence was not noticed immediately, and his body was later recovered from the shore by community members and emergency responders. Footage from the location shows Amos lying on the sand while a crowd gathers around him. A narrator in the recording stated that Amos entered the water at Orosikiri after using the substance. The narrator also noted that youths in the community have been repeatedly cautioned against the use of such drugs. It was further stated that no one pursued him and that he was a victim of the substance. The substance, known locally as Colos, is a...