T he National Population Commission has discontinued manual registration of births and deaths across Nigeria, warning that certificates issued outside its new digital platform will no longer be recognized.  According to information from Vanguard Newspaper, the Commission said its Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, E-CRVS, platform, which went live on July 1, 2026, is now the sole approved channel for recording births and deaths in the country. Speaking in Umuahia on Monday during events to mark the 2026 World Population Day, the Federal Commissioner representing Abia State, Rev. Emma Trumps Eke, said the shift to a fully digital system was aimed at ending fraud and providing government with real-time data for planning.  “Anybody giving you manual registration is leading you into trouble. We have stopped everything about manual registration. From now on, every registration must be digital and captured in real time,” he warned. He added that any NPC official fou...

N igeria’s Super Falcons can finally breathe easy.  Authorities in Casablanca have arrested a suspect in connection with the theft that hit members of the national women’s team during their stay in Morocco. The incident occurred on the final day of the Falcons’ training camp in Casablanca, just before the squad departed for Rabat to begin their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations journey. Several players returned to their hotel rooms to discover cash was missing. Altogether, $1,220 was reported gone. The breakdown: $700 from one player, $200 from the captain, and $100, $100 and $120 from three others. Beyond the loss, the players said their complaints to hotel management were not taken seriously. The frustration grew when one player spoke out online and was met with racist attacks from some social media users. There is now progress. Officials confirmed a suspect has been taken into custody and has admitted to the crime. The money will be given back to the players, and legal proceedi...

F ormer Vice President and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is asking the Federal Government tough questions about money. Speaking through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, on Sunday, Atiku said the government should explain what it has done with an estimated ₦7.98tn in extra oil earnings, even as it keeps borrowing heavily at home. He noted that between January and June 2026, the government raised about ₦5tn from domestic bonds. That is almost 80 percent of what it borrowed in the same period last year. To Atiku, that level of borrowing only makes sense when revenue is down, not when oil prices are up. The 2026 budget was built on crude selling at $64.84 per barrel from March 1 to July 14. But Nigerian oil has been selling higher. Atiku’s team calculated that the gap added $42.7m every day for 135 days. That comes to $5.76bn, or about ₦7.98tn in additional income. “Why is a government swimming in extra oil money borrowing almost twice as fast as last year, like we are in a crisi...

F or the first time ever, the gates of Computer Village stayed shut for a full week.  Instead of the usual rush of customers and sales on Otigba Street, Ikeja, shop owners stood outside on Saturday and Sunday talking in small groups. Phones, laptops, and accessories were locked inside. The reason: a disagreement with the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, that has now affected hundreds of thousands of people. How it started According to The Guardian , the crisis began last Wednesday when LIRS officials sealed several plazas. The agency said some market leaders failed to honour a tax payment agreement. But the Coalition of Associations in Computer Village, Ikeja CACOVI which represents more than 50 associations and plaza heads, disagrees.  CACOVI President, Timi Famoroti, said traders have been paying rising taxes for years, with many now paying ₦50,100. He alleged that despite an earlier agreement, LIRS later demanded three years of unpaid taxes. Because of that, enti...