T he Cross River State Government has confirmed a new case of COVID-19, the first recorded in the state since 2022. State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Ayuk, announced the case on Tuesday during a press briefing in Calabar. He said the patient is a Chinese national who works with Lafarge. The man arrived in Nigeria from China on March 17 and fell ill weeks later. According to Dr Ayuk, the patient’s condition worsened at his company’s clinic before he was moved to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Samples were taken and tested following standard protocol. Results confirmed he had COVID-19. Officials say he is now responding to treatment and “doing well.” The Health Ministry said it is ready to handle the situation. “There is no cause for alarm,” Dr Ayuk stated. “The state has improved its surveillance and outbreak response systems. We will contain this.” Contact tracing has already started. The state epidemiologist noted that the Chinese national only showed symptoms on A...

O n Monday, retired police officers and their families blocked Gate 8 of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. They want President Tinubu to sign the Police Exit Bill. The bill would remove the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme. The National Assembly passed it in December 2025 and sent it to the President in March 2026. He has not signed it. Protest leader CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd.) said retirees live in poverty under the CPS, with many retiring sick or with bullet wounds. He warned they would use their votes against Tinubu if the bill stalls. The group said the military, SSS, and other agencies have already left the CPS, but the police remain. A letter they submitted showed an Inspector gets only N1m lump sum and N20,000 monthly. A wife of a retiree said her husband gets N30,000 monthly after 35 years of service. The retirees threatened an indefinite nationwide protest if Tinubu doesn’t act. They held a similar protest in September 2025. Background Reporting: Punch Newspapers

T he Council of Legal Education has announced the results of the December 2025 Bar Final Examination, with 79.1 percent of the 7,602 candidates who sat for the exam recording a pass. The notice was signed and issued on April 20, 2026, by the Secretary to the Council and Director of Administration of the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja. A breakdown of the results shows that 212 candidates obtained First Class honours. Another 1,216 candidates earned Second Class Upper division, while 2,961 candidates were awarded Second Class Lower division. A total of 1,622 candidates received a Pass. The Council also stated that 314 candidates had a Conditional Pass. In addition, 1,067 candidates failed the examination, and 210 candidates were absent. Information on the screening process and the schedule for the Call to the Bar ceremony will be sent to candidates through their individual portals on the Nigerian Law School website, the Council said. It noted that the released figures reflect the pe...

T he Ondo State Police Command has confirmed the death of a middle-aged woman, Oluwasola Victoria Adebayo, who collapsed on Monday at a JAMB examination centre in Ilara-Mokin, Ifedore Local Government Area. Mrs Adebayo slumped while accompanying her daughter to write the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Police spokesperson Jimoh Abayomi disclosed the incident in a short statement issued in Akure. He said the Command received a report of the death and immediately deployed officers to the examination centre in Ilara-Mokin. According to Abayomi, Mrs Adebayo was waiting with her daughter when she suddenly collapsed. The police added that the remains of the deceased have been released to her son, Apapa Olamilekan, who identified himself at the scene as an officer of the Nigeria Legion, Akure. “The family of the deceased has since been contacted and upon thorough checks, the remains have been released to one Mr Apapa Olamilekan, who identified himself as her son and an...

T he Lagos State Government will restart its monthly environmental sanitation exercise on Saturday, April 25, 2026, nearly a decade after the programme was suspended. The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) confirmed the return of the exercise on Monday through a statement on its official X account. The agency said the statewide clean-up will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. During the two-hour period, residents are expected to clean their homes and surroundings and dispose of waste properly. LAWMA said the effort is aimed at improving hygiene across the state. “Monthly sanitation exercise commences on Saturday 25th April from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. across the state,” the statement read. “This is a reminder that sanitation is everyone’s responsibility. Residents are encouraged to clean their surroundings, dispose waste properly, and support efforts to keep our environment clean and safe. Together, we can achieve a cleaner and more livable Lagos.” The return of the exercise w...

N igerian wrestling star Oba Femi says his journey from Lagos to World Wrestling Entertainment was never planned, but every step was intentional. The 27-year-old, born Isaac Odugbesan, spoke about his rise in an exclusive chat with Larry Madowo on CNN’s African Voices Playmakers. Once a shot put champion studying Visual Arts in Lagos, he earned a scholarship to the University of Alabama after dominating track and field. “I had dreams of the World Championships and the Olympics,” Odugbesan said. “I chased those goals and did well in everything I tried.” Wrestling came by surprise. WWE reached out through an Instagram message. He had no wrestling background, but his size, power, and throwing videos caught their eye. “They saw the package,” he said. “When they asked if I wanted to try wrestling, I said yes. The rest is history.” His ring name, Oba Femi, is rooted in Yoruba. “Oba” means king, and “Femi” means loves me. Put together, it means “the King loves me.” For him, the name is more t...

T he Lagos State Government has launched a new cybersecurity guide to improve digital safety for businesses, public offices, and residents across the state, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, announced via X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, April 19th, 2026. The move comes as Lagos continues to grow as Africa’s fastest tech hub, with thousands of companies now operating online. But that growth has also raised the state’s risk of cyber attacks. Recent figures from the National Information Technology Development Agency show Nigeria loses over $500 million, about ₦250 billion, to cybercrime every year. The state government says this makes a stronger, joint approach to digital security urgent. The new guide is meant to help Lagos keep its “SMART City” status while protecting its systems and people from rising online threats. Government officials explained that the document is not a strict law but a practical toolkit. It gives small businesses, large companies, and gove...

T he Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has published the results of candidates who took the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, 2026. The update was shared on Sunday in Abuja in a statement signed by the board’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin. So far, JAMB has made public the results of 1,897,692 candidates since the exam started on April 16, 2026. The board noted that 632,752 results were first released on Friday evening for candidates who wrote the exam on Thursday, April 16, 2026. The new batch covers 1,264,940 candidates who sat for the exam on April 17 and April 18. Those results are now available. Candidates can check their scores by texting 'UTMERESULT' to 55019 or 66019. They must use the phone number they provided during 2026 UTME registration. In summary, the released results include 632,752 from Thursday, April 16, and 1,264,940 from Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18. That brings ...

T he National Universities Commission (NUC) will re-examine the policy that stops graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) from taking part in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). NUC Executive Secretary Abdullahi Ribadu announced the plan after the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, raised concerns about the rule. The Oba, who also serves as NOUN’s chancellor, described the exclusion as unfair to the university’s graduates. According to NAN, the traditional ruler called for a policy review to allow qualified NOUN graduates to serve. He noted that the current ban puts them at a disadvantage compared to other university graduates. Responding to the issue, Ribadu said the NUC will hold talks with NYSC management to look at the mobilisation guidelines again. “I have heard the chancellor’s concerns about NOUN graduates not being mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps,” Ribadu said. He added: “I want to assure you that at NUC, we will engage with NYSC to see what policy...

T he Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has denied reports that it banned airtime borrowing and data advance services across Nigeria, calling the story false and blaming “vested interests” for spreading it. In a statement issued on Friday, April 17, 2026, the FCCPC said it did not order a stop to the services. Instead, it blamed telecom companies that failed to follow new consumer protection rules meant to stop unfair lending practices. The Commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, said the problem started with the DEON Consumer Lending Regulations introduced in July 2025. The rules came after many complaints from customers about hidden charges, harsh debt collection, poor explanation of terms, and lack of accountability by third-party service providers. He said the regulations were made to check abusive service providers and make sure digital lending is open and fair. Telecom operators were first given 90 days in 2025 to update their products and c...

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...

T he Lagos State Government plans to add more fire stations across the state to improve public safety. This comes after a new fire station was opened as part of recent projects launched to boost development and protect residents. In a statement, the state government said the projects were unveiled during a two-day event held from April 8 to April 9, 2026, under Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. Godswill Akpabio carried out the commissioning on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. One major project is the Tolu School Complex in Olodi Apapa, Ajegunle, within Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area. The complex has 36 schools, a modern fire station, and a stadium with 19 small football pitches. Officials say adding a fire station to the complex shows the government’s plan to save lives, protect property, and support local communities. A multi-agency complex named after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was also opened at the event. The centre is expected to help emergency teams and other pu...