Blast Naija Media

  Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard.  As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.   Exactly 64 years ago, our founding fathers chose democracy as a form of government and launched the dream of a great country that would lead the rest of Africa out of poverty, ignorance, and underdevelopment, a beacon of hope to the rest of Africa and the world.  Over six decades later, we can look back, and Nigerians worldwide can see how well we have succeeded in realising the lofty dreams of...

  Justin Timberlake had his driving licence suspended in the state of New York, as he pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving while intoxicated. The pop star was arrested 18 June for going through a stop sign and failing to stay on the right side of the road. Timberlake, 43, appeared virtually from Europe where he is on tour as he was formally charged with the crime in Sag Harbor, New York. Sag Harbor Village Justice Justice Carl Irace suspended Timberlake's driving licence for an undetermined period, as is standard after a DWI arrest. Timberlake's lawyer has denied he was under the influence at the wheel and says the charges should be dismissed. On Friday, Timberlake wore a black-collared shirt and spoke twice during the virtual court hearing, answering "yes" to questions from the judge. He was appearing from Germany, where he is preparing to perform in Antwerp, Belgium, this weekend. The 10-time Grammy winner missed his first court hearing last week because of his...

  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will make a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 7 a.m. The broadcast is part of activities to commemorate the 64th Independence Anniversary of the nation. Television, radio stations and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria for the broadcast.

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has on Thursday, inaugurated the 17 Local Government Council chairmen and the deputy chairmen elected during the September 21 council elections in the state.  The governor has also charged them to hit the ground running, delivering people-centered projects and programmes in line with their campaign promises. Mbah also directed the new chairmen to relocate to their council areas, as the era when council chairmen lived in townships and far from their people were over. He urged them to key into his government’s Smart Green School, rural infrastructural projects, agriculture, among others, to fight crime and create opportunities and brighter future for Enugu children and youth. "I followed your campaign and all that you promised the people. I also heard a lot of you making allusion to our mantra, ‘Tommorrow Is Here’, during the campaign. I will tell you what ‘Tommorrow is here’ speaks to. It speaks to the immediacy of the tasks before us and how we ca...

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria, following her confirmation by the Senate on 25 September 2024. Kekere-Ekun took the oath of office and signed the oath register at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, on Monday.  She succeeds Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who assumed office on 27 June 2022 and bowed out on 22 August 2024, upon attaining the retirement age of 70 years. Monday’s ceremony was witnessed by three of Kekere-Ekun’s predecessors, including the first female CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and her predecessor, Justice Ariwoola. Also in the Chambers were members of her family as well as the other justices of the Supreme Court. Kekere-Ekun is taking the oath of office for the second time in five weeks. On 23 August, before her confirmation by the Senate, Tinubu swore her into office in an acting capacity.

Yiaga Africa, one of the accredited observers of Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Edo State, has said the poll failed integrity test, as there was widespread manipulation of results. This is contained in the post-election statement of the organisation on the governorship election, co-signed by Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2024 Edo Election Mission, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa. Yiaga Africa said it deployed the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology for the election, involving 300 stationary and 25 roving observers, covering a representative sample of polling units (PUs) across all 18 LGAs, and found lapses. “The PRVT enables Yiaga Africa to independently assess the quality of Election Day processes and verify the accuracy of the official election results as announced by INEC. Yiaga Africa observers also deployed to the State and LGA results collation centers to observe the process, ensuring timely and accura...

  The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has called for collective support from the international community to help Africa tackle regional challenges on financing implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tuggar made the call in his address at the UN General Assembly Summit of the future that started from Sept. 22 to 23, 2024 in New York. He commended most of the global South for significant support toward implementation of the SDGs 2030-Agenda, saying it is imperative to adopt measures to tackle challenges impeding development. Tuggar said, “This is especially important in Africa, where economies are most vulnerable due to historical imbalances in the international multilateral system. “The SDG Index estimates that only about 16 per cent of SDG targets are on track to be achieved. We must, therefore, ensure today’s adoption of Pact for the Future is backed by willingness to fulfil outstanding commitments. “With the remaining 84 per cent of the...

  Media reports today that a former Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello is in the holding facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is incorrect.   In a statement issued by  Head,  Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, t he Commission debunked the claim that Bello is in its custody.    The statement noted that Bello, already declared wanted by the Commission for alleged N80.2billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest.    

  Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson, has announced an indefinite leave of absence to attend to pressing medical matters affecting his immediate family. In a statement he posted on his general communication WhatsApp platform on Saturday, Ngelale revealed that he submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff on Friday, informing of thedecision to pause his functions, including his roles as Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen. Ngelale explained that the decision was after consultations with his family due to a worsening medical situation at home. He expressed hope to return to full-time national service when circumstances permit. He, however, requested privacy for his family during the challenging time. The leave of absence takes effect immediately, with no specified date for his return. “On Friday, I submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the ...

The Director General, South East Governors’ Forum, Senator Uche Ekwunife has called for establishment of the United States of America, USA VISA processing centre in South East. Senator Ekwunife further called for more positive consideration of a system to improve the profiling of US visa applicants from the region to ensure that genuine applicants are not denied entry. Speaking during a meeting with the US political Officer, Sophia Skupien, Ekwunife solicited for speedy establishment of US visa processing centre in the Southeast to alleviate the burden of long distance and other bottlenecks the people of the region face in search of visa. Senator Ekwunife further highlighted an upcoming security conference designed to raise awareness and encourage citizens’ participation in security, which she identified as a critical component that is currently lacking in the region’s security framework. “We are facing an unconventional war; the identification of these elements by security operatives ...