Blast Naija Media

...Lauds Council Chairmen for Plan to End Open Defecation in 17 LGAs by December 2025. ...Hails Governor Mbah for Exampleraly Leadership.  Amb. Mrs. Amaka Nweke JP, a prominent member of the Committee on Human Capital Development for Enugu East Local Government Area, has expressed her strong commendation for the remarkable empowerment initiatives led by the Chairman of Enugu East LGA, Engr. Pastor Beloved-Dan Obi Anike. In a statement to newsmen, Amb. Nweke praised Engr. Anike for his leadership in launching a series of impactful empowerment programs that have significantly improved the lives of many in the community. Through his efforts, numerous individuals, particularly women, youth, and marginalized groups, have benefited from skill acquisition programs, small business grants, and other forms of capacity building. These initiatives, she noted, were in direct alignment with the goals of Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah's administration to foster human capital development in the ...

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has visited Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain, while in the Kingdom he engaged in bilateral discussions with his Bahraini counterpart, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.  The meeting focused on strengthening diplomatic relations, facilitating foreign direct investment from Bahrain, enhancing trade and investment opportunities, and fostering cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, with particular emphasis on onshore projects and the development of the 8th train LNG.  The ministers also deliberated on the training of Nigerian diplomats and collaboration within multilateral forums. Both ministers signed a Joint Communiqué, officially establishing diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Bahrain. This agreement marks a significant milestone in fostering closer ties and mutual cooperation between the two nations. In a statement issued by Special Assistant on Media and Communicati...

  National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdulahi Umar Ganduje, has promised that the party will connect Anambra state to the centre of Nigeria's government in November. He said that states in the southeast zone of the country need no longer miss out in the governamce of the country. According to him, the easiest way for the region to reconnect with the centre was to embrace the party. Ganduje stated these in Awka, Saturday, during the commissioning of the state secretariat of the party. The secretariat was procured, equipped, and furnished by two governorship aspirants of the party, including Prof. Obiora Okonkwo. This is coming as Prof. Okonkwo, who is the frontline aspirant of the party, pledged to win the state governorship seat for the party in the November 8 election if given the ticket. Ganduje,  who addressed the party faithful, described the Igbo as the most nationalistic tribe in Nigeria, adding that there was a need for them to connect to the centr...

Members of a neighbourhood watch operating on Ngwa Road by the Old Court in Aba, the Abia State commercial nerve centre, have apprehended a man in his 20s about to vandalize the Aba Power power distribution infrastructure in the locality. The man, Uchenna Iroha, was arrested when he was to start stealing the 500kva distribution transformer in the area without knowing that eagle-eyed security men had been monitoring him, according to Engr Ken Agu, the Chief Security officer of the Geometric Power group, the owner of the Aba Power Electric Company. “Uchenna, an indigene of the Ohuhu community in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, has for some time been suspected of involvement in the vandalism against the distribution transformer on two previous occasions in recent times”, explained Edise Ekong, the Aba Power Brand and Communications Manager, in a statement. Efforts are being made to find out if the suspect is a lone wolf or has been working in concert with other vandals, noted Ekong, quot...

In a bid to enhance Nigeria’s electoral integrity, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has renewed calls for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal.  He made this appeal during the first Regular Quarterly Consultative Meeting with the Media in 2025, held at the INEC Headquarters, Abuja on February 7, 2025. Prof. Yakubu emphasized that while electoral processes have witnessed improvements, the prosecution of electoral offenders remains a critical challenge. “A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals. Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed. No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases,” he lamented. This has led to cases lingering ...

  The International Criminal Court (ICC) has vowed to continue its judicial work after US President Donald Trump signed an order to impose sanctions on its staff. The ICC said it "stands firmly" by its personnel and the order seeks to harm its "independent and impartial" work. Trump's order accuses it of "illegitimate and baseless actions", after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies. The ICC also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander. The ICC is a global court, although the US and Israel are not members, with the power to bring prosecutions for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. In its statement, it said: "The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an executive order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work." It added it stood by its personnel, pledging "to continue provid...

The Federal Government has announced plans to scrap all Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools in the country and introduce a compulsory 12-year uninterrupted basic education model after which a Nigerian child can aspire to higher education.  With this development, the Nigerian Government is seeking the abolition of 6-3-3-4 education system and replacing it with 12-4.  This is even as it has sought the approval of the National Council on Education to officially adopt 16 years as the minimum entry age requirement into the country’s tertiary institutions. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, revealed this on Thursday in Abuja during the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education meeting.  The NCE remains the highest policy-making body in the education sector.  The event was graced by commissioners for education in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), agencies and parastatals under the Ministry, and development partners. Ac...

  In consistent with its quest in leveraging technology to enhance its operations and improve customer experience, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) has introduced a self-service application known as “EEDC BOT” The application, which is currently targeted at prepaid customers streamlines access to essential functions while providing instant support through the social media platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, thereby revolutionising the way customers interact with the company. “EEDC BOT” will significantly speed up responses to common requests and queries by customers through two primary channels (Facebook and WhatsApp). According to Emeka Ezeh, Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, to further ensure a good customer experience, a dedicated Facebook page has been created for this purpose and customers can now interact with EEDC through this platform. "In addition, a dedicated phone number has been provided for WhatsApp, enabling customers to access EEDC via...

  Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf M. Tuggar, has arrived in Kuwait for a landmark working visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between Nigeria and the Gulf nation.  According to the Special Assistant on Media and Communications,  Strategy to Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the visit, which runs from 5th to 8th February 2025, marks the first time a Nigerian Foreign Minister has visited Kuwait since the establishment of diplomatic relations 55 years ago, on 31st January 1970. During the visit, Ambassador Tuggar will engage in strategic discussions with his Kuwaiti counterpart, H.E. Ambassador Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, and sign key bilateral Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). The visit will also include high-level meetings with His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister of Kuwait, and a courtesy call on His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait. Am...

 ...Ends Multiple Taxation.  ...Enugu Inland Revenue Service becomes autonomous.  Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has signed into law the bill to create a one-stop shop for tax collection and administration in Enugu State, thereby ending multiple taxation. Entitled the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (Establishment and Consolidation of Revenue Administration) Law, 2025, the new legislation also makes the revenue collection agency autonomous and free of bureaucratic encumbrances. Speaking at the short bill signing ceremony at Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday, Mbah described the law as a milestone in his administration’s quest to enable the Ease of Doing business and make the state the premier destination for investment. “I recall several times that I have engaged the business community, the organised private sector, and the market women. They have always complained about multiple taxation. People coming from everywhere with different types of government receipts...

The Federal Government has officially commenced collecting toll fees on the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi highway. This initiative was launched during the commissioning of the Garaku Toll Station, located at KM 32 on the Keffi-Akwanga section of the highway, by the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi. The move aims to recover the $460.8 million invested in the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road project. This toll collection follows a loan of $460.8 million from China Eximbank, which was provided for the road project. The project is designed to enhance infrastructure and improve transportation along this vital corridor. The toll system uses a cashless payment method and offers significant subsidies for commercial vehicles while allowing free passage for motorbikes and bicycles.

Senator Kelvin Chukwu representing Enugu East Senatorial Zone at the National Assembly has denied the fake resignation letter circulating in the media, falsely claiming that he has resigned from the Labour Party.  The Sanator described it as a deliberate act of misinformation aimed at misleading the public and causing unnecessary confusion. In a reply statement issued by the Senator's  Chief of Staff, Honorable Eneh Victor, the Senator insisted that the letter is fake in its entirety.  "It did not meet the standard of what can emanate from the stable of Senator Kelvin Chukwu. It is a handiwork of mischief makers and enemies of the senator who are threatened by his towering posture and audacious performance." "We categorically deny the authenticity of this letter and affirm that Senator Kelvin Chukwu remains a committed and active member of the Labour Party. This is yet another example of desperate political propaganda intended to undermine his position and create dis...

A self-described “ plus-size rapper ” from Detroit has filed a lawsuit against   ride-share service   Lyft after a driver refused to let her into his car and cancelled her ride. The artist, who performs under the  moniker Dank Demoss , believes she was  illegally discriminated  against due to her weight, as footage shared by the rapper ahead of the suit shows her attempting to enter the vehicle, but being given multiple reasons by the driver as to why she couldn’t. The driver cited the size of his vehicle and the wear on his car’s tires as reasons he had to refuse the ride, apologizing for the inconvenience and advising Demoss to order a larger vehicle next time around. Demoss, born Dajua Blanding, spoke to  FOX 2 Detroit  about the incident, telling reporter Jessica Dupnack that she’s ridden in cars “smaller than” the one in question. “I just want them to know, like, it really hurt my feelings,” Demoss told Dupnack, adding that she took...

  The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike , says the party is actually begging the immediate past gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party and her former member, Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, to come back. Speaking during the Freedom Square Live radio programme held on Saturday at Solid 100.9 FM Enugu, Dr. Chukwunweike stated that after the inauguration of the party’s grassroots leadership, it was necessary to get back her members who left due to anger or irreconcilable differences at that time. He stated that Governor Peter Ndubisi Mbah had instructed that such moves start with an open mind, also talking to those who would want to speak and see him, adding that more leaders would be met as time goes on.   According to him, “We are actually begging Chijioke Edeoga to come back.”   “We have the authorisation of the governor to go, see, and talk to anybody we feel should come back. He told us that such a person can also see him...