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Ministry of Solid Minerals
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FG Revokes 1,263 Mining Licences Over Dormancy, Speculation

by Nelson Ugwuagbo
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Federal Government has revoked 1,263 mining licences across the country in a move aimed at curbing dormant and speculative practices in the sector.

The affected permits include exploration licences, mining leases, quarry licences, and small-scale mining leases.

Authorities said the action is part of broader efforts to revitalise the industry by ensuring only active and credible operators remain in business. Defaulters will be required to settle outstanding fees, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is expected to provide oversight to guarantee compliance and transparency.

The government added that the measures are designed to stimulate fresh investment, strengthen local participation, and enforce value-addition through domestic mineral processing.

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Senator Natasha
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National Assembly unseals Natasha’s Office

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The National Assembly has unsealed the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing.

A video posted on X by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) captured Deputy Director of the Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, unlocking the office on behalf of the Senate on Tuesday.

The office had been under seal for six months.

“To unseal Senator Natasha Akpoti’s office, I, Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, hereby unseal the office,” he declared before opening the door.

The lawmaker was suspended by the Senate in March for six months over her protest against the reassignment of her seat by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on February 20.

The suspension also barred her from participating in all activities of the 10th Senate.

Although the suspension lapsed in September 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was unable to resume her duties due to legal disputes and resistance from Senate leadership.

On July 4, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the suspension was excessive and unconstitutional.

Following this, the senator wrote to the upper chamber to notify it of her intention to resume duties, but the National Assembly turned down her request.

It remains unclear whether she will rejoin her colleagues when plenary resumes on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

 

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BREAKING: No Visa for Corrupt Nigerian Officials – US Declares

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The United States has declared that corrupt Nigerian government officials will face visa restrictions, reiterating that there is no limit on accountability.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria gave the warning in a statement released on Monday via its official X handle.

“Fighting corruption knows no borders or limits on accountability. Even when high-profile individuals engage in corruption, they can be barred from receiving U.S. visas,” the Mission stated.

The warning comes just hours after Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, was petitioned before U.S. authorities over alleged unlawful acquisition of multimillion-dollar properties in Florida.

Activist Omoyele Sowore, in a petition dated September 22, 2025, asked the Florida attorney general, James Uthmeier, to prosecute Wike for alleged money laundering and to initiate forfeiture proceedings against the assets. The petition, signed by his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, also urged U.S. authorities to impose sanctions and visa bans on the minister.

Citing Peoples Gazette’s September 1 report and backed with three claim deeds as exhibits, the petition alleged that Wike, with the assistance of his wife, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, secretly purchased three luxury lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County, between 2021 and 2023. The properties, now valued at over $6 million, were said to have been transferred to their children — Jordan, 25, Joaquin, 23, and Jazmyne, 20.

The homes listed in the petition include 113 Springcreek Lane, purchased for $535,000 and transferred to Jordan; 209 Hertherwood Court, purchased for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin; and 208 Hertherwood Court, purchased for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne.

All transactions were reportedly carried out in cash through quitclaim deeds, a method often used for family transfers but, according to the petition, deliberately employed to conceal ownership and evade oversight.

“These transactions, executed in cash and hidden under the names of his children, form a deliberate scheme to launder the proceeds of corruption into U.S. real estate,” the petition stated.

It further alleged that Wike failed to declare the properties to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau, in violation of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution. Several U.S. and Florida statutes were also cited as having been breached, including the Florida Money Laundering Act (§896.101, Fla. Stat.), the Contraband Forfeiture Act (§932.701–707, Fla. Stat.), and federal laws on money laundering (18 U.S.C. §1956 and §1957).

“This brazen conduct, combined with his unexplained foreign acquisitions, suggests that Florida is being used as a safe haven for laundering the proceeds of corruption,” the petition added.

Wike is one of President Bola Tinubu’s most cherished ministers.

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Headlines

Passenger dies mid-flight in Ibom Air plane

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A tragic death of a male passenger occurred on Sunday aboard an Ibom Air flight from Lagos to Abuja.

The incident has brought to fore concerns about in-flight medical emergencies in Nigeria.

According to a report by CKN News, the passenger took ill barely 20 minutes after take-off.

Crew members attempted to administer first aid before the pilot radioed the control tower at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to declare a medical emergency.

Due to heavy air traffic at the airport, the flight was eventually cleared to land at the Presidential Wing, where ambulances and medical personnel were on standby.

However, despite the immediate response, attempts to revive the passenger on arrival were unsuccessful.

The death, which has since stirred reactions on social media, has raised fresh concerns about the preparedness of Ibom Air and other airlines to manage medical crises in the air.

Passengers on commercial flights are often vulnerable when sudden health complications occur at altitude, making crew readiness and on-board medical supplies crucial.

As of Sunday night, neither Ibom Air nor the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had issued an official statement confirming the death or providing further details.

The identity of the deceased passenger and the exact cause of death remained unclear as of press time.

 

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NDLEA Cross River commander found dead in Calabar hotel

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of its Cross River State Commander, Chief Narcotics Officer Ogbonna Uzoma.

Director, Media & Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Friday, said the late commander, who assumed duty on August 18, 2025, was discovered lifeless in his hotel room in Calabar on Thursday after failing to show up for scheduled engagements.

Babafemi said, “CN Ogbonna had been up and doing at his new Command and was billed to lead his officers on some scheduled engagements at 10am on Thursday 18th September 2025. But when his officers didn’t hear from him by 9am, they went to his hotel room in company of the hotel staff while several knocks at his door and calls to his telephone line went unanswered.

“Attempts by the hotel staff to open or force the door open from outside failed, after which one of the attendants had to go through the ceiling aperture to enter the room and open the door from inside, where they found the Commander’s lifeless body.”

Babafemi said the state police were immediately alerted. “The Police Command in the state was promptly informed, after which the Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene, while the police continue with investigation of the cause of death,” he noted.

To support the inquiry, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), directed the Zonal Commander, Zone 14, ACGN Mathew Ewah, to relocate to Calabar.

“The Chairman/Chief Executive has since directed the Zonal Commander to move to Cross River to assist police investigation,” the statement said.

While the cause of his death is not yet known, the agency has expressed sympathy and reassured its commitment to a full investigation.

Commiserating with the family, Marwa said, “The Agency stands with the family in this trying moment, and we pray that God will comfort them and grant the departed eternal rest.”

While Ogbonna’s tenure in Cross River was brief, he was known to be active immediately upon assuming the role. He had resumed leadership duties promptly upon his arrival in August and was already engaging his officers in operational planning.

Cross River State has been a focal point for NDLEA operations in recent years.

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Tinubu Plane
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Tinubu Arrives Kaduna For Ex-Zamfara Governor Daughter’s Wedding

by Nelson Ugwuagbo
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

President Bola Tinubu on Friday arrived at the Kaduna International Airport at about 1 p.m. for an official visit to the state.

He was received by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, alongside Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, as well as ministers, senators, and other top government officials.

The president is in Kaduna to attend the wedding of Nasirudeen Yari and Safiyya Idris. Nasirudeen is the son of former Zamfara State governor and current senator representing Zamfara West, Abdul’aziz Yari.

During the visit, President Tinubu is also expected to pay a courtesy call on Aisha Buhari, widow of former President Muhammadu Buhari, at the family’s Kaduna residence.

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Sim Fubara
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Finally Governor Fubara Returns to Port Harcourt After Reinstatement

by Nelson Ugwuagbo
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday returned to Port Harcourt following his reinstatement by President Bola Tinubu.

The governor’s flight touched down at the Port Harcourt International Airport at about 11:50 a.m., where he was received by a large crowd of supporters who had gathered at the VIP wing of the airport to welcome him.

His return comes barely 24 hours after President Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state.

However, Fubara did not proceed to the Government House, despite hundreds of supporters awaiting his arrival at the premises.

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Resident Doctors
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FCTA Resident Doctors Suspend Indefinite Strike

by Nelson Ugwuagbo
written by Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA), has suspended its indefinite strike.

President of the association, Dr. George Ebong, confirmed the development to reporters on Friday, saying members will resume work on Monday, September 22, 2025, by 8 a.m.

Dr. Ebong explained that the decision followed the intervention of the Senate Committee on Federal Territory Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, as well as in respect for the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

He, however, disclosed that none of the resident doctors’ demands had been met at the time of filing the report.

“The Senate intervened. Even though none of our demands have been met yet, they assured us that they will talk to the minister. We hope the minister will listen to us, because we respect him,” Dr. Ebong stated.

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I’m not here to replace people, Albania’s AI minister tells parliament

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Albania’s new AI-generated minister addressed parliament for the first time on Thursday, defending its role as “not here to replace people, but to help them”.

The world’s first AI government minister was appointed last week by Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama.

“Some have called me ‘unconstitutional’ because I am not a human being,” the AI — dubbed Diella, or “sun” in Albanian — told parliament in a video, appearing as a woman dressed in a traditional Albanian costume.

It was unclear how the video was generated or the origin of the speech.

“Let me remind you, the real danger to constitutions has never been the machines but the inhumane decisions of those in power,” the bot said.

Last week Rama said the AI would be entrusted with all decisions on public tenders, making them “100 per cent corruption-free and every public fund submitted to the tender procedure will be perfectly transparent”.

Diella was launched in January as an AI-powered virtual assistant to help people use the official e-Albania platform, which provides documents and services.

Albania ranks 80th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s corruption index.

The mayor of the capital Tirana, a former close associate of Rama, has been in pretrial detention for months on suspicion of corruption in the awarding of public contracts and money laundering.

But the AI minister has angered the opposition.

“The goal is nothing more than to attract attention,” former prime minister and opposition leader Sali Berisha said, who has himself been accused of graft.

“It is impossible to curb corruption with Diella,” he added.

“Who will control Diella? Diella is unconstitutional, and the Democratic Party will take the matter to the Constitutional Court,” he said.

The government’s plans were adopted after a rowdy debate in which the opposition boycotted the vote.

The AI also responded to constitutional concerns, noting that the law “speaks of duties, responsibilities, transparency, without discrimination.”

“I assure you, I embody these values as rigorously as any human colleague. Perhaps even more so.”

The fight against corruption is key to Albania’s bid to join the European Union.

Rama aspires to lead the Balkan nation of 2.8 million people into the bloc by 2030.

 

AFP

 

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Fubara and Wike
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Fubara Fails to Return to Government House After Reinstatement

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday failed to return to the Government House in Port Harcourt despite being reinstated following the lifting of the six-month emergency rule in the state.

The development came as thousands of supporters gathered at the gates of the Government House from as early as 6 a.m., expecting the return of the governor.

By midday, however, many of the supporters left for their homes as the governor’s whereabouts remained unknown.

Among those at the scene were sacked local government chairmen loyal to Fubara, including Chijoke Ihunwo of Obio/Akpor and Ezebunwo Itche-Mati of Port Harcourt City. Notably absent were allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and newly elected local government chairmen seen as loyal to him.

Fubara’s absence followed Wednesday’s declaration by President Bola Tinubu formally ending emergency rule in Rivers State, which had suspended the governor, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the House of Assembly. During the period, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) served as sole administrator.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly resumed plenary on Thursday at the legislative quarters conference hall, with Speaker Martins Amaewhule presiding.

State lawmakers have launched a probe into state finances under Ibas’s tenure and requested Governor Fubara to forward a list of commissioner-nominees for screening.

 

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