The planned meeting is coming on the heels of Nigeria’s unexpected withdrawal from the World Athletics Relays taking place this weekend in Guangzhou, China. Following Nigeria’s unexpected withdrawal from the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria has broken its silence on the visa controversy that left Team Nigeria unable to travel. In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Yang Jianxing, offered a detailed account of the events and emphasised the embassy’s commitment to resolving the matter amicably. Mr Yang said that the embassy has scheduled a meeting with the National Sports Commission (NSC) to discuss the visa issues that frustrated the delegation’s participation. “Next week, we plan to meet with the staff at the National Sports Commission to talk about this. We want to explain everything we did and make sure such an unfortunate result...

The Federal Government has expressed its commitment to the Abuja (Mararaba)-Keffi Section of the Dual Carriageway,giving the contractor,China Habour Engineering Company Nigeria Limited up till June 2026 to deliver the project. The Minister of State for Works, Bello M. Goronyo, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Olufunsho O. Adebiyi and other officials,gave the date after the inspection of the road in Abuja. Goronyo explained that the project constitutes Section I of the contract, which spans 43.65 kilometres on one side and totals 87.3 kilometres for both carriageways. According to him, this road corridor is a critical segment of the larger Abuja–Lafia-Makurdi-Enugu–Port Harcourt route designed to enhance mobility, reduce travel time, and stimulate economic activities across the FCT, Nasarawa, Benue, Enugu, Abia, Imo and Rivers States. He expressed satisfaction with the current pace of work, having achieved 42 percent completion, reminding the contractor the government remained optimistic that by the June...

Tiwa Savage is gearing towards the release of her fourth studio album. Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Tiwa Savage, stunned fans in London as she joined American R&B star, Usher Raymond, on stage at the iconic O2 Arena as a special guest, delivering a performance that lit up the night and fueled speculation about a possible collaboration. During Usher’s ongoing sixth tour stop, “Past Present Future”, at London, O2 Arena, Savage, the ‘Toma Toma’ crooner thrilled fans with her hit single with Brandy, ‘Somebody’s Son’, on Wednesday Tiwa commanded the fans’ cheers in her solo performance, which increased upon Usher’s arrival. Reacting to the performance, the mother of one appreciated Usher in a video she posted on her official TikTok account. “Thank you, @Usher Raymond,” she wrote in the video, which shows her performance in London. Similarly, in a video posted on the 45-year-old Nigerian star’s Instagram account, @tiwasavage, she gave an...

Lisabi: The Uprising, a 2024 Nigerian historical drama, has emerged as one of the leading films at the 2025 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA11) and has secured three major wins in the early stages of the ceremony. The film has already won Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa), Best Makeup, and Best Art Direction, placing it among the top contenders for the night’s biggest winner. Directed by Niyi Akinmolayan and produced by Adebimpe Oyebade and Victoria Akujobi, Lisabi: The Uprising is inspired by the 18th-century Lisabi Rebellion. It follows the story of Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala, a farmer who leads a revolt after the killing of a close friend by the Alaafin of Oyo and his ally. The film is notable for its use of the Yoruba language and its historical context. The film was nominated in ten categories, including Best Indigenous Language Movie (West Africa), Best Art Direction, Best Sound...

The two remaining bills passed are the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024 and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. The Senate, on Thursday, passed the remaining two of the four tax reform bills proposed by President Bola Tinubu. The two remaining bills passed were the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024 and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. The bills were considered after the senators debated them at the Committee of the Whole. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced passage of the bill after a majority of the senators supported it through voice vote. PREMIUM TIMES reports that on Wednesday, the Senate debated and passed two of the tax bills: the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill and the Tax Administration Bill. With the passage of the two remaining bills, the Senate has successfully passed the four tax reform bills proposed by President Tinubu. Recommendations and adoptions Initially, Section 146 of the Nigeria Tax...

National leader of New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said those that defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the opposition would soon pay the price of betrayal. This was as he stated that the NNPP would remain resolutely firm in the face of oppression and hardship confronting the country. The presidential candidate of NNPP in 2023 general election spoke at his Miller road mansion while receiving supporters of the Senator representing Kano South, Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, on solidarity visit. Earlier, one of the leaders of the group Sunusi Hukuma, declared that their loyalty to Kwankwaso remains unshakeable despite the defection of their kinsman Senator Sumaila. The leader of the group vowed to muscle energy against the political ambition of Senator Sumaila, just as he declared readiness to vote the next candidate preferred by Kwankwaso to replace Sumaila.Hukuma, however, distanced his group from those...

Joseph Aloba claims the discovery of his counsel, Wahab Shittu, will reveal more serious things about the Mohbad case Joseph Aloba, the father of the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, Mohbad, debunked the alleged embezzlement of funds donated to seek justice for his son on Thursday. During a recent TikTok live on Thursday, Mr Aloba addressed the allegations that he and his brother embezzled funds donated through a public GoFundMe seeking justice for Mohbad. Mr Aloba firmly denied the accusations, stating the total amount he received. He said, “I, Mohbad’s father, first gave N16 million to the pathologist; I later spent an additional close to N2 million.” “If those I paid could debunk this, then you should not believe me, ” he added. Contrary to the public speculation that he may have received N100 million through the GofundMe campaign, Mr Aloba reiterated that the Access Bank account used for the...

In Nigeria, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) mandates that all public officials, including political appointees and civil servants, disclose their assets and liabilities upon assuming and leaving office. However, compliance with this legal requirement has been low. In this report, GBENGA SALAU interrogates factors leading to non-compliance and its implications for good governance. Established to maintain ethical standards and combat corruption in public office, the Code of Conduct Bureau’s (CCB) primary function is to enforce the code of conduct for public officers, as outlined in the Nigerian constitution. This includes receiving asset declarations from public officers, investigating potential violations, and referring cases to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for adjudication. The constitution requires that all public officials as well as civil servants declare their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and unmarried children under the age of 18 to the CCBs. Despite this legal obligation, compliance rates...

This year, over two million candidates registered for the computer-based examination and over 1.94 million sat the examination held between 24 April and 5 May Candidates who sat the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) can now check their results. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) disclosed this in a notice shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday. The UTME is an annual entrance examination for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. This year, over two million candidates registered for the computer-based examination and over 1.94 million sat the examination held between 24 April and 5 May. JAMB said candidates can check their results by sending “RESULT” followed by their registration number to either 55019 or 66019 via SMS. Poor performance trend In a statistical update earlier released by the Board, JAMB revealed that about 78 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 of...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned the Managing Director of Sunsteel, Olalekan Adewoye, before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over an alleged $680,622.65 fraud. According to a statement released by the EFCC on Friday via its official X handle, Adewoye was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada alongside two companies, Sunlek Investments Limited and Sunsteel Industries Limited.The charges against them involve allegations of stealing and obtaining property by false pretence. One of the charges read, “That you, Olalekan Adewoye, Sunlek Investments Limited and Sunsteel Industries Limited, sometime between 2013 and 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent, stole and converted, for your own use, the aggregate sum of $680,622.65 (Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty-two Dollars Sixty-five Cents), property of Hexagon Im-und Export GmbH & Co KG, a German Company, being the value of construction...