Author: user user

Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that Nigeria has crossed a critical threshold in its economic reforms and is now on the path of sustained growth, urging Nigerians in the diaspora to support the transformation programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Shettima said the administration’s reforms were already producing tangible results, citing the growth of the country’s foreign reserves to more than $55 billion, improvements in the foreign exchange market and a 4.45 per cent expansion of the economy in the last quarter.

The Vice President spoke on Wednesday during an interactive session with Nigerians in the United States at Nigeria House in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

He told the gathering that despite challenges confronting the country, the Tinubu administration was working to reposition the economy, particularly in education, healthcare, science and technology and agriculture, while creating an environment capable of attracting investment.

In a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said, ‘Rest assured that beyond the negative stories that you hear and see in the social media, Nigeria is open for business. We have crossed the Rubicon, and we are on the path of sustained growth’.

He called on Nigerians abroad to play a more active role in the country’s development, describing the diaspora’s knowledge, expertise, and intellectual capital as critical assets in Nigeria’s quest for economic transformation.

According to him, the administration intends to leverage the intellect of Nigerians abroad, which he described as ‘the greatest resource of the future.’

‘Citizens of our country have the capacity and intellect to harness our nation’s potential and take it to greater heights’, the Vice President added.

Shettima said President Tinubu had shown courage in confronting difficult economic problems from the start of his administration, rather than blaming previous governments for the situation he inherited.

‘When President Tinubu assumed office, he did not resort to trading blames and accusing his predecessor for the state of affairs of our nation. Rather, he took decisions that only a leader of courage and conviction would take’, he said.

The Vice President said the administration’s economic measures had helped raise foreign reserves from $3.9 billion to more than $55 billion, alongside improvements in the exchange rate and economic growth.

He maintained that improvements in foreign reserves and the foreign exchange market would better protect diaspora remittances and investments by Nigerians living abroad.

Shettima said the government was determined to redefine modern governance and position Nigeria to take advantage of emerging global economic opportunities, particularly as attention increasingly shifts towards Africa.

‘We are working day and night to reposition the Nigerian nation as investment confidence is returning to Nigeria, and the Dangote Refinery success story is a true manifestation in recent times,’ he said.

The Vice President also highlighted the administration’s interventions in education, saying more than 1.29 million students in tertiary institutions had accessed N125 billion through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund since the programme began.

On insecurity, Shettima acknowledged the challenges confronting the country but said the government was deploying available resources to tackle emerging threats, noting that security challenges were not peculiar to Nigeria.

He appealed to Nigerians, irrespective of their differences, to work towards building a united and prosperous country, insisting that national cohesion remained indispensable to development.

‘Whatever binds us together supersedes whatever divides us as a people’, the Vice President said.

Shettima is in New York representing President Tinubu and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UN General Assembly, where he is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement on Thursday (today).

Nigeria’s engagements at the gathering focus on national interest, reform of global institutions, sustainable development, peace and security, and a more equitable international economic order.

Those at the diaspora engagement included Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, as well as Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.

Also present were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro; Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Chief Dele Alake; and Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.

Others included the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite; Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Bunkure; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim; Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Kayode Are; heads of government agencies and senior officials of Nigeria’s missions in the United States.

Nigeria and its international partners have spearheaded a comprehensive diplomatic push at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

They addressed crucial challenges across education financing, counter-terrorism, migration cooperation, international security, development capital, and global governance reform.

Led by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside key cabinet ministers, the Nigerian delegation emphasised that sustainable development across Africa requires a combination of increased domestic resource mobilisation, fairer access to global capital, and strong multilateral partnerships.

At the centre of these engagements was a major joint effort by Nigeria and Italy to mobilise $5 billion for global education through the Global Partnership for Education.

Co-hosting the Multiply Possibility high-level event, both nations highlighted the initiative as a vital compact for human capital.

Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to viewing education as a strategic economic investment, while Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa called for sustained support for terrorism victims.

Simultaneously, Nigeria advanced migration negotiations with the European Union, pledged to restore its leadership in global peacekeeping, and urged global financial institutions to lower borrowing costs for developing nations.

Concurrently, the Group of Four nations strongly backed Africa’s demand for permanent representation on a reformed UN Security Council.

Nigeria, Italy mobilising $5b for human capital

Nigeria and Italy stepped up efforts to mobilise $5 billion for global education during the Multiply Possibility high-level event held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

In a video message to the gathering, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared that the vision of the Global Partnership for Education aligns with his administration’s drive to expand access to quality education, improve learning outcomes, and build teacher capacity across Nigeria.

Shettima told world leaders that the federal government regards education as a strategic investment in the country’s economic future rather than standard public expenditure.

He outlined several domestic financing initiatives launched since 2023, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, and revealed that the government is channelling recovered Economic and Financial Crimes Commission assets, unclaimed dividends, and dormant funds into education.

Shettima noted that international cooperation, such as the joint HOPE-EDU programme with the World Bank and GPE, will complement these domestic resources to reach 29 million children and 500,000 teachers nationwide.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commended Nigeria’s leadership and announced a pound 50 million pledge from Italy toward GPE programmes.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, GPE Board Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, and education activist Malala Yousafzai also addressed the event, urging international financial institutions and global donors to create fiscal space for developing countries, improve teacher training, and prioritise funding for girls’ education.

Musa seeks long-term support

At the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, Gen. Musa urged the international community to transition from short-term emergency aid to sustained, long-term rehabilitation and reintegration for survivors.

Highlighting that Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for roughly 60 per cent of global terrorism deaths in 2025, Musa stressed that behind the statistics lie displaced families, fractured communities, and destroyed livelihoods requiring coordinated global action.

The Defence Minister detailed Nigeria’s ongoing accountability measures, disclosing that the country secured 865 terrorism-related convictions in 2026 while continuing to prioritise captive liberation, medical care, psychosocial rehabilitation, and community reintegration.

Drawing from domestic experience, Musa proposed a three-point framework for international cooperation focusing on enhanced peer learning, inclusive partnerships involving victims’ associations, and expanded technical support from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.

During an operational visit to the Defence Section of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Gen. Musa reaffirmed President Tinubu’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s active role in international peace and security efforts.

Meeting with Defence Attaché Brig.-Gen. E. A Koleosho, Musa emphasised that revitalising Nigeria’s participation in global peacekeeping operations remains central to promoting regional and international stability.

Gen. Musa commended the military personnel attached to the mission for their professionalism and steadfast dedication to upholding the ideals of both the United Nations and the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Oyedele seeks reform of capital access

At the UN Dialogue on Solutions to Climate Finance, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, called for urgent structural reforms in global financial markets to provide African nations with cheaper, long-term development capital.

Oyedele criticised the high financing costs and currency risks facing African countries, characterising these extra financial burdens as a prejudice premium and stereotype tax that penalise developing economies.

The Finance Minister argued that climate finance must address Africa’s severe energy access gap rather than focusing exclusively on emissions reduction.

He advocated for increased investment in natural gas and other transition energy sources to expand reliable electricity across the continent, noting that a secure African energy sector contributes to global energy stability.

Oyedele maintained that international financing mechanisms must become simpler, more affordable, and better tailored to the economic realities of developing nations.

EU-Nigeria discuss migration, security

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, met with EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, to discuss advancing the long-pending EU-Nigeria Re-Admission Agreement.

First initiated in 2016, the agreement was heavily evaluated during recent bilateral dialogues, with both parties seeking to establish a structured and comprehensive migration framework.

During the meeting, Commissioner Brunner noted that concluding the re-admission agreement would open doors for enhanced legal mobility and talent partnerships, addressing labour shortages in Europe while benefiting Nigerian professionals.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised that any final agreement must include robust reintegration support for returnees, infrastructure development assistance, and expanded legal pathways for young Nigerians.

Both sides expressed intention to finalise these terms during a planned ministerial visit to Abuja in November 2026.

The 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) generated a combined ?5.15 trillion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2025, representing a 40.93 per cent increase from the ?3.65 trillion recorded in 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The figures are contained in the NBS report on Internally Generated Revenue at State Level for 2025.

Lagos State recorded the highest IGR in 2025 with ?1.77 trillion, followed by Rivers State with ?428.42 billion and Enugu State with ?406.77 billion.

The FCT ranked fourth with ?356.34 billion, while Ogun State came fifth with ?252.36 billion.

Here is a list of the 36 states and the FCT by IGR in 2025:

Lagos – ?1.77 trillion

Rivers – ?428.42 billion

Enugu – ?406.77 billion

FCT – ?356.34 billion

Ogun – ?252.36 billion

Delta – ?202.49 billion

Edo – ?132.21 billion

Oyo – ?103.25 billion

Kano – ?102.26 billion

Akwa Ibom – ?100.80 billion

Kwara – ?95.36 billion

Kaduna – ?86.75 billion

Abia – ?70.41 billion

Jigawa – ?66.73 billion

Niger – ?66.37 billion

Katsina – ?64.29 billion

Ondo – ?60.32 billion

Cross River – ?58.64 billion

Ekiti – ?57.09 billion

Anambra – ?57.03 billion

Osun – ?56.84 billion

Bauchi – ?52.79 billion

Bayelsa – ?50.30 billion

Plateau – ?45.10 billion

Gombe – ?43.96 billion

Kogi – ?43.94 billion

Imo – ?43.65 billion

Borno – ?36.36 billion

Adamawa – ?33.76 billion

Nasarawa – ?32.57 billion

Kebbi – ?31.23 billion

Zamfara – ?30.07 billion

Benue – ?29.57 billion

Taraba – ?28.16 billion

Sokoto – ?20.48 billion

Ebonyi – ?17.18 billion

Yobe – ?16.01 billion

Candidates who sat for the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) can now check their results online.

NECO announced the release of the 2026 SSCE results on Thursday, saying 1,371,992 candidates sat for the examination out of the 1,378,048 candidates who registered.

According to the examination body, 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.

NECO also said 1,126,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above, irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.

Follow these simple steps to check your results:

Step 1: Visit the NECO result portal:

Candidates should open a browser on their phone or computer and visit the official NECO result-checking portal, results.neco.gov.ng.

Step 2: Select the examination year:

After opening the portal, select 2026 as the examination year.

Candidates should also select the appropriate examination type, such as SSCE Internal, depending on the examination they sat for.

Step 3: Enter the result-checking token:

Enter the NECO Result Checking Token in the space provided.

Candidates without a token can purchase one through the official NECO result portal by following the payment instructions provided.

Step 4: Enter the registration number:

Candidates should carefully enter their NECO registration number and check the details to ensure that there are no errors.

Step 5: Check the result:

After entering the required information, click on ‘Check Result.’

The candidate’s 2026 NECO SSCE result will appear on the screen if the details provided are correct.

Emmanuel Ejekwu, a popular skitmaker and content creator known as Sabinus, has lamented the rising activities of area boys, or agberos, in Lagos.

The comedian reacted after reposting a viral video showing agberos causing a scene at Onikan Stadium.

Describing the situation as an ‘agbero pandemic,’ Sabinus said he had refrained from speaking about it to avoid online attacks.

‘If I dey talk about this agbero pandemic for Lagos, una go begin attack person. Just look at grown men and people’s breadwinners making a mess of themselves. I don wash my hands for this matter,’ he wrote.

His post prompted reactions on social media, with many agreeing that touting and harassment by agberos remain a major concern in parts of Lagos.