Category: PM News

Residents in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are worried after a new Ebola outbreak was reported in Ituri province.

People in towns such as Mongbwalu and Bunia say fear is spreading quickly because the current Ebola strain, called Bundibugyo, does not yet have an approved vaccine or treatment.

Many residents are also afraid the outbreak could hurt businesses and daily income in an area already affected by poverty and armed conflict.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths were reported in Congo, along with two deaths in neighboring Uganda.

Most of the cases are in Ituri province, which borders Uganda and South Sudan. Health officials say the first suspected patient, a health worker from Bunia, showed symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and bleeding before dying in April.

Local leaders believe the disease may have spread after a funeral procession from Bunia arrived in Mongbwalu in mid-April. Soon after, many people reportedly became sick and died.

The Congolese government has announced plans to open three Ebola treatment centers in Ituri. The WHO has also sent medical experts and emergency supplies to the area.

Health officials warn that ongoing violence in eastern Congo is making it harder to control the outbreak.

Aid groups say the region’s healthcare system is already under pressure because of years of conflict and reduced humanitarian funding.

Ebola is a dangerous viral disease first discovered in Congo in 1976. It spreads through contact with body fluids or contaminated materials and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure, and death.

Scientists are working on possible vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain, with trials expected to begin soon. In the meantime, authorities are focusing on preventive measures such as protecting health workers, isolating patients, and raising public awareness.

This is the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in Congo. The country’s deadliest outbreak happened between 2018 and 2020, killing more than 2,000 people in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Sandra Onyenucheya, the ex-wife of media personality and TV host Frank Edoho, has again, spoken up regarding the allegations of infidelity during her marriage.

Sandra, in a series of posts on her Instagram page, made fresh allegations against her estranged husband, dismissing the claims of being unfaithful in her marriage.

She explained that she had the passwords to her ex-husband’s digital devices, alleging that he was involved in numerous affairs while she stayed faithful.

“Surviving Frank Edoho. I refuse to be tagged an unfaithful wife, a prostitute, or an ashewo as I have been pegged these past few days. He didn’t come as the most eligible bachelor, however, I loved him with all my heart and soul, against the wishes of my family. Faithful to the core, he always bragged about me to his friends, colleagues and anyone who cared to listen. Frank, you must come to Equity with clean hands. You must acknowledge and take responsibility to how you led us here. I was constantly humiliated, physically abused and traumatised. (Pls find picture evidence attached) . Videos Dey but let’s keep that one aside,” she wrote.

Sandra also claimed that that Frank was paying to spend time with ladies, adding that he brought strange women to their shared office under the guise of them being marketers.

“You didn’t know I had your passwords for over 3 months! Frolicking with so many women including the one you jug with at 6am In the morning in our estate . craziest work! Every time I asked we jug together, you would harshly quarrel with me and storm out the house only to go romance in vgc park! I kept quiet. Range Rover car loan I was single handedly paying off. I constantly found cheap lip-glosses, earrings and hair brushes after your night outs. You claimed they belonged to your married manager’s girlfriend. Your married manager, Toyosi Oyetunji @oyetunjitoyosi would bring in various girls for you to our shared office, and anytime | asked, you would claim they are marketers. Marketers for what exactly? I kept quiet,” she stated.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has closed the sale of Expression of Interest Forms for its 2027 presidential ticket, with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, emerging as the only aspirant who purchased the form.

According to reports, as of the close of sale for presidential forms, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, was the sole aspirant seeking the NDC presidential ticket.

The development has strengthened expectations that Obi may emerge as the party’s consensus presidential candidate, subject to screening and other internal party processes.

However, the NDC has extended by one week the deadline for the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for other elective positions.

The extension applies to aspirants seeking tickets for governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly seats.

In a statement, the National Secretary of the party, Mr Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu, said the earlier deadline of 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026, had been shifted to 12 midnight on Sunday, May 24, 2026.

Enekweizu, however, clarified that the extension did not affect the presidential race, as the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for the office of President had officially closed.

According to the timetable released by the party, screening of aspirants who purchased and completed their forms will begin on Tuesday, May 19, and end on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

The party also said collection and return of Nomination Forms for screened and cleared aspirants would commence on May 20 and close on May 26, 2026.

The NDC warned that no further extension would be granted beyond the new deadline, urging aspirants to comply strictly with the party’s guidelines and timetable.

It directed all aspirants to appear for screening and pre-qualification interviews at designated venues nationwide with relevant documents.

The documents required include educational certificates, birth certificate or declaration of age, passport photographs, voter’s card, NDC membership card and curriculum vitae.

The party said all documents submitted to the Screening Committee must be provided in six copies.

According to the statement, the screening process will consider the wishes of the electorate, local peculiarities, capacity, competence and character of aspirants.

The party also directed the Screening Committee to take into account its affirmative action policy for women, youths and persons living with disabilities.

NDC further encouraged aspirants to embrace consensus-building, stressing that only those cleared through the screening process would be eligible to purchase nomination forms.

Obi, who was the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, recently moved to the NDC after leaving the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

With no other presidential aspirant purchasing the NDC form before the deadline, Obi is now positioned as the leading figure in the party’s 2027 presidential calculations.

The former Anambra governor is expected to face the party’s screening process before any formal declaration of his candidacy.

His emergence as the only presidential aspirant could shape the NDC’s strategy ahead of the 2027 election, especially as opposition parties continue realignments across the country.

Meta Platforms Inc. has started laying off about 8,000 employees worldwide as part of a major restructuring linked to its focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and cost reduction.

The layoffs began on Wednesday morning, starting with staff in Asia and later affecting employees in the United States. According to internal reports, affected workers were informed through official company communication.

The job cuts are part of Meta’s plan to make its operations more efficient while investing heavily in AI infrastructure and product development.

At the same time, Meta has reassigned about 7,000 employees to new AI-focused teams working on products and automated systems. The company says it is also moving toward a flatter organisational structure, where smaller teams have more responsibility and can work faster.

Meta ended March with just under 80,000 employees before this new round of restructuring.

The company’s Head of People said the new structure is designed to improve speed, accountability, and productivity.

However, the changes have caused concern among employees, especially about job security and increased monitoring related to AI development. Some staff have also raised worries about data collection practices used to train AI systems.

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made AI a top priority, with the company investing heavily in infrastructure to compete with other tech giants like Google and OpenAI.

Analysts estimate the layoffs could save the company about $3 billion, even as it continues large spending on AI projects.

Overall, Meta says the restructuring is meant to reduce costs while speeding up its shift toward artificial intelligence-driven products and services.

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

The Kano Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has strongly condemned the partial or outright refusal of the states and Federal Government to implement the December 2025 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement, which is the proposed National Research Council (NRC)

During a Press Conference addressed by its Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Abdulkadir Muhammad, at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), on Wednesday, ASUU called on both Federal and State Governments to respect the agreement in order to sustain industrial peace and harmony within Nigerian universities.

According to Comrade Muhammad, “ASUU remains committed to ensuring that all its members fully benefit from the modest achievements secured through the eight-year negotiation process spanning 2017 to 2025.”

The Kano Zone of ASUU, comprises Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Bayero University, Kano (BUK); Kaduna State University (KASU), Kaduna; Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil; Federal University Dutse (FUD), Jigawa State; Northwest University (NWU), Kano; Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa (SLUK), Jigawa State, and Federal University of Technology, Babura.

Comrade Muhammad recalled that, “our Union had signed a historic agreement with the Federal Government sometime in December 2025. The enthusiasm generated by the unveiling of this Agreement on 14th January 2026 is gradually diminishing and may soon disappear if the government fails to honour its commitment to fully implement the Agreement.

” Our concern arises from the government’s inability to constitute the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which was expected to protect the Agreement from bureaucratic delays and inertia and ensure its effective implementation. Up to this point, Federal Government officials have implemented the Agreement in a fragmented and poorly coordinated manner, while only a few state governments have adopted and enforced it. Administrators of Federal universities have selectively implemented aspects of the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and Professorial Allowances (PA), despite the fact that all these components were meant to be integrated into the Consolidated Academic Staff Salary Scale (CONUASS) as part of the monthly remuneration package for academics. Similarly, some state governors, who are Visitors to state universities, have disregarded the Agreement despite the active participation of representatives of their Governing Councils and universities during the Renegotiation process.”

While appreciating the efforts of some state universities that have taken the lead in implementation, ASUU Kano Zone, insisted that the consequences of failing to inaugurate the IMC are also evident in the flawed implementation of another major provision of the December 2025 Agreement, which is the proposed National Research Council (NRC).

By Ayorinde Oluokun

Police operatives in Ogun have arrested a woman identified as Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu and her husband, Ugochukwu Mathew, over alleged involvement in theft of three children in Mowe area of Ogun State.

The three stolen children were also rescued from the home of the couple, Oluseyi Babaseyi, the spokesperson of Ogun Police Command said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the arrests followed report at Mowe Division on 17th May by a resident of Omo Onile community in Mowe that the Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu visited her at the hospital when she was undergoing treatment, deceitfully collected her four-month-old baby and absconded.

Babaseyi said following the report, police detectives of Mowe Division were immediately mobilized to put motor parks and strategic locations within the area were placed under surveillance.

However, he said the suspect was eventually tracked to her hideout at Kekere Ekun area of Mowe on 18 March at about 7:55pm, where the stolen child was rescued alongside two other children found in the home.

The husband-and-wife suspects were also promptly arrested and taken into custody.

Babaseyi said preliminary investigation revealed that one of the children found with the suspects was declared missing in a 2024.

This was after the child was taken from a hairdressing salon by the female suspect using the same deceptive method of pretending to offer assistance.

Babaseyi said the biological parents of two of the rescued children have been contacted and have positively identified their wards while the case been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, for discreet investigation.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, commends the swift response, professionalism, and commitment of the officers and men of Mowe Division, whose proactive efforts led to the arrest of the suspects and rescue of the children. The CP reiterated the Command’s resolve to sustain the fight against child trafficking, abduction, and other violent crimes across the State,” Babaseyi said.

By Ayorinde Oluokun

The Kabiru Turaki led faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared former President Goodluck Jonathan its candidate for the 2027 president election.

Former Niger State Governor and chairman of the screening committee of the faction, Babangida Aliyu made the declaration on Tuesday.

He made the declaration despite the fact that the former President refused to show up for screening before the committee on Monday.

Members of the Committee departed the venue of the screening around 4 p.m. on Monday after waiting for hours for Jonathan to show up.

Some reports had also indicated that the former President did not obtain forms to contest for the presidency, contrary to the claim of the PDP faction.

But Aliyu told journalists that the party has waived screening for Jonathan as a former deputy governor, governor, vice president and president. He therefore declared that Jonathan would fly the flag of the party in the 2027 presidential election.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP faction, Ini Ememobong had claimed last week that the former president successfully completed his membership registration in the party’s digital registration in line with the directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The PDP also said he will be screened as the sole presidential candidate alongside 748 aspirants contesting for seats in the House of Representatives, 198 senatorial aspirants and 112 governorship aspirants who have bought forms to contest for the positions on the platform of the party.

PDP, in a statement on its Facebook page listed the panel that will screen Jonathan to include former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, former governor of Plateau State, Jona Jang and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi.

The other members of the committee were Chief Olabode George, Babangida Aliyu, Maryam ciroma, Zainab Maina, Josephine Anenin, Dr. Abdul Bulama, Dr. Esther Uduehi, Edo State PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, Dr. Sunday Solarium and Chief Anicho Okoro, who would serve as administrative secretary of the committee.

Oil prices are rising again in the global market, and Nigerian crude oil is getting close to $120 per barrel.

This increase is mainly caused by growing tensions between the United States and Iran, which have raised fears about possible disruption in global oil supply.

Nigeria’s main crude oil, known as Bonny Light, is currently trading at about $117 per barrel.

Earlier, prices had dropped, but they have started rising again as the conflict in the Middle East continues to create uncertainty in the oil market.

At one point in recent months, oil prices had even reached around $140 per barrel before falling again.

The main reason for the price increase is concern about the Strait of Hormuz, a very important sea route through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

If this route is blocked or affected by conflict, it can seriously reduce the global supply of oil and push prices higher. Because of this risk, traders and countries are reacting by increasing oil prices in advance.

Diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran are still ongoing, but they have not made much progress.

The two countries are trying to negotiate peace through a mediator, but they still disagree on key issues.

Iran has demanded that its frozen assets in foreign countries be released. It also wants international sanctions against it to be removed. In addition, Iran is asking for compensation for damage caused by the conflict and wants restrictions on its nuclear programme to be eased.

On the other hand, the United States is demanding that Iran reduce its nuclear activities significantly and allow more international control.

The US is also pushing for the reopening of important oil routes and stronger limits on Iran’s influence in the region. Because both sides have very different demands, reaching an agreement has become difficult.

Former US President Donald Trump has also added pressure by warning Iran to act quickly in negotiations, saying there will be serious consequences if delays continue.

Iranian officials, however, have responded by saying they are fully prepared for any situation if the conflict gets worse.

Meanwhile, US financial officials are considering stronger sanctions against Iran. These sanctions are aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to fund its military and political activities.

Overall, the situation remains tense, and global oil markets are reacting strongly because any escalation could affect oil supply worldwide and push prices even higher.

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued 30 people from Mali who were allegedly trafficked and kept in poor conditions in Nasarawa State.

Police officers from the Intelligence Response Team also arrested 13 suspects linked to the suspected trafficking network.

Force spokesperson, Anthony Placid, said the victims were found in houses located in Mararaba and Karu areas of Nasarawa State.

Among those arrested were Abdul Ngaki, who police identified as the leader of the group, alongside Fatimah Kulibali, Ahmad Kasango, Sidibe Musa, Muhammad Dembele, Saidu Traore, Ali Koulibaly, Abdul Ngeki, Ahmed Sirma, Laya Bando, Aisha Dembele, Abi Togo, and Awa Tesure.

Police said investigations started after reports about the disappearance of some foreign nationals in Nigeria.

According to preliminary investigations, the suspects allegedly lured young people from countries such as Mali and Gabon with promises of jobs in Nigeria and opportunities to travel to Europe.

The victims reportedly paid transport and processing fees before they were moved to houses in Mararaba and Karu, where they were allegedly treated badly and restricted from leaving.

Police also alleged that victims who ran out of money were forced to take part in fake kidnapping schemes. They were allegedly instructed to call their families and falsely claim they had been kidnapped so ransom money could be sent to accounts connected to the suspects.

The police said the operation was carried out on May 7, 2026, along Barrister Road in Rugan Dakachi, Nasarawa State, leading to the rescue of all 30 victims.

The Force added that efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the trafficking network and reiterated its commitment to fighting human trafficking and organised crime in Nigeria.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, According to her, the ministry sponsored 201 festivals, entertainment programmes and cultural initiatives this year, a sharp increase from the 143 supported in the previous year.

The supported projects cut across fashion, music, theatre, food tourism, cultural festivals, art exhibitions, youth empowerment, film, comedy and international tourism events, reflecting what officials described as Lagos’ growing influence in Africa’s creative economy.

Among the major events backed by the state were the Lagos Fanti Carnival, AFRIMA Awards, Lagos Fashion Week, Headies Awards, Lagos Cocktail Week, Lagos International Jazz Festival, Lagos Street Festival and the E1 Lagos Grand Prix-Africa’s first all-electric powerboat race.

Benson-Awoyinka said the state’s tourism and creative policies were deliberately designed to strengthen Lagos’ global visibility while creating jobs, preserving heritage and stimulating economic growth.

“As one of the critical drivers of socio-economic growth and cultural identity, the Ministry remains committed to developing and implementing progressive policies and initiatives that position Lagos as Africa’s foremost destination for tourism, hospitality, entertainment, arts, culture, and creative enterprise,” she said.

The commissioner said the festival boosted economic activities across fashion, food, entertainment and tourism sectors while reinforcing Lagos’ indigenous identity.

According to her, Lagos hosted more than 40,000 participants and visitors during the 2026 Lagos Fanti Carnival, which celebrated Afro-Brazilian heritage and attracted tourists and cultural enthusiasts from different parts of the world.

“In the area of heritage tourism, the government revealed that the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History recorded 56,040 visitors, while Freedom Park welcomed 27,593 visitors and the Badagry Heritage Museum attracted over 10,000 tourists.

“The J. Randle Centre also secured global recognition after winning the prestigious Thea Award in Orlando, Florida, for excellence in immersive storytelling and cultural innovation,” she added.

“The government additionally unveiled plans to harmonise hotel licensing laws and tourism-related fees to reduce multiple taxation and improve ease of doing business for hospitality operators in Lagos,” she said.

Benson-Awoyinka said the reforms would strengthen investor confidence and help attract more tourism investments into the state.