Amidst 18m Out-of-school Children: Jonathan’s Almajiri schools abandoned (Leadership)
Most of the Almajiri schools established by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the northern states are either no longer functional or have been repurposed for other uses, findings by LEADERSHIP on Sunday have revealed.
The schools were established to help reduce or eliminate the number of out-of-school children in the north, particularly in Nigeria as a whole. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria rose to 18.3 million as of May 2024.
Chief of Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Dr. Tushar Rane, disclosed this at a regional stakeholders’ engagement meeting in Gombe on Out-of-School Children and Retention, Transition, and Completion Models in Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa states, stating that this puts Nigeria at having the largest number of out-of-school children globally. Read more
Obasanjo threatens legal action against EFCC over alleged illegal invasion of OOPL complex (Sun)
The management of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has demanded apology from the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for what it described as “invasion of private property” by its operatives.
The Library equally threatened a legal action against the EFCC if it fails to justify the impudent actions of its operatives.
OOPL in a statement by the Managing Director, Vitalis Ortese, yesterday, in Abeokuta, alleged that over 50 operatives of the EFCC had invaded a private event being held within its premises around 2a.m on Sunday, shooting guns and threatening to kill people at the event. Read more
India buys Nigerian crude as Dangote imports US oil (Punch)
Refineries in India are buying Nigerian crude while the country’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery is largely running on American oil, The PUNCH reports.
In a twist that underscores the complexities of global oil trade, India’s state refiners are snapping up Nigerian crude oil while Africa’s largest refinery, located in Nigeria, is increasingly importing crude from the United States, a development that oil sector operators described as “oil trade irony” on Sunday.
Industry sources told Reuters that Indian Oil Corporation recently bought one million barrels of Nigeria’s Agbami crude for September delivery in a tender awarded to global trader Trafigura. The purchase is part of a broader sourcing spree that has seen Indian refiners secure millions of barrels from non-Russian sources. Read more
176 ‘illegal’ estates: What govt’s action has cost us, by developers (Nation)
Last week’s description of 176 estates as illegal by Lagos State government, has thrown residents into panic, created fears in investors as real estate developers are counting the cost of the action.
Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) in a letter to the state government expressed worries.
The association said: ‘’It comes as a rude shock to REDAN members when the Lagos State Government lists over 170 members as not having or suggesting that its members’ estates do not have the requisite documents to provide sustainable and safe housing for citizens of Lagos State. Read more
FG pledges to pay doctors, health workers’ 7-month arrears by August ending (Tribune)
The Federal Government has assured medical doctors and other healthcare workers that their outstanding seven months’ salary arrears will be paid before the end of August 2025, in a bid to avert a looming nationwide strike in the health sector.
The assurance was given by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, during a joint meeting held in Abuja with leaders of major health unions.
This development follows a 21-day ultimatum issued by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), demanding that the government address lingering welfare concerns or risk a nationwide strike. Similarly, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) recently suspended a warning strike after stakeholder intervention. Read more
Collection centre commences production of 2,000 litres of milk daily (Guardian)
A dairy milk collection centre built by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to collect cow milk from the Zawi Grazing Reserve Adamami, Shira Local Council, Bauchi State, has commenced daily production of 2,000 litres of milk to contribute to the country’s production gap.
Speaking at the project site, the CEO of L&Z Integrated Farms, Mohammadu Abubakar, whose dairy firm runs the collection centre, said the country is facing production shortage and needs to bridge the gap by settling the pastoralists where dairy products contribute to the nation’s economy.
According to him, “Nigeria imports about $1.5b milk products but what the Federal Government has done is to introduce a policy to encourage backward integration and import substitution and in that case, the Ministry for Livestock was established to focus on that.” Read more
Sugar importation rises as local production falters (Vanguard)
Reflecting the gross under-performance of the sugar sector after over 15 years of efforts towards self-sufficiency through local production, Nigeria’s importation of sugar and sugarcane rose sharply by 328 per cent in five years from 2020 to 2024.
The development comes at the backdrop of a clear failure of the one-and-a-half decade of implementation of the National Sugar Master Plan, NSMP, rolled out in 2010, and renewed in 2020. Financial Vanguard findings from data on sugar importation by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that sugar importation rose to N2.21 trillion in five years to 2024, from N516.61 billion in the preceding five years to 2019. Read more
Texas rapper Erica Banks arrested for allegedly bringing stolen gun to airport (Hiphopwired)
Erica Banks was recently arrested at the airport in Atlanta while trying to catch a flight to Houston.
According to reports, security found a gun in her Louis Vuitton bag, and after running the serial number, it turned out the gun was reported stolen in Greenville, South Carolina. The “Buss It” rapper was arrested and taken to Clayton County Jail on a charge of receiving stolen property. However, she wasn’t there long; she was released just over an hour later.
Banks’ lawyer spoke out, saying she didn’t know the gun was stolen. “When she was caught with this weapon, she had no idea it was stolen,” the attorney said. “She is not guilty of anything, and when we get to court, our goal is to get the charges dropped so it doesn’t go on her record.” Read more
5 Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike in Gaza (BBC)
Five Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said.
Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, alongside cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at the hospital’s main gate when it was targeted, Al Jazeera reported.
The “targeted assassination” on Sunday was “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”, it said in a statement. Read more
M6.1 earthquake strikes western Turkey (JapanToday)
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck western Turkey on Sunday, the country’s AFAD disaster management authority said, while local media said the quake was felt across multiple provinces.
AFAD said the quake occurred at around 7:53pm local time in the Balikesir province, near Turkey’s biggest city Istanbul, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in any of the affected provinces.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X that emergency teams from AFAD had started inspections around Istanbul and the neighbouring provinces but that no negative reports had come through so far.. Read more
Australia to recognise Palestinian state (UPI)
Australia will recognise the state of Palestine, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday, making Canberra the latest Western government to take the mostly symbolic and political move that is expected to anger not only Israel but the United States.
Albanese, speaking during a press conference in Canberra, said that Australia will formally make the recognition in September, during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“Australia will recognize a state of Palestine. Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own, predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” he said. Read more
Maluma Stops Concert to Scold Mom Who Brought Baby Without Ear Protection (People)
Maluma is calling out a fan for bringing a baby to one of his concerts.
Over the weekend, the 31-year-old Colombian singer stopped his show in Mexico City to scold a mom who brought a young child to the performance without ear protection.
“With all due respect… how old are they?” Maluma asked the mother in Spanish, as seen in a video of the interaction shared on X. “A year old? Less? A year.” Read more
George Harrison and Eric Clapton collaborator Bobby Whitlock dies aged 77 (Metro)
Musician Bobby Whitlock, who co-founded the band Derek and the Dominos, has died aged 77.
The keyboard player and vocalist was best known for forming the blues rock band with Eric Clapton in 1970, however they only ever released one album and broke up after a year.
Whitlock also worked with The Beatles star George Harrison, playing on his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. Read more
Gala under probe over €75m Osimhen deal (Sun)
Turkish Super Lig champion, Galatasaray is set to be investigated by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance following the signing of Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, which took place 10 days ago.
Osimhen completed a permanent €75 million transfer from Napoli to Galatasaray on July 30, 2025, after spending last season on loan with the club. He signed a four-year deal worth €15 million annually, plus bonuses.
This move set a Süper Lig record and has generated significant excitement among fans in Turkey. Read more
Simon hails Nantes after reunion (Punch)
Paris FC forward, Moses Simon, has expressed heartfelt appreciation to his former club, FC Nantes, after receiving a special tribute during their friendly match against Paris FC on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Simon, who enjoyed a successful six-season career with Nantes before leaving this summer for a fee worth €7m, was honoured by the club and fans at the Stade de la Beaujoire during Paris FC’s 3-2 win.
The 29-year-old returned to Nantes for the first time since his departure and was warmly received with a guard of honour and applause from the fans before he was presented a special plaque. Read more
Ndidi bids emotional farewell to Leicester City (Leadership)
Wilfred Ndidi has penned a farewell message to his former club, Leicester City.
Ndidi left the Sky Bet Championship club for Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas this week.
The 28-year-old was officially unveiled by the Black Eagles on Friday.
The Nigeria international put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the option of an additional year. Read more
NYPD searching for man who threw a sex toy at New York liberty game (People)
Police are looking for a man who threw a sex toy during a recent New York Liberty game, one of several similar incidents across the WNBA.
The man is wanted for assault for throwing an “object which struck a 12-year-old female victim in the right leg” as the Liberty played at Barclays Center on Tuesday, Aug. 5, according to an X post from the New York Police Department (NYPD) Crime Stoppers.
The “object” was a sex toy, per a report from ABC 7 NY, as well as footage seen from the aftermath of the incident. Read more
2nd boxer dies from brain injury after Tokyo event (BBC)
A second Japanese boxer has died from a brain injury suffered at an event in Tokyo.
Hiromasa Urakawa, 28, died on Saturday after he was beaten via knockout in the eighth round of his fight with Yoji Saito on 2 August.
It follows the death of Shigetoshi Kotari on Friday from injuries sustained during a separate bout on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Read more