Natasha: Male guber candidates may shun female deputies –Akpabio (Sun)
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has raised concerns that the actions of suspended Kogi State lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, may have a negative impact on female politicians as a lot of men may be scared of appointing or selecting female as deputies.
Speaking at plenary yesterday in response to the vote of confidence passed in him by his colleagues, Akpabio expressed disappointment over Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions, accusing her of attempting to embarrass Nigeria on the international scene by distorting facts on multiple platforms, including the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) summit in New York.
“You can imagine if somebody like Kamala (Harris), the immediate past vice president of the United States, went on CNN to say that President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her by shaking her hand or by holding her hand to show her the office of the president. Read more
Tax reform bills: Reps adopt 7.5% VAT, reject increase to 15% (Vanguard)
The House of Representatives has retained Value Added Tax, VAT, at 7.5 per cent and rejected a staggered increase to 15 per cent by 2030 as proposed in the Tax Reform Bills being debated at the National Assembly.
The House also rejected the proposed reintroduction of inheritance tax under the guise of taxation of family income.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, said it would await details of what was approved before making any comment. Read more
Woman In Court For Giving False Testimony In Church (DailyTrust)
A 32-year-old woman has been arraigned before the Enugu North Magisterial District Court after giving a fake testimony in a Lagos church, police in Enugu have said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the suspect, Loveth Alo, was apprehended on Feb. 1.
According to the police spokesman, during interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and admitted that she acted alone. Read more
Amid defections, Buhari declares loyalty to APC (Guardian)
Former President Muhammadu Buhari has reaffirmed his commitment to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that he remains a loyal member of the party that guaranteed him two terms in office.
Meanwhile, former governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru el-Rufai, said the ruling APC no longer abides by its founding principles, saying positions are given to Lagos boys, to the detriment of those who worked for the party.
But the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Ata, said the APC and President Bola Tinubu’s government would remain focused on keeping to the promises of the party, despite el-Rufai’s theatrics. Read more
Tinubu Approves Maiduguri Airport Upgrade (VON)
President Bola Tinubu has granted his approval for the upgrade of Maiduguri Airport to international status, thereby completing the establishment of international airports in all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Mr Sunday Dare, made this known on Thursday via his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD.
The upgrade of Maiduguri Airport is expected to stimulate economic growth and strengthen regional connections in the Northeast. Read more
2027: PDP govs, Obi, NNPP mull alliance to stop Tinubu (Punch)
Moves by the opposition parties to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 further gathered momentum on Thursday, with the Peoples Democratic Party governors, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the New Nigeria People’s Party planning an alliance to oust the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress government.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, confirmed the development after a closed-door meeting with Obi at the Bauchi Government House on Thursday.
He expressed his readiness to work with the former LP presidential candidate to give the country purposeful leadership. Read more
FG kicks off training for two million IT jobs in June (Nation)
The Federal Government is set to offer six months of free training to youths to fill two million job vacancies.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also approved N120 billion to revive technical education.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, spoke during the third Ministerial Press Briefing, organised by Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris in Abuja. Read more
Tinubu defends economic reforms (Tribune)
President Bola Tinubu has justified his administration’s sweeping economic reforms, stating that they were necessary to safeguard Nigeria’s future and prevent financial ruin.
He emphasized that for decades, the country had been living beyond its means, spending resources meant for future generations.
“For 50 years, Nigeria was spending the money of generations yet unborn and servicing the West Coast of our subregion with fuel. It was getting difficult to plan for our children’s future,” Tinubu said on Thursday while receiving a delegation of former National Assembly colleagues from the aborted Third Republic at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Read more
American Airlines flight catches fire at Denver airport (ABC)
An American Airlines plane caught fire at Denver International Airport in Colorado on Thursday, resulting in six passengers being transported to the hospital.
The Boeing 737-800 plane was diverted to Denver shortly after departing from Colorado Springs, Colorado. While the plane was taxiing to the gate, the engine caught fire, and its passengers evacuated.
The incident, which sent smoke billowing across the tarmac, took place at approximately 5:15 p.m., local time. Read more
EU Pledges €4.7b investment in South Africa at landmark summit (AfricaNews)
The European Union has announced a €4.7 billion ($5.1 billion) investment package for South Africa to support green energy and vaccine production, marking a significant step in strengthening economic and political ties. The commitment was made during the first bilateral summit between the EU and South Africa in seven years, held at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office in Cape Town.
A Shared History of Reconciliation
Speaking at the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen drew parallels between the histories of the EU and South Africa, both of which emerged from conflict and found a path to peace through reconciliation.
“South Africa remains an emblem of hope for the world,” von der Leyen stated. “Today, we are together announcing an investment package to mobilize €4.7 billion in South Africa.” Read more
Putin sets out conditions for Ukraine ceasefire (BBC)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed with the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but that “questions” remained about the nature of a truce as he set out a number of tough conditions.
The Russian president was responding to a plan for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to earlier this week after talks with the US.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Putin’s response to the plan as “manipulative” and called for more sanctions on Russia. Read more
Syria’s al-Sharaa signs temporary constitution (AlJazeera)
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a temporary constitution that will be in force for a five-year transitional period, three months after his forces led a lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Al-Sharaa said he hoped the constitutional declaration would mark the start of “a new history for Syria, where we replace oppression with justice”, as he signed the document on Thursday.
The temporary constitution retains some aspects of its predecessor, including the stipulation that the head of state has to be a Muslim and the establishment of Islamic law as the main source of jurisprudence, said Abdulhamid al-Awak, a member of the drafting committee. Read more
Rick Ross drags 50 Cent’s dead mom into beef (HipHopDx)
Rick Ross has viciously hit back at 50 Cent, bringing his rap rival’s long-deceased mother into their beef.
In a lengthy video rant posted to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday (March 12), Rozay did not hold back on his longtime nemesis and his crew.
“I didn’t know that they say I was the only person that fucked 50 Cent up. I ain’t know that, I’ma be honest. Tony Yayo told 50 Cent himself — y’all can Google it. Tony Yayo said, ‘I wouldn’t do that if I was [him],’” he said, referencing the G-Unit rapper’s recent comments about 50’s feuds with Ross, Big Meech and others. Read more
Irish prime minister says “tariffs are damaging” amid Trump trade standoff (CBS)
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he hopes dialogue can resolve the trade war between the U.S. and the European Union after President Trump Thursday threatened to impose 200% retaliatory tariffs on European wines and alcohols.
The tariffs were a response to the European Union’s counter-tariffs against Mr. Trump’s initial steel and aluminum hikes.
“I think it’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment,” Martin said in an interview with CBS News on Thursday. “Overall, tariffs are damaging to trade, damaging to businesses, but also damaging to consumers, because they will lead to an increase in prices for consumers. I don’t think that’s good, either way. So, we would hope that in the fullness of time that these things will settle down and that there would be negotiation, trade negotiations, to arrive at a landing zone that people can cope with and can accommodate.” Read more
World Cup Qualifiers: Senate charges Super Eagles to Beat Rwanda, Zimbabwe (Sun)
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi has assured the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Super Eagles of the Senate supports urging them to put all hands on the deck to pick six maximum points in the two next two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, BSNSports.com.ng reports.
The soft-spoken senator representing Bauchi central senatorial district in an exclusive interview with BSN Sports on Wednesday said the senate through his office has asked the federation, despite the difficulty, to do everything possible to get the World Cup ticket.
He said, “When the NFF leadership was here before the Senate, we urged them to do all it takes to win these matches. There should be no excuses because I am personally apprehensive of our possibility of going to World Cup.” Read more
Torunarigha replaces injured Tella in Super Eagles World Cup squad (Vanguard)
Jordan Torunarigha has been called up to replace Nathan Tella in Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Tella withdrew from the squad due to injury. The winger was on the bench during Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, but manager Xabi Alonso later confirmed that he was not fully fit to play.
“Camp Update: Joshua Torunarigha has been called to replace injured Nathan Tella. We wish Nathan quick recovery,” the Super Eagles announced on their official X account on Thursday. Read more
45 Swimmers for Governor’s Para-Swimming Classic (ThisDay)
At least 45 athletes from across the federation are expected to participate in the Governor’s Para-Swimming Classic, scheduled to take place at the National Stadium swimming pool in Surulere from March 17 to 22.
According to the organisers, this edition will stand out from previous ones, featuring five days of intensive scientific training and analysis, followed by a one-day competition.
The primary objective of the event is to secure the inclusion of at least one para-swimming event in the upcoming National Sports Festival later this year in Ogun State. This goal hinges on the athletes’ performance—whether they achieve personal bests or set new records during the competition. Read more
Hamilton 12th as Norris fastest in Melbourne practice (BBC)
British rookie Oliver Bearman crashed heavily in first practice at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Lando Norris set the pace for McLaren.
Bearman, starting his first full season in Formula 1 after three cameo appearances last year for Ferrari and Haas, lost control in Turn 10 and spun into the wall. He was unhurt.
Lewis Hamilton was down in 12th in his first session for Ferrari, 0.819 seconds off the pace and 0.61 seconds behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, in third place behind Norris and the Williams of Carlos Sainz. Read more
Thunder beat Celtics to clinch NBA playoff spot (AlJazeera)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the playoffs with an impressive 118-112 victory over the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Finals sneak preview.
Gilgeous-Alexander enhanced his credentials as favourite for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with a superb performance to silence Boston’s TD Garden home crowd in an absorbing duel settled by a burst of fourth-quarter Thunder scoring.The Canadian point guard shot 11-of-20 from the field to finish with five rebounds, seven assists and 34 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Read more