Nurses, midwives suspend warning strike (Leadership)
The industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has been suspended.
Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, disclosed this to journalists after a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the striking medical workers on Friday.
Pate said the decision followed agreements reached with the leadership of the nursing association. Read more
Why we sent Egusi to space – Dr. Oniosun (Punch)
Founder and Managing Director of Space in Africa, Dr. Temidayo Oniosun has explained why egusi was chosen over other Nigerian ingredients such as ogbono or fisherman soup, stating that cultural symbolism was a key factor in the decision.
During an interview on Channels TV on Friday, he said, “I think personally, and, you know, this is a personal experience or personal story. I think that Egusi is the most cultural dish in Nigeria. You know, everybody eats Egusi. The Yorubas lay claim to Egusi that it originated from them. Even the Igbos also, they do the same.
“They say, oh, you know, Egusi is from Igbo land. So a lot of people lay claim to its origin and I don’t think there is a better dish that says, ‘See, I’m Nigerian,’ than Egusi. Even people in the diaspora can connect to this. And it has also traveled way beyond Nigeria. If you go across West Africa, you know, people are eating Egusi.” Read more
Lagos APC slams Peter Obi’s criticism of FG’s national honour policy (Guardian)
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, over his comments on the Federal Government’s national honours policy.
Obi had questioned the practice of awarding national honours to politicians, arguing that entrepreneurs and private sector contributors deserve greater recognition.
However, the Lagos APC described his stance as “an oversimplification of a nuanced national issue” and “another unfortunate example of performative populism.” Read more
Helicopter landing fee reignites 4-year dispute between FG, operators (Sun)
Nigeria’s aviation sector is embroiled in a fresh conflict as helicopter operators and oil companies are pushing back against a controversial $300-per-landing fee imposed by the federal government.
The policy, which was birthed four years ago, did not fly and was later submerged by circumstances.
The matter resurfaced last year but was later suspended. Read more
LASU workers begin indefinite strike (Vanguard)
Academic and non-academic employees of the Lagos State University (LASU) have embarked on an indefinite strike over welfare and other unresolved issues with the management.
Although details of the workers’ grievances were not immediately available at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the industrial action began on Thursday, July 31.
In a letter to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, dated July 31, 2025, the leadership of the four unions in the institution vowed not to call off the strike until all their demands were met. Read more
Odumodublvck dismisses streaming farm allegations (Nation)
Rapper Odumodublvck has hit back at fellow artists, accusing others of using streaming farms to boost their music streams.
According to him, a good song will always shine through, regardless of any attempts to manipulate streams.
He stated on X that those making the allegations are driven by insecurity and are trying to prepare excuses for their poor performance. Read more
Tinubu to young Nigerians: Use new media to foster unity, national devt (Tribune)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned young Nigerians against the dangers of misinformation in the digital age, urging them to use the power of new media to foster unity and national development.
He warns against the dangers of misinformation in a digital age, especially attempts by some young Nigerians to cause divisions, while emphasising the need to build a digital space that reflects the values of compassion, discipline, and patriotism.
Tinubu spoke on Friday at the opening of the two-day Progressive Digital Media Summit on “Unveiling the Critical Role of New Media in National Development”, held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja. Read more
A black goo was oozing from a ship on the Great Lakes — and teeming with life (CNN)
Research vessel Blue Heron trawls the Great Lakes, gathering data from the water. The floating laboratory’s most recent discovery, however, came from an unexpected location: its own rudder.
While docked after a long cruise to study algae blooms in lakes Erie and Superior in September, the crew noticed a black, tar-like substance oozing from the rudder shaft, the mechanism that allows the 87-foot-long (nearly 27-meter-long) boat to change directions.
Unsure of what the odd goo was, Doug Ricketts, marine superintendent and senior research associate at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Large Lakes Observatory, brought a cup of the substance to the observatory’s scientists for testing. Read more
UN warns of rising ISIS, Al-Qaida threats in Africa & Syria (AfricaNews)
The threat posed by Islamic State and al-Qaida extremists is escalating in Africa and Syria, according to a new UN report released Wednesday. UN experts say Africa remains the epicenter of terror activity, with groups like al-Qaida-linked JNIM in West Africa and al-Shabab in the East steadily expanding territory.
In the Sahel, JNIM is reportedly capable of complex attacks involving drones and IEDs, while al-Shabab maintains strongholds in Somalia and deepens ties with Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Syria is emerging as a key strategic base for both ISIS and al-Qaida’s external operations following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Over 5,000 foreign fighters were reportedly involved in the December offensive that toppled Damascus. Read more
Indonesia set to release hundreds of prisoners under president’s clemency plan (JapanToday)
Indonesia is set to begin releasing hundreds of convicts from its notoriously overcrowded prisons after parliament approved the first stage of President Prabowo Subianto’s wide-ranging clemency plan.
The first group of 1,116 will begin leaving prisons next week, and include prominent rivals of previous President Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, as well as Papuan independence activists.
The announcement was made late Thursday by the House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas after a consultation between the government and party factions in the legislature. Read more
‘No more partial deals’: Official says Israel, US now back comprehensive plan for Gaza
(TimesofIsrael)
As negotiations with Hamas stall, Israel and the United States are now aligned on aiming for a comprehensive framework in place of a partial ceasefire and hostage-release deal, a senior Israeli official told reporters during a Thursday briefing.
“There will be no more partial deals,” the official was quoted as saying, explaining that Israel and the US now concur on the need to “shift from a framework for the release of some of the hostages to a framework for the release of all of the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.”
“At the same time,” the source was quoted as saying, “Israel and the US will work to increase the humanitarian aid, while continuing the fighting in Gaza.” Read more
Things now pricier in Canada due to tariffs (BBC)
The trade war between the US and Canada has escalated sharply with President Donald Trump increasing the tariff rate on Canadian imports from 25% to 35%.
Most goods will avoid the increased costs entering the US market because they are currently exempted under an existing North American trade treaty. But some key products are being hit hard.
Earlier this year Canada responded with counter-tariffs of its own on tens of billions of dollars worth of American products, ranging from tomato ketchup to washing machines. Read more
El Salvador abolishes presidential term limits, extends term length (UPI)
El Salvadoran lawmakers voted to abolish presidential term limits as part of constitutional reforms that could allow the country’s populist president, Nayib Bukele, to remain in power indefinitely.
Under the reformed electoral system, the previous five-year term is increased to six years and a restriction limiting presidents to a single term is removed, allowing El Salvador’s executive to run for office an unlimited number of times.
Members of Bukele’s New Ideas Party in the Legislative Assembly voted through the reform on Thursday, 18 months after Bukele won a second term in a landslide victory, despite a constitutional prohibition on consecutive terms..Read more
AfroBasket 2025: D’Tigress crush Cameroon 83-47, set up semifinal clash with Senegal (Punch)
African Champions, Nigeria D’Tigress have advanced into the semi-finals of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket with a crushing 83-47 victory over Cameroon on Thursday night in Abidjan.
The six-time and defending champions will now meet Senegal in the next stage of the competition.
In the quarter-finals game, Cameroon had a bright start, opening the game on a 4-0 run, but Nigeria responded instantly, going up 7-4. Read more
WAFCON: Gov Fintiri Gifts Falcons’ Coach Madugu House, N50m (Leadership)
Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri has honoured the Super Falcons’ coach, Justine Madugu with a three-bedroom bungalow and a cash reward of N50 million following his role in leading the Nigeria’s senior national women football team to victory at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) held recently in Morocco.
Coach Madugu, who hails from numan local government area of Adamawa State, received a hero’s welcome on Friday at the Government House in Yola, where Governor Fintiri applauded his patriotism, technical brilliance, and commitment to national glory.
The Governor expressed delight in the Super Falcons’ outstanding performance, which saw Nigeria clinching the WAFCON title for a record 10th time. Read more
Nothing but gold: Nigeria set CHAN target with Remo Stars-dominated squad (Guardian)
Nigeria’s home-based national team has departed for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) with a squad dominated by domestic league champions Remo Stars.
Nine of the 23 players named by head coach Eric Sekou Chelle are from the Ikenne-based club. The team, which has been training in Zanzibar since July 25, played two preparatory matches against the Zanzibar national team, drawing 0-0 and 2-2.
Assistant coach Daniel Ogunmodede, who led Remo Stars to the league title before joining the national team setup, said the target is clear, according to ESPN. Read more
Norris fastest in Hungarian GP first practice (BBC)
Lando Norris headed team-mate Oscar Piastri to a McLaren one-two in first practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Norris was 0.019 seconds quicker than the Australian, who leads the Briton by 16 points in the world championship heading into the last race before Formula 1’s summer break.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third fastest, 0.217secs off the pace, and split from team-mate Lewis Hamilton by Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar. Read more
Ricardo Sandoval’s surprise title journey a reminder of boxing magic (BoxingScene)
Say what you will about the sport. You cannot deny the unscripted magic of Ricardo Sandoval’s victorious journey to Japan to dethrone a unified, two-division champion.
In a stirring and unexpected showing in Yokohama, California’s Sandoval got off the canvas and claimed a split-decision triumph over Japan’s Kenshiro Teraji by scores of 113-114, 115-112, 117-110 Wednesday to become the WBC and WBA flyweight champion against a fighter who’s already participated in a fight-of-the-year candidate.
“It feels great. All the hard work paid off,” Sandoval 27-2 (18 KOs) said in victory. “I never stopped working since I was 10 years old. Now we’re here, and we’re [a two-belt] champion.” Read more