News
Nigeria Air Would Serve as Relief and A Game-Changer To Nigerians – Garba Shehu
Nigeria Air would serve as relief and a game changer to Nigerians, this was a statement made on Wednesday by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media, and Publicity to President, Muhammadu Buhari.
While praising the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika for his doggedness in ensuring the airline becomes a reality, Shehu said many Nigerians will benefit from the project.
He stated that: “The minister has been bashed unfairly all over the place. He has been doing this, all of the commitment to put this airline in place but simply obstacles have been put on his part every inch of the way, until just a week or two ago when the thing was cleared for its resumption,”.
“I don’t blame him. He wants to make history, the minister wants to push for a new airline. So, it is honourable that he wants to kickstart it Friday, which is 24 hours from now. It would be to the relief of Nigerians, certainly, it is something that is going to be a game-changer, especially for international travel.”
Mr Garba admitted that the project had been impeded by several challenges.
“The Nigerian process has been up for a very long time. In all eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, there is no policy memo on anything that has done the zigzag that Nigerian Air has done,” the presidential aide said.
“At least seven times, it came before the Federal Executive Council before finally it was let go.
“Just when everything was set and for the airline to start, domestic Nigerian airline operators went to court and they got an injunction that says that Nigeria Air must not fly. This held up everything until barely a week or two ago.”
According to him, the collaboration with Ethiopian Airways is in the best interest of the country.
He said, “This is entirely different because past attempts have been made to use resources from the treasury to run a business.
“Government is simply a bad manager of businesses. We would continue to fail so long as these things are run by the government.
“This realization is simply the fact that the government of Nigeria would be a minority shareholder in this enterprise, it is going to be essentially business run and that would mean that it would succeed,” he said.
News
US Declares 23 Nigerian States High-Risk for Citizens
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
Photo: President Donald Trump; President Bola Tinubu
The United States Department of State has classified 23 Nigerian states “High Insecurity Risks” for its citizens to go , work and live.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Wednesday, the Embassy in Nigeria urged Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria, with certain states classified under “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to heightened security risks.
Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba were added to the list, bringing the total to 23 states where travel is strongly discouraged.
In Northern Nigeria, the advisory highlighted Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa as particularly high-risk, citing terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime.Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara were also flagged due to civil unrest, widespread crime, and kidnappings.
“The security situation in these states is unstable and uncertain due to civil unrest. Widespread violence between communities and armed crime, including kidnapping and roadside banditry.
“Security operations to counter these threats may occur without warning,” the advisory warned.
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
“Crime is widespread in Southern Nigeria. There is a high risk of kidnapping, violent protests, and armed gangs,” the advisory stated.
News
INEC releases updated voters registration figure nationwide
Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 3.4 million new voters in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide.
The figure is disclosed by the Commission in its week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja.
” A total of 3,441,121 registrations have been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins,” said INEC .
Given the breakdown, INEC explained that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.
State-by-state data showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of registrants with 201,047, representing 5.84 percent of the total.
Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
Gender distribution indicated a higher turnout among women, with females accounting for 1,922,143 registrations (55.86 percent), compared to 1,518,978 males (44.14 percent).
The Lagos State Government has unveiled a comprehensive traffic diversion plan for Wednesday, April 8, and Thursday, April 9, 2026, in preparation for the commissioning of several key infrastructure projects by President Bola Tinubu.
According to the state Ministry of Transportation, partial road closures and diversions will be implemented in affected areas to ensure smooth movement during the events, which include the inauguration of the Ojota-Opebi Link Bridge and other major projects such as the Lagos State Geographic Information Service building in Alausa and the Tolu Schools Complex.
On Wednesday, April 8, diversions will be enforced around venues for the commissioning ceremonies, while on Thursday, April 9, restrictions will apply between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. during the Tolu Schools Complex event and additional project unveilings.
Motorists have been advised to use alternative routes and plan their journeys accordingly to avoid delays. The government urged residents and commuters to cooperate with traffic management officials and security personnel deployed to the areas.
The projects form part of ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure and education facilities across the state. Further details on specific diversion routes are expected to be released by the Ministry of Transportation in the coming hours.
Commuters are encouraged to monitor official announcements via Lagos State traffic radio and social media handles for real-time updates.
US Declares 23 Nigerian States High-Risk for Citizens
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