A senior Republican on the US House armed services committee has said that the country’s recent military strikes in Nigeria and Syria are consistent with American foreign policy to combat Islamic extremism that have existed across Donald Trump’s two presidential terms. Mike Turner, an Ohio congressman, said on Sunday that the strikes are a “continuation of our conflict with [the Islamic State]”. You’re seeing it now in Nigeria,” Turner said. With respect to the Islamic State (IS), he told ABC’s This Week, US policy is “very consistent” in defeating it whether in Iraq, Syria or “here in Nigeria”. Turner said the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s Christmas Day strikes in Ukraine and overnight on Saturday were a reminder “that we can’t be for this”.

L-R: Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Governor of Benue State, Dr Hyacinth Alia. Credit: Nwakocha Stanley | XPresident Bola Tinubu has promised to resolve the political feud between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State. We cannot afford to allow the discord between the elder statesman, Sen. Akume, and Governor Alia to escalate. If this relationship goes asunder, it is the people of Benue, North-Central and Nigeria that will suffer. NAN also reports that the immediate past governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, and traditional rulers were also in attendance.

The spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to travel to Europe amid rising security concerns in the country, describing the move as insensitive and alarming. Abdullahi expressed the position in a statement titled ‘PBAT’s lack of care scary’, and posted on his official X account on Sunday. According to him, Nigerians were still waiting for reassurance from the President when news of his travel broke. PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu departed Lagos for Europe on Sunday, as part of his end-of-year break, ahead of his official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Onanuga noted that the weeklong event would bring together leaders from government, business and civil society to advance global conversations on sustainable development.

Eighty six punch marked gold coins dated to the Vijayanagara-era were found in an iron pot when a group of workers were levelling an open farmland at Sundarampalli village near Jolarpet town in Tirupattur. They found a bunch of gold coins in different sizes and shapes. Archeologists said that gold coins, on an average, will be around five milimetres in size. The gold coins found have the emblem of a pig, an animal depicted by Vijayanagara rulers in various engravings. This is the second incident of finding gold coins; 103 Vijayanagara era gold coins were unearthed from a Chola-era Shiva temple in Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai in November.

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of retired Brigadier General Kabir Muhammad Galadanchi, a distinguished son of Kano State, who passed away on Saturday after an illness. Describing the late officer as a “true patriot,” Governor Yusuf said Galadanchi dedicated his life to the service of Nigeria, demonstrating exemplary leadership and unwavering commitment to national progress. “The late Brigadier General Galadanchi was a revered military officer who remained devoted to the protection of our nation’s sovereignty and integrity throughout his career,” the statement said. Governor Yusuf extended condolences to the family of the deceased on behalf of the government and people of Kano State. He also prayed that Allah grant the late officer eternal rest in Aljannatul Firdausi and give his family the strength to bear the loss.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, on Sunday assured Nigerians that ongoing price competition in the downstream petroleum sector will ultimately benefit consumers. Clarifying NNPCL’s role in the deregulated market, Ojulari emphasised that the company is no longer responsible for petroleum product pricing or regulation under the Petroleum Industry Act. The price war intensified dramatically in December 2025 when Dangote slashed its ex-depot price from N970 to N699 per litre, forcing other players to follow suit or risk losing market share. Data from Petroleumprice.ng showed that Dangote Refinery made over 20 price adjustments in 2025 alone. Ojulari also disclosed that NNPCL has successfully completed welding of the main line of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, including crossing the River Niger.

Parliamentary workers at the National Assembly have expressed opposition to what they describe as persistent violations of the federal character principle in the appointment of secretaries, warning that continued disregard for constitutional provisions could lead to industrial unrest. The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, National Assembly chapter, made the demand in a formal protest letter addressed to the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission and made available to journalists at its headquarters in Abuja on Sunday. “This practice is contrary to the Federal Character principle and undermines the spirit of equitable representation. “We humbly draw attention to the provisions of section 14(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended, further detailed in the Federal Character Commission Act, Cap F7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2024, which mandates equitable representation across Nigeria’s federating units in public appointments. The decision has since been cited by critics as a benchmark for accountability and adherence to established rules, particularly in sensitive appointments within government institutions, including the National Assembly.

L-R: Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Governor of Benue State, Dr Hyacinth Alia. The ex-governor’s son’s wedding, held in Benue State, attracted significant attention from Nigeria’s political elite, with Vice President Kashim Shettima representing President Bola Tinubu at the event. “Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has arrived in Benue State to grace the wedding reception of the son of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume,” Nkwocha wrote. “The Vice President was welcomed to the state by the SGF and the Governor of Benue State, Dr Hyacinth Alia, among other dignitaries of the state,” the presidential aide said. The marriage was announced on Friday in a celebratory Facebook post by Abraham Dajoh, a member of the Akume Dajoh family from Mbakor, Benue State.

The response of Nigerians to the airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Sokoto state, north-western Nigeria are complicated. Ironically, it was Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in November that deepened Muslim-Christian tensions. Sokoto is the spiritual heartland of Islam in Nigeria, but armed violence in the area disproportionately affects Muslim communities. As terrorist networks become increasingly interconnected across the Sahel and West Africa, Nigerian security forces have become overstretched. Onyedikachi Madueke is a security analyst at the University of AberdeenDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article?

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, 28 December, departed Lagos for Europe, continuing his end-of-year break and in preparation for an official visit to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The President was invited by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to participate in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW 2026), scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi in early January. Organised by Masdar under the patronage of the UAE President, ADSW 2026 is expected to attract more than 50,000 participants from over 175 countries. The event will run from 11 to 17 January 2026, with activities hosted primarily at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and Masdar City. During the summit, President Tinubu is expected to engage global leaders and stakeholders on issues central to Nigeria’s development priorities, including energy transition, climate finance, infrastructure investment, and economic diversification.

Founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance and former Vice President of the World Bank, Dr Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of cuddling terrorists when it has the opportunity to finish them off. “Our past and present governments, in escalating degrees, have basically failed to decisively and effectively tackle terrorists who take up arms against Nigerians and our country. It now painfully appears that because grand corruption grossly weakened the capacity of our security establishments, all successive @NigeriaGov administrations implicitly adopted a policy of appeasing terrorists as the only way they know to secure Nigerians and Nigeria,” she lamented. Ezekwesili, who recently won a global anti-corruption award, noted, “All that Nigerians see is flagrant opaqueness on matters injurious to Nigeria. “The entire template raises serious questions that must be urgently addressed by the Federal Government.

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday departed Lagos for Europe as part of his end-of-year break, ahead of his official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The President is scheduled to participate in the 2026 edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit, following an invitation from the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The summit is expected to hold in early January. Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria after the summit. The President’s trip comes days after he arrived in Lagos to spend the end-of-year holidays following official visits to Borno and Bauchi states.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that the N600 billion left in the Rivers State coffers after the lifting of the emergency rule in the state is attracting political interest. Wike stated this when he met with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road in Port Harcourt on Saturday evening. ), left N600 billion in the state coffers following the lifting of the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu on September 18. The former Rivers State governor noted that history had shown that politicians always had interest in the state’s funds, especially after hearing about the availability of such a huge amount. He stated, “Giving the experience in Nigerian politics, Nigerian politicians like Rivers’ money.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has challenged a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, to provide evidence to support his claim that he (Makinde) received N50bn from President Bola Tinubu following the January 2024 Ibadan explosion. However, Fayose, during an interview on TVC on Friday, alleged that Makinde received N50bn from the Presidency to manage the aftermath of the incident, claiming that the funds did not go directly into the coffers of the state government. The allegation was further echoed by Fayose’s former aide, Lere Olayinka, who claimed on Facebook that although Makinde received N50bn, only N4.5bn was released to victims of the explosion. “Ibadan Gomina General got N50bn from Tinubu’s govt, only to release N4.5bn to victims of Ibadan explosion of January 2024,” Olayinka wrote. If he (Fayose) has proof that the Federal Government gave N50bn, he should provide it.

Seven passengers, including two children, were killed while four others sustained injuries in a road accident along the Gombe–Potiskum highway in Yobe State, with the police attributing the crash to a mechanical failure. The spokesperson of the Yobe State Police Command, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said the Potiskum Divisional Police Headquarters received a distress call reporting the accident. Abdulkarim explained that preliminary findings showed the vehicle, driven by Gambo Abbo, suffered a rear tyre burst while in motion. “Preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle, driven by one Gambo Abbo, suffered a rear tyre burst, while in motion,” he said. He added that two of the injured later died while receiving treatment at the hospital.